Saturday, August 02, 2008 Protest greets Neri's 1st day in SSS
MILITANT workers and teachers gave new Social Security System (SSS) administrator Romulo Neri a rude welcome when he reported for work at his new post Friday morning by staging a picket outside the SSS main office in Quezon City.
Carrying streamers printed with the words "Malacañang hands-off our pension funds, Neri resign," members of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kadamay, and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) massed outside the SSS office to protest Neri's appointment to the pension fund agency.
The group had questioned Neri's leadership qualities to lead SSS as well as his continued silence on the botched national broadband network (NBN) contract between the government and China's ZTE Corporation.
There was fear also that Neri's appointment to the SSS chief post is part of the administration's preparation for the 2010 elections and that it might be used as a "milking cow" to finance administration candidates.
"Mr. Neri does not deserve to head SSS because of his questionable track record," said Bayan Muna secretary general Renato Reyes as he vowed that they would hold daily protests against Neri.
For his part, ACT national president Antonio Tinio criticized Malacañang for appointing Neri to the post.
"It's a brazen attempt to take control of the multibillion-peso pension funds of private sector workers so they can be used to promote the interests of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her political allies, and business cronies," said Tinio.
He added that the teachers' organization was holding the protest in behalf of its members from the private sector.
"We're afraid that the pension funds of private school teachers and other private sector employees will suffer the same fate as the GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) funds. Winston Garcia has been using the pension funds of public sector employees as the administration's war chest and waging a proxy war against Meralco (Manila Electric Company) in behalf of the Arroyos and their cronies. Meanwhile, the long-running issues brought by its members against GSIS remain unresolved," he said.
Anakpawis spokesman Joel Maglungsod said they planned to question Neri's ability to stop Malacañang plundering SSS funds.
He said Neri's track record has shown he was willing to shut up to protect President Arroyo from a scandal involving large-scale irregularities.
Neri clammed up on the President's supposed role in the NBN-ZTE deal mess after testifying on a bribe offer he got from then Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr.
Maglungsod said the SSS funds are no laughing matter, at "half a trillion pesos."
Earlier, opposition Senators Francis Joseph Escudero and Manuel "Mar" Roxas ii questioned Neri's appointment to the SSS while Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teodoro Casiño has called his appointment a "gift" from Malacañang for his continued silence on the cancelled broadband contract.
But Neri dismissed the militant's allegations as he said he is fully qualified - being an economist himself and a former head of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) - to head SSS. He had also been the chairman of the Commission on Higher Education prior to his current post.
He likewise debunked questions about his track record of "protecting" Malacañang.
According to him, criticisms to his appointment were unfair saying he did not ask for the job and would rather go back to his old job at Neda.
Neri replaced Corazon de la Paz who resigned last month due to health reasons. However, before she left the office, de la Paz called on SSS members to remain vigilant in guarding their money. (AH/Sunnex)
