MANILA, Philippines - With less than a week before the new administration takes over, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle yesterday expressed hope that president-elect Rodrigo Duterte and his officials would work toward solving the country’s problems.
“I hope that the next or those who will inherit (the government) will also strive (to address the country’s problems),” Tagle said in the CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Tagle had also called on the incoming government officials to live up to the trust they received from the electorate.
The incoming administration and other newly elected leaders should also be living examples in improving ways to serve the people, he said.
When asked to assess the six years of the Aquino presidency, Tagle only said there is no perfect government anywhere around the world.
He said that like past administrations, the Aquino government had its share of accomplishments, however, there were other things that required attention.
“All administrations may have strived and worked hard but all administrations as well left things that still need to be addressed. That’s life!” Tagle said.
“No one or group can claim that they were able to solve everything,” he added.
Tagle recently issued an oratio imperata or obligatory prayer for government officials and called on the faithful to pray for the country’s next leaders.
The oratio is being recited in masses since June 21 and would continue until June 29, or nine consecutive days before the country’s newly elected leaders assume their posts on June 30.
Various groups, on the other hand, are gearing up for the “National People’s Summit,” a day before Duterte’s inauguration.
The summit is being convened by the umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the Makabayan Coalition, Pagbabago People’s Movement for Change, peace advocate Kapayapaan and the UP Office of the Student Regent. It will be held at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Film Center.
Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said the multi-sectoral event hopes to put together the People’s Agenda for the first 100 days of the Duterte presidency as well as a program for nationalist and progressive change.
The summit will give proposals on the economy, social policy, peace and human rights, anti-corruption, governance and foreign policy. –Rhodina Villanueva