President Aquino Returns To Cebu, Asks People To Continue Supporting Daang Matuwid Agenda

President Benigno S. Aquino III returned to Cebu on Wednesday, encouraging Cebuanos to support his Daang Matuwid agenda by electing the administration’s candidates who will fight corruption and poverty, and sustain economic growth.

In a speech during a meeting with local leaders here, President Aquino thanked Cebuanos for supporting him and his family in past elections.

During martial law and prior to the EDSA People Power Revolution, Cebu became a bastion for the fight against then President Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorial rule, he said.

With about two months remaining before he leaves office, the President highlighted his administration’s accomplishments in Cebu.

He noted that in the past, different regions had to compete to get a portion of the 8,000 classrooms built by the government each year.

But today, he said, the administration was able to build 185,000 classrooms, addressing the backlog of 66,000 classrooms when he took office in 2010.

“Sa Tuwid na Daan naman po, dahil binigyan niyo tayo ng mandato at hindi niyo tayo iniwanan, sa lalawigan pa lang ng Cebu, 7,900 classrooms na po ang naipagawa natin — naipagawa at kasalukuyang ginagawa,” the President told Cebuanos.

“Kabilang lang po ‘yan sa matatapos pong 185,000 classrooms sa buong Pilipinas.”

The government also made great strides in building Cebu’s infrastructure, pouring in P34.8 billion from 2011 to 2016. This is almost three times bigger than the previous administration’s P12.6 billion from 2005 to 2010, the President said.

These projects include the Cebu-Mactan airport construction, which is under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, he said, noting that the government got P14.4 billion premium from private developers.

“Siyempre, meron na rin po ‘yung sa Bantayan, may budget na rin pong P10 billion ito under procurement and construction ng bagong passenger terminal. Iyong unang-unang bus rapid transit system sa buong Pilipinas, dito gagawin sa Cebu,” he said.

At the same time, the President highlighted the importance of electing administration candidates so government projects could continue without delay. He cited the construction of a flyover in Cebu that did not materialize due to a quarrel between local officials.

Having administration allies in government could speed up the completion of projects and this benefits the country’s remote provinces as well, he said, citing as an example the construction of major roads in Mindanao and in northern Luzon that gives communities more opportunities, which in turn improves the local economy, as well as peace and order.

President Aquino encouraged the people of Cebu to support the administration’s candidates, underscoring their competence in public service, which will surely benefit the people in the long term. (PNA) SCS/PND/EDS