In an interview with ANC on Tuesday night, Mr. Aquino said the measures would be part of his legislative agenda next year.

“The Amla seems to be toothless. That has to be re-engineered… There has to be rationalization of the entire structure with regards to sin taxes through any way of getting more revenue for government and level the playing field also,” he said.

The President also said he would push for measures regarding the country’s maritime boundaries, which he said were important, “especially given the disputes in the West Philippine Sea [South China Sea]” and “also the potentials for cooperation for border patrolling between us and our neighboring countries.”

The proposed measures seek to define the country’s maritime zone and to establish the archipelagic sea lanes in Philippine waters prescribing the rights and obligations of foreign ships and aircraft within the zone.

Meanwhile, Malacanang said the P72.11-billion fiscal stimulus and the 2012 budget would be sufficient to boost growth next year.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a news briefing that while the National Economic and Development Authority will make a presentation to the President on its proposed additional stimulus measures, the earlier stimulus package authorized for release by the Chief Executive would do for now.

“I spoke to [Budget] Secretary Butch Abad and the P72-billion stimulus package is already sufficient. Again, there will be a spillover to the next year. In addition to that, we also have the budget that was approved,” Lacierda said. He also quoted Abad as having said the existing fiscal stimulus and the 2012 budget would be enough to boost growth next year.

When the Department of Budget and Management recommended the P72.11-billion fiscal stimulus to the President, it was envisioned to stimulate the economy toward the end of 2011, spilling over to 2012, Lacierda said.

As of December 6, the government had released P61.28 billion or 85 percent of the stimulus package to agencies and government-owned or -controlled corporations.

Looking back at this year, the President cited government savings, increased rice production and credit rating upgrades as among his administration’s top achievements for 2011.

In the interview with ANC, the President said that as of September, the government had saved P42 billion.

Around P6 billion was saved by the Department of Public Works and Highways just by “tightening” procedures in implementing contracts, while increased rice production—about 15 percent in the first three quarters of the year—led to savings of P7.7 billion due to less rice importation.

For the same period, he said the government saved at least P21 billion from interest payments because of improved credit ratings, and that the figure “might grow up to about P34 billion.”

This year the country received several creditrating upgrades, the latest coming from Standard & Poor’s, which gave the Philippines a stable outlook.

“We’re inching closer and closer to investment grade but it has impacted already on how much we have to pay for the loans we do have. We’ve been able to replace our high interest rates with cheaper interest rates,” he said.

The President said his administration had also improved the labor situation, having generated 2.1 million jobs as of October compared to the same period in 2010, which “tells us that, one, we’re on track in fulfilling that promise of job generation and we expect more and more of it.”

Mr. Aquino also said he is “very excited” about the Department of Tourism’s new campaign, which seeks to support the new target for 10 million tourists by 2016, from the present 3 million.

The President said the government will be exploring other markets, as well as the feasibility of a new export item, which he only described as an “aquatic product exported by a country in North America and it sells for quite an expensive amount.”

“I am told now that we have the same thing. It’s a very simple canning process and we have the resource. It’s really just a question of doing the processing aspect, inculcating certain behavioral attitudes in the people in that area. But it’s a new export product that I’m very keen to start working [on],” he said.

As for the fight against corruption, the President said that in 2011, “at the minimum I think we can say that…it has really moved forward,” apparently in reference to the filing of charges against former President Arroyo.