Noy calls on people to be more pro-active in elections

SAN PABLO, Laguna, Philippines – President Aquino called on the people yesterday to be more pro-active in the current campaign for the coming elections and not just vote for candidates of the administration.

Local leaders and residents met Aquino, Team PNoy senatorial bets and other candidates at the San Pablo Central Elementary School here.

Aquino said his government owed its current gains to public support and the people must continue to help him find allies so reforms and changes would continue.

The President also took a swipe at Laguna Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito Estregan for being slow in acting on the needs of his people and being late at meetings and even flag ceremonies. 

Aquino campaigned for the Liberal Party (LP)’s gubernatorial bet Egay San Luis.

The President likewise continued his attacks against the former administration, mentioning its anomalies and failure to implement the necessary programs and projects for the people.

Earlier, former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo accused Aquino of using former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to campaign for Team PNoy senatorial candidates.

Arroyo said Filipinos were fed up with Aquino using Mrs. Arroyo as a whipping girl and that his wife “is not a campaign platform.”

But Aquino insisted this was a way to see how things changed and why the people must support the administration in doing away with corruption and wasteful spending for the sake of better services for the people.

Sen. Franklin Drilon downplayed the criticisms from United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) that ordinary people were not getting benefits out of the reforms made by the Aquino administration.

Drilon said the benefits of the reforms instituted by President Aquino would not be felt in just two and a half years of his term, which is why he needs people he trusts in the Senate to continue his programs.

“We did not promise that everything would be solved in two and a half years. Certainly, the reforms are in place but we admit that much still has to be done in order to let the people feel the results,” Drilon said.

Drilon previously stated that the difference between Team PNoy and UNA is clear, that the administration has the tuwid na daan or straight path policy while the policy of the opposition is still unknown.

UNA has criticized the tuwid na daan platform and instead offered the people a magandang daan (beautiful path) option for the forthcoming midterm election.

Drilon explained that the benefits of the reforms instituted would take time to be felt by all the people and this was expected.

“That is why we have programs like the conditional cash transfer because we know that we cannot immediately have a situation where everybody feels the benefits,” Drilon said.

He noted that there are temporary programs being implemented by the administration to bridge the gap, such as the enrollment of more poor families in PhilHealth.

“It takes time for the benefits to trickle down to the people’s level. This was expected but the President will continue these so that in the next year or two these will be felt. But the reforms are there, the results are already being shown,” Drilon said. – With Marvin Sy