By VERA Files
THE past five years of the Aquino Administration flew by quickly. In the blur of events that Filipinos are now looking back to as President Aquino delivers his final State of the Nation Address, VERA Files highlights snapshots that will form part of Aquino’s legacy, whether his term is judged positive or negatively in the end.
Among these is the fight against corruption, a key area where the Aquino government is leaving its mark. A Supreme Court chief justice, the former president, the former Senate president, and two other senators, all fell to the Aquino government’s anti-corruption crusade, as did the president’s own trusted chief of the Philippine National Police. The long arm of the law would also reach the vice president and his son.
An area the Aquino government will be remembered for is the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) in October 2012 earned the admiration of the international community. In March 2014, the Government and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and was thought to bring the two sides closer to peace.
The January 25 encounter between elements of the PNP’s Special Action Force and Muslim armed groups caused the peace process to lose steam and eventually grind to a halt. Congress shelved approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law just as it adjourned in June 2015.
MILF Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, said in a press conference in Camp Darapanan, Maguindanao on Saturday that they are expecting the President to reiterate his commitment to support the passage of the BBL on his last SONA. Murad added, “We hope that through his SONA he could enlighten more those who are still opposing the Bangsamoro Basic Law.”
Extrajudicial killings, specially the killing of journalists, were a legacy from Aquino’s predecessor, Glora Arroyo. But the numbers show that they continued during Aquino’s term, despite mitigating event such as the arrest of retired Maj. General Jovito Palparan.
These were all high-profile events that only partly fulfilled some of Aquino’s goals, but still only tiny fragments of a bigger picture that Aquino has yet to complete. As the National Statistical Coordination Board reported, Aquino has much left to do and very little time to do them.
