Char Sona
Char Sona
Char Sona
I have seen how illegal drugs destroyed individuals and ruined family relationships.
I have seen how criminality, by means all foul, snatched from the innocent and the
unsuspecting, the years and years of accumulated savings. Years of toil and then,
suddenly, they are back to where they started.
Look at this from that perspective and tell me that I am wrong.
In this fight, I ask Congress and the Commission on Human Rights and all others who
are similarly situated to allow us a level of governance that is consistent to our mandate.
The fight will be relentless and it will be sustained.
As a lawyer and a former prosecutor, I know the limits of the power and authority of the
president. I know what is legal and what is not.
My adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising.
You mind your work and I will mind mine.
Malasakit; Tunay na Pagbabago; Tinud-anay (real) nga Kausaban(change) these
are words which catapulted me to the presidency. These slogans were conceptualized
not for the sole purpose of securing the votes of the electorate. Tinud-anay nga kabaguhan (real change). Mao kana ang tumong sa atong pang-gobyerno (this is the direction
of our government).
Far from that. These were battle cries articulated by me in behalf of the people hungry
for genuine and meaningful change. But the change, if it is to be permanent and
significant, must start with us and in us.
To borrow the language of F. Sionil Jose, we have become our own worst enemies. And
we must have the courage and the will to change ourselves.
Love of country, subordination of personal interests to the common good, concern and
care for the helpless and the impoverished these are among the lost and faded values
that we seek to recover and revitalize as we commence our journey towards a better
Philippines. The ride will be rough. But come and join me just the same. Together,
shoulder to shoulder, let us take the first wobbly steps in this quest.
There are two quotations from revered figures that shall serve as the foundation upon
which this administration shall be built.
The test of government is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who
have much; it is whether we provide for those who have little.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
And from (Abraham) Lincoln I draw this expression:
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong; You cannot help the poor by
discouraging the rich; You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer;
You cannot further the brotherhood by inciting class hatred among men.
My economic and financial, political policies are contained in those quotations, though
couched in general terms. Read between the lines. I need not go into specifics now. They
shall be supplied to you in due time.
However, there are certain policies and specifics of which cannot wait for tomorrow to
be announced.
Therefore, I direct all department secretaries and the heads of agencies to reduce
requirements and the processing time of all applications, from the submission to the
release. I order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to remove redundant
requirements and compliance with one department or agency, shall be accepted as
sufficient for all.
I order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to refrain from changing and
bending the rules government contracts, transactions and projects already approved and
awaiting implementation. Changing the rules when the game is on-going is wrong.
I abhor secrecy and instead advocate transparency in all government contracts, projects
and business transactions from submission of proposals to negotiation to perfection and
finally, to consummation.
Do them and we will work together. Do not do them, we will part sooner than later.
On the international front and community of nations, let me reiterate that the Republic
of the Philippines will honor treaties and international obligations.
On the domestic front, my administration is committed to implement all signed peace
agreements in step with constitutional and legal reforms.
I am elated by the expression of unity among our Moro brothers and leaders, and the
response of everyone else to my call for peace.
I look forward to the participation of all other stakeholders, particularly our indigenous
peoples, to ensure inclusivity in the peace process.
Let me remind in the end of this talk, that I was elected to the presidency to serve the
entire country. I was not elected to serve the interests of any one person or any group or
any one class. I serve every one and not only one.
That is why I have adapted as an article of faith, the following lines written by someone
whose name I could no longer recall. He said:
Proyekto
Sa
Aral. Pan.