(Photo: Mar Roxas/Facebook)
DAGUPAN CITY—Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas on Sunday provided the most concrete platform on how to solve the most pressing issues facing the country while his rivals mostly made promises and issued general plans during the third and last presidential debate held at the Phinma University of Pangasinan here.
All the presidential candidates were present in the town hall style debate with Roxas being joined by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Grace Poe.
The administration bet came out as the most prepared among the candidates as he tackled issues on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) territorial dispute, contractualization and job security, traffic and issues plaguing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
On the WPS issue, Roxas said that he would simultaneously address the personal problems being faced by affected fisherfolk while addressing the issue in the diplomatic front.
“We would enrol all affected fishermen into the government’s cash for work program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Philhealth and ensure that their children would all have fee education. This is to ensure that they would not be helpless while the issue has not been resolved,” he said.
At the same time, the administration bet said that his government would pursue the arbitration case the Philippines had filed in the United Nations (UN) as the country cannot deal with powerful China alone.
In contrast, Binay said he would talk with China and ask the superpower to let Filipino fishermen fish in the disputed waters while the issue is being heard in the UN.
Santiago said that she would tackle the issue diplomatically while Duterte said that while he would not go to war, he would jetski and plant the Philippine flag in the disputed reefs no matter what the Chinese would do to him.
Meanwhile, Poe said that she would ask help from other countries while ensuring that we do not surrender Philippine sovereignty in the process.
On the traffic issue, Roxas’ rivals mostly vowed to build new railway systems and expand both the present Light Rail Transit and Mass Rail Transit system.
Roxas retorted that while what they said were mostly plans, the present administration had already laid the groundwork to such expansions and vowed to see them to conclusion at the designated completion date should he be elected.
“More coaches are already being added to the MRT at the rate of 12 coaches per month – or 144 new coaches in the end o a year. Meanwwhile, we have already broken ground for MRT-7 and LRT-2. The extension of LRT-1 to Bacoor has already being bid out while plans for its Phase 2 extending it to Calamba, Laguna is already finished,” he said.
MRT-7 is to be completed by 2018 while LRT-2 on 2017.
“Pina-plano pa lng nila, tayo, ginagawa na natin [They are still planning it but we have either done it or doing it],” Roxas said.
The Team Daang Matuwid standard bearer also came out on top on the issues of contractualization and support for OFWs..
While each of his rivals vowed to end contractualization, with Duterte even saying to stop the unfair labor practice the moment he wins, only Roxas provided a concrete time frame to end it.
“I will end the practice within three months into my term, the time it would take for Congress to enact a law that will plug the loopholes in the Labor Code. Babanggain natin ang mga malalaking interest kung kinakailangan tulad ng pag-bangga natin sa mga malalaking interest noong isinusulong natin ang Cheaper Medicine Act,” he said.
“But more importantly, my administration would act to generate more jobs. We will bring in more investments that provide permanent jobs. More permanent jobs would mean that OFWs would not return abroad anymore because they would have permanent employment here in their own country,” Roxas said.
However, the LP bet said that despite the various accomplishments of the administration in stamping out corruption and ushering in a period of unhampered economic growth, Roxas twitted his rivals for using the frustrations of the people on these issues to make them forget that true change could not just be attained through insults and sound bites.
“True change could be attained because we act on it. And this is what the elections have come down to – the talkers versus the doers. Those that bring out the worst in us versus those that bring out the best in us; those ‘yung mga susunugin lahat ng pinaghirapan natin, kontra doon sa mga magdidilig at magbabantay sa mga itinanim natin,” he said.
He said that turning the country from the Sick Man of Asia to Asia’s Bright Star is just the beginning.
“This is just the foundation; the best is yet to come,” he said.
“Another six years of honest, decent, hardworking governance at mararating na natin ang ating pinapangarap – isang Pilipinas na maunlad at disente, puno ng pagkakataon, malaya sa takot, at malayang mangarap. Ito ang maunlad at disenteng Pilipinas, may dangal, may takot sa Diyos, maipagmamalaki mo. Ito ang Pilipinas na ipinaglalaban natin. Dakila ang ating lahi. Dakila ang ating bansa. This is a fight worth fighting. This is a fight for our country,” Roxas said.