Ormoc City mayor backs GMA

Ormoc City – City Mayor Eric Codilla issued a manifest of support to President Arroyo and expressed  conviction of trust and confidence in her capacity as the President of the country.

Codilla said that the Philippines is once more besieged with political turmoil that threatens to paralyze the economy which is now experiencing a remarkable improvement.

The ongoing political noise in Manila is not reflective of the true sentiment of the majority of Filipinos in the countryside who are engrossed at improving their living conditions, Codilla said.

He added the volatile situation endangers the momentum of the growing economy which is painstakingly built brick by brick through the untiring efforts of President Arroyo;

Codilla said that since the assumption into office of the President, the country’s economic figures have steadily and consistently increased while its fundamentals have been strengthened.

Her sincerity he said, in steering the economy to safer shores is evidenced by the bold and tough decisions and policies she made, even sacrificing her own popularity.

“The sterling performance of President Arroyo was highlighted by the remarkable 7.3 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2007. This is the highest economic growth attained by the country in 20 years, the effects of which are evidently felt in the countryside through increased business opportunities and productivity,” Codilla stressed.

The second termer mayor said that under the Arroyo administration, revenues from tax collection experienced a phenomenal growth, enabling the government to balance its budget and launch a massive infrastructure drive using local sources instead of foreign loans.

He added that the strides made under the leadership of President Arroyo are not lost to the international community which hails the Philippines as the next emerging tiger economy in Asia.

“It was only under President Arroyo that the Philippine peso is declared as the best performing currency in Asia, after decades of struggling with devaluation which puts pressure on inflation. The strong currency has cushioned the negative impact of rising oil prices in the world market,” Codilla said.

The improving peace and order condition the mayor believes extends to the eradication of kidnap-for-ransom syndicates and the curbing of the drug menace nationwide. He added that the insurgency problem has been effectively contained with the arrest and neutralization of top-ranking leaders of the NPA, Abu Sayyaf and MILF.

“Another indication of the country’s improving security is the continued influx of foreign tourists who contribute to the country’s dollar reserves,” Codilla also said.

“Because of these developments, we the people of Ormoc City, further declare that we call on our Filipino brothers and sisters to observe sobriety and practice discernment to enable us to properly distinguish if our actions will result to our betterment or our undoing. We are against mass actions that disrupt the growth momentum attained by the government in the economic, security and developmental fronts,” he said.

“We manifest our support to President Arroyo’s directive to investigate allegations of corruption and to prosecute the personalities involved in these scandals. In like manner, we favor bringing these issues to the proper forum where evidence is paramount over innuendoes, insinuations, hearsay and immature name-calls.”

“We Ormocanons would also want to know the truth; but we would rather search it without hampering our country’s gains. The truth that we are looking for is one that is not muddled by politics and self-serving interests, but one that is absolute which can only be found in the proper forum and procedure. Until then, we continue to stand solidly behind, President Arroyo,” Codilla said.