Aquino talks 2016 with OFW voters in Japan

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III talked 2016 elections with the Filipino community in Japan Tuesday night, June 2, waxing nostalgic about his victory among overseas voters in 2010 and reminding them to elect someone who will continue his programs.

His speech had the makings of an endorsement, except that less than a year before the polls, Aquino has yet to name the candidate he is going to support.

“Marami na po talaga tayong narating, pero marami pa rin tayong kailangang gawin. Ang tanong: magyu-U-Turn ba tayo pabalik sa baluktot na daan? O itutuloy natin ang pag-arangkada sa Daang Matuwid? Nasa kamay ng mamamayan ang patutunguhan ng Pilipinas,” Aquino told them.

(We have achieved a lot, but we still have a lot to do. The question is: are we going to take a U-Turn back to the crooked path? Or are we going to continue the straight and narrow path? The future of the Philippines is in your hands.)

“Lalo pa po’t papalapit na nang papalapit ang halalan 2016, marami na ang nagtatanong kung sino ang magpapatuloy ng maganda nating nasimulang pagbabago, lalo na sa pagbaba natin sa puwesto. Uulitin ko po: kayo ang gumawa ng pagbabago, at kayo ang magpapatuloy nito. Nasa inyo ang pagpili ng tapat at matuwid na pinuno,” Aquino added.

(Especially because the 2016 elections is near, a lot of people are also asking who will continue our reforms when we step down. I will repeat: you made the changes possible and you will be the ones to continue the work. You will be the ones who will pick the honest and incorruptible leader.) 

He also reminded the OFWs, “Hindi po ako nakakalimot: noong huling presidential elections, ang pagkapanalo ko po sa absentee votes, overwhelming.” (I haven’t forgotten: in the last presidential elections, I won overwhelmingly in the absentee votes.)

The President’s fellow Liberal Party stalwart Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II is the presumptive candidate of the administration. His numbers continue to lag in surveys, however, prompting party mates to consider other options. 

Aquino met the Filipino community on Day 1 for his 4-day state visit in Japan, where he boasted of the country’s development from the “Sick Man of Asia” to the “Darling of Asia.”

He also detailed the accomplishments of his flagship Conditional Cash Transfer program, the benefits of his universal healthcare program and the big-ticket infrastructure projects, and the continuous work to address the backlog of classrooms, chairs and textbooks in schools. A recent nationwide survey showed that these cash transfers “bolstered” Aquino’s ratings. 

He praised the work of TESDA’s Joel Villanueva at a time that he is facing a possible graft and malversation charges over alleged involvement in a pork barrel mess when he was still a lawmaker. – Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com