Briefs | Chan pledges to improve spokesperson mechanism

The Government Information Bureau and the Government Spokesperson Office held a meeting with representatives of local media outlets yesterday. During the event, the head of both departments, Victor Chan, said that he intends to improve the Government Spokesperson mechanism in order to respond more quickly to journalists’ queries. Chan also said that the government will take advantage of new media in order to better explain its policies.

IAS budget increases threefold

Speaking on the sidelines of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Social Affairs Bureau (IAS), the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, recalled that the bureau’s budget has increased threefold over the past 10 years. Tam also noted the increase in the number of service facilities and associations IAS is supporting, mentioning that it had increased by more than half to 236. The secretary expressed his wishes that the institute would further enhance and respond to its responsibilities and mission to provide assistance and quality services to the disadvantaged.

Mong Ha public housing resumes construction

The government will pay MOP1.78 billion to resume the construction of the Mong Ha public social housing and the Mong Ha pavilion, according to a notice signed by the Chief Executive which was published in the government Official Gazette earlier this week. Two companies, Zhen Hwa Harbour Construction Co. Ltd, and Companhia de Construção & Engenharia Shing Lung, Limitada, were awarded the contract. The government will make the payment through installments over the course of six years, with the first installment amounting to MOP230 million. Upon completion, 768 residence units, a sports complex, and other facilities will be available. The projects had been awarded to construction companies back in 2011, but works were paused in 2015.

Macau Orchestra to hold concerts this weekend

The Macau Orchestra is set to present concerts at the region’s cultural venues this weekend. The first concert “Music In Tap Seac Gallery” will be held this Friday at 6 p.m. at the Tap Seac Gallery, featuring two string quartets. Mozart’s “Divertimento in F Major” and Haydn’s “String Quartet in B flat Major” will be performed. On Sunday at 3 p.m., the orchestra will move to the Macau Museum of Art to present the concert “Music in the Macau Museum of Art”, featuring Danzi’s “Wind Quintet in A Major, Op. 68 No.1” and Ibert’s “Three short pieces.” According to a statement issued by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the performances aim to integrate arts with music and promote a cultural ambience in the community. Admission to these two concerts is free and seats are available on a first-come first-served basis.

Inflation on the rise in January

The Composite Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, increased by 1.76 percent year-on-year in January 2017, according to a statement released by the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC). The rise in CPI marked an increase of 0.32 percentage points from the 1.44 percent growth in December 2016. DSEC has attributed the rise partly to a “significant year-on-year increase in charges for package tours” due to the relative timings of the Chinese New Year this year and last. On a month-to-month basis, the Composite CPI for last month rose by 0.36 percent, with the individual price indexes for the categories of “Recreation” and “Culture and Transport” rising by about 7.5 percent and 1.1 percent respectively. Meanwhile, for the 12 months ending January 2017, the average Composite CPI was 2.2 percent higher than in the previous 12-month period, led by price hikes in alcohol, tobacco, education and transport.

Local heritage to be showcased in Goa

Photographs collected from the competition “Macau, Cultural Heritage” in 2016 will be shown at the Art Gallery of the Goa State Central Library in Panaji, Goa from March 7 to 9. Organized by the Lusophone Society of Goa, the exhibition will promote 45 photos captured by local artists and young students from the 2016 competition. The photographs have been chosen to portray the heritage legacy and cultural traditions of Macau, and the history of the intertwining of Chinese and Portuguese culture. The photo exhibition is an initiative of the International Institute of Macau with the support of Macau Foundation and the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO). The photo exhibit will be integrated into the program of the third “Lusofonia Festival Goa” that will be held later this year.