Senate President to veto Salonga speaker Rahman Mitra distinguished members of the Senate and the House of Representatives Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan and the associate justices of the Supreme Court members of the cabinet your excellencies of the diplomatic corps distinguished guests minima Halcomb melaka by Bayan we gather today at the most crucial time in our history seven days ago a large portion of our country was rocked by one of the most serious natural calamities we have ever experienced an earthquake which registered at magnitude 7.7 in the open-ended Richter scale and intensity 8 in the Rastafarian scale near the epicenter the tremor struck at 4:26 in the afternoon after 45 seconds nine of our cities and 39 municipalities in 15 provinces lay damaged some almost totally devastated as of this morning based on the MVCC reports we have accounted for 899 fatalities most of them from the cities of Baguio and Cabanatuan we have counted 3000 61 injured with double Ponseti suffering the worst actual property damage recorded so far is 2.6 billion pesos but we estimate the total damage to properties to reach from 10 to 15 billion pesos I personally listed Cabanatuan Baguio in the group on sites of the heaviest damage to lives and property there I saw and experienced for myself the grief that death and summoned from our hearts but it was not sorrow alone that was present in those disaster sites amid the debris I saw the strength and courage I witnessed the selflessness and heroism of our people in the midst of devastation there is the world to survive to help others to rebuild to start anew by the grace of God and the unshakable faith of the Filipino people I am confident we will pull through yes once again we face a crisis but you and I and the rest of our people are not strangers to this since time immemorial natural and man-made calamities have visited our land bringing with them widespread death and destruction and always our people would rise from the rubble we would shake off the dust and wipe the tears and while we mourn our losses our hope for the coming of a new day never dies earthquakes can destroy the strongest man-made structures but they can never shatter the faith of the Filipino to this day rescue and relief work goes on but slowly and surely our countrymen are gearing up for the next important task that of rehabilitation our people are determined to go back to their normal lives within the next few days our farmers want to return to their fields our labor force wants to return to their workplaces our businessmen want to resume the conduct of trade and commerce today they are no longer asking us for gestures of pity they are asking for assistance to help them get back on their feet our therefore come before you today to ask you to work hand in hand and with me in the effort to restore the normalcy of our people's lives there is however more that I would like to ask of you today let me ask you to look beyond rehabilitation and share with me instead the vision of the building of a much stronger nation for a while this is a time for grieving so is this a time to survey the opportunities arrayed before us the opportunity to grow further in our maturity as a people to leave the mistakes of the past and build on our strengths to abandon the hatred and the division and to start afresh as a people tested by suffering faced with the options for a better tomorrow at this point we must ask where shall we draw the kneaded fortitude to maximize these opportunities from where I stand I see four sources first our gains over the past four years second the strength and courage that our people have demonstrated during this calamity third the avenues for partnership among people and government that we have established and fourth our abiding faith in God who has always cared for us may I invite you to examine our games last year our nation bustled with productive energy the 5.7 percent growth in our economy was well within target a total of 17 billion 480 million pesos in foreign investments poured into our country seventy-five percent more than the previous year evidence of the continuing confidence of the international community in our economic recovery we reduced our foreign debt by four point three percent from twenty seven billion eight hundred million dollars in 1988 down to 20 billion six hundred million dollars as of January of this year our stock exchanges registered a business volume of more than twenty two billion pesos unmatched in the history of our country stock market 1989 was definitely a banner year some seven hundred three thousand Filipinos gained access to new jobs as the unemployment rate in our country went down to nine point two percent from the nine point six percent registered in nineteen eighty eight the annual per capita income of our workers rose by three point three percent as we move to ensure that no government worker would receive a salary lower than two thousand pesos and to increase the minimum wage in the private sector by 25 pesos per day ninety one thousand three hundred forty nine more Filipino families were able to build homes last year the fruit of a vigorous housing program with an unprecedented record last year's mark brought the total number of our beneficiaries from 1986 to 1989 to one hundred ninety three thousand seven hundred thirty-five families this shows our ability to provide new homes for an average of sixty four thousand five hundred seventy eight families every year surpassing the record of 1975 to 1985 where an average of only twenty eight thousand five hundred forty-three families were given shelter annually over 1 million school children including those living in remote barangays benefited from the twenty six thousand four hundred six classrooms constructed last year two million five hundred three thousand seven hundred ninety four high school students benefited last year from our free secondary public education program in addition one hundred one thousand more young Filipinos were able to attend high school last year these are the students who cannot be accommodated in our public high schools but whom we assisted through service contracts with private educational institutions in February 1986 the lowest paid teachers or those in teacher level one were receiving only a measly basic salary of 1096 pesos plus allowances of 350 pesos in recognition of their crucial role in the upbringing of our youth together we endeavoured to raise this pay level today our teachers in the lowest bracket are receiving a total of 3100 - pesos plus additional compensation paid from the local funds of the local government units where they serve in February 1986 the highest paid teachers or those in this sector in secondary principal for level were receiving only a total package of two thousand three hundred ninety three pesos today that has been raised to seven thousand four hundred seventy eight pesos some 1,400 seven more kilometres of major roads and 4890 kilometres of feeder roads were constructed last year this brings the total number of major roads built from 1986 to 1989 to three thousand three hundred sixty-five kilometers and feeder roads to 18 thousand 120 kilometers twenty-seven thousand five hundred thirty more hectares of farm lands were irrigated last year benefiting eighteen thousand five hundred more farmers nearly seven million more Filipinos gained access to safe drinking water with the implementation of fifty 1,820 water supply projects from 2042 barangay all over the country among them the remotest 2,700,000 more Filipinos now enjoy power supply last year we added 349 button guys to this number in all of our efforts to sustain the forces in our economy we have emphasized the use of science and technology at present we are transferring technology from those who generate them to the end-users especially in our rural areas thus we are supporting the widespread use of organic fertilizers in rice culture this would save us some 241 million pesos yearly if used to replace half of present fertilizer imports this type of fertilizer will increase farm income by as much as three thousand pesos per hectare every crop season we are also studying the potentials of locally developed technology using agro wastes such as coconut husks corn cobs and coffee hulls for brick making grain drying and power generation this is called the gasifier combustor if one fifth of these agro ways replace the four million barrels of bunker fuel we now use for power generation we could save about seventy million dollars yearly our advances in these areas receive further boost from our accomplishments in the peace and order scene last year over 3500 rebels from both the Communists and secessionist movements returned to the fold of the law another 2,500 surrendered during the first semester of this year 63 ranking communist leaders were neutralized of this 12 were top ranking national leaders of the cpp-npa we have reduced the fighting strength of the cpp-npa by 19% by the end of 1989 and we brought down the number of Communists affected by on guys by nearly two thousand or twenty five percent of the total number in 1988 we registered last year a combat fatality ratio of one to two and a half in favor of the government the highest such favorable ratio in six years in all parameters of our counterinsurgency effort we are ahead also in the interest of peace and security we continue to engage in diplomatic moves to formalize agreements and treaties protecting our interests we undertook serious efforts to resolve territorial disputes our diplomatic missions have kept our lines open with the organisation of Islamic Conference countries we have consistently used this access to apprise these countries of our accelerated implementation of autonomy for Muslim Mindanao and as the century of parks Pacifica beckons we continue to strengthen our foreign relations through our commitments to pluralist democracy responsible market policies and development diplomacy all within the constitutional provisions on national sovereignty territorial integrity national interest the right to self-determination and the commitment to international peace these gains would have been meaningless without advances in the area of justice here we directed our efforts over the past 12 months at further improving the investigation and prosecution processes and at providing our less privileged countrymen with much better access to our justice system we initiated the prosecution of civilians who took part in the failed Burcu which cases are now pending in our courts we also prosecuted and secured the conviction of the accused in such celebrated cases as the murder of secretary Jaime Ferrer the murder of non feral in tears in Kirino the murder of father called Schmitz and the attempted large-scale smuggling of firearms we adopted measures to expedite preliminary investigation of cases by shortening the period for appeal and strictly imposing the period within which cases must be resolved we have also weeded out corrupt and inefficient prosecutors we relentlessly pursued drugs and decades and gambling Lords and busted their operations we gave one hundred eighty four thousand two hundred eight indigents free legal aid and because of the need for suitable and dignified facilities for our judges and other officials in the justice system we are constructing halls of justice in various parts of the country 23 of these will be ready for occupancy by the end of this month sixteen more will be completed by the end of the year we also advanced our quest for social justice as three hundred forty thousand more Filipino farmers were given ownership of the land they tell eighty five percent more than the number in 1988 in the process we have distributed 13 times more land to former tenants under our comprehensive agrarian reform program than was distributed from 1965 to 1985 we also ensured that the lands they now own will become more productive through financial and technical support last year we released 820 million two hundred fifty thousand pesos in production loans to Farmer beneficiaries this sum brings 2 1 billion 170 million pesos the total amount of production loans we have provided to 220,000 368 farmer beneficiaries since I signed the comprehensive agrarian reform law passed by this Congress in 1988 our determination to implement our policy of decentralization found concrete expression when you and I began the process leading to the creation of two regional autonomous governments the first to undergo this process were provinces in southern Philippines where most of our Muslim brethren live this vesting of political autonomy underscores your firm resolve and mine to continue enhancing the lives of Muslim Filipinos through their more meaningful participation in our nation's political life on November 4 November 19 last year our countrymen from this region cast their ballots making their voice heard in the proposal to include their respective provinces in the proposed autonomous region Sulu Territory Lanao del Sur and begin Dena chose autonomy in this autonomous region On February 17 1990 over 600 thousand voters went to the polling places once more this time to select from 126 candidates the occupants of 23 elective positions in the regional assembly by the first week of this month all the winners have been proclaimed thus completing this chapter in their bid for regional autonomy the second to undergo this process was the Cordillera region On January 30 1990 the proposed Organic Act for the autonomous region of the court IRA's was presented to the voters there the province of ifugao accepted membership in the autonomous region political and material progress are however not the sole measures of democracy success that is reckoned as well in the quality of a people spirit in their attitude to the present and hope for the future over the past months in my continuing visits to the countryside including the remotest and poorest provinces I listen to our people and examine their lives having watched them so closely I am encouraged by their resiliency and determination spurred by the support given them by government they have set out to fashion for themselves and new and bright future they are relying on their resourcefulness and Industry and on one another to improve their lives last year I felt this resurgent spirit and kindled in the people of Bataan and Bohol Tahiti and Laguna I saw this again among our countrymen in Negros Oriental some Wonga city as well as cut about a city this year I saw this among the garments and livelihood cooperatives of Bulacan and among the farmers of the people's livelihood foundations of Pangasinan and tarrlok this is evident to among the peoples organizations of Catanduanes Pampanga Romblon Negros Occidental north and south cotabato Rizal Iloilo and Camarena sewer in many parts of our country I saw a new determination among our people to work hand in hand with us to link arms with us in our effort to translate our democracy into a better life for our people as we however were making real headway in our socio-economic thrusts the enemies of our democracy who comprised some 2% of the military struck on December 1 1989 in a futile bid to blunt the impact of the gains of our democracy for a few days these misguided elements waged war against our people employing a terrifying fear strategy that unmasked all their pretensions to ideological inclinations before our people they attempted to display brute force hoping to create an aura of armed victory by December 6 the show was over true to form the leaders of the failed coup deserted their men once more to face the consequences of their act once more our people and the 98% of our armed forces who remained loyal to our constitution throughout the evil design of this band of military adventurous and their civilian supporters once more we proved that we are a resolute people while we have yet to fully recover from the consequences of the imprudence of these misguided elements our resolve to move forward has not been diminished this failed adventurism has underscored the fact that our restored democracy has gone past its fledgling stage it has proceeded to mature and is now ready for a more profound expression in our life as a nation I am truly encouraged by what our people have proved themselves capable of they have worked hard with us to give substance to the meaning of participatory democracy not just in the political arena but in the realm of our nation social and economic life as well as president I have deemed it fitting to enshrine in a people's movement the transformation of democracy from concept to reality by our countrymen Hindi of Abednego Nong attic Monica Baybayin superb table for Zambian on open got a bit busy to move on amicable nothing tehee McDonough Papa - Lauren poorest open buti'm bhai knockin Ellen Familia kapa a comunidad amok abyss igniting Ito on the big a bahasa d1 and Adso salahuddin embark on an outing banza alte drapery Mila and even a revolution Nong Eason libros under anvil on put a meme tattoo Luisa Lanka me kilos labonza career upon taboo Luhan socket Ottoman Megan tattoo no not insula superb palpable is a tampa belladonna non-art amana programa Sarah Perman Panza kahan Sacopee upon akka Alison cipinang inada nail art intellicus on ATLA khazneh llaman superb papa - pardon and decentralization at zapata unit in samara Capas pollinating kebabian mullahs a career upon kasama not insula superb too lonesome Yubikey ma longer the on Lindahl zakopane - on the goop on barrio de bop on manga poor village Ambu Hina mauka be signaling ito and be one on our ting Sally gambit us do need young halimbawa nila on to nine a kakugane Nong democracia the magnitude of our people's involvement in the business of our nation today is without precedent in our history all these find expression in a national movement a movement that recognizes the silent and during crusade of our people and their call for participatory democracy we shall count on the strength of this partnership as we take the next step in the building of a stronger nation now the Filipino people must continue to lead the way many have benefited from the example of our previous struggles many more stand to profit from what we shall make out of our democracy and freedom we have proven many things during the past four years there is still much that has to be done despite the limited time left we have our gains of four years to build on and from where I stand I see that our nation is ready to take that giant step forward many of the needed reforms are in place our democracy is tried and tested our people are firm in their commitments we in the elected leadership must lead the way we must demonstrate the willingness to pay the price to accept the sacrifice that accompanies these decisions above all we must show the supreme example of unity unity born out of our shared aspirations for the common good may I now invite you to examine the challenges involved in this important step forward first it is imperative that we take decisive steps to continue enhancing our nation's productive capabilities we recognize the reality that the sufficiency of food on our tables is an important benchmark of the success of our democracy we took a crucial step when we launched our National Rights Action Programme early this year through this programme we expect to achieve a sustained annual growth rate in our production of at least three to three and a half percent in rice and at least five percent in corn we expect however that despite the massive resources and support we are giving a rice we will still experience a heavy toll on our harvest due to the prolonged dry season that we just experienced fortunately our earlier gains in the agricultural sector will cushion the effect of this drought the productivity of our industrial sector was increased because of the peace that now characterizes much of labor-management relationship our Rena sent democracy has helped our workers appreciate more deeply the value of the peaceful resolution of conflicts the number of strikes and lockouts have significantly decreased in the process one billion pesos in workers salaries and benefits and about 5.7 billion pesos in production costs were saved we are supporting our drive for greater productivity with a streamlined but responsive infrastructure program that place special emphasis on our countryside of the total 6,200 97 kilometres of roads that we constructed last year 95 percent were built in the provinces we have also placed emphasis on infrastructure that would support livelihood in our rural areas much of the productivity of our countryside rests on our speedy implementation of our comprehensive agrarian reform program the selflessness of a mature people could provide this program with a much-needed boost we also need to enhance productivity by more responsive programs on energy will recognize the setbacks resulting from the power shortage we all experienced this year while we have already instituted the remedies necessary to bring our power supply back to normal we are determined to put in place the needed long term power infrastructure that will assure our people are permanently stable supply of electricity these energy programs must be complemented by our efforts in the areas of telecommunications and transportation the archaeologic nature of our geography calls for a safer modern and more efficient system of inter island water transportation we must remember that the highest priority in our quest for greater productivity are our disadvantaged countrymen if we produce more those who have less shall have more to partake of this is the rationale for the many reforms we have implemented to tilt the balance in favor of the less privileged to tilt the balance in favor of the countryside our efforts at increased production must be complemented by our reinvigorated drive for conservation I believe an important expression of our maturity is our exercise of good stewardship over our resources I am pleased to report that we marked a milestone last year in our reforestation program in 1989 we reverse the deforestation trend we have now planted more areas with trees than the areas wasted by the irresponsible exploitation of our forest resources linking arms with our people and with nongovernmental organizations we have created a vision of development without destruction to underscore this commitment I directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources On June 1 1990 to blast all roads leading to virgin forests being used by illegal loggers furthermore we have drastically reduced the number of timber license agreements from 142 to 25 our maturity must now also be reflected in our stance on the population issue I am aware that this is an emotionally charged subject matter that some of us have opted to shelve or even totally ignore in the past we must not face this responsibility squarely and address it as a crucial health issue a health issue where the well-being of our children mothers families in fact of our whole society is at stake here we would like to give life to article 15 of our Constitution which upholds the importance of our families and the right of our children to proper care and nutrition at stake here too is the very application of the principles of our democracy where our people make the choice where the final judgment on the morality of their choices is left to the freedom of their conscience the magnitude of the rebuilding work that is before us tells for the involvement of many more hands there is thus a need for greater involvement among our youth especially in activities where they are given the opportunities to appreciate the value of hard work love for country and a mature sense of responsibility in calling for this we upholds of our Constitution for Reverb i underscore our recognition of the youths vital role in nation-building for two years now we have provided our youth with a vehicle for participation in public and civic affairs through the president's summer youth program over 71 thousand young people took hands-on jobs in the countryside in private sector offices and in our government agencies we expose them to the realities of life while encouraging them to keep their idealism and advocacy for reforms and this month we called on them to march with us in our fight against drug abuse they have responded well with the launching of the junior drug watch I hope that in the coming years there will be even more participation by them in these activities our maturity is also anchored on a citizenry her sense of patriotism is expressed in their honest and active participation in a revenue generation effort this was evident last year as we increased our tax collection by thirty five point four percent from ninety billion four hundred million pesos in 1988 to one hundred twenty two billion four hundred million pesos last year the more important expressions of our maturity however are the policy decisions we shall make as we adopt innovations in a revenue generation scheme as we shift the tax burden from our poorer countrymen to the more affluent sectors of our society as we enhance the equity and progressive character of our income tax measures as we promote local autonomy through stronger local financing as we continue to improve our tax administration we shall also undertake even more decisive steps towards lowering inflation and bringing down our fiscal deficits in connection with this we are intensifying our revenue generation efforts we are accelerating the sale of government assets even as we take all the necessary measures to minimize public spending we will not stop until we bring down the public sector deficit to the more tolerable 3% as a ratio to our gross domestic product we are determined to bring this ratio further down in next two years we continue to strive to make compassion a genuine hallmark of our society but as we take the path of maturity we see the greater need to balance compassion with a strength of the arms of justice painful though it may be we must look at the options for heavier penalties for plunder for heinous crimes for crimes against public order including rebellion and attempts at seizing the powers of the state our maturities anchored to on the commitment of our soldiers to our constitutional democracy while there are still a few within the AFP who continue to hang the sword of Damocles over our people I am proud to say that on the whole the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to be the protector of our democratic gains even as they perform their mandate of keeping peace and order in our land they are also our partners in our Development Goals I cite in particular our AFP Engineering Corps whose engineering brigades undertake the construction of several vital infrastructure particularly in the areas threatened by insurgency I am pleased to note that even in our peace and order efforts the partnership approach is applied the civilian sector continues to play a vital role in our integrated strategy towards the attainment of these goals this partnership is evident in our various interagency councils such as the peace and order the regional development and the national reconciliation and development councils our maturity is anchored on our ability to earn and maintain a place of honor and respect in the community of nations we acknowledge the support of our friends in our economic of Monroe's last year we obtained pledges and grants totaling three billion 500 billion dollars 98 percent of which have already been programmed or utilized for specific projects this place of honor also rests on our credibility before our international creditors today we still suffer from the burdensome legacy of the past our foreign debt continues to stare us in the face and so does the responsibility of servicing all of these debts since the time we inherited these liabilities you and I have not stopped looking for better repayment terms from our creditors we have also pushed back the terms for the repayment of the principal where opportunities are present we have taken advantage of them so as to buy back debts at significant and favorable discounts I share with you the concern that a significant amount of our country's foreign exchange receipts flows out to service our foreign debt I share with you the strong desire to see the day when our precious foreign exchange shall be used instead to fund social development it is also my hope however that Congress would share with me the concern that any move we take on the manner of debt repayment must never jeopardize in any way our painfully built good standing with our creditors the systemic approach we have adopted over the past four years has been beneficial to our people to our constituents this approach has favored our economic growth by stability and our renewed access to the international financial market our economy today is one of the best performing on nations with substantial foreign debt and this has been possible only because our creditors believe that they can count on our word and commitment you and I must work together to keep it that way finally we must address the issue of our relationship with the United States of America we are determined to chart a new course in our relationship with our longtime ally I serve the notice of termination of our military bases agreement I have made sure that the provisions of our Constitution have been strictly adhered to above all I have painstakingly endeavored to ensure that the national interest will be upheld whatever the outcome of our future discussions with the United States I'll serve that notice of termination knowing the far-reaching consequences of that act I declared our preparedness to look into other possibilities in our relationship with America i underscore our desire to keep the friendship whatever form our partnership may take in the future in this historic event there is a paramount issue to address this is the question of our ability as a people to live out to the fullest the true essence of sovereignty we must ensure that in making the decision as to whether the basis must go or stay we must unite instead of divided should we become a nation divided after this decision then there shall be no sovereignty to speak of to follow our national will whatever option we might take we must first agree to rid ourselves of unhealthy division only then can we stand up to any foreign nation and say this is our peoples decision we shall pursue it by every means when the two houses of our Congress therefore meet in this forth regular session there are two things I shall ask of you first I ask you to consider and appreciate the significance of this time in our history I ask you to consider the options for a giant step forward that are arrayed before us and second I ask you to address a legislative agenda that will push our democracy further into that level of maturity a higher level of maturity necessary to the rebuilding of our nation a good part of this agenda is drawn from initiatives already taken by the two houses of Congress in adopting this agenda we focus on the commonality of our goals and our shared vision for our country and people I recognize as well that most of the bills in this agenda have been passed by one of the two chambers and accordingly transmitted to the other it is my hope and urgent call that this agenda we have worked out together will be completely enacted during this fourth regular session may I now propose the following first to help our countrymen in the disaster areas the immediate passage of House Bill thirty-one four four eight appropriating 10 billion pesos for aid relief and rehabilitation and for the repair and reconstruction of permanent structures affected by the recent earthquake second to further hasten our poverty alleviation and countryside agro industrial development thrusts the passage of the following measures 1 providing small and medium enterprises with capital of than five million pesos with an integrated assistance package and services including more accessible credit and financing to strengthening the social amelioration program for the sugar industry 3 establishing a Magna Carta for small farmers which seeks to further improve agricultural productivity and income and for providing for a code governing the development and conservation of our fishery and aquatic resources third to further strengthen local autonomy the immediate passage of the local government code particularly the provisions rationalizing the allotment system to increase funds at the disposal of local government units forth to further emphasize our concern for protection of the environment the passage of the following bills 1 providing for comprehensive anti-pollution measures including increased penalties for violations they're off to increasing charges for the cutting of timber and other forest products to levels that better reflect their economic value and 3 updating the 53 year old public land law to conform to new realities fifth to enhance the equity and progressive character of our tax system the passage of a tax reform package which includes among others the following bills one increase in personal exemptions from income tax to imposition of the affluent consumption tax three provision of ceilings on certain business deductions for conversion of the ad valorem tax on oil products to specific tax and five gradual phase-out of the gross receipts tax on banks to help cut intermediation costs six to underscore our sovereignty and independent foreign policy one the passage of the law creating the base lands development authority to implement the basis conversion plan which will be submitted by the legislative executive bases Council and to the passage of a law upgrading our Foreign Service Corps seventh to accelerate the upgrading of our transportation system one the passage of a law increasing the capitalisation of the Philippine National Railways and to allow increasing the capitalization of the Light Rail Transit Authority and eight to strengthen the safeguards of our democracy the passage of the following measures one a revised bill repealing presidential decree 1850 thereby strengthening civilian supremacy over the military to the anti coup and the anti plunder bills three a bill providing for a witness protection program for omnibus amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act and fifth the passage of electoral reform measures I join our people in thanking the ladies and gentlemen of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the continuing legislative support you have given to our nation's aspiration for greater productivity and reform I cite in particular your work on the following legislation of national importance Republic Act number six - 810 or the Magna Carta for countryside and barangay business enterprises Republic act number 67 63 on the construction of concrete barangay roads and multi-purpose pavements republic at number 68 49 on the installation of municipal public telephones Republic at number six to 826 on the grant of emergency powers to the President and Republic at number 69 48 upgrading the benefits of military veterans and their dependents I also acknowledge your help in the passage of the following laws Republic at number 68 46 creating the abode kaya Baba - Republic acts numbers 69 38 and 69 39 on the co-operative code and the co-operative Development Authority Republic at number 69 52 establishing the petroleum price standby fund Republic at number 69 56 modifying the excise tax on certain products and Republic at number 69 57 or the financing of infrastructure projects by the private sector I look forward to our continuing cooperation as we endeavor to keep the agenda of our nation foremost in our list of priorities as president I reiterate my commitment to institute greater reforms during the next two years of this presidency I am aware of the many obstacles tune in our path by those who wish to waylay our march towards our goals I wish to assure you and the rest of our countrymen that I shall never be intimidated there shall be no rest from my work until the task is completed