Philippine President Gloria Arroyo began her second year in office yesterday amid street protests, stressing she was in charge after weathering the challenge of deposed predecessor Joseph Estrada and an economic slowdown.
"I thank the Lord that we survived a year marked by a global downturn and difficult political challenges," Arroyo said as she visited Manila's sprawling slums.
PHOTO: AFP
Riot police were out in force on the streets as about 1,000 Estrada supporters gathered outside a military hospital where he is being detained, while some 500 left-wing protesters marched on Malacanang presidential palace across town.
The first group demanded the immediate release of Estrada, 64, who is on trial for plunder, a crime punishable by death. The second group claimed Arroyo was no better than Estrada.
"Only the faces have changed," said protest leader Teodoro Casino. "Every day, the people are finding more reasons to regret giving Arroyo the presidency."
Arroyo said pro-Estrada protests had dwindled in size since the Army put down a supposed plot to install a pro-Estrada junta last May, when about 50,000 Estrada supporters from the Manila slums stormed her official residence.
"We have talked to many of them and I am thankful that over this past year, over these past six months, they have given this government a chance to work for the poor," she told reporters.
Addressing what she described as the "hardcore" of Estrada's support, she warned them to "abandon plans to instigate another `people power' revolt" to unseat her.
"Without the blessing of God, that will not prosper," she said.
A bloodless popular revolt backed by the military broke out a year ago following a corruption scandal that later served as the basis of the charges against Estrada.
Arroyo has pledged to reduce poverty within 10 years by pursuing economic policies that she said would lead to job creation.
Four out of 10 of the 78 million Filipinos make do on less than US$0.75 a day, official figures show.
The economy was estimated to have grown by 3.3 percent last year amid a global downturn.
Arroyo began the day by hearing mass, where she was rebuked by influential Manila archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin.
"The poor are not only recipients of charitable help," Cardinal Sin said in his homily. "They need housing and medicines. They need education and food. They need clothing and jobs."
She has taken care not to antagonize the Church, an institution that, along with the military, forms the backbone of her institutional support.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS