• President Aquino graces Manila Bulletin’s 116th anniversary foundation
• National Printing Office awaiting job order on printing of official ballots, says Palace official
• Budget Department preparing recommendations to President Aquino on possible first tranche of salary adjustment, says Palace official
• President Aquino appoints new Legal Education Board Chair

Founded in February 2, 1900, the newspaper turned 116 on February 2, 2016, Tuesday.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago were also present during Wednesday’s event.The Manila Bulletin began as a four-page newspaper with shipping and other commercial information set up on February 2, 1900.

It was established two years after the start of the American occupation of the country by Carson C. Taylor, a teacher from Illinois, United States, who had served in the US Army during the Spanish-American War.

In 1912, it became a general newspaper with tabloid format and moved to standard size with eight columns in 1918.

The Bulletin continued publication every day thereafter, except for four years in World War II, when it was closed down by Japanese Occupation forces, and for a few weeks after the declaration of martial law in 1972.

After the Philippine independence from America in 1946 and during the difficult martial years, the Manila Bulletin was led by Swiss-Filipino Brig. Gen. Hans M. Menzi.

General Menzi passed on the ownership of the Bulletin to philanthropist-businessman Dr. Emilio T. Yap in 1961.

Under Chairman Yap, the the newspaper became a public corporation traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange. PND (as)

The NPO is expecting the job order from the COMELEC on February 8.

“The National Printing Office, an attached agency of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (pursuant to Executive Order No. 4, s. 2010), is fully prepared to accept the final job order of the Commission on Elections for the printing of the official ballots, in time for the national elections in May,” said Secretary Coloma.

“If we may recall, in the May 2013 national elections, the NPO was able to print and deliver 52 million official ballots in just fifty seven (57) days, or three (3) weeks earlier than the target completion date set by COMELEC,” he said.

Due to operational efficiency, the NPO completed the task at a printing cost that was P230 million lower than the estimated budget, he said, adding that savings of up to P35 million were attained in cost of paper and there was no need for the COMELEC to spend for the paper used in the printing of ballots for the barangay elections in October 2013.

The Palace official also said that cases filed against certain officials of the NPO will not in any way hamper its operations, including the printing of the ballots.

“The officials involved have filed their respective motions for reconsideration to the Office of the Ombudsman order and are awaiting its resolution,” said Coloma. PND (jm)

“A total of P57.9 billion appropriation is included in the General Appropriations Act of 2016 and this will fully cover the first tranche,” said Secretary Coloma.

“Moreover, the DBM will include a similar item in the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2017, to cover the second tranche. The proposed NEP will be turned over to the next administration,” the Palace official further said. PND (jm)

The Palace also announced the appointment of Emmanuel de Guzman, Noel Antonio Gaerlan, and Frances Veronica Victorio as commissioners of the Climate Change Commission.

President Aquino appointed Virgilio Nadal, Jr. as undersecretary, and Jo Paolo Espiritu as assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, and named Atty. John Magdaraog as Regional Prosecutor-CARAGA under the Department of Justice.

Edward Gargar Bhagwani, Millicent Bamba Cariño, Rosario Buminaang Dumelod, Kenneth Samson Kilat, Paulino Garcia Lalata, Jr., Johnjoan Aya-ay Mende, and Teodora Portillo Sumagaysay were appointed as Acting Local Operations Officers VIII of the Department of Interior and Local Government. PND (co)