PLATFORM OF JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
Vision
:
A democracy that is truly pro-poor. A country with peace and order. A government of transparency and accountability.
Economic AgendaREVIVING THE ECONOMY Steady economic growth that is felt by the masses
.
GNP growth is meaningless if poverty and hunger levels and other measures of quality of life remain poor. AnEstrada Administration will increase growth while also increasing the country's human development index. This willbe achieved by strengthening the country's domestic economy, specifically in the field of agriculture, instead of relying on overseas remittances to increase GNP; and by ensuring that the bulk of the budget goes to servicesthat trickle down to the poor, such as social services and education, instead of to debt servicing or overpricedinfrastructure projects.
National Security AgendaPEACE AND ORDER Ending criminal, insurgent and secessionist movements
President Joseph Estrada's primary goal is to achieve peace and order nationwide, especially in Mindanao,because he believes that peace and order is a prerequisite to economic development. His top priority is to bringdown crime rates in Metro Manila, especially drug-related activities; end insurgency in the Visayas and other provinces infested with rebels; and end the secessionist movement in Mindanao. Aside from the obvious benefitsof peace, ending the secessionist movement is a top priority because the country must send out the signal to theinternational community that we are nation that can keep its own laws in its own land, with the underlying objectiveof removing travel bans or advisories against the Philippines in order to entice investors and tourists to come.Negotiations will still be the priority means to achieve this objective . However, should the MILF continue to renegeon peace agreements and sow terror against Filipinos in Mindanao, war may be considered as a last resort or finalmeans to attaining lasting peace.
Social AgendaFOOD SECURITY AND A TRULY PRO-POOR GOVERNMENT Alleviating poverty and hunger by achieving food security and ensuring that government's economic gains are directed to truly benefit the poor
The cause of poverty and hunger in this country is massive corruption; studies have shown that the cost of corruption is as much as 20% of the budget. Couple that with government policies that prioritize debt servicing,overpriced infrastructure building with sovereign or government guarantees, and massive importation, and itbecomes obvious that poverty alleviation is not the priority of the present administration. An Estrada Administrationwill be a truly pro-poor government, as exhibited in 1998, through the following social policies:
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1.
Correct budget prioritization.Instead of the bulk of the budget going to debt servicing, priority will instead be directed towards social services,education and health services, both on the national level and on the local level.
2.
Strengthening the agricultural industryTop priority will be given to the achievement of food security by pouring incentives and strengthening theagricultural industry instead of entertaining a policy of importation. Food security will be achieved by 2015, as thecountry fulfills its commitment to the Millennium Development Goal to halve the number of people who are hungryby 2015.
Governance Policy ENDING GRAFT AND CORRUPTION Achieving transparency and accountability in government
The Arroyo administration has shamed the nation by reaching levels of graft and corruption that have tagged thecountry as one of the most corrupt countries in the world (Transparency International, Political and Economic RiskConsultancy, World Bank). An Estrada Administration will reverse this reputation through the following policies:1. Respect for appointment processes and appointments based on meritocracy instead of loyalty2. Increased private sector participation in the government procurement process through the creation of anEconomic Coordinating Council such as the one created by the Estrada Administration in 1998 comprised of respected business leaders through which all bids for government projects will be scrutinized before beingapproved
3.
Bidding out of sugar and rice importation4. Public participation through real time reports via the internet5. No sovereign or government guarantees6. Eliminating recourse to the use of executive privilege when the issue is not a threat to national security
Fiscal Policy BALANCING THE BUDGET Gaining investor confidence through peace and order and good governance
The country's budget deficit has blown up to almost P300 Billion caused admittedly by weak revenues. The weakrevenues are due to a decrease in investments due to the unstable peace and order situation in Mindanao and thedecreased investor confidence caused by the prevailing image of the Philippines as the world's most corruptcountry under the Arroyo Administration. An Estrada Administration will increase government revenues byincreasing investor confidence. The primary incentive for investors will be the assurance of peace and order,especially in areas like Mindanao, and the setting up of systems that will guarantee less graft and corruption ingovernment, such as increased private sector participation in government procurement by the creation of anEconomic Coordinating Council that will review all bids for government projects, a measure set in place during the1998 term of former President Joseph Estrada. Other measures to increase revenues will include an overhaul of the tax system in order to increase tax collection, as well as increasing the collection of trade taxes by endingsmuggling, an effort that was successful during the term of former President Joseph Estrada.
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Agricultural AgendaFOOD SECURITY Achieving food security and economic stability by strengthening the agricultural sector
President Joseph Estrada has always believed that agriculture has the potential to be the greatest strength of thePhilippine economy if nurtured properly. His contributions to the agricultural sector include the Carabao Law andIrrigation Law which he authored as senator, as well as the highest agricultural growth in 20 years when he waspresident, a record 12% increase (from -6% to +6.6%) in spite of the effects of the El Nino crisis. An Estrada Administration will achieve food security through the following programs:
1.
Agrikulturang Makamasa.This program was created to give incentives to the agricultural sector for the increase of farm output. Priority wasgiven to the following: irrigation development, research and technology commercialization, post-harvest andprocessing modernization, and close partnership with investors and industry groups. Local government units werealso given prize money of P100 Million for the province that would produce the highest farm output within a periodof time. This program has proven to be effective in increasing farm output, as the Estrada Administration reachedrecord-breaking farm output levels, and also achieved the following results: In nine months alone, the Departmentof Agriculture installed or rehabilitated almost 8,500 irrigation projects that covered 200,000 hectares of farmlandand produced an extra yield of 400,000 MT of palay; extended P3.58 billion in loans to more than a quarter-millionrural folk and agribusiness enterprises; and built 500 kilometers of farm-to-market roads.2. Implementation of the Agri-Agra Law through ERAP Bonds.The Agri-Agra Law or Presidential Decree No. 717 (“Providing and Agrarian Reform Credit and Financing Systemfrom Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Through Banking Institutions”) requires the banking sector to allocate at least25% of its loanable funds for agricultural credit in general, of which 10% of said loanable funds shall be madeavailable to agrarian reform beneficiaries. Prior to the Estrada Administration, there was an alarming lack of compliance with this law. The 1998 Estrada Administration was able to commit itself to this law by creating analternative compliance mechanism wherein long term bonds called Economic Recovery through AgriculturalProductivity (ERAP) Bonds amounting to Fifty Billion Pesos (P50,000,000,000.00) were issued to support projectsfor economic growth under a revitalized rural development program undertaken in cooperation with theDepartment of Agrarian Reform.3. Implementation of the Irrigation Law. The Irrigation Law (RA 6978), authored by then-Senator Joseph Estrada in1991, mandated the National Irrigation Administration to irrigate 1.5 Million hectares of agricultural land over a ten-year period. Had this law been fully implemented, farmlands across the nation would already be irrigated insteadof depending on rain or water. An Estrada Administration will ensure that this law is fulfilled in order to increasefarm output as well as to protect farmers from the El Nino phenomenon.
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Final Platform Joseph Ejercito Estrada
Platform of Government of Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
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