By Kris Crismundo / Philippine News Agency
Five presidential aspirants shared their plans for their first 100 days in office during the 47th Philippine Business Conference and Expo organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) on Thursday (Nov. 18).
The presidential aspirants in the May 2022 elections who graced the event were Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Bong Go, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
Former senator Bongbong Marcos, also a presidential aspirant, was invited, but a PCCI staffer said he “sent his regrets to us.”
All five aspirants have common goals in their first 100 days in office—to end the pandemic and push for economic recovery by strengthening the health care system and creating more jobs for Filipinos.
Go targets the Philippines to return to or surpass pre-pandemic levels and achieve financial stability in the first 100 days in office.
He also said he will double the number of Malasakit Centers across the country, now at 149 centers; build 10,000 to 20,000 new sites across the country to support the existing WiFi for All program; and create departments for disaster resilience, migrant workers and overseas Filipinos, and a center for disease control to focus on the country’s surveillance capacity.
Pacquaio shares the same goal of returning to pre-pandemic economic growth by providing jobs, sustainable livelihood, and improving the health care system. The retired boxing champ also aims to give housing to informal settlers.
Robredo said once she wins the presidential race, she will increase the support for healthcare workers, expand hospital capacity, and make COVID-19 testing accessible to more Filipinos.
She aims to accelerate the rollout of Universal Health Care (UHC) by enlisting every Filipino in the UHC system in the first three months.
The Vice President added that her administration will allocate P216 billion for providing Filipinos their basic needs without forcing them to go to work, while continuing the free vaccination program and stockpiling of COVID-19 medicines will also be a priority of her administration in the first 100 days in office.
Free vaccination and preparation of resources to access the affordable newly developed COVID-19 pills are also Lacson’s focus in addressing the current pandemic.
He is also pushing for free testing and treatment and data-driven contact tracing to avoid wide lockdowns in the country.
But in the first days of his office, Lacson said he will sign the waiver of his rights under the bank secrecy law and encourage all his Cabinet members down to the rank and file to do the same.
He said this will signal the restoration of people’s trust in their public officials.
For Moreno, he will reduce the number of undersecretaries and assistant secretaries in government agencies and will prioritize qualified career service persons in key government positions.
Over the first two years of his term, if elected to the top position, Moreno said his administration will focus on reviving and rehabilitating the economy. (PNA) – jlo
