Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – As he started his term in 2010, President Benigno Aquino III thought it would be a big enough achievement if he could just stop corruption in public offices and institute good governance.
So his administration committed itself to his Daang Matuwid policy, going after public officials and employees accused of corruption.
It didn’t matter how high up in government the accused are, Aquino himself pointed out on Monday (July 27) in his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.
That’s why former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, while Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon Revilla Jr. have been detained in Camp Crame – all of them facing plunder and graft charges.
What surprised him, Aquino said, was how fast businessmen, local and foreign, responded to his good governance efforts.
Corruption down, competitiveness up
In just five years, the corruption index of the Philippines went down and its competitiveness ratings went up.
Political will has boosted economic gains so much that people started calling the Philippines “Asia’s Rising Star,” “Asia’s Rising Tiger,” and “Asia’s Bright Spot.”
Aquino – at times interrupted by fits of coughing – reeled off statistic after statistic to justify such tags, among them:
a growth predicted to reach 6.8% this year
an unemployment rate of 6.8% (same as the growth rate) in 2014, the lowest in recent years
a tax collection rate that is predicted to reach P1.5 trillion this year
foreign direct investments of $6.2 billion, the highest in the Philippines’ economic history
He lingered a while longer on the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program, the conditional cash transfer program, which was started his predecessor, President Arroyo, but which he said grew during his term. According to him, the program now has 4.4 million household beneficiaries.
Numb from scams
At the start of his address, Aquino recalled some of the “scams” that have become so familiar during the previous administration – the fertilizer fund scam, the “Hello, Garci” election incident, the NTN-ZTE anomalous deal, and the Maguindanao massacre.
There were so many scams, Aquino said, that Filipinos had grown numb, or “manhid” as he put it.
“Dinatnan natin ang taumbayang na manhid na sa walang-humpay na alegasyon ng kasinungalingan, pandaraya, at pagnanakaw,” he said.
[Translation: “We found the people numbed by never-ending allegations of lying, cheating, and stealing,”]
Manhid was a word that Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was present at the SONA, used earlier to describe the Aquino administration, shortly after resigning from the Cabinet.
“Noon pa man alam na nating katiwalian ang ugat ng pagdurusa,” Aquino said.
[Translation: “Even then, we knew that corruption was the root of suffering.”]
He took some time answer critics who had been saying that the improvements he had been claiming were far from reality.
“May mga nagsasabi nga pong may blinders daw ako para sa taong matagal na nating kasama sa Daang Matuwid,” he said.
“Ako, mulat sa maganda, pero batid rin ang mga hindi maganda. Ako ba ang may blinders, o itong mga pangit lang ang nakikita?”
[Translation: “There are those who are saying that I’m wearing blinders for people who have been with us for so long in Daang Matuwid. I’m used to seeing what’s beautiful but also aware of what’s not beautiful. Am I the one with blinders, or these people who can also see what’s ugly?”]
For anti-political dynasty law
A highlight of the speech, which ran for a little over two hours, was when Aquino announced his support for an Anti-Dynasty Law, which got loud applause and cheering.
“Hindi tayo makakasiguro kung malinis ang intensyon ng susunod o kung nanaisin lang nilang habambuhay maghari-harian para sa sariling interes. Panahon na para ipasa ang anti-dynasty law,” he said.
Read: SONA 2015: President Aquino calls for passage of anti-dynasty law
[Translation: “We can’t be sure if the intentions of our successor are clean or if they would just want to lord it over the land for the rest of their lives for their own interests. It’s time to pass the anti-dynasty law.”]
Towards the end of the address, Aquino thanked his Cabinet members for their support. He called them out by name, except Binay, a very noticeable omission to observers.
Read: VP Binay leaves House right after Aquino’s address
Aquino also cited the results of a recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
He pointed out that eight of 10 Filipinos believe that the Philippines will reach the status of a developed country in more generation.
He had his economic managers check that against figures and trends, he said. They came to the same conclusion.
To end, he said the 2016 elections would serve as a referendum for voters on the reforms he had instituted: Would they vote for people who would sustain the reforms? Or would the government return to its old ways?
