• President Aquino bares more road projects in Central Luzon
• President Aquino graces worship activity in Tarlac
• President Aquino attends 15th National Public Employment Service Office Congress

APEC NEWS RELEASES

• APEC health ministers see mental health as a key element of socio-economic concern

In a speech during a thanksgiving celebration here on Sunday, President Aquino said he had observed cracks along the 11.44-kilometer provincial road when he visited Nueva Ecija recently to distribute relief goods for the victims of Typhoon Lando.

Quoting Secretary Singson, President Aquino explained that provincial roads are actually not covered by the budget that Congress has enacted for the Department of Public Works and Highways, as this is only limited to national roads and tourism-related projects.

“Sabi po sa atin noong nakarating na tayo sa Nueva Ecija: ‘Dito po sa Nueva Ecija ang parte ng kalsadang ‘yan maganda, ang problema po, diyan sa Tarlac na probinsya ninyo.’ Siyempre, nakakahiya ho,” the President said.

“Inatasan natin tuloy ang butihing kalihim Babes Singson na makipag-ugnayan sa lokal na gobyerno para maisaayos ang Pura-Guimba Road sa lalong madaling panahon,” he added.

President Aquino likewise mentioned the construction of alternative routes going to the Cagayan Valley region, crossing the areas of Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Aurora and Quirino to avoid Dalton Pass, which is prone to landslides.

“At mayroon na rin pong naka-planong expressway na dudugtong sa SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) mula sa La Paz, Tarlac, dadaan ito sa Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija, sa San Jose hanggang Cabanatuan,” he said.

According to the President, the plan is on the detailed engineering design stage and it will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. PND (hdc)

President Aquino was happy to be back in his home province and spend even just a couple of hours with his fellow Tarlaqueños. He thanked Bishop Jonel Milan, Engineer Ermie Garon, and the people of TFBC for their invitation.

“Dito nga ho sa araw ng pahinga ay nabigyan tayo ng pagkakataong makahalubilo ang mga taong walang dudang may malasakit sa ating bansa. Ikinalulugod ko pong maging bahagi ng inyong pagdiriwang,” he said.

The President shared anecdotes of his salad days as congressman of Tarlac, spoke about the strides his administration has made over the past five years, and quoted some Bible verses before the congregation, in a speech that lasted more than 23 minutes.

He expressed his deep gratitude to Bishop Milan, one of his spiritual advisers, for his abiding care. He also said he is grateful to TFBC and Care4Philippines Intercessors Movement (K4) for their valuable contributions to society.

“Aktibo kayong nakikiambag upang punuan ang nakikita ninyong kakulangan, ‘di lang sa inyong simbahan, kundi pati sa kalakhang lipunan. Talaga pong isinasabuhay ninyo: ‘We are our brother’s keeper,’” President Aquino said.

“Maraming salamat po sa inyong panalangin upang patuloy na tahakin ng mga pinuno at ng sambayanan ang daang matuwid. Sa ating pagtutulungan sa Daang Matuwid, talaga naman pong malayo na ang ating narating,” he added.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II and his running mate, Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo joined President Aquino at the gathering.

Both Roxas and Robredo said they were honored to be invited to take part in the thanksgiving celebration. They each sought for prayers as they try to continue what President Aquino has started in changing the country for the better.

“Nananalangin po kami, nagtitipon po tayo para sariwain ang ating commitment—commitment sa isa’t isa, commitment sa ating bansa, at commitment sa Poong Maykapal—na gagawin natin ang lahat na magpatuloy po tayo sa pagtahak sa matuwid, sa matapat, at sa may malasakit na pag-aaruga sa ating mga kababayan at sa ating bansa,” Roxas said.

For her part, Robredo said, “Sa tulong po ng inyong basbas, nawa’y matupad namin ang aming misyong maisulong ang mga programang magpapaangat sa kalagayan ng mas marami nating kababayan at maipadama na buhay ang Diyos sa kanilang mga buhay.” PND (hdc)

The PESO is a multi-employment service facility established pursuant to Republic Act No. 8759, otherwise known as the PESO Act of 1999, which provides information and assistance to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clients and constituents of local government units.

The amended law, also known as Republic Act 10691, will strengthen the network of the PESO to address the unemployment problem in the country, especially in rural areas.

“Malaki ang naiambag ng PESO para matugunan ang mga hamon sa sektor ng paggawa. Ayon nga sa datos ng DOLE, 5.66 milyon sa 8.09 milyong aplikante na dumulog sa PESO ang natulungang makahanap ng trabaho mula Hulyo ng 2010 hanggang Hunyo ng 2015. Tumaas din ang placement rate sa ilalim ng mga PESO mula 74 percent noong 2010 papuntang 83 percent sa 2014,” the President said in a speech delivered at the PICC Reception Hall.

“Kanina naman po, nasaksihan ninyo ang pagpirma ko sa batas na mag-aamyenda sa PESO ACT of 1999. Hindi na ito ‘unfunded’ na batas kagaya ng dinatnan natin. Inaasahan nga natin na dahil dito, higit pang titibay at lalakas ang 1,925 na PESO sa buong bansa. Sa ilalim ng naamyendahang PESO Act, binibigyan ng kapangyarihan ang ating mga pamahalaang lokal na maglaan ng pondo mula sa internal revenue allotment. Magkakaroon din ng posisyon para sa PESO Manager at isang Labor and Employment Officer. Umaasa nga ako na ngayong nadagdagan natin ang kakayahan ng mga LGU na tumugon sa unemployment, mas marami pa tayong kababayang magkakatrabaho. Mas alam ng lokal na pamahalaan ang mga pagkakataon sa kanilang lugar, at mas madali nilang mailalapit ang ating mga Boss sa trabaho,” he said.

“Ang hamon ko po sa inyong lahat: Lubos pa nating pag-ibayuhin ang ating kaalaman, higit pa nating paigtingin ang ating serbisyo, at lalo pa nating palakasin ang pagtutulungan. Nagawa na nating posible ang dating ipinapalagay na imposible. Sa patuloy nating paghakbang sa Daang Matuwid, maaabot natin ang mas matatayog pang mga pangarap,” the President added.

The signing of the PESO Act was witnessed by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, acting chairman of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resource Development; and House of Representatives members Karlo Alexei Nograles of Davao City, chairman of the Committee on Labor and Employment; Linabelle Ruth Villarica of Bulacan’s 4th District, principal author of the bill; Benjamin Asilo of Manila’s 1st District; Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of the Democratic Independent Workers’ Association Party List; and Rodel Batocabe of the Ako Bicol Party List.

Also present were League of Provinces of the Philippines President and Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali, Jr.; League of Municipalities of the Philippines Secretary General and Mayor of Hadji Panglima Tahil, Sulu Abraham Burahan; Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz; Pasay City’s Lone District Representative Imelda Calixto; Pasay City Mayor Antonio Calixto; and PESO Managers Association of the Philippines, Inc. President Vissia Marie Aldon.

Before the signing ceremony, President Aquino received the framed ISO 9001:2008 Registration Certificates of the DOLE’s Quality Management System (QMS) in its 32 offices from Secretary Baldoz.

The 15th National PESO Congress’ theme, “Pagdaloy ng Disenteng Trabaho at Maunlad na Negosyo, Kaagapay ang PESO”, gives credence to the hard work and contribution of PESOs in sustaining efforts facilitating employment services towards contributing to the achievement of decent work goals.

As 2015 marks the year of regional and global integration, the Congress offers PESO managers, local employment program managers and focal persons the opportunity to benchmark and gain insights and knowledge from neighbor countries in providing multi-dimensional employment facilitation service that would shape their role in further changing and transforming the lives of their clients.

The PESO Congress is a back-to-back event with DOLE’s Livelihood Summit, where regional and national awards will be given to outstanding beneficiaries of the DOLE’s livelihood programs.

Experts from the country and abroad, including successful program beneficiaries, are invited as resource speakers during plenary sessions to talk about improving programs and sustaining gains to ensure the continuous and effective provision of services even beyond employment. PND (jm)

At the same time, health ministers of APEC member economies welcomed the launch of a digital hub as an interactive resource to facilitate the establishment of partnerships to implement the APEC Roadmap to Promote Mental Wellness in a Healthy Asia Pacific.

“Mental health is a timely topic of discussion in the region with challenges and successes in the implementation of mental health programs in APEC economies,” the APEC ministers said in their joint statement issued at the conclusion of the 5th APEC High Level Meeting on Health and the Economy held here last August.

They noted that mental illness is a key element of socio-economic concern as it accounts for one-third of the chronic disease burden.

In this context, the APEC health ministers welcomed the progress of the Task Force on Mental Health in implementing the APEC Roadmap to Promote Mental Wellness in a Healthy Asia Pacific (2014-2020).

The Roadmap outlines a series of activities that would enable APEC member economies and stakeholders to achieve the identified goals by 2020.

It includes specific actions, such as convening an APEC Task Force on Mental Health, and working with key representatives of government, industry, academic institutions, civil society not-for-profit organizations, and international organizations, with the ability to promote collaborations, especially public-private partnerships.

An APEC hub will also be established as a sustained tool to exchange regional best practices, assess specific interventions, and inform the launch of pilot collaborations.

Future plans also include establishing a multi-stakeholder network of mental health champions across the APEC region by providing technical assistance to leaders of collaborative pilot projects, and establishing a robust surveillance and monitoring platform, which will provide benchmarks for collaborations and implement suitable evaluation process and mechanism on progress.

The APEC health ministers, likewise, welcomed the launch of a digital hub/digital compendium of the Asia-Pacific region’s best and innovative practices in multilateral, multi-sectoral collaborations, and model public-private partnerships to strengthen mental health.

The health officials said this will serve as an interactive resource to facilitate the establishment of partnerships to implement the roadmap on mental health. (APEC Communications Group)