| (SAN JOSE CITY, Nueva Ecija) President Benigno S. Aquino III said Wednesday his Daang Matuwid agenda in Nueva Ecija has focused on improving the province’s agricultural sector for the benefit of its people.“Ang atin pong panata sa Daang Matuwid: Sa pag-unlad, walang maiiwan. Sa pag-ikot sa buong bansa, tinutukoy natin ang inyong pangangailangan, at agaran itong tinutugunan,” the President said in his speech during a meeting with members of the local community here.
The goal of the government, he said, is to harness the full potential of Nueva Ecija as the “Rice Bowl of the Philippines”.
He noted that the administration has built farm-to-market roads to speed up the transport of agricultural products to the market and in the end raise the people’s income.
From 2011 to 2015, the government completed 112 farm-to-market roads in Nueva Ecija, he said, adding 16 projects are still ongoing.
“Bukod dito, isinulong din natin ang paggamit ng makabagong teknolohiya sa pagsasaka, at ang production at post-harvest mechanization,” President Aquino said.
These initiatives, he said, resulted in rice yields of 5.12 metric tons per hectare in the province in 2015, higher than the 4.95 metric tons per hectare under Marcos’ Masagana 99 program.
The Chief Executive further cited the government’s major strides in improving the province’s infrastructure, pointing out that the budget allocation for infrastructure tripled from P5.68 billion from 2005 to 2010, to P16.17 billion from 2011 to 2016.
Another project, according to the President, is the Central Luzon Link Expressway Phase 1, which begins in SCTEx, traverses Tarlac, Zaragoza, and Aliaga, and ends in Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija. It will begin construction next month.
“Kapag po nakumpleto ito, mapapabilis po nito ang biyahe mula Tarlac hanggang Cabanatuan City, kung saan makikinabang ang 11,200 motorista kada araw,” he said.
The government is also building an alternate route to Region II, which will traverse Aurora, Quirino and Nueva Ecija, he said, noting that upon completion, motorists no longer need to use the Dalton Pass, which is prone to landslides and earthquakes.
The President also mentioned the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program that already benefits some 84,000 households in Nueva Ecija.
This year, he said, the program is expected to help 4.6 million households nationwide.
The administration has also expanded PhilHealth coverage in the province, which now benefits 1.6 million individuals, he added.
Prior to this event, the President led the ceremony for the sitio electrification program in Talavera, also in Nueva Ecija.
President Aquino endorsed the administration’s candidates during Wednesday’s event, enjoining the people of Nueva Ecija to vote for them come May to ensure the continuance of the government programs. PND (as) |
| President Benigno S. Aquino III has encouraged the country’s youth to know the history of the EDSA People Power Revolution to avoid a repeat of the dark years of Marital Law.In his speech during the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA revolt on Thursday, the President recalled the hardships during martial rule when the government suppressed freedom as former president Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies committed abuses and engaged in corruption.
“Ngayon po, ang hiling ko sa kabataan: Alamin ninyo ang nangyari noong EDSA,” he said, addressing young Filipinos.
“Meron tayong museo na bahagi ng ating pagdiriwang: Ang EDSA People Power Experiential Museum, kung saan sa bahagya ninyong mararanasan ang kalupitang ipinatupad noong diktadurya, sulitin sana ninyo ang pagkakataong itong makita kung gaano kahalaga ang kalayaan at demokrasyang nasa sa inyo nang mga kamay.”
The President said he believes that today’s young generation appreciates the sacrifices made by their elders, especially those who fought Martial Law.
Young Filipinos can reap the fruit of the reforms sowed today in decades to come, he said.
Quoting the words of his mother, the late president Corazon Aquino, he said, “The problems we face are our generation’s making. It is our generation that has to correct them. Your role is to prepare yourselves better to avoid making the same mistakes.”
Today’s young people are free to dream, have careers and nurture their own families, things that were difficult to do during the Martial Law years, he said.
“Kayo ang pinakamakikinabang kung mapapangalagaan ang ating kalayaan, kaya’t nawa’y maunawaan ninyo ang tangan ninyong responsibilidad. Nawa’y mag-ambagan tayong lahat, upang hindi na kailanman muling manaig ang kadiliman sa Pilipinas,” he told the youth.
“Nawa’y ang kalayaang kay tagal nating minithi ay hinding-hindi na mababawing muli.”
Present generations of Filipinos must stand firm because there are groups that remain loyal to the Marcoses, who want to erase the abuses and excesses of the past.
These people want the public to believe that the country benefitted from the dictatorship, calling the Martial Law years the golden days of the Philippines, the President said.
“Sadya nga nilang tinatabunan ang mga naabot natin sa Daang Matuwid: Ngayon, may higit 7.7 na milyong Pilipino ang naitawid na mula sa kahirapan; nariyan ang higit 4.4 milyong kabahayang suportado ng Pantawid Pamilya, pati na ang 92 percent ng ating populasyon na saklaw na ng PhilHealth,” the President said.
Under the present reforms, he said, 40 percent of the poorest of the poor now have access to free medical care in government hospitals.
The Philippines has also recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the past 10 years, he said, adding that the government has constructed many infrastructure projects that now benefit the people. PND (as) |
| President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday expressed his frustration over the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which he said was deliberately derailed by opposition senators.In his speech during the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power Revolution, the President recalled the excesses committed by former president Ferdinand Marcos to Muslim Filipinos during Martial Law.
He said Marcos and his minions seized lands and tolerated those who committed abuses.
“Imbes na katarungan ang gawing tugon, o gumawa ng batas para isaayos ang sitwasyon, Philippine Constabulary at Sandatahang Lakas ang itinulak na solusyon,” he said.
With regards to the Mindanao peace process, the Chief Executive said the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have come up with the Framework Agreement and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and have worked hard to pass the BBlL.
The President said it is regrettable that the BBL, which is expected to bring lasting peace to the region, has not been passed by Congress.
“Nanghihinayang ako, dahil ang tanging batas na maghahatid ng katarungan at kapayapaan, sadya pa po talagang hinarang,” he said.
“At di po ba: Ang BBL, naipit sa Senado sa kumite para sa lokal na gobyerno, na pinamumunuan ni Senador (Bongbong) Marcos? Di ba nung pinakahuling araw ng sesyon, tuloy pa rin ang pag-interpellate ni Senador (Juan Ponce) Enrile? At di po ba, itong dalawang apelyido ding ito ang siyang nagtulak ng military solution para sa mga Moro noong panahon ng diktadurya?”
President Aquino pointed out that many of those who were abused during the Martial Law years understand what Muslims in Mindanao have gone through.
“Kami mismong mag-anak, humarap sa matinding pang-aabuso ng nasa kapangyarihan,” he said.
The President also noted that Martial Law sowed discontent among the people, resulting in communist insurgency during those years.
From 60 individuals, the ranks of the New People’s Army (NPA) swelled to 25,000 after martial rule, threatening the country’s security, he said, adding that Davao even became the urban laboratory of the NPA, the insurgents prepared to attack different cities in the country.
The President also urged the people to guard the country’s freedom and democracy as some Marcos loyalists worked to erase the abuses and wrongdoings of the past.
He also appealed to young Filipinos to study the history of the EDSA People Power Revolution to avoid a repeat of the faults committed during Martial Law. PND (as) |
