Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar
MANILA – As the newly-elected senators backed by President Rodrigo Duterte buckle down to work, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Wednesday said he expects the continuity of the administration’s cornerstone reforms in the 18th Congress.
Andanar said results of the last May 13 mid-term polls proved that the public still trust the reforms being implemented by the Duterte administration since 2016.
The Duterte-allied candidates won 9 of 12 Senate seats. They are neophytes Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino; reelectionists Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara and Koko Pimentel; and returning senators Pia Cayetano and Bong Revilla.
"Sabi nga nila, 'super majority' na ang tawag dito. (As they have said, it is now called ‘super majority’),” Andanar said in a Radyo Pilipinas interview.
“Kung noong 2016, 2017, at 2018 ay naipatupad po at nasuportahan ang mga legislative agenda ni Presidente eh what more ngayon na buong-buo po ang suporta ng koalisyon kay Presidente sa Kongreso (If the legislative agenda of the President received support in 2016, 2017 and 2018, what more now that the coalition has solid support to President in Congress,),” he added.
Andanar said the Duterte administration will focus on socioeconomic initiatives that will mitigate extreme poverty in the next years.
These programs, he said, are poverty alleviation, infrastructure development, and peace and order dubbed as three cornerstones of the Duterte administration’s priorities.
"Maaasahan po natin for the next three years ay masusuportahan po ang mga programa ni Presidente dahil nga super majority ang mga kakampi natin sa Kongreso(We are hoping that in the next three years, the programs of the President will be supported because of super majority that we have now in Congress),” he said.
Andanar said the Duterte administration intends to bring down poverty rate from 21 to 14 percent by 2022, to finish major infrastructures projects and to address insurgency in the countryside.
"Itong lahat pong ito ay asahan niyong tututukan ng gobyerno. (You can expect that the government will focus on these programs). The last three years will be about: first, protecting the Duterte legacy na nagawa na po nang mga nakaraang taon (which was achieved last year). Secondly, building the final Duterte legacy,” he said.
Ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, Andanar said a series of pre-SONA will highlight the various programs, policies, and accomplishments of the Duterte administration.
The Department of Finance (DOF) and Economic Development Cluster kicked off the three-part pre-SONA on July 1 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Another forum will be held on July 10 in Cebu by the participatory governance cluster and the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster.
The last forum will be held on July 17 in Davao City by the Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Risk Reduction Cluster, and the Security, Justice, and Peace Cluster. (PNA)
