UNA wrong on corruption statement, Ombudsman has not spared LP figures: Quimbo

Team PNoy spokesman Rep. Miro Quimbo on Sunday/Feb. 17 deplored that the reckless accusation of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) that the Aquino administration was soft on its allies in the implementation of its anti-corruption campaign “was unfair and have no factual or legal basis.”

At the same time, Quimbo appealed to UNA leaders to stop muddling the campaign with “personality-based character assassination” and stick to the relevant issues by presenting their alternative platform of government if they have any.

       “Membership in the LP does not give immunity nor protection to any member from any accountability process. On the contrary, unlike in other parties, LP membership serves as a high standard to conduct oneself beyond reproach and following the example of the President,” Quimbo said in a press statement.

He reminded UNA that among the “first major achievements of the PNoy Administration was to restore long-lost public confidence in our legal institutions such as the Office of the Ombudsman and the courts of law.”

“We have a new Ombudsman, who has displayed a strikingly remarkable independence in the discharge of the functions of her office. Her resolve is electrifying the anti-graft and corruption drive under the PNoy administration to the point where even LP stalwarts, hailed to the Office of Ombudsman, have not received any special treatment whatsoever,” Quimbo said.

      Among the LP luminaries, Quimbo said, are former Isabela Governor now Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca and former Bukidnon Congressman now Presidential Adviser on Environment Protection Neric Acosta, both of whom are have pending cases before the Sandiganbayan.

“They have now an excellent chance to clear their names in the proper court,” Quimbo said. “This is a milestone in the dispensation of justice initiated by the PNoy administration, which enhances the drive for clean government under the “daang matuwid”. This is a hallmark in the dispensation of justice.”

       The senatorial campaign for the May 13 elections, which entered its fifth day yesterday, has been turned into a mudslinging exercise directed against personalities and even non-candidates by the opposition, he said.

      “I challenge UNA. Let us stick to platforms and programs, Lay down what your alternative programs in eradicating poverty and joblessness. Our people deserve to hear from you,” he said.

Quimbo said “all the accusations raised by Rep. Toby against me are rehashed political smear propaganda that was spread by my political opponents years ago. They have no factual nor legal basis.”

“The questionable and fraudulent loans that Cong. Toby is referring happened after I had left Pag-IBIG. If he simply checks the dates of these fraudulent loans, it will reveal that they happened after 15 March of 2009, the day I was replaced as CEO. It did not happen during my watch,” Quimbo said.

“It might also interest him to know that I was unceremoniously replaced as CEO of Pag-IBIG Fund precisely because of my refusal to expand the pilot lending window to Globe Asiatique as was being demanded by the developer from Pag-IBIG,” Quimbo added.

“I am proud of the work I did in Pag-IBIG where I was hired as a professional to manage the workers provident fund. From a small workers fund, by the time I had left, it had become a Php250B asset company and was the most profitable government corporation generating P10B in net income and was the biggest taxpayer of the government in 2008. We were financing 60 percent of all housing loans in the country and providing multipurpose loans to at least 2 million members annually,” Quimbo said.

DEBATES REGARDING GUESTS CANDIDATES A WASTE OF TIME -- KIKO

MANILA, February 16, 2013-Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan urges senatorial candidates running under the Liberal Party not to engage in taunts and other tactics that would make them stray from the administration ticket's vision for the 2013 mid-term elections.

"We should move away from engaging in this debate as to whether or not guest candidates should or shouldn't attend rallies of the UNA or Team PNoy tickets. We strongly urge our LP candidates not to engage in such talks and have others frame the issue according to their terms. It would be a waste of the LP candidates' energy and resolve."

"There are more important matters that need our focus and attention, such as the urgent need to ensure that the reform efforts of this administration are not derailed by electing those who do not share the vision of the President."

The lawmaker, who ends his second term in June 2013, adds, "Those presenting themselves to the electorate should focus on raising the level of public debate into that concerning economic and political issues affecting the nation rather than dwell on those matters that have no bearing on the pressing issues of the day."

Drilon to UNA: Stop whining, complaining

Team PNoy campaign manager Franklin Drilon on  Friday/Feb. 15 told  the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) to stop “whining and complaining” about the failure of its three adopted candidates from Team PNoy to show up in UNA campaign sorties.

 “They should instead present their platform of governance and what they have done to deserve the people’s mandate,” Drilon said.

“UNA should stop whining and complaining about the failure of its three adopted candidates to attend their rallies,” Drilon said.

Drilon was reacting to the threat of the rival coalition to no longer allow reelectionist senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda and former Movie Review Board chair Grace Poe to send proxies to their rallies.

Escudero, Legarda, and Poe joined President Aquino last Tuesday in launching the Team PNoy campaign at Plaza Miranda for the midterm senatorial elections.

Team PNoy spokesman Rep. Miro Quimbo challenged UNA to shut up and instead go to the Commission on Elections if they have legitimate complaints.

Quimbo said the Team PNoy would not resort to mudslinging as what UNA is doing, and instead it would focus on conducting a campaign anchored on performance and principles.

“Team PNoy will stand or fall on the basis of its anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform,” Quimbo said.

“Fighting corruption will make more funds available for basic services and vital infrastructure projects that will in turn raise the living standards and reduce the number of poor Filipinos,” Quimbo said.

Legarda Finds Hope in President Obama’s Directive on Climate Change

MANILA, February 14, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda today hailed US President Barack Obama’s strong stance to take action in combatting climate change and expressed optimism that with his leadership, other countries would follow suit in working for a climate-resilient world.

“President Obama’s directive to the US Congress to craft a measure that would encourage cut-down on pollution and greenhouse gas emissions gives us hope that we are on the road to building a climate-resilient world,” said Legarda, the United Nations Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

“President Obama should be a leader of the world and set an example by reducing the USA’s fossil fuel consumption, promoting use of renewable energy, providing better support for agricultural workers and vulnerable sectors, and assisting developing nations who bear the brunt of disasters caused by climate change,” she added.

In his State of the Union address, Obama said that if the US Congress does not pass a bill that would urge the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, he will do it himself through executive action, stressing that progress can be achieved without having to undertake measures that would result to increasing the threats of climate change.

The United States is one of the world’s largest emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Legarda said that she hopes other world leaders would also take a similar stance on climate change because “it is a defining political issue that means livelihood, jobs, homes, and our very survival.”

“World leaders must not allow people to continuously suffer from floods, hunger, displacement, and economic setbacks. This is ‘disaster risk reduction politics’. The past disasters that have depressed many nations should remind world leaders of their great responsibility to lead people out of the crises and uncertainties brought about by unsustainable development, worsening disasters and climate change,” Legarda concluded.

Cardiovascular diseases leading cause of deaths in CL

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Feb. 13, 2013–Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been the leading cause of deaths in Central Luzon since 2006 with an average of 9,000 cases annually, figures from the Health Department show.

“CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels which include diseases on coronary heart, cerebrovascular, peripheral arterial, rheumatic heart, congenital heart, and deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism,” Center for Health Development (CHD) 3 Nurse Coordinator Erlinda Maglanque explained.

Cancer was the second common cause of death in the region followed by pneumonia, cerebrovascular accident or stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

An unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and smoking are some causes for having CVDs.

“With this data, CHD 3 is starting to promote healthy lifestyle activities such as exercise and balanced diet more intensively,” Maglanque said.

CHD 3 has been doing healthy lifestyle activities across workplaces, communities and schools in Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales in order to slowly change the unhealthy eating habits of Filipinos and not exercising. (Joelyn G. Baluyut)

Team PNoy’s Senate sweep statistically possible

The election of the full slate of Team PNoy is not statistically far-fetched, considering that seven candidates of Team PNoy made it to the top 12 of the recent poll surveys, while the remaining five others are within the winning circle, Rep. Miro Quimbo, Team PNoy campaign spokesman, said Wednesday/Feb. 13.

The presence of re-electionist Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda and former Movie Review Board chair Grace Poe at the Team PNoy proclamation rally on Tuesday at Plaza Miranda “is a sign of their unwavering commitment to the Team PNoy ticket,” Quimbo said.

 “It’s always a dream of any team to have all its candidates win,” Quimbo said, echoing the President’s desire to have all the 12 members of Team PNoy elected to the Senate.

“It is important for the President to have a broad support in the Senate for his reform agenda,” Quimbo said.

Escudero and Legarda have consistently topped the voter preference surveys.

Rounding out the administration slate are Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, former Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel  III, Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros, former Senators Ramon Magsaysay Jr. and  Jamby Madrigal and the President’s cousin, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino.

Quimbo said the team will be divided into sub-groups during the campaign to cover more geographical areas. “There is a specific agreement for everyone to work as a united team,” he said.

In his speech at Plaza Miranda on Tuesday, President Aquino warned against “surrendering our success to those trying to waylay us,” labeling those who do so as “political chameleons.”

Quimbo said Team PNoy stands solidly behind the reform agenda of President Aquino. “If given a mandate by the electorate, the team will pursue these reforms in the Senate,” he said.

Team PNoy bets urge President Aquino to seriously find time for romance and raise family

MANILA, February 13, 2013-The Team PNoy senatorial candidates collectively greeted President Aquino on Wednesday/Feb. 13 a “Happy Valentine’s Day,” on top of “more urgent” requests: that he must find some time for romance despite his busy schedule tomorrow/Thursday, have a wife, and eventually raise a family.

          The senators said the Filipino people would not take it against the President if he is able to find a date just in time for tomorrow/Thursday.

          The senators said the rosy economy under PNoy’s administration must also be reflected in the President’s “rosier love life as well.”

          Sen. Loren Legarda, a consistent front-runner in poll surveys, said President Aquino, who celebrated his 53^rd birthday last Feb. 8, has “to find his true love.”

Sen. Francis Escudero, a close friend of the President and another consistent top notcher in poll surveys, said: “Sana makahanap din siya ng tunay, dalisay, at walang hanggang pag-ibig at ng isang babae na iibigin din siya ng wagas.” Escudero is romantically linked with actress Heart Evangelista.

Sen. Ramon Magsaysay said he hopes the President “will finally have a lifetime partner soon.”

“PNoy deserves to be happy and he must have a love partner soonest. At sana, makakambal kaagad,”Magsaysay said.

Former Sen. Jamby Madrigal said that since the President is loved by the Filipino people, he deserves to have a personal love life. “Since he already has the love of the Filipino people, may he find more love in his personal life,” Madrigal said.

Bam Aquino, who tied the knot with Timi Gomez in 2012, has only one wish for his cousin: to find his mate soonest.

“Sana makahanap siya ng mag-aalaga sa kanya tulad ng pag-alaga niya sa bayan,” said the younger Aquino.

Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, of Aurora, said he wishes the President to experience the love and care of a loving wife. “I wish that he finds someone who will love him as much as he loves us. He deserves it,” Angara said.

 Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano said the President must find his “Lani”, referring to his wife and current mayor of Taguig City.

“Good things come to those who wait. I hope even if it’s not sooner but later, PNoy will get lucky like me and find his Lani, the ideal wife – someone who is not only beautiful inside and out, someone who loves this country as much as we cherish our own relationship,” Cayetano said.

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said PNoy must find both the time and the date to enable him to have a relaxing Valentine’s dinner while listening to his favorite music.

Grace Poe, meanwhile, has a unique wish for the President: more time for himself.

“I wish him some ‘me’ time, a date with himself, to do everything he loves us to do but has not been able to do because he has been too busy being president,” Poe said.

“I remember that last Christmas, PNoy said he enjoyed getting a three-hour break and a chance to load songs to his iPod. The President badly needs some ‘me’ time,” Poe added.

Risa Hontiveros, a former Akbayan representative, said: “In line with the administration’s flagship program, the Public-Private Partnership or PPP, I wish PNoy PPP – Pag-ibig Palagi sa kaniyang Puso.”

Former Rep. Cynthia Villar, meanwhile, said: “We wish you good health and more blessings, as you lead our country towards greater growth and progress.”

“Ako ay nagagalak na makasama sa Team PNoy at maging bahagi ng pagtuloy natin sa pagtahak sa matuwid na daan para sa ikauunlad ng ating bayan,” Villar said.

Umali, Joson ink covenant for peaceful polls in NE

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, February 12, 2013–Reelectionist Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali and his political rival, outgoing three-term first district Rep. Josie Manuel-Joson signed yesterday a covenant for peaceful elections in the province, one of the 15 identified hot spots.

          Umali and Joson led provincial and city bets in the peace signing at the  Benigno Aquino Freedom Park here which was highlighted by a prayer rally and a unity walk to pledge their full commitment to the holding of a Secure and Fair Elections (SAFE) this coming polls.

          Also attending the covenant signing was Cabanatuan Mayor Julius Caesar Vergara and his rival, Board Member Emmanuel Antonio Umali, younger brother of the governor as they took part in a multi-faith peace forum jointly sponsored by the Church and other religious leaders, the provincial police, the Commission on Elections, the military, the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Education and Culture.  

          Also witnessing the historic peace pact-signing were several local and barangay officials, including, Gapan city mayor Christian U. Tinio, Llanera Mayor Lorna Mae Vero and Munoz Science city vice mayor Ester Lazaro.

          “This is our dream. This is a good scenario,” said Rev. Sofronio A. Bancud, Bishop of the Diocese of Cabanatuan and chairperson of the Nueva Ecija Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

          Prior to the affair, a unity walk was simultaneously launched by different groups in four different take-off points within the city, to symbolize the province’s four districts, and which subsequently converged in the main road leading to the Freedom park, led by Gov. Umali along Mabini street and Vergara and Joson, along Zulueta street.

          Umali and Joson, both released a white dove purportedly signifying  peace. Umali said the event is good for the province where political violence used to be its trademark.    

          Also gracing the event were provincial police director, Senior Superintendent Crizaldo O. Nieves, 7^th Infantry Division commanding-general Brig. Gen. Gregorio P. Catapang Jr.; city police chief, Supt. Eli G. Depr;, Dr. Abraham A. Pascua, DILG provincial director; Atty. Lydia Florentino-Pangilinan, provincial election supervisor; and Department of Education superintendent of schools Edna S. Zerrudo. (Manny Galvez) 

Legarda’s Brand of Service: Work with Compassion

MANILA, February 12, 2013-As the campaign season officially starts today, Senator Loren Legarda bared her plans should she win another term in the Senate, stressing that she will continue to provide the kind of service she has been known for—work with compassion.

“Education, health care, improvement of working conditions of our Filipino workers, and safer and disaster-resilient communities—these are what I plan to prioritize if given another term as a senator. I would like to continue to provide for the needs of all Filipinos while still giving due focus to equally important issues such as environmental protection and cultural preservation,” said Legarda.

“I have been known for my hard work but I always do it with compassion. I have eagerly worked for the Universal Healthcare Coverage Bill, which we hope to be enacted soon, but I will continue to monitor and ensure that all our citizens especially the poorest will have access to free healthcare services.”

“While improvements in our education system is underway, we will work for the expansion of college scholarship programs for many more indigent but deserving Filipino youth.”

“The continuous improvement of the working conditions of Filipino workers here and abroad is another priority. I am certain to file a bill that will increase and standardize the hazard pay of our uniformed personnel and also pursue other measures that will benefit other workers.”

Legarda said she will also continue to bring the information and education campaign on disaster preparedness to more communities by conducting disaster risk reduction workshops to the 42,000 barangays in the country.

“I will continue to advocate for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction until each and every community in the country is safe from the dangers brought by extreme weather events.”

“I am proud to have made laws and pushed for advocacies that has helped and will help our people. Work with compassion, this is my brand of service for the Filipino people. I am hopeful for a new term, which I will use for all the work that still needs to be done for the citizens and for our country,” Legarda concluded.

7 men held in NE for theft of minerals

SAN JOSE CITY, Nueva Ecija, February 11, 2013-Combined operatives of the provincial public safety company (PPSC), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the theft and illegall transport of copper concentrates from nearby Nueva Vizcaya province.

          Police Superintendent Pedro Soliba, San Jose City police chief, identified the seven as  Leonard Sanchez, 33, of Barangay Shellhouse, Calaocan City; Yulito Palces, 53, of Barangay Alfonso, Concepcion, Tarlac;  Martin Redera, 37, of B16L9 Area 3, Dagat-Dagatan, Malabon City: Lope Amurao, 43, of Barangay Talisay, Tiaong, Quezon; Jonny Abrego, 31, of Purok 2, Maag, San Isidro, Davao Oriental; and Jay Laceda, 29, of 043 Cupang, Pandi, Bulacan and broker representative Ryan Jayson, 27 of Imus, Cavite.

          Superintendent Ricardo Villanueva, PPSC company commander, said the suspects drove large container vans loaded with suspected copper concentrates. When confronted by police, they failed to show the original documents of the shipments.

          Villanueva said prior to the operation, they received information that  vehicles from Nueva Vizcaya allegedly loaded with copper concentrates and being escorted by heavily armed men will pass the city.

          Villanueva formed a team composed of Senior Inspector Romel dela Vega and DENR forest ranger Alexander Domingo and elements of the San Jose  City police to conduct checkpoint along the national highway in  Barangay Sto Niño 2nd.

Dominic Wood, a representative of the trucking company Neo Logic Logistics told police the shipment came from Ocean Gold Mining located at Brgy Didipo, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya and was about to be delivered at Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union.

          The two Toyota Hi-lux escorting the vans were also inspected.

Cases for violations of Republic Act 7942 (Theft of Minerals) have been filed against against the suspects by the San Jose City police before the city prosecutor’s office, San Jose City. (Manny Galvez)

Team PNoy senatorial bets to push PNoy’s peace policy in Mindanao, says Drilon

MANILA, February 10, 2013-Team PNoy campaign manager, Senator Franklin M. Drilon on Sunday stressed that it is vital for the President Aquino to have a majority in Congress for the remainder of his term in order not to undermine his ongoing efforts to bring an enduring peace in Mindanao.

Drilon said the President needs his team in Congress to push, as a pillar of his peace-making initiative, the creation of a Bangsamoro Republic that would take the place of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.  The Bangsamoro Republic is one of the milestones in the framework agreement of the ongoing peace negotiation between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“If the electorate did not vote for the team of the President in the coming elections, the creation of a new basic law that will establish the Bangsamoro Republic may be put in peril because the President would have no allies to  fight for this in the next Congress,” said Drilon.

“Kaya kung hindi maniniwala ang tao sa kanya at hindi dadalin ang mga kandidato na kaniyang ineendorso, there’s a clear signal from the electorate na hindi payag ang taumbayan sa konsepto ng framework agreement,” he said.

That is why, Drilon said, it is important that the candidates the President has handpicked,for Team PNoy will make it to the Senate so they could help the President advance the necessary reforms, especially his policy in establishing peace and development in Mindanao.

Fighting ignited by Muslim sentiment for a homeland has rocked Mindanao for more than four decades, claiming thousands of lives and setting back economic and social development in the resource-rich island, the country's second largest.

Drilon said an enduring peace in Mindanao is so important to the President he is going to make an unprecedented visit to the Muslim stronghold in Sultan Kudarat.   

“That is also why the President is spending his political capital for his candidates," Drilon said,."Kaya ngayon, kung hindi mailuklok ang kaniyang mga inendorsosa Kongreso, hindi mabubuo yung bagong basic law.” 

RH backers fear ghost of RH inutility

MANILA, February 10, 2013-Having won the battle to dole out free condoms and other contraceptives is apparently not enough for the proponents and supporters of the Reproductive Health Law. Now they are peddling half-truths and outright lies to cover up for the duplicity of the new law.
 
Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III yesterday took exception to the claim of Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman that the RH law will suffer if the lawmakers who pushed for it in the House of Representatives do not get a fresh term.
 
“There is a huge amount of money for reproductive, maternal and infant health even without the RH law. The fear of some RH supporters is misplaced, if not a non-sequitur.  Let us not simplify the elections as an issue between pro and anti-RH,” Sotto said.
 
On Tuesday, as pro-RH lawmakers celebrate the spoils of the war, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman pitched for the election of more pro-RH lawmakers to ensure sufficient yearly funding for its implementation.
 
“We must ensure in the coming May elections that the RH advocates get the people’s mandate so that adequate and responsive appropriations will be allocated for the RH law,” Lagman, who was the main sponsor of the measure in the Lower House, said.
 
He said one of the major challenges faced by the RH law is for Congress to provide budget for the new law.
 
On the contrary, Sotto said a cursory check in the 2013 General Appropriations Act for the Department of Health showed that more than P9.1-billion is already allocated for RH-related programs catering to maternal and infant health care.

 These are made up of the following items in the budget allocation of the Department of Health:
 
1.  Women’s Health And Safe Motherhood Project- 269,860,000.00
2.  Family Health and Responsible Parenthood- 2,539,420,000.00
3.  Health Family Planning Operations and Infrastructure Programs- 3. 268,902,000.00
4.  Health Human Resource Development- 2,952,832,000.00
5.  Implementation of Doctors to Barrios and Rural Health Practice Program- 2,799,383,000.00
6.  National Health Insurance Programs- 12,612,283,000.00
7.  Health Promotion- 162,479,000.00
8.  POPCOM -Coordination of the Population Policy and Programs- 187,822,000.00
 
“All in all, to include other items related to RH programs, there is a whopping P21-billion in the DOH budget that seeks to address maternal and infant health concerns,” Sotto said.
 
Sotto, who questioned the measure in the Senate, said RH proponents could be engaging a self-fulfilling prophecy that the law is actually useless and is bound to be a huge failure.
 
Even without the RH law, he pointed out that the government has been distributing condoms and pills for free in health clinics that only resulted to wastage of public funds since only a few avail of these artificial birth control methods.
 
“Our Filipino culture loves children. The Filipino culture is family-oriented. The RH law seeks to debase that culture,” he said.
 
Sotto said that RH proponents and supporters have no one else to blame, except themselves, if the law is found to be inutile in the end. “Are they conditioning the public for scapegoats to blame?” he asked.
 
The RH law seeks to propagate contraceptive use among the poor to arrest population growth, as well as improving health care for pregnant women. It also provides for age-appropriate sex education in public schools.

BENHAM RISE COULD BE AURORA’S RISE, TOO

UNDERWATER PLATEAU. Found near Aurora, the 13-million hectare Benham Rise is part of Philippine territory. Screen grab from a document the Philippines submitted to UN.

Aurora has languished too long in this unenviable list we call the 20 poorest provinces of the country. That dark chapter in the province’s history was long over and therefore, it is safe to say I am speaking in the past tense.  For Aurora has since made giant strides to development such that is has become the envy of other provinces.

         

But as people are won’t to say, when it rains, it pours. While it is progressing by leaps and bounds, Aurora’s potential for growth has not come or came close to a halt. The possibilities for this province named after former First Lady Dona Aurora Aragon Quezon seems endless just like unlimited call and text promoted by the country’s leading telecommunications companies.

What makes me salivate even more over Aurora’s growth potentials is the emergence of Benham Rise as a potential cash cow for the province. The 13-million-hectare continental shelf off the coast of Aurora and Isabela is a veritable gold mine which is unlike the Spratly Islands which is being claimed in whole or in part by China and other nations.

I have written an article about Benham Rise but what fuels the adrenaline rush about this is Congressman Sonny Angara’s expression of support for the government’s plan to explore Benham Rise which the United Nations has recently declared as part of Philippine territory.

Cong. Sonny said he would move for the immediate approval of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) budget this year at the House appropriations committee, as this would hasten the move to study opportunities for Benham Rise.

“I believe in opportunities, in possibilities. These are the things that we must not fail to capitalize and to take advantage of. If there will be legislations that would be needed and required in the future, count me in, I will help,” he said.

The Benham Rise is not only home for deep-water fish such as blue fin tuna but is also believed to be rich in natural gas and minerals.

Angara said an in-depth study would allow the government to map out a comprehensive plan on how to effectively utilize the Benham Rise.

Never mind that there are reports foreign fishermen are allegedly poaching in waters off Benham Rise, which makes it important for the country to protect its territory and for the Philippine Navy to beef up its surveillance in the area so no foreign vessels, commercial or otherwise are trespassing within its legal territory.

If fully explored, Benham Rise could make Aurora rise, too. Weather weather lang yan. At suwerte suwerte.

Angara ng buhay sa Aurora pag nagkataon. ‘Di ba Cong Sonny?

Benham Rise is a 13-million hectare seismically active underwater region and extinct volcanic ridge located approximately 250 kilometers east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela.

It is the first territory that the Philippines won under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), the same convention the Philippines invokes in its two-month standoff with China over Scarborough Shoal on the western side of the country.

The Philippines filed its claim for Benham Rise in 2008 and the UN has officially approved the claim in April 2012.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has previously said it has plans to also explore the potentially rich marine resources at the new territory, as well as the largely unexplored Pacific seaboard

The DOE has previously auctioned energy blocs in the western side of the Philippines under PECR-4.

However, investor interest has been dampened by the ongoing territorial dispute between the Philippines and China, which claims all of the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea). (Jason de Asis)

NYC to Launch a Summit on Children’s Rights and Welfare

MANILA, February 9, 2013-The Rights and Welfare of Children Summit will be held on February 15, 2013 at the Dear Manang’s Events Place, Tetuan Highway, Zamboanga City. The summit is a joint initiative of the National Youth Commission, the Office of Deputy Speaker Ma. Isabelle G. Climaco, the Department of Education, the EDSA People Power Commission and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

Around two hundred (200) individuals ages 11-14 years old who are in-school, out of school, with special needs/ disabilities including those who belong to indigenous communities will convene to address the many problems, issues and challenges that compromise the welfare and the best interest of our children especially in the southernmost part of Mindanao where terrorism is still a societal problem and children are seen as victims of violence.

Commissioner Earl Saavedra, the Head of the Summit Organizing Committee, explained that the areas within the back-channel route towards the neighboring ASEAN states are locations where frequent child-trafficking activities happen. “The National Youth Commission prevented an incident, where fifty (50) children and youth (mostly women), were brought to Zamboanga City from Basilan and were promised with jobs and scholarship by a certain illegal recruiter. The condemning act was an eye-opener to agencies that work for the rights and welfare not only of the children and youth but including the other sectors of society. It was when we conceptualized the idea of organizing an activity to push for such important advocacy focusing on children” he further stated.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Ma. Isabelle Climaco- Salazar commented that the activity will open many more opportunities where children’s importance and roles are highlighted as a significant part of the nation. “It will make all of us realize that as early as now, they are part of our nation building efforts and we need to protect, care and love them”, she added. 

The one-day activity on February 15, 2013 includes sessions/workshops on Self Discovery and Identity, Establishing Oneself in the Community through Artwork Exposures; a discussion on Child’s Rights and Welfare (Dual approach mechanism on peer and moderator counseling and hands-on activities); and a presentation of the Children’s Agenda and launching of the Local Children’s Council/ Organization as its culminating activity.

Undersecretary Alberto T. Muyot of the Department of Education and Commissioner Percival Cendaña of the National Youth Commission are also expected to grace the program.

Legarda Joins Filipino-Chinese Community in Celebrating 2013 Chinese New Year

MANILA, February 9, 2013-Senator Loren Legarda expressed solidarity with the Filipino-Chinese community as she enjoined all Filipinos to share in the celebration of the 2013 Chinese New Year.

“I wish to extend my warmest greetings to all Filipino-Chinese on the occasion of the 2013 Chinese New Year. The Filipino-Chinese community has played a key role in the economic and cultural development of the country. They are known not only for their acumen in entrepreneurship, but also for their deep sense of volunteerism and corporate social responsibility,” Legarda said.

“For centuries, Filipino and Chinese communities have had extensive ties. Our relationship then was primarily built on trade and commerce, but it has gradually evolved so as to encompass the economic, and socio-cultural history of the Philippines,” she added. “We must cultivate the good relationship that our two cultures have forged.”

Legarda is co-author of the bill declaring the Chinese New Year as a special working holiday in the Philippines. The proposed measure has been approved by both the Senate and the House.

“Under this bill, we aim to recognize the immense contribution of the Filipino-Chinese in the Philippines and further strengthen the ties that bind us,” she concluded.