Satisfying Article XII, Sec. 23 of the
Philippine Constitution, the President of the Republic of the Philippines
Benigno S. Aquino III delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on
July 28, 2014, in the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang
Pambansa, Quezon City.
We have become a better Philippines as to summing up P-Noy’s constitutional
address. I undoubtedly without any
disinclination quite satisfied with his SONA. Assured he should've underscored some disputes
further (FOI) but this is what the situation calls for, as to adjudicate its
message to his bosses. It was delivered genuinely well and felt by every hearts
of the people in the Philippines. It has been a message of improvement and a
new hope for the posterity of the Filipinos.
A third world country could never be
transformed into a 1st world country in a span of 4 years. Evident progress is
what counts. Small things are often the big things, step by step is a good
process of change.
In the last few months, the
President of the Republic of the Philippines got a lowest rating approval,
three impeachment complaints and bashers in his administration on some social
networking sites. In his 5th SONA, the Presidents started it as he
did in the previous years, enumerating his bureaucracy’s accomplishments and
achievements with video clips of success stories of everyday people. But this year
is different, he does not mention his predecessor, instead he lashes out at his
detractors with evidences of statistics and files of his feats.
Cutting-edge his SONA, Aquino mentioned the
benefits from the DAP, but does not talk about the Supreme Court or the
judiciary branch that pointed out the Disbursement Acceleration Program as
unconstitutional. He stated how and what DAP reimbursed and how people benefit
from it. “The
Disbursement Acceleration Program contributed 1.6 billion pesos to TESDA’s
Training for Work Scholarship Program. This amount enabled the graduation of
223,615 beneficiaries. 66 percent of these—or, 146,731 graduates—now have jobs.
As for the remaining 34 percent, TESDA is helping them find employment.”
–P-Noy
The
DAP is not about pocketing the money but it is questioning the how process or
its legalization. It is the transfer of account from Executive to another
department. Though part of it is unlawful but Filipino people benefit from it.
Maybe the Supreme Court can make motion of reconsideration of it. As also
updated in the newspaper (Manila Bulletin) wherein solons will pass a bill
seeking to limit the fiscal powers of the President or to frontier it’s power
to impound pounds learning their lessons from the controversy surrounding the
Disbursement Acceleration Program.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish
and you feed him for a lifetime.” In the given saying of
P-Noy, the TESDA gave a dynamic result. The government allocated 7,155 for
every scholar. Every year, he will ear 234,000 pesos and guaranteed the maximum
tax deduction, his annual income will 7,900 pesos. In this case as explain by
P-Noy the government invested in him will be paid back and there will even be a
profit. It is in the man itself to help himself. The TESDA result is one of the
good accomplishments in his year. It is one way of educating and helping
Filipinos who can’t afford to go to college and pursuing its career in life.
Moreover,
it was appealing to hear that in 27.9 percent poverty rate during the first
semester of 2012 went down to 24.9 percent for the same period in 2013. The
three percentage point is equivalent to 2.5 million Filipinos who have crossed
the poverty line. This data give the impression of some people living in the
Philippines confrontational but many are really crossing to the line and are
felt by many. It is just people are not contented of what they have and want
more than enough of what they need. As my favorite motto says, “happiness is
when you find contentment.”
It
is also pleased to catch in President Aquino’s SONA that Philippines is in the
limelight in the global stage as we successfully hosted the World Economic
Forum on East Asia and indeed a great opportunity to host next year’s APEC
Summit. No doubt as he said that Philippines is more open into business world,
because when you talk for business it is key for numerous Filipino to find job
and build their own business and shape or reconstruct Philippines into a first
world country.
I
remind everyone: we did this without adding any new taxes, apart from the Sin
Tax Reform, which is focused on health, while we maintained our allowable
deficit, and with our debt-to-GDP
ratio continually declining. –Pnoy I considered this also a noticeable
point in his address. It is very good to hear that we have paid our 40 Billion
debts fully and with our economic growth growing upright and as we also
improved our infrastructure that will entice businessmen and will help us
guarantee that we can drive head to head with foreign and external markets as
we doubled our budget for infrastructure from the 200.3 billion pesos of 2011
to 404.3 billion pesos this 2014.
Apart from the doubled budget for
the infrastructure it also worthy to hear that roads were fixed, widened, or
constructed in a total of 12,184 kilometers and to visualize 12,000 kilometers
is from Laoag to Zamboanga City and that’s for the national roads only. This
benevolent achievement without increasing its tax and heaps of trial in his
administration is a product of good governance. Good governance despite of
numerous bosses of him who debased and degrade his management and bureaucracy.
Now, let’s go to his SONA which part
talked about the ongoing modernization of AFP. Security equipment we need is
quiet expensive. We need this in order to protect the people living in this
Philippine State and all the natural resources we have for the people’s benefit
and welfare. We all know that we are down when it comes to security equipment
not like America, Japan etc. who have more advanced weapons to protect their
land. With this, it maybe we’re far from the weapons and technologies to
protect ones state but it’s already a great step and an assurance to us
Filipino citizens that our government is having its best to cope with other
country.
The transformation we are
experiencing now, we can make permanent with the guidance of God. As long as
your faith remains strong—as long as we continue serving as each other’s
strength—we will continue proving that “the Filipino is worth dying for,” “the
Filipino is worth living for,” and if I might add: “The Filipino is worth
fighting for.”-PNoy It is indeed well said from our President that we Filipinos are
worth fighting for. Perhaps in our prayers and in our own little way we could
help our country. But the thing is we don’t have this “TRUST” in our government
for we are all poisoned in the past administration and all the politicians who
enriched and benefit himself only. We cannot all blame this Filipino people who
dig himself in this political analysis for we saw this dirty political
experience before and possibly is a bit happening now. But maybe, if we all
educate ourselves and have a positive outlook with what is happening in our country
and be happy that our three branches in our government is being independent ,
we could change our views and together with that is to help also ourselves and
have patience that all of this will be resolve step by step.
It
is undeniably a prolific year in President Aquino’s governance, though there
are still issues that need to be resolve but it does not come promptly and
instantly. We also need to help our own. The problem with us Filipinos is being a
fault finder. We should stop blaming the government. True change comes from
within us. We should also help the government to progress and not be one of the
reasons of the government problem. The president have already done much part in
his 4 years in public service but he has still up until 2016 to accomplish more
and more projects for the benefit and good welfare for all of his bosses in
this state Philippines.
RP President: 5th State of the Nation Address
In Partial fulfillment of the Requirement
For the Political Science
August
4, 2014
Submitted to: Marife Varela
Submitted By: Nina B. Gako
