MANILA, July 26
(Xinhuanet) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stressed the
building of a strong government to fight corporate tax evasion and corruption,
and the teaching of patriotism among the country's youths, when she delivered
Monday afternoon the State of the Nation Address to
Congress.
In front of a fully packed joint session of the
congress at the Batasang Pambansa complex, Arroyo, wearing the traditional
yellow Philippine dress and looking relaxed, won a standing ovation from the
congressmen after a 40-minute speech.
She first repeated her
rejection of US criticism over her decision to pull out troops from Iraq in
exchange for the release of a Filipino held hostage by Iraqi militants for
days.
"Would Iraq have a change for the better today if
Angelo dela Cruz was not saved?" she said. "We do not sacrifice policy for human
life, but apply policy for human life."
Presenting her five
packages of executive and legislative proposals covering fields from job
creation to education, Arroyo asked the country's rich to make
contribution by paying more taxes. "Those with more must sacrifice more,"
she said.
She said the biggest problem that her government
is faced with today is the budget deficit, which has "reduced the ability of the
government to invest in infrastructure, provide social services and establish
social charity for the poor".
Arroyo said that to improve
the country's financial situation, the Philippines needs a strong government,
cooperation from private businesses, patience of its people and understanding of
the legislative.
She stressed her determination to fight
"corporation corruption" highlighted by tax evasion and attributed as one of the
reasons for the widening gap of income between the rich and the poor.
"Only a fiscally strong government can create a congenial
business environment," she said, adding that that's why she decides to present a
package of tax and public revenue measures to
cut government expenditures and
increase state income by 180 billion pesos (about 3 billion US
dollars).
Arroyo also criticized the country's lucrative
public electricity monopoly for wastefulness and causing hiking of energy
prices, and said she intends to privatize the sector to achieve energy
independence of the country and lower energy prices.
In her
education improvement and youth opportunity package, Arroyo gives priority to a
campaign for education of discipline, citizenship and
patriotism.
She said that "English, science, technology and
love of the country" are the most important causes in all classrooms. "It is not
free market, but patriotism, which makes the country strong," she
said.
Arroyo also is targeting the creation of a maximum 10
million jobs in six years by supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises in
the provinces to alleviate the overpopulation of Metro
Manila.
On building a more efficient government, she pledged
more efforts to fight bureaucracy, downsize the government and to fire redundant
and incompetent public employees.
Arroyo won a six-year term in the May presidential election. Enditem |
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