Noynoy, hindi ka nag-iisa

Sinabi po sa akin dati: “Noynoy simulan mo lang. Sinimulan nga po natin, at ngayon, kitang kita na ang layo na ng ating narating. Ngayon, Pilipino, ituloy natin ang pagkakapit bisig, sabay natin arugain, pabilisin, at palawakin ang transpormasyon ng lipunan.  Ako po si Noynoy Aquino, ipinagmamalaki ko sa buong mundo: Pilipino ako. Napakasarap maging Pilipino sa panahong ito.

(Once, I was told: “Noynoy, just begin the change.” So we did, and we can all see how far we have come. Now my countrymen, let us continue to stand arm-in-arm. Together, let us foster, accelerate, and expand the transformation of society. I am Noynoy Aquino, and I proudly say to the world: I am a Filipino. How wonderful it is to be a Filipino in these times.)

From my point of view, P-Noy summarized his main messages in his concluding paragraph which evoked memories of People Power and its constant refrain that it is the Filipino people that will decide their own destiny.

P-Noy went into detailed facts and figures in reciting his government’s accomplishments. For example, he talked of the past three years’ budget of P33 billion for the improvement and modernization of 4,518 hospitals, rural health units and barangay health units nationwide.

But beyond those statistics, he gave specific examples mentioning the Dagupan Medical Center which has successfully completed five kidney transplants in the last year and the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro which now has the capacity to perform open heart surgery due to upgraded facilities and equipment. There were many other examples of provincial hospitals which Metro Manilans may take for granted but which are major improvements in provincial cities.

Then in education he stated that the inherited backlog in books and chairs have been erased and the inherited backlog in classrooms will be erased this year. Now the DepEd is confident that it will have the ability to prepare for the additional needs that the implementation of the K to 12 program will require.

Then P-Noy again gave a specific example of a success story. A textbook that used to be priced at P58 when Br. Armin Luistro became DepEd Secretary has gone down to P30. This may not mean much to those who send their children to private schools but to the average Filipino, these are major successes.

It is these statistics, translated to real accomplishments, that have given P-Noy such high ratings of trust and approval especially among those in the C-D-E socio- income levels.

I believe that it is the private sector that is the primary creator of jobs. The SONA included statements addressed to the business community.  Among them were the commitment to revise and rationalize existing incentive-giving laws, the revitalization of the Bureau of Customs, the NLEX-SLEX connecting road and the acceleration of infrastructure projects.

There are critics who said that P-Noy did not mention the pork barrel scam. But this is what he said: “On the topic of Cadavero, PDAF, MRT3 and others;  just because the critics are not aware of what we are doing, they assume that we are doing nothing about these issues. If government possesses no data and yet announces who it will investigate, does that not send a message to the suspects to just hide the evidence? This is why we go where the truth takes us. The evidence decides our path.”

For those who may not be aware, PDAF is in reference to the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam implicating five senators – Enrile, Marcos, Estrada, Revilla, Honasan.

The second message was a recommitment to the Rule of Law when he said: “The transformation of our society is not just evident in the economy or in statistics. Now, Filipinos know, rich or poor, with or without political connections, when you do wrong, you will pay the consequences. Now justice is truly blind. We will not undermine the orders of our Bosses to hold the corrupt accountable, and to right the wrongs of a system that has long beggared our country.”

But there is a call for Filipinos to ask themselves: “Ano ang inambag ko sa solusyon?”  P-Noy said: “Government has been fulfilling its obligation to the people, but let us ask ourselves, How have I contributed to the solution? If someone dumps trash into a river, confront them; if you see a building being built obstructing an estuary, report it to the correct authorities. We will only drown in our problem if we do nothing.”

This is clearly a call for People Power in transforming our society. It was an Aquino — Ninoy — who offered his life after he said, “The Filipino is worth dying for.” And People Power responded by saying Ninoy,  Hindi Ka Nag-iisa.”

It was another Aquino — Cory— who asked us to march with her into EDSA and face the tanks of the Marcos dictatorship to win back our freedom. And People Power responded by saying Cory,  Hindi Ka Nag-iisa.

Today another Aquino, in his SONA, tells us: “The road ahead is long and we never said it would be easy or that we could tread this path free of challenge. But I do not doubt our capacity to overcome any obstacle. We did not achieve our current success by chance. Let us not allow this transformation to be temporary; let us seize this opportunity to make the change permanent.”

 It is time to do our part and to actively contribute to the Change we need in our country. And it is time for People Power to say: Noynoy,  Hindi Ka Nag-iisa.

*      *       *

Email: elfrencruz@gmail.com