Thank you, Speaker Jose De Venecia.
Senate President Franklin Drilon; the justices of the Supreme Court; distinguished members of the Senate and the House of Representatives; His Excellency Archbishop Antonio Franco, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps; your excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps; members of the cabinet; members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; members of the police; fellow workers in government; honored guests; mga minamahal kong kababayan,
In The Corridors Of Power, In The Palace Where I Work, Past Presidents Of The Republic Sit In Their Portraits In Judgment Of Me. .In This Gallery Of The Highest Public Servants, None Sits In Sterner Judgment Than The Man Who First Led Me By The Hand Into The Palace As A Teenager.
In A Country Where A Man’s Worth Was Measured By His Property, He Was Born In A Nipa Hut, Into A Family That Tilled Less Than A Hectare Of Land.
After Years Of Hard Struggle And Brilliant Achievement, My Father Took His Oath As President Of The Philippines On Ground Made Hallow By The Martyrdom Of Our National Hero. A Hero Whose Name He Would Honor, And Whose Ideals He Would Pursue.
Indeed, In A Democracy, A Man May Rise To The Nation’s Highest Service By Dint Of Energy And Intelligence Alone, Without Regard To Wealth And Connections Of Which My Father Had None.
It Was Jose Rizal Who Wrote: “A Life Not Dedicated To A Great Ideal Is Useless; A Mere Pebble In The Field That Forms No Part Of An Edifice.”
The Words Of Diosdado Macapagal Echoed This Theme As He Assumed The Mantle Of National Leadership Forty Years Ago: “No President Can Build The Whole Edifice Of A Nation. All That He Is Called Upon To Do Is To Add A Fine Stone To That Edifice, So That Those Who Shall Come After Him May Add Other Fine Stones That Will Go For A Strong And Enduring Structure.”
Modest Words From A Modest Man Who Would Yet Change For All Time How A Feudal Society Would Come To View A Vital Institution-Land Reform.
My Countrymen , The Fine Stone I Should Like To Add To The Edifice Of Our Nation, Right Above The Stone Of Social Justice That My Father Left Behind , Is A Strong Republic.
Two Essential Features Mark Out A Strong Republic. The First Is Independence From Class And Sectoral Interests So That It Stands For The Interests Of The People Rather Than Of A Powerful Minority. The Second Is The Capacity, Represented Through Strong Institutions And A Strong Bureaucracy, To Execute Good Policy And Deliver Essential Services -The Things That Only Governments Can Do.
The Results Of These Two Features-Good Policies And Empowered Institutions-Is Faster Economic Development And Social Reform. A Strong Republic Takes Care Of The People And Takes Care Of Their Future. Thus, A Strong Republic Is The Bedrock Of The Victory We Seek Over Poverty Within The Decade.
During These Past Eighteen Months, Our Efforts To Build The Strong Republic Have Been Difficult, With Both Domestic And Global Conditions Extremely Harsh. At Home, The Poor Were Pitted Against The Rich To Further Inflame Our Nation’s Social Divisions
Abroad, The Contracting Economies Of Our Main Trading Partners Were Further Aggravated By The Tensions Generated By The Global War Against Terrorism.
Meanwhile, One Shocking Corporate Scandal After Another Severely Eroded Public Faith In The Most Promising System For Conducting Economic Activity-The Free Market.
These Were The Large Long-Term Crises Of Social Justice And The Capitalist System Itself, Whose Resolution Awaits Events Well Beyond One Small Nation’s Ability To Influence In The Short Term.
But As I Report On The State Of The Nation Today, I Can Say This: The Immediate Crises Have Been Resolved.
This Resolution Was Achieved By Focusing On Three Things.
First, By Showing Tangible Results In The Delivery Of Government Services. Thus, In My State Of The Nation Address Last Year, I Did Something Never Done Before: I Detailed A Long List Of Measurable Targets That Would Show A Government On Themove, Marking Progress By Swift Sure Steps , Despite The Turbulent State Of Domestic And Global Affairs.
Halimbawa , Target Natin Noong Isang Taon: Dalawandaang Libong Ektarya Para Sa Land Reform. Nakamit Natin: Dalawandaan At Limpam Pung Libong Ektarya. Congratulations Sa Mga Provincial Topnotchers: Negros Occidental, At Sultan Kudarat, Itong Mga Probinsiya Bawat Isa Ay May Higit Pitong Libong Ektarya.
Target Natin: Dalawampung Bilyong Piso Para Sa Modernisasyon Ng Agrikultura. Nakamit Natin: Dalawampu’t Apat Na Bilyon.
Target Natin: Sandaan At Limampung Libong Pamilyang Maralitang Tagalunsod Na Makatitiyak Sa Lupang Tinitirikan. Nakamit Natin: Sandaan At Walumpung Libo..