ON Friday, Sept. 12, President Benigno Aquino III rallied his allies to seek continuous support and trust in their unified goal of a “Tuwid na Daan (Straight Path)” policy.
In an “agenda-setting with dialogue partners” at the Malacañang Palace with “fellow reformists,” Aquino slammed critics for politicking this early. The administration, in turn, persists on the straight path and continue to maximize its focus and efforts to improve the people’s well-being, the President said.
“I know that the 2016 elections are in the minds of some. Indeed, the time will soon come when the straight path will choose a new candidate. I hope it isn’t me.” Aquino said in his speech.
“We will not stray from the straight path; our attention is not on politics but on results; not on noise and empty promises, but on concrete solutions to the problems of our bosses; not ambition, but on public service and true love for country,” he stressed.
Aquino urged his allies to remind everyone of the positive results that had come from the straight path.
“If other beliefs and attitudes prevail, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Perhaps we have been too shy to deliver good news to our bosses. Perhaps we ourselves are lacking in that enthusiasm,” Aquino said.
“When there are any who continue to doubt, let us be the first to approach them and explain. When we are being rained upon by lies, let us fight this with truth and justice. It is only right for us to take the lead in spreading the news of our success. If we shy way from this, the straight path will indeed be drowned by noise and lies,” he added.
Vice President Binay, head of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), was not invited in the dialogue. However, his daughter, Makati Rep. Abigail Binay was present as a member of the majority coalition in Congress.
The President fearlessly dropped statements against alleged tactical alliance of other politicians.
“All of us – allies in the executive branch, allies in Congress, colleagues from the responsible opposition, party-mates, members of the coalition, and allies from the civil society – are bound not by personality, not by campaign color, not by slogans, but by principles,” he said.
“We are bound by our desire for our people. We do not have a tactical alliance here. We do not believe that good governance is politics of addition—that even if the person is opposed to your principles, you would ally with him if he can further your political ambitions,” Aquino added.
He reiterated that those who support a candidate he has not yet endorsed could not be considered an ally. Though no name were mentioned, many believe that he was referring to VP Binay who has already declared his will to run for President in 2016.
Politicians who desire to run for a position in the government promise one thing: to make the country a better place. But while they share this same goal, they differ on how to get there. Because of such conflict, other leaders spend tons of money—the public’s money—in lambasting their contenders.
There should be boundaries between their “war” and their will to serve the public. To avoid the harsh consequences of politicking, perhaps these leaders should focus on their jobs instead.
(AJPress)
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