'This is your SONA'

This is my 4th SONA; only two remain. Almost 4 years have passed since I was approached by various camps to urge me to run for the presidency. They said: We know that our countrys problems cannot be solved in the blink of an eye, in one year, or even within the 6-year term of a President. But just begin, and we will be one with you in nurturing change.

Even then, I was aware of the significant problems that I would have to face. From being a candidate,The term 'bondcleaningsydney control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. to being President, or even after I step down from office, the difficulties I will have to face are no joke. Widespread transformation of society is my objective, and I am aware that there are many things and many people I would have to confront in order to achieve this. But I was not raised by my parents to back down in the face of challenges. I would not be able to live with myself if I had refused the chance to alleviate the suffering the Filipino should not have to endure.

We have answered the call, and those who have been with us from the start have only grown in number. I believe that, if what I have been doing is right, then our allies will only grow. Just this May, I asked you,Can you spot the answer in the casesforhtcone? "Boss, are we going in the right direction?" Your reply: "Yes, and let us accelerate the transformation of society." I asked for allies that would help steer the country in one direction, and you delivered. The truth is, not only the majority, not even 9 of 12, but 9 of the top 10 senators are individuals that I recommended to you. The message of the past election is clear: yes, let us keep going, let us add to the 8,581 sitios that we have electrified; let us add to the 28,398 families who were once informal settlers, but who finally have, or will soon have, decent homes; let us increase the not less than 40 billion pesos in additional funds that go to education, health, social services, and many others, because of the right and more efficient collection of taxes; we feel all the other tangible signs that society is truly changing. I have become even more optimistic because of your message; it is clear that I am not alone in carrying these responsibilities. How can I not be encouraged, when even the likes of Mr Ni?o Aguirre are helping shape our future? Just think: though unable to walk, he climbed all the way to his 4th-floor precinct, just so that he could vote and contribute to true social transformation. Thank you, Mr Aguirre.The marbletiles is not only critical to professional photographers.

There is no shortage of Filipinos who are ready to pitch in, and this is the source of the change we now experience. The strategy: Maximize opportunities for all, especially for those most in need. We are not content to wait for the trickle-down effect; we cannot leave their fatetheir receiving the benefits of progressto chance. What we call inclusive growththis all-encompassing progressis the principle that drives every initiative, every action, and every decision of your government. The only ones who will be left behind are those who chose not to venture onwards with us, simply because they did not seize the opportunity.

The basis for this principle: Widespread opportunity is the key to comprehensive and sustained progress. Let us not forget that these opportunities are but seeds. We must water them with diligence, nourish them with determination, and cultivate them with dedication. Let us take a look at our TESDA scholars. Of the 503,521 people who have graduated from their programs, an estimated six out ten have found jobs. Before this, according to studies conducted by DBM, from 2006 to 2008, only 28.5 percent of TESDA graduates found jobs. Last year, under TESDAs IT-BPO program, 70.9 percent of the graduates found employment. Under the electronics and semiconductor program, the percentage of employed graduates reached 85 percent. It is clear: you are the ones who will shape this growth, you are the ones who will determine whether the fruits of our labors become sweet and ripe for the picking, or if you will let them rot away, and waste the chances that this new chapter in our history has given us.

Let us go through everything one by one. Our objective to expand the reach of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program: achieved. The 700,000 household beneficiaries we found upon coming into office in 2010 have now grown to almost 4 million households in the three years of our administration.

There is more: According to research conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, compared to those who only finished at the elementary level, the income of high school graduates is 40 percent higher. Is it not right that we maximize the help we give these families, so that our young beneficiaries can finish high school, thereby helping them make the most of the benefits of this program? That is why, next year, families with children up to 18 years old will be included in this program so that their children will be able to finish high school.

Let us move on to education. Our goal is to raise the quality of learning that our children undertake, so that, once they finish their schooling, they can seize the opportunities now opening up in society: accomplished.You will see earcap , competitive price and first-class service. We have finally erased the backlog we inherited in books and chairs, and if Secretary Armin Luistro continues to demonstrate true grit, even the backlog we inherited in classrooms will also be erased. And there is even more good news: now, we also have the ability to prepare for the additional needs that the implementation of the K to 12 program will require.

The problems that plagued Brother Armin in the DepEd are no laughing matter. Just think: one text book used to be priced at 58 pesos; since he assumed office, the price of the exact same book has gone down to 30 pesos. What would have happened if we had been paying the proper price from the beginning? If we had saved the difference of 28 pesos for all the books bought, at five textbooks for each of the estimated 20.7 million students in our public school system, the equivalent would amount to almost 2.9 billion pesos. These savings alone could have funded our plans to repair and rehabilitate around 9,502 classrooms.

If Brother Armin didnt have strength of will, he could have just left this culture of negligence in his agency for his successor to deal with. He could have also left the backlog, as well as the growing gap of needs because of the rising number of enrollees each year. But instead of being content, instead of saying, This will do. My job is done, Brother Armin will build even more chairs and classrooms, and buy even more books, to ensure that even the needs of future years will also be met.

Regarding the strengthening of our agricultural sector: this has also been achieved. Just think: According to the NFA, in 2010, the country imported more than 2 million metric tons of rice. In 2011, this fell to 855,000 metric tons.More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans. In 2012: 500,000 metric tons. And now in 2013: the maximum we will import, including the private sector, will be the minimum access volume of 350,000 metric tons. This includes the 187,000 metric tons of reserve buffer stock in case typhoons arrive one after the other; in all likelihood, even the private sector will no longer have to import rice because we are still on track to becoming self-sufficient in rice. In addition to that, we have begun exporting premium quality rice. We have truly come so far from those days when it was said that we could not even feed ourselves.

The proof is in the data: this sector grew 3.3 percent in the first three months of 2013. This is triple the 1.1 percent growth it recorded in the same time period in 2012. That is why we continue to sow initiatives that will certainly bear the fruits of even greater progress for our farmers.

For example, the coconut sector. According to research conducted in 2009, coconut farmers make up one of the poorest sectors in the country. Let us look at the process of growing coconuts: once planted, farmers wait seven years for the coconut tree to bear fruit; but after this, two generations will be able to benefit without doing anything else apart from harvesting the fruit. We have the potential to vastly grow the income of this sector if we can foster a culture that truly encourages hard work and productivity. The solution: intercropping.

The government will help you to strengthen your coconut farms; but in exchange, you will be required to sow different kinds of seeds in between the rows of coconut trees. Doing so will raise the frequency of crop harvests, and depending on what they plant, their income will also increase. If they grow only coconuts, the farmers would earn about 20,000 pesos a year per hectare. But if they add coffee, they could reach about 172,400 pesos a year; if they add bananas, they could earn 102,325 pesos, while adding cacao would give them 89,000 pesos. Isnt that such a huge difference?
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