Aquino pushes int’l people power vs global inequality

As he made his debut on the world stage, President Benigno Aquino III pushed for a global version of Filipino People Power to battle inequality and promote equitable progress in the world.

Speaking before the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York early Saturday (Manila time), Aquino said this can be achieved with dialogue, solidarity and communal responsibility.

“For so many times in our history, my people have shown that united, nothing is impossible. We call this People Power. It is my earnest hope and in the greatest interest of humanity that we harness the energies of dialogue, solidarity and communal responsibility so that a global people power towards equitable progress may be achieved,” he said.

People Power was the social phenomenon that catapulted Aquino’s late mother Corazon to the presidency in 1986, when a bloodless uprising toppled strongman Ferdinand Marcos from power.

Mr. Aquino noted that in an increasingly globalized world, the challenges that nations face have become globalized as well.

These include climate change; pandemics; terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; transnational organized crime such as human trafficking and the illicit drug trade; the continuing vulnerability of migrants, women, persons with disabilities, and the poor; and the challenges posed by increasingly interconnected economies. Read the full story