The Philippines to mark Flag Days Beginning Tuesday May 28, 2013

We are calling all Filipinos in the Philippines and the Philippine Living Heroes the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) around the world to raise our Philippine Flag beginning Tuesday May 28, 2013

MALACAÑANG urged Monday the Filipinos to learn more about the Philippine flags as the country commemorates the Flag Days starting Tuesday.

In a statement she read during the press briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the government will publish an infographic regarding the Philippine flag on the Official Gazette in commemoration of Flag Days from May 28 to June 12.

"Tomorrow, we mark the 115th anniversary of the first time the Philippine flag — in its original form, as sewn by Filipino expatriates in Hong Kong — was used as the revolutionary standard during the Battle of Alapan, Cavite," she said.

"It also marks the beginning of Flag Days, mandated by Republic Act 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, that designates May 28(anniversary of the Battle of Alapan) to June 12 (Independence Day) every year as a period when the display of the Philippine flag — the Sun and Stars — in homes, government buildings, and private establishments is encouraged," she noted.

In commemoration of this annual observance, Valte said the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) is publishing a series of features on the development of the flag, the country's coat of arms, as well as other historical flags of the Philippines on the Presidential Museum and Library website.

"We enjoin our countrymen to learn more about our flags and take pride in this unifying symbol of our nationhood and our collective aspirations," Valte said.

Valte also announced that the PCDSPO has published a comprehensive historical briefer on the storied Mansion House in Baguio in celebration of May as National Heritage Month.

"From its beginnings as a summer retreat for American Governors-General and venue for diplomatic activities, the Mansion House now serves as the official residence of the Chief Executive in the country's summer capital," Valte said.

"Integrating memoirs and official documents from the American period through World War II and the contemporary era, the briefer celebrates the legacy of one of Baguio's most prominent landmarks as a contribution to the yearlong commemoration of Philippine heritage and history, spearheaded by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts," she added. (SDR/Sunnex)

SunStar

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Philippines, Brazil inked initial air services agreement for Rion de Janeiro - Manila Direct Flight

(Top, left photo) Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis (right) and Mr. Bruno Silva Dalcolmo, Superintendent of the National Civil Aviation Agency initial the Air Services Agreement (ASA) for the Philippines and Brazil, respectively. (Top, right photo) DOTC Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla (right) and Mr. Dalcolmo sign the MOU between aeronautical authorities. (Photo below) Undersecretary Seguis shakes hands with Mr. Dalcolmo at the conclusion of the negotiations.

The Philippines and Brazil negotiated and initialed an Air Services Agreement on May 20 at the office of Brazil`s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The ASA would pave the way for the two countries' respective carriers to mount daily flights to and from each other's territory.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis headed the Philippine delegation, composed of officials from the DFA, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia, which successfully negotiated the country's first ASA in South America with the objective of opening new destinations for Philippine carriers  and boosting Philippine tourism.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Bruno Silva Dalcolmo, Superintendent of International Relations of ANAC and head of the Brazilian delegation, said that Brazil considers the Philippines as the "perfect gateway to Asia."

In response, Undersecretary Seguis expressed optimism that the ASA will result to further increases in tourism figures and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Brazilian tourists comprise the largest tourist arrival in the Philippines from South America and are considered among the biggest tourism spenders accounting for $22 billion spent internationally in 2012. On the other hand, the Philippines could serve as another gateway to the ASEAN market of at least 600 million people.

Pending ratification of the ASA,  the aeronautical authorities of both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) granting traffic rights and setting out other operational details for their  designated carriers.

The ASA is the 11th bilateral agreement between the Philippines and Brazil and a milestone in the two countries' 53 years of formal diplomatic relations.

Ms. Ma. Socorro R. Gonzaga, Philippine Airlines' (PAL's) Vice President for External Affairs, confirmed that with the signing of the MOU, PAL may fly to Brazil three times a week and up to seven flights a week.

dfa.gov.ph, Official Gazette of the Philippines

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