MANILA, Philippines?Filipinos will just have to grin and bear it, or scowl and bear it.
That?s essentially how administration supporters, opposition figures and business leaders reacted to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?s decision, announced in her State of the Nation Address (SONA), to keep the expanded value-added tax (VAT) in the face of skyrocketing oil and food prices.
?We must be part of the solution. Each Filipino has a responsibility to his family, his community and his country. We must not rely on the government alone. We must all work together,? Vice President Noli de Castro said.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, president of the United Opposition, delivered his version of the state of the nation by citing government figures: Almost 3 million Filipinos are unemployed, 7 million are underemployed, inflation is a record in 14 years at 11.4 percent.
?This is the true state of the nation in the year 2008. Let us hope this ends in 2010, or earlier, so the prolonged suffering of the nation will be ended, and the people will wake up to a new morning,? Binay said.
Businessmen, however, heaved a sigh of relief.
Alberto Lim, executive director of the usually critical Makati Business Club (MBC), welcomed Ms Arroyo?s move on the VAT.
?As expected, she defended the VAT and her pro-poor program,? Lim said. ?We agree with her on that.?
Concerns about Malacańang?s possible policy shift on the VAT so alarmed the business community that the MBC, the Management Association of the Philippines, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines and the Action for Economic Reforms on Friday issued a joint statement urging Ms Arroyo to leave the law untouched.
Lim expressed satisfaction that Ms Arroyo put the long-term good of the economy over the temptation to gain short-term approval from the public even as surveys showed her popularity ratings hitting new lows.
Drivers threaten strike
The militant jeepney drivers? organization Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston) announced it would stage a two-day strike beginning Tuesday in the Bicol region.
?We might be forced to launch a nationwide strike if PGMA (Ms Arroyo) continues to resist the drivers? and people?s call to lift the VAT on oil,? said Piston secretary general George San Mateo.
Sen. Manuel ?Mar? Roxas II said he was sorely disappointed with the SONA. ?Talk is cheap. It is uninspiring, there is no clear direction, she is defensive,? Roxas said.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said that being the self-styled mother of the nation did not mean Ms Arroyo should just give motherhood statements instead of specific solutions to solve problems.
Almost perfect score
?The ?presidentiables? should step up and fill the void that the President doesn?t address. It?s time for real proposals, programs and plans. This is what debate should be about. ?Glorianomics? failing us, we need a viable and creative alternative,? Cayetano said.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago gave Ms Arroyo close to a perfect mark (1.5 with 1 being the highest) for her SONA. She said she could see the pain in the President?s eyes which showed how hurt she was from all the criticisms and insults against her.
But Sen. Francis Escudero chided Ms Arroyo for her refusal to suspend the VAT. ?I disagree with her ?VAT-economics?,? he said. ?It does not show that she cares about the public, she just cared how long the public could take on the VAT burden.?
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who was absent in the SONA, said the President was just taking the public for a ride when she talked about ridding the ?kotong? (mulcting) cops from the street. ?Kotong disappeared when she was not yet President. It made a comeback when she became the President,? he said.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said: ?She defended the VAT as beneficial but this is exactly what is putting a heavy burden on the public.?
?Another fairy tale?
Sen. Jamby Madrigal said: ?It was another fairy tale of inconsistencies and generalities spiced up by her reckless decision to defend the VAT. The VAT must now be repealed, it is anti-poor.?
Sen. Pia Cayetano said: ?I felt like we?re in Enchanted Kingdom. But media reports tell us how tough things really are.?
Ms Arroyo?s allies in Congress, however, gave her rave reviews.
?If the SONA was a dish, it was full of calories for agriculture. It had the right mix of tactical and strategic solutions to the food crisis,? Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra said, summing up the sentiment of pro-administration congressmen.
Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. said: ?Her VAT, of course, is completely correct. It?s only people on the payroll of oil companies that are against VAT.?
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of the opposition remarked: ?There are other funds to give to the poor. It?s about time we suspended the VAT on oil to lower the price and lower the import duties on oil.?
Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros commented: ?Well, at least our people are still alive to at least listen to (the SONA).?
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez said: ?The President very courageously tackled head-on the issue of the VAT and transformed a negative into a positive by focusing on the projects funded by the VAT revenue. Now, we in Congress must cross party lines in refining the allocation of the additional tax revenue to projects that would have long-term benefits.?
Ticking time bombs
Former President Fidel V. Ramos said commitment to long-term reforms was lacking in Ms Arroyo?s address. Quoting the National Statistics Board, he said the country?s life expectancy, education of the youth and quality of life were far below those of other countries.
?These are long-range problems that should have been attended to over the years, faithfully, consistently and coherently,? Ramos said. ?We committed to fulfill Millennium Development Goals by 2015. We?re now at mid-point. We?re far from complying with commitments.?
Ramos handed out a statement where he outlined eight ?ticking time bombs,? including mass poverty, environmental degradation, reputation for corruption, non-credible electoral processes, disputes and flip-flopping decision-making, a divided society, lack of durable peace in Mindanao, and ?un-level playing field.? With reports from Cynthia D. Balana, Daxim L. Lucas, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Norman Bordadora, Christian V. Esguerra, TJ Burgonio, DJ Yap, Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson and Riza T. Olchondra
