Aquino boasts of stronger economy in his first 100 days

(Updated 2:00 p.m.) In a report on his first 100 days in office on Thursday, President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III boasted of strengthening the Philippine economy and ending certain anomalous government practices but remained silent on the controversial August 23 hostage incident. In his 20-minute speech at the La Consolacion College Manila, Aquino did not mention anything about the August 23 hostage incident for which his administration was highly criticized. The Aquino government received criticism from the local and international community for its poor handling of the Manila hostage incident wherein eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza were killed. In his speech, Aquino focused instead on the improvements in the Philippine economy. He also cited that education, health, and social services were also given priority in the national budget. "Kinikilala na ng pandaigdigang merkado ang pagtatag ng piso" (The world market recognizes the strengthening of the peso)," he said. "All-time high po ang ating Gross International Reserves na umabot na sa 52.3 billion dollars noong ika-dalawampu ng Setyembre (The Gross International Reserves have reached an all-time high of $52.3 billion on September 20)," he said. "Ang dati rati’y parang imposibleng maabot na Philippine Stock Exchange Index na 4,000, nalampasan natin. Kahapon lamang po, all-time high na naman ito na umabot sa 4,196.73 points," he added. (What seemed impossible to achieve before — the Philippine Stock Exchange Index of 4,000 — we have surpassed that. Just yesterday, it reached an all-time high again at 4,196.73 points.) Aquino said these economic indicators reflect the investors' confidence in the government and the Filipino people. "Ipinapakita nito ang kompyansa sa ating ekonomiya, sa ating mga mamamayan at sa ating pamahalaan (This shows confidence in our economy, in our people, and in our government)," Aquino said. "Kabilang na po ang ating PSE sa mga best-performing stock market sa buong Asya. At habang lumalakas ang piso at lumalago ang ekonomiya, steady lang naman po ang mga presyo ng ating mga bilihin. Handang-handa na tayo po talaga sa pag-unlad," he said. (The PSE is now counted among the best stock markets in Asia. While our peso grows stronger, our economy improves, and the prices of goods remain steady. We are truly ready for progress.) Warning to those who cling to power Meanwhile, Aquino warned those who cling to power that their days were numbered. "Sila na nga ang nagdulot sa atin ng mga problemang pinapasan natin ngayon, sila pa ang may ganang bumanat nang bumanat sa atin. Papansinin ba ninyo sila? Magpapalinlang ba kayo muli," he said. (They are the ones who caused us problems but they're the ones who have the temerity to criticize us. Will you give attention to them? Will you let yourselves be fooled again.) "Hindi po kami nagbibiro sa pagtahak sa tuwid na landas. Kayong mga mali ang palakad at pinipinsala ang mga kababayan natin, may taning kayong lahat," he added. (We are not joking about following the straight path. Those who have wrong practices and harm our countrymen, your days are numbered.) He said that in his first 100 days, his administration has already ended some anomalous government practices and deals during the previous administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is currently the congresswoman of Pampanga's second district. Aquino mentioned some of his government's accomplishments:

the suspension of the excessive benefits and allowances for executives of government owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) through Executive Order No. 7;

ordering the rebidding of "negotiated" contracts of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); this move prevented the government from spending P934.1 million because the amount needed was only P600 million;

pushing for reforms at the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); in August, Aquino sacked then PAGASA chief Prisco Nilo for the state weather bureau's failure to announce that typhoon Basyang would ravage Metro Manila. "Nabalik po ang pera sa kaban ng bayan na kung pinahintulutan natin ang maling sistema ay natapon na naman sanang muli (Taxpayers' money were returned; had we allowed the wrong system to prevail, these funds would have been wasted)," said the president. Lifelines to the poor Aquino said his government prioritized education, health care, and social services in its proposed budget for 2011. He pointed out that the proposed budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for 2011 was doubled mostly because of the "conditional cash transfers" (CCT), which he said, would give lifelines to the poor. "Di tayo papayag na yayaman ang iilan habang nalulunod sa kahirapan ang karamihan (We will not allow a few to become rich while others are drowning in poverty)," he said. Aquino also boasted of the $434 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) granted to the Philippines by the US government, noting that the previous Arroyo administration applied for the grant twice but failed to obtain it. He said his administration inherited several problems from the previous government. "Malalim at malawak po ang mga problemang minana natin. Nag-ugat ito sa isang gobyernong parang tatlong matsing na nagbingi-bingihan, nagbulag-bulagan, at gumawa ng sariling katotohanan," he said. (We inherited deep and wide problems. These stemmed from a government that was like a monkey that pretends not to hear, pretends not to see, and creates its own truth.) Aquino's statement received wide applause from the hundreds present in the hall, which was composed mostly of government officials and Aquino supporters. Those present at the event included:

Vice-President Jejomar Binay;

Cabinet members and other government officials including controversial Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno;

civil society leaders;

students;

members of various religious communities;

Aquino's campaign volunteers, and

some of the president's relatives — uncles Butz Aquino and Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr., sister Pinky Abellada, and cousin Mikee Cojuangco who co-hosted the event. Brief interruption After his speech, a panel discussion took place where representatives of various sectors asked the president about his plans and policies. The discussion, however, was briefly interrupted by four college students who demanded that the administration should not cut the budget for state universities and colleges. The students were led by UP Manila student council chairperson Cesarie Ann Santos. "Libro hindi bala (books not bullets)!" one of them suddenly shouted in the middle of the discussion. After one of the students loudly voiced out their demands, they were escorted out of the hall. Afterwards, Aquino assured the public that the government is not abandoning education. Aquino said, "Let us not forget that education encompasses not only the tertiary level but basic:elementary and secondary, and technical. Please recheck the government's budget allocation for education which we increased." — VVP/RSJ, GMANews.TV