Not all bad things

www.pcij.org/blog/?p=2114

Filipinos are having a hard time trusting the Philippine government. Up to the end of term of PGMA, several issues and arguments are still being raised questioning the leadership of the president.

Although there are enumerable downfalls of the Arroyo administration, the extent of which the president has served the country doesn’t just stop there. The administration has accomplished several things in different aspects that the Filipinos should also learn to acknowledge.

There were improvements in tax collections, which strengthened the economic position, and renewed the trust of investors in Philippine economy. With the improved fiscal condition, the government was able to fund priority infrastructure programs and basic services, especially for the poor.  This lead to the decrease on the poverty incidence among Filipino families from 27.5% of 2000 down to 24.7% in 2003.

When it comes to tourism, the visitor arrivals to the Philippines increased from 1.8 million from January to October 2004 to 2.1 million during the same period in 2005. Chinese tourist arrivals registered a significant increase of 157.5% over last year’s 3,742.

Based on the 2005 Labor Force Survey (LFS), the average employment increase reached 699,000. Government intervention in priority programs resulted in a total of 1.99 million jobs generated from January to September 2005.

In terms of education, a total of 8,800 classrooms were built from July 2004 to May 2005, or 47% higher than the annual target of 6,000, while 4,516 classrooms or 75% of the annual target were constructed from June 2005 to October 2005.

The government also expanded access of the poor to half-priced essential medicines by establishing more than 4,000 Botika ng Barangay/Bayan outlets nationwide.

Although Filipinos keep on complaining about the present administration’s governance, one should also try to acknowledge the accomplishment and the good things done by the Arroyo administration.