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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 16 - 31, 2016
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Dr. Regina Siongco
Filipino Patriots of Canada
hail priorities set
by President Duterte in State
of the Nation address
In his first State of the
Nation Address on July 25,
Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte echoed the promises
he made in the last election.
Broadly, these cover
law and order, economic
development, and improved
government service, which
are themes that struck at
the heart of voters when the
former Davao City mayor ran
for president.
Duterte’s message to
improve the lives of Filipinos
has
resonated
among
members of the Filipino
Canadian community.
The Filipino Patriots
Society of Canada (FPSC)
cited in a statement that
Duterte’s
“sincerity
and
simplicity to talk about those
issues with wit and sheer
honesty has caught the
imagination of Filipinos who
have longed to trust and to
love their own government,
country and people”.
In the statement, FPSC
chairperson Rene Bahena
also pointed to Duterte’s call
to stop hate “if peace is not at
all immediately possible”.
Rene Bahena
FPSC President
“That is after all the
most compelling reason why
Duterte must succeed for and
on behalf of all the Filipino
people,” Bahena said.
In
the
statement
prepared by Bob Ocio, a
key FPSC member and a
former Cagayan de Oro
city councillor, the group
cited Duterte’s declaration
of a unilateral ceasefire with
communist rebels as a sign of
“good faith on the part of the
government to make peace”.
The Filipino Patriots
also
hailed
Duterte’s
announcement
that
the
government will wage a
relentless campaign against
crimes, particularly drug
pushing.
Bob Ocio
FPSC founding member &
a former Cagayan de Oro
city councillor
“Criminals may invoke
their rights but abusing those
rights to shield their illegal
activities cannot be tolerated,”
the FPSC said.
The group also praised
Duterte’s commitment to
accelerate the construction of
railways specially the Manila
to Clark route to address
the crisis of traffic and
congestion.
It also cited the
government’s promise to
clean up corruption: “All
government
transactions
are top priority not to be
tainted with corruption in the
guise of addressing any of
our problems. He has zero
tolerance for corruption in his
administration.”
A separate statement
for the FPSC prepared by
member Giovanni Mata noted
that President Duterte “hit the
nail right on its head when
he said that we cannot move
forward if we allow the past to
pull us back”.
“This is a clear message
that we need to face and
address the issues right
before us head on. The
SONA was straightforward,
comprehensive,
exuding
with sincerity and was
spoken from the heart.
The President’s message
conveyed four attributes,
namely:
empowerment,
accountability, courage and
humility,”
the
statement
prepared by Mata noted.
According
to
the
statement,
Duterte
“empowered and encouraged
all government officials and
his cabinet members to come
up with brilliant ideas to solve
the current problems”.
“He displayed humility
by admitting his limitations
and sought the contributions
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
and participations from the
public to solve our problems.
He wants us to have courage
by fighting for what we believe
in undeterred by fear of failing
or losing.
“Lastly, he emphasized
accountability by ensuring
that those erring government
officials and individuals will
not go unpunished and will
have their day in court. This
is in line with his commitment
that he will have a clean
government.
“In totality, his speech
covered what he has promised
during
his
campaign.
Remember that this is his first
SONA and we are looking
forward for his next address
to see how far we have gone,”
the statement said.
Giovanni Mata,
Immigration Consultant
In his SONA, Duterte
said that the government will
not stop until the last drug
lord, pusher and financier has
been neutralized.
He also warned police
officers and government
officials involved in crime.
“Abuse your authority, and
there will be hell to pay — for
you would have become
worse than criminality itself,”
he said.
Duterte ordered the
National Police Commission
to speed up the investigation
of cases of officers linked to
crime. He also directed the
Napolcom to suggest policies
for making lifestyle checks on
the police.
Duterte said the “full
force” of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines will be applied
“to crush” the terrorist Abu
Sayyaf group.
Duterte also stood by
the Arbitral Tribunal’s decision
that favoured the Philippines
in its arbitration against
China’s claims to virtually all
of the South China Sea.
“We strongly affirm and