'Next president to have bigger economic burden'

MANILA, Philippines – Whoever becomes the next president of the country will face a bigger economic burden.

Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno yesterday warned that the next president will be inheriting from the Arroyo administration a weaker economy and higher unemployment.

“The present administration has no long-term solution to the unemployment problem so we can expect more muddling through. The next administration will end up inheriting a severely weaker economy, higher joblessness and higher level of public debt,” Diokno said.

Speaking before a forum on job creation and security amid crisis, Diokno said the Arroyo administration’s P330-billion fiscal stimulus program is only a short-term solution.

“The stimulus program appears too small, too late and it’s not transparent,” Diokno pointed out.

Meantime, media groups affiliated with the Catholic Church have started interviewing possible presidential candidates to find out their position on moral issues.

Every Tuesday, the Catholic Media Network-Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Media Office (CMN-CBCPMO) invites personalities rumored to be running for president next year.

– Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan