De Castro unveils good governance agenda

De Castro unveils good governance agenda  By Cynthia Balana Philippine Daily Inquirer Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Politics, Government MANILA, Philippines -- Vice President Noli de Castro may be playing coy about his presidential ambition but he already has a blueprint for nation-building should he finally decide to run for President in the 2010 elections. De Castro unveiled his 10-point framework for good governance when he spoke before hundreds of local architects in Mandaluyong city early this week. "Having a vision is important. But this should be supported by a blueprint so a dream can be a reality," said the consistent topnotcher in surveys of presidential preferences. De Castro said his 10-point framework for good governance to achieve economic and political stability was based on his experience in public service and was anchored on the following guidelines: • An efficient and competitive economy capable of producing goods and services at par with, or even better than what other countries can provide; • A strong and productive agricultural base that will provide food and security for the people and support the needs of other industries; • An industrial sector that makes efficient use of inputs and is anchored on comparative advantage; • A dynamic service sector that can absorb newcomers to the labor force and support domestic consumption spending; • An effective anti-poverty strategy that makes full use of government resources; • A political system that empowers its citizens and promotes the rule of law; • A government that can gain the trust of the people and inspire everyone to work for the common good; • A foreign policy that promotes friendship and collaboration with the community of nations without sacrificing national interest; • A citizenry that is educated and competitive, concerned with the affairs of the nation and is guided by Filipino values; and • The promotion of a culture that encourages excellence instead of "okay lang", a sense of urgency instead of "mamaya na", "ako mismo" instead of "kayo na lang", and "lalaban ako" instead of "ayaw ko na". De Castro, however, refused to link his blueprint to his his political plans, saying he has not made up his mind on whether or not to run for President. In his radio program, "Para sa Iyo, Bayan" on Saturday, De Castro asked his critics to stop making a connection between advertisements of the Home Mutual Development Fund or PAG-IBIG fund and the 2010 presidential election. The vice president heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. He defended his appearance on the Fund's television and print ads promoting the government's housing program, saying he never received any payment for appearing in the commercials. "Who else will they get to endorse the program?," he said. "And why pay someone to do it when my services are free? Although money from PAG-IBIG was used, the question is, was it money down the drain? Did I pocket the funds?" In the same program, Raffy Odes Abano, PAG-IBIG senior vice president for housing operations, told De Castro that his endorsement of the housing program resulted in a 45-percent increase in housing loans in the past two years. Abano added that for this year alone, there was an increase of 35 percent in loans as of the end of May, despite the economic slow down. De Castro said PAG-IBIG would go full blast in its housing campaign, following President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's instructions to make the program more affordable to its members. Soldiers and policemen were also being targeted under the socialized housing program to enable them to own decent homes, he said.