Miriam vows boom in infrastructure if elected

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago vowed yesterday to invest in public infrastructure, where previous administrations performed poorly, to help facilitate rapid economic growth if she wins the May elections.

Santiago, in a statement, said that the projects she wanted launched through public-private partnership include an international airport, a new railway system from Manila to Sorsogon, a modern integrated urban transit system in Metro Manila with lines reaching Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna; and one mixed-use government center with adjacent residential, commercial and entertainment facilities in Metro Manila and in each of the 17 regions.

Santiago said that she would also start a major infrastructure project in every region and province.

“The poor state of public infrastructure that this administration inherited from its predecessor was pushed back further during the last five years. When I assume office, I will hit the ground running,” the senator said.

Santiago, the consistent leader in campus surveys since the filing of certificates of candidacy, said that her administration would set aside five percent of the budget for public infrastructure.

“To make the facilities affordable to citizens, the government will not require a premium from winning contractors. In fact, in some cases, because of the benefits government subsidy may be allowed,” said Santiago.

She plans to spend an estimated P819 billion on infrastructure projects in 2017, with the amount rising to P1.3 trillion in 2022, adding that some of the amount would have to be sourced through loans, for as long as the returns are greater than the cost.

Santiago repeated her criticism of bold promises made by her opponents without matching plans on where funds will be sourced.

“We cannot build modern infrastructure on the basis of promises alone. It will have to be financed through better tax administration, tax policy reform and government borrowings,” the senator said.

Death penalty

Santiago’s vice presidential runningmate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his support yesterday for the re-imposition of the death penalty only for convicted drug lords.

Marcos said while he is against capital punishment, he will agree to an exemption to re-impose the death penalty on drug lords because they are destroying the country’s youth and future.

He said the next administration should act more resolutely in the fight against illegal drugs in the light of reports that 93 percent of barangays in Metro Manila have illegal drug peddlers. 

Marcos said based on other countries’ experience in fighting illegal drugs, it is not the amount of money put in the campaign that would make a difference.

Ill-gotten wealth exhibit

Meanwhile, the Department of History of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City yesterday opened an exhibit on the ill-gotten wealth of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies.

The exhibit, which was put up in partnership with the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, features various images and information on the known ill-gotten wealth amassed by the Marcoses.

“It’s very important for the history department to teach our students never to forget what happened in the past because the past is still present with us,” said department chairperson Maria Bernadette Abrera.

“We think that the issue of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth and the recovery process is a very material part of that process of remembering,” she added.

The exhibit was put up a week after the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power revolution that toppled the dictatorship.

It is located at the Palma Hall lobby and will be accessible to students until Saturday.

Abrera admitted that there is a need to strengthen efforts to remind the younger generation of the horrors of the martial law regime.

“We have to continue bombarding them with information,” she said, noting that the process of seeking justice for the victims and recovering the ill-gotten wealth amassed by those in power is not yet over.

Earlier reports said the Marcoses and their cronies had amassed up to $10 billion worth of ill-gotten wealth.

Since its creation in 1986, the PCGG said it has recovered around P170 billion or around $3 billion.

Almost P94 billion were remitted to the national treasury while another P76 billion were identified as escrow funds.

Abrera said there is a long way to go in efforts to recover billions still missing.

“We need to keep it alive and going because it is the young people who are precisely going to benefit from it,” said Abrera.

“It is not just the quest of one commission, but a quest of the entire Filipino nation because we are seeking justice and we are seeking the truth,” she added.

Susan Macabuag of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation said they are pushing for a separate subject dedicated to the history of martial law. – With Perseus Echeminada, Janvic Mateo