ZAMBOANGA CITY — The State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte is a testament to his bold and “hardline crusade” to bring about the needed change to advance the Philippines and to better the lives of the Filipino People.
This was the reaction of Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar after Duterte delivered on Monday his third SONA, without fanfare and adlib but remained well-applauded.
Salazar on Tuesday said the city government is all out in its support to Duterte’s plans and endeavors.
She noted that among the endeavors of the President is to turn Mindanao from “the land of promise” to “promise of Mindanao fulfilled” through significant increase in budget for development projects.
“For as long as I can remember, the bulk of the income generated in Mindanao used to be remitted to what we, in Mindanao, refer [to] as the “Imperial Manila” to fund national projects primarily in the Metro Manila area, leaving a pittance to Mindanao as its share thereof,” President Duterte said in his SONA
Salazar said Duterte’s “commitment towards peace-building in Mindanao and ensure resources are ploughed back to Mindanao,” noting that Mindanao had been receiving meager share despite its considerable revenue contribution.
She said the call of the President for local government units to cut red-tape “is very essential so as not to deny people the opportunities they expect with efficiency provided laws are upheld.”
“Our people deserve efficient, effective, and responsive government services. They deserve nothing less,” the President said. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
