• PM Abe gets a taste of Davao’s best
• Palace asks pro-life groups to keep an open mind on family planning
• Presidential communications roadshow kicks off in Davao
• From Secretary Martin Andanar on the UN Lauding PRRD’s Reproductive Health Order

Davao-themed morning was planned for a private meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held in the residence of the President in Davao City on Friday morning, January 13.

Served for breakfast were heart of banana salad; monggo soup; fresh fruits like mango, pomelo, and rambutan; and native rice cakes, such as biko, suman, kutsinta, and puto. Choices for drinks included earl grey black tea, coffee, and coconut juice.

After breakfast, President Duterte and PM Abe proceeded to Waterfront Insular Hotel to meet Japanese and Filipino businessmen, followed by an eagle-naming ceremony.

A Philippine eagle was named “Sakura” or cherry blossom, which served as a symbol of the growing friendship and partnership of Philippines and Japan. Davao is home to Philippine eagles.

After the ceremony, Prime Minister Abe was treated with Japanese-inspired Filipino dishes, prepared using ingredients native to Davao, during a luncheon.

Prepared by chefs Nobuyki Imamura, Giovanni Sias, and Victor Barangan, the food choices served included imbao soup with coco cream, wakame, pomelo and fern salad with avocado aioli, squid ink biscuit and cream cheese in almonds for starters.

Mangosteen glazed tuna belly with corn grits for the main course; and durian pannacota, biko turon, and civet coffee jello for desserts.

On top of these, there were a fruit buffet offered at the gazebo and the 61-kg class-A tuna for sashimi, showcasing abundance in Davao and Mindanao.

PM Abe ate durian, pineapple, watermelon, marang, and mangosteen, while his wife Akie had pineapple.

On the other hand, President Rodrigo Duterte had durian and marang; and his common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña had durian.

“Durian is usually eaten using our hands,” President Duterte said to PM Abe, who 
showed appreciation for the durian.

But before lunch was served, the President gave a barong, the Philippine national dress, to PM Abe as present.

During the luncheon, the Japanese guests were entertained by the performances of students from F. Bustamante Central Elementary School, showcasing dances that reflect various cultures and the festive mood of the Kadayawan Festival.####Maro-Content

In a radio interview over Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday, January 14, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella called on those who oppose Executive Order No. 12 to be more open minded about the government’s efforts to ensure that parents can provide for their children through family planning methods.

Executive Order No. 12 was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on January 9, 2017 “to intensify and accelerate the implementation of critical actions necessary to attain “zero unmet need for modern family planning” for all poor households by 2018, and all Filipinos thereafter, within the context of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) law and its implementing rules.”

However, the EO is being opposed by pro-life groups.

“Ang panawagan po natin sa kanila is to have a broader and a more open mind, hindi lang po basta coming from ideology. Kailangan po siguro na mag-evolve rin ang pagiisip ng certain sectors in society… na maging mas bukas sila at maintindihan nila ang kalagayan ng tao,” Abella said.

“We need to be able to be more responsible even with our faith. Kailangang mapakain din natin ‘yung pamilya natin, di ba,” he said.

Abella meanwhile welcomed the United Nations Population Fund’s recognition of the signing of EO No. 12 as a major push for the country’s family planning programs.

He said that though President Duterte made an unpopular decision among some groups, he has the future of the Filipinos in mind.

“We have to appreciate the President dahilan sa kahit na hindi po popular with certain sectors ‘yung galaw tungkol sa reproductive health ay itinutulak po niya dahil po ang pananaw ng Presidente is not just to serve the interest of a small group but to serve the interest of the whole nation,” Abella said.

“Unang-una, alam po natin, nilalabanan ng Presidente ang poverty. Hindi lang basta anti-poverty, but he also wants to have inclusive prosperity, na ang lahat po umunlad and kasama na po diyan na if women are empowered physically meron silang health and they can also contribute to the financial health of their families,” he said.

“We continue to encourage and we thank the Filipino people for supporting that and also the United Nations for recognizing the efforts of the President,” he added.

Meanwhile, Abella expressed optimism that the Philippines will have an improved relationship with the US under President-elect Donald Trump.

“The way I see it, based on the President’s actuations in the past, he especially gives respect when we are also accorded respect,” he said.

“There seems to be mutual respect between President Trump, President-elect Trump and President Duterte,” he added.

“Given the fact that the President-elect Trump seems to understand where President Duterte is coming from, I believe we will have a better relationship,” he said.

As to the launching of the Philippines’ chairmanship of the ASEAN this year, Abella said the government looks forward to more fruitful achievements this year, especially on regional cooperation.###PND

No less than the Presidential Communications chief, Secretary Ruperto Martin M. Andanar, formally opened the event, which was held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

“Kami po sa Presidential Communications Operations Office bilang tagapangasiwa ng komunikasyon ng Malakanyang ang mapalad na nabigyan ng pribilehiyo upang ipaabot sa ating mamamayan ang tampok na agenda at programa ng pamahalaang Duterte,” Secretary Andanar said in his keynote speech.

Andanar highlighted four significant government milestones:

1. ASEAN Summit 2017
2. Task Force on Media Security
3. Freedom of Information
4. Use of Social Media for National Disasters

Administrative Order (AO) No. 48 signed in 2016 created the National Organizing Council (NOC) for the country’s hosting of this year’s Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, with the Secretary of the PCOO as council member.

Likewise, AO 48 established the Committee on Media Affairs and Strategic Communications, which designated the PCOO as chair.

“Kaya naman malaking karangalan po para sa akin, ng aming tanggapan — ang Presidential Communications Office — ay nabigyan ng mahalagang tungkulin para sa paghahanda at pagsasagawa ng ASEAN 2017,” Andanar said.

The second milestone underscored the importance of ensuring the protection of media against threats, harassment, and violence in carrying out their duties.

Andanar assured the Duterte administration regards “media people as partners in the pursuit of truth, responsible and accurate information, accountability and transparency.”
The Freedom of Information (FOI), on the other hand, was meant to heed the public’s call for public disclosure of information and transparency in government.

Memorandum Order No. 10 was signed in December last year, mandating the PCOO as the lead agency in the implementation of FOI for the Executive Branch that President Rodrigo Duterte signed on July 23, 2016.

“To date, 131 agencies of government have complied with FOI manuals and 15 agencies have put up a mechanism for the online access of information required or requested by the public,” the PCOO chief announced.

The fourth milestone is about tapping the wider reach and potential of social media in disseminating information to the public.

The Duterte administration is planning to use social media in its disaster preparedness and awareness campaign. “Kaya naman ay ine-extend po natin ang case study ng matagumpay na paggamit ng social media sa kampanyahan sa paggamit po nito pagdating sa disaster preparedness,” Andanar disclosed.

More than 300 attendees from different government agencies and various media outfits witnessed the event. PCOO officials and representatives of its bureaus and offices came in full force.

Speakers during the event included Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretaries Michel Kristian Ablan and Joseph Lawrence Garcia, and Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Hellen Dela Vega of the Office of ASEAN Affairs. ###MARO-Content

Reproductive health forms part of President Duterte’s 10 Point SocioEconomic Agenda.

To have a marked reduction of poverty incidence, the President’s economic managers believe that we must have strong economic growth and fast track the generation of millions of jobs in the next six years, complemented by the full implementation of the RH law.

We hope that with this order, we will have stronger collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and international bodies like The United Nations Population Fund, to implement quality modern family planning information and services.