Bets eyeing 2010 should bare economic programs Alvarez

MANILA, Philippines – Politicians casting a moist eye on Malacañang in 2010 were urged yesterday to roll out their economic programs “because the one with the best plan may be rewarded by the people with a victory.”

“The food and fuel crisis is an opportunity for those seeking the country’s No. 1 job to present their respective solutions to this,” Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez said.

He said the 2010 derby is not a contest of who can define the problems best but on who can deliver better solutions.

“The need is not to offer criticisms at the highest decibel but to prescribe solutions that will bring relief,” he said. “We have many aspirants echoing loudly what the people feel, but there’s a lack of those who can ease their suffering.”

Alvarez pointed out that the presentation of economic blueprints could be the Philippine version of the primaries in the US.

He warned those eyeing the presidency that “motherhood statements like zero taxes, free food, high wages, and cheap oil are populist posturing, which the people can easily see through.”

“If a presidential aspirant proposes a program, then it must be accompanied by an admission of how much it will cost us in tax pesos because we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch,” he stressed.

Alvarez said a comprehensive economic plan from presidential wannabes is needed “because the problem is so complex that it can’t be solved through press releases retailed daily.”

“For example, one can call for the repeal of the expanded value added tax on oil as the solution to high oil prices. But what if we have taken out EVAT and gas still sells at P80 per liter tax-free, what then is his next solution? The solutions should go beyond the tactical,” he said.

Among presidential aspirants, it is Sen. Manuel Roxas II who has been consistently urging President Arroyo and Congress to suspend the 12-percent EVAT while fuel and food prices are high.

Roxas said this could reduce fuel prices by P7 since gasoline now sells for more than P60 per liter.

Alvarez said those eyeing the presidency “should not miss the bus” in presenting their economic plans “because it’s one of the best ways that they can be judged by their 90-million employers.”

“If a college applicant is required to submit an essay, an entrepreneur seeking a loan is asked to submit a feasibility study, then why can’t those aspiring for the No. 1 post in the land be required to do something that will show their fitness to serve?” he asked.