Press Release
July 27, 2021

Bong Go says let Filipinos judge Duterte presidency as they can attest to the positive change the administration has brought to the country

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for his well-delivered State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26. He emphasized that it is up to the Filipino people to judge and attest to the success of his presidency and the positive change this administration has brought to their lives.

Go expressed confidence that the realities on the ground speak volumes of the successes of the Duterte Administration as a whole to address the most important challenges facing the country.

In a pair of television interviews given on Monday, July 26, Go said that President Duterte has delivered on his campaign promises to tackle problems of corruption, criminality and illegal drugs while strengthening the competitiveness of the economy through rapid infrastructure development and other programs that aim to provide a more comfortable life for all.

"Nung nangangampanya pa siya, ito ang ipinangako niya---labanan ang korapsyon sa gobyerno, labanan ang kriminalidad at labanan ang iligal na droga. Iyon 'yung tatlong malaking problema ng ating bansa, including insurgency. Napakahirap 'nun pero binoto siya ng tao dahil umaasa sila na magkaroon ng pagbabago sa buhay nila," said Go.

"Magiging biased ako kung sasabihin ko ganito ang nagawa niya. Tanungin niyo na lang ang taumbayan kung nakakalakad na sila ng ligtas sa gabi, 'yung mga anak natin kung nakakauwi sila na hindi nababastos at nasasaktan ng mga adik," he continued.

The Senator added that he had personally heard from Filipinos who are grateful for the administration's continued emphasis on peace and order, and credited the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their contributions to the campaign to address crime and violence in communities.

"Kapag pumupunta ako sa abroad, nagpapasalamat (ang overseas Filipino workers) sa Pangulo. Mayro'n na raw silang peace of mind habang nagtatrabaho. Napakahirap magtrabaho sa ibang bansa, na mapalayo sa pamilya mo, lalong-lalo na kung iniisip mo kung ang mga anak mo ay nakakauwi sa inyong pamamahay," he shared.

"Maraming salamat sa pulis at militar dahil kung hindi sa inyo, mahihirapan si Pangulong Duterte na matupad ang kaniyang mga ipinangako," he said.

In addition to the President's campaign promises, Go also highlighted the successes of the government's Free Higher Education program which was created under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act which Duterte signed into law in August 2017.

The program has assisted nearly 1.6 million students, as of May 2021, 1.3 million of whom are from 112 state universities and colleges nationwide. The government has also sponsored the enrollment of over 500,000 primarily disadvantaged students in private institutions through the Tertiary Education Subsidy.

Other major legislative accomplishments include the Universal Health Care Law which provides affordable quality healthcare services to every Filipino; the Malasakit Centers Act which provides quick and convenient access to the government's various medical assistance programs; and the Salary Standardization Law 5 which increased the salaries of government employees, including nurses and teachers.

"Ramdam ng mga kababayan natin 'yung pagbabago na ginawa ni Pangulong Duterte. Dinadagdagan na lang niya 'yung free education sa mga state colleges and universities, universal healthcare at Malasakit Center na ating ini-sponsor," continued Go.

"And, of course, makikita niyo 'yung mga infrastructure projects. Kaliwa't kanan 'yung mga highways at skyways. Mahirap gawin 'yan kung walang political will dahil marami pong masasagasaang properties. Dati, sangkatutak na injunctions ang inaabot ng ating public works and highways (department). Hindi magagawa 'yan kundi sa political will ng ating Pangulo," he stressed.

Under the "Build, Build, Build" program, the government has completed or is set to complete the Clark International Airport Expansion Project, Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, Light Rail Transit 2 East Extension Project, Metro Manila Logistics Network, Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway Connector Road Project, and C5 South Link Expressway Project, among others.

Aside from the flagship projects, a total of 212 airport projects, 446 seaport projects, 10,376 flood mitigation structures, 26,494 kilometers of roads, and 5,555 bridges have also been completed, as of July 2021. Another 102 airport projects, 117 seaport projects, 1,090.30 kilometers of railway, 2,587 flood mitigation structures, 2,515 kilometers of roads, and 1,020 bridge projects are currently under construction.

Finally, the Senator hailed the Duterte Administration's efforts to ease the process of doing business in the country. In 2018, President Duterte signed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act which streamlines the process of starting a business by mandating the creation of a central business portal to receive all business applications and the Philippine Business Databank to serve as a repository of information on all businesses registered in the Philippines.

He also signed the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act in the same year which directs the creation of the PhilSys Registry, an integrated identification system to consolidate all existing government-initiated identification systems. Every citizen and resident alien shall be assigned a unique and permanent identification number, thus eliminating the need to present other forms of identification.

"Even before I took my oath of office ... I knew the gravity [and] enormity of the problems that the country was facing. And precisely because of that awareness, I was driven to hasten the implementation of changes which I believed the country needed," the President said during his sixth and final State of the Nation Address on Monday.

"I did not succumb to the attacks. And neither did I allow criticisms, however intense, to dampen my determination and initiatives because my purpose was pure and unpolluted ... We have laid down the ground work and are continuing to push for landmark reforms and key accomplishments until the last day of my term," he reassured.

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