Filipinos made reforms possible–P-Noy

What was once impossible is now possible. I stand before you today and tell you: this is not my SONA (State of the Nation Address). You made this happen. This is the SONA of the Filipino nation.”

Thus said President Benigno Aquino III during his annual address to Congress as he credited the Filipino people, whom he referred to as his “boss”, for making his reforms possible.

“This is what I have learned in the 25 months I have served as your president: nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible because if the Filipino people see that they are the only Bosses of their government, they will carry you, they will guide you, they themselves will lead you towards meaningful change,” he said in Filipino.

The President arrived at the Batasan Pambansa Complex at 4 p.m for the annual address, his third since being elected in 2010, that also signals the resumption of Congress.

Clocking in at more than one hour and a half, Aquino’s SONA was interrupted more than 100 times with applause.

The loudest applause came after the President urged Congress to pass the Responsible Parenthood Bill.

This was the Palace’s version of the controversial Reproductive Health Bill that had drawn vigorous opposition from the Catholic Church.

Wild West

While reciting his administration’s accomplishments, Aquino praised Cabinet members and other government officials for doing their job well.

He also answered critics who said his good governance drive won’t benefit the poor.

He described fiscal management under the previous Arroyo administration as like “the wild West” where “one hand would shake your hand while the other would ask for a bribe.”

He said that under his administration, leaks in the system due to corruption have been plugged and tax collections have risen.

The President said his administration is committed to pursuing reforms with true justice.

“Hanggang ngayon mayroon pa rin pong mangilan-ngilang nagtatanong: nakakain ba ang mabuting pamamahala? Ang simpleng sagot: Siyempre (Until now there are still those who ask, can good governance provide food? The simple answer is yes),” he said.

He also turned down calls for him to forget the sins of his predecessor, former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo so that the country can move forward.

Open for business

Aquino said he believes that the country would suffer if those who enriched themselves plundering the country go unpunished.

He said with reforms in public spending, the time was now ripe for the government to implement high-profile projects, invite more tourists in the area, spend more for education and health care.

Mr. Aquino vowed to parlay the robust economic confidence into economic gains and into higher wealth for his “bosses.”

He also said the country is now truly open for business, citing the recent stock market gains and positive credit rating.

Aquino said that what was once the sick man of Asia “now brims with vitality,” noting that the Philippines was once the debtors.

“Now, we are the creditors, clearly no laughing matter. Until recently, we had to beg for investments; now, investors flock to us,” said the President.

He cited testimony from foreign investors and analysts calling the Philippines as “Asia’s Next Tiger” and that “the Philippines is no longer a joke.”

On track

The President said growth in the economy is reaching the masses through the government’s “Pantawid Pamilya” (conditional cash transfer) program which has more than 700,000 beneficiaries.

By 2013, Aquino expressed hope that the government can provide the poor with 3.8 million more housing units and increased medical coverage, saying 85 percent of Filipinos or an additional 23 million are now covered by PhilHealth.

Aquino said he plans to use additional revenues from the pending tax reforms such as the “Sin Tax” bill on alcohol and cigarettes for this and other health care reforms

The President said his job generation strategy was anchored on building and interconnecting the country’s infrastructure with completion of airports, railways and expressways in the country within his term.

”We will not build our road network based on kickbacks or favoritism. We will build them according to a clear system…our plans will no longer end up unfulfilled—they will become tangible roads that benefit the Filipino people,” he said.

The President said the infrastructure development program would be the catalyst for more tourist arrivals in the country.  He said the country is on track to hit 4.6 million tourist arrivals by the end of this year.

“Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez said if 24.7 million tourists came to Malaysia in 2011, and about 17 million visited Thailand, would it be too far-fetched to have 10 million tourists visiting the Philippines annually by 2016?” Mr. Aquino said.

Aquino said the unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent in the first half of the year, down from eight percent in his first year of office, with 3.1 million jobs created in the past three years of his term.

In the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry alone, 638,000 people have been given jobs and this has infused $1 billion in our economy in 2011.

The BPO industry has also generated many other indirect jobs, he added.

The President also took time to reiterate that while the country won’t back down from a South China Sea dispute with China, the Philippines will pursue a peaceful solution that would be acceptable to Beijing.  Inquirer with reports from ABS-CBN and AP