Ed: RP a sinking ship, support GMA

ANGELES CITY — The Philippines is in crisis, and people should cross party lines to help implement reforms and "push the country forward," opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara said here Thursday.

"I am a leader of the opposition, yet why do I volunteer to help her?" he asked, referring to President Arroyo. "Because this is my country. We all ride on the same boat and if the ship has a hole we will all sink."

Angara, who is president of the opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, made the remarks in his speech during the induction of officers of the 53-year-old Pampanga Press Club here Thursday night.

He said, "President Arroyo needs our help," noting that "with our country in crisis, I will forget the interests of political parties and I will join even the administration in helping push our country forward."

Angara said Mrs. Arroyo’s decision not to run in the 2004 elections has changed "our political environment" and provided politicians and the Filipino people a chance to unite and support her reforms in the remaining 17 months of her administration.

"Otherwise, if we don’t move and introduce genuine reforms in our society, only our population and the price of commodities would grow. Our resources are almost depleted," Angara said.

He noted that the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s tax collection is the lowest in 10 years.

"Our tax collection efforts, the measure of the taxes we collect, is only 12 percent, while our competitors in Asia collect between 19 and 28 percent," the opposition leader said.

Angara stressed the need for the government to give priority to projects in the face of limited resources, saying he has proposed to the President that she review priorities and realign more funds to the countryside "in favor of education, health and infrastructure."

He said that because of limited resources, "our budget for 2003 can’t even hire one more teacher," noting that in Mindanao, the ratio is about one teacher for 70 students in a "standard classroom measuring 20 by 20 meters."

The senator also said that one textbook is shared by as many as six pupils.

"This is an indication that even our school system is in crisis," he said, noting that in China, the ratio is one teacher per 23 students while in other countries, the ratio is 19 students per teacher.

Angara also urged that health be given priority by the Arroyo administration. He cited statistics indicating that malnutrition is partly responsible for the high rate of elementary students who drop out of school —"four out 10 grade schoolers do not finish Grade 6" because of health problems.

"Nutrition surveys show that six out of 10 children aged three to 10 are malnourished. This results in inferior minds and bodies," he said.

Angara said it is also important to prioritize the development of infrastructure, particularly those needed by the agricultural sector such as "farm-to-market roads, communal irrigation and post-harvest facilities."

He added that he has told the President that education, health and infrastructure deserve higher priority than other slated reforms on such issues as creating a "special vehicle for non-performing assets of banks" and the privatization of the transmission lines of the National Power Corp.

"Banking reforms are good, but I told the President it would benefit only a few. The impact of the privatization of transmission lines is also very limited," he said.

Angara urged the government to use the income generated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and other agencies involved in lottery to fill in the country’s priority needs, particularly education.

He noted that Pagcor earns about P20 billion annually. "If we assume that P10 billion goes to prizes and overhead expenses and another P250 to P300 million goes to the Philippine Sports Commission, where do the rest of the earnings go?" he asked.

Angara suggested that some P30 billion to be earned by Pagcor in the next five years be allocated for the needs of the education sector.

"Then, we can hire all the teachers we need, retrain them, especially those teaching math and science where we are weak, and modernize our educational system," he added.