It was a very candid SONA. The President confronted major issues, cited the gains of the last three years and showed us where we will be three years from now. I agree with the President that while we cannot change things overnight, we have taken the right steps to reform government and bring development to all Filipinos. We cannot discount the fact that there have been tangible gains that we can build on, especially in rice self-sufficiency and agricultural development. This will impact on the employment situation in the rural areas where admittedly we need to provide more job opportunities.

            As chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, I am glad that our programs to provide decent, affordable and safe housing to members of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, calamity victims and informal settlers on waterways will remain a priority of our President.

            I also warmly welcome his reminder to civil servants that they need to serve the public with dedication, honesty and integrity. And he presented to us the men and women who deserve our thanks and admiration for doing their jobs selflessly.