“To achieve his dream that all Filipinos also dream of, we need a President that can devote his time 24 hours a day in the fight against poverty”
With the country’s economy sound and improving as President Marcos Jr. said in his SONA , and I may say, stable and on the verge of recovery, BBM has now to face challenges and threats up ahead as I stated in my last column.
As agriculture secretary, BBM has laid the groundwork for an assurance of food security at affordable prices, Santa Banana, for food on the table for the poor.
In the same way, the President has laid the groundwork for producers and farmers to be assured of good and sustainable production, like the availability of fertilizers and much-needed irrigation.
In short, President Marcos has made the Department of Agriculture ensure food security and at affordable prices and producers to be able to continue producing more.
The assurance of affordable prices, which was difficult because of the continuous smuggling and manipulation of prices because of hoarding, was also targeted by BBM as he cracked down on cartels and syndicates.
The promise by BBM to build more roads from farm to table for the producers and farmers has come.
At this point, it may be asked: Isn’t it time for President Marcos Jr. to hand over the DA to a full time secretary?
Shouldn’t BBM have more time to meet all the challenges and threats yet to come during the rest of his six-year administration?
For sure, there are challenges and threats up like the need to ensure the country has sufficient energy.
He talked about the need for nuclear energy, isn’t it time the country gets energized by nuclear power?
There is also the need to make all Filipinos avail themselves of healthcare, especially among the poor in remote areas.
This will need more healthcare centers where they are most needed.
Likewise, there is also a need to ensure everybody has water, especially here in the National Capital Region which suffers from water allocation and rationing when dams like Angat Dam are affected by El Nino.
In his SONA, the President ordered Congress to create the Department of Water Resources Management, and about time, too, my gulay!
Yes, we need a full-time secretary of agriculture, just as we also need a President who must and can attend to the country’s needs.
BBM spoke of our country being sound and improving.
To achieve his dream that all Filipinos also dream of, we need a President that can devote his time 24 hours a day in the fight against poverty.
Mr. President, I have been a journalist for over four decades, and indeed you promised to fulfill the dreams of all Filipinos until the end of your term, I believe you can. And with enough prayers, I also think you can do it.
A new face
The acceptance of the resignation of 18 ranking officials of the Philippine National Police, who include three generals and 15 colonels found to have links and issues with illegal drugs, should not end there.
They should be charged criminally and administratively.
And above all, the move to cleanse the police of scalawags should continue.
There are no less than 943 PNP officials called to resign for their links and ties with illegal drugs.
The President had promised a “new face” in the war on drugs, clearly to distance himself from Duterte’s “kill, kill, kill” campaign against illegal drugs that produced so many extra-judicial killings.
The “new face” BBM speaks of is community-based prevention of the proliferation of illegal drugs, and rehabilitation.
But, when we speak of rehabilitation, I can think of nothing less than the building of community-based rehabilitation centers which are properly staffed with doctors and nurses that are capable of the rehabilitation of drug users and drug addicts.
We must take note the proliferation of illegal drugs which is now a menace can hit the poor and the rich alike.
And where there is a need for illegal drugs, syndicates and cartels are always there to meet the demand.
It is well to note a holistic approach to end illegal drugs is first, prevention, second, law enforcement, third, prosecution and fourth, rehabilitation, with rehabilitation as the best remedy to fight illegal drugs.
It is simply a matter of supply and demand.
When there is no demand for illegal drugs, syndicates and cartels won’t exist.
It’s the poor who are the easiest victims of illegal drugs.
They need drugs to assuage their hunger and when they are addicted to illegal drugs like shabu, they become pushers to earn more money to continue their addiction.
Thus, when there is no supply, there’s no demand.
On top again
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte maintains her top-ranking as chief executive not only in Metro Manila, but in the National Capital Region insofar as approval and trust ratings are concerned from her constituencies based on the latest evaluation conducted by an independent and non-commissioned survey research firm, RP Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD).
The survey was part of the national “RPMD’s Boses ng Bayan” poll conducted from June 25 to July n5, 2023, involving 10,000 registered voters.
According to Dr. Paul Martinez of RPMD, the regular performance appraisals of mayors and district representatives are fundamental for cultivating accountability, transparency and effective governance.
My congratulations to you, Joy, now on her second term.
Belmonte retained her position as the top-performing mayor in the NCR with a job approval rating of 95.7 percent and a trust rating of 97.2 percent.
Following Belmonte are: Jeannie Sandoval of Malabon City with approval and trust ratings of 92.5 percent and 94.6 percent respectively; Dale “Along” Malapitan of Caloocan City with 92.3 percent approval and 93.7 percent trust; John Rey Tiangco of Navotas City with 92.1 percent approval and 93,5 percent trust; and Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano of Pasay City with 91.8 percent approval and 92.7 percent trust,
Following them were Mayors Victor “Vico” Sotto of Pasig City with approval and trust ratings of 88.5 percent and 91.8 percent and Eric Olivarez of Paranaque City with 87.6 percent and 88.4 percent.
Next were Mar-Len Abigail “Abby” Binay of Makati City with an approval rating of 85.3 percent and a trust rating of 87.2 percent and Benjamin Abalos Sr. of Mandaluyong with an approval rating of 85.1 percent and a trust rating of 86.9 percent.
They were followed by Mayors Ma. Sheilah Honrado “Honey” Lacuna-Pangan of Manila (83.6 percent approval, 85.4 percent trust), Ruffy Biazon of Muntinlupa (83.4 percent approval, 86.2 percent trust), Wes Gatchalian of Valenzuela (80.5 percent approval, 84.8 percent trust);
Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro of Marikina (80.2 percent approval, 85.1 percent trust), Lani Mercado of Taguig (79.5 percent approval, 81.7 percent trust), Francisco Javier “Francis” Zamora” of San Juan (77.3 percent approval, 78.6 percent trust), Miguel “Ike” Ponce III of Pateros (74.4 percent approval, 75.9 percent trust), and Imelda Aguilar of Las Pinas ( 72.8 percent approval, 74.2 percent trust).
Top Metro Representatives
According to the RPMD survey, the top-performing representatives are Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco of Navotas, standing out with 93.8 percent approval rating and a 95.1 percent trust rating.
Following him were Rep. Camille Villar of Las Pinas with 93.6 percent approval and 94.6 percent trust, Rep. Stella Quimbo of Marikina with 93.5 percent approval and 95.8 percent trust, Rep. Marivic Co-Pilar of Quezon City with 93.2 percent approval and 94.7 percent trust, and Rep. Oscar “Oca” Malapitan of Caloocan with 93.1 percent approval and 95.2 percent trust.
Next are Marvin Rillo of Quezon City, with an approval rating of 89.9 percent and a trust rating of 90.5 percent, Rep. Benny Abante of Manila, with 89.65 percent approval rating and a trust rating of 91.88 percent, Rep. Ralph Tulfo of Quezon City, with 89.3 percent approval and 90.2 percent trust, Rep.Roman Romulo of Pasig (88.9 percent approval and 90.75 percent trust) and Rep.Antonio Calixto of Pasay (88.7 percent approval and 89.4 percent trust).
Following them are Rep. Neptali “Boyet” Gonzales II of Mandaluyong (87.5 percent approval and 89.9 percent trust), Rep.Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas of Quezon City (87.3 percent approval and 88.5 percent trust), Rep. Franz Pumeran of Quezon City (87.2 percent approval and 88.3 percent trust), Rep. Dean Asistio of Caloocan (87.1 percent approval and 88.8 percent trust) and Rep. Ysabel Zamora of San Juan (86.7 percent approval and 89.5 percent trust).
Next are Rep. Gus Tambunting of Paranaque (85.1 percent approval and 87.9 percent trust), Rep. Arjo Atayde of Quezon City (84.8 percent approval and 86.7 percent trust); Rep. Edward Maceda of Manila (83.4 percent approval and 86.6 percent trust) and Rep. Jaime Fresnedi of Muntinlupa (82.7 percent approval and 85.4 percent trust).