GOOD NEWS: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION IS AMONG THE FIVE CLUSTERS CREATED BY PRESIDENT AQUINO

PRESIDENT Benigno S. C. Aquino III has formally restructured the Cabinet into five groups that will serve as advisory bodies, a move seen to increase productivity and efficiency in governance, a Palace aide said yesterday.





Under Executive Order (EO) 43 signed by the President on May 13 and effective immediately, the Cabinet has been organized into five clusters, namely, good governance and anti-corruption; human development and poverty reduction; economic development; security, justice and peace; and climate change adaptation and mitigation.


Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr. said in a statement the system "is meant to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and focus in carrying out the programs and policies of the government."


The clusters, which will serve as advisory committees to the Office of the President, will recommend measures on policy and operational matters for approval of the President.

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The Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation cluster is chaired by the DENR secretary with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) functioning as secretariat. Its members are the HUDCC chairman, the secretaries of DoST, DILG, DPWH, DSWD, DA, DAR, DoE and DND; and the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.


The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) was not included in the cluster as it is also involved in other non-climate change issues, the head of the agency said in an interview.


Undersecretary Benito T. Ramos, NDRRMC executive director, said in a telephone interview: "Kailangan din [We are still needed for inputs]. Although the CCC and NDRRMC are two separate organizations with separate legislation, we have a memorandum of understanding."


Rather than deal with climate change-related issues, he added, NDRRMC is concerned with the management of disasters that are not influenced by climate change such as earthquakes and volcano eruption.

Source: http://server2.interfuel.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=Aquino-restructures-Cabinet-into-five-clusters&id=31408

GOOD NEWS: Pres. Aquino suspends approval of large-scale mining applications

By Delon Porcalla
The Philippine Star)
Updated February 05, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang announced yesterday that President Aquino has ordered Secretary Ramon Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to suspend all large-scale mining applications while the government reviews pending and inactive mining claims this year.

“The instruction right now from his office is not to accept new applications of mining claims since January this year,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said, adding that there is now a ban on processing of mining claims.

“We believe that we need to enforce properly the mining regulations and mining laws. So that is what the DENR is doing, and will continue to do, to strictly monitor and strictly implement the mining regulations,” he said.

Lacierda noted that upon assumption to office, Paje promised that “he will clean the process of the mining claims.”

“There were 2,800 mining claims when he assumed office. Right now he has cancelled already 500 mining claims. He is also in the process of reviewing 500 more,” Lacierda added.

Lacierda said this has been one of the programs of Aquino even when he was still a senator.

The DENR has terminated more than 500 mining permits and applications that have remained inactive and incomplete in terms of requirements.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau records show that there are 2,180 mining applications presently pending in various regional offices.

Paje said the department’s regional offices have been given two deadlines – on Feb. 20 and December this year – to clear all pending and inactive mining applications for this year.

He said the clearing of “aging” mining applications is in line with the department’s anti-corruption program.

“We have to decide... what to do with all of these mining applications pending in our regional offices. Otherwise, the public will continue to perceive us as inefficient and corrupt,” Paje said.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=654543&publicationSubCategoryId=63