State of the Nation Address of His Excellency Benigno S.

Aquino III President of the Philippines To the Congress of the Philippines [Delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on July 25, 2011] [Please check against delivery] Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrad a; Chief Justice Renato Corona at ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga kagalang-galang na kasapi ng diplomatic corps; mga butihing miyembro ng Kamara de Representante at ng Senado; mga Local Government officials ; mga miyembro ng ating Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisa n; mga kapwa ko nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan; At sa mga minamahal kong kababayan, ang aking butihing mga boss: Humarap po ako sa inyo noong aking inagurasyon at sinabing: Walang wang-wang sa ating administrasyon. At ngayon, patuloy nating itinitigil ito. Naging hudyat at sagisag po ito ng pagbabago, hindi lamang sa kalsada, kundi pati na rin sa kais ipan sa lipunan. Sa matagal na panahon, naging simbolo ng pang-aabuso ang wang-wang. Dati, kung m akapag-counterflow ang mga opisyal ng pamahalaan, para bang oras lang nila ang m ahalaga. Imbes na maglingkod-bayan, para bang sila ang naging hari ng bayan. Ku ng maka-asta ang kanilang mga padrino t alipores, akala mo y kung sinong maharlika k ung humawi ng kalsada; walang pakialam sa mga napipilitang tumabi at napag-iiwan an. Ang mga dapat naglilingkod ang siya pang nang-aapi. Ang panlalamang matapos mangakong maglingkod iyan po ang utak wang-wang. Wala silang karapatang gawin ito. Ayon sa batas, tanging ang Presidente, Bise Pr esidente, Senate President, House Speaker, Chief Justice, at pulis, bumbero, at ambulansya lang ang awtorisadong gumamit ng wangwang para sa kanilang mga opisya l na lakad. Kung sa trapiko nga ay di masunod ang batas, paano pa kaya sa mga ba gay na mas malaki ang makukuha, tulad ng sa mga proyektong pinopondohan ng kaban ng bayan? Kayo po ba gusto ninyong makulong ang lahat ng tiwali? Ako rin. Gusto ba ninyong matanggal ang wang-wang, hindi lamang sa kalsada, kundi sa kaisipang nagdulot n g baluktot na sistema na pagkatagal-tagal na nating pinagtiisan? Ako rin. Gusto po ba ninyong mabigyan ng patas na pagkakataon ang lahat na umasenso? Ako rin. Narito po ang halimbawa ng resulta ng ating kampanya kontra wang-wang sa sistema . Nitong taong ito, taumbayan na mismo ang nagsabi, nabawasan ang nagugutom sa k anila. Mula 20.5% na self-rated hunger noong Marso, bumaba na ito sa 15.1% niton g Hunyo, katumbas ng isang milyong pamilyang Pilipinong nagugutom dati, pero nga yon ay nakakakain na nang tama kada araw. Sa larangan po ng negosyo, sino ba ang nag-akalang pitong ulit nating malalampas an ang all-time-high ng stock market? Ang dating 4,000 index na inaakalang hindi maaabot, o kung maabot man ay pansamantala lang, ngayon, pangkaraniwan nang hin ihigitan. Kung dati napako na ang bansa sa mababang credit ratings, itinaas ng Moody s, Stan dard and Poors, Fitch, at Japan Credit Ratings Agency ang ating ranking, bilang pagkilala sa ating tamang paggugol ng pondo at sa malikhain nating pananalapi. A ng mataas na credit rating, magpapababa ng interes sa perang inuutang natin. Kum

para sa unang apat na buwan ng nakaraang taon, mas malaki po ng 23 billion pesos ang natipid nating interest payments mula Enero hanggang Abril ng 2011. Maaari na po nitong sagutin ang dalawang milyon at tatlongdaan libong benepisyaryo ng C CT hanggang sa katapusan ng 2011. Paalala ko lang po, sa siyam at kalahating taon bago tayo maitalaga sa puwesto, iisang beses lang tayong nakatikim ng ratings upgrade, at anim na beses pang nadowngrade ng iba t ibang ratings agency. Sa isang taon pa lang po natin, apat na b eses na tayong nabigyan ng upgrade. Alam naman po natin na hindi madaling ma-upg rade sa panahon ngayon. Itong mga ratings agency, nabatikos na mali raw ang payo bago magkakrisis sa Amerika, kaya ngayon ay mas makunat na sila sa pagbibigay n g magandang ratings, at nakikita nga natin ito sa sunud-sunod na pag-downgrade s a ibang bansa. Pero tayo po, inupgrade pa nila. Sang-ayon silang lahat: gumanda at lalo pang gaganda ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. Isang hakbang na lang po, aabot na tayo sa investment grade, at wala pong tigil ang ating economic team upang t uluyan na tayong makaarangkada. At may mabubuting balita pa pong parating. Dahil wala nang wang-wang sa DOE, mul ing nabuhay ang kumpiyansa ng mga namumuhunan sa ating energy sector. Patunay d ito ang isandaan at apatnapung kumpanya na nakahandang tumaya sa eksplorasyon at pagpapalakas ng ating oil at natural gas resources. Sa huling energy contractin g round noong 2006, tatlumpu t lima lang po ang nakilahok. Nitong Biyernes lamang po, nilagdaan na ang panibagong kasunduan para sa isang bagong power plant sa Lu zon grid upang pagdating ng 2014, may mas mura at mas maaasahang pagmumulan ng e nerhiya ang bansa. May kumpiyansa, may pag-asa, at tinutupad po natin ang ating mga pangako. Naaala la ko nga po ang babaeng nakausap ko nang ako y unang nagha-house-to house campaig n. Ang kaniyang hinaing: Miski sino naman ang manalo, pare-pareho lang ang kahihi natnan. Mahirap ako noong sila ay nangangampanya; mahirap ako habang nakaupo sil a, at mahirap pa rin ako pag nagretiro na sila. Sa madaling salita, ang hinaing p o ng marami, Walang pakialam ang mga pinuno namin kahapon, wala silang pakialam n gayon. Bukas, wala pa rin silang pakialam. Di po ba t may katuwiran naman siya sa pagsasabi nito, dahil sa pagwawang-wang sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno? Wang-wang po ang pagbili ng helicopter sa presyong bran d new, pero iyon pala ay gamit na gamit na. Wang-wang ang milyun-milyong pabuya na tinanggap ng mga opisyal ng GOCC, tulad ng sa Philippine National Constructio n Corporation, gayong hindi naman sila nakapaghandog ng disenteng serbisyo, at i binaon pa sa utang ang kanilang mga ahensya. Bago sila bumaba sa puwesto, dalawa ndaan, tatlumpu t dalawang milyong piso po ang inomento ng dating pamunuan ng PNCC sa kanilang sarili. 2007 pa lang po, wala na silang prangkisa; lahat ng kikitai n, dapat diretso na sa pambansang gobyerno. Hindi na nga nag-abot ng kita, sinam antala pa ang puwesto. Ang bonus nila mula 2005 hanggang 2009, dinoble pa nila s a unang anim na buwan ng 2010. Ibinaon na nga po nila sa bilyun-bilyong pisong u tang ang kanilang tanggapan, nasikmura pa nilang magbigay ng midnight bonus sa s arili. Para po pigilan ang pagwang-wang sa kaban ng bayan, sinuyod at sinuri natin ang mga programa. Dalawang magkasunod na taon na po nating ipinatutupad ang zero-bas ed budgeting, na nagsisilbing kalasag sa walang-saysay na paggastos. Sa Laguna Lake po, magtatanggal nga ng 12 million cubic meters sa dredging, pero pagkatapos ng tatlong taon, garantisado naman itong babalik. 18.7 billion pesos ang magiging utang natin para lang maglaro ng putik. Hindi pa bayad ang utang, nag-expire na ang pakinabang. Pinigilan po natin iyan. Ang food-for-school progr am na bara-bara lang ang paghahanap ng benepisyaryo, at iba pang inisyatibang pi nondohan ngunit walang pinatunguhan binura na natin sa budget upang ang pera naman g nalibre, ay mailaan sa mga proyektong totoong may silbi.

Ang budget po ang pinakamalinaw na pagsasabuhay ng ating tuwid na landas. Ang ak ing pahiwatig sa lahat ng gusto pang ilihis tayo rito: Kung mang-aagrabyado ka l ang ng mahirap, huwag ka nang magtangka. Kung sarili mo lang ang papayamanin mo, huwag ka nang magtangka. Kung hindi iyan para sa Pilipino, huwag ka nang magtan gka. Sana masabi na natin na tapos na ang utak wang-wang, pero nakikita po natin ang latak ng ganitong kaisipan na pilit bumubulahaw sa aliwalas ng ating biyahe sa t uwid na landas. Mukhang marami rin po kasi ang nagwawang-wang sa pribadong sektor. Ayon sa BIR, mayroon tayong halos 1.7 million na self-employed at professional tax payers gay a ng mga abogado, doktor, negosyante na nagbayad lamang, sa suma total, ng 9.8 b illion pesos noong 2010. 5,783 pesos lang ang ibinayad na income tax ng bawat is a sa kanila ang ibig sabihin, kung totoo po ito, ang kabuuang kita nila ay umaabot lang ng 8,500 pesos lamang kada buwan. Mababa pa sa minimum wage.Naman. Nakikita naman po ninyong napupunta na sa tama ang buwis ninyo, kaya wala na pon g dahilan upang iwasan natin ang pagbabayad. Nananawagan po ako sa inyo: Hindi l ang po gobyerno, kundi kapwa natin Pilipino ang pinagkakaitan sa hindi pagbabaya d ng tamang buwis. Pinananagot at pananagutin po natin ang wang-wang saanmang sulok ng gobyerno. An g masakit, hanggang sa mga araw pong ito, may sumusubok pa ring makalusot. Mayro on nga pong isang distrito sa Region 4B, may proyektong gagastusan ng 300 millio n pesos. Kaso hanggang 50 million pesos lang ang puwedeng aprubahan ng district engineer. Kaya naisip nilang ichop-chop ang proyekto para di lumampas sa 50 million pesos ang halaga, at di na umabot sa regional at central office ang mga papeles. Kanikaniyang diskarte, kani-kaniyang kaharian ang nadatnan nating situwasyon sa DPWH . Sinubukan nilang ipagpatuloy ang nakasanayan na nila. Kadalasan, dahil sa lump -sum na pagbibigay ng pondo, wala nang tanung-tanong kung ano ang plano at detal ye ng proyekto. Miski yata bahay ng gagamba ang ipapatayo, bibigyan ng pondo, ba sta may padrino. Hindi ito pinalusot ni Secretary Babes Singson. Tinanggal na niya sa puwesto ang district engineer. Pinigilan din po ang pag-award ng proyektong ito para busisi in kung ano pang magic ang nangyari. Masusi na ring iniimbestigahan lahat ng nag kuntsabahan. Ang mga kontratistang mapatunayang nakipagsabwatan para mag-tongpat s sa mga proyekto, ibablack-list natin. Tingnan nga po ninyo ang idinulot na perhuwisyo ng pagwawang-wang sa sistema: Tu loy ang pagdusa ng mamamayang dapat nakikinabang na sa proyekto ng bayan. Hindi lang po iyan sa region 4B nadiskubre. Ngunit natigil na po ito dahil hindi na padrino kundi tamang proseso ang naghahari sa DPWH. Hindi na puwedeng walang work program; kailangang magpakita ng pinag-isipang plano para hindi magkasalun gat ang pagsasagawa ng mga proyekto. Malinis at hayag na ang bidding, at pantay na ang pagkakataon sa pagpasok ng mga kontratista. Sa sistemang pinaiiral ngayon sa DPWH, nakatipid na tayo ng dalawa t kalahating bi lyong piso, at umaasa tayo na aabot pa sa anim hanggang pitong bilyong piso ang matitipid sa taon na ito. Ang pinakamahalaga po, nakakaasa na tayo sa mga kalsad ang matino, hindi yung maambunan lang ay lulundo o mabibiyak agad. Paniwala natin dati, imposibleng maitama ng DPWH ang sistema nila. Hindi lang po ito posible; sa unang taon pa lamang, ginagawa na natin ito. Kahit po sa mga bukirin, may mga nagwawang-wang din. Bago tayo maupo noong 2010, nag-angkat ang bansa ng 2.3 million metric tons ng bigas. 1.3 million metric to

ns lamang ang kailangan nating angkatin, ngunit pinasobrahan pa nila ito ng isan g milyon. Dahil nga sobra-sobra ang inangkat, kinailangan pa nating gumastos mul i sa mga bodegang pagtatambakan lang naman ng barko-barkong bigas. Ilang taon bang walang saysay na pinasobrahan ang bigas na inaangkat? Dahil dito , umiral ang pag-iisip na habambuhay na tayong aangkat ng bigas. Ang akala ng ma rami, wala na talaga tayong magagawa. Ngunit sa loob lamang ng isang taon, pinatunayan nating mali sila. Ngayon, ang d ating 1.3 million metric tons na kakulangan natin sa bigas, halos nangalahati na ; 660,000 metric tons na lang po ang kailangan nating angkatin. Kahit dagdagan p a natin iyan ng panangga laban sa sakuna at gawing 860,000 metric tons na ginagawa na nga po natin mas mababa pa rin ito sa tinatayang taunang kakulangan na 1.3 mil lion metric tons. At hindi po buwenas lang ang nangyaring pag-angat ng ating rice productivity. Bu nga po ito ng matinong pamamalakad: ng paggamit ng maiinam na klase ng binhi, at masusi at epektibong paggastos para sa irigasyon. Nito nga pong nakaraang taon, labing-isang libo, animnaraan at labing-isang bagong ektarya ng bukirin ang nap atubigan natin. Dagdag pa iyan sa halos dalawandaan at labindalawang libong ekta rya na nakumpuni o nabigyang muli ng irigasyon matapos ang panahon ng pagkakatiw angwang. Ang resulta: umangat ng 15.6% ang inani nating palay noong nakaraang ta on. Ang gusto nating mangyari: Una, hindi tayo aangkat ng hindi kailangan, para lang punan ang bulsa ng mga gustong magsariling-diskarte ng kita sa agrikultura. Ika lawa: Ayaw na nating umasa sa pag-angkat; ang isasaing ni Juan dela Cruz, dito i pupunla, dito aanihin, dito bibilhin. Balikan din po natin ang dinatnang kalagayan ng ating mga kawal at kapulisan. La bingtatlong libong piso po ang karaniwang suweldo ng isang PO1 sa Metro Manila. Apat na libong piso daw rito ang napupunta sa upa ng bahay. Tila tama nga po na isang-katlo ng kanilang sahod diretso na sa upa. Isang-katlo pa nito, para naman sa pagkain. At ang natitirang isang-katlo, para sa kuryente, tubig, pamasahe, p ampaaral sa anak, gamot sakaling may magkasakit, at iba pa. Maganda na nga po ku ng tumabla ang kita niya sa gastusin. Kapag naman kinapos, malamang sa five-six po sila lalapit. At kapag nagpatung-patong ang interes ng utang nila, makatanggi kaya sila sa tuksong dumelihensya? Kaya ang ipinangako nating pabahay nitong Pebrero, ngayong Hulyo ay tinutupad na . Nakapag-abot na po tayo ng apat na libong Certificate of Entitlement to Lot Al location sa magigiting nating kawal at pulis. Bahagi pa lang po ito ng target na ting kabuuang dalawampu t isang libo at walong daang bahay sa pagtatapos ng taong ito. Ang dating apatnalibong ibinabayad para sa upa kada buwan, ngayon, dalawand aang piso na lang, para pa sa bahay na pagmamay-ari talaga nila. Ang dating nala lagas na halaga na pambayad sa buwanang renta, maaari nang igugol para sa ibang gastusin. Mayroon pa raw pong mahigit isang libong bahay na natitira, kaya po sa mga pulis at sundalo nating di pa nakakapagpasa ng papeles, last call na po para sa batch na ito. Pero huwag po kayong mag-alala, sa susunod na taon, lalawak pa ang atin g pabahay, at hindi lang pulis at kawal sa Luzon ang makikinabang. Inihahanda na ng NHA ang lupang patatayuan sa Visayas at Mindanao, para sa susunod na taon, m akapagpatayo na tayo ng mga bahay doon. Sa ating mga kawani ng Bureau of Jail Ma nagement and Penology at Bureau of Fire Protection, may good news po ako: kasama na po kayo rito. Kung seguridad na rin lang po ang ating pag-uusapan, di ba t karugtong din nito an g ating pambansang dangal? Dati, hindi man lang natin makuhang pumalag tuwing ma y sisindak sa atin sa loob mismo ng ating bakuran. Malinaw ang pahiwatig natin n

gayon sa buong mundo: Ang sa Pilipinas ay sa Pilipinas; kapag tumapak ka sa Rect o Bank, para ka na ring tumapak sa Recto Avenue. Tama nga po kaya ang kuwento tungkol sa isang stand-off noong araw? Tinapatan da w ang mga marino natin ng kanyon. Ang ginawa nila, pumutol ng puno ng niyog, pin inturahan ito ng itim, saka itinutok sa kalaban. Tapos na po ang panahong iyan. Parating na ang mga capability upgrade at modernization ng mga kagamitan ng atin g Sandatahang Lakas. Literal na pong naglalakbay sa karagatan papunta rito ang k auna-unahan nating Hamilton Class Cutter, isang mas modernong barko na magagamit natin para mabantayan ang ating mga baybayin. Maaari pa po tayong makakuha ng m ga barkong tulad nito. Idadagdag iyan sa kukunin na nating mga helicopter, patro l craft, at sandata na bultong bibilhin ng AFP, PNP, at DOJ upang makakuha ng ma laking diskuwento. Lahat po ito, makakamtan sa matinong pamamahala; mabibili sa tamang presyo, nang walang kailangang ipadulas kung kani-kanino. Wala tayong balak mang-away, pero kailangan ding mabatid ng mundo na handa tayon g ipagtanggol ang atin. Pinag-aaralan na rin po natin ang pag-angat ng kaso sa W est Philippine Sea sa International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, upang masig urong sa mga susunod na pagkakataon ay hinahon at pagtitimpi ang maghahari tuwin g may alitan sa teritoryo. Alam ko pong magbubunga ang pag-aarugang ipinapamalas natin sa mga lingkod-bayan na nakatutok sa ating seguridad. Mantakin po ninyo: sa unang anim na buwan ng 2 010, umabot sa isanlibo at sampung (1,010) kotse at motorsiklo ang nanakaw. Ikum para po natin iyan sa apatnaraan at animnapung (460) kotse at motorsiklong nanak aw mula Enero hanggang Hunyo ng taong ito. Ang laki po ng naibawas. Malas ko lan g po siguro na yung isa o dalawang kaso ng carnapping ang nai-heheadline, at hind i ang pagbawas sa mga insidente nito o ang mas mataas na porsyento ng mga nanaka w na kotse na naibalik sa may-ari. Isa pa pong halimbawa ng pagbabagong tinatamasa natin: Mayo ng 2003 nang lagdaan ang Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, pero dahil hindi sineryoso ng estado ang p agpapatupad nito, dalawampu t siyam na indibiduwal lamang ang nahatulan sa loob ng pitong taon. Nalagpasan na po natin iyan, dahil umabot na sa tatlumpu t isang hum an traffickers ang nahatulan sa ating administrasyon. Ito na po siguro ang sinas abing sea change ni Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ng Amerika. Dahil dito, nat anggal na tayo sa Tier 2 Watchlist ng Trafficking in Persons Report nila. Kung h indi tayo natanggal sa watchlist na ito, siguradong napurnada pa ang mga grant n a maaari nating makuha mula sa Millenium Challenge Corporation at iba pa. Dumako po tayo sa trabaho. Dagdag-trabaho ang unang panata natin sa Pilipino. An g 8% na unemployment rate noong Abril ng nakaraang taon, naibaba na sa 7.2% nito ng Abril ng 2011. Tandaan po natin: moving target ang nasa hanay ng ating unempl oyed, dahil taun-taon ay may mga bagong graduate na naghahanap ng trabaho. Nito nga pong huling taon, nadagdag pa sa bilang nila ang libu-libong hawi boys, taga sabit ng banderitas, at iba pang mga Pilipinong kumuha ng pansamantalang kabuhay an mula sa eleksyon. Ang resulta po natin: Isang milyon at apatnaraang libong tr abahong nalikha nitong nakaraang taon. Dati, nakapako sa pangingibang-bansa ang ambisyon ng mga Pilipino. Ngayon, may p agpipilian na siyang trabaho, at hangga t tinatapatan niya ng sipag at determinasy on ang kanyang pangangarap, tiyak na maaabot niya ito. Malaki pa po ang puwedeng madagdag sa trabahong nalilikha sa ating bansa. Ayon p a lang po sa website nating Philjobnet, may limampung libong trabahong hindi nap upunan kada buwan dahil hindi tugma ang kailangan ng mga kumpanya sa kakayahan a t kaalaman ng mga naghahanap ng trabaho. Hindi po natin hahayaang masayang ang p agkakataong ito; ngayon pa lang, nagtatagpo na ang kaisipan ng DOLE, CHED, TESDA , at DEPED upang tugunan ang isyu ng job mismatch. Susuriin ang mga curriculum p ara maituon sa mga industriyang naghahanap ng empleyado, at gagabayan ang mga es

tudyante sa pagpili ng mga kursong hitik sa bakanteng trabaho. Ngunit aanhin naman po natin ang mga numerong naghuhudyat ng pag-asenso ng iilan , kung marami pa rin ang napag-iiwanan? Ang unang hakbang: tinukoy natin ang tot oong nangangailangan; namuhunan tayo sa pinakamahalaga nating yaman: ang taumbay an. Sa dalawang milyong pamilyang rehistrado sa ating Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipin o Program, isang milyon at animnaraang libo na ang nakakatanggap ng benepisyo ni to. Sa pagpapakitang-gilas ni Secretary Dinky Soliman, tinatayang may mahigit is andaang libong pamilya ang naiaahon natin mula sa kahirapan kada buwan. Kaya nam an mataas ang aking kumpiyansang makukumpleto ang 1.3 million na dagdag na pamil ya, mula sa kabuuang 2.3 milyong pamilyang target na benepisyaryo ng CCT bago ma tapos ang taong ito. At sa compliance rate nito na hindi bababa sa 92%, milyun-m ilyon na rin po ang inang regular na nagpapacheck-up sa mga health center, ang m ga sanggol na napabakunahan, at ang mga batang hindi hinahayaan sa labas ng paar alan. Simula pa lang po ito, at sa ganitong kalinaw na mga resulta, umaasa ako sa supo rta ng bawat Pilipino, lalo na ng lehislatura, sa mungkahi nating salinan pa ng pondo ang Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. Inaasam po natin na bago matapos ang 2012, tatlong milyong pamilya na ang mabibigyan ng puhunan para sa kanilang kinabukasan. Binibigyan natin ang mga maralitang pamilyang ito ng pagkakataong makaahon sa bu hay, dahil ang pag-asenso nila ay pag-angat rin ng buong bansa. Sino ang tatangk ilik sa mga produkto at serbisyo ng mga negosyante, kung isang kahig, isang tuka naman ang mamimili? Kapag may amang kumakapit sa patalim para may kainin ang ka nyang pamilya, at siya ay nagnakaw o nangholdap, sino ba ang puwedeng mabiktima ng krimen kundi tayo rin? Kung ang mga kababayan natin ay walang maayos na pagka in o tahanan, mahina ang kalusugan at may malubhang karamdaman, hindi ba t tayo ri n ang nasa peligrong mahawa sa kanilang kapansanan? Naglalatag po tayo ng pagbabago upang mas mapatibay ang pundasyon ng maaliwalas na bukas para sa lahat. Halimbawa, sa kalusugan: Di ba t kapansin-pansin ang pagta as ng bilang ng mga benepisyaryo ng PhilHealth tuwing maghahalalan? Ngayon, sa p amamagitan ng National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR ), tiniyak natin na ang limang milyon at dalawandaang libong pamilyang Pilipino na nakikinabang sa PhilHealth ay ang talagang mga nangangailangan nito. Malawaka ng pag-unlad at pag-asenso ng lahat: Iyan po ang panata natin. Walang maiiwan sa tuwid na landas. Tumungo naman po tayo sa ARMM. Ang dating sistema: Nagbabatuhan lang ng huwad na utang ng loob ang mga baluktot na kandidato. Kapag pambansang halalan, malaya a ng nakaupo sa ARMM na imane-obra ang makinarya sa kaniyang rehiyon para matiyak na bokya ang boto ng mga hindi kaalyado. Kapag naman eleksyon sa ARMM at maninin gil na ng utang si Mayor o Governor, ang administrasyon naman ang magpapatakbo n g makinarya para manalo ang kanilang kandidato. Ayon nga po sa naungkat ng COA, sa opisina ng regional governor ng ARMM, mula En ero 2008 hanggang Setyembre 2009, walumpung porsyento ng mga disbursement ang na punta sa mga cash advance na wala namang maayos na paliwanag. Kung hindi nawala ang pondong ito, nakatapos na sana ang isang batang tumawid sa ghost bridge, par a pumasok sa ghost school, kung saan tuturuan siya ng ghost teacher. Walang hump ay na paghihirap, at walang pag-asa ng pag-asenso. Gusto nating maranasan ng ARMM ang benepisyo ng tamang pamamahala. Kaya ang solu syon: synchronization. Dahil dito, kailangan nilang tumutok sa kani-kanilang mga kampanya; magiging mas patas ang labanan, at lalabnaw ang command votes. Salama t sa Kongreso at naipasa na ang batas na magsasabay ng halalan sa ARMM sa halala ng pambansa.

At bakit po postponement ang kailangan? Sa kagustuhang makabalik sa puwesto, nak ahanda ang ilan na ulitin ang nakagawian para manalo. Isipin na lang po ninyo ku ng pumayag tayo sa kagustuhan ng mga kontra, at itinuloy natin ang eleksyon. Wal a po silang ibang gagawin sa loob ng dalawang taon kundi paghandaan ang susunod na halalan at isiksik ang kalokohan nila sa mas maigsing panahon. Habang nananat ili sa pwesto ang mga utak wang-wang na opisyal, naiiwan namang nakalubog sa kum unoy ng kawalang-pagasa ang taumbayan. Wala akong duda sa kahihinatnan ng mga repormang inilatag natin. Hindi po tayo n agbubukambibig lang; may kongkretong resulta ang ating mga paninindigan. Kapag s inabi nating tuwid na daan, may katapat itong kalsada sa Barangay Bagumbayan sa Sta. Maria, Laguna. Kapag sinabi nating malinis na pamamahala, may dadaloy na ma linis na tubig sa mga liblib na lugar gaya ng nasa Barangay Poblacion, sa Ferrol , Romblon. Kapag sinabi nating liwanag ng pagbabago, titiyakin nating may liwana g na tatanglaw sa mga pamayanang dati ay nangangapa sa aandap-andap na gasera, g aya ng ginawa natin sa Barangay San Marcos, sa Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. Ganito n a ang nangyayari sa marami pang ibang lugar; pinipilit nating ito rin ang mangya ri sa kabuuan ng Pilipinas. Nakatutok na po ang iba t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno; nag-uugnayan at nagtutulungan sila upang maabot at mapabilis ang mga solusyon sa mga problemang kaytagal nang pinapasan ng bayan. Di po ba t may problema tayo sa baha, na alam naman nating dulot ng at ilegal na pagputol ng mga puno? Ang dating solusyon: photo-op ng na ang tanging benepisyaryo ay nagpapapoging pulitiko. Nagtanim nga ra-baha, pero hindi naman siniguro na mananatiling nakatayo ang mga nila. walang humpay pagtatanim ng puno kont ito pag-alis

Isa sa mga solusyong pinag-aaralan ay ang gawing kapaki-pakinabang sa mga pamaya nan ang pagbabantay ng puno. Bibigyan sila ng binhi ng kape at cacao para itanim at mamunga ng kabuhayan. Habang hinihintay ang ani, makakakuha sila ng stipend upang bantayan naman ang mga punong itinanim laban sa baha. Puwedeng maging bene pisyaryo ng programang ito ang mga informal settlers, na ngayon ay nagkukumpulan sa siyudad. Mamumuhunan tayo sa taumbayan, habang namumuhunan din sa kalikasan. Noon bang isang taon, inisip ninyo na kaya nating gawin ito? Sa ngayon, tinutupa d na natin ang ating mga pangako. Bukas makalawa, katotohanan na ang lahat ng it o. Marami pa pong malikhaing konsepto na inilalapit sa atin. May mosquito trap na p inapatay ang mga kiti-kiti ng lamok, na siguro naman po ay may kinalaman sa halo s labing-apat na porsiyentong pagbaba ng insidente ng dengue; may hibla ng niyog na itatapon na sana, pero puwede palang murang solusyon sa mga daanang madaling mabitak; may landslide sensor na magbababala kung tumaas na ang panganib na gum uho ang lupa; may mga kagamitang magbibigay ng senyales kung malapit nang umapaw ang tubig sa mga ilog. Lahat po ito, gawa ng Pilipino. Pinag-aaralan na rin po ng DOST at UP ang pagkakaroon ng monorail system, para t ugunan ang problema sa pangmalawakang transportasyon. Sa malikhaing pag-iisip ng kapwa Pilipino, may pag-asa palang magtayo ng light rail system nang hindi hihi git sa 100 million pesos ang gagastusin kada kilometro. Sa matitipid na pondo, m as mahabang kilometro ng riles ang mailalatag at makaka-abot sa mga lugar na mal ayo sa sentro ng komersyo. Ang mga dating sumisiksik sa siyudad para maghanap ng trabaho, maaari nang tumira sa malayo, nang hindi pahirapan ang biyahe. Uulitin ko po: ang mungkahing ito ay galing sa kapwa natin Pilipino, para sa Pil ipinas. Naaalala po ba ninyo ang panahon kung kailan ni hindi man lang maabot ng mga pangarap natin ang ganitong mga proyekto? Ngayon, sinasabi ko sa inyo: pina pangarap natin ito, kaya natin ito, gagawin natin ito. Hindi ba tayo nagagalak,

Pilipino tayong nabubuhay sa ganitong panahon? Sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, huwag po sana nating lilimutin: masasayang lang ang l ahat ng ating narating kung hindi tuluyang maiwawaksi ang kultura ng korupsyon n a dinatnan natin. Sa mga kapwa ko empleyado ng sambayanan, mula sa tuktok hanggang sa bawat sulok ng burukrasya: Di po ba t napakarangal na ngayon ang magtrabaho sa gobyerno? Di po ba t ngayon, sa halip na ikahiya, gusto mo pang isuot ang iyong ID kung sumasakay ka ng bus o jeep papasok sa iyong ahensya? Sasayangin po ba natin ang karangala ng kaloob sa atin ng sambayanan? Iyan din po ang aking panawagan sa ating Local Government Units. Kabilang po ako sa mga sumasang-ayon na kayo ang pinaka-nakakaalam sa pangangailangan ng taumba yan sa inyong mga lungsod at munisipyo. Makakaasa po ang ating mga LGU sa higit na kalayaan at kakayahan, kung makakaasa rin tayong gagamitin ito sa tuwid na pa raan, at isasaalang-alang ang kapakanan ng buong sambayanan. Halimbawa po, may ilang munisipyo na naisipang magbuwis sa mga transmission line s ng kuryente na dadaan sa kanilang mga pook. Magpapasok nga po ng kita sa kanil ang lokal na kaban, pero kapalit nito, tataas din ang gastusin ng mas nakararami ng Pilipino sa kuryente. Tiwala po akong kaya nating balansehin ang interes ng i nyong mga nasasakupan sa interes ng sambayanan. Kailangan pong manatiling magkatugma ang ating mga programa, dahil ang ikauunlad ng buong bansa ay manganganak din ng resulta sa inyong mga pook. Wakasan na po sana natin ang agendang nakatuon sa susunod na eleksyon lamang, at ang kaisipang isla-isla tayong maihihiwalay ang sariling pagsulong sa pag-unlad ng bansa. Tayo-tayo rin po ang dapat magtulungan tungo sa t ko sa Kongreso sa pagpapasa ng mga batas ukol nization, Lifeline Electricity Rates Extension, sion Extension, Children and Infants Mandatory rs. kaunlaran. Malaki ang pasasalama sa GOCC Governance, ARMM Synchro Joint Congressional Power Commis Immunization, at Women Night Worke

Noong isang taon nga po, nagpakitang-gilas ang Kongreso sa pagpasa ng budget bag o matapos ang taon. Dahil dito, nasimulan agad ang mga proyekto at hindi na inab ot ng tag-ulan. Bukas na bukas po, ihahain na namin sa lehislatura ang budget pa ra sa susunod na taon. Umaasa po ako na muli kayong magpapakitang-gilas, upang t uluyan na nating mapitas ang bunga ng mga naitanim nating pagbabago. Maganda na po ang ating nasimulan. Pero mahalaga pong maalala natin: simula pa l ang ito. Marami pa tayong gagawin. Hayaan po ninyong ilatag ko sa Kongreso ang i lan sa mga batas na magpapaigting sa pagtupad ng ating panata sa bayan. Layon nating bigyan ng kaukulang kompensasyon ang mga biktima ng Martial Law; an g pagkakaloob ng makatarungang pasahod at benepisyo para sa mga kasambahay; at a ng pagpapatupad ng isang mas maayos na sistema ng pensyon para sa mga kawal. Sin usuportahan din natin ang pagpapalawak ng sakop ng scholarship na ipinagkakaloob ng DOST sa mahuhusay ngunit kapuspalad na mag-aaral; ang pagtataguyod ng pinaig ting na pangkalahatang kalusugan; at ang pangangalaga sa ating kalikasan at sa m ga pasilidad na titiyak sa kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan sa oras ng sakuna. Kabilang din po sa ating agenda ang pagpapalakas ng BuCor, ng NBI, ng NEA, at ng PTV 4, upang sa halip na mapag-iwanan ng kaalaman at panahon, mas maayos nilang magagampanan ang kanilang pagbibigay-serbisyo sa publiko. Hindi ko po nailagay ang lahat ng gustong magpasali ng kanilang adbokasiya dito sa SONA. Pero kumpleto po ang detalye sa budget at budget message. Sa mga intere sado po, pakibasa na lang.

May mga nagsasabing pinepersonal ko raw ang paghahabol sa mga tiwali. Totoo po: Personal talaga sa akin ang paggawa ng tama, at ang pagpapanagot sa mga gumagawa ng mali sino man sila. At hindi lamang dapat ako ang namemersonal sa usaping ito. Personal dapat ito sa ating lahat, dahil bawat Pilipino ay biktima nito. Ang mali gaano katagal man ito nanatili ay mali pa rin. Hindi puwedeng Oks lang, wala lang iyan. Kapag kinalimutan natin ang mga ito, mangyayari lang ulit ang mga kam alian ng nakaraan. Kung hindi magbabayad ang mga nagkasala, parang tayo na rin m ismo ang nag-imbita sa mga nagbabalak gumawa ng masama na umulit muli. Ang totoo nga po, marami pang kalokohan ang nahalungkat natin. Halimbawa, sa PAG COR: kape. Isang bilyong piso po ang ginastos ng dating pamunuan ng ahensya para sa kape; sa isandaang piso na lang po kada tasa, lalabas na nakakonsumo sila ng sampung milyong tasa. Baka po kahit ngayong iba na ang pamunuan ng PAGCOR ay di lat na dilat pa rin ang mata ng mga uminom ng kapeng ito. Hanapin nga po natin s ila, at matanong: nakakatulog pa po ba kayo? Pagpasok ng bagong Ombudsman na si dating Supreme Court Justice Conchita CarpioMorales, magkakaroon tayo ng tanod-bayan na hindi magiging tanod-bayad ng mga na gwawang-wang sa pamahalaan. Inaasahan ko nga po na sa taon na ito, masasampahan na ng kaso ang lahat ng nagkuntsabahan sa katiwalian, at naging sanhi ng situwa syong ating inabutan. Tapos na rin po ang panahon kung kailan nagsasampa ang gob yerno ng malalabnaw na kaso. Kapag tayo ang nagsampa, matibay ang ebidensya, mal inaw ang testimonya, at siguradong walang lusot ang salarin. Tutok tayo na ang pagkakamit ng ganap na katarungan ay hindi natatapos sa pagsas akdal kundi sa pagkukulong ng maysala. Buo ang kumpiyansa ko na tinutupad ng DOJ ang malaki nilang bahagi upang maipiit ang mga salarin, lalo na sa mga kaso uko l sa tax evasion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, graft and corr uption, at extrajudicial killings. Wala pong tsamba: ang tapat at mabuting pamamahala ay nanganganak ng mabuti ring resulta. Isipin po ninyo: naipatupad natin ang mga ipinangakong serbisyo ng gob yerno, at nakapaglaan pa ng sapat na pondo para sa mga proyekto nang hindi kinai langang magtaas ng buwis. Iyan naman po talaga ang plano: siguruhin na patas ang laban; itigil ang panlala mang ng mga makapangyarihan; at tiyakin na ang dating sistema kung saan nakikina bang ang iilan ay magiging bukal ng oportunidad para sa lahat. Tinutuldukan na po natin ang wang-wang: sa kalsada, sa gobyerno, sa kalakhang li punan. Ito po ang manganganak ng kumpiyansa na magdadala ng negosyo; ito rin ang sisiguro na ang pondo ng taumbayan ay mapupunta sa dapat nitong kalagyan: Impra struktura na titiyak sa tuluyang pag-angat ng ekonomiya at pagmumulan ng trabaho , at serbisyong panlipunan na sisigurong walang mapag-iiwanan. Bubukas ang maram i pang pintuang pangkabuhayan sa pamamagitan ng turismo; sisiguruhing hindi magu gutom ang Pilipino sa pagpapalakas ng agrikultura. Ang mga dating kinakaligtaan, bibigyang-puhunan ang kinabukasan. Magbubunsod ito ng siklo kung saan tiyak na may pupuno sa mga nalilikhang trabah o, at may mga konsumer na lalong magpapalago sa mga negosyo. Batid ko po na hanggang ngayon ay may kakaunti pang nagrereklamo sa ating estilo ng pamamahala. Nakita po ninyo ang aming estilo, at ang kaakibat nitong resulta . Nakita po ninyo ang estilo nila, at kung saan tayo nito dinala. Sa mga taong b ukas ang mata, maliwanag kung saan ang tama. Ngayong tayo na ang nagtitimon sa gobyerno, malinaw ang direksyong tinatahak ng ating bayan. Isang bansa kung saan ang pagkakataon ay abot-kamay; kung saan ang

mga nangangailangan ay sinasaklolohan; kung saan may saysay ang bawat patak ng p awis, bawat sandali ng pagtitiis, at bawat butil ng hinagpis na dinaanan natin. Kung may gawin kang mabuti, may babalik sa iyong mabuti. At kung may gawin kang masama, tiyak na mananagot ka. Naaalala ko nga po ang isang ginang na lumapit sa akin noong kampanya; ang babal a niya, Noy, mag-iingat ka, marami kang kinakabangga. Tama po ang sabi niya: Tao po akong may agam-agam din. Pero wala po akong alinla ngang tumahak sa tuwid na daan: Buo ang loob ko dahil alam kong nasa likod ko ka yo. Salamat po sa mga pari at obispo na masinsinang nakikipagdiyalogo sa atin, katul ad nina Cardinal Rosales at Vidal. Di naman po kami ganoong kalapit ni Cardinal Rosales, pero naniniwala akong ibinuhos niya ang lahat para mabawasan ang hindi pinagkakaunawaan ng gobyerno at simbahan. Sa paghahalal kay Archbishop Palma, ta gapagtanggol ng karapatang pantao at kalikasan, lalo pong tumibay ang aking kump iyansang ugnayan, at hindi bangayan, ang mabubuo sa pagitan ng estado at simbaha n. Salamat din po sa ating Gabinete, na walang kinikilalang panahon ng tulog o pahi nga, maipatupad lang ang pambansang agenda. Special mention po ang PAGASA, na tu nay na ngayong nagbibigay ng maaasahang babala. At sa mga nasasagasaan po natin sa landas ng katapatan at integridad sa pamamaha la, ito naman po ang aking masasabi: Pinili ninyo ang landas kung saan naaapi an g sambayanan. Pinili naman namin ang landas na ipagtanggol ang taumbayan. Nasa t ama po kami; nasa mali kayo. Sa inyong magbabalik ng pang-aapi sa sambayan, hind i kayo magtatagumpay. Sa lahat ng mga kasama natin sa tuwid na daan: Kayo ang lumikha ng pagkakataong baguhin ang dinatnan, at gawing mas maganda ang ipapamana natin sa susunod na sa linlahi ng mga Pilipino. Kayo pong mga tsuper na pumapasada pa rin; kayong mga g uro at estudyanteng pauwi pa lang mula sa klase; kayong patuloy ang paglikha ng mga obrang nagpapaalab sa apoy ng ating pagka-Pilipino; kayong mga pulis, sundal o, kaminero at bumbero; kayong mga marangal na nagtatrabaho, sa Pilipinas man, s a gitnang dagat, o sa ibang bansa; kayong mga tapat na kasama natin sa gobyerno, anumang probinsya o partido; kayong mga Pilipinong nakikinig sa akin ngayon kayo po ang lumikha ng pagkakataong ito. Lumikha po kayo ng gobyernong tunay na nagtatrabaho para sa inyo. May limang tao n pa tayo para siguruhing hindi na tayo babalik sa dating kalagayan. Hindi tayo magpapadiskaril ngayong napakaganda na ng resulta ng ating sinimulan. Kapag may nakita tayong butas sa sistema, huwag na po tayo magtangkang lumusot. Huwag na nating daanin sa pakiusap ang madadaan sa pagsisikap. Tama na ang unaha n, tama na ang tulakan, tama na ang lamangan, dahil lahat naman po tayo ay makak arating sa minimithi nating kinabukasan. Tapusin na po natin ang kultura ng negatibismo; iangat natin ang kapwa-Pilipino sa bawat pagkakataon. Bakit po ang iba, ang hilig maghanap ng kung anu-anong pan git sa ating bayan? At napakahirap parang kasalanan na magsabi ng maganda? Naalala p a po ba natin noong huling beses tayong pumuri sa kapwa Pilipino? Itigil na po natin ang paghihilahan pababa. Ang dating industriya ng pintasan na hindi natin maitakwil, iwaksi na po natin. Tuldukan na po natin ang pagiging ut ak-alimango; puwede bang iangat naman natin ang magaganda nating nagawa? Kung may nakita kang mabuti, huwag kang magdalawang-isip na purihin ito. Kapag n akita mo ang pulis sa kanto, nagtatrapik nang walang kapote sa ilalim ng ulan, l

apitan mo siya at sabihing,

Salamat po.

Kung magkasakit ka at makita mo ang nars na nag-aruga sa iyo, sa halip na magser bisyo sa dayuhan kapalit ng mas malaking suweldo, sabihin mo, Salamat po. Bago ka umuwi galing eskuwela, lapitan mo ang guro mong piniling mamuhunan sa iy ong kinabukasan kaysa unahin ang sariling ginhawa; sabihin mo, Salamat po. Sa akin g guro, Salamat po Ginang Escasa. Kung makasalubong mo ang iyong kinatawan sa kalsadang dati ay lubak-lubak, at ng ayon ay puwede nang daanan nang maaliwalas, lapitan mo siya at sabihing: Salamat po. Kaya po, sa sambayanang Pilipino, ang aking Boss na nagtimon sa atin tungo sa ar aw na ito: maraming, maraming salamat po sa pagbabagong tinatamasa natin ngayon. Buhay na buhay na ang Pilipinas at ang Pilipino. http://www.gov.ph/2011/07/25/benigno-s-aquino-iii-second-state-of-the-nation-add ress-july-25-2011/ State of the Nation Address of His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III President of the Philippines To the Congress of the Philippines [English translation of the speech delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on July 25, 2011] Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.; Vice Preside nt Jejomar Binay; former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estra da; Chief Justice Renato Corona and the honorable Justices of the Supreme Court; honorable members of the diplomatic corps; members of the House of Representati ves and the Senate; Local Government Officials; members of our Cabinet; members of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police; to my fellow servants of the Filipino people; And to my beloved countrymen, my Bosses: I stood before you during my inauguration and promised: we would do away with th e use of the wang-wang. This one gesture has become the symbol of change, not ju st in our streets, but even in our collective attitude. Over the years, the wang-wang had come to symbolize abuse of authority. It was r outinely used by public officials to violate traffic laws, inconveniencing ordin ary motorists as if only the time of the powerful few, and no one else s, mattered. Instead of behaving like public servants, they acted like kings. This privilege was extended to their cronies and patrons, who moved along the streets as if the y were aristocracy, indifferent to those who were forced to give way and were le ft behind. Abusing privilege despite promising to serve this is the wang-wang mind set; this is the mindset of entitlement. They had no right to do this. The law authorizes only the President, the Vice Pr esident, the Senate President, the Speaker, the Chief Justice, and police vehicl es, fire trucks, and ambulances to use sirens in the fulfillment of their offici al duties no one else. Yet the flagrant abuse we bore witness to prompts us to ask : if they felt it their privilege to flout the simplest traffic laws, how could we expect them not to help themselves to a share of projects funded by the Filip ino people?

Do you want the corrupt held accountable? So do I. Do you want to see the end of wang-wang, both on the streets and in the sense of entitlement that has led to the abuse that we have lived with for so long? So do I. Do you want to give ever yone a fair chance to improve their lot in life? So do I. We have fought against the wang-wang, and our efforts have yielded results. Just this year, the number of Filipinos who experienced hunger has come down. Self-r ated hunger has gone down from 20.5% in March to 15.1% this June equivalent to a m illion Filipino families who used to go hungry, but who now say they eat properl y every day. As for business, who would have thought that the stock market would reach seven record highs in the past year? At one time, we thought that for the PSE Index t o reach 4,000 points would be, at best, a fluke. We now routinely exceed this th reshold. 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. These improved credit ratings mean lower int erest on our debts. Our innovative fiscal approach has saved taxpayers 23 billio n pesos in the first four months of this year. This is enough to cover the 2.3 m illion conditional cash transfer beneficiaries for the entire year. Let me remind you: in the nine and a half years before we were elected into offi ce, our credit ratings were upgraded once, and downgraded six times by the diffe rent credit ratings agencies. Compare this to the four upgrades we have achieved in the single year we have been in office. This was no small feat, considering that the upgrades came after ratings agencies have grown considerably more conse rvative in their assessments, especially in the wake of criticism they received after the recent American financial crisis. But while they have downgraded the ratings of other countries, they have upgraded ours, so that we are now just one notch below investment grade. Our economic team is hard at work to sustain the momentum. And allow me to share more good news from the Department of Energy: having rid t he DOE of wang-wang, we have revived the confidence of investors in our energy s ector. 140 companies, all ready to participate in the exploration and strengthen ing of our oil and natural gas resources, can attest to this. Compare this to th e last energy contracting round in 2006, which saw the participation of only 35 companies. Just last Friday, a new contract was signed for a power plant to be c onstructed in the Luzon grid, so that by 2014, our country will have a cheaper, more reliable source of energy. There is confidence and there is hope; the government is now fulfilling its prom ises. And I cannot help but remember a woman I spoke with during one of my first house-to-house campaigns. She lamented: It won t matter who wins these elections. Nothing will change. I was poor when our leaders campaigned, I am poor now that they are in office, and I will still be poor when they step down. This is a griev ance echoed by many: Our leaders didn t care about us then, our leaders don t care ab out us now, and our leaders will not care about us tomorrow. Given the persistence of the wang-wang attitude, wasn t their sentiment justified? This was the attitude that allowed helicopters to be bought as if they were bra nd new, but had in fact already been extensively used. This was the attitude tha t allowed GOCC officials, like those in the Philippine National Construction Cor poration, to pay themselves millions of pesos in bonuses, even as they failed to render decent service and plunged their respective agencies deeper into debt. B efore they stepped down from their positions, the former heads of the PNCC gifte d themselves with two hundred and thirty-two million pesos. Their franchise had

lapsed in 2007; their collections should have been remitted to the national gove rnment. They did not do this, and in fact even took advantage of their positions : the bonuses they allotted to themselves in the first 6 months of 2010 was doub le the amount of their bonuses from 2005-2009. Yet they had the audacity to awar d themselves midnight bonuses, when they had already drowned their agencies in d ebt. To end the wang-wang culture in government, we employed zero-based budgeting to review programs. For this year and the last, zero-based budgeting has allowed us to end many wasteful programs. For example, we uncovered and stopped an ill-advised plan to dredge Laguna Lake. We would have borrowed 18.7 billion pesos to remove 12 million cubic meters of silt which would have re-accumulated within three years, even before the debt coul d be fully paid. We also uncovered a food-for-school program with no proper targ eting of beneficiaries, and other initiatives that were funded without apparent results. All of these were discontinued, and the funds rechanneled to more effec tive programs. The budget is the clearest manifestation of the straight path upon which we trea d. I say to those who would lead us astray: if you will further disadvantage the poor, do not even think about it. If all you would do is to fill your own pocke ts, do not even think about it. If it is not for the benefit of the Filipino peo ple, do not even think about it. I wish we could say that we had completely eliminated the wang-wang attitude, bu t in some parts of our consciousness, it still persists. It still exists in the private sector. According to the BIR, we have around 1.7 million self-employed and professional taxpayers: lawyers, doctors, businessmen who paid a total of 9.8 billion pesos in 2010. This means that each of them paid only an average of 5,783 pesos in income tax and if this is true, then they each must have earned only 8,500 pesos a month, which is below the minimum wage. I fi nd this hard to believe. Today we can see that our taxes are going where they should, and therefore there is no reason not to pay the proper taxes. I say to you: it s not just the governm ent, but our fellow citizens, who are cheated out of the benefits that these tax es would have provided. We are holding accountable and we will continue to hold accountable those who practi ce this culture of entitlement in all government offices, as there are still som e who think they can get away with it. A district in Region 4B, for example, beg an a project worth 300 million pesos, well beyond the 50 million pesos that dist rict engineers can sign off on their own. But they could not leave such a poten tially large payday alone. So they cut the project up into components that would not breach the 50 million peso limit that would have required them to seek clearance from the regional and central offices. They tried to keep this system going. And often, since lump-su m funding was being used for the projects, no questions were asked about the pla ns or project details. They could have been spinning webs and they would have st ill been given the funds, so long as they knew someone in power. Secretary Babes Singson did not let them get away with this. He removed the dist rict engineer from his post, and suspended the awarding of the project in an eff ort to uncover other anomalies that may have happened. A thorough investigation of all those involved in the case is underway; we will blacklist all contractors proven to have engaged in foul play.

Because the project had to be delayed, Filipinos who would have otherwise benefi ted from them are still made to face unnecessary inconveniences. These anomalies are not limited to Region 4B. We are putting an end to them. We are eliminating the patronage politics that had been prevalent in DPWH, and repl acing it with a culture in which merit prevails. All projects must have work pro grams; we will require those involved in projects to submit well thought out pla ns for consideration, so that each project complements the other. We have also i nstituted an honest and transparent bidding process to provide equal opportunity to interested contractors. Because of this, we have already saved 2.5 billion pesos, and expect to save 6 t o 7 billion by the end of this year. The most important thing, however, is that now, we can count on well-paved roads as opposed to the fragile pothole-ridden pat hs that our people had grown used to. Once, we believed that the system in the D PWH was impossible to fix; but look it s possible, and we re fixing it. Even in agriculture, the culture of wang-wang once persisted. Before we came int o office in 2010, the Philippines imported 2.3 million metric tons of rice, whic h was already a million metric tons more than the 1.3 million that we needed. We even had to pay extra for warehouses to store the rice acquired through excessi ve importation. How many years have we been over-importing rice? Many Filipinos thought that the re was nothing we could do about it. We proved them wrong in the span of a year. What was once an estimated yearly sh ortage of 1.3 million metric tons is down to 660,000 that s almost half of the origi nal amount. Even with our buffer of 200,000 metric tons as contingency against n atural calamities, it is still significantly less than what was once the norm. Our success in this sector was not brought about by mere luck. This is simply th e result of doing things right: using the most effective types of seedlings, and careful and efficient spending on irrigation. In the past year, we irrigated an additional 11,611 hectares of fields, not to mention the near 212,000 hectares of land we were able to rehabilitate. The result: a 15.6 percent increase in ric e production. We envision two things: first, an end to over-importation that only serves to be nefit 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 he re. Let us look back on the situations of many of our policemen a year ago. The aver age salary of a common PO1 in Metro Manila is around 13,000 pesos. Around 4,000 pesos or abour a third of their salaries goes directly to paying the rent. Anoth er third goes to food, and the final third is all that is left for electricity a nd water bills, commuting, tuition fees, medicine, and everything else. Ideally, their salaries match their expenses but this is not always the case. Those whose salaries are not enough would probably resort to taking out some loans. What hap pens when the interest piles up and they end up having to spend even more of the ir salaries? Will they still be able to do the right thing when tempted with an opportunity to make a quick buck? This is why, this July, we have followed through on the housing promise we made in February. We were able to award 4,000 Certificates of Entitlement to Lot Allo cation. This is only the first batch of the 21,800 houses we will have construct ed by the end of the year. Awarding our men in uniform these houses will turn th eir 4,000 peso rent expense into an initial 200 peso per month payment for a hou se that is all theirs. The cash they once paid for rent can now be used for othe

r needs. I hear that there are still more than a thousand houses left, so for our policem en and our soldiers who have not yet submitted their papers, this is the last ca ll for this batch of houses. But do not worry, because this housing program will continue next year, covering even more people and more regions. The NHA is alre ady preparing the sites for housing projects in Visayas and Mindanao, with an ex panded list of beneficiaries that will also include employees of the Bureau of J ail Management and Penology and of the Bureau of Fire Protection. Speaking of security, does enhanced security not also enhance our national pride ? There was a time when we couldn t appropriately respond to threats in our own ba ckyard. Now, our message to the world is clear: What is ours is ours; setting fo ot on Recto Bank is no different from setting foot on Recto Avenue. At times I wonder if the stories about some of our past stand-offs are true that w hen cannons were aimed at our marines, they could only reciprocate by cutting do wn a coconut tree, painting it black, and aiming it back. True or not, that time is over. Soon, we will be seeing capability upgrades and the modernization of t he equipment of our armed forces. At this very moment, our very first Hamilton C lass Cutter is on its way to our shores. We may acquire more vessels in the futu re these, in addition to helicopters and patrol crafts, and the weapons that the A FP, PNP, and DOJ will buy in bulk to get a significant discount. This goes to sh ow how far we can go with good governance; we can buy equipment at good prices, without having to place envelopes in anyone s pockets. We do not wish to increase tensions with anyone, but we must let the world know that we are ready to protect what is ours. We are also studying the possibility of elevating the case on the West Philippine Sea to the International Tribunal f or the Law of the Sea, to make certain that all involved nations approach the di spute with calm and forbearance. Our efforts to enhance the capabilities of our men and women in uniform are alre ady succeeding. In the first six months of 2010, we had 1,010 cases of car and m otorcycle theft. Compare that to the 460 cases in the first six months of 2011. Unfortunately, it is the one or two high-profile cases that make the headlines, and not the bigger picture the fact that there is a large drop in car and motorcyc le thefts, and that we have returned a higher percentage of stolen cars to their rightful owners. And here is another example of positive change in law enforcement. The Anti-Traf ficking in Persons Act was signed in 2003. Unfortunately, because the government did not properly implement it, only 29 individuals were convicted in a period o f seven years. In just one year, we have breached that amount, convicting 31 hum an traffickers. Perhaps, this is the sea change that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was referring to; and because of this change, the Philippines has been taken off the Tier 2 Watchlist of their Trafficking in Persons Report. If we had not been removed from this watchlist, the assistance we have been receiving fro m the Millennium Challenge Corporation, among others, would have been jeopardize d. Allow me to talk about jobs now. Our foremost pledge to the Filipino people was to create more jobs, and we have delivered. In April 2010, the unemployment rate was at 8%; in April 2011, it was at 7.2%. To put things into perspective: We must all remember that the ranks of the unemp loyed represent a moving target. Every year, thousands of fresh graduates join t he ranks of job hunters. Last year, the number of unemployed Filipinos in our la bor force grew after many of our countrymen who earned a temporary living from e lection-related jobs the people assigned to hanging buntings, the people tasked wi

th clearing a path for politicians in crowds of people, the drivers, and other c ampaign staff were laid off. But, despite all this, our results make our success e vident: one million and four hundred thousand jobs were created last year. Before, our foremost ambition was to work in another country. Now, the Filipino can take his pick. As long as he pursues his dreams with determination and dilig ence, he can realize them. The number of jobs generated in our country can only grow from here. According t o the Philjobnet website, every month there are 50,000 jobs that are not filled because the knowledge and skills of job seekers do not match the needs of the co mpanies. We will not allow this opportunity to go to waste; at this very moment, DOLE, CHED, TESDA, and DepEd are working together to address this issue. Curric ula will be reviewed and analyzed to better direct them to industries that are i n need of workers, and students will be guided so that they may choose courses t hat will arm them with the skills apt for vacant jobs. Despite the demand for these jobs, there are still people who are being left beh ind. What do we do with them? First, we identified the poorest of the poor, and invested in them, because people are our greatest resource. Of the two million f amilies registered with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, 1.6 million are already receiving their conditional cash transfers. Through the initiative and leadership of Secretary Dinky Soliman, we have been able to give much needed ass istance to an average of more than 100,000 families per month. I am optimistic t hat we will reach our target of 1.3 million additional beneficiaries this year. With a compliance rate of 92%, millions of mothers are already getting regular c heck-ups at public health centers, millions of babies are being vaccinated again st common diseases, and millions of school-aged children are now attending class es. With these significant early results, I am counting on the support of the Filipi no people and Congress to expand our Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. Before the end of 2012, we want to invest in the future of 3 million poor families. We are giving these poor families a chance to improve their lives, because their progress will be the country s progress. How can they buy products and services f rom businesses if they do not have a proper income? When a poor father turns to crime in order to feed his family, who would he victimize, if not us? When peopl e cannot properly take care of themselves and fall ill, do we not run the risk o f getting sick as well? We are laying down the foundations for a brighter future for the poor. For examp le, in the health sector: PhilHealth beneficiaries increased during elections, a s the agency was used as a tool for dispensing political patronage. Today, we id entify beneficiaries through the National Household Targeting System, to make su re that the 5.2 million Filipino families who benefit from PhilHealth are those who really need it. Let us turn our attention to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The polit ics there have been dominated by horse-trading and transactional politics. Durin g national elections, whoever is in power in ARMM is free to manipulate the elec toral machinery in his region, ensuring that non-allies do not get votes. That M ayor or Governor then demands payment for his services come the ARMM election, a nd it is the administration s turn to manipulate the electoral machinery to secure the win of their candidate. According to the Commission on Audit, in the office of the regional governor of ARMM, eighty percent of the funds disbursed were for cash advances that cannot b e justified. If those funds had not gone to waste, a child could have gone to sc hool. Instead, we built ghost bridges to reach ghost schools where only ghost te

achers went to work. We want ARMM to experience the benefits of good governance. And so, the solution : Synchronization candidates in ARMM will run at the same time as candidates in ot her parts of the country. There would be less opportunity for them to employ com mand votes for political patrons. The result would be fairer elections. Thank yo u to Congress for passing the law synchronizing ARMM with the national elections . And why do we need to postpone the elections? Because, in their desire to return to or retain power, many are prepared to engage in corrupt practices just to wi n again. Imagine if we had listened to the critics, and allowed the election to proceed under these circumstances. We would have perpetuated the endless cycle o f electoral fraud and official abuse that has led ARMM to become one of the poor est regions in the country. I do not doubt that the reforms we are putting in place will yield concrete resu lts. When we talk about the straight and righteous path, we talk about that new road that was built in Barangay Bagumbayan in Sta. Maria, Laguna. When we say cl ean government, we are talking about the clean water that residents in Barangay Poblacion in Ferrol, Romblon now enjoy. When we refer to the light of change, we also refer to the electricity that now powers light bulbs in Barangay San Marco s in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. This is happening in many other places, and we wil l make it happen everywhere in our country. Government agencies are now focused on realizing this; they are working together to creatively solve the problems that have long plagued our country. Have we not had flooding problems, which we know are caused by the incessant and illegal cutting down of trees? The old solution: A tree-planting photo opportun ity, whose sole beneficiaries are politicians who want to look good. They plant trees, but they do not ensure that the trees would remain standing after they le ave. One of the possible solutions we are studying is to make the stewardship of thes e trees beneficial to communities. They will be given coffee and cacao seeds to plant. While they wait for harvest, they will receive stipends for safeguarding the trees planted to mitigate flooding. We are looking at informal settlers, who are currently crammed into our cities, as possible beneficiaries of this progra m. We will be investing in the people, even as we invest in the environment. Who could have thought that little over a year ago, we could accomplish this? To day, we dream; one day soon, these dreams will be a reality. This same creativity is in display with the innovations that are already being i mplemented. We have developed low-cost traps that kill mosquito larvae, probably contributing to the nearly fourteen percent decrease in dengue incidents; cocon ut coir fibers that are normally just disposed of have been used as a cost-effec tive way to strengthen our roads; we have landslide sensors that warn when soil erosion has reached dangerous levels; we have developed early flood warning syst ems for riverside communities. All of these are products of Filipino creativity. DOST and UP have even teamed up to develop a prototype monorail system, which co uld potentially provide a home grown mass transport solution that would cost us as little as 100 million pesos per kilometer, much cheaper than the current cost of similar mass transit systems. The potential savings could result in more kil ometers of cheap transport, decongesting our urban centers and allowing rural co mmunities easier access to centers of commerce and industry. Let me reiterate: These proposals were developed by Filipinos for Filipinos. Do

you remember the time when we were unable to even dream of these kinds of projec ts? I am telling you now: We can dream about them, we are capable of achieving t hem, and we will achieve them. Isn t it great to be a Filipino living in these tim es? All of these things we are doing will be wasted if we do not do something to end the culture of corruption. To my colleagues in public service, from those at the top and to every corner of the bureaucracy: Do we not feel the pride that working in government now brings ? That, now, we are proud to be identified as workers in government? Will we was te this honor? I call on our Local Government Units: Those of you who are in the best position to understand the needs of your constituents can expect greater freedom and empo werment. But we trust that in providing for your communities, you will remain co mmitted to the straight path, and will not lose sight of the interest of the who le nation. For instance, there are some municipalities that want to tax the electricity tra nsmission lines that run through their jurisdictions. Although this will augment local coffers, the rest of the Filipino people will have to deal with higher el ectricity rates. Let us try to balance the interests of our constituencies with that of the nation as a whole. It is imperative that our programs remain in sync, because the progress of the e ntire country will also redound to progress for your communities. Let us do away with forward planning that only looks as far as the next election, and think of the long-term national good. Ultimately, we have to unite and work together towards this progress. I thank th e Congress for passing laws regarding GOCC Governance, ARMM Synchronization, Lif eline Electricity Rates Extension, Joint Congressional Power Commission Extensio n, Children and Infants Mandatory Immunization, and Women Night Workers. Last year, Congress demonstrated their support by approving the budget even befo re the year ended. The timely passage of the budget allowed projects to be imple mented more quickly. Tomorrow we will deliver to Congress our budget proposal fo r 2012. I look forward once again to its early passage so that we can build on o ur current momentum. We have already made progress, but we must remember: This is only the beginning, and there is much left for us to do. Allow me to present to Congress some of th e measures that will bring us closer to the fulfillment of our pledge to the nat ion. We aim to give due compensation to the victims of Martial Law; to grant our hous e help the salaries and benefits that they deserve; and to improve the system th at awards pensions to our retired soldiers. We likewise support the expansion of the scope of scholarships granted by DOST to outstanding yet underprivileged st udents; the advancement of universal quality healthcare; the responsible managem ent of the environment; and the formation of facilities that will ensure the saf ety of our citizens during times of great need and calamity. Our agenda also includes the development of BuCor, NBI, NEA, and PTV 4, so that, instead of lagging behind the times, they will better fulfill their mandate of public service. Not everything we want to do will be explained today, but I invite you to read t he budget message, which contains a more comprehensive plan for the coming year.

Some of my critics say that I take this campaign against corruption personally. It s true: doing what s right is personal. Making people accountable whoever they may be is personal. It should be personal for all of us, because we have all been vict imized by corruption. What is wrong remains wrong, regardless of how long it has been allowed to persi st. We cannot simply let it pass. If we ignore the crimes of the past, they will continue to haunt us. And if we do not hold people accountable, then they will do it again and again. The truth is, we have uncovered so many anomalies. In PAGCOR, the previous manag ement apparently spent one billion pesos on coffee alone. At one hundred pesos p er cup, that would be ten million cups of coffee over the last several years. Wh ere did all that coffee go? Who drank it? Perhaps we can find the people who con sumed all that coffee and ask if they have been able to sleep in the last few ye ars. When the new Ombudsman, former Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, ta kes office, we will have an honest-to-goodness anti-corruption office, not one t hat condones the corruption and abuses in government. I expect that this year, w e will have filed our first major case against the corrupt and their accomplices . And these will be real cases, with strong evidence and clear testimonies, whic h will lead to the punishment of the guilty. We are aware that the attainment of true justice does not end in the filing of c ases, but in the conviction of criminals. I have utmost confidence that the DOJ is fulfilling its crucial role in jailing offenders, especially in cases regardi ng tax evasion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, graft and corrup tion, and extrajudicial killings. We are not leaving anything to chance; good governance yields positive results. Think about it: We have realized our promise of providing the public with the se rvices that it needs and implementing programs to help the poor without having t o raise our taxes. 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 greate st number. We have put an end to 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 righ tful place: Funding for infrastructure that will secure the sustained growth of the economy, which will then give rise to jobs, and public service that guarante es that no one will be left behind. More opportunities for livelihood will be op ened by tourism; the strengthening of our agriculture sector will ensure that ev ery 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, a nd where businesses flourish through the empowerment of their consumers. I am aware that, until now, there are still a few who complain about our style o f governance. But you have seen our style, and its ensuing results. You have see n their style, and, especially, where that took us. Anyone with their eyes open can clearly see which is right. We are steering our government in a clear direction. A country where opportunity is available; where those in need are helped; where everyone s sacrifices are rew arded; and where those who do wrong are held accountable.

I remember a woman warning me during the campaign: tepping on many toes.

Noy, be careful, you will be s

Sometimes, I do worry about what I am doing. But I am heartened because you are with me, and we stand on the side of what is right. I thank the priests and bishops who have continued to dialogue with us, like Car dinals Rosales and Vidal. Cardinal Rosales and I may not be the closest of frien ds, but I believe that he did all that he could to reduce the tensions between t he church and the government. The election of Archbishop Palma, defender of huma n rights and of the environment, as head of the CBCP only bolsters my confidence that the state and the clergy will be able to engage each other in a positive m anner. I likewise thank my Cabinet, who have sacrificed their personal comfort t o fulfill the national agenda. I give special mention to PAGASA, who now truly d elivers reliable advice and warnings during times of calamity. And to those who may resist the change we are trying to bring about, this I say to you: I know what I must do, and my personal interests are nothing when compar ed to the interests of the nation. There are many of us who want what is right f or this country; and there are more of us than you. To those of you who would tu rn back the tide of reform: you will not succeed. To those who have chosen to tread the straight and righteous path alongside us: it is you who created this change, and it is you who will bequeath our success t o your children. To the jeepney driver plying his route; to the teachers and stu dents coming home from class; to the artists whose work inspires our sense of na tionhood; to our policemen, our soldiers, our street sweepers, and our firemen; to you who work with honor, in the Philippines, in the oceans, or in other count ries; our colleagues in government who stand steadfast with us, whatever provinc e you come from, whatever party you belong to; every Filipino listening to me no w you made this happen. You created a government that truly works for you. We still have five years left to ensure that we will not return to what once was. We will not be derailed, es pecially now that what we have begun has yielded so many positive results. If you see a loophole in the system, do not take advantage of it. Let us not acq uire through patronage what we can acquire through hard work. No more cheating, no more taking advantage of others, no more one-upmanship because in the end we wi ll all realize our shared aspirations. Let us end the culture of negativism; let us uplift our fellow Filipinos at ever y opportunity. Why are there people who enjoy finding fault in our country, who find it so hard as though it were a sin to say something nice? Can we even remember the last time we praised a fellow Filipino? Let us stop pulling our fellow man down. Let us put an end to our crab mentality . Let us make the effort to recognize the good that is being done. If you see something right, do not think twice praise it. If you see a policeman d irecting traffic, coatless beneath the rain go to him and say, Thank you. If you fall sick, and you see your nurse caring for you, when she could easily b e treating foreigners for a higher salary say, Thank you. Before you leave school for home, approach your teacher who chose to invest in y our future say, Thank you. If you chance upon your local leader on a road that was once riddled with holes, but is now smooth and sturdy go to him and say, Thank you, for the change you have

brought. And so, to the Filipino nation, my Bosses who have steered us toward this day: T hank you very much for the change that is now upon us. The Philippines and the Filipino people are, finally, truly alive.