PNoy legacy: Turning dreams into achievements

The PNoy administration’s economic legacies have been much written about even by the international media. In many world economic forums, the Philippines has been cited for its transformation from the being the “sick man of Asia” into one of the world’s rising stars with one of the highest growth rate in Asia.

The legacies that have received less media attention and less appreciated are those that have focused on providing equal opportunities for the poor and to improve the quality of life of every Filipino. These programs have included poverty alleviation and educational reform initiatives.

Perhaps, they have not been as appreciated because their impact on the life of the Filipino may be more meaningful but they are long term. This administration has not indulged in “quick fix” cosmetic programs whose effects  disappear after the administration has gone.

Among the best examples of these social legacies are the K to 12 education programs; the Conditional Cash Transfer; and, the expansion of a universal health care program.

Looking back, it is difficult to believe that there was such vocal opposition to the introduction of the K to 12 program in this country. The one common path for providing the poor with the opportunity to succeed and improve their quality of life is through education. Almost every OFW will tell you that one of their principal incentive to sacrifice and work in foreign countries is the desire to be able to afford to give their child a decent education.

According to PNoy, enhancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines is urgent and urgent “ ...for our public school children in order to give them an even chance of succeeding.” At the beginning of his administration, the Philippines was the only country in Asia with ten years of basic education. It was only one of three countries with ten years of basic education. The other two were Angola and Djibouti.  Internationally, the 12-year basic education has also become a requirement for professionals. In the United States, the 12 years basic education is prescribed as an entry to recognition of engineering professionals. The Bologna Accord requires 12 years of basic education for university admission and practice of profession in European countries.

 President Aquino and DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro had the political will to pursue the vision of a Philippine public school whose graduates would have the opportunity to be competitive on a worldwide basis. Fortunately the incoming DepEd Secretary Briones and President-elect Duterte have publicly stated that they will support the implementation of the K to 12 educational reform program.

For the record, under DepEd Secretary Luistro, 89,720 classrooms were constructed from 2010 to March 2016 with another 95,429 scheduled for construction. This is coming from a shortage of 66,800 classrooms in 2010 and more than double the classrooms built from 2005 to 2009. The targeted ratio of 1:1 textbooks to students was also achieved. An additional 170,000 teachers were hired.

Brother Armin Luistro FSC may yet be named by history as the most effective Education Secretary the Philippines has had at this time in its history. One of his greatest asset was that he has dedicated his life to the mission of education. He became a La Salle Brother, a religious congregation whose single mission is education. Born in Lipa, Batangas on December 24, 1961, he entered the De La Salle Scholasticate in 1979.

He co-founded the De La Salle University-Manado in Indonesia. In 2004 he became president of the De La Salle University System and President and Chancellor of De La Salle University ( (Manila) in 2005 until his appointment as DepEd Secretary in 2010.  

The three main pillars for realizing the vision of giving the poor equal economic opportunity are education, health care and a social assistance that will help families prepare their children for a future that will allow them to break the cycle of poverty. It is this last pillar that is the aim of the Conditional Cash Transfer Program ( CCTP).

The program is better understood if called by its Filipino name – Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program ( PPPP). The English translation is Bridging Program for the Filipino Family. The main purpose is to provide cash transfers to families living in extreme poverty in exchange for commitments in education and health care.

Poor families are selected by the DSWD from the poorest municipalities. The program offers a monthly cash subsidy per child. In return, the family must agree to certain conditions. Among them are: “Pregnant women must avail of pre and post natal care; parents must attend family development sessions; children 3-5 years must attend day care or preschool classes at least 85% of the time; children up to 5 years old must receive regular preventive health check ups and vaccines; 6-14 years old children must enrol in elementary or high school and must attend at least 85% of the time; and 6-14 years children must receive de worming pills twice a year.

This type of social assistance originated in Mexico and Brazil. It has now been launched in many developing countries. But the World Bank has said: “ the poor and the vulnerable in the Philippines benefit from what is today one of the largest and best-targeted social safety net programs in the world.” The PPPP success is also a tribute to the energy and leadership of the DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky Soliman.”

Other achievements of the PNoy administration are the dramatic improvements in weather forecasting, hazard mapping and information dissemination through PAGASA’s modernization and Department of Science’s Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment Hazards) which has saved thousands of lives through effective communication of early warnings during emergencies. One time  our Philippine weather bureau had a more accurate weather forecast than CNN which was using international weather forecast agencies.

President Noynoy Aquino will leave legacies in the area of  economic development, education, health care, poverty alleviation foreign policy, climate change, national defense, and many other areas. But the one intangible Aquino legacy which history will recognize was expressed by PNoy himself when he said: “ I would like to think I was part of that movement that changed people’s attitude from one of cynicism and defeat to one of perhaps, unbounded optimism – that the Filipino is really capable and special and we can achieve all our dreams.”

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