4 Cabinet members assess PNoy’s 1st year

MANILA, Philippines – As the first 365 days of President Benigno Aquino III in office draws near, the proverbial question “What has the Aquino Presidency achieved?” is once again raised.

A Pulse Asia survey conducted on March 2011 showed that more than a majority of respondents approved of the President’s actions against graft and corruption and against criminality.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told ANC’s “Talk Back” on Monday that fighting corruption has indeed been a priority.

“We used to be number 3 among the most corrupt government agencies. In the latest SWS survey, we are not even part of the top 20 list [of corrupt agencies in the government],” Alcala said.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said that, being the agency with the biggest budget, the anti-corruption program has been the biggest priority of the President.

“You can imagine how many kinds of requests come to [the President], in terms of placing this person to a certain project. If it is not in the priority, the President really does not insist,” Singson said.

“All our projects are on our website. You cannot get more transparent than that,” he added.

The Aquino promise of good governance is also being carried out, according to Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim.

Lim said the President has allowed them to pick their own people.

“It’s more encouraging because you can pick competent people rather than politically-motivated choices,” said Lim.

Cluster meetings

The President has also introduced changes even in Cabinet meetings. Rather than convening a full Cabinet meeting, Aquino holds Cabinet meetings in clusters.

For Department of Social Welfare Department Secretary Dinky Soliman, this management style is more productive.

“You don’t have 41 people meeting and only 1 or 2 can speak. Because 41 people meeting does not encourage dialogue. But in a cluster, we are very specific in what we are concerned about,” said Soliman.

Lim added that the cluster system is “much more efficient.”

Cluster-type meetings also highlight the detail-oriented nature of the President.

“My program in 2016, he already knows. The President can be very detailed,” said Singson.

Fighting poverty

The latest Pulse Asia survey also showed that fewer respondents approved of the President’s campaign in reducing poverty.

This is an issue that the President hopes to address with the cash conditional transfer program called “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.”

“This is an investment of the future of our children. These are children of parents who did not finish elementary school. The President is investing in this generation of children to ensure that we break the intergenerational cycle of poverty,” Soliman said.

School dropout rates, maternal health and infant mortality are the measurements of improvement that should be considered in the next couple of years, said Soliman.

“The best thing the President has done is that he has invested in poor people,” she said.

However, Soliman admitted that there is room for improvement with regards to the administration’s communication.

“There is some disconnect that we need to respond to. Kaming lahat, kailangan sigurong magpaliwanag pa, magbigay ng impormasyon, at mapaunawa sa mamamayan na ang pagbabago ay sabay namin gagawin. Hindi lang kami, kasama sila,” she said. –Jon Carlos Rodriguez, abs-cbnNEWS.com