Kontra-SONA speech
Speech of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano
August 8, 2011

Sa bayan ni Juan, may mag-amang magsasaka. Isang araw galing sila sa pag-aararo. Naglalakad sila pauwi nang sinabi ng ama “Anak, sumakay ka muna sa kalabaw dahil pagod ka na.”

Ngunit pagdating nila sa pangatlong bayan bago sa kanilang tinitirhan, ang sabi ng mga nakatira doon, “Ano ba namang bata yan? May edad na yung ama siya pa ang nakasakay.” Kaya ang sabi ng anak, “’Tay ikaw nalang ang sumakay, hihilahin ko nalang ang kalabaw.”

Pag dating nila sa pangalawang bayan bago sa kanilang tinitirhan sabi ng mga tao, “Ano ba naman klaseng tatay yan? What kind of father is he? While he rides the carabao yung bata naman ang naglalakad.”

Kaya pagdating nila sa huling bayan bago sa kanilang tinitirang bayan, ang sabi ng ama, “Anak, tayong dalawa nalang ang sumakay sa kalabaw.” Pagdating sa bayan na ‘yon ang sabi ng mga tao sa bayan na ‘yon “Ano ba naman ‘yang mag-amang yan? Buong araw ang kalabaw nag-aararo, yun na nga ang bumubuhay sa kanila aabusuhin pa nila na pareho silang nakasakay.”

Kaya bago dumating sa kanilang bayan, ang ginawa ng dalawa, pinasan nalang nila ang kalabaw. Sabi po tuloy nung mga kapitbahay nila “Eh tatanga-tanga pala itong mag-amang ito. Isipin mo mayroon silang kalabaw, hindi nila sakyan. Pinasan pa nila at sa kanila nakasakay.”

We understand the feelings of the President when he asked us not to be so negative, when he asked both his critics and the people to think positive and to not always criticize.

Mr. President, that story is what the minority’s traditional Kontra-SONA is all about this year.

Ours is not the task to be critical of the administration just for the sake of criticizing. Ours is the task to point out where the administration is missing out on the journey along the matuwid na daan.

We realize the President has spelled out his vision in some national concerns, he has accomplished much, and we are here to push where the vision is either absent or lacking, to push for a better roadmap or blueprint and point out possible steps along the way. Where there is none, we are here to recommend what we believe would be better for the country.

Mr. President, criticisms are aplenty but at the end of the day it’s the studied response that matters.

Mr. Senate President, esteemed colleagues, mga mahal kong mga kababayan, our guests, ladies and gentlemen, magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat.

With your permission Mr. President, I will proceed to do the task of the minority group which is to present the other side of the coin. Hindi mabubuo ang diskusyon o debate kung isang side lang ang magbibigay ng State of the Nation. We need two sides of the debate to be able to have a comprehensive understanding of the ‘true state of the nation’ so that we can work together for the betterment of our country.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”

The good Lord has a plan for us, we have a plan for ourselves, the President has a plan for the nation. In fact, the framers of our Constitution tried to articulate not only a plan – but it tried to articulate the vision of the kind of society, the kind of Philippines we should have as seen in the preamble of our Constitution, which states:

“We, the sovereign Filipino people imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.”

It has been a year since our president, His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III, first faced the joint session of the Congress of the Philippines to outline his vision for our country.

A year ago, many of us were at a loss as to what precisely that vision was. Nung unang SONA, maraming nagtatanong “Ano ba talaga ang vision ng Pangulo?”

I am happy to note that the number of those who feel that way, one year later, has considerably dwindled. Marami ang nalinawan sa vision ng Pangulo pagkatapos ang kanyang pangalawang SONA.

By harping on the imagery of the ‘wang-wang’ which has now gone silent, the president has pictured for us a Philippines that is slowly but surely inching its way up and out of the doldrums, of a people that are beginning to believe in their country – or, at the very least, in themselves yet again.

It is important that as the elected officials of the land, we help create for the public, our ‘bosses’, the environment where they can believe again – believe both in themselves and in their country. I posit that for them to achieve the latter they have to achieve the former first. But to help the Filipino believe in himself requires from all of us, his chosen representatives, a new energy and a new determination to be his servant.

Mr. President, part of our role as the elected representatives of the people, is to paint for them an image of a future they can adapt to and adopt as their own. Trabaho po natin na bigyan ang ating mga kababayan ng isang vision – to paint the vision of what we want the Philippines to be in 2013, 2016, 2020. The year 2020 is symbolic because it represents a perfect vision.

A picture of the future is important, if we are to effectively and efficiently harness whatever meager resources we have in efforts that bring us closer to that chosen future. As a country and as a people, we do not have the luxury of time, nor do we have the luxury of resources, in shaping up for the reality of life in the 21st century - a reality which pits country against country, region against region, even island province against island province in an ever-tightening race for attention, resources and investments.

History in fact is unkind to us – for many times we have been seen as a people who have squandered every opportunity that we have been given to either stay ahead or jump ahead of the pack.

Now is our time Mr. President. Your election has brought hope. You can unite the nation and lead the country to an unprecedented level of progress and development.

But for now Mr. President, allow me to do my job as a member of the opposition and the Senate minority. Allow me to ask some hard questions. Pero para matandaan niyo po ang tanong na ito Mr. President at para palagi natin itong itanong sa ating mga sarili, allow me to ask for a more friendly or better voice to ask the questions:

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?

We know that his vision is about the transformation of our society. He pictured to us a bus na minamaneho ng former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Isang bus kung saan ang nakasakay ay kilala sa anomalyang ZTE, Fertilizer Scam, Hello Garci at sinisimbulo ng abuso at sinisimbulo ng wang wang. They denied us a wonderful life due to this wang wang.

So a President pictured his government to us as a bus that was repaired, painted yellow, pinababa ang mga maanomalya at pinasakay ang mga desente sa gobyerno, pinasa ang GOCC bill for example ni Sen. Drilon sa Senado para ipakita na mayroong pagbabago.

Sinabi na itong bus na ito ay kailangang may matuwid na daan. We told the people we will tread the right path and it will be the straight path. Ang problema nagtatanong ang mga mamamayan, “Do you know where we’re going to?”

I know the President has a vision. Part of his vision is shared in the SONA. In private meetings he shared with us what he wants to do. But when we say “Mr. President do you know where you’re going to?”, you cannot simply answer us “I’ll do it my way.”

People have to understand what your vision is, what the blueprint is, what the plans are, where the roadmap is leading to. Hindi pwedeng suportahan ang vision kung di mo alam. Kung pupunta ka sa isang plastic surgeon at sabihing “gusto kong maging gwapo or gusto kong maging maganda, you have to give the doctor an idea of what you want to look like so that ito ‘yong kokopyahin ng cosmetic surgery professionals. Hindi pwedeng dadating ka lang doon at sasabihing magandang Pilipinas.”

I do believe he has a vision and many plans but again, is it being communicated? Is it being articulated? That’s why from a yellow bus sa tuwid na daan, we’d like to see a bus that is united. A bus where we have one people, one vision. A bus na malinaw sa lahat kung saan tayo patutungo. So notice a background of a utopian society where you have everything you’re looking for.

Mr. President, I think there are 7 questions to ask ourselves.

First, do we know where we are? We need to have a perfect vision of what we want the country to be and where we want to go.

Second, we need to have a clear set of plans, blue prints or roadmap of how we intend to achieve our vision.

Third, we need a factual understanding of where we are today.

Fourth, we need a clear understanding of our past.

Fifth, we need a higher standard of performance and a system of feedback and monitoring.

Sixth, we also need an organized, pragmatic and systematic way of fighting graft and corruption.

And finally, as a people and a nation, we need to be united in purpose and direction to do all these with the aid of Almighty.

Let us a take a picture of the true state of the nation. Tingnan po natin ang mga realidad. For the purposes of this presentation Mr. Senate President, I will just pick out a few sectors in order to make a point.

In the business sector of our economy, I would like to show you a list of the most problematic factors for doing business in the Philippines. Corruption, inefficienct government bureaucracy, inadequate supply of infrastructure, policy instability o pabago-bago ng batas at ng polisiya, tax regulations, etc.

In the area of education, Mr. President, out of 139 countries, sad to say, number 69 po ang Pilipinas, Number 1 ang Singapore, 23rd ang Malaysia, 40th ang Indonesia, 66th ang Thailand. Even the war-torn Vietnam, which is fast-rising, is number 61. Nilampasan na po tayo ng Vietnam. I’m comparing our country with our neighbors, and I will explain this later,

Mr. President, but we have to have a higher standard. Huwag natin ikumpara ang sarili natin sa mga bumabagsak. Ikumpara natin ang mga sarili natin sa ating mga neighbors at ‘yung mga nauna sa atin.

Mr. President, in the quality of Math and Science education, out of 139 countries, we are number 112.

In terms of internet access of our schools, out of 139 countries, tayo po ay number 76. Muli, number 5 ang Singapore, pang-36 ang Malaysia, 43rd ang Thailand, 49th ang Vietnam, 50th ang Indonesia, tayo po number 76.

The state of our educational system, again, Mr. President, we must come back to figures. Isa sa sampu na Pilipino never steps into the school. Or 10% of Filipinos never pong nagkakaroon ng access sa eskwelahan.

Sa isang daan po na pumapasok ng Grade 1, 86 lang po ang pumapasok ng Grade 2. 76 lang po ang natatapos ng Grade 3. 65 lang po ang natatapos ng Grade 6. 58 lang po ang tumutuloy sa high school. 43 lang po ang gumagradweyt ng high school. 23 na lang po ang pumapasok sa college. And only 14, labing-apat na lang po, sa isang daang Pilipino ang nakakatapos po ng kolehiyo.

In the area of education innovation, out of the 9 countries of South East Asia, pang-pito po tayo. In the area of primary education, out of 138 countries, number 99 po tayo. In the area of higher education, number 68 po tayo out of 133.

Trends in Mathematics and Science, we rank 23rd out of 25 participating countries.

Yet, Mr. President, despite lack of facilities, low pay of our teachers, despite the lack of funding, despite all of the statistics I’ve given you, tuloy-tuloy na nananalo ng gold medal at iba’t ibang award ang mga estudyante natin sa mga international competitions. Despite all of this, Mr. President, pinag-aagawan ang mga professionals ng Pilipino all around the world. Despite all of this, we have an excellent labor force.

But, Mr. President, ano ba ang philosophy natin sa education? What do we want to do? How do we solve the problems in education?

Mr. President, do you know where we’re going to?

Mr. President, let’s take a look at our shortages… mga kakulangan.

We lack 152 thousand classrooms. Hindi pa kasama diyan ‘yung dalawang school year na idadagdag natin sa K+12. We are also short of 104 thousand teachers. Kulang po tayo ng 13 million na silya. Kulang po tayo ng 96 million text books. Kulang po tayo ng 151 thousand sanitation facilities.

Ito po ang summary ng mga kakulangan natin. Sa chart po pinapakita na kapag po dinagdagan ng K+12, madadagdagan din ang pagkukulang.

Mr. President, in classrooms alone, computed at the price of P685,000 per classroom, we lack P104 billion.

Kung dadagdagan po ng senior year ang atin pong high school sa K+12 program, we need another P37 billion.

Kung titingnan ninyo, Mr. President, ang kulang po natin ngayon without the K+12 is P149,744,703,840. If we add the K+12 requirements, you’ll need another P58 billion.

Question, saan natin kukunin ang additional pa na P58 billion, for a total of P210 billion to fund shortages alone?

The minimum budgetary requirement for education among the developing countries is at least 20% of the total budget. The UN recommends a GDP spending on education of 6%. The East Asia average GDP spending on education is 3.9%. The Philippine spending on education in GDP is only 2.29%. Kulang na kulang po.

This year, for the education budget, we had a 16% increase, 85% of which went to the salaries na kailangan na kailangan naman ng teachers. But the fact remains that you still need P210 billion.

Mr. President, wala po dito sa figures na in Metro Manila alone, marami po tayong eskwelahan na naka-double o triple shifts. Ibig sabihin, may mga eskwelahan tayo na ang pasok 6-10, 10-2, at 2-6. Question: ano ba ang philosophy natin?

Ang sinasabi ba natin kaya natin kailangan ng K+12 dahil kulang ang oras ng pag-aaral ng bata? So if we add two years pero apat na oras lang naman pala nag-aaral dahil kulang na kulang ang classroom at teachers, we added two years of burden on the parents and the students, pero from Grade 1-6 and from 1st year to 4th year high school, hindi pa natin inaadress na ‘yung iba, apat-lima-anim na oras lang nag-aaral. Samantalang ang mga private schools ay from 8:00 hanggang 4:00 o 7:00 hanggang 3:00.

Again, Mr. President, sinusuportahan ko po ang K+12. Sinusuportahan ko ang ating butihing Secretary. But please explain to us what the philosophy is. What is the strategy? Again, Mr. President, I’d like to ask, do you know where you know where we’re going to? Do we know where we’re going to?

Like on education, we are also under-spending on the sector of health. Compared to the other countries in Asia, the Philippines merely spends 3.8% of its GDP on health. Malaysia spends 4.8%, China, 4.5%, Vietnam 7.2%, Thailand spends 4.3%.

Sa mga pinapanganak sa Pilipinas, 62% are attended by healthcare professionals. 44% lang po, halos kalahati, of total births are delivered in health care facilities.

Sa paggastos po so health care, 54% po ang out of pocket expense, 26% shouldered by the government, 8.5% ang PhilHealth, 8% po ang sponsored by HMOs.

Paki-note po 54% ang out of pocket expense. This assumes na may pera ang ating mga kababayan para sa gamot at iba pang gastusin sa kalusugan. Only 17% of the poorest 20% of our population actually avail of PhilHealth benefits which turns out to be the main solution of our government to health care.

Another additional relevant statistic is that 32% of the richest use PhilHealth. Bakit po ito nangyayari? Tatlo pong dahilan...

The poor have little access to pay for the balance after PhilHealth coverage is deducted. Ibig sabihin po kung P50,000 ang budget para ipagamot ang isang taong may operasyon at saguting ng PhilHealth ang P15,000, ang mahirap po walang pagkukunan ng P35,000. So hindi na gagamitin ang PhilHealth. Pero ang mayaman, hindi lang P50,000 kahit P100,000 ang gamitin sa pagpapagamot, magagamit ang P15,000 ng PhilHealth.

Pangalawa po, kahit na mababa lang ang gagastusin at kaya ng PhilHealth there is an absence or inadequate number of PhilHealth- accredited facilities.

And also lastly, until now, there is a perceived cumbersome procedure for filing claims.

Out of the 409 municipalities and cities, 285 or 69.8% do not meet the DOH standard for doctor to population ratio which is 1:20,000. Kulang na kulang po tayo sa doctor.

237 out of 409 municipalities and cities or 57.9% do not meet the DOH standard for midwife to population ratio of 1:5,000.

234 out of 409 municipalities and cities or 57% do not meet the DOH standard for nurse to population ratio of 1:20,000.

Mr. President, do you know where we’re going to? Hanggang ngayon po mahal ang gamot. Hanggang ngayon hindi pinapagamot ang maraming may sakit dahil hindi alam kung saan kukunin ang pera. Hanggang ngayon ang mga mayayaman lang po ang kumpleto sa access.

We have one of the best hospitals in Taguig. St. Luke’s is said to be one of the best hospitals in Asia. Kung may pera ka walang problema. Even if they have a lot of projects for the poor, Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao, ilan sa kababayan natin ang nakakatikim ng CT scan, ng MRI? Kung kailangan po nila ng transplant? Chemotherap? Dialysis?

Lahat po itong mga ito hindi naabot ng ating mga kababayan. Ano po ang vision? Ano po ang plano? Paano natin magagampanan ang nakalaan sa Konstitusyon na ang kalusugan ng ating mamamayan ay isang obligasyon ng gobyerno?

Mr. President, do you know where we’re going to?

Sa peace and order, we rank fourth least peaceful country in Asia Pacific following only Afghanistan, North Korea, at Pakistan.

Ang susunod po, we ranked 3rd most dangerous country in the world for journalists, trailing behind Iraq and Somalia.

138,000 policemen ang mayroon po tayo, with a ratio of 1:743. Ang ideal ratio po sa ating PNP law is 1:500. Kulang po tayo ng sisenta mil. 60,000 policemen po ang kulang natin.

Our police force, 25% po ang walang baril. 3,781 po ang naka-assign sa mga posisyon na investigative positions na dapat mag-imbestiga. Alam po ba natin 24% lang o 908 lang ang may formal training sa imbestigasyon, partly explaining the low success rate in solving crimes.

Mr. President, ang atin pong pulis ay isa sa pinakamasipag sa buong mundo. Let’s not look at the few rotten eggs, let’s look at the whole PNP.

Ang problema, kulang sa gamit, kulang sa sweldo, sinasakripisyo o inihahandog ang kanilang buhay, but do they have the support? What’s our plan for them, Mr. President? Ano po ang vision? Again, Mr. President, do we know where we’re going to?

Despite the statistics in peace and order, we know we’re a peaceful country, and we know we are champions when it comes to hospitality.

Ngayon, Mr. President, tingnan din po natin mamaya ang turismo, pero tingnan muna natin ang employment.

As of January of this year, 7.4% po ang unemployed. This translates to 2.91 million Filipinos of working age who are without jobs. 63% are male and the rest are female. Almost half of the unemployed are from the age of 15 to 24. 40% of those unemployed reached college. 35% are high school graduates. Hindi po kasama dito ang 8.5 to 10 million na walang trabahong makuha sa Pilipinas kaya nasa abroad.

But Mr. President, sa isang ciudad sa Maynila, nagkaroon kami ng SWS survey. Sa SWS survey po na iyon nakita po namin nung tinanong nang diretsahan ang ating mga kababayan,“Ilan sa inyo ang walang trabaho?” 50% ho. Isa sa dalawa. Singkwenta porsiento ang walang trabaho. Bakit po ang layo ng statistics natin?

Kasi po sa definition po ng “unemployment.” It’s a technical term. It includes all persons who are 15 years old and over as of their last birthday and are reported as being without work (walang trabaho), are currently available for work, (maaring magtrabaho) and are seeking work (naghahanap ng trabaho) , or not seeking work (hindi naghahanap ng trabaho dahil sa mga kadahilang) due to reasons like being tired or believing that there no work available, like the discouraged workers who looked for work within the last six months prior to the interview date; awaiting results of previous job applications; temporary illness or disability; bad weather; and lastly, are waiting to get rehired or recalled.

Meaning Mr. President, ang unemployment rate ay hindi simpleng tanong kung may trabaho ka ba o hindi.

So if they’re not looking for work, if you’re waiting for your job application or if you’re working a few hours a week, you’re not considered unemployed. But to my estimate Mr. President, at least 30% of our people do not have work.

Ang hindi po naniniwala sa statistics ko mag-house to house po kayo at magkaroon kayo ng mga caucus o ng mga rally sa inyong bayan-bayan. Ipataas n’yo po ang kamay kung sino po ang walang trabaho at makikita n’yo. The mere fact nga na maraming nag-a-attend ng mga caucus kahit tanghali man o umaga o hapon, doon palang ay makikitang walang trabaho ang mga ito.

Again Mr. President, do we know where we’re going to? Ano po ang programa natin para magkatrabaho ang ating mga kababayan?

Sa world investment report Mr. President, tingnan po natin ang sinasabi po ng ating maraming ekonomista na importante ang tinatawag na foreign direct investment o ang pag-i-invest po sa atin o pagdadala ng capital.

Ang Thailand po $127 million sa 2011 report. Ang Indonesia po $121 million. Ang Malaysia po $101 million. Ang Pilipinas po $24.89 million. Bakit po ¼? Bakit po 1/4 lang po ang nakukuha ng ating bansa? Malalaki din naman ang problema ng Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia. Marami din naman po silang pagsubok pero bakit po times 4, times 5 po ang nakukuha nila sa atin?

Again Mr. President, do we know where we’re going to?

Sa imprastraktura na isa sa mga complaints ng mga negosyante kung bakit hindi dumadating ang puhunan sa ating bansa – out of 139 countries po, 3rd ang Singapore, 27th ang Malaysia, 46th ang Thailand, 113th po ang Pilipinas. Again ang Vietnam na kung ilang dekada ay may gera sa kanila, humahabol na at 123rd place na ho sila.

Do we know where we’re going to, Mr. President?

Ang ating OFWs naman po Mr. President, unang-una po ay pangatlo tayo sa buong mundo sa dami ng OFWs o migrant worker—almost 10% of our population. Wala halos pamilya na walang kamag-anak na nasa abroad at nagtatrabaho.

There is an estimated 2.56 million OFW families or roughly 14% of the 18.77 million Filipino families. Kita naman po natin kung bakit self-rated poverty among OFW families are lower—33% lang compared to 51% pag hindi po OFW ang isang kasama nila o kapamilya.

Ang remittances po ng OFWs natin $18.8 billion o 846 billion Pesos or about 10% of our gross domestic product (GDP). Mr. President, pauuwiin ba natin sila? Policy ba natin na ipadala ang best and the brightest abroad? Ano po ang policy? Ano po ang plano natin sa ating OFWs?

Meron pong isang study na nagsasabing marami sa pamilya ng OFWs ang walang trabaho at hinihintay lang ‘yung pera kasi hindi makakuha dito ng oportunidad na magtrabaho. Ano po ang vision natin para sa OFWs at kanilang pamilya? Tinuturuan ba silang mag-negosyo? Pinag-aaral ba sila? Hinahanda ba sila?

Napakaraming umaalis na ang sinasabi, “Anak, isa, dalawa, tatlong taon lang ako. Pag may puhunan na tayo, mag-ne-negosyo tayo. Hanggang ngayon po karamihan ng OFWs tatlo ang negosyo—tricycle, jeepney, sari-sari store pero karamihan po pumuputi na ang buhok sa abroad.

Again Mr. President, do we know where we’re going to? Do you know where you’re going to, Mr. President?

Sa turismo naman Mr. President, ang dami pong studies na nagsasabi pinakamadaling magkatrabaho sa sector ng tourism. The quickest way to generate more jobs is through tourism.

We all know 7,107 islands napakaganda. Almost everywhere you go in the Philippines, the beauty of nature can be seen. God has blessed us with natural resources, with the beauty of the Philippines, and with its historical sites.

Pero out of 26 countries, pang-labingwalo po tayo. Vietnam is 14th. Indonesia is 13th. Thailand is 10th. Malaysia is 7th and Singapore is number 1. Pati po pagdating ng turismo mas maganda tayo sa ibang mga bansa pero number 18 tayo out of 26. On the global scale, sa 139 countries, 94 po tayo.

Again Mr. President, do you know where you’re going to? We need Mr. President, a clear understanding of our past.

Mr. President, we both know na ang taong hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa kanyang paroroonan.

What happened in the recent past? Hello Garci—election fraud, Fertilizer Scam, Swine Scam, NBN-ZTE, use and abuse of the PCSO funds which we’re now looking into (through Sen. Guingona’s leadership in the Blue Ribbon Committee) the PAGCOR Funds and PNP helicopter overpricing.

Mr. President, wala pa hong nangyayari dito. ‘Yung perjury po, obstruction of justice, false accusations eh mani lang sa iba o baliwala. Parang hindi po ito krimen.

If we look at our past, if we want to repeat our past, and if we want history to keep repeating itself, let’s forget these.

But if we do remember it and finally put a closure to all of this, imbestigahan nang mabuti, kasuhan na ang dapat kasuhan, we can achieve what we want to achieve as a country.

Mr. President, let’s listen to the businessmen. For the last generation, for 40 years, pare-pareho po ang problemang sinasabi po sa atin.

Ang problema pong sinasabi sa atin ay iyon pong most problematic factors for doing business in the Philippines, number 1 corruption. Number 2, inefficient government bureaucracy. Number 3, inadequate supply of infrastructure. Number 4, policy instability, Number 5, tax regulation, at ‘yung iba sinasabi ‘yung presyo naman ng kuryente.

Paulit-ulit na lang po ito Mr. President. 40 years. Hindi tayo nakikinig. We don’t look at the past that’s why we keep repeating history and our mistakes.

Mr. President, sa Pilipinas po bawal magnakaw nang konti. Pag konti ninakaw, nakukulong. Pag napakalaki ang ninakaw, nagiging makapangyarihan, may pang-areglo at na-a-abswelto.

Again Mr. President, let’s learn our lessons so that we can be a successful nation.

Mr. President, not everything in the past is bad. Sabi nga po, there’s the good and the bad in our past. In fact, we should also see the things that we are doing well. Let’s not forget our partners.

Halimbawa po, sa housing, hindi ba po, ang NGOs katulad po ng habitat for humanity, katulad po ng Gawad Kalinga, ay napakadaming bahay na itinayo all over the country?

Pero siguro po, nagtatanong din sila, nagtatanong din lahat, pagdating sa housing, do we know where we’re going to? Ano ang plano? Ilan ang kulang? I’m sure that there is a program. I’m sure everyone’s doing a good job. Ang question lang po, nako-communicate ba? Alam ba natin kung ano ito?

Mr. President, sa LGUs, paborito ko pong pakinggan kay Presidente Erap noong araw ‘yung palagi niyang sinasabing “ang mahirap lalong humihirap at ang mayaman, lalong yumayaman”. Hindi lang po sa tao ‘yon. Pati po sa local government units na partner dapat ng national government.

Bakit po? Ang mayayamang siyudad, habang palaki nang palaki ng IRA, palaki nang palaki din ang real property tax. Dahil marami po na mga gusali na tinatayo. At sa mga gusali na ito, mayroong negosyo. Kaya ang mga business tax, pumapasok din.

Sa mga mahihirap po na LGU, maliit ang IRA, pareho lang sa dati at hindi pa rin sapat. Ang problema po, wala silang real property tax dahil wala po masyadong mga gusali doon. Wala po silang ita-tax. Wala rin mga negosyo.

Kaya ang mga LGUs po na mayayaman, lalong yumayaman, ang mga LGUs po na mahihirap, lalong humihirap even if in principle, they are partners of the national government.

There are so many great LGUs. For example po, ‘yung programa po sa health – yellow card sa Makati na ipinagyayabang ito sa buong bansa.

There are a lot of great innovations in the local government in which the national government failed and the local government succeeded.

In the city of Taguig po, ang uniporme po, idinedeliver sa bata – libre at tahi na po. Libre lahat ng notebooks, libre po ang lapis, ballpen, etc.

Sa Naga City, kung narito ang Secretary ng DILG, ‘yung mga innovations na ginawa nila doon ay napakaganda. We can go on and on.

Si Speaker Belmonte po, noong mayor siya ng Quezon City, ang daming success ng LGU.

But have we learned from them and are we helping them?

Mga religious groups po and our people as a whole, have we learned from the past and are we communicating with them? Are we harnessing their support, Mr. President?

Mr. President, madalas po nating pakinggan mula sa inyo na mayroon namang vision pero hindi po sapat na sinasabi lamang na mayroon. Alam ko po after the second SONA it became clearer, we had private talks with the President in signing deals, naging malinaw sa akin ang vision. But in the whole country, all Filipinos should have a sense of a perfect vision—of the vision of what the President wants our country to be.

20-20 po, perfect vision. Hindi pwedeng malabo. Kailangan malinaw. Bakit? Kasi kahit nakasakay ka sa bus, sa tuwid na daan, hindi mo naman alam kung saan pupunta, magiging komportable ka ba? Sasakay ka ba? Mayroon bang sumasakay sa jeep o tricycle,o kahit sa LRT, na hindi naman alam kung saan pupunta?

Mr. President, it is our duty to clarify what our vision is. After the vision, Mr. President, kailangan po ng roadmap, ng plano, ng blueprint.

Bakit po? Because a vision without a roadmap is like a dream without an action plan. Ang panaginip ay mananatiling panaginip, o magiging pangarap lang, kung wala tayong plano.

Clear plans, blueprints, or roadmaps of how we intend to achieve our vision – these are what we need.

Mr. President, ang isang biyahe, o ang journey na walang roadmap, is like an excursion without a destination. Walang nagyayaya na mag-escursion muna tayo kung hindi naman nasasabi kung saan pupunta. Mr. President, do you know where we’re going to?

Mr. President, we also need a higher standard of performance and a system of feedback and monitoring.

I’ve noticed, we keep comparing ourselves with the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In so far as showing na may wang-wang sila, tayo wala, nag-agree din ang gobyerno nila na sa atin mas malinis, ok po ‘yon. To show na abusive ‘yung isa at atin hindi, maganda po ‘yon.

Pero kung ikaw ay isang estudyante, hindi mo naman ikukumpara ang sarili mo sa isang bagsak na estudyante. Kung may kaklase ka na bagsak, hindi ‘yon ang dapat na comparison. Huwag natin i-compare. Sinabi nga natin na failure ang administrasyon ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, kaya nga po nahalal ang mahal na Pangulo at ang mga kasama niya.

Let’s have a higher standard. Ano ang dapat natin na standard? Ang standard dapat ng estudyante, ‘yung valedictorian. At kung valedictorian ka na, ang dapat na maging standard mo, yung valedictorian ng mas malaki at mas magaling na eswelahan. At kapag ikaw na ang pinakamagaling na eskwelahan sa inyong bayan, dapat ikumpara mo ang sarili mo sa eskwelahan sa inyong probinsya. Kapag ikaw na ang pinakamagaling sa iyong probinsya, regional na. kapag regional na, sa pinakamagaling naman sa buong Pilipinas. After that, intenationally na ang point of comparison.

That’s why I keep comparing our country to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia. We have to compare ourselves with them, so we can strive to do better. Again, Mr. President, do you know where you’re going to?

Mr. President, we need an organized, pragmatic, and systematic way of fighting graft and corruption.

Mr. President, how are we preventing the officials and employees of the present administration form committing the same mistakes, if government transactions are being operated under the same cloak of secrecy and impunity?

Mr. President, ako’y naniniwala na malinis ang iyong administrasyon. Ako’y naniniwala na hindi ninyo ipapahiya, or that you will uphold the legacy of your great parents, Senator Benigno Aquino and the late president Cory Aquino. Ako’y naniniwala na malinis ang Aquino family.

But that doesn’t mean that every single person in your administration is like you. Hindi ibig sabihin na lahat ng sinama mo sa inyong gobyerno ay malinis. Kaya nga ipinasa ang GOCC law. Kung malinis lahat at hindi humihingi ng mataas na allowance, eh ‘di sana hindi na kailangan ng batas na ganyan.

Hindi din naman tamang sabihin na lahat ng corrupt ay nasa dating administrasyon. Dahil marami sa mga nakasama mo na lumaban sa dating administrasyon ay nasa oposisyon ngayon, pero marami sa mga sumuporta sa dating oposisyon ay kasama rin sa administrasyon na ito.

What I am saying, Mr. President, is let’s have institutional reforms. Baguhin natin ang batas that hinder all of this—the fight against graft and corruption.

For example, Mr. President, this is the best time to pass the Freedom of Information Act Bill. The FOI law will help us fight to uncover past mistakes and strike fear among the incumbent officials that they will not commit the same graft and corruption.

Mr. President, kapag ipinasa ang FOI, ‘yung pong kape ng PAGCOR, kung ano man ang totoo doon, ‘yung fertilizer scam, ZTE, lahat po ‘yan malalaman natin. Every citizen will now become a graft buster.

Ngayon po, miyembro ka na ng media, senador ka na, congressman, hindi ka pa makakuha ng impormasyon. But with the FoI, we can do that better.

Mr. President, ang sabi ng Pangulo, kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap. Mawawalan po ng corrupt kung sila’y kakasuhan at kung sila’y ikukulong.

Second, Mr. President, lahat ng public officials po ay exempted dapat sa Bank Secrecy Law. Noong araw, sa aparador o sa ilalim ng kama ay pwedeng itago ang pera. Pero ngayon po, kailangan mo ng financial vehicles. Bank accounts are one of these.

Kapag may hearing po tayo dito, tinatanong natin palagi, “are you willing to open up your bank account?” Tinanong po natin ‘yan sa kaso ni Gen. Garcia. Tinanong po natin ‘yan doon sa PCSO. Pero paano naman ang mga incumbent officials ngayon?

Hindi ba maaaring sabihin ng Pangulo, habang ipinapasa pa ng kongreso ang bill ni Sen. Lacson, na nagsasabing exempted tayo sa bank secrecy law, lahat ng public officials ay mayroong ahensya na pwedeng tingnan ito, hindi naman sinasabi na pwedeng i-publish ang bank accounts mo, pwede lang tingnan o silipin ng tamang ahensya o organisasyon na nagbabantay sa atin.

Hindi ba maaaring sabihin ng Pangulo na kung ayaw ninyo, huwag kayong magpa-appoint? At ‘yung ayaw, magresign kayo?

This is to protect our public from public officials who are fattening their bank accounts.

Mr. President, ang sabi po ng inyong spokesman sa suggestion na ito, hintayin na lamang natin na pumasa ‘yung batas. Paano kung hindi natin maipasa ang batas? Kung ayaw ng kongreso na payagang buksan ang mga bank accounts?

Mr. President, kung walang kinurakot, wala dapat ikatakot.

Walang dapat ikatakot kung walang laman ang bank account na kinurakot. Kung ang laman ay galing sa tama lang.

Lastly, Mr. President, katawa-tawa na ang batas natin sa false testimony, sa perjury, sa obstruction of justice. Kaya si Commissioner Garcillano, siya pa ang mayabang. Siya pa ang nagsasabi na walang dayaan at hina-harrass lang daw siya.

Let’s start punishing people who lie under oath. Who come to the senate or the house or go to the DOJ, or go to the police or the NBI and lie during investigation. Kung kailangan na palitan natin ang batas, palitan natin ang batas.

Iyon po ang ginawa ni Lee Kuan Yew sa Singapore. Sabi nila, kahit magaling ang mga opisyal, may problema naman sa batas. Kaya pinalitan ang mga batas para mas madali ang mga presumptions. Para mas madali ang mga ebidensya. Kapag may nakitang unexplained wealth, isa na ito sa mga ebidensya na magpapakulong sa mga public officials. Kaya sa unang mga taon nila, pati mga secretaries, napakulong nila.

Mr. President, as a people and as a nation, we need to be united in purpose and direction to do all this with the aid of the Almighty.

I know, Mr. President, it’s lonely at the top. Alam ko po kung gaano kayo kagaling makisama, kung gaano po kayo kasaya kasama bilang congressman at senador. Alam kong team player kayo. Ngunit ngayon, maraming negative, maraming kritisismo.

We know that you are trying your best but Mr. President show us that vision. Communicate to us that roadmap and you will be able to unite the nation. We cannot move into the heights we want to move into, we cannot do what we want unless there is unity in purpose.

Mr. President, alam po namin ang gusto mong gawin. Let us take comfort in Mark 3:24-25 in the Holy Bible which says “And if a kingdom is divided against itself, the kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself ,that house cannot stand.”

Hindi po tayo pwedeng maging divided, dapat magbigkis-bigkis tayo. Of course, you cannot please everyone. But ang sinasabi ko po huwag maging puro pulitika, huwag maging puro partido, huwag magbigay ng kung anu-anong dahilan kung bakit nagkakahiwahiwalay.

Okay lang kung magkakahiwalay ang lahat ng corrupt versus lahat ng hindi corrupt. Pero otherwise Mr. President, we need a sense of unity and I ask you to unite our people.

Mr. President just as a symbolic gesture, these next few graphs. Alam natin ngayon 14% lang ang graduates. I know what you want. Gusto ng Presidente Aquino by 2013 kalahati ng Pilipinas ay graduate na, 2016 three fourths at gusto niya by 2020 lahat ng gustong makapagaral ay pwedeng grumaduate ng college kung may oportunidad.

We know Mr. President pag dating sa employment, yung 30% na walang trabaho, 20% na sa 2013 at gusto niyo by 2016 karamihan may trabaho at pagdating ng 2020 lahat ng gustong magkatrabaho ay pwedeng magkatrabaho.

Mr. President we know na pagdating sa ospital, health center, mga laboratories, lahat ng facilities, gusto niyo by 2013 dumami ito. 2016 majority ay mayroon nang facilties at pagdating ng 2020 kahit saan ka pumunta sa Pilipinas ay may nakalaan na facilities para sa bawat Pilipino.

Mr. President, alam po namin na pagdating sa korupsyon, nais ninyo na bawat bahagi ng ating bansa by 2013 makikita na ang pagkakaiba at maraming graft and corruption ang mawawala. By 2016 mas malaking bahagi na ng ating bansa at mga ahensiya ng gobyerno , business sector at private sector na ang corruption ay mawala. By 2020, we would have either eradicated or lessened to a great extent graft and corruption in the country.

Mr. President, noong election po hindi maiwasan na iba-iba ang kulay natin. Mayroong dilaw, may orange, may green. Ang tao kailangan mamili at pinili po ang dilaw. And I believe in God’s wisdom that the Filipino people made the best choice.

Pero ngayon hindi na po dilaw, presidente na po kayo. It’s time to transform away from yellow for us to carry the colors of the whole nation: red, blue, white and yellow.

We need a symbol that will unite us, the Philippine flag and our archipelago. 7,107 islands, 100 million Filipinos – one President, one vision, one dream – united in one thing: to achieve a better Pilipinas.

Mr. President, you have our support. Show us the vision, provide us with a roadmap and makikita niyo po na kayang magkaisa ng mga Pilipino.