ShareThisMANILA – The Aquino administration is on track with its poverty alleviation and anticorruption programs in the first hundred days of administration under President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.
This was the assessment of Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a news briefing Friday morning when asked on how will he rate the President’s first 100 days in office.
“In terms of our programs, we have two platforms, namely poverty alleviation and eradication of corruption. We are on track on those two levels,” Lacierda confidently stated.
“We have started our poverty alleviation programs, now in place. And on eradication of corruption, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs have been filing every week against tax cheats and smugglers,” Lacierda added.
These are continuing programs, Lacierda said adding that “the fruits of these efforts will go beyond 100 days. “You will see what the Aquino administration has been doing towards the poor and promoting services to the public,” he added.
“We are on track with our programs. We may have been sidelined a bit by the IIRC (incident investigation and review committee) but we are on track,” he pointed out.
Lacierda refused to discuss what the most difficult problem during the first 100 days was. “I think that is for the President to state, not me. We may have differences there. What I feel might be the most difficult may not be the most difficult for the President so it will be good for him to state so.”
In other matters, Lacierda said the Palace has yet to receive a copy of the resolution filed in the Senate to pardon Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for his involvement in the Oakwood and Manila Peninsula mutiny against the previous administration.
He also said the planned fare hike for the Metro Rail Transit is still being discussed in public consultation and there has yet been no rate discussed.
He said reducing the subsidies to MRT fares will enable government to spend more on buying new coaches, new trains and improve the services.
Just like the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) toll rates, the increases are necessary to improve the services. “As you all know, previously NLEX had a lot of complaints from commuters but with the improved services, motorists and commuters no longer opposed the planned toll rate hikes,” Lacierda added.