(PNA file photo) MANILA-The Department of National Defense (DND) is hoping that the incoming administration will continue with the ongoing modernization efforts for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which President Rodrigo R. Duterte strongly supported. "What is important here is the ongoing modernization of the AFP. We have come a long way in the past six years since this administration took over and we are wishing that they will continue this initiative so that we can achieve what we call credible defense posture where we can patrol all corners of the Philippines. We are nearing that objective but there is still a lot of work to be done, that is the program we will endorse to the incoming Defense Secretary," DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said. Andolong, who represented Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, during a virtual presser shortly after Day 1 of the Duterte Legacy Summit on Monday, made this comment when asked what programs they want to be continued by the
PTFoMS executive director Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco (PNA photo by Avito Dalan) MANILA - The Duterte administration has created a "safe environment" for Philippine journalists, Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) executive director Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco said on Tuesday. During the second day of the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, Egco said the outgoing administration, through the PTFoMS, was able to end the supposed "dark chapter" in the history of Philippine media. The PTFoMS, Egco said, is "indeed a Duterte legacy," considering its accomplishments in expediting the investigation and resolution of cases of media-related violence. Egco said media workers in the country were in a "very dark place," until President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016. "Before the creation of the task force, the Philippine media was really in a very sorry state, in a very, v
(File photo from PPD) MANILA -The national anti-drug campaign has never been stronger until President Rodrigo Duterte's administration came along, and recognition was widely received in the local and international communities, criticisms included. During the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Tuesday, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva said the deaths were the result of violent actions by drug personalities against the anti-narcotics authorities during lawful arrests. He challenged the government's drug war critics to investigate and ask the people "whose domiciles belong to the drug-cleared barangays on what they are enjoying right now." "To the persistent critics (of the government's drug war campaign) who contend that the drug war is a failure, I respect your right to free speech. You (critics) may have articulated your opinions based on what you see or hear in
Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III at the Duterte Legacy Summit on Tuesday (May 31, 2022) (PNA photo by Avito Dalan) MANILA - The reforms to the health care system under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte are people-centered. Amid the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the government continued the realization of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law and establishments of more Malasakit Centers. "The Duterte administration's term from July 2016 to 2022 brought forth many reforms in the health sector, especially with the passage of the Universal Health Care Act and the Malasakit Centers Act," Duque said Tuesday during the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Duterte signed into law the UHC or Republic Act No. 11223 on Feb. 20, 2019, paving the way for the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) "
(PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan) MANILA-As the Duterte administration will soon be bidding goodbye, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is certain that the government has kept its promise to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to provide them with a better life. DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III admitted that he is one with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in giving the Filipino people a safe and bright future. "President Rodrigo Roa Duterte recognizes the sacrifices of our OFWs just to provide a better future for their families. As our modern-day heroes, the government made sure that they are one of our top priorities by ensuring protection and promotion of their rights and welfare," Bello said in his report on Tuesday at the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. "We, in the Department of Labor and Employment, are committed to create an environment that will generate decent work for Filipinos here in the country,