Presenting: GMA's report card and wish list.

“It’s less of rhetoric and more of report card. The President will be reporting to the people what has been accomplished rather than what to be done,” Secretary Cerge Remonde of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) said during the Meet the Press Forum at the National Press Club on Saturday.

The President delivers her speech at the opening of the Fourteenth Congress.

Remonde said the SONA would rely heavily on audio-visual presentations to highlight her accomplishments.

Mrs. Arroyo will strongly endorse the swift passage of bills on electoral reforms and cheaper medicine.

“The President wants reforms in our electoral process and she wanted it done before the end of her term,” Remonde said.

The President would also pitch for the bill on cheaper medicines, which is one of the major programs of the government.

The medicine bill has been approved by the Senate but the House of Representatives failed to act on it before Congress adjourned.

The SONA will also give Mindanao and the provinces the priority that they deserve, Remonde said.

“It will be a progress report. It would focus first on Min­danao and the provinces, the Visayas and Luzon urban gateway,” he said.

In 2006, the President announced 87 major infrastructure projects, consisting mostly of roads, bridges, ports and airports, irrigation, and farm-to-market roads. We also announced investments in human and social capital, including increased lending to 3 million micro, small and medium enterprises, to generate as many as 10 million jobs.

This year’s SONA will emphasize actual accomplishments, Remonde said.

“Recently, we announced completion of four of the 87 major projects. More will be completed before SONA 2008. And almost all will be done by 2010,” he added.

Last year, the President also announced the creation of the Superregions, which divided the country into five development zones, including a cyber corridor that cuts across the entire country.

Remonde said it took a full month to craft the SONA, starting with the submission by the members of the Cabinet of their accomplishment reports.

The President’s accomplishments is not expected to impress the thousands of protesters who will converge at the Batasan Pambansa on Monday.

On Sunday, the National Capital Region Police Office said its contingency measures were in place around the Batasan.

NCRPO spokesman Supt. Rodel Sermonia said at least 5,000 police from the different police districts in Metro Manila are being deployed.

As usual, protesters would not be allowed near the Batasan and could mass only in assigned areas on Commonwealth Avenue.

Sermonia said the police would be augmented by troops from the military’s National Capital Region Command.

He said the police had not received any intelligence reports about plans to sabotage the SONA.

“We always expect for the worse but as of now everything is in order and, like what I said, we have yet to receive intelligence reports pertaining to threats. . . When we are on heightened alert, we are always prepared,” Sermonia said.

Sermonia also belied reports that Metro Manila policemen were blocking ralliers coming from the provinces.

He appealed to the marchers to abide by the agreement reached during a dialogue last Friday.
--With PNA

Article Source

GMA is also intelligent. she did not want to suspend anything, classes, work, whatsoever to prevent more people from attending opposition rallies and gatherings. Aside from her HSA, which is already like semi-martial law, doing rally nowadays, needs permit already.

If you are going to have a rally, you need permit. but if they want to tap in your phone calls, no permission needed.

fair, huh?

More Philippine Political news