by magnolia_eic | Jun 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III signed into law four measures in the fields of energy, labor and health care that impact on the social reform agenda of the Aquino administration.
The four new measures include Republic Act (RA) 10150, an act that provides a ten-year extension of the lifeline rate implementation under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act(EPIRA) as a socialized pricing mechanism that benefits the marginalized end-users of electricity.
Also signed into law is Joint Resolution No. 1 – seeking a ten-year extension for the Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC) in order to ensure the continuous exercise of its oversight function towards the full realization of the objectives and goals of the EPIRA and the Renewable Energy Act.
The Chief Executive also affixed his signature to Republic Act 10151, an Act allowing the employment of night workers thereby repealing articles 130 and 131 of Presidential Decree(PD) Number 442, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines. It willalso ensure mandatory provision of ample health and social services as well as commensurate compensation for night-shift workers.
Last to be signed by the President was Republic Act 10152 or the act providing for mandatory basic immunization services for infants and children repealing for the purpose Presidential Decree No. 996, as amended. This law requires mandatory Hepatitis-B immunization for infantswithin 24 hours of birth. The President cited the ill effects of the dreaded disease adding that it can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, among others.
The President also said that the signing of the four new laws will not automatically eradicate poverty and inequality altogether – but in small ways, the measures will make the lives of theFilipino people better. (PCOO/PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Jun 17, 2011 | Announcements, Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has declared June 20 as a Special Non-working Holiday to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. According to Proclamation No. 154 which was signed by Aquino on April 26th, this would allow “all Filipinos the opportunity to commemorate Rizal’s patriotic deeds and sacrifices forthe country, rekindle their admiration and respect for him, and to celebrate this milestone with appropriate ceremonies”.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) requested that Monday, June 20, 2011, be declared as special non-working holiday instead of Rizal’s birthday on June 19,2011, which falls on a Sunday. Dr. Jose Rizal is the Philippine National Hero who died through firing squad because of hisloyalty and love to the country without any shadow of turning back. Luneta located at theheart of City of Manila City was named after him. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Jun 17, 2011 | Headlines, National News
MALACAÑANG welcomed the 2011 Labor Force Survey of the National Statistics Office(NSO) indicating that the unemployment rate in the Philippines decreased from 8.0% to7.2% in the period between April 2010 and April 2011 saying that it is proof of the Aquino government’s continued fulfillment of its Social Contract with the Filipino people.
In his official statement issued on Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the decrease of unemployment rate is a collective achievement of the different sectors andstakeholders of the government and the Filipino people. “The future promises even more reason for optimism, as we are paving the way for the influxof investments by improving the quality of spending (of government resources) to focus moreon activities that will generate jobs,” said Lacierda.
He stressed that the administration remain confident of the “continued growth in the businesssector and further good news not only in terms of employment but also in our efforts toward education and decreasing inequality through our conditional cash transfer programs.” Lacierda said the holistic approach to overcoming long-standing challenges has been the hallmark of the Aquino administration. “Our efforts will remain diligent, thorough andmotivated,” he added.
According to the April 2011 Labor Force Survey, the country’s employment rate improved by0.8 percentage point to 92.8 percent from 92 percent in April last year. “A total of 2.9 million persons were unemployed in April 2011, placing the unemployment rateat 7.2 percent, down from 8 percent recorded for the same period last year,” the NSO said.(PCOO/PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Jun 15, 2011 | Headlines, National News
MALACAÑANG welcomed the recent statement made by the Chinese foreign ministry saying the Chinese government will not resort to the use of force to settle the dispute in the South China Sea. China on Tuesday vowed not to use force in settling the Spratly issue and called for more dialogue to resolve the long-standing territorial disputes in the area.
“The statement from the Chinese foreign ministry is optimistic. It’s good that we heard them say that they are not going to resort to the use of force. It’s something that we certainly welcome,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in the press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday.
“So at least we have in the region an assurance that no use of force will be necessary to resolve the situation,” Lacierda stressed.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China hopes other claimant countries will do
more for peace and stability in the region. Tensions between China and other claimants to the South China Sea escalated last week following a war of words. The Philippines and Vietnam in particular have expressed alarm over China’s aggressive actions.
Aside from China, the Philippines and Vietnam, other claimants to the Spratly Islands are Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. (PCOO)
by magnolia_eic | Jun 15, 2011 | Headlines, National News
MALACAÑANG has formally charged and placed under a 90-day preventive suspension Special Prosecutor Wendell Barreras Sulit for graft and betrayal of public trust in connection with the questionable plea bargain deal she had entered into with retired Maj. Gen. Carlos F. Garcia.
In a two-page formal charge signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. and issued on Tuesday, Sulit was suspended for three months to ensure that there will be no tampering with evidence and interference in her investigation.
According to the Palace, Sulit violated existing rules and jurisprudence when she “knowingly and willfully” entered into a plea bargain deal with Garcia in the latter’s P303-million plunder case pending before the Sandiganbayan.
The Palace alleged that Sulit, together with her deputies, “impaired deliberately the case for the prosecution by ignoring and abandoning evidence favorable to the interest of the government and presenting evidence adverse to its cause.”
It also alleged that Sulit failed to discharge her mandated duty of prosecuting erring public officials with utmost responsibility, integrity and professional competence. Sulit was also accused of causing undue injury to the government and gave unwarranted benefits to Garcia through “manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence.”
Malacañang gave Sulit a period of 10 days within which to submit her answer to the formal charge before the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs (ODESLA). (PCOO)
by magnolia_eic | Jun 15, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III formally launched the government’s National RenewableEnergy Program (NREP) that aims to address the spiraling cost and insufficiencies in the supplyof electricity, especially in rural areas, in ceremonies held at the Makati Shangri-la Tuesday.
The NREP contains a framework for action, existing and future measures, instruments andpolicies for the promotion of renewable energy as well as a roadmap which will guide effortstowards actualizing the market penetration targets of each renewable energy source in the country.
In his speech keynoting the event, the President underscored the importance of renewableenergy saying it does more than empower cities, machines and entire industries but also “fuelsour movement towards the rebuilding of this nation.” “Renewable energy will fuel our future,” the President said.
He added that through renewable energy, we will be able to supply the electricity needs of ourpeople at a much lower cost and not at the expense of the environment. “The National Renewable Energy Program today points us in the right direction in terms of findinglong-term and sustainable energy sources. Our launch today is a symbolic first step in our journeytowards fulfilling our vision of a Philippines unbound from the vagaries of the world oil market—aPhilippines where we can choose not to sacrifice the environment, particularly the air we breathe,just to power our industries,” the President said.
He appealed to the nationalist in every Filipino to join this government effort to ensure itssuccess. (PCOO/PIA)
