SINGAPORE (VIA PLDT), MARCH 11, 2011 (STAR) [Photo is loading... Photo shows President Aquino being welcomed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. AP]
President Aquino, President S.R. Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have discussed the Spratly issue, although Singapore is not among the claimants to the oil-rich islands.
In a briefing with Manila-based reporters, Secretary Herminio Coloma said Singapore expressed hope for the immediate settlement of the conflict in the South China Sea.
"They hope it would be turned into an area of cooperation," he said.
"They also hope that the problem will be adjudicated and resolved under international law, given the uncertainty and volatility of the situation in the region."
Spratlys is an "opportunity for development because of its natural resources," he added.
Coloma said the heads of state also tackled the Middle East problem, which involved "considerable discussion," the continuation of bilateral and regional ties, the inspiration Rizal brought to Singaporeans, clearing up of the Singapore River and human settlement in watershed areas, among others.
"The important thing is that both leaders agreed that they need, and the countries in the region (as well)… to take not just a regional but an international perspective because the events that are happening today have significant global implications," he said.
"It's not as if, if it happens in one geographical area, duon lang iyun (that's all it is). There are always global implications so they agreed that the cooperation would have to take into account the regional and international perspective."
Coloma said Nathan told Aquino that Filipino national hero Dr. Jose Rizal provides inspiration to the Singaporean people.
"He was an advocate of freedom, a brilliant propagandist of the cause of Philippine nationhood and freedom," Coloma quoted Nathan as saying.
"He (Nathan) also expressed confidence that the President will be able to restore the Philippines to its expected status given his programs of good governance and that the country has a large talent pool."
Coloma said Singapore was impressed with the talent, skill, determination and perseverance of the Filipino worker that "Singapore would like to continue and perhaps even expand mutual cooperation (between the two countries through the implementation of) a program called the Singapore Cooperation Program (SCP)."
The SCP is an education program whereby the Singapore government offers scholarships and training programs to Filipinos, specifically those in the professional and managerial strata, he added.
Aquino said in the brief duration of his visit, which started on Wednesday afternoon, "our delegation has learned significant things from Singapore especially… how they established the water recycling program."
In October 2010, Aquino told his colleagues in the 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam that Asian neighbors are always better off as friends rather than adversaries.
"The code of conduct (in the South China Sea) is number one (in our priority in the Spratly issue) and perhaps an even more formalized plan towards exploiting it, perhaps on a cooperative basis," he told reporters at the Grand Plaza Hotel in Hanoi.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said the President would also push for the creation of a binding code to prevent armed hostilities among countries with territorial claims to islets and reefs in the South China Sea.
"It will be good if no hostilities will flare up in the area and maybe the next phase should be, how do we explore the possibility that all claimant-countries can really start reaping the fruits of the potentials of this area so that it will be beneficial," Aquino said earlier.
Noy climbs up to 24th floor By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated March 11, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (2) View comments
[PHOTO COURTESY OF ABS-CBN: A photo of the March 10 edition of The Straits Times, Singapore's largest newspaper, shows a photo of President Benigno Aquino III climbing up the last flight of stairs from an underground facility at the Changi Water Reclamation Plant in Singapore, during his state visit to the city-state, March 10, 2011. (Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News)]
SINGAPORE (via PLDT) – President Aquino proved yesterday that despite his smoking, he is still in top shape as he and several Cabinet members, together with their Singaporean host, climbed the stairs of the 24-story Changi Water Reclamation Plant (CWRP) here after the access elevator malfunctioned.
Aquino, a 51-year-old bachelor, decided to use the stairs of the emergency fire exit at the water treatment plant that was full of dust and dead insects, even if the embarrassed Singapore officials persuaded him to wait for repairmen to fix the elevator.
The Cabinet officials who climbed the stairs included 71-year-old Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
Singaporean officials said the elevator was tested and was operational for three consecutive days prior to Aquino's arrival, and it was unfortunate that it malfunctioned during the Philippine President's visit. The delay at the reclamation plant forced Aquino to cancel his scheduled press briefing.
Sources narrated that due to the intense heat, Aquino was forced to remove his jacket, and he just smiled as he climbed up from the bottom of the tunnel to the ground floor.
He only took a few minutes to rest every six floors.
A photograph taken by Neo Xiaobin of a smiling Aquino came out on the front page of the Singapore Straits Times yesterday with a story titled: "PUB lift stalls, so Aquino takes stairs up 20 flights," written by Ben Nadarajan. PUB stands for Public Utilities Board that manages the water desalination facility.
Aquino started biking last Christmas after a Cabinet official gave him a mountain bike as a gift. One of his New Year's resolutions is to be physically fit.
Aside from the elderly Del Rosario, the other Cabinet members who climbed the stairs with the President were Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Sonny Coloma, and Trade Secretary Greg Domingo.
Chief Presidential Protocol Officer Miguel Perez Rubio, now in his mid-80s, did not join the presidential party at the tunnel and was left at the plant's main floor.
Sources said Singaporean officials were impressed with the President's stamina and fitness, and he was in fact smiling all the way.
Aquino visited the CWRP to check if a desalination plant is feasible in the Philippines. The US$3.5-billion plant "reclaims" seawater that is desalinated and provides 30 percent of the water demand of this city.
Aquino said he would direct all concerned government agencies that deal with water to undertake a study on the feasibility of putting up such a plant.
"The first step will be (to) put all the agencies that have to deal with water under one agency so there is a coordinated single plan that we will put in place," he said.
The CWRP is reportedly the largest water treatment facility in the world that could convert seawater into clean and potable water.
"The physical and biological treatment provided by the plant will produce clean water of the highest international standards, suitable for discharge into the deep sea at the Straits of Singapore," said Wah Yuen Long, plant reclamation director of the Public Utility Board, Singapore's National Water Agency.
Aquino defends Roxas' inclusion in delegation
Aquino also defended the inclusion of former senator Manuel Roxas II in the presidential party in Singapore, saying his close friend and Liberal Party president is spending his own money.
He urged detractors to stop politicizing the issue because it is primarily the country that is benefiting from the ex-senator's large network in the international community.
After meeting with the Filipino community at the Regional Learning Center Hotel, Aquino told Manila-based reporters that Roxas' personal relationship with Singaporean and Indonesian officials helped a lot.
Roxas joined the first foreign trip of Aquino to the United States in September 2010.
Aquino said Roxas has a personal relationship with some Singaporean officials that made the talks easier.
Aquino said having a friend like Roxas on the trip hastens the whole process of developing relations with foreign officials, as it usually takes half-a-year to say "hi" and "hello," and another six months for invitations before a thorough study could be made.
Meanwhile, despite the hectic schedule, Aquino observed Ash Wednesday by skipping a meal and fasting. His late mother, former President Cory Aquino, never missed this practice.
"The President observed fasting and abstinence," Coloma said, even if the Philippine delegation arrived at past 2 p.m. here last Wednesday after an official visit to Indonesia.
"We have to leave the hotel (in Jakarta) at around 1 p.m. to be able to make it to the airport on time. I think all things considered, his (Aquino's) full meal was in the evening (in Singapore)," Coloma said.
The President even told Cabinet members that it was really an obligation on his part, more so now that it has been almost two years since his mother died.
"He was telling us in a very light vein, that now as President he could almost hear (the late) President Cory reminding him to observe fasting and abstinence, especially because there are only two days of the year when Catholics are required to do so," Coloma added.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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