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As the Duterte administration's six-year term neared its end, a Malacañang official expressed confidence that the President's legacy would benefit future generations of Filipinos.
President Duterte (Malacañang photo) Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said this during the Duterte Legacy Summ
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday cited the passage of the anti-terrorism law and the creation of the government anti-insurgency task force among the Duterte administration's accomplishments.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (Presidential Photo) MANILA - For the past six years, the Duterte administration has secured the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as its vast maritime borders, through the acquisition of new equipment and patrols, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Monday. In his presentation at the Duterte Legacy Summit, Lorenzana said 6,958 naval surface and 6,432 maritime air patrols were held to assert the country's sovereignty. "Tayo ay aktibong sinisiguro ng ating territorial integrity at sovereignty sa pamamagitan ng mga detection, identification, at interdiction efforts. Nagsagawa tayo ng mga naval surface patrols at maritime air patrols (We are actively securing our territorial integrity and sovereignty through our detection, identification, and interdiction efforts. We also have conducted naval surface patrols and maritime air patrols," Lorenzana said at the two-day summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. The summit promotes the landmark programs and achievements of the Duterte administration. Some Cabinet officials will present to the public their accomplishments, policies, and projects that improved the lives of Filipinos over the past six years. It will also feature key campaign promises of the Duterte administration that were realized such as the Universal Health Care Law and Malasakit Center, Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, Bangsamoro Organic Law, anti-illegal drugs campaign, and migrant workers' protection. In his report, Lorenzana said to secure the country's vast maritime borders, the Philippines signed in 2016 a Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement with Malaysia and Indonesia which resulted in joint naval and air patrols that helped cut down incidents of terrorism and and seaborne criminal activities in the Sulu-Celebes Seas. The construction of a beaching ramp in Pag-asa Island and the repair of its airstrip were completed, apart from improving structures in Kota, Parola, Panata, Likas, Lawak, and Panguan Islands in the Kalayaan Island Group. "We also acquired new equipment to strengthen our humanitarian assistance and disaster response (capabilities), air, maritime, and land defense along with joint command-and-control capabilities. This includes air assets, radars, missile systems, and other items which greatly improved the capabilities of our Task Force to the West Philippine Sea," Lorenzana added. With the new equipment, Lorenzana said the Philippines was able to respond to violations of its sovereignty and sovereign rights, conduct marine scientific research and aid Filipino fishermen in its maritime territories. (PNA) }
The series of tax reforms, unparalleled infrastructure investments and the enactment of the law that cleared the way to the long-sought return of the coco levy funds are among the lasting legacies of the Duterte administration on the economic front, a Cabinet official said.
Presidential Adviser on Covid-19 Response, Secretary Vince Dizon, at the "Duterte Legacy Summit" at Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City on Monday (May 30, 2022) (Photo by Avito Dalan) MANILA - Actions speak louder than words and the results speak for themselves, Presidential Adviser on Covid-19 Response, Secretary Vince Dizon, said of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration. Dizon said "talk is cheap" and he considers himself "very fortunate" to have worked with the economic team and the "Build, Build, Build" team for five years. "I can tell you that under the leadership of the President, under the leadership of (Finance Secretary) Sonny Dominguez, (Transportation) Secretary Art Tugade, former (Public Works) Secretary and now senator-elect Mark Villar, and of course, our Executive Secretary, Salvador Medialdea, no one exemplifies those three quotes better than the economic team and the 'Build, Build, Build' team. So please let us give credit where credit is due and these are the men who exemplify the best of public service," Dizon said at the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday. Dizon lauded the Duterte administration's "unprecedented" whole-of-government approach among national agencies, local government units, and the private sector to combat the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for more than two years now. "I dare say, if not for the very bold, decisive, and swift action of the President and the likes of (vaccine czar) Secretary Carlito Galvez, (Local Government) Secretary Ed Ano, (Defense) Secretary (Delfin) Lorenza, and (Health) Secretary Francisco Duque, we would not be here where we are today," Dizon said. "That unprecedented whole-of-nation call of the President signaled unprecedented cooperation," he added. After years of dealing with the health crisis, Dizon said the government has brought back jobs, businesses, and normal operations of the transportation sector. He also praised the "unprecedented" cooperation and partnership of the private sector with the government to further boost the pandemic responses, including the building Covid-19 testing laboratories and treatment facilities, as well as ramping up the vaccination program. The National Task Force Against Covid-19, led by Galvez, has been at the forefront of the vaccine procurement and inoculation program, Dizon pointed out while recalling that they "met a lot of criticisms in the beginning". The government's massive and collaborative efforts allowed the Philippines to acquire over 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, he added, noting that supplies are more than enough for the protection of Filipinos against the dreaded disease. To date, the Philippines has administered 151,648,507 Covid-19 doses nationwide, with 70,820,093 fully vaccinated and 14,084,991 with first booster shots. The country's average daily vaccination rate has increased to 299,759 doses for the past seven days, compared to around 100,000 doses in the previous weeks leading to the elections. (PNA) }
PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE. Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano cites participatory governance as one of the achievements of the Duterte administration during the Duterte Legacy Summit at the PICC in Pasay City on Monday (May 30, 2022). The two-day summit will highlight the legacies that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will leave behind once he steps down from office on June 30. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan) MANILA - Participatory governance was a major point in the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Ano said Monday. "Indeed, democracy reached its peak during the term of the President when people's needs were heard and addressed and they were made part of improving their own lives and charting their future. People's (participation) in governance was neither a slogan nor an empty promise. It was a fruitful and truthful reality this time," he said during the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. He said in the past six years, various national government agencies "worked hand-in-hand to collaborate" with one another and reach out to the citizens to make them aware of the people's concerns and ensure that these are addressed "adequately and immediately." Ano said this milestone was achieved through the "participatory governance cluster" emphasizing that the people's active involvement was a key factor in the government's efficient and swift delivery of public service. "This is the story in the past six years where the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte engaged the Filipino people in governing and solving their problems and the country's other concerns," he said. At the start of his term, Ano noted that Duterte had already laid down his plan to enhance the public's relationship with the government in attaining an effective way of governance. DILG and its government agency partners also worked in unison to implement "governance reforms" to strengthen transparency and accountability in the government to "ensure an effective public service in partnership with the people." Through Hotline 8888, Ano said authorities addressed the public's complaints about government agencies that failed to provide the appropriate services at the most appropriate time. He noted that more than 2.5 million complaints were received and resolved by the concerned government agencies from 2018 to 2021 which paved the way for red tape and other forms of corrupt activities to drop dramatically. The "Emergency 911 Hotline", he said, gave the public the link for the concerned government agencies to address their needs immediately during distress times like natural or man-made calamities or tragedies. He also recognized that the "Dagyao Town Hall" meetings in various localities provided the citizens with a closer avenue to air their concerns and grievances to the government. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Ano said the government continued its Dagyao Town Hall meetings to further strengthen the relationship between the people and the government. He said the government reinforced the "participatory governance" to end insurgency and communism which has struck misinformation, fear and terror in the country in the past five decades, especially in the areas identified as "conflict-affected communities." Through the retooled community support program, Ano said the government gathered all sectors of the local community, listened to their needs, concerns and aspirations and "provided them the response they wanted from our government, the right funding and projects for their needs." To promote transparency and accountability, he said the President directed all government agencies under the executive branch to ensure public access to information. "As of today 61,903 requests to the freedom of information portal have been responded to by concerned agencies, a manifestation of the government's commitment to operationalize the people's right to information,'' he noted. Ano also confirmed that the local government units (LGUs) are being monitored "on how they manage and utilize public funds.'' "We are likewise working on the immediate passage of the freedom of information bill to cover all the three branches of the government to bring greater transparency on public transactions and documents,'' he said. Among the DILG's priorities, he said, is to make the LGU officials involved in all forms of anomalies answerable for their lawless deeds. In reference to the Covid-19 response, Ano acknowledged the people's key role as watchdogs that prevented the local officials from abusing their power and ensured their lawful adherence to their sworn duties as public servants. (PNA) }
Access road project in Zamboanga Sibugay (DPWH photo) MANILA - Infrastructure projects are undoubtedly one of the hallmarks of the Duterte administration that will conclude in a month. The Duterte government delivered what it promised five years ago, according to the report of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) acting Secretary Roger Mercado at the Duterte Legacy Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday. President Rodrigo Duterte made the commitment on July 24, 2017 during his State of the Nation Address and massive infrastructure projects have since become synonymous with the government. "Build, Build, Build" (BBB) chief implementer Undersecretary Emil Sadain delivered the report of Mercado. "We will make the next few years the golden age of infrastructure in the Philippines to enhance our mobility and connectivity, and thereby spur development growth. In other words, we are going to build, build and build," according to the DPWH report. The BBB program was undertaken with an understanding that economic activities cannot be conducted efficiently without adequate infrastructure. "The fundamental objective of the 'Build, Build, Build' program is to invest adequately in infrastructure to support and sustain the country's growing economic activities represented by its Gross Domestic Product," Sadain said. All projects provided 6.5 million jobs to Filipinos from 2016 to 2020. Projects Among the completed projects are the final section of TPLEX (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway), Plaridel By-Pass Road Phase II, NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) Harbor Link Segment 10 and C3-10 Section, Skyway Stage 3, and Alabang-Sucat Skyway Extension. Notable accomplishments for the road sector are the completed road sections of Central Luzon Link Expressway, Cavite Laguna Expressway, and Manila Cavite Toll Expressway. The DPWH said the country's highways and expressways were expanded to pave the way for regional development and eventually decongest highly urbanized areas, which include the construction of Davao City-By-pass Road Project featuring the country's longest road mountain tunnel that is still under construction. "One game-changing projects of DPWH is the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program. Once these projects are completed, travel time from Ilocos to Bicol will be reduced from 20 hours to 9 hours," he added. Bridges, roads Three major projects under the Metro Manila Logistics Improvement program were completed, namely the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center Link Road Project, and the recently completed Binondo-Intramuros Bridge. The Inter-Island Linkage/Mega Bridge Program will provide linkages among the various islands of the country through the construction of short and long span bridges. DPWH is also fast-tracking the construction of Panguil Bay Bridge that will connect Tangub, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte and detailed engineering design of various mega bridges. Under the Duterte administration, 40,080 kilometers (km) of roads were constructed, maintained, widened, upgraded, and rehabilitated, among them 3,101-km tourism roads; 999-km completed roads leading to industries and trade corridors; 573-km access roads that will enhance linkages toward seaports, airports, and railway stations to further augment the logistics, transport, and economic activities in these key transport hubs; and 2,712-km completed farm-to-market roads. There were 6,854 bridges constructed, widened, upgraded, rehabilitated, and strengthened. Infrastructures provided basic social services, like 259 projects under the Center and Residential Care Facility program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; 245 projects that will enhance the capability and readiness of the military and police; 157,383 classrooms and 2,315 school workshop buildings; 302 evacuation centers; 7,369 projects under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program; 901 facilities equivalent to 33,236-bed capacity in We Heal As One Centers in response to Covid-19. Other projects With the impact of climate change and increasing frequencies on flooding, the government pursued projects that expanded protected flood-prone areas across the country. As of March, 13,917 flood control projects have been completed. There is also the National Broadband Program (NBP) that will provide faster, efficient, and equitable broadband connectivity nationwide, including in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. The overall accomplishment rate of Phase 1 of the NBP is 73.5 percent as of March. The Free Wi-Fi for All program, as mandated by Republic Act 10929 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, signed by the President Duterte in 2017, established 7,977 operational Wi-Fi sites in public areas nationwide. Ports Under water transport, ports were upgraded and modernized, including access roads to ensure reliable inter-island shipping and connectivity. The capacities of existing airports were improved and new airports were constructed to improve the country's air connectivity. As of March, 579 commercial and social tourism ports were completed and 248 airport projects were completed. Rail networks were expanded by developing new lines and efforts were made to ensure that all rail projects will be interconnected both physically and operationally. (PNA) }
The chief implementer of the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program, the flagship infrastructure thrust of the Duterte administration, bannered the government’s achievements in building infrastructure across the Philippine archipelago. According to a copy of his speech at the Duterte Legacy Summit, BBB Chief Implementer Emil K. Sadain said the Infrastructure…
"We may not have solved all the transport problems in the [past] 6 years. But for the ones we weren't able to do, please also accept that we have addressed many."
Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana MANILA - The creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act are two of the major legacies of the Duterte administration in eliminating the threats of terrorism and the decades-long insurgency. During the Duterte Legacy Summit in Pasay City Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 allowed law enforcement agencies to protect communities against terrorism. The NTF-LECAC, created through Executive Order 70, also uses the whole-of-nation approach in addressing communist insurgency. Lorenzana said through its Barangay Development Program (BDP), the NTF-ELCAC provides development projects to barangays such as farm-to-market roads, schools, sanitation systems, irrigation or water projects, health stations and livelihood programs in former conflict ridden communities. Latest data show that around 822 barangays have benefitted from the BDP as of 2021. For 2022, another 1,406 barangays are targeted to benefit from the BDP, Lorenzana added. He said at least 56 New People's Army (NPA) guerilla fronts have been dismantled or cleared from the start of the Duterte administration in 2016 until April this year. "Sa dako naman ng AFP, tayo ay nagsasagawa ng mga operasyon laban sa NPA at ibang local terrorists, nalinis natin ang limampu't anim guerrilla fronts (ng) NPA (On the AFP, we have conducted operations against the NPA and other local terrorist groups, we have so far cleared 56 guerilla fronts of the NPA)," Lorenzana said. Lorenzana, who is also chair of the Security Justice and Peace Cabinet Cluster, said neutralized were about 314 key and ranking leaders of the communist terrorist group; 1,544 members of the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group, 971 Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and 1,427 Dawlah Islamiyah members from 2016 up to 2021. Neutralized refers to terrorist members who was surrendered, captured or killed by security forces. Lorenzana added that the largest effort by the Armed Forces of the Philippines against local terrorist groups took place during the siege of Marawi City in 2017. The summit promotes the landmark programs and achievements of the Duterte administration. Some Cabinet officials presented to the public their accomplishments, policies, and projects that improved the lives of Filipinos over the past six years. (PNA) }