ROME, Italy – The encouraging stories of Filipinos whose lives have improved under his watch are enough reasons for President Benigno S. Aquino III to forget all the negativism that have plagued his administration.
President Aquino issued the statement Thursday evening (Central European Time) during his traditional ‘Meeting with the Filipino Community’ event held at the Ergife Palace Hotel here.
In a speech that lasted for over half an hour, President Aquino told Filipinos working here that there are “good news” in the Philippines, although these often do not get the headline treatment from the media.
He cited in particular the steady 6 percent average economic growth, ongoing infrastructure works, improvement in the manufacturing sector, and increased employment rate as among the significant developments in the country.
Halfway through his speech, President Aquino played a 90-second video clip of Norashia Binatac, a sixth grader, who spoke of how her farmer parents benefited from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that helped support her education.
President Aquino mentioned as well the community in Apayao, which is now taking advantage of some of the completed road projects leading to hospitals in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The Chief Executive stated that the Philippines right now is a far cry from what it was before, as many of our countrymen are being given opportunities to complement their hard work and help them achieve their full potential.
“Ngayon po, nabigyang-ayuda ng estado itong si Norashia, at tingnan naman ninyo kung gaano karaming medalya ang isinasabit sa kanya,” President Aquino told a roomful of audience estimated at 500.
“Para bang sulit po ang lahat ng batikos, panlalait, insultong tinanggap ko dahil mayroong mga ganitong nabibigyan talaga ng pagkakataon. Pwede na rin ho ‘yong kapalit ng lahat ng negatibismong natanggap ko para lang mabigyan sila ng pagkakataon,” he added.
President Aquino’s meeting with the Filipino community in Rome caps off his two-day working visit in Italy. Culminating his six-day European trip will be a private meeting with Pope Francis in Vatican City on Friday.
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