Many Twitter users meanwhile lamented that President Aquino did not certify as urgent measures such reform-oriented bills such as those on Reproductive Health and on Freedom on Information, with not a few raising a howl that Aquino was completely silent on the issue of land reform.

It is President Aquino’s responsibility to expose all perfidious acts committed by his predecessor. He owes it to the nation to find out all of those transactions, and to mobilize government to run after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her cohorts who cashed in on their positions and prerogatives.

It would have been a great combo had the President also certified as urgent the FOI bill which, side by side with the Whistleblowers’ Bill, would empower and encourage citizens to take a pro-active role in making government and government officials accountable and to help combat corruption that usually happens under the veil of secrecy.

One major highlight of the President’s speech was the idea of private-public partnerships which he claimed would help fund government and its operations and services. Nothing wrong really with the idea but this cannot be the determining factor of how the government would raise revenues and how these would be spent.

If there will be a serious battle against corruption, the money to be recovered or saved should be re-directed to vital social services.  The Aquino government would do better if it makes a vow to put people first in budgeting and spending and accounting for each centavo allotted and  spent. There are strategic areas of government and strategic services that, prudence and Constitution dictate, ought not be put under (financial) control of the private sector.

President Aquino also spoke on the “situation in Mindanao”. If only that phrase were half-true, that the Mindanao conflict is just “a situation”, there would have been no need for a peace process. Was it just a problematic choice of words, or a thinly-veiled admission that he is not at all knowledgeable of the long and deep roots of the conflict between Manila and the Bangsamoro people?

The President meanwhile talked tough regarding the communists, accusing them of offering no solutions, only criticism. He then foisted the old idea of a long truce or ceasefire — basically the same offer made by Arroyo. Aquino again was silent on the eleven prior agreements signed by Manila and the National Democratic Front, and his peace adviser may have not told him about the NDF’s proposed draft for a Comprehensive Agreement of Social and Economic Reforms. That draft is as practical and as detailed as the NDF could get insofar as proposing solutions to the socioeconomic ills that are at the root of the conflict.

We citizens offer no apology for making such observations. That is both a right and responsibility. Yes, because while the President has the right to make his own determination of the current state of the nation, how we arrived at and how to veer away from the present crisis, citizens are well within their rights under this Republic to make it known where Aquino made serious or unforgivable omissions.

In a display of pique, Aquino scolded the state weather forecasters about their failure to provide an accurate forecast on typhoon Basyang, especially on its route that happened to include Metro Manila.

In so doing, Aquino articulated what the public feels about the work of the men and women of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). For many, PAGASA forecasts have become too limited or too inaccurate. It is no longer unusual for businesses and citizens to complement PAGASA forecasts with reports from foreign forecasting agencies. Some times, PAGASA forecasts are set aside totally.

Aquino, who ran and won a platform of change and hope, should bring the same to PAGASA. The state and the country depends so much on PAGASA but the agency is given too little to accomplish its tasks. For a country located in the “typhoon belt” and along the Pacific “ring of fire”, the Philippines should provide adequate support to PAGASA especially in the form of funding for the equipment they need and for the training and retraining of scientists and experts working there.

If state support for PAGASA remains unchanged, the agency would only be able to provide full service in 2013. That’s a long, terrifying wait.

President Aquino should support PAGASA by raising the government’s budget for the agency when he submits to Congress his proposed 2011 national appropriations act later this month.

Anything less than that would make Aquino no different from previous presidents who scold bureaucrats but do not equip and empower them to perform their jobs and functions, starting with adequate appropriations. The President must be able to lead in seeing this through.

PAGASA’s rank and file, the scientific community and the public would support such a move.

Davide (left) was Arroyo's envoy to the UN, deodorizing the former president's record until the 2010 elections when he switched support to Aquino. (Photo credit: Philippine Information Agency)

Under her 9-year watch (January 2001 – June 2010), Arroyo along
with many top officials were implicated in election fraud, major cases
of corruption, plunder, and gross and systematic human rights
violations. These allegations led to the filing of four successive
impeachment complaints against her and – in the case of the rights
violations – in the holding of a number of independent tribunals that
found the former president guilty. Although Arroyo was the alleged
principal perpetrator these cases could not have happened without the
complicity of her political allies, Cabinet members, generals,
business cronies, and others. Justice has been denied owing to the
inaction if not the complicit role of top officials of the Ombudsman,
prosecutors, and state investigators.

At this point, nothing is clear about the task of the Truth
Commission. This early, however, the independence of the commission is
being questioned given that it will be headed by a former Arroyo
appointee. Former Supreme Court chief justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr.
Davide, who once headed the fact-finding commission on the coup
attempts staged against President Corazon C. Aquino in the late 1980s,
served as permanent representative of the Philippine mission to the
United Nations and had sworn Arroyo to the presidency in 2001 upon the
ouster of then President Joseph E. Estrada.

The proposed presidential commission is not without precedent.
There was the Agrava Commission that probed into the assassination of
opposition figure Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1983. Others were the Davide
Commission, Feliciano Commission (Oakwood mutiny, 2003), and the Melo
Commission (2006) that looked into political killings. Although the
Agrava commission linked military men to the 1983 assassination its
mastermind remains unknown to this day. The Davide commission only
resulted in a “kid’s gloves” approach to the coup plotters. Leaders of
the Oakwood mutiny were detained and tried but the issues they had
raised including corruption in the armed forces remain unheeded to
this day. The Melo commission became just a political ploy to
neutralize the growing international outrage over the political
killings.

Specific investigations

What is common among these past commissions is their investigation
of specific cases, whether incidents of political assassination, coup
attempts, or the summary execution of activists. The proposed Truth
Commission is more than this: It is expected to look into cases of
corruption, plunder, electoral fraud, and human rights violations.
Similar to the past commissions, the new Davide-led body will
investigate but can only recommend the prosecution of perpetrators.
What happens after that is an entirely different story.

Even if it is formed as a superbody with powers to summon both
alleged perpetrators, co-conspirators, and witnesses the proposed
commission’s mandate will likely be so vast that fulfilling its
mission would be agonizingly long if not nearly impossible.
Theoretically, a truth commission should only look into a specific
incidence of inter-related crimes. Thus it has the choice of probing
into corruption, electoral fraud, plunder, or human rights cases.
Among others, the professed goal is to put an end to a heinous crime
committed over a period of time, deliver its perpetrators to justice,
and bring about a major transformation. The prosecution of Arroyo and
other officials for corruption, for instance, can be a definitive step
toward fulfilling Aquino III’s campaign pledge to end the culture of
corruption in government.

However, in any of the possible areas of investigation, evidences,
documents, and testimonies are already ample and available these
having been gathered in numerous hearings and investigations done by
both government and constitutional bodies as well as by credible
independent groups and international organizations. The truth that the
commission seeks to find and consolidate is distilled in these data
that can be used to build a strong case. With all the information
available, it would be redundant for the Truth Commission to conduct
another lengthy investigation especially when what is needed at this
time is speedy justice.

Regardless, the Truth Commission will conduct its own inquiry. For
investigation to be credible it will have to summon not only the
principal respondent but all other authorities and individuals without
whose complicit role the alleged crimes would not have been committed
and several laws violated in a period of nine years. These elements
are still entrenched in government, hold powerful positions whether in
the civilian or military-police institutions and, who knows, a number
of them have been appointed or re-appointed in the Aquino cabinet.

Then, what?

Granting an investigation is done, how will the prosecution then
proceed? Aquino III needs all the political will and support he can
muster just to overhaul the Arroyo-appointed Ombudsman and other legal
bodies so that the judicial process can move forward. Without
congressional enactments, however, the agencies concerned cannot just
be made to act accordingly these being constitutional bodies. The
Philippine justice system is weak and unreliable yet too politicized
that legitimate cases not to mention charges involving the powers that
be will not prosper.

With all these gridlocks, there are courses of action that the new
president can – and should – do without even waiting for the Truth
Commission to begin its herculean task. For instance, he should now
rein in the military and assert civilian authority by terminating the
counter-insurgency program that continues to involve political
killings and buckle down to serious peace talks with the armed Left
and MILF. He should order the justice department to proceed with the
first complaint filed against Arroyo instead of holding it in abeyance
in deference to the Truth Commission. He can ask Congress to act on a
pending bill increasing the powers of the Commission on Human Rights
(CHR) for the prosecution of erring military and police forces.

A historical lesson is worth mentioning at this point. Ferdinand
Marcos was ousted by people power in 1986 following years of
corruption, plunder, and human rights violations. But the first
directive issued by Corazon Aquino when she took over the presidency
is to provide immunity from prosecution to all Marcos officials and
generals involved in human rights cases. There was “reconciliation”
with the oppressors; victims have long been forgotten to this day.
With all this betrayal, thousands of torture victims filed a class
suit against the Marcoses in Honolulu and succeeded in getting a
conviction later.

Justice

This only proves that justice cannot await any government action.
It is up for victims of rights violations and those directly or
indirectly affected by corruption, plunder, and electoral fraud to by,
their own efforts, let justice bear upon the perpetrators. Legal
alternatives can be mulled on how and where legitimate cases against
Arroyo and company can be filed. Hope is not lost; only the collective
will of the people can make it happen.

Truth Commissions emerged from civil strife and transitional
periods in some countries of South America, Africa, and Asia during
the 1970s. Generally, they dealt with human rights with investigations
focused on patterns of mass killings and state-sponsored terrorism.
Their role is as part of the “healing process” that aims to put
closure to a history of repression and provide trauma healing and
restorative justice to its victims and their surviving families. These
high expectations were, however, not generally met because some of the
commissions lacked impartiality or independence. In other countries,
amnesties were given right away to perpetrators at the expense of the
victims themselves. Some transitional governments used the truth
commission as a means of reconciling with the past – without
necessarily allowing justice to prevail.

The victims were:

• Jose Daguio, a radio broadcaster, in Tabuk town, Kalinga province
• Fernando Baldomero, a town councilor and provincial leader of the political party Bayan Muna

Daguio and Baldomero are now known as the first journalist and activist, respectively, to be murdered under Aquino.

Even prior to his inaugural last June 30, Aquino had been asked by human rights groups Amnesty International and Karapatan to order a complete stop to extrajudicial killings and to have slays of journalists and activists under former President Arroyo to be investigated and prosecuted.

Aquino himself was a victim of a similar act of violence. In 1983, assassins killed his father, then-opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr., as he arrived in Manila from exile in the United States.

On one hand, it was the first tangible, even if cosmetic, sign of change brought about by President Noynoy Aquino’s inaugural. The message was that change, however incremental, is not coming later. It is here now. For a people who have grown sick and tired of abusive and exploitative officials, starting with the former president herself, the ban on “wang-wangs” is a welcome change indeed.

But others have a different take. They say that, as president, Aquino has certain privileges that should make it easy for him perform his duties as president, and that includes having unhampered access throughout all the nation’s streets, air and sealanes. While they appreciate Aquino’s efforts to commiserate with the public’s daily suffering through heavy traffic, petty corruption and plain stupidity by urban planners and traffic enforcers — they cite his official functions and security requirements as factors that far outweigh this display of presidential disgust over abusive “wang-wang” users.

Aquino may even be prone to falling down from his pedestal if and when the Presidential Security Group would override this presidential decision — out of concern for his security. Indeed, there may be instances in the future that would necessitate the use of sirens.

Sirens per se are not bad. They are essential to signal the passing through of police vehicles who may be in pursuit of criminals or are en route to a crime scene, or of firetrucks out to stamp out a raging fire, or of an ambulance speeding its way to a hospital. They are necessary especially for these and other emergency or some other important reason.

What most Filipinos find detestable and objectionable is the behavior and mentality of government officials, policemen, soldiers and other professions whose vehicles are equipped with sirens and blinkers. Even without an emergency or on personal leisure, we witness them using those blasted sirens and blinkers — throwing their weight around and showing to the public their utter disregard for us and the laws.

It is thus understandable that many support Aquino’s anti-wang-wang drive. But the president is taking it to absurd lengths if he insists on adhering to the same policy even if he is not required to do so because of his very title and nature of work.

Sooner or later, the public would demand that Aquino do more to curb similar and far worse instances of abuse of official authority. The many cases of abuse of power by former President Arroyo, for one, has not so far merited the attention it deserves. Although many repose full trust in the integrity and competence of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, the public would want the Aquino administration to train its guns beyond the “wang-wang” and towards the likes of Arroyo and her henchmen who misused authority granted by the public to steal, lie, cheat, murder, cover up their tracks and evade accountability for the past nine years.

The legendary Weng-weng. Photo grabbed from Hot Jambalaya!

Others would venture to advise the president to strike whilst the iron is hot, while he enjoys the initial bounce of public acceptance, support and (cautious) hope, to not be content with small fry or mere symbols but to crack down on the worst scums who have abused governmental power for their own selfish interests.

If he uses the anti-”wang-wang” drive as a siren call for a popular, grassroots-based anti-corruption movement, much better. Aquino cannot stop with the wang-wang. He must go after crooks like his predecessor who almost cuts the size of — bless his soul — Weng-weng.

(N.B.: Filipinos loved and continue to love the memories and movies of legendary Weng-weng [Ernesto dela Cruz in real life, born in 1957 and died in 1992], the diminutive actor and martial artist. Except for the height, he shared nothing else with the person described herein as corrupt.)

Aquino however was silent on the issue of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations that marked the records of the previous Commander-in-Chief and her counterinsurgency program that not only failed to crush the Communist Party of the Philippines but left behind a long trail of blood.

Aquino addresses military generals and soldiers at Camp Aguinaldo. (Photo credit: Marcelino Pascua/OPS/NIB-Photo)

Operation Plan Bantay Laya, the counterinsurgency program of former President Arroyo, was said to have targeted members of the New People’s Army but also their alleged sympathizers — the members of the so-called “communist fronts”. The result: More than 1,000 activists were recorded as victims of extrajudicial killings by suspected soldiers. The most sensational cases were those that occurred in areas where then-President Arroyo authorized the deployment of Jovito Palparan.

Aquino thus missed the chance to give the AFP a categorical order to veer away from the Arroyo policy and program. He could have declared it before generals and soldiers that the new Commander-in-Chief does not countenance the murder of unarmed, innocent civilians who happen to be activists in the conduct of counterinsurgency operations against the CPP-led New People’s Army.

For nine years, Arroyo and the AFP tried their worst to crush the CPP and the NPA through military operations, physical attacks against activists (based on the dangerously false premise that they are NPAs without guns) and legal assaults on activist leaders (trumped-up cases against the likes of Representative Satur Ocampo, et al) but they did not make a dent in the communist insurgency. With the egging of shady characters like Norberto Gonzales, Arroyo stopped the peace talks with the CPP’s political wing, the National Democratic Front, and instead campaigned to declare the CPP a terrorist group.

Twas like the Marcos dictatorship all over again but with a twist: There was a veneer of “democracy” and “democratic processes” to cover it all up. The civilian authorities unleashed the military against both the public agitated by official corruption and economic hardships (among others) and the armed “enemies of the state”. That was the Arroyo way.

The United Nations special rapporteur, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and local groups Karapatan and Hustisya are all urging the new Aquino administration to stop the mad Arroyo way, and herald a time of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law which seeks to “humanize” wars, and announce the resumption of the peace process to peacefully yet resolutely address the roots of the armed conflict.

The question now which many would like Aquino to answer and tell the military is this: Would the new Aquino administration continue treading the Arroyo way?

Sadly, he missed the chance in his speech before the military.

Here is a screenshot of the presidential website taken at 11:19 pm of July 1, 2010:

This is a disappointment. Some have said that Aquino had one of the best websites during the campaign period and we have expected better than the overlooking of the presidential website upon Aquino’s inaugural.

As an aside, a netizen noted that Arroyo left behind a dirty legacy on the site. If you use the Chrome browser to visit the site, a security warning will come out that says:

The website at www.op.gov.ph contains elements from the site www.macapagal.com, which appears to host malware – software that can hurt your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that contains malware can infect your computer.

Members of Aquino’s communications team should immediately archive the Arroyo portions of the website, and immediately do an overhaul to reflect the assumption of President Aquino.

While we leave it to Aquino and his team to finalize the look and feel of the new presidential website, we just hope it would be modern, dynamic, interactive, secure and with links to the social networks so it could obtain the widest possible audience and feedback.

By the way, the official vice presidential website did not fare better:

As you can see, the vice president is still Noli de Castro. The staff of Vice President Jojo Binay should fix this website as well.

July 1, 2010

H.E. Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
Malacanan Palace

Dear Mr. President:

Today is your first full day in office of as President of the Philippines and the first day as well of the new 100ARAW.com.

This blog vows to monitor your presidency, check your major steps (and missteps) in your first 100 days in office, the so-called “honeymoon period” with a new President.

We will remind you of the promises and pledges you made in your inaugural speech and in your campaign. We will provide space to voices and views that, we believe, you and other leaders need to hear and should not ignore if we are to move forward as a nation.

We vow to be vigilant and alert, to praise the positive and to damn the negative.

Ultimately, we harbor this hope: That by end of your first 100 days as President, a hundred suns would have shed light across the Philippines, coming as we are from a long, dark period of misrule, thievery, deception, and  brutality. A hundred suns of good and positive steps, measures, policy statements, programs and projects.

Now *that* calls for bold moves, we know. But aware of both the awesome powers of the presidency and the great objectives you declared in your inaugural, we won’t hesitate calling on you to act boldly.

How do we intend to help? Through this blog, we hope to engage you and your presidency. To remind both you and ourselves – who you have sworn to serve – of the great causes and concerns that helped make it possible for you to win the presidency.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Respectfully yours,
100ARAW.com

President Benigno Aquino III, right, and Vice President Jejomar Binay raise their hands "to pledge for change" (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

His Excellency Jose Ramos Horta, Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Former President Joseph Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and members of the Senate, House Speaker Prospero Nograles and members of the House, justices of the Supreme Court, members of the foreign delegations,Your Excellencies of the diplomatic corps, fellow colleagues in government, aking mga kababayan.

Ang pagtayo ko dito ngayon ay patunay na kayo ang aking tunay na lakas. Hindi ko inakala na darating tayo sa puntong ito, na ako’y manunumpa sa harap ninyo bilang inyong Pangulo. Hindi ko pinangarap maging tagapagtaguyod ng pag-asa at tagapagmana ng mga suliranin ng ating bayan.

Ang layunin ko sa buhay ay simple lang: maging tapat sa aking mga magulang at sa bayan bilang isang marangal na anak, mabait na kuya, at mabuting mamamayan.

Nilabanan ng aking ama ang diktaturya at ibinuwis niya ang kanyang buhay para tubusin ang ating demokrasya. Inalay ng aking ina ang kanyang buhay upang pangalagaan ang demokrasyang ito. Ilalaan ko ang aking buhay para siguraduhin na ang ating demokrasya ay kapaki-pakinabang sa bawat isa. Namuhunan na kami ng dugo at handang gawin itong muli kung kinakailangan.

Tanyag man ang aking mga magulang at ang kanilang mga nagawa, alam ko rin ang problema ng ordinaryong mamamayan. Alam nating lahat ang pakiramdam na magkaroon ng pamahalaang bulag at bingi. Alam natin ang pakiramdam na mapagkaitan ng hustisya, na mabalewala ng mga taong pinagkatiwalaan at inatasan nating maging ating tagapagtanggol.

Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin.

Katulad ninyo ako. Marami na sa atin ang bumoto gamit ang kanilang paa—nilisan na nila ang ating bansa sa kanilang paghahanap ng pagbabago at katahimikan. Tiniis nila ang hirap, sinugod ang panganib sa ibang bansa dahil doon may pag-asa kahit kaunti na dito sa atin ay hindi nila nakikita. Sa iilang sandali na sarili ko lang ang aking inaalala, pati ako ay napag-isip din—talaga bang hindi na mababago ang pamamahala natin dito? Hindi kaya nasa ibang bansa ang katahimikang hinahanap ko? Saan ba nakasulat na kailangang puro pagtitiis ang tadhana ng Pilipino?

Ngayon, sa araw na ito—dito magwawakas ang pamumunong manhid sa mga daing ng taumbayan. Hindi si Noynoy ang gumawa ng paraan, kayo ang dahilan kung bakit ngayon, magtatapos na ang pagtitiis ng sambayanan. Ito naman ang umpisa ng kalbaryo ko, ngunit kung marami tayong magpapasan ng krus ay kakayanin natin ito, gaano man kabigat.

Sa tulong ng wastong pamamahala sa mga darating na taon, maiibsan din ang marami nating problema. Ang tadhana ng Pilipino ay babalik sa tamang kalagayan, na sa bawat taon pabawas ng pabawas ang problema ng Pinoy na nagsusumikap at may kasiguruhan sila na magiging tuloy-tuloy na ang pagbuti ng kanilang sitwasyon.

Kami ay narito para magsilbi at hindi para maghari. Ang mandato ninyo sa amin ay pagbabago—isang malinaw na utos para ayusin ang gobyerno at lipunan mula sa pamahalaang iilan lamang ang nakikinabang tungo sa isang pamahalaang kabutihan ng mamamayan ang pinangangalagaan.

Ang mandatong ito ay isa kung saan kayo at ang inyong pangulo ay nagkasundo para sa pagbabago—isang paninindigan na ipinangako ko noong kampanya at tinanggap ninyo noong araw ng halalan.

Sigaw natin noong kampanya: “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.” Hindi lamang ito pang slogan o pang poster—ito ang mga prinsipyong tinatayuan at nagsisilbing batayan ng ating administrasyon.

Ang ating pangunahing tungkulin ay ang magsikap na maiangat ang bansa mula sa kahirapan, sa pamamagitan ng pagpapairal ng katapatan at mabuting pamamalakad sa pamahalaan.

Ang unang hakbang ay ang pagkakaroon ng tuwid at tapat na hanay ng mga pinuno. Magsisimula ito sa akin. Sisikapin kong maging isang mabuting ehemplo. Hinding hindi ko sasayangin ang tiwalang ipinagkaloob ninyo sa akin. Sisiguraduhin ko na ganito rin ang adhikain ng aking Gabinete at ng mga magiging kasama sa ating pamahalaan.

Naniniwala akong hindi lahat ng nagsisilbi sa gobyerno ay corrupt. Sa katunayan, mas marami sa kanila ay tapat. Pinili nilang maglingkod sa gobyerno upang gumawa ng kabutihan. Ngayon, magkakaroon na sila ng pagkakataong magpakitang-gilas. Inaasahan natin sila sa pagsupil ng korapsyon sa loob mismo ng burukrasya.

Sa mga itinalaga sa paraang labag sa batas, ito ang aking babala: sisimulan natin ang pagbabalik ng tiwala sa pamamagitan ng pag-usisa sa mga “midnight appointments.” Sana ay magsilbi itong babala sa mga nag-iisip na ipagpatuloy ang baluktot na kalakarang nakasanayan na ng marami.

Sa mga kapuspalad nating mga kababayan, ngayon, ang pamahalaan ang inyong kampeon.

Hindi natin ipagpapaliban ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga estudyante, kaya’t sisikapin nating punan ang kakulangan sa ating mga silid-aralan.

Unti-unti din nating babawasan ang mga kakulangan sa imprastraktura para sa transportasyon, turismo at pangangalakal. Mula ngayon, hindi na puwede ang “puwede na” pagdating sa mga kalye, tulay at gusali dahil magiging responsibilidad ng mga kontratista ang panatilihing nasa mabuting kalagayan ang mga proyekto nila.

Bubuhayin natin ang programang “emergency employment” ng dating pangulong Corazon Aquino sa pagtatayo ng mga bagong imprastraktura na ito. Ito ay magbibigay ng trabaho sa mga local na komunidad at makakatulong sa pagpapalago ng kanila at ng ating ekonomiya.

Hindi kami magiging sanhi ng inyong pasakit at perwisyo. Palalakasin natin ang koleksyon at pupuksain natin ang korapsyon sa Kawanihan ng Rentas Internas at Bureau of Customs para mapondohan natin ang ating mga hinahangad para sa lahat, tulad ng:

• dekalidad na edukasyon, kabilang ang edukasyong bokasyonal para makapaghanap ng marangal na trabaho ang hindi makapag-kolehiyo;

• serbisyong pangkalusugan, tulad ng Philhealth para sa lahat sa loob ng tatlong taon;

• tirahan sa loob ng mga ligtas na komunidad.

Palalakasin at palalaguin natin ang bilang ng ating kasundaluhan at kapulisan, hindi para tugunan ang interes ng mga naghahari-harian, ngunit para proteksyunan ang mamamayan. Itinataya nila ang kanilang buhay para mayroong pagkakataon sa katahimikan at kapayapaan sa sambayanan. Dumoble na ang populasyong kanilang binabantayan, nanatili naman sila sa bilang. Hindi tama na ang nagmamalasakit ay kinakawawa.

Kung dati ay may fertilizer scam, ngayon ay may kalinga na tunay para sa mga magsasaka. Tutulungan natin sila sa irigasyon, extension services, at sa pagbenta ng kanilang produkto sa pinakamataas na presyong maaari.

Inaatasan natin si papasok na Kalihim Alcala na magtayo ng mga trading centers kung saan diretso na ang magsasaka sa mamimili – lalaktawan natin ang gitna, kasama na ang kotong cop. Sa ganitong paraan, ang dating napupunta sa gitna ay maari nang paghatian ng magsasaka at mamimili.

Gagawin nating kaaya-aya sa negosyante ang ating bansa. We will cut red tape dramatically and implement stable economic policies. We will level the playing field for investors and make government an enabler, not a hindrance, to business. Sa ganitong paraan lamang natin mapupunan ang kakulangan ng trabaho para sa ating mga mamamayan.

Layunin nating paramihin ang trabaho dito sa ating bansa upang hindi na kailanganin ang mangibang-bansa para makahanap ng trabaho. Ngunit habang ito ay hindi pa natin naaabot, inaatasan ko ang mga kawani ng DFA, POEA, OWWA at iba pang mga kinauukulang ahensiya na mas lalo pang paigtingin ang pagtugon sa mga hinaing at pangangailangan ng ating mga overseas Filipino workers.

Papaigtingin namin ang proseso ng konsultasyon at pag-uulat sa taumbayan. Sisikapin naming isakatuparan ang nakasaad sa ating Konstitusyon na kinikilala ang karapatan ng mamamayan na magkaroon ng kaalaman ukol sa mga pampublikong alintana.

Binuhay natin ang diwa ng people power noong kampanya. Ipagpatuloy natin ito tungo sa tuwid at tapat na pamamahala. Ang naniniwala sa people power ay nakatuon sa kapwa at hindi sa sarili.

Sa mga nang-api sa akin, kaya ko kayong patawarin, at pinapatawad ko na kayo. Sa mga nang-api sa sambayanan, wala akong karapatan na limutin ang inyong mga kasalanan.

To those who are talking about reconciliation, if they mean that they would like us to simply forget about the wrongs that they have committed in the past, we have this to say: there can be no reconciliation without justice. Sa paglimot ng pagkakasala, sinisigurado mong mauulit muli ang mga pagkakasalang ito. Secretary de Lima, you have your marching orders. Begin the process of providing true and complete justice for all.

Ikinagagalak din naming ibahagi sa inyo ang pagtanggap ni dating Chief Justice Hilario Davide sa hamon ng pagtatatag at pamumuno sa isang Truth Commission na magbibigay linaw sa maraming kahinahinalang isyu na hanggang ngayon ay walang kasagutan at resolusyon.

Ang sinumang nagkamali ay kailangang humarap sa hustisya. Hindi maaaring patuloy ang kalakaran ng walang pananagutan at tuloy na pang-aapi.

My government will be sincere in dealing with all the peoples of Mindanao. We are committed to a peaceful and just settlement of conflicts, inclusive of the interests of all – may they be Lumads, Bangsamoro or Christian.

We shalI defeat the enemy by wielding the tools of justice, social reform, and equitable governance leading to a better life. Sa tamang pamamahala gaganda ang buhay ng lahat, at sa buhay na maganda, sino pa ang gugustuhing bumalik sa panahon ng pang-aapi?

Kung kasama ko kayo, maitataguyod natin ang isang bayan kung saan pantay-pantay ang pagkakataon, dahil pantay-pantay nating ginagampanan ang ating mga pananagutan.

Kamakailan lamang, ang bawat isa sa atin ay nanindigan sa presinto. Bumoto tayo ayon sa ating karapatan at konsensiya. Hindi tayo umatras sa tungkulin nating ipaglaban ang karapatang ito.

Pagkatapos ng bilangan, pinatunayan ninyo na ang tao ang tunay na lakas ng bayan.

Ito ang kahalagahan ng ating demokrasya. Ito ang pundasyon ng ating pagkakaisa. Nangampanya tayo para sa pagbabago. Dahil dito taas-noo muli ang Pilipino. Tayong lahat ay kabilang sa isang bansa kung saan maaari nang mangarap muli.

To our friends and neighbors around the world, we are ready to take our place as a reliable member of the community of nations, a nation serious about its commitments and which harmonizes its national interests with its international responsibilities.

We will be a predictable and consistent place for investment, a nation where everyone will say, “it all works.”

Inaanyayahan ko kayo ngayon na manumpa sa ating mga sarili, sa sambayanan, WALANG MAIIWAN.

Walang pangingibang-bayan at gastusan na walang wastong dahilan. Walang pagtatalikod sa mga salitang binitawan noong kampanya, ngayon at hanggang sa mga susunod pang pagsubok na pagdadaanan sa loob ng anim na taon.

Walang lamangan, walang padrino at walang pagnanakaw. Walang wang-wang, walang counterflow, walang tong. Panahon na upang tayo ay muling magkawang-gawa.

Nandito tayo ngayon dahil sama-sama tayong nanindigan at nagtiwala na may pag-asa.

The people who are behind us dared to dream. Today, the dream starts to become a reality. Sa inyong mga nag-iisip pa kung tutulong kayo sa pagpasan ng ating krus, isa lang ang aking tanong – kung kailan tayo nanalo, saka pa ba kayo susuko?

Kayo ang boss ko, kaya’t hindi maaaring hindi ako makinig sa mga utos ninyo. We will design and implement an interaction and feedback mechanism that can effectively respond to the people’s needs and aspirations.

Kayo ang nagdala sa akin sa puntong ito—ang ating mga volunteers—matanda, bata, celebrity, ordinaryong tao, na umikot sa Pilipinas para ikampanya ang pagbabago; ang aking mga kasambahay, na nag-asikaso ng lahat ng aking mga personal na pangangailangan; ang aking pamilya, kaibigan at katrabaho, na dumamay, nag-alaga at nagbigay ng suporta sa akin; ang ating mga abogado, na nagpuyat para bantayan ang ating mga boto at siguraduhing mabibilang ang bawat isa; ang aking mga kapartido at kaalyado na kasama kong nangahas mangarap; at ang milyun-milyong Pilipinong nagkaisa, nagtiwala at hindi nawalan ng pag-asa—nasa inyo ang aking taus-pusong pasasalamat.

Hindi ko makakayang harapin ang aking mga magulang, at kayong mga nagdala sa akin sa yugto ng buhay kong ito, kung hindi ko maisasakatuparan ang aking mga binitawang salita sa araw na ito.

My parents sought nothing less and died for nothing less than democracy, peace and prosperity. I am blessed by this legacy. I shall carry the torch forward.

Layunin ko na sa pagbaba ko sa katungkulan, masasabi ng lahat na malayo na ang narating natin sa pagtahak ng tuwid na landas at mas maganda na ang kinabukasang ipapamana natin sa susunod na henerasyon. Samahan ninyo ako sa pagtatapos ng laban na ito. Tayo na sa tuwid na landas.

Maraming salamat po at mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino!

Hillary Clinton herself ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2007-2008.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a press statement congratulating  Noynoy Aquino for winning the race for the Philippine presidency.

Clinton’s greetings follows that of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was himself only recently appointed to the post.

Clinton, who ran against then-Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, said that Filipinos “to carry forward the democratic traditions that his parents did so much to champion.”

Here is the full text of Clinton’s statement:

I join President Obama in congratulating President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, whom the Filipino people have chosen to lead their nation. The Philippines’ successful election exemplified the vitality of the country’s democratic institutions and should be a point of pride for Filipinos everywhere. The Filipino people now look to President-elect Aquino to carry forward the democratic traditions that his parents did so much to champion. The United States has long stood with the Philippines as a trusted ally and friend and we will continue to support the ongoing efforts of the Filipino people to build a secure and prosperous country.