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Friday, October 08, 2004
Group condemns Arroyo on 100th day in office
By Rhay G. Navales
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Fiscal crisis, low income, and high costs of living.
These are just few of the negative comments of the Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD) Central Luzon associates with President Arroyo's first 100 days in office.
"We can no longer endure another day of (Arroyo) in power with long-standing economic crisis wreaking havoc upon our livelihoods and resulting in high costs of living even in the provinces," said Aurora Broquil, KPD-Central Luzon spokesperson, in a press statement.
The activist group leads Friday some 1,000 activists from Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales and Bulacan in a "die-in" protest with unfurled streamers on the flyover of Dolores junction in this city.
The KPD members appeal to the Central Luzon folks to join in the ongoing growing protest against high prices of goods and services, in particular electricity.
This is becoming a major problem in the region.
"Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's baby law called R.A. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act only brought misery to the ordinary worker who have to spend more to pay the almost 100 percent increase in power rates of independent power producers and the power purchase adjustment," Broquil said.
She added that the cost of electricity in small farming barangays in the region would surely go up if the planned privatization of electric cooperatives and the Napocor's petition for a P2 rate increase per kilowatt-hour materialize.
"Our incomes would continue to dwindle due to high costs of production and lack of farming subsidies from the government," Broquil also said.
The KDP-Central Luzon also condemned President Arroyo for allegedly deceiving the people that the newly-imposed tax and food coupons for the poor and other austerity measures will be undertaken to save the country from fiscal crisis.
"No amount of food coupons will compensate for the Arroyo government's inutility in providing jobs, health and education services to the people. We will not let Arroyo get away for coddling of corrupt officials," Broquil said.
(October 8, 2004 issue)
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