P-Noy's SONA zeroes in on attitude change

MANILA Philippines (July 26, 2011) - Roadmaps and plans are there on the fly and can even wait. During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Benigno C. Aquino III decided to stuff his report card with recurring themes of resolve to eradicate abuse of power and privileges, instilling positive attitude towards work and public service and, generally, good governance.

For what is the use of grand plans if the implementors would easily help themselves ransacking the public coffer?

With “change now upon us” battle cry, Aquino rallied the people to help him stamp out corruption and impunity, symbolized by the wang-wang or blaring sirens.

Aquino did not dwell on the corruptions of the past administration and did even mention former Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who had decided not to attend the SONA reportedly upon advice of her worried supporters.

The President, however, gave one example of wang-wang mindset and glaring abuse of discretion. He flashed on the screen the expenditure of PAGCOR for customers in its 12 branches during the past administration amounting to more than 1 billion pesos - precisely Php 1,007,408,908.86.

Aquino said: "Sa isang daang peso na lang po kada tasa, lumalabas na naka konsumo sila ng sampung milyong tasa ng kape. Baka ngayon na iba na ang pamunuan ng PAGCOR, baka dilat na dilat pa rin ang mata ng mga uminom ng kape na ito. Hanapin nga po natin sila at matanong: Nakakatulog pa ba kayo?"

This proved to be the opportune moment for the President to announce his choice for the new Ombudsman. He said, "Pagpasok ng bagong Ombudsman na si dating Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, magkakaroon tayo ng Tanodbayan na hindi Tanod-bias ng mga nag wawang-wang sa pamahalaan."

Aquino expects that within this year, many cases shall be filed against people who conspired to commit graft and corruption. He also pledged to refrain from filing half-baked cases.

"Tapos na rin po ang panahon na kung saan nagsasampa ang gobyerno ng malalabnaw na kaso. Kapag tayo ang nagsampa, matibay ang ebidensya, malinaw ang testimonya at siguradong walang lusot ang salarin," said Aquino.

As to the plans and visions of his government that many academically oriented critics find wanting, the President mentioned them in passing and directed the audience to the budget message that is available in government web sites.

He likes to eradicate the wang-wang mindset not only in the streets, but also in government transactions and social interactions in general.

“Do you want the corrupt held accountable? So do I. Do you want to see the end of wang-wang, both on the streets and in the sense of entitlement that has led to the abuse that we have lived with for so long? So do I. Do you want to give everyone a fair chance to improve their lot in life? So do I,” Aquino said in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday, delivered entirely in Filipino.

Aquino’s banning of wang- wang in his first SONA had been warmly received by Filipinos long bedeviled by brazen shows of arrogance on the streets, mostly by politicians or civilians flaunting their connections.

“We have fought against the wang-wang, and our efforts have yielded results,” he said yesterday. “This one gesture has become the symbol of change, not just in our streets, but even in our collective attitude.”

The President was applauded 48 times in his 53-minute speech. The apparent target of his anti-corruption tirade, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, skipped the SONA.

“The flagrant abuse we bore witness to prompts us to ask: if they felt it their privilege to flout the simplest traffic laws, how could we expect them not to help themselves to a share of projects funded by the Filipino people?” he said.

The President thanked the people for their continued trust and support, which made it easier for him to carry out needed reforms.

“And so, to the Filipino nation, my bosses who have steered us toward this day: Thank you very much for the change that is now upon us,” Aquino said.

“The Philippines and the Filipino people are, finally, truly alive,” he said.

“You created a government that truly works for you. We still have five years left to ensure that we will not return to the old ways. We will not be derailed, especially now that what we have begun has yielded so many positive results,” Aquino said.

“If you see a loophole in the system, do not take advantage of it. Let us not acquire through patronage what we can acquire through hard work,” he said.

“No more cheating, no more taking advantage of others, no more one-upmanship – because in the end we will all realize our shared aspirations,” he added.

“Over the years, the wang wang had come to symbolize abuse of authority. It was routinely used by public officials to violate traffic laws, inconveniencing ordinary motorists – as if only the time of the powerful few, and no one else’s, mattered,” he recalled.

Instead of behaving like public servants, they acted like kings. This privilege was extended to their cronies and patrons, who moved along the streets as if they were aristocracy, indifferent to those who were forced to give way and were left behind. Abusing privilege despite their mandate to serve – this is the wang wang mindset, this is the mindset of entitlement.”

The President pointed out the government’s achievements were concrete and the direct results of his administration’s straight path approach to attaining its goals.

“We are not leaving anything to chance; good governance yields positive results. Think about it: We have realized our promise of providing the public with the services that it needs and implementing programs to help the poor without having to raise our taxes. This has always been the plan: to level the playing field, to stop the abuse of authority, and to ensure that the benefits of growth are available to the greatest number,” Aquino said.

“We have put an end to the culture of entitlement, to wang wang: along our roads, in government, in our society as a whole. This will bring confidence that will attract business; this will also ensure that the people’s money is put in its rightful place. Funding for infrastructure that will secure the sustained growth of the economy, which will then give rise to jobs, and public service that guarantees that no one will be left behind,” he said.

“I am aware that, until now, there are still a few who complain about our style of governance. But you have seen our style, and its ensuing results. You have seen their style, and, especially, where that took us. Anyone with their eyes open can clearly see which is right,” he said in apparent swipe at the previous Arroyo administration and critics who have lambasted his style of governance.

By eliminating abuses symbolized by wang wang, the government has gradually regained the confidence of the people.

“There is confidence and there is hope; the government is now fulfilling its promises. And I cannot help but remember a woman I spoke with during one of my first house-to-house campaigns. She lamented: ‘It won’t matter who wins these elections. Nothing will change. I was poor when our leaders campaigned, I am poor now that they are in office, and I will still be poor when they step down.’ This is a grievance echoed by many: ‘Our leaders didn’t care about us then, our leaders don’t care about us now, and our leaders will not care about us tomorrow’,” the President said.

The President explained this was the attitude that allowed the anomalous purchase of second-hand helicopters for the police as well as the granting of ostentatious perks and salaries to officials of government-owned and controlled corporations like the Philippine National Construction Corp. )PNCC).

“Before they stepped down from their positions, the former heads of the PNCC gifted themselves with P232 million. Their franchise had lapsed in 2007; their collections should have been remitted to the national government. They did not do this, and in fact even took advantage of their positions: the bonuses they allotted to themselves in the first six months of 2010 was double the amount of their bonuses from 2005 to 2009. Yet they had the audacity to award themselves midnight bonuses, when they had already drowned their agencies in debt,” Aquino said.

He said under his administration, the number of Filipinos who experienced self-described hunger has gone down.

The President also cited the bullish stock market as well as the favorable credit ratings reaped by the country.

“Our innovative fiscal approach has saved taxpayers P23 billion in the first four months of this year. This is enough to cover the 2.3 million conditional cash transfer beneficiaries for the entire year,” Aquino said.

“Let me remind you: in the nine and a half years before we were elected into office, our credit ratings were upgraded once, and downgraded six times by the different credit ratings agencies. Compare this to the four upgrades we have achieved in the single year we have been in office. This was no small feat, considering that the upgrades came after ratings agencies have grown considerably more conservative in their assessments, especially in the wake of criticism they received after the recent American financial crisis,” he said.

He also noted that with renewed confidence in the Department of Energy, 140 companies have offered to participate in the exploration and strengthening of the country’s oil and natural gas resources.

“Compare this to the last energy contracting round in 2006, which saw the participation of only 35 companies. Just last Friday, a new contract was signed for a power plant to be constructed in the Luzon grid, so that by 2014, our country will have a cheaper, more reliable source of energy,” he said.

President Aquino also called on the people to do away with fault-finding and the “culture of negativism.”

“Let us stop pulling our fellow man down. Let us put an end to our crab mentality. Let us make the effort to recognize the good that is being done,” he said.

“Let us end the culture of negativism; let us uplift our fellow Filipinos at every opportunity,” he added.

“If you see a loophole in the system, do not take advantage of it. Let us not acquire through patronage what we can acquire through hard work. If you see something right, do not think twice – praise it,” Aquino pointd out.

He said he needs all the help he can get to push forward his reform agenda.

He admitted that his effort to improve governance and weed out corruption in the bureaucracy has made him worry sometimes for his personal safety.

“I remember a woman warning me during the campaign: ‘Noy, be careful, you will be stepping on many toes.’ Sometimes, I do worry about what I am doing. But I am heartened because you are with me, and we stand on the side of what is right,” Aquino said.

“And to those who may resist the change we are trying to bring about, this I say to you: I know what I must do, and my personal interests are nothing when compared to the interests of the nation. There are many of us who want what is right for this country; and there are more of us than you. To those of you who would turn back the tide of reform: you will not succeed, said Aquino. (From philstar.com, Vox Bikol)