FORMER President Fidel Ramos said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s performance in facing the nation’s problems, particularly the soaring prices of fuel and food, still leaves much to be desired.
“Over the years, PGMA’s (Arroyo) highest priority programs - and rightly so have been in social development, economic progress and peace and security. These issues constitute the main [...]
By Jun A. Malig
Cognition
THE state of the nation is about the political, bureaucratic, social, and economic conditions of the country and its people, who are, evidently, are more interested in their economic situation.
But how do we gauge the state of our nation?
For former President Fidel V. Ramos, this can be answered with another question: Is [...]
By Pachico A. Seares
News Sense
WHEN Robert Redford was asked if he was going to the Super Bowl, a huge thing to Americans, the movie actor reportedly said, “I’ll be out skiing. The Super Bowl is all sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Sona or state-of-the-nation address may be great to some Filipinos but to others it’s just [...]
By Elias L. Espinoza
Free Zone
PRESIDENT Arroyo’s eighth State of the Nation Address (Sona) did not make a difference on the lives of million of poor Filipinos. To them, Sona is just a ritual.
The speech, which lasted almost an hour before a joint session of Congress, failed to address the issues of unemployment and skyrocketing fuel [...]
IT is not surprising that the expanded value -added tax (E-VAT) attracted attention more than any other points in President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (Sona).
The E-VAT has long been a contentious issue, and more so as the country reeled from the rise in the prices of petroleum products in the global market.
Days before [...]
Source: OPS
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday ordered a massive information campaign on the advantages of the expanded value-added tax (VAT) especially on oil and power following “misimpression” that it is just a burden on the people, especially the poor.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said his office is spearheading the information drive, which has already started prior to [...]
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Some sectors here have expressed their disagreement with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s defense against the scrapping of the seemingly widely unpopular expanded value-added tax (VAT).
According to Roman Polintan, chairman of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Gitnang Luzon (Bayan-GL), said the President’s defense on expanded VAT is without “reasonable concern” for ordinary Filipinos.
Businessman Rene [...]
ILOILO City Mayor Jerry Treñas said Tuesday that he is satisfied with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday.
According to Treñas, he is pleased with the President’s message as it included plans for the further rehabilitation of Western Visayas including Iloilo City after the devastation of Typhoon Frank (international codename: Fengshen) [...]
By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is all praise to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for including the Philippine government-MILF peace talks in her State of Nation Address (Sona) before the Congress last Monday.
MILF Secretariat chairperson Muhammad Ameen said in a report posted at its website www.luwaran.com that Arroyo’s remarks on the peace process [...]
