House highlights Duterte’s accomplishments in FB page
AHEAD of President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte’s last State of the Nation Address (SONA), the House of Representatives on Thursday launched on its official Facebook Page an omnibus video highlighting his
legislative accomplishments and remarkable programs during the past five years.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said he, House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez and their colleagues in Congress are proud partners of President Duterte in his efforts to initiate genuine change for the benefit of the Filipino people.
“President Duterte really did his best to uplift the lives of the Filipino people by prioritizing legislative measures and initiating concrete actions that directly benefit our countrymen,” Velasco said.
“This video highlights all of those legacy bills and projects, and the public need to be informed of these accomplishments,” the Speaker added.
The omnibus video titled, “Kung Duterte, Posible,” features the President’s signing of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, a law providing free tuition for students of 112 state universities and colleges across the country. The Duterte administration also provided financial assistance to poor but deserving students from marginalized families, indigenous communities, or persons with disabilities through the United Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education or UniFAST.
The video also highlights the following: the establishment of Malasakit Centers where indigent patients can efficiently access financial and medical assistance from government agencies; the Universal Health Care Act which guarantees equitable access to quality and affordable healthcare services for all Filipinos; the temporary closure of Boracay for six months as part of the government’s efforts to rehabilitate and redevelop the resort island; the strict enforcement of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 to curb the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country; the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act; the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act; the Murang Kuryente Act; the flagship Build, Build, Build infrastructure program; among others.
The omnibus video capped off a three-week campaign initiated by the House leadership ahead of the President’s last SONA on July 26.
Last July 5, the House launched a series of one and a half-minute videos prepared by more than 200 district and partylist representatives for the campaign “Sa Lahat ng Pagbabago, Salamat Pangulo!” (A Pre-SONA Tribute by the 18th Congress). The videos featured the priority programs, projects and policies implemented in the different legislative districts and development sectors across the country since President Duterte assumed office in 2016.
A microsite of the official House webpage, congress.gov.ph/sona2021, was also launched as a repository of all tribute videos and relevant data pertaining to the SONA. It also contains the accomplishments of the House, as well as the select speeches delivered by its members as compiled in the book entitled “In the Name of the People.”
“President Duterte was able to accomplish so many things, including signing into law landmark legislation that we never thought would be possible, as well as high impact programs and critical reforms aimed at improving the quality of life of Filipinos,” Velasco said.
He added: “All presidencies have their share of critics, but it would be a shame if we overlook PRRD’s meaningful contributions to the country during his term. These videos are meant to remind us of all of those major accomplishments.”
