(Eagle News) — Malacanang on Tuesday disputed statements made by Vice-President Jejomar Binay on alleged rampant corruption and increased poverty under the Aquino administration, saying that in fact, Filipinos are highly optimistic about their future compared to five years ago.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., said that Filipinos generally regard that the Aquino administration is serious in pursuing its anti-corruption policy under the banner of “daang matuwid.”
“Kung tutunghayan natin ang larawan na iginuhit ni Vice President Binay kahapon ay taliwas ito sa maaliwalas na pananaw ng mga mamamayang Pilipino na ngayon ay taas-noo nang ipinapakita sa mundo ang kanilang kakayahan at kapasidad,” Secretary Coloma said.
The country has improved a lot since 2010, especially its economy, he said, adding that many Filipinos have already felt these changes.
Coloma explained that the Aquino administration, which runs on the agenda of reform and poverty elimination, has broken the vicious cycle of hopelessness, unemployment, and lack of proper educational attainment.
Its anti-poverty agenda, he said, is centered on the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a targeted and purposive poverty reduction initiative validated by both the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
The improving economic conditions in the country have also led to a significant drop in the number of Filipinos leaving the country to find employment abroad, Coloma said.
President Benigno S. Aquino III mentioned in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week that based on estimates made by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the number of Filipinos who left the country to find work abroad decreased from 9.51 million in 2011 to 9.07 million in December 2014.
“Iyan ang ilan sa mga datos na nagpapatunay doon sa mga sinabi ni Pangulong Aquino sa kanyang SONA,” he said.
“Patuloy din naman ang pagsisikap ng ating pamahalaan na tugunan ang mga hamon hinggil sa unemployment at sa kahirapan.”
Coloma further cited notable developments in the property sector and automotive industry that show improving living conditions in the country.
He said that according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the demand for residential properties is mainly driven by the middle class, particularly by the 11 million Filipinos overseas, who in 2014 repatriated about $24.3 billion, some $7 billion of which went to property investments.
A reputable London-based market intelligence firm also said that in 2014, more middle-income Filipinos coming from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and from the country’s growing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, bought their first properties and vehicles, Coloma said.
He quoted a 2014 Euromonitor International report as saying, “The local industry benefited from a vibrant economic performance, an influx of OFW remittances, and the expansion of BPO, which altogether increased the appetite for consumer loans. More middle-income Filipinos were investing in their first properties and cars, facilitated by the widening choices of low / medium-cost housing in Metro Manila and provincial areas.”
Vehicle sales are also an indicator of a growing economy, Coloma said, noting that according to the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI), 300,000 units may be sold this year due to the burgeoning economy, the growing middle class, and higher remittances from OFWs.
“Kaya’t habang ang kanyang iginuguhit ay larawan ng kawalang pag-asa, napakarami pong kongkretong manipestasyon ng mataas na kumpiyansa ng ating mga mamamayan at ‘yung taas-noo na pananaw nila hinggil sa ating kinabukasan,” he said, referring to Vice President Binay.
It is now up to the people whether to stay the course or choose the path of uncertainty, as they plan for their future, he added. (based on a PND report)
