INAUGURAL SPEECH OF THE 16TH PRESIDENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
30 JUNE 2016
President Fidel Ramos,
sir, salamat po sa tulong mo (thank you for your help) making me President; President
Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Senate President Franklin Drilon and the members of
the Senate; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and the members of the House of
Representatives; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices of
the Supreme Court; His Excellency Guiseppe Pinto and the members of the
Diplomatic Corps; incoming members of the Cabinet; fellow workers in
government; my fellow countrymen.
No leader, however
strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance unless
he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to
lead and sworn
to serve.
It is the people from
whom democratic governments draw strength and this administration is no
exception. That is why we have to listen to the murmurings of the people, feel
their pulse, supply their needs and fortify their faith and trust in us whom
they elected to public office.
There are many amongst
us who advance the assessment that the problems that bedevil our country today
which need to be addressed with urgency, are corruption, both in the high and
low echelons of government, criminality in the streets, and the rampant sale of
illegal drugs in all strata of Philippine society and the breakdown of law and
order. True, but not absolutely so. For I see these ills as mere symptoms of a
virulent social disease that creeps and cuts into the moral fiber of Philippine
society. I sense a problem deeper and more serious than any of those mentioned
or all of them put together. But of course, it is not to say that we will
ignore them because they have to be stopped by all means that the law allows.
Erosion of faith and
trust in government – that is the real problem that confronts us. Resulting
therefrom, I see the erosion of the people’s trust in our country’s leaders;
the erosion of faith in our judicial system; the erosion of confidence in the
capacity of our public servants to make the people’s lives better, safer and
healthier.
Indeed, ours is a
problem that dampens the human spirit. But all is not lost.
I know that there are
those who do not approve of my methods of fighting criminality, the sale and
use of illegal drugs and corruption. They say that my methods are unorthodox
and verge on the illegal. In response let me say this:
I have seen how
corruption bled the government of funds, which were allocated for the use in
uplifting the poor from the mire that they are in.
I have seen how illegal
drugs destroyed individuals and ruined family relationships.
I have seen how
criminality, by means all foul, snatched from the innocent and the
unsuspecting, the years and years of accumulated savings. Years of toil and
then, suddenly, they are back to where they started.
Look at this from that
perspective and tell me that I am wrong.
In this fight, I ask
Congress and the Commission on Human Rights and all others who are similarly
situated to allow us a level of governance that is consistent to our mandate.
The fight will be relentless and it will be sustained.
As a lawyer and a former
prosecutor, I know the limits of the power and authority of the
president. I
know what is legal and what is not.
My adherence to due
process and the rule of law is uncompromising.
You mind your work and I
will mind mine.
“Malasakit. Tunay
na Pagbabago. Tinud-anay
nga Kausaban (Compassion. Real
change.)” – these are words which catapulted me to the presidency. These
slogans were conceptualized not for the sole purpose of securing the votes of
the electorate. “Tinud-anay nga kabag-uhan. Mao kana ang tumong sa atong
pang-gobyerno (Real change. This is the direction of our government).”
Far from that. These
were battle cries articulated by me in behalf of the people hungry for genuine
and meaningful change. But the change, if it is to be permanent and
significant, must start with us and in us. [applause]
To borrow the language
of F. Sionil Jose, we have become our own worst enemies. And we must have the
courage and the will to change ourselves.
Love of country,
subordination of personal interests to the common good, concern and care for
the helpless and the impoverished – these are among the lost and faded values
that we seek to recover and revitalize as we commence our journey towards a
better Philippines. The ride will be rough. But come and join me just the same.
Together, shoulder to shoulder, let us take the first wobbly steps in this
quest.
There are two quotations
from revered figures that shall serve as the foundation upon which this
administration shall be built.
“The test of government
is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is
whether we provide for those who have little.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt
And from (Abraham)
Lincoln I draw this expression: “You cannot strengthen the weak
by weakening the strong; You cannot help the poor by discouraging the
rich; You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer; You
cannot further the brotherhood by inciting class hatred among men.”
My economic and
financial, political policies are contained in those quotations, though couched
in general terms. Read between the lines. I need not go into specifics now.
They shall be supplied to you in due time.
However, there are
certain policies and specifics of which cannot wait for tomorrow to be
announced.
Therefore, I direct all
department secretaries and the heads of agencies to reduce requirements and the
processing time of all applications, from the submission to the release. I
order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to remove redundant
requirements and compliance with one department or agency, shall be accepted as
sufficient for all.
I order all department
secretaries and heads of agencies to refrain from changing and bending the
rules government contracts, transactions and projects already approved and
awaiting implementation. Changing the rules when the game is on-going is wrong.
I abhor secrecy and
instead advocate transparency in all government contracts, projects and
business transactions from submission of proposals to negotiation to perfection
and finally, to consummation.
Do them and we will work
together. Do not do them, we will part sooner than later.
On the international
front and community of nations, let me reiterate that the Republic of the
Philippines will honor treaties and international obligations.
On the domestic front,
my administration is committed to implement all signed peace agreements in step
with constitutional and legal reforms.
I am elated by the
expression of unity among our Moro brothers and leaders, and the response of
everyone else to my call for peace.
I look forward to the
participation of all other stakeholders, particularly our indigenous peoples,
to ensure inclusivity in the peace process.
Let me remind in the end
of this talk, that I was elected to the presidency to serve the entire country.
I was not elected to serve the interests of any one person or any group or any
one class. I serve every one and not only one.
That is why I have
adapted as an article of faith, the following lines written by someone whose
name I could no longer recall. He said: “I have no friends to serve, I
have no
enemies to harm.”
Presiding there from, I
now ask everyone, and I mean everyone, to join me as we embark on this crusade
for a better and brighter tomorrow.
But before I end, let me
express the nations, on behalf of the people, our condolences to the Republic
of Turkey of what has happened in the place. We offer our deepest condolences.
Why am I here? Hindi
kasali ito diyan (This is not part
of my speech). The past tense was, I am here because I love my country and I
love the people of the Philippines. I am here, why? Because I am ready to start
my work for the nation.
Thank you and good
afternoon.
