President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo promised that successful economic reform will cure social divisions and injustice in the Philippines in an address to Congress yesterday, as thousands rallied against her.
Arroyo steered clear of divisive political scandals in her annual address to the nation, saying, "I am not here to talk about politics, I am here to talk about what people want."
"We now have the funds to address social inequity and economic disparity," Arroyo said. "We now have the funds to stamp out terrorism and lawless violence."
PHOTO: AP
Up to 16,000 police and soldiers were deployed around the Congress, facing about 10,000 left-wing protesters armed with placards and streamers denouncing Arroyo and calling for her ouster. The protesters burned an effigy of Arroyo, and many carried umbrellas as a typhoon and heavy rains threatened to dampen their plans for a bigger rally.
Earlier this month, security officials arrested a group of fugitive soldiers who allegedly planned to seize the legislature, take lawmakers hostage and declare a revolutionary government to oust Arroyo.
Arroyo survived an alleged coup attempt in February but continues to be hounded by allegations of vote rigging in the 2004 election, human right abuses, corruption and dictatorial tendencies, amid concern over military restiveness.
She has denied any wrongdoing, but lawmakers will tackle in coming months new impeachment complaints against her, after throwing them out last year on a technicality.
"Surely there must be a better way to do politics so that those who lose elections do not make the country pay for their frustrated ambition," Arroyo said in a jab at the opposition.
"There must be a better way so that those who win the nation's mandate can work without delay and whimsical obstruction," she said.
In her sixth address since she came to power in 2001, Arroyo also condemned the unsolved killings of hundreds of people, mostly left-wing activists, but most of her speech was focused on building new roads and airports and establishing economic "super-regions" to spur development.
"We have achieved record revenue collections, we are lining up corrupt officials to face the consequences of their misdeeds," she said, adding that the Philippines has "finally earned the respect of the international community after serious and viable stake for our fiscal discipline and billions of pesos in annual interest savings that are now going into necessary public investments."
A recent poll suggested Arroyo remains the Philippines' least popular leader, with almost half of those questioned dissatisfied with her performance.
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