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.
‘TOO TIRED’: The former mayor’s political party said that he had been questioned for nearly 19 hours, so he declined to be questioned at night, as he felt exhausted Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was arrested early yesterday morning after being questioned by prosecutors over his alleged role in a corruption scandal concerning the Core Pacific City redevelopment project during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The arrest was made after Ko refused to be questioned at night and attempted to leave the prosecutors’ office, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Prosecutors were worried that he would collude with others involved in the case to make false statements if they allowed him to leave, so they issued an order to arrest him, the office said. Ko yesterday sought a court
ECONOMIC RESILIENCE: Only 11.4 percent of Taiwan’s overseas investments last year were in China, and businesses are dispersing their investments elsewhere, Lai said China’s ambition to annex Taiwan is based on a desire to change the rules-based international order, rather than a desire for territorial gains, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview. During an appearance on the talk show The View With Catherine Chang, aired last night, Lai said China aimed to achieve hegemony, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was an issue of worldwide concern. During the interview, Lai also discussed his “four-pillar plan” for peace and prosperity, which he first outlined in an article published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year. That
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
RSS