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The true state of the Filipino people Executive Secretary Paquito Jojo Ochoa Jr.

is known to be a very private person. But recently I had a chance encounter which gave me the opportunity to exchange some views with him. Here are some of the highlights of a rare conversation with Secretary Ochoa. We discussed the many accomplishments of the administration the past three years. There were three accomplishments, in particular, which we talked about. The first was the anti-corruption campaign of the administration, now popularly known as Daang Matuwid. After all, the success in this crusade was the main impetus for improving the countrys international standing and the increase in the countrys economic growth. But it appears there was a clear strategy to the anti-corruption campaign. It began with symbolic gestures understood by the masses, such as the no wang wang on public streets except for ambulances and police cars. This was a graphic symbolism of the rule of law. The next step was to first go after the icons of corruption and not the little fish as in the past. This was to show the seriousness of the administration in its crusade. This led to the filing of cases against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, former Supreme Court Justice Corona and Ombudswoman Gutierrez. The success of this crusade led to the second major accomplishment: rapid economic growth and the investment grade rating of the Philippines for the first time in the nations history. In a recent report, the World Bank said: The Philippines is no longer the sick man of East Asia but the rising tiger. Theres macroeconomic stability, and the fiscal situation of the government is sound and improving. The fight against corruption is being waged with determination and is paying off. Transparency is improving everywhere in the Philippines. The third was the emphasis on the social development of the common tao. There were the rapid expansion of the PhilHealth programs, the K to 12 educational reform and the multi-billion peso expansion of the Conditional Cash Transfer program. When it comes to decision making, no one has a tougher time than the President of the country. There is a strong temptation to avoid or postpone making difficult and controversial decisions. But presidential leadership is best defined in terms of the courage to make the key decisions that transform a nation.

There were some decisions that were publicly debated. Walang pasubali is how Ochoa, revealing his mastery of Filipino and his Bulakeo lineage, describes the Presidents fearlessness. There was the decision to push for the impeachment of Renato Corona as Supreme Court Chief Justice. There was the Sin Tax Bill which previous presidents had failed to push because of strong opposition from powerful interest groups. There was the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill which was opposed by institutions like the Catholic Church which had traditionally been strong allies of the progressive political groups. Then there were decisions made, not in the public eye, but have led to transformative changes in government. One example is zero budgeting which requires the government bureaucracy to regularly justify every program that requires a budget. This has drastically changed the routinary way of budgeting in government. This executive secretary is very reticent regarding his personal life. But I know he has a passion for photography. I have seen some of his work and they look more like artistic pieces than mere photographs. It was his father who inculcated in him the desire for public service. Ochoa Sr. was a Liberal Party leader who was elected mayor of Pulilan, Bulacan in 1967. Senator Ninoy Aquino inaugurated the Pulilan Municipal Hall in 1971 when Jojo Ochoa was only ten years old. When his father lost his re-election bid, he became personal assistant to Ninoy Aquino. After the EDSA People Power Revolution, President Cory Aquino made his father OIC of the town. But Jojo Ochoa met P-Noy through common friends when he was in college at UST and later at the Ateneo College of Law. He remembers his oath taking in 1986 before President Cory Aquino and Chief Justice Teehankee. This was the first batch of post-EDSA law graduates. In 2001 to 2010 he became city administrator under then Mayor Sonny Belmonte, now Speaker of the House of Representatives. Throughout this period, his friend, now President Aquino, became congressman and then senator and would regularly consult him on legal matters. Then in 2010, the newly elected P-Noy asked him to be Executive Secretary which he immediately accepted.

There was no conversation about the SONA address tomorrow because it is P-Noy who is personally writing the final draft and, therefore, no one will know what he will say until he delivers the speech. President Noynoy Aquino, in his first SONA in 2010, was the first president to use Filipino. Clearly he was not just speaking to Congress but also to the entire nation. His message was clear. He spoke of the direction we had to take: Ito po ang tuwid na daan. His message to the people was one of Hope and Change. He said: The mandate we received last May 10 is testament to the fact that the Filipino continues to hope for true change. The situation is not what it was before; we can all dream again. By the second SONA in 2011, the country was seeing positive change in government and the economy. This second address was now a rallying cry to continue the change. He said: Buhay na buhay na ang Pilipinas at ang Pilipino. After the second year of P-Noys term, it was clear that the nation had a leadership that was not abusing power for personal gain but using that power for the benefit of the people. And again the message was clear: What was once impossible is now possible. I stand before you today, and tell you: this is not my SONA. You made this happen. This is the SONA of the Filipino nation. On the eve of the Presidents fourth SONA, I believe that in the next three years the state of the nation will only get better: The process of institutionalizing the rule of law is well underway. Stealing at the highest levels has finally stopped. The challenge of ensuring that the Filipino will benefit from the nations economic growth will be met.

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