SONA ni president
HIS EXCELLENCY, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, FIFTH STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS, JULY 28, 2014
State of the Nation Address of His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
To the Congress of the Philippines
[This is an English translation of the speech delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 28, 2014]
Vice President Jejomar Binay; President Fidel Valdez Ramos; Senate President Franklin M. Drilon and members of the Senate; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and members of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and our Justices of the Supreme Court; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; members of the Cabinet; officials in local government; members of the military, police, and other uniformed services; my fellow public servants; and, to my Bosses, the Filipino people:
Good afternoon.
This is my fifth SONA; only one remains. We have a saying: Those who do not look back to the past, will never get to where they wish to go. Therefore, today it is only right for us to reflect on what we have gone through.
This was our situation in the past: To dream was an absurdity. We had a senseless bureaucracy; padded contracts had become the norm; and corruption was endemic to the system. We were known as the “Sick Man of Asia.” The economy was weak; industry was sparse. We failed to gain the confidence of investors. The result: very few jobs were created. We found a people deprived of hope. Many of us had already given up, and were forced to take their chances in other countries. With heads bowed, we had come to accept that we would never be able to rely on our government or our society.
The Philippines sank deep into despair because of dirty politics.Our trust in each other disappeared; the confidence of the world in the Philippines ebbed, and worst of all: we lost faith in ourselves.
It was at this juncture that we began our journey on the straight and
State of the Nation Address of His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
To the Congress of the Philippines
[This is an English translation of the speech delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 28, 2014]
Vice President Jejomar Binay; President Fidel Valdez Ramos; Senate President Franklin M. Drilon and members of the Senate; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and members of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and our Justices of the Supreme Court; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; members of the Cabinet; officials in local government; members of the military, police, and other uniformed services; my fellow public servants; and, to my Bosses, the Filipino people:
Good afternoon.
This is my fifth SONA; only one remains. We have a saying: Those who do not look back to the past, will never get to where they wish to go. Therefore, today it is only right for us to reflect on what we have gone through.
This was our situation in the past: To dream was an absurdity. We had a senseless bureaucracy; padded contracts had become the norm; and corruption was endemic to the system. We were known as the “Sick Man of Asia.” The economy was weak; industry was sparse. We failed to gain the confidence of investors. The result: very few jobs were created. We found a people deprived of hope. Many of us had already given up, and were forced to take their chances in other countries. With heads bowed, we had come to accept that we would never be able to rely on our government or our society.
The Philippines sank deep into despair because of dirty politics.Our trust in each other disappeared; the confidence of the world in the Philippines ebbed, and worst of all: we lost faith in ourselves.
It was at this juncture that we began our journey on the straight and