Effective reforms yield high ratings

THE reforms that our administration has been working to institute in all levels of government are bearing fruit, as is evidenced by the results of the recently released Pulse Asia Ulat ng Bayan Survey, which shows a remarkable increase in the President’s approval and trust ratings.

The 6-point jump in his performance rating, from May to August 2011, puts his current performance rating at 77%, a figure very close to the first rating he received early in his term as President. This, in itself, reveals the depth of the trust that the Filipino people have in the Aquino administration—that this administration, in fact, is fulfilling its promise ever since the campaign.

This is proven through the concrete steps the President and his Cabinet have taken to push national development, particularly through an elevated level of education and infrastructure.

One such thrust of the Aquino administration has always been to improve the educational system in the country to accelerate national growth. This has been actualized through the Department of Education’s focus on improving science education and technical-vocational programs in the country.

For this school year alone, the DepEd has added an additional 100 new special science elementary schools (SSES), resulting in 200 science public schools nationwide. As disclosed by Education Secretary Luistro, such schools provide an enriched curriculum for Mathematics and Science, as well as special science academic programs and co-curricular opportunities.

In addition to this, the Secretary also revealed that the DepEd has released P535.19 million intervention funds to further strengthen the redesigned Technical Vocational Education Programs (TVEP) in terms of infrastructure and capabilities. This is meant to produce a highly skilled workforce with the competencies and skills for both local and international job markets.

Lastly, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been able to meet its infrastructure goals while being prudent and transparent in their budget and projects. An open, transparent, competitive and simplified bidding process has also been set in place.

The four billion pesos worth of savings of the DPWH can be attributed to its bidding process. The four billion pesos worth of savings will be utilized for other infra-development projects according to Secretary Singson.

Indeed, the message is getting across and it is this: The President means business. For the first time in history, an Administration is able to regain its high approval and trust rating. With the growing investments and looming projects, hopefully this signal of the nation’s satisfaction is only the beginning.