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Critics doubt if P 93.6 B state subsidies are really meant for poor

Ardent critics of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday questioned Malacañang’s plan to release P 93.6 billion in tax payers’ money as subsidies to poor Filipino families to help them cope with the rising food and energy price.

“Is it really meant for the poor? Or is it geared to satisfy the eternal greed of the ruling mafia in Malacañang? Which is which?’, the left leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) asked in a statement.

“It seems the release of people’s money for Arroyo’s sinister agenda is being rushed at this early to make it sure that all money are already released on or before the campaign period of 2010 national elections to avoid political controversies,” Pamalakaya added.

The P 93.6 billion aid package was approved by President Arroyo last week includes P 2 billion in outright cash transfers, according to Department of Finance (DoF) secretary Margarito Teves. The finance official said some 23.5 million poor Filipinos, or about 26 percent of the population, who earn P 67 a day will benefit from state dole-outs.

But Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said the government is merely offering band-aid solutions to the economic woes of the Filipino people instead of addressing the real problems of 88.5 million Filipinos which stemmed from lack of genuine land reform, job losses, job insecurity and depressed wages, regressive taxes imposed on petroleum products and electricity and denial of basic social services.

“President Arroyo and her economic managers are resorting to mass flooding of empty promises and false hopes to the starving public, which is characterized by some showcases of dole-outs and photo-op inspired charity work to obscure the truth about the economy and the very depressing situation of the people,” Hicap said.

The Pamalakaya leader said Malacañang refused workable solutions to immediately cushion the impact of high prices of oil and energy like the repeal of oil deregulation law and Energy and Power Industry and Reform Act, the scrapping of 12 percent expanded value added tax on oil and power, the approval of the nationwide P 125 across-the-board wage increase both for minimum and non-minimum wage workers and the lowering of prices of basic commodities.

“But the problem is President Arroyo’s loyalty is not with the people, but to those who exploit them in exchange for fat kickbacks and political support from Malacañang’s greedy clients,” Hicap noted.

Pamalakaya theorized that the P 93.6 B is more intended for the 2010 presidential, senatorial and local elections, where Malacañang is expected to finance the electoral stints of hardcore pro-Arroyo politicians from the national down to the local levels.

“Malacañang merely brokered the news to Palace ally politicians that there is enough money for them in the 2010 elections. It is President Arroyo like telling pro-administration politicians and 2010 wannabes that stick with me through thick and tin and you will be rewarded with millions of cash bonanza,” the group said.

The finance department said it would source out the P 93.6 B from the windfall tax revenues the government collects from high petroleum prices, where it would get at least P 18.6 billion in taxpayers money. The P 75 billion will come from foreign sources, according to DoF.

Part of the dole-out packages include the P 1 billion scholarship grants and interest-free loans to poor students and soft loans to jeepney drivers who wish to switch to cheaper and more environment-friendly petroleum gas engines. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:19 | link | comments |

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