Timor Leste premier is Palace guest Thursday

 News
Jun 052013
 

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5:19 am | Thursday, June 6th, 2013

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor (Timor-Leste), shown in this 2003 photo, will confer with President Aquino on Thursday, June 6, 2013. Gusmao is here on a five-day state visit. AFP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino will receive on Thursday visiting Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão before going to Burma (Myanmar) on Friday for the World Economic Forum (WEF).

A welcome ceremony at the Malacañang grounds has been laid out for Gusmão, who will proceed to the Palace after laying a wreath at the monument of national hero Jose Rizal at the Luneta.

Gusmão, who arrived Wednesday, will sit down with Aquino to discuss bilateral issues. The two will be signing agreements for which no details have as yet been provided.

The Timor Leste leader, who will be in Manila until Sunday, is here to forge cooperation on education, trade and investment, infrastructure and defense, foreign affairs officials said.

His itinerary includes a lecture at the University of the Philippines College of Law and visit to industrial areas in Subic Bay in Zambales and Clark Field in Pampanga.

Timor Leste is campaigning to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which the Philippines is a founding member.

P-Noy renames BOT Center to PPP Center

 Economy
Jun 052013
 
P-Noy renames BOT Center to PPP Center

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino has signed an executive order that reorganized and renamed the build-operate-transfer center to the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines under the National Economic Development Authority. EO 136 states that that there is a “need to amend certain sections” in EO 8 series of 2010, removing from the Department of Trade and Industry the previous jurisdiction of handling the implementation of government-backed projects. This is for “budgetary purposes and administrative supervision.” Under Section 2, the PPP Center will also “manage and administer the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF), formerly known as the Project Development Facility (PDF) established as a revolving fund under EO 44 series of 2002.” The PPP Center shall act as the secretariat of the PPP Governing Board – the overall policy-making body for all PPP-related matters, including the PDMF. “It shall be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the PPP Program and creating an enabling policy and institutional environment for PPP,” a portion of the EO read. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The PPP Board is headed by a chairman (Neda chief), a vice chairman (secretary of finance), with the secretaries of DBM, DOJ, DTI, executive secretary and private sector co-chairman of the National Competitiveness Council as members. The PPP Center will be headed by an executive director, whose rank will be equivalent to that of an undersecretary, who will be appointed by Aquino upon the recommendation of the NEDA director-general.

Filipino labor is worth hiring – P-Noy

 Economy
Mar 122013
 
Filipino labor is worth hiring – P-Noy

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino made a pitch for Filipino workers before potential investors yesterday, saying their creativity, dedication and loyalty are worth investing in. In a speech to keynote the Philippine Investment Forum 2013 at the Manila Peninsula in Makati City, the President cited the success of the business process outsourcing industry in which Filipinos have excelled and brought the country “to great heights in such a short time.”  “Given the opportunity, they will do the same for you, whatever industry you may be involved in,” Aquino said. Aquino said the intrinsic characteristics of Filipino workers are what investors want from their work force. The President also called on investors to partner with the government in expanding their businesses in the country. He said the country is in a better position to offer more and meet their needs.  He said potential investors could invest in agriculture, the source of income for some 12.1-million Filipinos; tourism, with the target 56-million tourist arrivals by 2016; and infrastructure, which is seen to support agriculture and tourism through the development of road networks, ports, and airports. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Whether in these three sectors or in others…we know that, here, hard work, innovation, and creativity are rewarded with success,” he said. The President said new investments would create thousands of jobs that will put food on the tables, send children to school and meet family expenses. “Together, we will be empowering them; giving them greater power to Read More …