President Benigno S. Aquino III has delivered his best State-of-the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, according to Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, former Akbayan partylist representative.
Hontiveros-Baraquel said that she shouted for joy even as she joined several legislators in giving Aquino a standing ovation when the President mentioned maternal mortality and responsible parenthood, one of the highest points in the SONA.
Hontiveros-Baraquel is currently in Iloilo for the culminating activity of the National Disability and Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.
She said the President has been giving signals both in public and even with congressional leaders of his support to the Reproductive Health bill or the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill.
The former legislator expressed confidence that in due time the bill will finally be voted upon by the Congress.
She cited House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte during Monday morning’s opening of the session saying that it’s high time to discuss the RH Bill while Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile declared that it is one of the important bills that will be deliberated.
In addition to Responsible Parenthood, she also gave high credit to President Aquino for mentioning his victories on anti-corruption and his call to sustain the move to “dismantle the system and infrastructure of corruption.”
Aquino also received praises for his principles of being able to forgive but never to forget in reference to his administration’s drive against corruption.
Hontiveros-Baraquel looked forward to hear Aquino talk more about his social reforms that impact on basic sector in his succeeding SONAs as she lauded his conditional cash transfer (CCT) initiative in an attempt to alleviate poverty and sustain development programs.