Aquino trumpets economic accomplishments in 2nd SONA

President Benigno Aquino III trumpeted his administration's accomplishments during his first year in office, at the start of his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. Aquino boasted of a lower self-rated hunger rating, which decreased to 15.1 percent this year from 20.5 percent last year, based on figures from pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS). "May kumpyansa, may pag-asa, tinutupad po natin ang ating mga pangako (There's confidence, there's hope, (and) we're fulfilling our promises," he said in his speech. The President also mentioned accomplishments in the country's economy, including upgrades in credit ratings that reduced the country's interest payment by P23 billion since the start of his term. "Sang-ayon silang lahat na gumaganda at patuloy pang gaganda ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas (They all agree that the Philippine economy is getting better and will continue to get better," he said. Aquino is also expected to lay down his plans for social transformation during his second SONA. — TJD/VS, GMA News