Assesment of Pres. Aquino's 2nd SONA

     Every nation consists of people divided in groups. And in a particular group, there will be one who will act as the leader, a leader who will lead his people into a straight path, a way to success. Let us take for example, President Benigno “Pnoy” Aquino III, current president of the Republic of the Philippines, who had just delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

    In a SONA, the president states his/her achievements from the past year and probably his/her future plan for the betterment of his/her country and the people within it.

Before the SONA of the president, many questions arose. Some of them were: 

Did the president do what he had said on his inauguration and on his first SONA? 

Did he fulfil all his promises? 

What are the things he had done for us, his bosses, for our goodness? 

Was he able to address all the needs of the needy? 

What are his plans for our future benefit? 

Was he the right one who will lead us to the straight path?

     From the above questions, achievements of the president were being asked. But what did the president really achieve? In his SONA, he mentioned some of his achievements. One of these is the minimization or elimination of the usage of wang-wang which is according to him had come to symbolize abuse of authority.

Another is that, a number of Filipinos who experience hunger has come down.  

The stock market had reached seven record highs in the past year. 

Our once low credit ratings have now been upgraded by Moody’s, Standard and Poors, Fitch, and Japan Credit Ratings Agency—in recognition of our prudent use of funds and creative financial management.  

The confidence of investors toward the DOE has been revived, making 140 companies to participate in the exploration and strengthening of our oil and natural gas resources.

     According to him, to end the wang-wang culture in government he employed the zero-based budgeting to review programs. And through this, he was able to end many wasteful programs such as the ill-advised plan to dredge Laguna Lake. They were also uncovered a food-for-school program with no proper targeting of beneficiaries, and other initiatives that were funded without apparent results. All of these were discontinued, and the funds rechanneled to more effective programs. 

     They are eliminating the patronage politics that had been prevalent in DPWH, and replacing it with a culture in which merit prevails. And to do this, all projects must have work programs; they will require those involved in projects to submit well thought out plans for consideration, so that each project complements the other. They have also instituted an honest and transparent bidding process to provide equal opportunity to interested contractors. They had irrigated an additional 11,611 hectares of fields, not to mention the near 212,000 hectares of land they were able to rehabilitate. The result: a 15.6 percent increase in rice production. They were able to award 4,000 Certificates of Entitlement to Lot Allocation. They had lessened the percentage of unemployment rate, which was at 8%in April 2010 and 7.2% in April 2011.

    Of the two million families registered with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, 1.6 million are already receiving their conditional cash transfers.

     Many laws had been passed; some of these are the laws regarding GOCC Governance, ARMM Synchronization, Lifeline Electricity Rates Extension, Joint Congressional Power Commission Extension, Children and Infants’ Mandatory Immunization, and Women Night Workers.

     And for the future the government have envision two things about the rice importation: first, an end to over-importation that only serves to benefit the selfish few. Second: we want rice self-sufficiency—that the rice served on every Filipino’s dinner table is planted here, harvested here, and purchased here. 

     And for our security, our very first Hamilton Class Cutter is on its way to our shores. We may acquire more vessels in the future—these, in addition to helicopters and patrol crafts, and the weapons that the AFP, PNP, and DOJ will buy in bulk to get a significant discount. This goes to show how far we can go with good governance; we can buy equipment at good prices, without having to place envelopes in anyone’s pockets. The government do not wish to increase tensions with anyone, but we must let the world know that we are ready to protect what is ours.

     The NHA is already preparing the sites for housing projects in Visayas and Mindanao, with an expanded list of beneficiaries that will also include employees of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

     He is also optimistic that he will reach our target of 1.3 million additional beneficiaries this year in Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. With a compliance rate of 92%, millions of mothers are already getting regular check-ups at public health centres, millions of babies are being vaccinated against common diseases, and millions of school-aged children are now going to school.

     They aim to give due compensation to the victims of Martial Law; to grant our house help the salaries and benefits that they deserve; and to improve the system that awards pensions to our retired soldiers. they likewise support the expansion of the scope of scholarships granted by DOST to outstanding yet underprivileged students; the advancement of universal quality healthcare; the responsible management of the environment; and the formation of facilities that will ensure the safety of our citizens during times of great need and calamity. 

This has always been the plan:

     To level the playing field; to stop the abuse of authority; and to ensure that the benefits of growth are available to the greatest number. We have put to an end the culture of entitlement, to wang-wang: along our roads, in government, in our society as a whole. This will bring confidence that will attract business; this will also ensure that the people’s money is put in its rightful place: Funding for infrastructure that will secure the sustained growth of the economy, which will then give rise to jobs, and public service that guarantees that no one will be left behind. More opportunities for livelihood will be opened by tourism; the strengthening of our agriculture sector will ensure that every Filipino will have food on his table. We will invest on those who were once neglected. All this will create a cycle wherein all available jobs are filled, and where businesses flourish through the empowerment of their consumers.