BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary of BusinessWorld

Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 25^th anniversary of BusinessWorld
[Delivered at the Marriott Hotel, Pasay City, on July 27, 2012]

Secretary Albert del Rosario; Secretary Mar Roxas; Secretary Ramon Carandang; Secretary Butch Abad; Secretary Kim Henares (I think you are a favorite of this crowd); of course, Mr. Vergel Santos; ex-Prime Minister Cesar Virata; Mr. Anthony Cuaycong; Mr. Manny Pangilinan; Mr. Washington Sycip; other members of the business community present; other officials and staff of the BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation; fellow workers in government; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen:

Good evening.

Twenty-five years ago today, this newspaper began anew. During Martial Law, it was known as BusinessDay; and under the leadership of Mr. Raul Locsin, this paper took great effort to deliver fair, balanced reporting in an environment where the news was heavily monitored and censored as a dictator sought control of society. When Martial Law finally ended, and democracy was restored, BusinessWorld became part of what was supposed to be the renaissance of free media—free to pursue the integrity, accuracy, and balance that Raul Locsin had long espoused as a journalist.

That was the vision back in 1986; sadly, the general state of our national media makes us aware that its full realization has yet to be achieved. Nevertheless, there are those who we can always count on to fight the good fight. BusinessWorld, for example, now being steered by the steady hand of Vergel Santos, still adheres to its founder’s memory and vision.

BS Aquino's Speech at 25th Anniversary of TV Patrol

Talumpati

ng

Kagalang-galang Benigno S. Aquino III

Pangulo ng Pilipinas

Sa ika-25 anibersaryo ng TV Patrol

[Inihayag sa Manila Hotel noong ika-27 ng Hulyo 2012]

Mr. Gabby Lopez; Mrs. Charo Santos-Concio; Ms. Ging Reyes; Senator Frank Drilon; Senator Loren Legarda; Secretaries Mar Roxas, Greg Domingo, Ricky Carandang; Chairman Francis Tolentino; Bangko Sentral Governor Sy Tetangco; Mayor Alfredo Lim; Representative Sonny Angara; Commissioner Ruffy Biazon; Commissioner Kim Henares; Chair Sixto Brillantes; past and present officials and staff of TV Patrol and ABS-CBN; fellow workers in government; honored guests; mga minamahal ko pong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Dito po magkakaaminan: Noon pong kabataan ko, wala pang ANC, wala pang CNN, at aaminin ko po, sa totoo lang, wala pang cable TV. Kung kailangan mo ng instant news, halimbawa, kapag may bagyo, nawalan ng kuryente, ang tutok namin noong mga panahong iyon: Radyo Patrol. Sa pag-usad ng panahon, mas naging moderno ang pagbabalita; ang tinig na rumoronda sa himpapawid, nadadagdagan ng biswal na elemento. At narito na po tayo ngayon, ipinagdiriwang ang Silver Anniversary ng isa sa mga pinakamatibay na institusyon sa pagbabalita: Ang TV Patrol.

Sa loob ng dalawampu’t limang taon, kinilala ang TV Patrol sa tapang at sigasig ng paghahatid ng impormasyon sa mamamayang Pilipino. Sa tuwing may sakuna, naroon kayo upang magbigay ng kaalaman kung paano umiwas sa peligro at disgrasya. Sa tuwing may agam-agam ang publiko ukol sa isyu, kayo ang takbuhan para sa tapat na pag-uulat. Kaya naman, sa lahat ng bumubuo ng inyong programa, mula noon hanggang ngayon, sa harap man o sa likod ng kamera: talaga namang pong isang mainit na pagbati sa inyong ikadalawampu’t limang anibersaryo.

Kapag katotohanan ang pinag-uusapan, lagi kong naaalala ang isang sikat na police drama noong ako po’y bata pa. Dragnet ang pangalan po ng programa. At sa pagkalap ng kaalaman, ang bukambibig noong isang bida, and I quote, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”

State of the Nation Address BS Aquino

While waiting for the next SONA of President Benigno Simeon [BS] Aquino, I reproduce his SONA here for easier reference.

State of the Nation Address

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

to the Congress of the Philippines

[Delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on July 25, 2011]

 Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Chief Justice Renato Corona at ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga kagalang-galang na kasapi ng diplomatic corps; mga butihing miyembro ng Kamara de Representante at ng Senado; mga Local Government officials; mga miyembro ng ating Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisan; mga kapwa ko nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan;

At sa mga minamahal kong kababayan, ang aking butihing mga boss:

Humarap po ako sa inyo noong aking inagurasyon at sinabing: Walang wang-wang sa ating administrasyon. At ngayon, patuloy nating itinitigil ito. Naging hudyat at sagisag po ito ng pagbabago, hindi lamang sa kalsada, kundi pati na rin sa kaisipan sa lipunan.

Hypocrisy of Power: President BS Aquino's Wang-wang Mindset

What happened to BS Aquino's "no wang-wang" policy?

During his inaugural speech, President BS Aquino asked:

Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin.

[Have you ever been ignored by the very government you helped put in power? I have. Have you had to endure being rudely shoved aside by the siren-blaring escorts of those who love to display their position and power over you? I have, too. Have you experienced exasperation and anger at a government that instead of serving you, needs to be endured by you? So have I.]