CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan—Bulacan commemorated on Friday the 119th anniversary of the opening of the Malolos Congress, dubbed as “Kongreso ng Malolos sa pagsulong ng bansa”, in the historical Barasoain Church in this city.
The activity was attended by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Assistant Secretary for External and Legislative Affairs Ricojudge Janvier Echiverri as the guest speaker and representative of President Duterte; Sen. Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV as the guest of honor; National Historical Commission of the Philippines Executive Director Ludovico Badoy; Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado; Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando; members of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan; Malolos Mayor Christian Natividad; LMP-Bulacan President Guiguinto Mayor Ambrosio Cruz Jr., other officials of the local government; and guests.
Echiverri urged the barangay officials who are involved in illegal drugs to resign.
Echiverri said Congress and the Senate passed two different versions of law regarding the barangay elections. Congress passed a law for the postponement and holdover, while the Senate is for the appointment of barangay officials.
According to Echiverri, President Duterte said there are between 30,000 and 40,000 barangay officials involved in prohibited drugs. He said the police, military and barangay officials are the primary illegal drug-law enforcers of the administration.
The Philippine National Police is composed of 170,000 policemen; 140,000 military personnel; and 420,000 barangay officials. The government will have a hard time in stopping the proliferation of the illegal-drug problem in the country if barangay officials are involved. The church conducts community-based rehab, and the barangay should also help in the rehabilitation and the DILG will help in the implementation.
“Death and killing is not his [Duterte’s] policy; rehabilitation is,”Echiverri said. He cited Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian as a good example. Gatchalian rehabilitated and gave livelihood to his constituents that’s why no one died and no crime was reported.
He reiterated it’s not Duterte’s policy to kill, especially the youth. Even policemen will be imprisoned and not be tolerated if proven involved in illegal drugs and abused their authority.
Echiverri said Duterte wants to alleviate the poverty in Mindanao and the entire Philippines before the end of his term. He added Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Tawi-Tawi, Bukidnon, Eastern Samar, North Cotabato, South Cotabato and other areas are included in 10 poor provinces of Mindanao and the Visayas. He urged the public to think, talk and debate about the goodness of federalism. The national government will still have the policy, military, currency, and customs if federalism will push through. Echiverri said big funds will be available for the local government without the long process of procurement.
Meanwhile, Aquino shared that his great grandfather, Gen. Servillano Aquino, was a member of the Malolos Congress. The said congress was a convention of different sectors for the betterment of the country against foreigners. The Filipinos must be reunited because the challenge for the new generation is a battle against lack of education, poverty and hunger.
Aquino said, “The new heroes of our time are the youths and their parents who do their best just to acquire right knowledge through education, and the government workers who render honest services to countrymen.”
Their target is to set up Negosyo Centers in all cities and municipalities nationwide to assist micro, small and medium enterprises to produce more livelihood for the Filipinos. They accept fresh-graduate business consellors that he termed as the secret weapon of the Negosyo Centers who help MSMEs.