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Tuesday, July 23, 2002
Tough on crime, graft
By AFP/Sunnex Luzon
PRESIDENT Arroyo vowed yesterday to get tough on crime and corruption, addressing the most urgent concerns of investors and the Philippine public.
Arroyo said this would help her create more jobs to fight poverty in this Southeast Asian nation of 80 million—where 32 million are children or minors and where 36 million make do on P100 or less a day.
“We need investments to generate jobs, and to draw in investments, we will address certain problems in the short term: corruption, peace and order, and the cost of power,” she said in her State of the Nation Address (Sona) before Congress.
“I am determined to build a strong republic by breaking the back of terrorism and criminality,” she added.
The President’s Sona was interrupted 75 times by applause from those who filled the halls of the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
“I promise to work even harder if that is possible, and do even better because I believe there is always room for improvements,” said Arroyo, dressed in a tangerine-colored attire.
In an apparent jibe at her detractors who have picked on her 4’11-feet frame, she said: “I cannot grow taller, but I can always get better.”
Reactions
Opposition Senator Blas Ople yesterday described the President’s Sona as “very good” for coming out with strong words with a goal of putting up a strong republic.
Despite being in the opposition, he said they would take the President’s call seriously and take the necessary action on administration bills, among them the pending anti-terrorism bill.
Senate President Franklin Drilon agreed, saying they would immediately ask the President to certify as urgent the anti-terrorism bill, authored by Sen. Robert Barbers.
He also said it was good that the President realized the need to address the issues of peace and order, corruption, and power rates saying “resolving these matters is needed to build a strong republic.”
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, however, is adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
“Strong words (the Sona), I just hope those strong words will make a strong republic,” he said.
As for Senate president pro tempore Manuel Villar, he said, “If the President really solves the problem of peace and order and lowers power cost, the people will definitely appreciate her.”
‘Misleading’
Meanwhile, Opposition Senator Edgardo Angara said
some of the figures mentioned in the Sona were misleading.
“True, there they were able to provide housing but only 50,000 were actually low cost housing. It is also true that they hired 15,000 teachers, because that is the annual recruitment numbers. The actual lack of teachers still number at 15,000 or so,” he said.
Arroyo yesterday cited her administration’s accomplishments, saying these exceeded the desired targets despite the turbulent state of domestic and global affairs:
l A total of 250,000 hectares of land distributed against the target
200,000 hectares for land reform;
l A total of P24 billion was spent against the P20 billion earmarked
for the country’s agricultural modernization;
l A total of 180,000 urban poor households was given security of
land tenure against the 150,000 she promised;
l Some 1,500 rolling stores now sell rice at P14 per kilo and other
basic commodities, exceeding the 1,000 rolling stores she
promised for deployment; and
I Cheap medicines not only for the poor but for all are now available in all pharmacies of government hospitals as well as in all outlets of the United Laboratories or Unilab.
The President also pointed to her administration’s success in controlling the fiscal deficit, lowering inflation, lowering interest rates, reducing power cost, stabilizing the peso, and putting the Philippines back on the map as the third best performing economy in Asia and the best in Southeast Asia. |
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