SPEECH OF SENATE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN M. DRILON
117th Anniversary of Philippine Independence
Santa Barbara, Iloilo
June 12, 2015

 FREEDOM, UNITY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III, Excellencies of the diplomatic corps, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good morning!

With immense pride and joy, I welcome all of you to Iloilo.

It is truly a great honor to host the celebration of the 117th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence. We, Ilonggos, are grateful to the President for marking this important milestone in our nation’s life here in Iloilo.

It was here in Santa Barbara, on Nov. 17, 1898, where the Philippine flag was first raised in the Visayas, and the first time outside Luzon. On that day, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Visayas, led by General Martin Delgado, was organized and inaugurated.

The raising of the Philippine flag in Iloilo symbolized the unity of the Visayan revolutionaries with their compatriots in Luzon. General Martin Delgado, locally known as “Tan Martin”, and the Ilonggo revolutionaries stood in solidarity with General Emilio Aguinaldo and the revolutionaries of Cavite who raised the Philippine flag months before that.

Ngayong araw na ito, ating gi-nu-gu-ni-ta ang kabayanihan, ang katapangan at ang pag-sa-sak-ri-pis-yo ng ating mga ninuno na nakipaglaban para sa ating kalayaan.

Ang araw na ito ay ating inaalay para sa mga bayani na nagbuwis ng kanilang buhay para sa ating kalayaan. We renew our commitment to honor their extraordinary legacy and uphold the ideals and values they stood for. Throughout our nation’s history, Filipinos showed that they were ready and willing to offer their lives for this country to remain free and democratic.

Here in Iloilo, more than one century after the Philippines became the first republic in Asia, the Ilonggos were waging another battle -- this time a battle against economic insignificance. Ilonggos were yearning for liberation – this time liberation from socio-cultural deterioration.

Iloilo was once a jewel of a place.

With the passing of time, it slowly lost its economic luster.

Iloilo was on the road to obscurity and mediocrity.

However, Ilonggos are made of much tougher stuff.

We held on to the dream of transforming Iloilo into a model of political unity, good governance and economic development.

Kayo po, Mahal na Pangulo, ang nagbigay pag-asa sa amin na muling maibabalik ang Iloilo bilang “Queen City of the South.”

With Your Excellency’s full and complete support, a strong political will, and a united political leadership, we embarked on a journey toward the realization of every Ilonggo’s dream of transforming Iloilo into a model community.

Iloilo has made giant leaps and strides. Iloilo is on the move.

The Iloilo River was dying. We revived it. The river esplanade is now a prime tourist destination.

The Iloilo River Plains, where the 1,000 families living along the river banks have been resettled, is a model resettlement site. We constructed a double “A” abattoir to replace a 60 year old slaughterhouse which polluted the river. A passenger ferry terminal replaced a ship repair facility squatting on and polluting the river. Using a 1916 Cadastral Survey, we restored the original boundaries of the River. We removed derelicts, fish pens and illegal structures like restaurants, and even a dialysis center.

The Iloilo River has become the pride of Iloilo.

We built the Iloilo International Airport.

The Iloilo seaport, once described as the armpit of the Visayas, is now being expanded due to port congestion.

Mr. President, 25% of the economy of Western Visayas is agriculture. Yet, agricultural output in the region has shrunk by an alarming 3% in 2013. We worked on the construction of the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project. Authorized under Republic Act 2651 in 1960, the project was only fully funded during your administration with a US$208 million ODA loan from South Korea. Once completed, the project will irrigate 32,000 hectares of land, benefit 783,000 farmers, increase annual rice production to over 300,000 tons, produce 6.6MW of electricity, and provide up to 86,000 cubic meters per day of good quality potable water.

We are now completing a world-class convention center to position Iloilo as prime convention destination. It will be the venue of the upcoming APEC meeting in October.

We improved our road networks.

We widened the existing Senator Benigno Aquino Avenue to make it a 10-lane road, complete with a red-tiled bicycle lane. We constructed a 14 kilometer four lane President Corazon Aquino Avenue around the city and opened new areas for land development.

In Iloilo, we have our own versions of NLEX and SLEX, but unlike the two expressways, ours is free of charge.

These projects were initially thought of by pessimists and cynics as impossible.

Ang inakala po ng iba noon na imposible ay naging posible dahil sa tulong at suporta ng ating Pangulo

The government’s investment in infrastructure encouraged the private sector investment in Iloilo. Megaworld’s 38 billion peso Iloilo Business Park; Ayala’s 15 billion Atria Business Park; as well as the development projects of the SM Group, Gaisano, Robinson, Double Dragon Corporation, Global Power, Oishi, PHINMA is proof of the private sector’s confidence in Iloilo.

With the encouragement of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, these private sector investments will propel Iloilo’s economy to greater heights.

Ang pag-unlad ng Iloilo ay patunay na ang “daang matuwid” ni Pangulong Aquino ay nagbunga ng mabuti para sa bansa, at nararapat lamang na maipagpatuloy. It is an excellent model of good governance.

I am proud to say that in Iloilo, every peso spent is properly accounted for.

The seeds of good governance were planted by the Aquino administration more than four years ago. In Iloilo, we have seen how these seeds have grown into trees of development, and of hope, not only for Ilonggos, but for the rest of the country.

Ako po ay naniniwala na kung nabago at napaunlad namin ang Iloilo, magagawa po natin ito sa buong bansa hangga’t may pagkakaisa, political will at strong commitment to good governance.

In Iloilo, we have proven that if we are united, and put our collective interest before individual interest, we can create change. In Iloilo, we are nurturing big dreams, and are working hard to realize these dreams.

I know that in each and every Filipino, there is a longing to make a difference. There is an innate capacity to rise to the challenges of the times. And there is a profound love for our country.

Yes, under your leadership, Mr. President, we have made great strides as a people. We only have to work as one, for no one but us, Filipinos, can build a strong and prosperous nation.

117 years ago, our country gained its independence. Our gratitude to our forefathers -- our heroes – who gave their lives to make this possible, has no bounds.

However, the best way to honor their legacy is to unite and bring our beloved country to its development goals on the wings of good governance.

As it was then, and as it is now, the Ilonggos stand in solidarity with Your Excellency and the Filipino nation in pursuit of development, and in the promotion and protection of our democratic values.

For, it is only by being united, can we move a revolution forward.

And, by being united, with a single mind and heart, we can move this nation to greatness.

Thank you very much.