MANILA, Philippines—A “bribe” and “desperate political trap” were how a militant member of the House of Representatives described President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s call to religious groups to help her government monitor the proceeds of the 12 percent value-added-tax.

Anakapwis Representative Rafel Mariano called on the religious groups on Friday to reject the President’s “latest political maneuver,” saying it should not be a party to the Arroyo administration’s “continuing deception and oppression of the poor.”

“The President’s call is a desperate political trap designed to divide and dilute growing opposition to the burdensome and anti-people VAT,” Mariano said in a statement.

Arroyo, in a radio interview on Thursday, asked religious organizations to help her decide where to put the VAT windfall.

Mariano also criticized the government for continuously bragging about this so-called “Katas ng VAT.”

“Ms Arroyo’s so-called doles are just peanuts compared to the multi-billion peso VAT collections forcibly squeezed from the people especially from the poor,” he said.

But the people would not be deceived by this because they were fully aware that the VAT and economic policies -- like oil deregulation and rice trade liberalization -- were to blame for the skyrocketing prices of oil, food and other basic commodities.