Duterte-Cayetano presents platform to CDO business leaders, vows to quickly address power crisis
As part of their nationwide tour, the tandem of presidential contender Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody†Duterte and vice presidential candidate Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano presented visited Cagayan de Oro on Sunday to present their platform of government before the province's business leaders.
Duterte and Cayetano promised to wage war against crime and corruption, especially on illegal drugs, realize an inclusive economy through regional development, and attain equality under the law.
24/7 war against crime, corruption, and drugs
"In our first year in government, we will mobilize the combined elements of the police and military and declare an all-out war against crime and illegal drugs. This will happen alongside our campaign to cleanse the government of corrupt officials through the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill, lifting the bank secrecy for public officials, and real-time video and audio surveillance for frontline public officials. I will not allow criminals and the corrupt to further abuse and oppress our people," Duterte said.
Addressing CDO's power crisis, regional development
Cayetano, on the other hand, vowed to end the government's "NCR-centric" approach to economic development by decentralizing power and resources to the regions, which he said is aligned with Mayor Duterte’s push for federalism.
He also called for the transfer of national departments to the regions, particularly the Department of Energy (DoE) to Mindanao in order for the government to act decisively on the power crisis plaguing the region.
"The power crisis in Cagayan de Oro remains one of the province's problems. In fact, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed Mindanao under “yellow alert†status after a series of bombings toppled transmission towers cutting off electricity generated from the Agus 1 and 2 hydro plants from the Mindanao grid," Cayetano expained.
"Yet, why is the DoE not acting decisively on the bombings of transmission towers despite the NGCP's warning that the Mindanao grid could collapse if bombing incidents continue? Clearly, what is needed is political will to protect our public utility facilities. This is what Mayor Duterte and I will bring to solve this pestering issue," Cayetano asserted.
Mindanao Railway System
Cayetano said their platform includes the completion of the Mindanao Railway System to make it easier to transfer food commodities from Mindanaoan agricultural areas to places like Cagayan de Oro. The senator argued that if the national government can fund the construction of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) in Metro Manila, which costs P50-billion worth of the public’s money, it can also do the same for Mindanao's long cherised dream of a railway system.
"Sa pamamagitan ng plataporma naming ito ni Mayor Duterte, haharapin natin ang hamon ng pagbabago, at sisiguruhin na ang bawat mamamayan ay makikinabang gobyernong may matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon,†Cayetano concluded.
The nationwide tour dubbed as "Hamon ng Pagbabago" is covering major cities, provinces, and different sectors in the country. It is in the form of town hall meetings where the tandem presents their platform, which includes phasing out contractualization, doubling the salaries of public school teachers, expanding scholarship grants and providing a living wage to workers.
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