Focus on good governance, equitable growth as Aquino enters last 2 years in office

MANILA, Philippines - Amid rising prices and corruption issues hounding some administration allies, Malacañang said President Benigno S. Aquino III would spend his last two years in office by laying the foundations of good governance and equitable growth.

“Our belief is that we would like to have inclusive growth for all and so, we would like to make sure that as we leave—as the President leaves the… after 2016, he has laid the foundation for an economy that will provide equitable growth,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told radio station dzRB on Saturday.

“Another thing we want to instill among our countrymen is that let’s not go back anymore to where we were before. We have elevated the level of governance. People expect better from government,” he added.

Lacierda issued the statements as Aquino enters the final two years of his office on June 30.

Lacierda claimed one of the achievements of the Aquino administration is the change in the public’s attitude towards the government.

“Despite the many issues that surround and that we have to handle on a regular basis, the Filipinos can expect the standard of governance has risen and that they should not allow the standard to go down again,” he said.

“We still have two more years to go and every year there will always be achievements and it will be up to the historians and for the political analysts also to decide for themselves what would be the single biggest achievement of this administration.”

Critics of the Aquino administration claim that the president is not doing enough to address key issues like rising prices and poverty.

They even coined the term “Noynoying” to denote what they described as Aquino’s inaction on pressing issues.

Aquino’s critics also accuse him of double standards and selective justice because of his administration’s supposed failure to punish erring allies.

Palace officials, however, have repeatedly belied these claims, saying the president is working to achieve inclusive growth while promoting an anti-corruption drive that does not favor anyone.