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Inveterate haters of President Gloria Arroyo complain that she never
fulfills her promises.
When asked to list all her unfulfilled promises, most will only be
able to name one: Her vow, made on December 30, 2002, in her Rizal
Day speech, not to seek the presidency in the 2004 election.
She has pledged to do many things in her seven
state of the Nation addresses (SONAs) since she gave the first one
in 2001. Soon, in the coming SONA on July 28, she will surely make
more promises.
Large newspaper ads and billboards list SONA
promises made and fulfilled.
In fairness to the President, her critics must
admit that the lists are impressive.
In the 2001 SONA,
President Arroyo said, “Trabaho, edukasyon, sariling tahanan . . .
pagkain sa bawat mesa . . . [Jobs, education, a home of one’s own
. . . food on every table . . .] the core of my vision.” Here are
the promises made in the 2001 SONA and how they were fulfilled:
Promise made: Food on every table
“Cheap rice and prosperous farmer . . . this
is our wish for the masses.” This has been fulfilled through:
1,533 rolling stores and 10,919 Tindahan Natin outlets that sell NFA
rice at P18.25 per kilo; 108 Barangay Bagsakan that sell fruits,
vegetables and meat products at low prices; 817 farmers’
organizations have availed themselves of the rice buyback scheme.
Farmers sell palay to NFA at P17 per kilo and can buy it back within
six months and sell it in the open market.
“Let us strive to attain rice
self-sufficiency.” Fulfillment: Rice self-sufficiency averaged 90
percent from 2001 to 2007. Target for 2008 is 92 percent, by 2010,
100 percent.
“We will multiply the income and harvest of
the poor in the countryside.” Fulfillment: Built new irrigation
systems for 146,117 hectares and restored old broken down systems
for 980,071 hectares. Loans to the tune of P20 billion were extended
to farmers and fisher folk. Completed installation of 590 dryers in
49 rice-producing provinces completed.
Promise made: Trabaho (Employment)
“A million new jobs in agriculture and
fisheries.” Fulfillment: 1,782,099 jobs generated in the
agriculture and fisheries sectors from July 2001 to July 2003. “To
create jobs, we will attract investments.” Fulfillment: 9 million
jobs created from 2005 to March 2008. “Every year we will add
300,000 poor women to benefit from the micro finance loan
program.” Fulfillment: 1,634, 662 jobs created from P91.28 billion
in micro finance loans, 95 percent of whom are women.
Promise made: Education
“We will increase the number of textbooks per
student.” Fulfillment: A 1:1 textbook to pupil ratio has been
attained.
“I want a school building in every barangay.”
Fulfillment: Of the 1,617 target barangay without schools in 2001,
only 267 still have no schools today.
Promise made: A home of one’s own for all
“We are helping workers and the poor to each
have a home of his own.” Fulfillment: 543,230 poor families and
low-income worker families were provided socialized housing units.
Interest on loans for these socialized housing units reduced to 6
percent from 9 percent.
Promise made: Good health
“ . . . Half a million poor urban dwellers
will be made members of the National Health Insurance system.”
Fulfillment: 65 million Filipinos enrolled in the Philhealth
program.
Promise made: Energy
“. . . Every day, every night four barangay
will be energized.” Fulfillment: 40,590 of the targeted 41,980
barangay were energized, bringing to 96.7 percent the national
electrification level as of March 2008.
Promise made: Tax reform
“. . . In the tax reform that you will
initiate, increase the categories of workers who will not be
required to pay taxes.” (Instruction given to Congress.)
Fulfillment: Republic Act No. 9504, the Tax Relief for Minimum Wage
Earners, was signed on June 17, 2008.
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Promises made in the 2002 to 2007 SONAs have
also been fulfilled, the Palace claims. The President’s critics
may quibble about the completeness and quality of the fulfillment.
But no one can say her administration simply turned its back on the
promises she has made on every SONA day these past seven years.
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