Francis Escudero quotes - page 10

McKinsey and Company has a new study that shows that the persistent gap in academic achievement between children in the United States and their counterparts in other countries deprived the U. S. economy of as much as $2.3 trillion in economic output in 2008 alone. Can we imagine how much that academic gap has cost us in potential income? (Francis Escudero)
It is unconscionable that this government charges more royalty on the sale of our very own natural gas from Malampaya than it taxes imported coal and fuel. We pay P1.40 per kilowatt hour for electricity from generated from natural gas and only P.17 per KWH from coal. Does that make any sense to you? View quote
Francis Escudero
General Public Services will acquire the next highest share at 16.2%, followed by Debt Burden which will obtain 15.3% of the total budget. Although the Defense Sector will get the lowest share at 4.4%, it will reflect the highest percentage increase at 29% inclusive of an additional P25.988 billion for the General Headquarters, AFP, AFW-Wide Service Support units for its modernization program and an additional P9.497 billion to be sourced from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF). Let me now proceed Mr. President to the House-approved Budget or the General Appropriations Bill. View quote
Francis Escudero
The current state of emergency would have sufficed to address the clamor for justice for the massacre victims and restore the rule of law in the province. For the longest time, this government has tolerated and promoted the culture of warlordism in Mindanao. Now, it seeks to be a warlord to undo what it has done. View quote
Francis Escudero
First, on my list would be Good Governance. We must repair our house. Many of our institutions have been severely weakened. The trust and faith in the fairness of such critical institutions as the Comelec, the Dept. of Justice, the AFP-ISAPH, the PNP, the Sandigan aside from the chronically corrupt Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. View quote
Francis Escudero
A gentleman treats his fellow man with fairness, always giving him the benefit of the doubt. View quote
Francis Escudero
I thank the Supreme Court magistrates for affirming the TRO. This confirms that Senator Grace Poe remains a candidate for president and whose name stays on the official ballot, notwithstanding the orchestrated efforts to disqualify her. We hope that the high court will also uphold the laws and long established jurisprudence when it decides on the other petitions in connection with the candidacy of Senator Grace. View quote
Francis Escudero
Profiling is and always will be an arbitrary and unfair tool! No civilized government, much less ours, should use or employ it. No one can and/or should generalize within and among races/religions/genders/ages/social strata. We are all equal before the law! View quote
Francis Escudero
The heroism of our soldiers is especially inspiring because most of them were in their 20s, inexperienced in the art of warfare, who answered the call of the motherland with unflinching courage - so very much like the revolutionaries who won freedom and founded Asia's First Republic. View quote
Francis Escudero
In truth, I am more than content with my current life. I have only ever dreamed of a simple, honorable, happy, and peaceful life for myself and my beloved family. View quote
Francis Escudero
Sports' landscape has changed through the years. We have seen the rise of countries we used to beat in the Southeast Asian Games and we are fighting hard just to be able to make it in the middle of the pack. (Francis Escudero)
Your Senate Committee on Finance conducted two budget hearings on this matter, Mr. President, to gain a more thorough knowledge on the various projects involved in this measure. All national government agencies and government-owned or controlled corporations that shall implement the said projects served as resource persons for the consecutive hearings. View quote
Francis Escudero
She may be temporarily confined now to the walls of her house, but these walls are temporary. For crumble they will, due not to the ravages of the elements but more because of the unwavering desire of the people of Myanmar to be liberated from the shackles of repression. View quote
Francis Escudero
This year's commemoration becomes even more meaningful because the great sacrifice our soldiers made, not only in the battlefields of Bataan and Corregidor but in the ensuing resistance campaigns, has finally been recognized, however late in the day, by the United States. View quote
Francis Escudero
If we are shocked by reports about policemen owning prime properties then all the more should we be angered by the fact many police officers rent rooms no bigger than a pig pen. View quote
Francis Escudero
It is particularly galling to read a United Nation country report released in April 2008 that "poverty reduction in the Philippines has logged far behind that of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and China. View quote
Francis Escudero
We should consider lowering our income tax rates to equal Hongkong or Vietnam or Thailand. One of the major reasons why many locators do not like the Philippines is because they would have to pay their executives more takeout to equalize take home pay. For example, Hongkong has a tax rate of 17% while our marginal income tax rate is 32%. View quote
Francis Escudero
The COMELEC decision is both unfortunate and wrong. It ignored jurisprudence and interpreted the law to render injustice rather than justice. We will, nevertheless, follow the process and keep our faith in the justice system. I firmly believe that Senator Grace (Poe) will prevail in the end. View quote
Francis Escudero
• Increase of P421.5 million for the Bureau of Customs for Workplace Modernization and various equipment to counter the perennial problem of smuggling. View quote
Francis Escudero
The question we all must ponder is - what is wrong with us? View quote
Francis Escudero
We want people to remember what should be remembered on how fraud was committed to rob FPJ of his rightful place in history and on how people who voted for him of their political rights to install the president of their choice were also cheated. (Francis Escudero)
I thank the honorable Senate President for entrusting the undersigned with the critical responsibility of managing the Senate's role in fulfilling Congress' duty to oversee the Executive Department's use of public funds and to ensure the allocation of the same is guided by what is in the best interests of our people. View quote
Francis Escudero
In this highly competitive world, there is a crying need for the government to assure that schools in the country, for one, are able to produce graduates who have the capability to find quality work that mostly requires a sufficient level of technology skills. View quote
Francis Escudero
And a Government with Heart to ensure our country progresses without leaving anyone behind. View quote
Francis Escudero
I totally agree that there is an implementation cost needed to actuate a program. And yes, we need to monitor the implementation of our programs and projects to ensure accountability and judicious use of public funds, but it should not be that expensive. Our government already has an existing machinery and mechanism to precisely do that. We have the Commission on Audit, why do we need this redundancy of functions? View quote
Francis Escudero