The people want government that works for them at every level.
In the harshest possible terms, I condemn political killings.
We fight terrorism. It threatens our sovereign, democratic, compassionate and decent way of life.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more and I can take more unpopular decisions. I can have as my guidance for decision whatever is right, not whatever is popular.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that charter changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century.
The Constitution says that troops can be in the Philippines if there's a treaty that provides for it, and we have two treaties with the United States.
The Philippines has no policy that demands sacrifice of human lives.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more, and I can take more unpopular decisions.
The Iraqi regime was supporting terrorist cells all over the world. We had to expel three Iraqi diplomats from the Philippines because of evidence that they were either in touch with Abu Sayyaf or doing their own espionage.
I know the pain of having to deal with terrorism. And that's why, after 9-11, I was one of the first to join the international coalition to fight terrorism.
It is simply the truth that the political system that I am part of has degenerated to the point that it needs fundamental change.
Individually, we've taken the world on and won; together, we must take on the challenge of creating a new, peaceful, humane and competitive nation and prevail.
I believe that the war against terrorism and the war against poverty in these times of turmoil go together. So you - when you fight one, you have to fight the other.
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean.
Our investments in social justice and basic needs are as vital to our future as fiscal and macroeconomic reforms. A nation deeply divided will not stand. And it certainly will not move forward.
Our children are our most cherished possession. In their early years, we must make sure they get a healthy start in life. They must receive the right food for a healthy body, the right education for a bright and inquiring mind - and the equal opportunity for a meaningful job.
We must promote solid traits such as work ethics, a dignified lifestyle, matching actions to rhetoric, performance rather than grandstanding.
I want ordinary people to enjoy a decent standard of living, with ever increasing security, comfort and joy.
I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my position for personal profit. Many who accuse me have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime.
The roof cannot collapse when the value pillars of government and society are sound and strong.
I was invited by President Bush to come to the United States on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the mutual defense treaty.
The military is very constitutionalist, and I have my faith in them and in the cooler heads of the people.
You have 60 countries in the world with a terrorist problem. That's two-thirds of the world. We have this group in Basilan, which is a small island in the far south of the Philippines, and the island itself has a population of - what? - 300,000.
Now I ask you to make your sacrifice. Take a gamble. I took the plunge and I'm glad of it.
It is the civilian part of the politics that is very, very bad, and we have to change that.
We have to be bold in our national ambitions. First, we must win the fight against poverty within the next decade. Second, we must improve moral standards in government and society to provide a strong foundation for good governance. Third, we must change the character of our politics to promote fertile ground for reforms.
I stand in the way of no one's ambition. I only ask that no one stand in the way of the people's well being and the nation's progress.
The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.
We look at the world and analyze the world, and see what we can do that is in line of our mutual interest and also in line with, you know, what the whole world needs, because this is a world where we really have to all work together.
Real government is about looking beyond the vested to the national interest, setting up the necessary conditions to enable the next, more enabled and more empowered generation to achieve a country as prosperous, a people as content, as ours deserve to be.
To our men and women in the armed services, the huge and deep core of your loyalty has earned the nation's accolade.
In the area of national security, I urge the swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction.
I will follow my father's footsteps by doing what is right, and God will take care of the rest. My father is my role model. My living role model is Cory Aquino.
In all the things I've gone through as a politician, I have seen that in this system it is really very difficult to make any headway without being somehow tainted. And let me say, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.'
I want justice to be so pervasive that it will be taken for granted, just as injustice is taken for granted today.
It's never right to fight terror with terror.
Agrarian reform should not merely subdivide misery, it must raise living standards. Ownership raises the farmer from his, but productivity will keep him on his feet.
Even before 9/11, the Philippines was already fighting terrorism in southwestern Philippines. That's why when 9/11 happened, we could understand the pain.
As I have shown, I will defend democracy with arms when it is threatened by violence; with firmness when it is weakened by division; with law and order when it is subverted by anarchy; and always, I will try to sustain it by wise policies of economic progress so that a democracy means not just an empty liberty, but a full life for all.
Chronic deficits drastically reduce government's ability to make those infrastructure investments that business needs to grow and create jobs.
I ask the educational system, the parents, the church, and pillars of the community to help shape a new culture of honesty, patriotism, respect, discipline and service for young Filipinos.
Nature did not gift us with a mighty Mekong like Thailand and Vietnam, with their vast and naturally fertile plains. Nature instead put our islands ahead of our neighbours in the path of typhoons from the Pacific.
The military is faithful to the constitution. They will come in only to protect the people from the enemies of the state.
The contracts for Iraqi rebuilding are commercial contracts. I think being in the coalition of the willing puts us in the radar screen, but we also have to compete with other countries that are in the coalition of the willing, but the Philippines is a country that has produced world-class skilled workers that we have seen all over the world.
We will downsize the government, motivate excess employees to become entrepreneurs, and increase the pay of a lean and mean bureaucracy.
As your president, I care too much about this nation to let anyone stand in the way of our people's wellbeing.
A president must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.
We must weed out corruption and build a strong system of justice that the people can trust.
In 1995, we had evidence of the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden being in the Philippines, living in the Philippines. We had evidence of front organizations set up in the Philippines. And we uncovered evidence about, which would help the U.S. with - about the perpetuators of the World Trade Center bombing.
