Month: September 2015

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Speech during the IP Peering MOA Signing

 “Magandang umaga po sa ating lahat. Definitely, today is a big step towards achieving our goals of having improved Internet services in the Philippines.

Ngayon po, all of our government websites, at least majority of our government websites, are locally peered.

This means, now that PLDT is connected to the PHOpenIX, our government data, any g to g data doesn’t have to leave the Philippines and can actually just travel locally among our shores.

Can you imagine the issues on national security previous to this day and this partnership? Before, government data had to travel outside of the country and come back to our shores to be able to get back to other government websites.

Today definitely is a huge day and we would like to thank PLDT and DOST for finally working out this partnership. Definitely, we can all sleep more soundly tonight now that this partnership is done.

Malaking bagay po na ang huge player like PLDT is now connected to the PHOpenIX. It does open a lot of opportunities in the future. At the minimum, our government sites are safer and of course would be more efficient Of course, this partnership does open the doors for other partnerships down the line.

What I’ve been harping about IP peering in the Senate hearings regarding IP peering, I think, we’re one step closer to that with this MOA signing.

Hopefully there will be another great announcement before the end of the year when it comes to full IP peering in the Philippines.

Today is definitely a good step, a big step and along the way of trying to improve Internet services in the Philippines, this is one of those days that we will remember as a banner day to be able to get to the goals that we want for our country.

More and more, lumalabas talaga na ang competitiveness of our country, a large part of it, in the next five to 10 years, if not the next two to three years, will be dependent on how good our Internet infrastructure is.

We’re hoping that together, we can really build a much improved Internet infrastructure in the Philippines.

We have a long way to go definitely, but sabi nga nila, each journey begins with one step and this is definitely a good step in the right direction.”

Bida Ka!: Hamon sa Kalidad (Part 1)

Mga Bida, nitong mga nakaraang buwan, malaking pa­ngamba ang nilikha ng mga balita ukol sa ilang kaso ng food poisoning sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa.

Nauna rito ang pagkaospital ng halos dalawang libong katao matapos kumain ng durian candy sa iba’t ibang lugar sa Mindanao, partikular sa CARAGA Region.

Siyam na estudyante ng Juan Sumulong High School ang naospital matapos kumain ng macapuno candy habang 438 mag-aaral ng Real Elementary School sa Calamba, Laguna ang sumakit ang tiyan at nagsuka matapos kumain ng ice candy at cake.

May mga balita rin ng food poisoning sa Surigao del Sur, Pangasinan, Iloilo City at North Cotabato.

Nag-aalala tayo sa dami ng kaso ng food poisoning sa bansa dahil sa posibleng epekto nito sa mga lokal na negosyo na nagtitinda ng pagkain. Maaaring isolated lang ang mga kasong ito ng food poisoning pero malaki ang tama nito sa buong industriya.

Ito rin ay maaaring mauwi sa takot sa pagbili sa mga street food vendors, na karamihan ay nagsisimula at nagsisikap na maliliit na negosyante. Naaapektuhan ang kanilang kita na umaasa lang sa pang-araw-araw na benta.

***

Mga Bida, ito ang malaking hamon na kinakaharap ng ating micro, small at medium enterprises (MSMEs). Hindi natin puwedeng asahan ang merkado na magbaba ng standard ng kalidad o diktahan ang kagustuhan ng mamimili.

Sa halip, kailangan tayong gumawa ng mga pagkilos upang maitaas ang kalidad ng ating mga produkto at masabayan ang gusto ng mamimili.

Ito ang hamon na dapat harapin at lampasan ng ating mga negosyante. Kailangan nilang magpatupad ng metikulosong pagbabantay sa production line upang makalikha ng de-kalidad at ligtas na produkto para mabawi ang tiwala ng publiko.

Batid natin na hindi ito madaling gawin. Kung minsan, nagiging hadlang pa ang paghahabol natin sa pagtaas ng kalidad, lalo na sa supply at kakayahan ng mga tauhang gawin ito.

Ngunit dapat isipin ng mga negosyante na maganda ang ibinubunga ng dedikasyon sa mataas na kalidad.

***

Tulad na lang ng Rags 2 Riches (R2R), isang social enterprise na gumagamit ng retaso at iba pang materyales para gumawa ng fashion at home accessories.

Sa unang taon nila, mga Bida, maraming produkto ng R2R ang hindi pumasa sa kalidad na itinakda nila. Sa kabiguang ito, nalungkot ang kanilang mga nagtatahing nanay, na madalas nagrereklamo sa masyadong mahigpit na quality control.

Ang kanilang ginawa ay dinala nila ang mga nanay sa isang shopping mall na nagbebenta ng luxury brands at mamahaling mga produkto.

Nakita ng mga nanay ang maaaring magawa nilang produkto – mataas ang kalidad, mahal at binibili ng mayayamang tao.

Mula noon, nagkaroon na sila ng panibagong dedikasyon para gumawa ng de-kalidad na produkto.  Ngayon, kilala na ang mga produkto ng R2R sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng mundo.

***

Gayundin, malaki ang hamon sa ating lokal na industriya ng pagkain para makatugon sa kalidad na hinihingi ng merkado.

Dapat sunggaban ng ating maliliit na negosyante ang pagkakataong ito upang mapaganda ang kanilang produkto at operasyon para na rin sa kapakanan ng mamimili at ikatatagumpay ng kanilang negosyo. Kakayanin natin ito!

P-Noy Signs Youth Entrepreneurship Act into Law, Boosts Fight Against Unemployment

President Aquino has signed the Youth Entrepreneurship Act into law, strengthening the government’s push to address the growing number of unemployed young people in the country.

 The Youth Entrepreneurship Act, now known as Republic Act No. 10679, was approved by the Chief Executive last August 27, 2015.

“Now that it has become a law, the government now has an additional means to address and combat the growing number of jobless youths,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, author and prinicipal sponsor of the Youth Entrepreneurship Act.

“This law will open more opportunities for the youth to become more productive citizens of the country through entrepreneurial means,” added Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Youth, and Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

The Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) said that there are around 1.32 million unemployed youth, with ages ranging from 15 to 24 years old as of January 2015.

The measure creates financial literacy modules in all levels of Philippine education, to inculcate a culture of enterprise development among the Filipino youth.

“This Act will help revolutionize our mindset as a people from wanting to be an employee of a company to being a boss of our own enterprise,” Sen. Bam stressed.

The Act also provides would-be youth entrepreneurs access to financing, training, market linkages, and other means of support that will help them run and develop their own business.

With the approval of the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, Sen. Bam now has five laws to his credit in two years.

The neophyte senator principally sponsored and co-authored the Philippine Competition Act or Republic Act 10667. He also principally sponsored the Foreign Ships Co-Loading Act or Republic Act 10668.

Last year, the President approved the Go Negosyo Act, which was principally authored and sponsored by Sen. Bam, and the Philippine Lemon Law.

In addition to his laws, Sen. Bam has initiated investigation into the slow and expensive Internet in the country and the congestion that hounded Port of Manila early this year.  It was resolved and operations went to normal capacity early this year.

Moreover, Sen. Bam has filed resolutions to investigate the Bureau of Customs’ controversial policy on balikbayan boxes and look into possible means to alleviate the Metro Manila traffic problem.

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