Gloria to AFP, PNP: Be neutral in polls

President Arroyo ordered yesterday the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to be neutral in the elections.

Interviewed in the "Sa-got Ko Iyan" radio program of Interior and Local Go- vernment Secretary Jose Lina, Mrs. Arroyo also urged the 36.5 million Filipinos who will be trooping to the polls tomorrow to vote according to their conscience.

"Let us be vigilant and guard our votes. Let us not allow those candidates who are using guns, goons and gold to succeed," the President said.

Mrs. Arroyo also congratulated the PNP and the AFP for showing professionalism during the Labor Day riots by loyalists of jailed ex-President Joseph Estrada.

She urged voters to vote only for those candidates who have unquestionable integrity and who can do a good job of uplifting the lives of the poor.

In observance of Mother’s Day, she also urged all Filipino mothers to vote wisely and choose only those candidates who can work for a good future for their children and future generations of Filipinos.

"As much as possible, I want the people to vote 13-0 in favor of the People Power Coalition because I believe PPC (senatorial) candidates are ready to help the executive department uplift our people’s lives," she said.

The President said a 13-0 sweep would enable the Arroyo administration to push its legislative agenda that would benefit the country’s poor.

She stressed that she was very particular in selecting the PPC’s senatorial slate and each of them had to go through a "needle’s eye" before they were finally chosen.

"All of them have their own contribution to the present administration’s campaign against poverty," she said, noting that she had inherited grave problems from the previous administration.

"The biggest problem that my administration is facing at present is the bankrupt economy that I inherited from my predecessor," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"That is why it is very important for Filipino voters to vote for those candidates, in the local and national level, so there would be coordination between the executive and legislative departments," she added.

The President also made a special pitch for some PPC candidates who have been faring poorly in recent surveys.

She cited the knowledge of Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada whom she described as a "champion of coconut planters" who can also play an important role in the government’s economic agenda.

Also vital in the Arroyo administration’s economic team is former Socio-economic Planning Secretary Solita "Winnie" Monsod, a noted economist who helped plan the growth in the first years of the Aquino administration before a spate of coup attempts.

She said former Bulacan Gov. Roberto Pagdanganan, former president of the Governors’ League of the Philippines, could introduce vital legislation that would address the local government’s role in the government’s tax collection effort.

Former Internal Revenue Commissioner Liwayway Vinzons-Chato would also bring her extensive experience in tax collection and also improve the government’s "batting average" in punishing big time tax evaders.

"The PPC candidates are a formidable team because, if we compare them to a basketball team, it has a center, forwards and guards. Each of them has a role in the team," she said. — Jose Rodel Clapano