Friday, November 24, 2006 Arroyo wants cases v. Estrada, ex-senator hastened
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday said cases involving controversial personalities like former president Joseph Estrada, former senator Gregorio Honasan, former gambling consultant Charlie "Atong" Ang and the Magdalo Group soldiers should be fast-tracked for the sake of the country's economy.
Arroyo, during the National Forum on Internal Security and Counter Terrorism in Clark in Pampanga, said there are many things that contribute to the stability of the internal security and the sustainability of the economy and the immediate resolution of the controversial cases is one of them.
"I have been calling the concerned officials because they should ensure forward momentum. Aside from these projects, there are many important things especially related to internal security and security of economy that the officials have to push forward faster. One, the cases of Atong Ang, Honasan, Estrada and the mutineers must move faster," she said.
The President said other factors that would contribute to improving internal security is the resolution of the peace negotiations in Mindanao; the sustained war against street crimes, illegal drugs and illegal gambling; and the campaign against corrupt officials, tax cheat and smugglers.
But as the campaign intensifies, she expects more demolition jobs against those involve in the anti-crime, anti-corruption and anti-smuggling drives.
Arroyo said defeating insurgency groups would also be a big factor in improving and sustaining internal security.
"(And) operationally, how do we do the strategic defeat of the left? If I may mention one important indicator, revolutionary taxation must stop. Not only because it is illegal but it is a bane to jobs and livelihood," she said.
She said the police had already been tapped to lend additional support to the military's campaign against insurgent and terrorist groups and now the local government units (LGUs) are enjoined to lend the same assistance to ensure the success of the campaign.
The President said LGUs may help by spreading the "good news" around to inform the people of what the government has done and is continuously doing to address poverty, to ensure the delivery of services and to continue improving economic indicators.
"Part of our campaign (is) to win the hearts and minds of the people who are the target market for the insurgents and terrorists. We need to give them the news about the economy and what it has been doing for them. After all, poverty and the sense of powerlessness that it brings, provides further ground where terrorism can easily spread its evil ideology," she said.
Arroyo said not everyone is aware that they have already benefited from government programs, citing the cases of a massage therapist from Barangay San Miguel in Manila and a fisherman from Guimaras who both recognized and benefited from the government's programs.
She said the massage therapist now spends less time and money traveling from her home to the house of her clients by using the Metro Rail Transit enabling her to earn more just like the fisherman who also generate more income after their catches increased following the campaign against illegal fishing.
"It's so difficult for everybody to see the macroeconomic, the micro-benefits of macroeconomic measures but there are many stories like these that I'm sure you in the LGUs can pick up more quickly than I can and spread the word around," she added.
Arroyo said aside from the examples, another form of social payback the people now enjoys include the increased compensation of state workers; the expanded micro-finance program; and the massive infrastructure program; pump-priming through the super regions strategy to provide more jobs.
She also cited the anti-poverty mitigating measures like provision of health insurance for the indigents, the agricultural extension for marginalized farmers; and the financial assistance and scholarships for students through the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) and state universities and colleges.
The President would convene Tuesday next week the National Anti Poverty Commission (NAPC) and the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) to craft possible measures to "ensure that the benefits in store for the Filipinos in the short and long term" are felt.
Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo clarified that he is not blaming the media for the low ratings of the President despite the "achievements" of government and the social paybacks.
Saludo said he merely expressed his "curiosity", adding that had the people been informed more about the programs, the survey ratings might have come out differently.
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, in the same forum in Pampanga, revealed that foreign terrorists are still slipping in and out of the country easily despite the tightening of security measures.
Gonzales said based on their intelligence information, foreign terrorists, mostly allies of al-Qaeda, usually slip in and out of the country through Mindanao.
He added that aside from suspected Indonesian terrorists Omar Patik and Dulmatin, there are other foreign terrorists hiding in Mindanao but he could not give more details as to the identity, nationality and their number "because operations against them are on going." (JMR/Sunnex)
