MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino called for unity and continued support from the people as he vowed to make the government’s efforts to further improve the country felt by the greater masses in the coming year.
In his New Year’s message, the President said there was much to be done but the “light of hope had shone” on the Philippines because the Filipinos had chosen to walk the right path.
“Many more have decided to join us after the elections. And confidence from in and out of the country has also improved, that is why in the coming year, we are hoping that we will move forward faster,” Aquino said.
“The fight is not over yet. There are still a lot of things that we need to change. There are those who want to keep the irregularities and bring us back to darkness. If we give in, we will move farther away from the light that we are catching sight of, that is why we need to further strengthen our unity in doing what is right,” the President said in a recorded message released Wednesday.
Aquino said only if the people would stay united would the steps being taken to effect change become more significant and finally make the country’s dreams achievable.
He also called on the people to continue to think of others as he emphasized cooperation, especially in treading the right path.
In an ambush interview with reporters yesterday after the flag raising and wreath-laying ceremonies in commemoration of the 114th death anniversary of national hero Jose Rizal in Rizal Park in Manila, the President said he was hoping that the economy would continue to improve through increased investments.
He also said that it was the government’s active role in addressing the needs of the people that contributed to the optimism of the Filipinos in ringing in the New Year.
“In certain sectors, they really feel the light already, the warmth of the new beginning,” Aquino said.
The President cited the investments, particularly in the call center and business process outsourcing industries, that already came in as one of the signs that there were good prospects for 2011.
“Remember we went to a company called Convergys not too long ago. They opened their new facility in San Lazaro (in Manila). That first day, they had to acquire a new floor in addition to the ones they had contracted out. And I think it was two days ago when I met somebody who said, remember that building, they have now had to occupy two other floors. They have a total of eight in a period of a month or so. That, I think, is an anecdotal reference to what we should be expecting. The unemployment rate, the underemployment rate have all been improving,” Aquino said.
“So we’re hoping that the economy really, really moves. That the disturbances in other world economies will be mitigated and will have little effect on us and we can really have the takeoff by next year, and a substantial portion of it felt by our citizens,” he added.
The President said the people must have also seen that the government was serious in its promise to use public funds judiciously.
Aquino said the Department of Budget and Management was able to reverse the budget deficit and even reported a surplus.
“And it’s not because we tightened our belts that we did not fund what should be funded just to have window dressing. Those that needed to be funded were sufficiently funded and there was even a surplus. If we are stringent in the use of funds, everything that the people need will be achieved in the soonest possible time,” he said.
And when calamities struck, the President said the people also felt the speedy response of the government to protect them and mitigate loss of lives and properties.
The President noted that even weather forecasting by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration improved and that government made sure that basic services were delivered by preventing strikes like that of bus companies.
“There are many aspects. As regards the bus strike, there was a bit of discomfort but we were able to show how serious we were that they could not do that to our countrymen,” the President said.
“So their being hopeful has basis. And if we help one another, we can make things happen faster. Sometimes it really gets me thinking that the good news are overshadowed, but this would be felt by the people no matter what,” Aquino said.
The President said with a new budget, the various departments and agencies were gearing up to implement projects for the people.
The President said new classrooms would be built, numbering more than 13,000, and additional teachers would be hired. He said the Department of Health would also be getting what they need to provide better service to the people.
He said this could be done by deploying nurses in rural health centers. The President said their salaries would come from government savings.
Aquino said infrastructure projects would come from private-public partnerships “to a large degree” as the budget would be used for social concerns.
He noted that after six months in office, there was already light, and “not just at the end of the tunnel.”
The President said his administration had already done things that some thought were not possible.
“There is still a lot lacking. We need to be more determined to achieve things, especially in the judiciary within the bounds of the Constitution,” Aquino said.
The President said he considered the judiciary as one of his biggest obstacles in effecting reforms in the country, which would include punishing those who committed anomalies in the past administration through a Truth Commission.
But the Supreme Court declared Executive Order 1 creating the Truth Commission as unconstitutional, saying it singled out the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Malacañang filed an appeal to reverse the ruling as the President vowed to use all means to ferret out the truth about the scandals and anomalies in the past decade.
Balancing act
Meantime, a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday said President Aquino should realize that running the country is a balancing act and he should be able to find a way to satisfy the interests of different groups.
Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, former CBCP president, gave this unsolicited advice to Aquino in an interview with Church-run Radio Veritas.
“He really has to be strong and be able to balance the different opinions that are coming from the different parties and different levels of institution. He has to have a good balancing act to listen to everybody,” Lagdameo said.
For his part, former Novaliches bishop Teodoro Bacani gave the chief executive a grade of 90 percent for his first six months in office. – With Evelyn Macairan - By Aurea Calica
