Noynoy Aquino's last

SONA
Updated Monday July 27, 2015

MANILA, Philippines
Monday
released
President Benigno
State
of
the
(SONA), which

Malacaang
on
the
full
text
of
Aquino III's sixth
Nation
Address
he
again
delivered
in

Filipino.
The
address lasted for two
hours and 12 minutes, making it the longest SONA of his
presidency.

These are some of the highlights of Aquinos 2015 SONA:

1. Improved tax collection. Taxes are fees charged by the
government on incomes, products, and certain activities. The
money is used to pay for government projects such as the
maintenance of roads and other public infrastructure.
In 2014, the [tax collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue]

went up to P1.3 trillion; this 2015, we will collect up to P1.5

trillion,

2. Improved economy and higher credit rating. A credit rating

given to a country measures how credit-worthy it isor how
high the risk is that it will default on its debts. When a country
reaches investment grade rating, it means it is deemed a low
risk for investors. The Philippines first received an investment
grade rating in 2013.

3. Fewer jobless Filipinos. The unemployment rate refers to

the number of people in a certain country who are jobless.
Our unemployment rate dropped to 6.8% last year. This is
the lowest recorded in a decade, Aquino said.
He also noted that there were fewer labor strikes during his
administration. In the previous administration, number of
strikes that occurred were 199. In our five years in office, total
strikes
were
only
15,
he
said.
4. Over 4 million Filipinos benefited from the Pantawid
Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The 4Ps is a
government program that provides the poorest Filipinos with
funds and certain benefits as long as they comply with some
conditions, such as sending their children to school or going
to
health
care
centers.
See
more
at:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/529426/news/nation/
sona-2015-a-guide-for-kids#sthash.qQoSrCv8.dpuf
We cannot wait for the benefits of growth to trickle down to
the poorest Filipinos. Our commitment: inclusive growth, said

the

President.

5. Fewer out-of-school children; the K to 12 education

program. The K to 12 program revises the school cycle to
include kindergarten and 12 years of basic educationsix
years of primary education plus four years of junior high
school and two years of senior high school.
In his speech, Aquino said the government has been able to
cut the number of out-of-school youth: from 2.9 million in 2008
to
1.2
million
in
2013.
He also talked about the K-to-12 program, which has not been
happily received by everyone but which Aquino said is
preferable
to
the
current
10-year
cycle.
We implemented K to 12 because it is not practical to cram
learning in a 10-year basic education cycle, he said.
6. Free hospital treatment for the poorest 40 percent. If
you or your family do not earn enough to live adequately and
meet your basic needs, then you are considered to be living in
poverty. The international poverty line or poverty threshold is
US$1.25 per day (about P56.94).

Beginning in 2014, for the poorest 40 percent of the

population, treatment in public hospitals is free, Aquino said.
7. Upgrading of transport systems. Most people commute
to work or to school, and many of us use the MRT and the
LRT. When these transport systems break down, we are
affected: we end up waiting in long lines, or walking the rails
when a train stops between stations, or late to school or our
appointments.

Aquino again pointed to previous administrations. In 2008,

there should have been an overhaul of the MRT. It was
discovered that token cosmetic changes were undertaken, he
said.

Source:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/529426/news/nation/sona2015-a-guide-for-kids