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SONA 2015: A guide for kids

By VERONICA PULUMBARIT

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III delivered his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) before lawmakers at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City on Monday.

He began his valedictory address, or final oration, by recounting how his presidency began. He talked about how people urged him to run for president in 2010.

“At [my mother's] wake, someone approached and suggested that I run for the presidency. My response: I am not a masochist,” said Aquino, whose mother, President Corazon Aquino, passed away in 2009.

Aquino said that when he became President, he inherited problems created during previous administrations. “The moment we assumed the presidency, we began to unearth anomaly after anomaly,” he said.



“Corruption was the root of our people's suffering,” he said.

“Our battle cry: where there is no corruption, there will be no poverty.”

Aquino said that no political figure in the Philippines has ever apologized for corruption, making it difficult to for the country to move forward. “For my part: we can only move on once justice has been attained,” he said.

For the rest of his last SONA, Aquino highlighted the gains achieved by his administration. By May 9, 2016, a new Philippine president will be elected during the country’s next national elections.

READ: Full text of President Benigno Aquino III's last State of the Nation Address

These are some of the highlights of Aquino’s 2015 SONA:

1. Improved tax collection. Taxes are fees charged by the government on incomes, products, and certain activities. The money is used to pay for government projects such as the maintenance of roads and other public infrastructure.

“In 2014, the [tax collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue] went up to P1.3 trillion; this 2015, we will collect up to P1.5 trillion,” Aquino said.


“We did this without imposing new taxes, as promised, apart from sin tax reform,” he added.

2. Improved economy and higher credit rating. A credit rating given to a country measures how credit-worthy it is—or how high the risk is that it will default on its debts. When a country reaches investment grade rating, it means it is deemed a low risk for investors. The Philippines first received an investment grade rating in 2013.



“For the first time in history, we are unanimously deemed investment grade by the most prominent credit rating agencies,” Aquino said.

3. Fewer jobless Filipinos. The unemployment rate refers to the number of people in a certain country who are jobless.

“Our unemployment rate dropped to 6.8% last year. This is the lowest recorded in a decade,” Aquino said.

He also noted that there were fewer labor strikes during his administration. “In the previous administration, number of strikes that occurred were 199. In our five years in office, total strikes were only 15,” he said.

4. Over 4 million Filipinos benefited from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The 4Ps is a government program that provides the poorest Filipinos with funds and certain benefits as long as they comply with some conditions, such as sending their children to school or going to health care centers.



“We cannot wait for the benefits of growth to trickle down to the poorest Filipinos. Our commitment: inclusive growth,” said the President.

5. Fewer out-of-school children; the K to 12 education program. The K to 12 program revises the school cycle to include kindergarten and 12 years of basic education—six years of primary education plus four years of junior high school and two years of senior high school.

In his speech, Aquino said the government has been able to cut the number of out-of-school youth: from 2.9 million in 2008 to 1.2 million in 2013.

He also talked about the K-to-12 program, which has not been happily received by everyone but which Aquino said is preferable to the current 10-year cycle.

“We implemented K to 12 because it is not practical to cram learning in a 10-year basic education cycle,” he said.

6. Free hospital treatment for the “poorest 40 percent.” If you or your family do not earn enough to live adequately and meet your basic needs, then you are considered to be living in poverty. The international poverty line or poverty threshold is US$1.25 per day (about P56.94).



“Beginning in 2014, for the poorest 40 percent of the population, treatment in public hospitals is free,” Aquino said.

7. Upgrading of transport systems. Most people commute to work or to school, and many of us use the MRT and the LRT. When these transport systems break down, we are affected: we end up waiting in long lines, or walking the rails when a train stops between stations, or late to school or our appointments.

Aquino again pointed to previous administrations. “In 2008, there should have been an overhaul of the MRT. It was discovered that token cosmetic changes were undertaken,” he said.



Aquino said that the government will buy out the private corporation in charge of the MRT so that the government will be the only one to make decisions regarding the running of the trains.

8. Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has four branches: the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Air Force, and the Philippine Marines. "Modernizing" them means to bring in newer and more up-to-date equipment and vehicles for our soldiers so that they are better equipped for the defense of the country.

“In total, we have completed 56 projects for [@TeamAFP] modernization, and I have approved 30 more,” Aquino said.



“We have increased the number of our landing craft utilities from four to 10, There is the BRP Tagbanua [a landing craft utility of the Philippine Navy],”  he added.

Aquino also said that soldiers have received more benefits under his administration.

“Together with new equipment, we increased the combat pay of our soldiers, and subsistence allowance of uniformed services,” he said.

“We have put up more than 57,000 housing units for people in uniform, and this number will reach 81,000 before I step down,” he added.

9. Lower crime rate. The crime rate is number of reported crimes committed in a certain area per 1,000 people.



President Aquino said since his term began in 2010, the Philippine National Police has nabbed 163,000 people who are wanted for various crimes, including the "big fish"—the leaders or masterminds behind crimes.



10. Completion of infrastructure projects. Infrastructure refers to buildings, roads, and power supplies. Many of the government's infrastructure projects are public-private partnership (PPP) projects, which are funded and operated by both the government and private companies through partnerships.

“On the Straight Path (Daang Matuwid), long-awaited infrastructure projects are constructed one after the other,” Aquino said. He referred to three PPP projects in his speech: the Cavite-Laguna Expressway Project, Skyway Stage 3, and the NLEX-SLEX Road.

“To address flooding, we have the ongoing repairs and maintenance of our flood control projects,” he also said.

11. Bangsamoro Basic Law. The draft Bangsamoro Basic Law seeks to establish a new political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It is based on the peace agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014.

At his SONA, Aquino said the BBL is the "most important" of the legislation that has yet to be passed by Congress.

“How many more of our countrymen will have to perish before we realize that the status quo of Muslim Mindanao must change?” he asked.

12. Anti-dynasty law. The President and many of the politicians and officials running the country right now are part of political dynasties, which is why a bill seeking to limit the number of people per family who can run for office is not a popular one among them.

But Aquino said there is a need for lawmakers to pass the anti-political dynasty law.

“There is something inherently wrong in giving a corrupt family or individual an indefinite monopoly of public office,” he said.

14. West Philippine Sea dispute. The West Philippine Sea is the Philippine term for the part of the South China Sea that is claimed by the Philippines. Currently, China claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, including many territories that are also claimed by the Philippines and other countries. The Philippines has taken its case to an international tribunal at the United Nations.

“We are facing a challenge in the West Philippine Sea. When it comes to reason and love for country, we do not fall behind,” Aquino said.

 
Kalayaan, Karapatan sa Karagatan

[Adm-08] Tulad ng ating mga bayani, kaya mo bang manindigan para sa Pilipinas? Muli tayong tinatawag upang magkaisa para sa bayan, para sa dagat at sa mga yamang tubig na ipinamana sa atin. Panoorin at i-share ang video na ito. Ngayong Araw ng Kalayaan, sama-sama tayong tumindig at manindigan para sa ating Karapatan sa Karagatan. #WestPHSeaAtinTo

Posted by Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy) on Friday, June 12, 2015
 
 
 



14. Gross Domestic Product growth. The Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, measures the size of a country's economy according to the value of all the products and services produced by a country in a certain period. After decades of being the "sick man of Asia", the Philippines is now one of Asia's fastest growing economies.



“If we reach 6.8 percent this 2015, then we will have posted the fastest six-year average growth period in almost six decades,” Aquino said.

Final words

Throughout his term, Aquino has had to field criticism from several sectors over how his administration has handled several issues. In his final words in his last SONA, the President defended the decisions he made while in office. “I made the best decisions based on the information and the capacities we possessed at the time,” he said.

“My one and only interest is the well-being of my Bosses. I will let history decide,” he added.


Omissions

Political analysts noted that the president avoid talking about certain issues in his last SONA:

1. The Freedom of Information Bill, which seeks to allow greater public access to information;
2. The Mamasapano encounter, in which 44 policemen were killed in a shootout with MILF and BIFF rebels; and
3. Yolanda rehabilitation efforts. Super typhoon Yolanda killed more than 6,000 people when it swept through central Philippines in November 2013, The Palace had earlier said that Yolanda rehabilitation will be completed by 2016.

SONA facts and figures

1. The President delivers his or her State of the Nation Address on the fourth Monday of July.

2. The SONA is an annual tradition. President Manuel Quezon delivered the first SONA in the Philippines in 1936.

3. The late President Ferdinand Marcos, who was in power from December 30, 1965 to February 26, 1986, delivered the most number of SONAs: 20.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who served from 2001 to 2010, delivered the next highest number of SONAs: 9.

President Sergio Osmeña delivered the fewest SONAs: only one.

Two presidents—Emilio Aguinaldo (in office from 1899 to 1901) and Jose Laurel (in office from 1943 to 1945)—did not deliver SONAs because the constitutions during those years did not require a report to Congress.

4. President Noynoy Aquino delivered his SONAs on these dates:
•    July 26, 2010;
•    July 25, 2011;
•    July 23, 2012,
•    July 22, 2013;
•    July 28, 2014, and
•    July 27, 2015.

Some references

SONA 2010

SONA 2011

SONA 2012

SONA 2013

SONA 2014

SONA 2015

SONA government microsite
— BM, GMA News
Tags: sona2015, sonaforkids
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