President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Speech
During The Joint Conferment Ceremonies for the
2011 Metrobank Foundation-Rotary Club Of Makati
Metro Search For The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS), Country's Outstanding Policemen In Service (COPS), And The Search For Outstanding Teachers (SOT)
Rizal Ceremonial Hall, Malacañang August 26, 2011
(applause) Good afternoon. Let us be seated.
Dr. George Ty; Mr. Aniceto Sobrepeña; Awardees of the Metrobank Foundation’s Search for the Outstanding Philippine Soldiers, Country’s Outstanding Policemen in the Nation Service, and the Outstanding Teachers; members of the Cabinet present here today: Secretary Armin Luistro, who promised me a very good Christmas this year, Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Secretary Jesse Robredo who is taking care of… Secretaries Gazmin and Robredo taking care of the aftermath of Typhoon Mina, Secretary Ging Deles, Chairperson Patricia Licuanan; General Eduardo Oban; General Raul Bacalzo; members of the House of Representatives present; members of the Board of Judges, organizers and supporters of this year’s Metrobank Foundation’s Search; honored guests; my beloved countrymen:
A pleasant afternoon to you all.
I believe I will be the only speaker today whose speech is entirely in Tagalog. (laughter) To those who cannot understand the language – Asec. Delantar will give you copies in English later today.
Every year, we gather, together with the Metrobank Foundation and other associated agencies, to recognize our countrymen, who, in the course of their everyday lives, render extraordinary service to the country: our soldiers who risk their lives for the sake of Philippine sovereignty; our policemen who seek out and suppress criminal elements; and our teachers who exhibit incomparable dedication in shaping and enriching the minds of Filipino youth.
They are the ordinary Juan and Juana dela Cruz’s who render dedicated service to their sworn mandates, even when most of us quite often disregard or forget the roles they play in our lives. Their names are unheralded in daily headlines; their achievements and good deeds do not provide scoops on prime time TV. Instead of being conducted in the glare of bright lights and cameras, the only witnesses to their contributions to society are their fellow Filipinos, our countrymen whom they help, protect, and nurture every day.
They are our Filipino soldiers, policemen and teachers – conscious of the responsibility that rests on their shoulders – and yet they do not hesitate to go beyond what is asked of them in the performance of their duties. They demonstrate the hard work, honesty, and excellence inherent in our culture; they are our modern-day heroes.
These are the policemen, soldiers, and teachers we recognize and honor today. Allow me to express, together with the Filipino people, our deepest gratitude for all of you.
I am confident that the recognition you receive today will spur each of you to surpass all that you have already achieved, and to continue to serve as an inspiration to your fellow Filipinos. When you return to the camp to which you have been assigned; when you return to your stations or to your patrols on the streets; when you return to your classrooms and your students, I am hopeful that this thought will never be far from your minds and hearts: “I am the government’s partner along the straight and righteous path of service to the nation, and I am confident that the Filipino people stand behind my every move.”
Now that we are shaping the direction that our nation will take, now that we are implementing reforms at every level of government, we are, slowly but surely, realizing the potential of our bureaucracy. To better the living and working conditions of our policemen and our soldiers, we have focused on three key areas. The first is to enhance their capability to serve the nation by modernizing equipment and training. Just this week, we witnessed the arrival of the BRP Gregorio Pilar, the country’s first Hamilton Class Cutter. We have always reiterated that this is the first of its kind in the Philippines, but it will certainly not be the last, as we are hoping for more cutters to bolster our defenses. We are also determined to procure other kinds of equipment and arms for our Armed Forces such as Weather High Endurance Cutters, Offshore Patrol Vessels, Long Range Patrol Aircraft, Helicopters, Multi-Purpose Attack Craft, Air Defense Radar, and other kinds of materiel to enable them to better perform their duties. We are doing this because we believe that this will signify our readiness to care for, guard, and protect the interests of our country.
The second is to boost the morale of our soldiers, policemen and teachers by providing them with housing, benefits, and other means of financial assistance. We have already constructed over 3,000 houses for their ranks. Rest assured, we will double our efforts in order to ensure that we will reach our target of 21,800 houses before the end of this year. (applause)
The third is to continue to push for open and transparent governance in their respective agencies with the help of the Commission on Audit. We will ensure that every peso spent for their equipment and facilities will truly be for the benefit of the Filipino people.
With the help of Education Secretary Armin Luistro, we are now putting into place initiatives that will improve the welfare of our beloved teachers. (applause) Even now, there are so many people already counting on Secretary Luistro for a very Merry Christmas. (laughter) From an Indefinite Sick Leave of Absence and Study Leave, to Overtime pay —and we must not forget Hazard Pay and other means of compensation— from fair salaries to programs that recognize outstanding teachers, we will continue to make strides toward providing further assistance for our teachers, so they can better teach their students.
We are moving toward a position from which we can see that, already, much has changed. And when we speak of change, we do not mean change in the systems and in the equipment of government only, but also change in the general consciousness and conduct of our government officials, and our countrymen. For so many years, we have had to endure a culture of impunity and selfishness; our ears have been deafened by the screeching of the wang-wang of abusive government officials.
Together with our administration, and along the straight and righteous path, if you are a soldier, you can now stand with your head held high, saying, “I am a Filipino soldier; I am the sentinel of Philippine sovereignty; I stop those elements who wish to threaten my country’s security.”
If you are among the ranks of the police, you can now boast, “I am a Filipino policemen; I ensure that peace reigns in our society, and that my countrymen need not fear for their safety.”
If you are a teacher, you can now proclaim to the whole world, “I am a Filipino teacher, the guide of Filipino youth toward success and learning; I sow the seeds that will ensure a bright future for our country.”
Under our administration, the blare of wang-wang will no longer echo throughout society; what will resound is a culture of fellowship, integrity, and bayanihan. For even as we come from different backgrounds and fields of specialization, we are united by our desire to fight for a Philippines that is safer, more just, more peaceful, and more successful.
Again, I congratulate our model soldiers, policemen and teachers. It is because of you that I ask you – in these times, isn’t it good to be a Filipino? (applause)
I would like to impress on all of you, especially on this occasion, just how much has changed and will continue to change in our society. Only yesterday, Communist rebels assaulted a police station in Medina, Misamis Oriental. It is with great pride that I relate to you all how the police stood their ground, while waiting for reinforcements from the AFP and the PNP who responded rapidly; and how they, all together, successfully resisted those who would threaten the peace and security of Medina, Misamis Oriental. Congratulations to all of you! (applause)
We have to remember that those who engage in guerilla warfare choose specific times, specific moments, and that they gather their forces. Those who safeguard our country’s stability, on the other hand, are permanently deployed in different locations; they must be ready to carry out their duties at a moment’s notice all in the name of service to the country, as members of the police force and army.
I would also like to honor our brave countrymen who helped to resolve a hostage crisis just last night, in San Jose, Antique. Through their valor and dedication, the crisis was resolved within four or five hours. Only one person was injured during the initial takeover of prisoners in the San Jose BJMP facility, and it was resolved with no additional casualties or injuries. Allow me to reiterate - it only took four or five hours for our policemen to resolve the crisis in San Jose, Antique peacefully. This is, indeed, a sign of the prowess of our policemen, who maintain peace and security on the streets of our country. (applause)
As a parting anecdote: yesterday, I was speaking with the students who won in the Math Olympiad. I have forgotten the name of the competition, but I believe we sent three students as representatives, and they all brought home bronze medals. This time, they gained a ranking, and in their telling me this, I learned something new.
Apparently, in these competitions, each representative is given points, that, when added up, represent the points of your country and your subsequent ranking. We only had a problem insofar as we only sent three representatives, while they were up against teams of six. So, when they multiplied the points, other teams’ scores were multiplied by six, while ours was multiplied by three. (laughter)
At the end of the day, they also reported that the math of other countries is better than the math being taught here. I told our students and their trainers for this competition that this is an area in which the government can and will help them. You all know that, apart from their daily work and class load, these teachers have devoted much of their free time to train these students – and is it not true that we can boast of the results this has brought? Even in a competition like the Math Olympiad, Filipinos are showing off their skills.
And so, because of the examples you have already set, and because of the excellence we trust you will continue to exhibit in the coming days, it is apparent that we are steadily working towards a future for our country that looks brighter and brighter with each step we take.
Good afternoon, and once again, my deepest gratitude to you all. (applause)
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