BY: FAYETTE C. RIÑEN
CEBU CITY, July 27 (PIA) -- Though expectedly, President Benigno Aquino III’s 5th State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) will enumerate the accomplishments the current administration has done in the past year to fast track economic progress through inclusive growth, some sectors here are still waiting to hear how the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) was spent in detail and the continuing fight against corruption.
Kapisanan ng Brodkaster sa PIlipinas (KBP) – Cebu Chapter President Jun Tagalog said he expects the President to continue defending the DAP adding that “How I wish he can certify as urgent the impending Freedom of Information Bill in the House of Representatives.”
Daan Bantayan Vice Mayor Atty. Gilbert Arrabis expressed the same sentiment saying that he expects Pres. Aquino to give an explanation on DAP during his SONA tomorrow afternoon and how this was spent. But I also would like to know how the government is continuing its pursuit in the battle against corruption amid the controversy over the Priority Development Assistance Fund, said Arrabis.
Carlo Dugaduga, president of the Cebu Association of City and Municipal Public Information Officers also expected the same which is the accomplishments in the battle against graft and corruption. Dugaduga however added that he also wants to hear how the administration has improved tax collection in the past year despite no hike in taxation.
Likewise, Dugaduga said it would also be interesting to hear from the President on the “check and balance in the three branches of government.”
Cebu veteran media practitioner Fydes Palicte of RPN 9 said she hopes “that the SONA is not just a SONA but ‘People’s Day with PNoy’ expressing further that it’s time for the President to listen to the complaints with all Cabinet members.”
Meanwhile, among the highlighted accomplishments of the Aquino Administration that witnessed an improved economic performance is the number of jobs generated citing the graduates of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the growing number of poor families now enrolled in Phil Health.
Based on TESDA’s record, out of 503,521 TESDA graduates from its various vocational and technical skills programs, an estimated six out of ten have found jobs. Last year, under TESDA’s IT-BPO program, 70.9 percent of the graduates found employment while 85 percent also landed jobs under the electronics and semiconductor program.
As of December 31, 2013, four out of five Filipinos or 76.9 million are now enrolled in the National Health Insurance Program or Phil Health while their dependents are also receiving benefits from the insurance program. (mbcn/FCR/PIA-7)