Aquino calls on critics to help lead RP to progress

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino called on his detractors yesterday to join him in his mission of leading the country to progress anchored on transparency and good governance.

“Hinihikayat ko ang ating mga kapwa Pilipinong panay pa rin ang batikos: makiisa sana kayo sa ating pagsisikap (I urge our countrymen who keep on criticizing to join us in our effort),” he said in his speech upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from his US trip.

He said his administration can be trusted to handle taxpayers’ money with care and judiciousness as he is serious in his campaign against corruption in the bureaucracy. He said even foreign observers have acknowledged his administration’s sincerity in fighting corruption.

Mr. Aquino said that in his weeklong trip to the US, President Barack Obama as well as other Southeast Asian leaders, expressed confidence in his administration.

“Masasabi natin na ang mga pag-uusap na naganap ay hindi lamang pakitang-tao. Malawak at detalyado ang mga naging usapin natin (We can say that the discussions were not just for show. Our discussions were comprehensive and detailed),” he said.

“At nararamdaman ng mga dayuhan ang bagong sigla at kumpiyansa na nararamdaman din ng napakaraming Filipino ngayon (And even foreigners are now feeling the renewed vigor and confidence being felt by many Filipinos),” he said.

Several companies have agreed to pour in more investments, among them Coca-Cola with its $1 billion investment in the upgrading and replacement of equipment and in creation of new products and processes.

Another investment is in power generation by AES, a global power firm. The power firm’s $1 billion investment is earmarked for the expansion of the capacity of the Masinloc power plant II by up to 660 megawatts. “This will lead to 1,500 jobs during the three to four year construction period,” Mr. Aquino said.

“The other companies are investing another $400 million. Our short visit to the US enabled us to generate $2.4 billion in new investments,” the President stressed.

“We were able to secure a commitment of at least 43,650 new jobs in the next three years including some 4,500 in construction-related jobs and because of the multiplier effect we estimate 200,000 more jobs to benefit our countrymen,” he said.

The other companies that have promised to invest were Pfizer, Hewlett Packard, JP Morgan Chase, Holdings Limited, Sutherland Global Services Inc., Century Properties, General Electric, SPI Global and Affinity Express and Headstrong Corp.

Fulfilling promises

Meanwhile, the Social Watch Philippines – an alliance of non-government organizations – is calling on Mr. Aquino to take the lead in demanding that rich countries make good their promises of more aid to poor countries.

“Compassion is not enough; we want the action of rich nations fulfilling their promises of aid to poor countries,” said former national treasurer Leonor Briones, SWP lead convenor.

“Forty years passed since they committed to spend 0.7 percent of their Gross National Income on official development aid and they never fulfilled this obligation. What is pitiful is that the richest nations like the United States and Japan are among those who have provided very little aid as percentage of income to the poor countries,” she said.

Statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that the US provided a measly 0.2 percent of its Gross National Income (GNI) to Official Development Assistance while Japan gave only 0.18 percent.

“We hope that the President would courageously demand action and fulfillment of obligation to aid from the rich and powerful countries. The Aquino administration will have to make sure that the country achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and we have a lot of catching up to do, especially with the huge financing gaps to achieve the targets,” Briones said. – With Rhodina Villanueva