IF MEMBERS of cause-oriented groups were asked, there was nothing new and nothing to be thankful for in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday.
“The achievements the President discussed served only to cover up what is really happening in the country today which is the growing divide between rich and poor exacerbated by an administration which imposes policies mostly disadvantageous to the underprivileged,” the militants cried.
Xavier Akia, vice chairman of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), said Arroyo propagated lies when she said that millions will be taken away from government funds if the value added tax (VAT) is scrapped.
He said economic recession should not be used as the reason why the country’s economy is experiencing a decline.
“Recession was only a cover-up, in truth nothing significant was done to improve the economy,” Akia said, adding the President should step down or be ousted.
He said two more years into the President’s term is too much of a burden for the Filipino people to bear. “We should oust her now, two years is too long,” Akia said.
The CPA is the umbrella organization of cause-oriented groups here.
Earlier, opposition lawmaker Teofisto Guingona III advocated for the holding of a snap election, claiming Arroyo lost the moral ascendancy to govern.
