Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Saturday said he is looking forward to seeing the potential presidential candidates for 2022 “step up” before President Rodrigo Duterte’s sixth and last State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the hearings for the 2022 National Budget begin.
“If you look at ‘yung mga gulo ngayon at bangayan sa pulitika, sa normal na time, it’s OK. Pero ngayon, it’s entertainment eh. Natutuwa ang tao sa bangayan, pero actually hindi ito nakakatulong nang husto,” Cayetano said during an ambush media interview at the sidelines of the Sari-Sari Store Community launch in Olongapo City on July 10.
(If you look at all the conflicts and arguments in politics at the moment, they would be OK during normal times. But now, they seem like mere entertainment. People are entertained by the politicians fighting, and this is not helpful.)
“So I hope itong next month at least, papasok ng budget hearing at papasok ng SONA, we can step up – ‘yung mga nagsasabing open tumakbo,” he added.
(I hope next month at least, before the start of the budget hearings and the SONA, those who say they are open to run for the presidential position can step up.)
Cayetano said the most important task at the moment is to gather all the potential presidential candidates for next year’s election and consolidate their ideas and advocacies to develop a five-year economic plan that would aid the next President in leading the country to recovery.
“Kung ganun tayo mag-isip (If that is how we think), then we can choose the right President to implement,” he said.
“At least hindi tayo kabado at hindi tayo nanghuhula pagdating sa programa, at tingin ko ‘yun ang problema – nag-eelect tayo ng mga presidente pero nanghuhula tayo ano bang gagawin niya ‘pag presidente na siya,” he added.
(At least we will not be nervous and left guessing when it comes to the next president’s programs, and I think that is the problem: we elect people into office but we have no idea what they plan to do.)
Cayetano said preparing a five-year economic plan would give the country predictability, which could be one of the keys to recovery.
“What’s most important is all the presidentiables be able to give the President input para kung sino man manalo sa 2022 (so whoever wins the 2022 elections), tuloy-tuloy ang mga magagandang proyekto (the significant projects continue) and predictable ito (and remain predictable). So I think predictability will be one of the key na makabangon tayo (for us to recover),” Cayetano added.
He said a trusted person like a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, a former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary, or an expert from the academe can take the lead in the development of the five-year economic plan.
He said that person can “bring us together and then to come up with a five-year economic recovery plan na nagfo-focus din sa traditional Filipino value (focused on traditional Filipino values).”
“Magaling tayo sa relief pero mahina tayo sa rehabilitation. Magaling tayo sa pagtawid pero mahina pa tayo sa pang-ahon. Eh kailangan ng ating bansa makatawid ngayon, pero in the next six months, one year, five years, ang kailangan natin makaahon, hindi lang makatawid,” he said.
(We have mastered relief but not rehabilitation. We have mastered getting by but not recovering. What our country needs now is to get by, but in the next six months, year, or five years, what we will need is to recover.)
“The Filipino people deserve more, and the only way we can give that is by the presidentiables coming together this early and all committing for a five-year plan,” he noted.###
