An ally of President Aquino yesterday challenged the president to keep his word and minimize corruption in the Philippines and ensure the passage of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill to ensure transparency in the bureaucracy.
At the same time, Rep. Teodoro Baguilat urged President Aquino to ensure that the economic benefits from his anti-corruption drive will be felt by the majority of Filipinos, especially the indigenous peoples (IP) and other marginalized sectors.
He added that it was time to devote more of the government’s energy toward economic inclusion, instead of focusing too much on going after the past administration since the wheels of justice were already turning.
“The ‘tuwid na daan’ (straight path) will be more inspirational if it focuses on how to democratize the economic growth for the poor and marginalized so that they will also reap the benefits of economic growth,” said Baguilat, who chairs the House committee on national cultural communities.
He said he hoped that the commitment to more inclusive growth would be a major focus of Aquino’s third State of the Nation Address on July 23.
“I think P-Noy should also touch on the gains in infrastructure, energization, job generation, food security, education and health because these are the gut issues that affect all Filipinos,” Baguilat said.
As for the President’s legislative agenda, Baguilat said he hoped that President Aquino would be more forceful and unequivocal in pushing Congress to pass important pieces of legislation that would form part of his legacy.
These include the Freedom of Information Act, the Land Use Act and a new Mining Act.
“And of course, I would want to hear about his agenda and vision for IP rights and the fate of their ancestral lands, and on the proposed Autonomy bill for Cordillera,” Baguilat said.