By Jelly F. Musico
Members of the Philippine Senate expressed contentment with the state-of-the-nation-address (SONA) of President Benigno S. Aquino III, saying it was complete and comprehensive and backed up by statistics.
â€Very nice and very informative. I'm giving him a high rating for the accomplishments for the 24 months,†Senator Serge Osmena III said after the President’s 90-minute speech.
Senator Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan II said he was impressed with the President’s programs for land reforms and military as well as to the territorial integrity of the country.
â€More or less, the speech covered all major programs of the government. What important here is (that) the priority is clear now. It is longer but comprehensive and complete. I cannot ask for more,†Honasan, a former military colonel, said.
Senator Teofisto Guingona III said the message of the President was a statement of confidence and hope backed up not by stories but by statistics.
â€For the first time, we have seen a speech that filled with statistics and the statistics that show that the Philippines is going up,†Guingona said.
Senator Manny Villar gave the President a high rating due to the 6.4 percent growth in the GDP (gross domestic product) during the first quarter of the 2012.
â€The speech of the President is okay. He mentioned more on his accomplishments. I think what important in SONA is on what you have done and not promises,†Villar said.
Senator Edgardo Angara was also impressed by the President’s achievements that were supported by the statistics.
â€"It’s an impressive account. The achievements are supported by statistics. But from there where do we go? One thing I was looking for was not stated expressly but was implied. After making up for all those shortages in classrooms, teachers, textbooks, implication by next year, we will move on to the next level, which is the most important--graduating globally competitive Filipinos. Henceforth, until he steps down in 2016, we’ll be producing globally competitive nurses, engineers, accountants that can be employed anywhere and will be recognized as full-pledged professionals,†Angara said.
â€Overall I’m satisfied especially with the fact that in this time of global crisis, the vulnerable sectors of our population were able to cope because of safety nets put in place,†Angara said.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada praised the President for his achievements in the repair of roads and construction of classrooms.
â€I like all what he has said. It was a successful speech because I have seen no defects in his message now although it was long. It is the most realistic SONA,†Estrada said.
Estrada supported the President for using local language ‘Tagalog’ in his speech.
Senator Pia Cayetano lauded the President for mentioning the maternal mortality amid her effort to pass the reproductive health (RH) bill in the Senate within this year.
â€I’m very satisfied that the President mention about the maternal mortality ratio which is our main issue in our reproductive health bill,†Cayetano said.
Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commended the President for coming up with statistics to back up his list of achievements but the two wanted to verify the truthfulness of the information provided from the statistics.
â€The President took the opportunity to show to the people what he has achieved for the last two years but there are some facts that I have to verify like the reduction of crime incidence,†Cayetano, Senate minority leader, said.
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