At the same time, it cannot be true that there are only negative things happening in the Philippines today—that nothing has changed; that we are still apathetic and cynical; and that one shortcoming becomes reason enough to discount the whole. I have met so many people who are embodiments of the good news and optimism surrounding the Philippines. There are the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer program now studying in universities, colleges, and technical-vocational institutions, studying to gain a better future for themselves and their families. There are the multinational companies who want to entrust their success to the Filipino people. Recently, an elderly woman approached one of our Cabinet Secretaries, full of gratitude for the PhilHealth program, which had paid for the removal of her cataracts.
Source: Speech of President Aquino at the 2015 FOCAP Presidential Forum « ForeignAffairs.co.nz