UK supports PH stance on West Phil. Sea

DAVAO CITY-  The United Kingdom has expressed its support to the Philippine stand on the West Philippine Sea.

This according to  the British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad during a chat with members of the Davao media last October 28 at the Marco Polo Davao.

“The UK position is very straightforward, we believe in rules-based approach to resolve issues and we support the Philippines in the way that they want to use the process of the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea)” Ambassador Ahmad said.

Ahmad was in Davao City last week to visit various British investments in Davao Region.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague in Netherlands ruled last October 29 that they have the jurisdiction hear the case filed by the Philippines rejecting China’s claims that the West Philippine Sea dispute is a matter of territorial sovereignty.

Ahmad said that the UK position is more on pursuing a rules-based approach and not on accepting whether the Philippines or China has sovereign rights over the disputed features in the West Philippine Sea.

China has rejected the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and has said it will not be recognize the jurisdiction of the court.

Ambassador Ahmad said that the UK will not want any escalation in the disputed maritime waters and his country will exercise its right of passage over the waters and air corridors.

“We will exercise our rights, whenever it is our wish and our right to navigate thru the maritime passage or to use the air corridors they are international space and no can stop us from using those.” The British ambassador said.  (PIA/RG ALAMA)

Palace: After undas, government agencies prepare for holiday rush

Government agencies concerned with trade and traffic are now in touch with mall operators in Metro Manila and other urban areas as commercial activities are expected to increase in view of the upcoming Christmas season.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Trade Industry (DTI) are making the necessary preparations in time for the holiday rush.

“We are all conscious and cognizant of the attendant concerns pagdating ng Christmas season, nakahanda po ang ating kapulisan, ang ating mga ahensya na tumutulong—ang DTI, ang PNP—lahat po ng ahensya na involved po dito sa preparation for the Christmas season in terms of the commercial activities,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda said the PNP Highway Patrol Group remains involved in mending traffic along EDSA, where so many malls are located, and policemen are very much aware of additional measures needed to ensure the safety of our people.

The Department of Tourism also takes part in the effort, Lacierda said, as it looks forward to having visitors from abroad who would be spending their Christmas break in the country.

“We have the longest Christmas season in the world so it’s a good opportunity for us also to invite our friends from abroad to come visit and celebrate Christmas in the Philippines with us,” Lacierda said.

The Palace official, meanwhile, reminded the public that they should not forget the reason behind the season, which is the birth of Jesus Christ, despite all the hustle and bustle of the cities.

“Christmas is really a time for celebration, marami po talagang activities, commercial activities. But, you know, ipaalala po natin kung bakit tayo nag-ce-celebrate ng Christmas. This is the birth of Jesus, which is really the reason for the season,” he said. (PCOO News Release)

DOH declares Code White Alert for All Saint's Day

The Department of Health (DOH) has declared that all DOH-retained hospitals and regional offices nationwide will be on Code White Alert from October 30 until November 2 in preparation for any eventualities or health-related incidents that may occur during the country’s observance of All Saints’ Day.

“A Code White Alert is declared when there is a mass gathering or national event and there is a possibility of emergency conditions that may need immediate medical attention. All medical teams are on standby for immediate mobilization.” Health Secretary Janette P. Loreto Garin explained.

Garin further explained that Code White Alert, which is based on Administrative Order No.2008-0024, also refers to the readiness of hospital manpower like general and orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, internists, nurses, to respond in any emergency situation.

The health chief also said that the Health Emergency Management Bureau operations center will continuously monitor any health-related event that may occur during the weekend holiday 24/7. As in previous years, local governments will deploy motorist assistance tents, including first aid teams, along major roads and highways nationwide.

The DOH is also working closely with other agencies such as Bureau of Fire Protection, Metro Manila Development Authority, and local government health units for a coordinated health emergency response.

Meanwhile, Garin advised people going to cemeteries to bring their own food and water to avoid diarrhea,or even food poisoning.

Garin warned against patronizing ambulant foods peddled in cemeteries. She explained that the safety and sanitation of these foods are doubtful as these might be exposed to dust and other disease-causing organisms.

She also appealed to transport owners to deploy more buses to bring people to provinces and avoid overcrowding and overloading of passengers, which oftentimes are causes of accidents. She added  should also plan their trips, bring water to avoid dehydration, and be more patient as there will be more passengers going to the province to pay their respects to their dearly departed loved ones.

“It would be better not to bring along babies and small children to cemeteries/memorial parks, as they are vulnerable to contracting diseases due to their low resistance to infection, heat, and congestion,” Garin concluded. (DoH)

Palace calls on critics not to politicize income tax issue, gov't pro-poor initiatives

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda has appealed to government critics to stop politicizing the government pro-poor programs as well as the income tax law as the country gears towards elections next year.

Some government critics said not acting on calls to lower the income tax rate mean lack of sympathy for lower or middle income individuals.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. even called on the President to make the lower income tax as Christmas gift to ordinary workers.

But Lacierda clarified that the government is not against giving workers higher take home pay but reforming the income tax law needs a thorough study.

The government must look at the entire picture of the tax system and determine the cause and effect of adjusting income tax rates.

For those criticizing the administration saying it does not have sympathy for ordinary people, Lacierda said the government has carried out many pro-poor programs in the last five years and will continue to do so in the remaining days of the Aquino administration.

For instance, he said that the government have invested P75 billion for conditional cash transfer (CCT) assisting 4.4 million families considered poorest of the poor.

This is equivalent to more than 20 million of the country's population, he said.

As a result of better tax collection system, the government was able to increase the allocation for CCT, widen PhilHealth coverage, and build more classrooms, he noted.

The administration carried out such programs without raising taxes except for the sin tax, he said. He added that they will not allow some candidates to misinform the public especially during the campaign season. (PCOO News Release)

Bullet-planting scam at NAIA\upsets Palace, vows to probe the issue

Malacañang said it is upset over the so-called ‘tanim-bala’ or bullet-planting scam happening inside Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals recently and this concern has already reached President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said both President Aquino and Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Abaya have instructed airport authorities to investigate the incident.

According to Secretary Abaya, additional closed circuit televisions (CCTV) were already placed inside the premises to better monitor the situation, Lacierda said. He also reminded the public to always be mindful of their suitcases.

Perpetrators of this ‘tanim-bala’ scam reportedly work by extracting a bullet or two, which they themselves planted, from a passenger's luggage and then subject him to various intimidations thus forcing him to pay his way out of trouble.

A syndicate working inside NAIA is allegedly behind this scam and Lacierda said they are going to take a hard look at this claim. “Kung talagang may sindikato diyan, titingnan po ng ating kalihim na si Secretary Jun Abaya,” he said.

Lacierda also said he understood why some passengers are apparently getting paranoid over this incident but he assured them that authorities are already working to address the situation.

“We’re looking at the process. We’re looking at how it happened. We’re looking at the personnel involved. We want to assure the public that… We want to take away that fear from them. We will ensure the safety of each and every passenger who uses our terminals po. So we are taking a hard look at that,” he said.

Lacierda further stated that he would inform Secretary Abaya and Manila International Airport Authority Jose Angel Honrado of other concerns such as the reported cartel of taxis outside the airports and the one involving foreigners caught sneaking illegal drugs. (PCOO News Release)