Cebu, Philippines

Cebu City (30 May) — In order to drumbeat public awareness on the valuable significance of celebrating the country’s 110 years of freedom, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA-7) is initiating a press conference in Cebu to promote the “Paggalang sa Watawat” or Respect Flag Day Campaign leading to the commemoration of the 110th Philippine Independence Day on June 12.

The activity is part of the media advocacy campaign of the “Paggalang sa Watawat” which is slated on Tuesday at the PIA-7 Office aimed at promoting public consciousness of love of country, patriotism and nationalism including good citizenship, respect for flag and the elderly.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo mandated national government agencies based in every region nationwide to conduct a program dubbed “Lingkod Bayan,” a showcase of government services such as the holding of job fairs, cleaning and greening and tree planting activities, provision of livelihood, social and health services, micro-finance and related services with the sole objective of bringing government activities closer to the people.

On June 12, in lieu of parade of floats to celebrate Independence Day, the different cabinet secretaries and other government officials will be deployed to various regions nationwide to lead in the commemorative historical rites of the regions/cities per President Arroyo’s order.

Invited resource persons to the launching activity are top officials from the Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Governments and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, Malacañang has declared June 9 as a non-working day in lieu of June 12 in celebration of the Philippine Independence Day based on Proclamation No. 1463.

The move is part of the administration’s “holiday economics,” where holidays except those religious in nature are moved to the nearest Monday unless specified otherwise in a presidential order or modified by law.

“All activities and celebrations in commemoration of observed Independence Day shall, however, remain to be observed on June 12,” Deputy Presidential Spokesman Lorelei Fajardo disclosed. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Cebu City (29 May) — ASEAN senior transport officials agreed in pushing for the recommendation to sign the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on the Full Liberalization of Air Freight Services and Air Services as the three-day 25th ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) reached its conclusion today at the Mactan Shangri-la Resort and Spa in Lapulapu City, Cebu.

The senior transport officials among the 10-member ASEAN nations will endorse the signing of the ASEAN multilateral agreement to the ASEAN transport leaders who will be meeting during the 14th ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATM) Meeting in November, this year in Manila in time with the implementation of the regional integrated air transport services by December 2008.

The multilateral agreements affirms the policy for progressive implementation of full liberalization and integration of air services in ASEAN as laid down in the Action Plan for ASEAN Air Transport Integration and Liberalization adopted at the 10th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting on November 2004 in Phnom Penh, Vietnam.

The move to liberalize passenger and cargo air services in the ASEAN region is intrinsically crucial in achieving integrated ASEAN Economic Community by 2015 that will provide an essential component of the transport network to facilitate the movement of people and goods among the 10 ASEAN member-states and in establishing closer relations with ASEAN key external partners.

The multilateral agreements will likewise provide for an unlimited 5th freedom rights passenger services between capital cities in ASEAN.

The multilateral agreements will be signed on the desire of ASEAN to remove restrictions, on gradual basis, so as to achieve flexibility and capacity in the operation of air freight services and air services in ASEAN with a view to build a single unified aviation market by 2015.

MOU signing on cooperation in aircraft accident and investigations

This morning also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation Relating to Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations among authorities of ASEAN member countries responsible for the investigation of aircraft accident and incident.

The MOU aims to enhance the capabilities and professionalism of their respective aircraft investigators, and strengthen, promote and develop cooperation to enhance aviation safety.

The signing of the MOU reaffirms the objective enshrined in Annex 13 to the Convention of International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) that the sole objective of the investigation of an aircraft accident or incident shall be the prevention of accidents and incidents and that it is not the purpose of the investigation activity to apportion blame or to provide a means of determining guilt.

Under the MOU, the participating countries will cooperate in aircraft accident and incident investigation, investigation training and sharing of information and expertise, consistent with the Standards and Recommended Practices, Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, contained in the Chicago Convention.

Among the salient provision of the MOU is that the participating country will offer assistance and the use of air safety investigation manpower, facilities and equipment to the other signatory country which may include expertise in the fields of air traffic services, engineering, operations flight recorders, human performance and management organization.

The signing of the MOU shows the common interest of the ASEAN countries in establishing a lasting framework for cooperation in the area of aircraft and incident investigation. (PIA-Cebu/FCR) (PIA-MMIO)

By Eli C. Dalumpines

Cebu City (29 May) — Consumers in Central Visayas has nothing to worry about the availability of rice in the market as supply is already abundant, a top official of the National Food Authority here assured.

In a meeting Wednesday, NFA Regional Director Danilo L. Bonabon informed that given the absence of any commercial intervention, NFA’s rice stocks can sustain the demands in the market for over a month.

He, however, said that price will likely remain for quite sometime due to the rising cost of production as prices of fertilizers and other farm implements continue to soar.

He cited that urea, which is being used as the base for chemical fertilizers, now costs P1,500.00 per bag from the previous price of P700.00 per bag.

Earlier, officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) here confirmed that the high cost of farm implements coupled with the soaring price of oil in the world market have contributed to the increase of the price of rice.

To supply the market with cheap rice however, the government introduced rice subsidy to make the staple food available to the masses at P18.00 per kilo, Bonabon said.

At present, according to the NFA official, the government is paying P10.00 per kilo of NFA rice.

To recall, rice production here in the region meets only a little over 50 percent of the total demand. To fill the supply gap, traders imported rice from other regions while NFA resorted to rice importation from the neighboring countries in the Asian region, especially Vietnam and Thailand.

Bonabon informed though that the worst is over and that the supply of rice in the market is now stable. (PIA)

by Roberto M. Cabardo

Cebu City (May 29) — To help the Arroyo administration’s goal of increasing the country’s literacy rate, education is given another boost in this part of the country as local officials are set to infuse more funds for the establishment of library hubs in all of Cebu’s 6 congressional districts.

DepEd Cebu Province Schools Division Superintendent said that all 6 congressional districts of Cebu will be recipients of the Library Hub projects that will be a joint-project of the Department of Education and the six legislators namely, Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (6th Dist), John Red Durano (5th Dist), Pablo John Garcia (3rd Dist), Eduardo Gullas (1st Dist), Pablo Garcia (2nd Dist), and Benhur Salimbangon (4th Dist) and local government units of Cebu.

Uy revealed that she had already talked with Cong. Pablo John Garcia regarding the project and that Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay of Northwestern Cebu manifested their support for the project.

Another legislator that Uy plans to meet on the project is Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz of Cebu’s sixth district so the legislator can fund the renovation and repair of the Gabaldon school building of Cordova town which the education superintendent believes to be ideal to host the Library hub.

Under the Library Hub project, the education department will provide the P10 million worth of books while the congressmen, through their Priority Development Assistance Fund(PDAF), will finance the construction of the building with the local government officials providing the lot for the building.

The project that is set to take off in August will surely help many of the poor schoolchildren in most of Philippine public schools who not only suffer lack of food in their homes but lack of learning materials that their wealthy counterparts enjoy in private schools of the country. (PIA 7)