PGMA's Speech during the Launching Ceremony of ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) Business Night

PGMA's Speech during the Launching Ceremony of ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) Business Night

Shangri-la Hotel Manila, Makati City (09 May 2002)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, OSCAR.

I WOULD LIKE TO GREET ALSO GABBY AND TO CONGRATULATE HIM FOR THIS LAUCHING. I'D LIKE TO GREET SENATE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DRILON AND THE OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNOR OF THE SENTRAL BANK, PAENG BUENAVENTURA, MAYOR SONNY BELMONTE AND ADVISER CITO LORENZO. I'D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALSO FREDDIE GARCIA AND THE OTHER MANAGERS OF ABS-CBN AND ANC. TO THE PLEDGERS, THANK YOUR VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PLEDGE. AND TO ALL OF YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

THIS IS A GOOD NIGHT FOR US TO BE HERE TOGETHER. I CONGRATULATE ANC FOR ITS WORK. I WATCH YOU EVERY NIGHT, ALL NIGHT. IN FACT, I WANDER INTO MY SLEEP TUNED IN TO YOUR CHANNEL, BUT SINCE I'M A LIGHT SLEEPER I SUDDENLY WAKE UP WHEN SOMETHING ALARMING FROM YOUR CHANNEL MANAGES TO WADE THROUGH MY DREAMS. AND SINCE I LEAVE MY TV SET ON ALL NIGHT, I WAKE UP TO THE SOUND OF YOUR EARLY MORNING NEWS.

AND TONIGHT, BRINGING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HERE MARKS THE SOLID RELEVANCE OF THE NETWORK IN STRENGTHENING NATIONAL CONSENSUS ON OUR ECONOMIC DIRECTIONS. WE ARE PARTNERS IN THIS QUEST.

HAVING JUST ARRIVED THIS DAWN FROM AN OVERNIGHT TRIP TO KUALA LUMPUR AND BANGKOK, I AM VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT CONFIDENCE IN OUR COUNTRY IS GROWING. BUSINESS POTENTIALS ABOUND IN OUR REGIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD REINFORCED BY DEEPENING SECURITY ALLIANCES. THAT IS AS FAR AS THE DISCERNING BUSINESSMEN ARE CONCERNED.

BUT WHEN I WAS IN THAILAND, A YOUNG BOY, FOURTEEN YEARS OLD -- COULD HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THAILAND SINCE HE WAS THREE YEARS OLD. FILIPINO BUT LIVING IN THAILAND SINCE HE WAS THREE -- SAID THAT HE WANTS TO THINK THE BEST ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES. HE HAS FOND THOUGH VAGUE MEMORIES OF THE PHILIPPINES BUT HE GETS DISTURBED WHEN HE WATCHES TV AND ALL HE SEES ABOUT THAT COUNTRY THAT HE HAS NOT SEEN IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS OR ELEVEN YEARS IS NEGATIVE. THAT REALLY SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE GOOD NEWS.

AND TONIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DWELL ON ISSUES THAT ARE CLOSE TO THE GROUND, SO TO SPEAK, BECAUSE WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD ON A NUMBER OF VITAL FRONTS, FOREMOST OF WHICH IS THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THIS CHALLENGE. IT IS THE KEY TO OUR POLITICAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THIS FOCUS ON THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY BE ALSO CONVEYED TO THE WATCHING PUBLIC.

WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT LAST YEAR, I SAID THAT WE WANT TO WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST POVERTY WITHIN THE DECADE. THIS COMMITMENT STANDS, AND IT IS ANCHORED ON A COMPREHENSIVE MEDIUM-TERM PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN. THE PLAN REVOLVES AROUND FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS ALREADY FAMILIAR TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE FOLLOWED MY PRONOUNCEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR: AN ECONOMIC PHILOSOPHY OF FREE ENTERPRISE APPROPRIATE TO THE 21st CENTURY; A MODERNIZED AGRICULTURAL SECTOR FOUNDED ON SOCIAL EQUITY; A SOCIAL BIAS TOWARD THE DISADVANTAGED; AND ELEVATING MORAL STANDARDS OF GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY.

THIS PLAN IS FLESHED OUT IN REAL, VISIBLE AND MEASURABLE TARGETS, MOST OF WHICH ARE CONTAINED IN MY FIRST STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS BEFORE CONGRESS LAST YEAR. THESE TARGETS ARE MEASURABLE AND ALSO THEY CAN BE MEDIAGENIC IF YOU MAKE THEM SO IN ANC BUSINESS NEWS.

ON MY PART, AS I LOOK AT THE TARGETS AND I LOOK AT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, I AM GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THESE TARGETS. AND IT IS IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, THAT THE PEOPLE BE SATISFIED WITH THEM. IF ONLY THE PEOPLE COULD ME MADE AWARE OF THESE HARD FACTS AND FIGURES. OF THE 55 ITEMS THAT I TARGETTED TO DO LAST JULY -- TWELVE HAVE ALREADY BEEN FULLY ACCOMPLISHED WITH THREE MONTHS TO SPARE; 34 ARE ON SCHEDULE; NINE TARGETS ARE BEHIND SCHEDULE, BUT SECRETARY BERT ROMULO IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS INVOLVED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CATCH UP. ALL IN ALL, THEREFORE, WE ARE ABOUT 85 PERCENT DONE. WE WILL MOVE FORWARD SUBSTANTIALLY TILL THE NEXT SONA IN JULY THIS YEAR.

BUT LET ME MENTION A FEW ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO AS TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEAS OF WHAT YOU CAN FEATURE IN SOME OF YOUR SHOWS IN ANC BUSINESS NEWS.

ECONOMIC GROWTH LAST YEAR CREATED MORE THAN A MILLION-AND-A-HALF JOBS, REDUCING BOTH UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT, AND EXCEEDING THE TARGETS IN OUR PLAN. I WISH SOME OF THOSE NEW JOB HOLDERS COULD BE FEATURED IN ANC BUSINESS NEWS. AS OF JANUARY, UNEMPLOYMENT WAS 10.3 PERCENT--ONE PERCENT LOWER THAN A YEAR AGO -- BUT I STILL THINK THE 10.3 PERCENT IS TOO HIGH, BUT THEN "ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY." AND IT CAN'T BE BUILT ANY FASTER IF THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO SEEK TO TEAR IT DOWN.

WHILE THE ECONOMIES OF MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS AND TRADING PARTNERS SUFFERED DECLINES LAST YEAR, OURS POSTED A 3.7 PERCENT GROWTH IN GNP. THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST OUTPUT GROWTH RATES IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA. BUT SOMETIMES I GET INTERVIEWED BY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA WHO ASSUMED THAT WE ARE GROWING SLOWER THAT SOME OF THE OTHER TRADITIONAL HIGH FLYERS. UNTIL I POINT OUT TO THEM THE RESPECTIVE FIGURES. MAYBE I WOULD'NT HAVE TO POINT OUT TO THEM THE RELATIVE FIGURES IF THEY SAW IT ON ANC BUSINESS NEWS. (LAUGHTER)

INFLATION WAS CONTAINED AT 6.1 PERCENT LAST YEAR. AND INFLATION FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR WAS EVEN LOWER, AT 3.6 PERCENT. THIS SHOWS THAT LAST YEAR WAS NOT A FLUKE BUT A RESULT OF EFFECTIVE INFLATION MANAGEMENT.

SO, FOR THOSE WHO KEEP SAYING, "TUMATAAS NG TUMATAAS ANG PRESYO." I WISH THEY WOULD ANSWER, "ALIN?" BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE PRICE OF RICE, IT'S THE SAME. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PRICE OF GALUNGGONG, IT'S THE SAME. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PRICE OF MEDICINES, IT'S LOWER. SO, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT. BUT THEN, WELL, I HOPE THAT WHEN WE HAVE GOOD NEWS NOW, WE WON'T HAVE THOSE SWEEPING STATEMENTS THAT REALLY CANNOT BE BACK-UP BY FACTS AND FIGURES.

INTEREST RATES ARE AT RECORD LOWS, AND HOPEFULLY WITH ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THIS LOW INTEREST RATES CAN TRANSLATE TO FURTHER INCREASE IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES. BUT AS FAR AS INTEREST RATES ARE CONCERNED, THERE WAS A SAYING, THERE IS A SAYING THAT I LEARNED FROM ONE OF MY TEXTBOOKS IN ECONOMICS 101 -- "YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER, BUT YOU CAN'T FORCE IT TO DRINK." THAT IS WHAT MONETARY POLICY IS ALL ABOUT. WITH OUR LOW INTEREST RATES, WE HAVE BROUGHT THE HORSE TO WATER -- THAT'S THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. BUT TO MAKE THEM DRINK, THEY'VE GOT TO FEEL THAT THERE IS GOOD NEWS IN THE ECONOMY.

THE PESO HAS REMAINED STABLE RELATIVE TO THE DOLLAR. THIS WEEK, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE PESO BREACHED THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIER OF 50 PESOS TO THE DOLLAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIRTEEN MONTHS, A FAR CRY FROM THE 56 PESOS TO THE DOLLAR THAT ROCKED THE PERIOD JUST BEFORE I BECAME PRESIDENT.

THE BUDGET DEFICIT WAS LIMITED TO A 140 BILLION PESOS LAST YEAR. THIS YEAR, WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXERCISE FISCAL DISCIPLINE BECAUSE IT WAS THE MAIN DETAIL CITED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CREDIT RATING AGENCIES FOR OUR EARLY GRADUATION FROM NEGATIVE TO STABLE.

IF LAST YEAR'S GROWTH HAD BEEN CONSUMPTION-LED, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SUSTAINABLE. BUT IT WAS NOT CONSUMPTION-LED, RATHER IT WAS INVESTMENT-LED, GIVING IT THE PROSPECT OF SUSTAINABILITY. WHAT CAN I CITE TO PROVE IT WAS INVESTMENT-LED -- GROSS DOMESTIC CAPITAL FORMATION INCREASED BY 4.3 PERCENT LAST YEAR COMPARED TO ONLY 2.3 PERCENT THE YEAR BEFORE.

I HOPE TO STIMULATE BIG CHUNKS OF CAPITAL FORMATION COMING FROM GETTING MAJOR BUSINESS PROJECTS GOING LIKE THE NATIONAL STEEL CORPORATION AND HOUSING PROJECTS, BY REDUCING RED TAPE AND BOTTLENECKS. AND BY GETTING SPECIFIC BIG TICKET INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS GOING LIKE THE LRT-3. THAT IS WHY ORCAR LOPEZ AND ALL OF THE BENPRES PEOPLE I HOPE WILL BE PATIENT WITH ME WHEN EVERYTIME I SEE THEM I ASKED THEM, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START THE NORTHLUZON EXPRESSWAY?" (LAUGHTER)

WE HAVE STABILIZED THE DOMESTIC POLITICAL SITUATION WHILE CONTINUING TO MOP UP RESIDUAL PROBLEMS OF LAW AND ORDER. WE ARE PUTTING IN AN ADDITIONAL 200 MILLION PESOS INTO AN EFFORT TO BOLSTER OUR CAPABILITY AGAINST KIDNAPPING AND TERRORISM. WE WILL SET UP MORE OPERATIONAL TEAMS EXCLUSIVELY FOCUSED IN THIS THREAT. WE SHALL BACK UP THESE TEAMS WITH BETTER SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT. PEACE AND ORDER IS ESSENTIAL TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE GIVE THE GOOD NEWS THE SAME ATTENTION AS THE BAD NEWS.

FOR INSTANCE, WHEN ABU MUSLIM BOMBED GENERAL SANTOS, YOU SAW ALL THE BIG HEADLINES FOR DAYS AND HOURS ON END. BUT WHEN ABU MUSLIM WAS ARRESTED WITH ALL THE EVIDENCE, WHERE WERE ALL THOSE HEADLINES.

THE DECISIVENESS BY WHICH WE ARE CONTINUING TO ENFORCE THE RULE OF LAW IS ONLY MATCHED BY OUR CONSISTENCY AND UNSWERVING DETERMINATION TO KEEP THE ECONOMY ON TRACK.

I TARGETED 20 BILLION PESOS A YEAR FOR AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES MODERNIZATION BUT IN ACTUAL TERMS LAST YEAR, 26 BILLION PESOS WAS SPENT. LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, WE HAVE ALLOCATED ANOTHER 26 BILLION PESOS.

MR. HENRY LIM AND CITO LORENZO WERE HERE TO SHOW THE 'GLORIA RICE.' BEHIND THAT 'GLORIA RICE' IS A LOT OF HYBRID DISPERSAL, A LOT OF TRAINING, A LOT OF LOANS, A LOT OF SOIL ANALYSIS, BEHIND THAT IS 450 MILLION PESOS TO BRING PRODUCTIVITY TO OUR FARMERS. AND THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND PHASE OF WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR, WE DISTRIBUTED OTHER KINDS OF CERTIFIED SEEDS, INCREASE OUR PRODUCE BY 300,000 METRIC TONES OF RICE. AND THAT IS WHY THE PRICE OF RICE HAS REMAIN STABLE. WE MET MR. ROMEO VASQUEZ -- MOVIE STAR-LOOKING FARMER FROM ISABELA -- AND HIS FELLOW FARMERS IN ISABELA WHEN I WENT TO CAGAYAN VALLEY LAST WEEK, THANK ME BECAUSE EVEN AS THE CONSUMER IS FEELING THE SAME STABLE PRICES OF RICE IN THE CONSUMER MARKET THE FARMERS ARE RECEIVING HIGHER PRICES FOR THEIR PALAY FARM GATE. THIS IS GOOD NEWS. AND I WISH THAT WHAT THEY HAD SAID, WHAT THEY SAID COULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY ANC BUSINESS NEWS.

I TARGETED SHELTER SECURITY FOR 150,000 URBAN POOR FAMILIES AND A 100,000 RURAL FARMING FAMILIES, AND WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MORE THAN THAT ALREADY. MORE THAN 34,000 LOW-SALARIED WORKERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THEIR HOUSING NEEDS. BUT I WANT TO BRING THAT UP TO 100,000 IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. I WOULD WISH AND I DO HOPE THAT THE CONDUIT BANKS FOR HOUSING WOULD BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN BRINGING THE GOVERNMENT FUNDS WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR HOUSING THROUGH THEIR SYSTEM INTO THE HANDS OF THE HOME BUILDERS. BUT WHY AREN'T THEY DOING IT -- BECAUSE THEY'RE FEELING TIMID; BECAUSE THEY'RE LACKING CONFIDENCE; NAPASO NA SA NAKARAAN. THEY NEED GOOD NEWS TO BECOME MORE AGGRESSIVE AGAIN.

WE HAVE EXCEEDED OUR TARGET FOR HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE URBAN POOR BY ALMOST THREEFOLD. WE TARGETTED 500,000 BENEFICIARES; WE'VE ALREADY ENROLLED MORE THAN 1,475,000 IN THE URBAN AREAS. AND WE HAVE DONE EVEN MORE FOR THE RURAL POOR -- MORE THAN 1,722,000 HAVE ALREADY BEEN ENROLLED, BRINGING A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 3 MILLION PERSONS OR 600,000 FAMILIES INTO THE HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME. AT THIS PACE, WE WILL ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL COVERAGE FOR THE POOR WITHIN THE DECADE. AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL PAY FOR A BIG CHUNK OF THEIR MEDICAL BILLS.

THE SAME PROSPECT IS TRUE FOR LAND REFORM. WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN A 100,000 HECTARES OF PRIVATE LAND THAT WE HAVE TARGETTED. AND AT THIS PACE, WE WILL ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL LAND REFORM WITHIN THE DECADE. IF EVERY MEMBER OF THE POOR HAS HEALTH INSURANCE, AND IF EVERY TENANT FARMER NOW HAS LAND THAT HE CAN TILL AND CALL HIS OWN. THESE TWO INDICATORS SHOW INDEED, THAT WE ARE COMPLYING WITH THE TARGETS THAT ARE NEEDED TO WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST POVERTY WITHIN THE DECADE.
WE HAVE MOVED TOWARDS GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN AWARDING CONTRACTS. THESE HAVE TO BE BIDDED OUT RATHER THAN NEGOTIATED. WE HAVE COMPUTERIZED THE BIDDING IN PUBLIC WORKS. WE HAVE EXCEEDED THE TARGET SET FOR THE NUMBER OF AGENCIES TO BE REGISTERED UNDER THE ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT SYSTEM. THE RESULT FROM ALL THESE -- HONEST AND FASTER CONTRACT AWARDS.

WE HAVE INFUSED IN GOVERNMENT, TO A GREAT DEGREE, COMMON SENSE, DISCIPLINE, AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE. AND CIVIL SOCIETY IS IN THE LOOP. PRIVATE SECTOR GROUPS HAVE SET UP PROCUREMENT WATCH, WHICH HAS BEEN SANCTIONED TO CHECK THE INTEGRITY OF GOVERNMENT PURCHASES.

THERE IS ALSO THE REPORT CARD SURVEY PROJECT WHICH PERIODICALLY MEASURES PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES. THERE IS THE TAX WATCH WHICH MONITORS THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE. AND THERE ARE THE VOLUNTEERS AGAINST CRIME AND CORRUPTION WHICH MONITOR THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS AND OTHER AGENCIES.

BUT WE HAVE MUCH, MUCH MORE TO DO TO ENABLE THE POOR TO CATCH UP. AND WE CAN'T DO ALL THAT WORK IF WE HAVE ALL THESE CRABS BRINGING US DOWN.

LEADERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE ONE IN SAYING THAT IN RESOLVING POVERTY NEEDS THE COMBINED RESOURCES OF THE ENTIRE PLANET TO SUCCEED. A GLOBAL ALLIANCE CAN BE FORGED TO WAGE WAR AGAINST POVERTY.

THIS ALLIANCE AGAINST POVERTY CAN BE SEEN IN ASEAN. WE ARE WORKING WITHIN ASEAN TO INTEGRATE AND EXPAND THE REGIONAL MARKET, SO THAT OUR PRODUCTS AND THE PRODUCTS OF THOSE WHO INVEST IN OUR COUNTRY WILL CATER TO A REGIONAL MARKET OF HALF- -A-BILLION PEOPLE.

WE ARE SEEKING, BY OURSELVES AND WITH OUR ASEAN PARTNERS, TO STRENGTHEN AND DEEPEN OUR ECONOMIC TIES WITH COUNTRIES AND GROUPS OF COUNTRIES BEYOND ASEAN -- CHINA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, INDIA, THE UNITED STATES, THE EUROPEAN UNION. WE ARE PART OF THE GLOBAL EFFORT TO BUILD A LIBERAL BUT EQUITABLE TRADING SYSTEM.

IN THIS GREAT ENDEAVOR TO WIN THE WAR AGAINST POVERTY , EVERY LITTLE THING HELPS. I AM GLAD THAT ANC BUSINESS NEWS REPRESENTS THOSE IN MEDIA WHO HAVE HEARD MY CALL AND ARE TAKING THE CHALLENGE OF RESPONSIBLY INFLUENCING AND INSPIRING PEOPLE TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES AND HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMY.

I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY AGAIN TO TELL EVERYONE THAT WE SHOULD SET ASIDE DIVISIVE POLITICS AND FOCUS OUR ENERGIES ON FREEING OUR PEOPLE FROM THE BONDAGE OF POVERTY.

I ALSO CALL ON OUR BUSINESS PEOPLE TO ADD A SOCIAL DIMENSION TO THEIR USUAL BOTTOMLINE CONCERNS. I URGE YOU TO CREATE MORE JOBS AS YOU EXPAND. MORE JOBS TRANSLATE TO MORE PURCHASING POWER IN THE ECONOMY. MORE PURCHASING POWER WILL INCREASE EFFECTIVE DEMAND FOR GOODS AND SERVICES, WHICH WOULD INCREASE SALES AND PROFITS. WE MUST SUSTAIN THIS CYCLE OF PROGRESS AND STABILITY.

YOU CAN, OF COURSE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY INVOLVE YOUR COMPANIES AND YOURSELVES PERSONALLY IN SOCIAL WELFARE ACTIVITIES. AND I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ANC FOR TAKING THE INITIATIVE IN SOLICITING THE SPECIFIC PLEDGES THAT WERE MADE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY FOR THIS PURPOSE.

AN ACT OF KINDNESS INSPIRES SIMILAR ACTS OF KINDNESS. LET US FLOOD THE COUNTRY WITH ACTS OF HUMANITARIANISM. AFTER ALL, WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER -- SINK OR SWIM. WE MUST CLOSE RANKS AND RIDE ON OUR COLLECTIVE BOUYANCY TO FACE THE STEEP CHALLENGES IN THE HORIZON.

SEEING YOU ALL HERE AND SEEING THE NEW ANC BUSINESS NEWS TONIGHT GIVES ME CONFIDENCE THAT WE SHALL PREVAIL IN THE END. I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT VERY MUCH. AND BE ASSURED THAT I INTEND TO CONTINUE TO EXERCISE MY LEADERSHIP TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT CLEAN, TO MOVE IT FORWARD, AND TO MAKE IT RESPONSIVE TO FILIPINO ASPIRATIONS.

ONCE MORE, LET US THANK ANC FOR THE GIFT OF INNOVATIVE BROADCAST JOURNALISM THAT IT STARTED SIX YEARS AGO. AND TONIGHT, LET US THANK ANC ONCE AGAIN FOR THE GIFT OF PIONEERING IN CONSCIOUSLY RESPONSIBLE BROADCAST JOURNALISM.

ANC BUSINESS NEWS, WE NEED YOU TO KEEP OUR NATION AT AN EVEN KEEL. WE NEED TO YOU TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE. SO, I'LL BE WATHCHING AGAIN TONIGHT. (LAUGHTER) AND I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO WAKE UP AGAIN ALARMED BY BAD NEWS.

THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS.

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