by magnolia_eic | Oct 29, 2010 | Foreign Exchange, Headlines, National News
President Benigno S. Aquino III proposed the holding of more cultural exchanges between
the Philippines and Vietnam to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties between the two countries next year.
In a toast at the state banquet hosted by President Nguyen Minh Triet at the government
guesthouse here Tuesday evening, President Aquino assured his Vietnamese counterpart
that relations between the two countries will continue to prosper under his administration.
The President expressed great satisfaction with the signing of four agreements between the
Philippines and Vietnam which will strengthen cooperation in higher education, defense and
maritime affairs. He said the mutual commitment of both countries to find additional areas of
cooperation will benefit the Filipino and Vietnamese peoples.
Triet in turn, expressed his gratitude for the strong support given by the Philippines during it’s
chairmanship of the ASEAN, and reiterated his confidence that the Philippines will make even
bigger progress under President Aquino’s leadership.
Vietnam has been a strategic partner of the country for the past 34 years after the
establishment of bilateral ties between the two nations in 1976.
Since then, relations between the two countries have consistently grown to encompass not
just politics, but more importantly, trade and investments, education, defense, fisheries,
maritime and ocean affairs, and environmental concerns, among others. (PCOO/PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 23, 2010 | Headlines, National News
President Benigno S. Aquino III said there is no need to import rice this year despite the
recent onslaught of super typhoon Juan.
The President made the announcement during a press conference at the Cauayan airport
after assessing the typhoon damage and spearheading the relief distribution in Barangay
Baligatan in Ilagan, Isabela Thursday morning.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told reporters that damage to rice crops in Isabela, the
second biggest rice producer in Luzon, was minimal as farmers were able to harvest early in
anticipation of Typhoon Juan.
Alcala said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will immediately distribute planting materials
with short gestation period to enable farmers to catch up with the next planting season.
Earlier, the National Food Authority (NFA) said the rice shortfall due to the typhoon in
northern Luzon is manageable and the country still has a rice buffer stock good for 52 days
which is more than the grains agency’s mandate of keeping a 30-day supply of rice.
“So, at this point in time we are not contemplating on any importation,” the President said.
(PCOO)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 23, 2010 | Headlines, National News
President Benigno S. Aquino III’s state visit to Vietnam next week which will coincide with
Association of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit will be “simple and less
expensive” similar to the United States visit, Malacanang assured.
“Yes, a lean delegation is a policy of this administration. We are not going to spend any more
of the people’s money than is necessary. So we will have again a lean delegation to the
Vietnam trip,” Presidential Communications Strategy Secretary Ricky Carandang said.
Just like the US trip, Carandang said the President would be joined only by selected Cabinet
secretaries and business delegations.
He stressed that the state visit to Vietnam, including attendance to the ASEAN summit, is a
must for President Aquino.
The President will leave for Vietnam on Monday, Oct. 25 for the 17th ASEAN summit
scheduled in Hanoi, Vietnam from October 28-30, and probably be back on October 30. The
President is also scheduled to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. (PCOO)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 21, 2010 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III expressed satisfaction over the excellent handling by the national government and local government units (LGUs) of the super-typhoon “Juan“ (international codename Megi).
Aquino cited the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) through the leadership of Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo and Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, for its accurate and timely weather forecasts that prompted other agencies to prepare for typhoon Juan.
The President also commended Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, and National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council Executive Director Benito Ramos for their effective management of their respective mandates and that the needs of affected communities were promptly delivered.
At the same time, the President extended his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones.
Initial reports said Typhoon Juan killed at least 10 people as it generated waves as big as houses and destroyed thousands of hectares of crops. (PCOO/PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 17, 2010 | Headlines, National News
The government will stand pat on the results of its review of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) report on the Rizal Park hostage tragedy on Aug. 23.
In a press briefing at Malacanang Thursday, President Benigno S. Aquino III said the government will not amend its previous recommendations on the IIRC report, saying it primarily serves the interest of the Filipino people.
He expressed hope that eventually, the country would win back its close ties with China and put the hostage-taking incident behind.
“The only thing we can do is to explain exactly how the decision was arrived at, what were the limitations we have under our system of government and also our laws,” explained the Chief Executive.
President Aquino said the decision was based on existing laws.
“We had a review of pertinent laws, we tried to find whether said laws were applicable to the people accused of failing to do their duties. This is the collected wisdom of everybody who participated in the review,” explained the Chief Executive. “We believe this is the proper course of action and these will be the ones that will prosper.”
The President was reacting to reports that the Chinese government was not satisfied with the results of the review of the IIRC report. (PCOO/PIA)
