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Friday, July 15, 2005
Arroyo fights back
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday scoffed at the opposition's show of force and the low ratings that she got from surveys, saying even those who hate her do not want to follow the opposition because they have no plans for the country.
Arroyo poured out her venom in a speech before Filipino-Americans who form part of the US Consuls tour group, or delegates from 10 areas in the US who are visiting the country headed by Philippine consuls to the US.
"I challenge the opposition to show their true colors. Show me the plan, you don't have one. And even if the people don't like me right now, neither will they follow a road that leads to nowhere," she said.
"My survey ratings may be down but my resolve is even higher," she added.
Arroyo said her opponents do not want to admit that her government is working because "they merely want things to work in their favor" at the cost of sacrificing gains already made.
She warned: "If they want unrest in the streets, I will enforce the law. I will stop any violence that threatens the rule of law. If they want to subvert the Constitution, I will fight them every step of the way. If they want to cast the first stone, let them do so with a clean conscience because their hands are dirty and they seek to besmirch not just me but the nation itself. This fight isn't about me, it's about working with the rule of law and the virtue of democracy that we share with many countries, especially the United States."
Arroyo said she was afraid that the political noise would make some of the
Filipino-Americans back out from the tour group. This was answered by a loud "No"" by some delegates.
She said the fact that the stock market is up and the peso recovered the day after the opposition mustered about 30,000 rallyists in Makati City should be a "wake up call" to her detractors. "They whine, they complain. But do they have plans for the nation?" she asked, which was answered by another "No" from the delegates.
She told the Filipino-Americans that her opponents want to divide the nation while she wants to unite it and make it go forward. "I want one Philippines - no more double standards, no more dual justice systems, no more cynical behind the scenes manipulation, a government that serves the people, not the special and vested interests," she said.
She said exports are up and investments are coming in. She cited Uniden, which left the Philippines after the September 11 terror attacks on the US, only to return with 10,000 jobs for Filipinos. She said a Malaysian group will build an expressway from Manila to Batangas, which will cost P8 billion and will be eight lanes wide but at no cost to government.
She said Federal Express will consolidate its hub in China because of China's growth but it is still expanding operations in the Philippines. She said job creation is up, with unemployment going down from 3.1 million to 2.9 million.
She also said her administration is delivering in terms of the fight against kidnapping, illegal drugs and terrorism.
"But let me be clear, I know we need more jobs, better health care and a cleaner government, I know that. And I'm working on that, on that there should be no doubt," she said.
Arroyo said government will plead its case before the Supreme Court (SC) for the lifting of the temporary restraining order on the expanded value-added tax (e-VAT).
Meanwhile, she said government has P20 billion in additional revenues from "sin" tax measure and Lateral Attrition Law.
She said she is aware that government and moral standards must be reformed, and she holds her family "on equal footing" with ordinary Filipinos in terms of the rule of law.
"At the end of the day, I am fighting for the average Filipino, not the privileged Filipino. I will stand firm to turn the economy around work to earn that trust of the people and defend our democracy. This is not a popularity contest. This is a contest for improving the lives of our population," she said.
She said the Philippines is not on the brink of disaster, although it is a time of "national soul searching."
"For it's time to break the cycle of politics and create a government that at the end of the day works," she added. (JMR)
(July 15, 2005 issue)
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