By Teri Dalman, Intern for Media & Communication,
MSU Marawi City
 |
| President Rodrigo Roa Duterte |
Manila - President Rodrigo Duterte has
successfully delivered his first State of the Nation Address last July 25, 2016
at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. The president’s speech ran at round 1
hour and 30 minutes long thus highlighted the different issues occurring on the
environment, climate change, traffic and transportation, peace talks, the
territorial dispute and its relentless
fight on drugs and war.
In the onset of his speech, President Rodrigo
Roa Duterte acknowledged the presence of the different governing bodies; Senate President
Aquilino Pimentel III, members of the Senate, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and the
members of the House of Representatives, Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo,
President Fidel V. Ramos, President Joseph Estrada, President Arroyo, Chief
Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and justices of Supreme Court, His Excellency
Papal Nuncio and members of the diplomatic corps. Along with it would be the
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, the members of the Cabinet, His fellow
workers in government and countrymen.
“We cannot move forward if we allow the
past to pull us back. Finger-pointing is not the way. That is why I will not
waste precious time dwelling on the sins of the past or blaming those who are
perceived to be responsible for the mess that we are in and suffering from”
Pres. Duterte started his message.
The speech highlighted through an exemplary
explanation on the importance of eliminating the blaming of the failures that
the government has experienced in the past under the different system. With these
mistakes encountered would be the lessons learned and the present system is
primarily concerning with and preparing for the different possibilities enticed
in the future.
On his speech, the President mentioned
the different concerns and thus included the facts, figure, plans, programs,
and solution that are travelling along the way. Given are the important matters that
are highlighted on his speech,
Pres. Duterte assured to the religious
bishops, leaders, priests, pastors, preachers, imams that while he is a
stickler for the principle of separation between churches and state, he
strongly believes that there should never be a separation between God and
State.
The fight against criminality and
illegal drugs and corruption will be relentless and sustained which he had
highlighted during his inauguration last June 30, 2016. Through calling the
attention of the Philippine National Police, the barangay chairmen, the Mayors,
and Governors and all those occupying seats of power and authority, not to
lower their guard and if possible to double or even triple their efforts until
the last drug Lord, the last financier, and the last pusher have surrendered or
put behind bars or below the ground.
He ordered the National Police
Commission (NAPOLCOM) to hasten the conduct of investigation and adjudication
of administrative cases against police officers involved in criminal activities
and illegal activities and prescribed policies on lifestyle checks for PNP
members.
The
DILG is also directed to strictly monitor how LGUs perform their supervision
functions of the police and those found not performing will be sanctioned
including the loss of police deputation from the NAPOLCOM. Thus, the president
warned not to do drugs for they will be the solution to the drug crisis that
has engulfed the nation. The Inter-Agency Committee on Illegal
Drugs that will integrate efforts and strengthen the partnership of all
stakeholders will be created.
The reservists will be mobilized for
information campaign against drug use and the dissemination of information
regarding drug rehabilitation programs being offered by the government along
with it would be the strengthening of the ROTC Program to instill love of
country and good citizenship.
The rehabilitation of drug users will
be prioritized through increasing the number of residential treatment and
rehabilitation facilities in all regions of the country which will be
spearheaded by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will facilitate the
preparation for the use of military camps and facilities for drug
rehabilitation.
The administration will pursue the
poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable and social justice, even as the rule
of law shall at all times prevail. The State shall be sensitive to the
obligations to promote, and protect, fulfill the human rights of the citizens,
especially Human rights must work to uplift human dignity and not merely used
as a shield or an excuse to destroy the country.
The full force of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) will be applied to crush the criminals who operate under
the guise of religious fervor and will enhance its capability to search and
engage these rogues and lawless elements
in response to the existence of the continuing confrontation with the
internal security threats aggravated by the existence and activities of the
terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.
Strengthening the countries
coordination with Indonesia and Malaysia to suppress the kidnappings in the
waters of the neighboring countries including the amending of the various laws
on human terrorism, terrorism financing and cybercrime through strengthening
the counter- terrorism programs.
Addressing global warming shall all
will be the top priority, but upon a fair and equitable equation and not stymie
the industrialization, this is in
response to the challenges of the global developments non-traditional threats,
transnational crimes and fanatical terrorism. Nations sharing common interests and
concerns with the Philippines; maintain and sustain bilateral and multilateral
consultations and dialogues will be endeavored to develop and in corporate
partnership.
The expansion on the cooperation on
human assistance, disaster response, maritime security and counter terrorism
will continue and there will be deepen security dialogues with other nations to
build greater understanding and cooperation.
With regard to the West Philippine Sea otherwise
known as South China Sea, the country strongly affirm and respect the outcome
of the case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration as an important
contribution to the ongoing efforts to pursue the peaceful resolution and
management of our disputes.
The Philippines shall remain committed
to work under and with international partners achieving lasting peace and
progress in the country on the aspect of peace processes relating to the
country’s engagement with the international community.
The grievances not only of the
Bangsamoro, indigenous peoples and other groups for security, development, fair
access to decision-making and acceptance of identities will be vigorously
addressed. The President addressed to the Muslim
brothers, the Moro country, and the members of the CPP/NPA/NDF that the country
expresses its willingness and readiness to go to the negotiating table, and yet
it load the guns, fix the sights, pull the trigger and thus, both ironic and
tragic only leads to sorrow that cuts across every stratum of society and thus,
all wants peace, not the peace of the dead, but the peace of the living. The President reaches out to all, to
the Muslim brothers, to end the centuries of mistrust and warfare.
To the CPP/NPA/NDF, to end the decades of ambuscades and skirmishes. President Duterte announces a unilateral ceasefire with the CPP/NPA/NDF effective immediately to stop violence on the ground, restore peace in the communities and provide enabling environment conducive to the resumption of the peace talks and calls on the Filipinos in the National Democratic Front and its forces to respond accordingly. Striving hard to have a permanent and lasting peace before his term ends is the ultimate goal and dream of the President.
On the macroeconomic management, the
administration will continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies, and
even do better that can be achieved through prudent fiscal and monetary
policies that can help translate high growth into more and better job creation
and poverty reduction which will lead to an economy that is much stronger,
characterized by solid growth, low and stable inflation, dollar reserves, and
robust fiscal position.
On taxation, the administration will
pursue tax reforms towards a simpler, and more equitable, and more efficient
tax system that can foster investment and job creation through a lower personal
and corporate income tax rates and relax the bank secrecy laws.
At the household level, there must be
sufficient income for all Filipinos to meet the basic food and non-food needs
for their families. This can be done through a continuous attraction on investments
that will generate thousands of jobs each year, jobs that are suitable for the
poor and less skilled members of the workforce.
The implementation of the Responsible
Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law will be put into full force and effect
so that couples, especially the poor, will have freedom of informed choice on
the number and spacing of children they can adequately care and provide for,
eventually making them more productive members of the labor force.
In extremely rural neighborhoods,
entrepreneurship will be advocated. Local business environment by addressing
bottlenecks in business registration and processing, streamlining investment
application process and integration the services of various government offices
will be enhanced. Government
Financing Institutions (GFIs) shall come up with out-of-the box financing
packages to capacitate our small and medium entrepreneurs.
In
the field of tourism, the construction to more access roads and tourism
gateways to service centers and tourist sites will be done. Providing modern
agriculture, infrastructural by expanding and improving the construction and
rehabilitation of roads and the irrigation, and establishing modern harvest and
post-harvest facilities to minimize losses will complement on the Road
Development Project.
A
nationwide soil analysis to determine areas most suitable for rice farming to
optimize production with the use of effective soil rehabilitation and
fertilization will be conducted. Fisheries laws, particularly on illegal
fishing and promote aquaculture along river banks and in backyards will be
strictly enforced.
Infrastructure spending by improving
national roads and bridges and implementing the Mindanao Logistics
Infrastructure Network and other road network master plans will be accelerated
and inter-island linkage projects will be pursued.
Structural mitigation measures to
address of the perennial flooding in Metro Manila and neighboring areas will be
implemented and new pumping stations in strategic places will be put up. The
revival of the operation of the Pasig River Ferry Service System is a viable
option for the severe traffic congestion in Metro Manila and serves as an alternative
mode of transportation for passengers particularly those coming from the east
side of Metro to reach specific destinations within the cities of Manila,
Mandaluyong, Pasig, Taguig, Marikina and Quezon City.
The
anti-colorum campaign and out-of-line apprehension including the removal of
terminals will be intensified and will be done immediately. Usage of existing
roads will be maximized through need cooperation and coordination with LGUs to
map out secondary routes and to consult various stakeholders, including the
public transport operators will be addressed on the lack of infrastructure in
Metro Manila.
The
President assured for a clean government and advised to maintain a federal
system, a parliament but also to be sure to have a President citing the France Federal government.
Processing
time in issuing permits and licenses shall be reduced to the barest minimum, in
Davao city, it is always three days for local governments. That will bind the
Office of the President down to the last barangay elect for three days.
The
President will be establishing 8888,
only for dedicated to corruption. For the driver’s licenses, its effectiveness
will be extended from the current 3-year period to 5 years.
To
reduce queuing time at ticketing stations, tickets of the train will be made
readily available and easily accessible to the riding public. Passenger
capacity congestion shall be addressed by increasing the number of running
trains from the current 16 trains with a total of 48 cars per hour, to 20
trains with a total of 60 cars per hour. You increase the train speed from 40
[kph] to 60 [kph]. The operating hours for the LRT shall be extended from 9:30
to 10:30 p.m. and to absorb more passengers, delays in the procurement of
additional trains shall be addressed soonest.
President
Duterte has signed the Executive Order of the Freedom of Information Bill (FOI).
Different
approaches are also being considered to decongest NAIA including the possible
transfer of general aviation. The Clark Airport can be utilized to shift some
operations of the domestic and international airlines. Moreover, a one-stop
shop will be established within the civil aviation complex for the benefit of
the Overseas Filipinos.
In the area of environment, the military
is directed to intensify its support role against illegal logging, illegal
mining and other destructive practices that aggravate the devastation of the
natural resources.
The Laguna Lake shall be transformed
into a vibrant economic zone showcasing ecotourism by addressing the negative
impact of the watershed destruction, land conversion and pollution and the poor
fishermen will have priority in its entitlements.
Adequate disposal facilities for the
Metro Manila Garbage, the final closure and rehabilitation of the Carmona
Sanitary Landfill shall be pursued while the adoption of appropriate
waste-to-energy facilities will be explored.
In the area of governance, there is a need to strengthen our efforts along this line: President Duterte addressed to Congress to create the People’s Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), replacing PTV-4, the government-run TV station, which now aims to replicate international government broadcasting networks to better managed public information and to observe editorial independence through innovative programs and intelligent treatment and analysis of news reports, as well as developments of national and international significance.
The government’s Bureau of Broadcast
Services, better known as the Radyo ng Bayan, shall undergo upgrading to make
it financially viable and dependable for accurate and independent, and
enlightening news and commentary. Radyo ng Bayan will be integrated with the
PBC. The PBC will also put up broadcast hubs in the Visayas and Mindanao. Davao
City will also be the first site of the first Muslim channel, to be called
Salaam Television, and the first Lumad channel.
The PCO, in coordination with the
Office of the Executive Secretary, is drafting the Administrative Order on the
Task Force on media killings.
To address backlogs and low
prosecutorial effectiveness and efficiency, the investigation and case
management processes shall be streamlined including those for illegal drugs and
heinous crimes. To eradicate the prevalent cultures of fear and silence that
have hounded in the justice system, the Congress was asked to enact the
Whistleblower Protection Law while the present Witness Protection Program shall
be strengthened.
The number of lawyers and support staff
in the PAO — that is the Public Assistance Office — regional and districts
shall be increased to provide indigents with more access to counsels.
The Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) was directed to undertake nationwide information and campaign
on federalism in partnerships with various alliances and with LGU, civil
society, grassroots and faith-based organizations.
On the clamor of our citizens for
timely issuance of Philippine passports, the government shall work towards
amendment of the 1996 Passport Law to lengthen the validity of the passports
from the current 5 years to 10 years. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
was ordered to streamline documentary requirements and passport applications
and open additional Consular Offices in strategic places to decongest Metro
Manila sites and avoid queues that have caused hardships and suffering to
passport applicants.
The newly- created DICT, Information
and Communication Technology was directed , to develop a National Broadband
Plan to accelerate the deployment of fiber optics cables and wireless technologies
to improve internet speed. Wi-Fi access shall be provided at no charge in
selected public places including parks, plazas, public libraries, schools,
government hospitals, train stations, airports and seaports.
All government agencies are instructed
to enable their clients to submit applications for coordination to other
agencies combined.
The government shall intensify the war
against human traffickers and illegal recruiters that prey on the migrants.
A mandatory financial education for all
migrants and their communities will be pursued with incentives to encourage
entrepreneurship among them and this will help to ensure that the hard-earned
money of the Filipinos overseas are put into productive use.
The Congress was asked to consider
drawing up bills consolidating and merging agencies and offices having to do
the Overseas Filipino to have a department that shall focus on and quickly
respond to their problems and concerns.
Utilities like Meralco and electric
cooperatives were urged to exercise their social corporate responsibility by
making direct connections to relocation sites and depressed areas to help avoid
squatter- like conditions in relocation sites. There will be no demolition
without relocations.
The concerned regulatory agencies were
directed to prioritize the issuance of required permits for power development. Pres.
Duterte stated that the country needs to industrialize and that along the power
needed would be the emission to be considered.
The government will intensify its
protection programs, so it can use its resources, expertise to make a dent in
the country’s poverty levels this is needed to strengthen the delivery of social
services.
A genuine reduce of the vulnerabilities
of the people, build resiliency and empower individuals, families and
communities is what the government needed. The beneficiaries of 4Ps shall be
made to become independent and self-reliant after they have graduated from the
program and thus aim to present it with other forms of assistance, so that they
can stand on their own two feet. The DSWD was decided to directly provide the
rice subsidies to the poorest of the families, to at least provide them food
every month.
An increase expenditure on basic
education and incorporate mandatory education about the evils of drugs were
planned. The Alternative Learning System programs will intensify and expand. The
government will also provide universal health insurance for all Filipinos
Benefits. The professional competence and operational capabilities of
government hospitals and health facilities will be strengthened.
The administration vows to protect
women’s rights and human rights abuses against women in consistent with the
country’s international obligations in keeping with national mandates through
ordering all agencies and oversight bodies and local government units down to
the barangay level to fully implement the Magna Carta for Women.
The government has issued to the Lumads
the Ancestral Certificates Domain Title covering vast tracts of land especially
in the Island of Mindanao including the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, and the
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to protect and to assist them.
The enormity of the problem of drug
addiction has been made manifest by the number of surrenderees which grows by
the hundred each day that passes. Since July 1, there are already 3,600 related drug arrests, 120,000
drug dependents have already surrendered and 70,000 of them are pushers.
At the end of his speech, President
Duterte has stated that people should not despair. He said that the country shall
continue to fight the difficult times through helping each other in order to
rise from the sorrow and pain and thus after, all will prevail. With reports by Jun Enriquez
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