Negative reactions to the SONA

PGMA's State of the Nation Address is hogging the news this week. Here are some relevant and interesting reactions:

From the Makati Business Club, Trade Groups, Chamber of Commerce, etc. -The president failed to address the root of the political crisis that is wreaking havoc on business sentiment. She merely played to the gallery; important economic concerns were not mentioned including the issue on taxes, dispersal of industries in the countryside, a directive to local government to use locally produced materials as shield against smuggling, conservation of dollars and creation of employment.

From the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce President Francis Chua: "Her SONA was more concentrated on political changes, no comments on the economy and tax issues."

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From columnist Jesse E.L. Bacon of the Daily Tribune: "The economic hopelessness of our people is now taking its toll. Mrs. Arroyo has exacerbated through her manifest impropriety in the 'Hello Garci' tapes of her tapped conversations with Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and the perceived improprieties of members of her family in receiving bribes from illegal game operators.

"Both FVR and De Venecia are only interested in pushing what they think best suit their political interests. This is the truth behind Mrs. Arroyo's call for Charter change that she echoed like a puppet in her SONA with FVR and JDV as her puppeteers loudly clapping and applauding in approbation."

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From the religious group, Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales: "On ChaCha, we are changing the laws but we are not changing the people making the laws." From Archbishop Cruz: "It is no longer a question of political system now but more of the morality of government leaders. The fundamental problem is not politics but morality among politicians and government leaders."

Deedee Sytangco, spokesperson of Cory Aquino, says Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Bishop Socrates Villegas and Bishop Chito Tagle accompanied Cory to see Mrs. Arroyo in Malacañang to ask her to resign, saying this "was a necessary decision for her to save the country. The bishops, say Sytangco, urged the president to pay attention to the calls for her to resign to save the country."

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From the venerable Inquirer columnist Neal H. Cruz: "On her first claim of achievement, she created four million jobs in four years. She did not say there are 13.5 million unemployed in the country and the number is increasing by 500,000 every year. She said she is solving the fiscal crisis -her solution is to squeeze more and more taxes from people. She did not say she would reduce government spending and abolish the pork barrel. She did not say how we are going to pay our gargantuan debt or why she borrowed more than the four presidents put together. She claims she built thousands of homes for the homeless, but why are squatters increasing everywhere?"

The session hall was full of local government officials who have been trooping to Malacañang to get their Christmas gifts in July. PGMA is no longer running the government, she is hostage to an ambitious old man (FVR) and a trapo (JDV). Our problems were not created by our constitution. It was caused by an inept president. We should change the president, not the constitution.