MANILA, Philippines – The Palace claims President Benigno Aquino III’s second year in office, which is completed Saturday, June 30, has boosted Filipinos’ hopes for their country’s future.

“No longer is the Filipino mired in paralysis and despair; he has seen the seemingly difficult tasks achieved, and is one with the government in creating a society that is truly just, prosperous, and equitably progressive,” said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in a statement.

“While much has been achieved, much remains to be done,” Valte added.

Rappler gathered the opinions of Filipino netizens on the Palace’s statement. Some said Aquino’s only achievement in his first two years was to remove former Chief Justice Renato Corona from office. Others said Filipinos should put an end to “crab mentality,” and instead help the President uplift the country.

(Read more through the Storify link below.)

Other voices urge Aquino to perform better in his 3rd year in office.

On Thursday, June 28, the group Human Rights Watch criticized Aquino for not having prosecuted a single case involving extrajudicial killings or disappearances in his first two years in office. HRW said this is a sign that Aquino has broken his promise to punish those guilty of human rights abuses. (Read: Act on military abuses, group tells PNoy.)

Meanwhile, Aquino’s performance ratings have also been slipping, according to two ratings agencies. The Palace, on the other hand, considers this “seasonal” in nature. (Read: Aquino’s ratings slipping – SWS, Pulse)

So far, he feels “lonely at the top,” the President said in an exclusive interview with Rappler’s Marites Vitug and Purple Romero. But at the end of the day, he said, he is the chief executive of the Philippines.

“The buck literally stops with me.” (Read: PNoy: I’m the chief executive of this country.) – Rappler.com