BATANGAS CITY—Bangon Pilipinas lone senatorial candidate Bro. Eddie Villanueva on Friday cited the Aquino administration for what he referred to as the “country’s remarkable economic growth.”
The Jesus is Lord church leader, however, said “the same economic growth is not inclusive but exclusive to only a few Filipinos.”
Speaking before some 250 supporters who showed up at the Batangas Provincial Capitol here, Villanueva stressed the need for urgent reforms in government’s policies to ensure that the poor were not left out of the nation’s economic gains.
‘Inclusive growth’
“While we recognize the advances made by government in investments, infrastructure development and the economy in general, we should continue to ask this question: Where are the people, especially the marginalized sectors, or the “saguiguilid”, in the bigger scheme of things?” he said.
Villanueva observed that the so-called progress did not seem to be reaching everyone.
The evangelist’s campaign is anchored on “inclusive growth that will benefit poor Filipinos.”
Villanueva’s “3-Es” platform— “Ekonomiyang Agresibo’t Walang Napag-iiwanan, Edukasyon na Napapanahon at Entre-Pinoy na Masang Pilipino ang Nangunguna at Nakikinabang”—pushes for policy reforms that aim to empower marginalized groups and provide them with the necessary infrastructure so they could benefit from the country’s economic gains.
In a statement, Villanueva claimed the government had failed to deliver on its promise to alleviate the plight of the saguiguilid.
“Clearly, the widening gap between the rich and the poor Filipinos show how the government has failed in its decades-old promise of bringing development and prosperity to the country’s poor,” he pointed out.
He noted that during a recent economic forum, data presented by former economic planning head Cielito Habito showed that in 2011, the wealth of the country’s 40 richest individuals was equivalent to 76 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.”
Bridging the gap
“It was the highest in Asia as the wealth growth of Thailand’s Top 40 was only at 33.7 percent of its GDP growth while it was 5.6 percent for Malaysia,” he said.
According to Villanueva, the government’s economic managers should focus more on bridging the increasing divide between the rich and the poor. “These numbers provide empirical support behind the common sentiment that very few Filipinos are benefiting from the country’s economic growth.”
He also believes the government is not doing enough to generate jobs.
“Graduating college students will face difficulty in finding jobs, the same problem faced by many Filipinos who entered the workforce in past years. Sadly, the government is making very limited progress in creating the environment that encourages the creation of jobs here,” he lamented.
If elected, Villanueva reiterated he would make sure the country’s saguiguilid would not be left out of the nation’s achievements.
Before his meeting with Gov. Vilma Santos, Villanueva was welcomed by Batangas Vice Gov. Mark Leviste, who gave him a native Batangas hat.
The other day, Villanueva was met by huge crowds in Calapan City and the towns of Pinamalayan and Victoria, all in Oriental Mindoro.
On Saturday, he is scheduled to address a multisectoral rally in Cavite City.