MANILA, Philippines – Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad said yesterday there was no stopping the Aquino administration’s momentum to achieve growth given the recent major developments.
He cited key developments in the last two weeks such as the higher than expected 6.1 percent gross domestic product growth in the first semester of 2012; the 20-place jump in the country’s ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) to 65th within two years; and the high net satisfaction rating of President Aquino based on the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
“So much more can still be accomplished by this administration. Now that we have the momentum there will be no let-up in the President’s pursuit of ‘kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap’ (there will be no poor if there’s no corruption) platform,” he said.
Abad said the unprecedented satisfaction rating of the President – which surpassed the President’s “honeymoon” SWS rating of +60 in September 2010 – reflects the public’s approval of the President’s plans for the country and his sincerity in putting these into action.
“The State of the Nation Address delivered by the President last July outlined the administration’s clear targets to eradicate gaps in the supply of classrooms, teachers, textbooks, health insurance coverage and rural health facilities, among others, until the end of his term. These showed the people that the President has a clear vision and roadmap for the nation,” he said.
Abad, however, conceded that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, especially in strengthening the quality and integrity of public institutions.
For instance, the GCI pointed out that corruption, inefficient government bureaucracy and inadequate infrastructure remain the top three problematic factors for doing business in the Philippines.
“We know that the government will not succeed if we act alone. That is why citizens’ participation, coupled with transparency and accountability, are crucial in the Aquino reform agenda,” he said.
