Palace doubts NSCB report on growing income inequality

 News
Jul 102013
 
Malacañang on Wednesday expressed doubts on a report by National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showing growing inequality between the rich and the poor in the Philippines in terms of income.

At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda maintained that “real growth” is being experienced by Filipinos in the low income level.

“I’m not sure if that [report] is correct. There has been a growth even in the lowest levels and if you notice the growth, for instance, there’s a growth of eight percent in the lowest level,” he said.

Lacierda was reacting to an NSCB study that revealed that Filipinos from the high-income class enjoyed a 10.4-percent growth in income in 2011, while those in the low-income group only experienced an 8.2-percent growth.

Lacierda pointed out that these figures are still above the 3.2-percent inflation rate, which means that growth is being experienced in all levels of society in the Philippines.

He added that the Aquino administration is determined to achieve inclusive growth before Aquino’s term ends in 2016.

“From the very start of our administration, we have said that we are going to bat for inclusive growth and it’s not gonna happen overnight.  We are continuously doing and making sure that no one would be left behind,” Lacierda said.

Last April, the NSCB reported that poverty incidence in the country during the first half of 2012 was at 27.9 percent, which was almost the same rate six years ago. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News

Palace: P18,000 offered to families near waterways won't be misused

 News
Jun 242013
 
Palace: P18,000 offered to families near waterways won't be misused

The government will make sure that the P18,000 that will be granted to each of the families living near Metro Manila waterways will solely be used for finding temporary homes while their resettlement areas are being built, a Malacañang spokesperson said Monday. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is in the process of identifying who the “real” informal settlers are. “We understand that concern pero napag-aralan na po ng DILG ‘yan. We’re identifying who are the real informal settlers and those who are professionally making this as a means of squatting,” he said. Lacierda added that the DILG is also studying the possibility of giving the P18,000 subsidy in tranches so that it will be certainly used for paying monthly rent for temporary housing. DILG Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez, in-charge of relocating informal settlers in Metro Manila away from danger zones, earlier said the government is planning to shell out P18,000 for each of the 20,000 affected families to encourage them to leave their houses near waterways. Clogged waterways as a result of informal settlers living near them have been blamed for the flood problems that constantly hit Metro Manila every rainy season. Relocation budget In a separate text message, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the P18,000 subsidy will be sourced from the budget allocated by the government for relocating informal settlers. “Since 2011, the government has been setting aside P10 billion to relocate informal settler families living dangerously along Read More …

Palace: No 'hit list' vs communist rebels

 News
May 062013
 
Palace: No 'hit list' vs communist rebels

Malacañang on Monday denied the existence of a supposed “hit list” containing names of “most wanted” communist rebels in the country, which progressive groups said may cause further harassment in their ranks from government security forces. “There is no ‘hit list.’ What we have is the list of those who have been issued warrants of arrest,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing. He added that the list of persons with standing arrest warrants can be easily accessed by the public from courts. “They are public. These are all public documents. A warrant of arrest is a public document issued by the courts,” he said. The Manila Standard Today on Monday published a report on some political and human rights activists fearing the revival of a supposed “hit list” the government may use against communist rebels. The report said lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc wants the government to publicly release the names of 235 wanted communists in the country.   Last year, the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Defense came up with a joint order listing the names of 235 suspected insurgents with standing warrants, carrying P176-million total bounty on their heads. Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, for his part, said the public deserves to know which names are on this list, since the bounty being offered comes from their taxes. “Kapag naghahanap ka nga ng labandera, inilalagay mo sa labas ng bahay mo: ‘Wanted Labandera.’ The public deserves to know this. We want Read More …

Palace hails new pope

 News
Mar 132013
 
Palace hails new pope

By TJ BurgonioPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:27 pm | Thursday, March 14th, 2013 Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Thursday morning hailed the election of Argentine Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio as the new Pope, saying this brings the “promise of renewal’’ in the Catholic Church. “From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica came an announcement of great joy: that Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio had been elected as Pope, and taken the name Francis. From the city to the world, the joyful news has been accompanied by prayer and goodwill born of new beginnings,’’ President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement. The President, together with the Filipinos, “joins all the Catholic faithful as they receive their new leader and meet his proclamation with a sense of boundless promise,’’ Lacierda said. “As the first pope from outside Europe in a millennium—the first pope from the Society of Jesus, and the first from Latin America—the election of Pope Francis brings with it the promise of renewal in the Catholic Church, as it strives to fulfill its mission here on earth,’’ he said. Lacierda aired the hope that this would inaugurate a pontificate that “will bear witness not only to the basic tenets of the Gospel, but will also serve as a voice for peace, justice, and charity in a world threatened by tension and armed conflict, poverty, uncertainty, and loss of confidence in institutions.’’ “This is not merely a time for all Catholics to come together. This is Read More …

Aquino cautions vs. corrupt future leaders

 News
Jan 312013
 
Aquino cautions vs. corrupt future leaders

With the midterm elections just months away and with political groups already gearing for the presidential election in 2016, President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday cautioned that reforms must be maintained to avoid a return to patronage politics and corruption. “Without structural reform, another corrupt president might one day take the reins of power; another chief justice might one day again betray the public trust,” Aquino told attendees in the 5th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, where he was keynote speaker. The conference was a gathering of foreign heads of state to discuss best practices. In his speech, Aquino called on world leaders to be vigilant against corruption, adding that the key to ridding the ranks of government of unscrupulous officials is to make a habit out of transparency by way of creating laws. “The problem of corruption must thus be approached strategically, always with the long-term in mind. Reforms cannot be mere blips in the radar—they must usher in an enduring mainstream of good, honest governance,” he said. “As people in government, we know that corruption cannot be eliminated by sending a few erring officials to jail, or by exposing a single faulty contract, or by removing from office a single oppressive tyrant,” he added. “Only through legislation can the bedrock of inclusiveness and positive, meaningful change be set,” Aquino further said. Aquino, who won on the popular platform of “tuwid na daan (straight path)” also took pride in the gains of his administration, Read More …