• Government continuously monitoring Typhoon Lando, Says Palace official
• Palace welcomes support of foreign envoys for Bangsamoro Basic Law

APEC News Release

• APEC calls on member economies to support sustainable energy center

Typhoon (international name: Koppu), has made landfall in Aurora province on Saturday morning and has caused floodings and landslides.

“Nananatiling nakatutok ang buong puwersa ng pamahalaan upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng ating mga mamamayan na naninirahan sa mga lugar na apektado ng Bagyong Lando,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. in an interview with Radio ng Bayan on Sunday.

The Palace official said that local disaster risk reduction and management councils are coordinating with the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to provide assistance to residents from Regions 1,2, 3, 4-A, 4-B,5 and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Coloma said that President Benigno S. Aquino III is also monitoring updates on the typhoon, which the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said may remain in the country until Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) was scheduled to have a meeting with various government agencies to assess the situation.

“Nag-mo-monitor po ang ating Pangulo at up-to-date naman po siya dahil sa periodic reporting ng NDRRMC. Lahat naman po ng mga concerned government agency ay nagbibigay ng regular na update sa ating Pangulo at siya rin po ay patuloy na nagmomonitor ng sitwasyon sa pamamagitan ng ating mga Cabinet secretaries,” said Coloma.

“Masinsin pong tinututukan ng Pangulo ang sitwasyon at ito namang NDRRMC ay nagmimiting na sa kasalukuyan. Mayroon din po kasing situation room sa Malacañang Park na pwede rin namang pagdausan ng mga pulong na ito at wala pong pagpapahinga sa bahagi ng ating pambansang pamahalaan sa pangunguna ng Pangulong Aquino sa pagtutok sa sitwasyong kinakaharap natin sa kasalukuyan dahil nga po sa kahalagahan nang ating layunin na zero casualty,” Coloma said.

He said the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and PAGASA are also monitoring the movement of Typhoon Lando and are coming out with advisories and weather bulletins.

“Patuloy din ang mahigpit na pagmamanman ng DOST at ng PAGASA sa galaw ng bagyo, maging ang paglalabas ng mga advisory at weather bulletin na magsisilbing gabay sa mga disaster response and rescue unit. Sa huling ulat na ipinalabas ng NDRRMC, tumama sa lupa o nag-landfall na si ‘Lando’ sa Casiguran, Aurora at nananatiling nakahimpil sa nasabing lugar ang bagyo,” the Palace official further said.

Coloma said there is the concern on the slow movement of the typhoon, which means more rains that could result to landslides.

“Ang pinanggagalingan ng ating concern para doon sa pagkakaroon ng matagal na panahon ng pag-ulan dahil mabagal kaysa sa karaniwan ang galaw nitong bagyo. Ang huling naitala ay three kilometers per hour lamang. At mayroon kasi sa likuran nito na isa pang bagyo, ‘yung ‘Champi,’ na nagpapabagal sa galaw ni ‘Lando’ at mayroon ding ibang high-pressure area na nagpapabagal dito,” he said.

“Sa kasalukuyan habang tayo ay nag-uusap ay mayroong idinaraos na pulong sa Camp Aguinaldo ang National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council sa pamumuno ng tagapangulo nito na si Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, at kasama niya doon sina Secretaries Mel Sarmiento ng DILG, Corazon Soliman ng DSWD, at Rogelio Singson ng DPWH. Ang isang binubuno ngayon ay ang problema ng landslides. Maraming landslides sa CAR,” Coloma added.

“At ‘yon namang Project NOAH ng DOST ay patuloy na tinututukan ‘yung kanilang water level monitoring. Mayroon kasi tayong mga water level monitoring equipment sa lahat ng major river systems sa ating bansa katulad ng Magat River, Cagayan River, at San Roque River dito sa mga rehiyon na nabanggit. Tinututukan ito ng DOST-PAGASA doon sa Project NOAH para makapagbigay ng sapat na babala sa ating mga mamamayan na nasa mga apektadong lugar,” he further said.

Coloma also mentioned the close coordination between the local government and the national government.

“Nagkakaroon ng masinsing koordinasyon sa pamamagitan ng mga pamahalaang lokal at pambansang pamahalaan. Ang DILG sa partikular ay mayroong Oplan Listo. Ito ay sinusunod ng mga iba’t ibang LGU natin. Pansinin natin na sa mga bayan at lalawigan ang pinuno ng local DRRMC ay mismong alkalde o mismong barangay chairman at gobernador naman sa larangan ng lalawigan. Kaya talagang nakatutok sila sa sitwasyon,” said Coloma.

“Kaya’t buong puwersa ng pamahalaan ang nakatutok ngayon para tiyakin ang kaligtasan ng ating mga mamamayan at matamo ang ating objective na zero casualty sa mga kalamidad na katulad nito,” Coloma added.

The Palace official likewise advised the public to keep informed on the weather situation.

“Kung maaari lamang ay patuloy nating tutukan ang lahat po ng mga advisory, lalo na po ang mula sa ating mga local disaster risk reduction unit. Ito po ay nakabatay sa barangay, sa bayan, sa siyudad. Mayroon din pong mga alerts na ipinapadala sa pamamagitan ng social media at ng mga cellphones. ‘Yung atin pong mga field units ng Philippine Information Agency ay nakatutok din sa sitwasyon,” Coloma said.

“Mayroon po silang direktoryo ng mga local community leaders at nagpapadala po sila ng periodic updates sa pamamagitan ng text messages. Antabayanan lang po natin ang mga updates, manatili po tayong nakatutok sa lahat ng mga weather bulletin, lalo na ‘yung ating mga kababayan na maaaring maapektuhan ng pagbaha dahil nga doon sa pagbagsak ng malaking volume ng rainfall na ating nararanasan sa kasalukuyan,” he added. PND (jm)

APEC energy ministers issued the call for support to the newly-established APEC Sustainable Energy Center (APSEC) in a joint statement released at the conclusion of the 12th APEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting held here earlier this week.

In the said joint statement, the energy ministers also encouraged APSEC to continue its work in expanding sustainable city development across the region, cutting-edge clean energy technologies and other programs on energy resiliency.

“We reaffirm our commitment towards sustainable energy development in the Asia Pacific region through knowledge-sharing and facilitating technology cooperation, demonstration and dissemination,” they said. “We recognize the progress made by the newly-established APSEC in completing its institution building.”

The establishment of APSEC was proposed by China last year during Beijing’s hosting of the APEC Summit.

In its proposal, China stressed that the creation of APSEC under the APEC framework is one of the concrete actions to facilitate the development of clean, renewable and sustainable energy use, and thus to boost sustainable development and energy security, and reduce carbon emissions.

The center is operated and funded by Tianjin University, supported by China’s National Energy Administration and open for all APEC members.

The center’s objectives include enhancing the understanding of the importance of sustainable energy development and to share the information and experiences on sustainable energy development and applications among APEC economies; strengthening the capacity building of sustainable energy development and utilization of renewable and clean energy in APEC economies, and to facilitate the sustainable energy technology transfer and dissemination in the APEC region; and building real pilots of sustainable energy development projects for all APEC economies to participate and make contributions for a sustainable APEC.

Policy makers and government, research organizations, and industrial enterprises in all APEC member economies interested in or related with sustainable energy are all welcome to be stakeholders of APSEC, and will be the beneficiaries as well. The people will be teamed up and the resources will be integrated on the basis of sustainable energy demonstration projects. (APEC Communications Group)

“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa kanilang pagpapakita ng pakiki-isa sa atin. Mahalaga po ang pagpapahiwatig ng pakiki-isa ng iba’t ibang bansa sa ating isinasagawang peace process at patuloy naman… at hindi natitinag ang determinasyon ng ating pamahalaan hinggil sa pagpapatuloy nito sa pamamagitan ng pagpapasa ng makabuluhang Bangsamoro Basic Law. Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa lahat ng mga nagpahiwatig ng kanilang pakikiisa,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

“We thank our friends from the diplomatic corps who are affirming their solidarity with our country in building the foundations for enduring peace,” said Coloma. “We continue to work with Congress for the timely enactment of the BBL”.

A total of 17 diplomats, including United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell, Netherlands Ambassador Marion Derckx, British Ambassador Asif Ahmad, and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa, signed the statement of support for the continuity of the peace process  between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the peace and stability in Mindanao.

“We, the undersigned, share a common aim with the people of the Philippines to work towards a just and lasting peace in Mindanao that brings prosperity, security, and social benefits to all Filipinos and maintains the unity of the Republic of the Philippines,” the ambassadors said in a statement posted at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) website.

Those who also signed the statement of support were Ambassador Erik Forner of Norway; Ambassador Luis Calvo of Spain; Charge d’Affaires Raoul Imbach of Switzerland; Ambassador Rolando A. Guevara Alvarado of Panama; Ambassador Jon Top Christensen of Denmark; Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. of the Czech Republic; Ambassador Massimo Roscigno of Italy; Charge d’Affaires Ngerikl Baules of Palau; Charge d’Affaires Stella de Araneta of Colombia; Ambassador-Designate Franz Jessen of the European Union; Ambassador Thomas Ossowski of Germany; Charges d’ Affaires Mihai Sion of Romania; Ambassador Marthinus Slabber of South Africa; Ambassador Jae-Shin Kim of Korea; Ambassador Neil Reeder of Canada; and Deputy Head of Mission Laurent Legodec of France.

The  OPAPP said Ambassador Johny Lumintang of Indonesia, Ambasaador David Strachan of New Zeland, and DHM Charlotta Schlyter of Sweden also expressed their intention to sign the statement.

“Domestic support is vital in sustaining the Bangsamoro peace process. International support for the passage of the basic law is also valuable because they provide a global perspective that broadens our parochial and partisan  appreciation of our quest,” said government chief peace negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.

“As outsiders looking in, the international community can offer a more objective point of view. We are heartened that they continue to see that we are fighting the good fight and thank them for the trust and goodwill they have shown from the beginning,” she added.

The passage of the BBL will abolish the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and set up a parliamentary regional government that will provide the Bangsamoro with more fiscal and political autonomy. PND (jm)