The left-leaning Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) presented a different reading on the recent IBON survey saying that Filipinos are much less pessimistic about the prospects of the economy in 2005. According to KMP spokesperson, Ka Willy Marbella, “this can be credited to the Filipino people’s boundless drive to rise above any adversity that we face and not on any program nor policy that the Macapagal-Arroyo regime is implementing. On the contrary it is these policies that have caused the deterioration of the lives of our country-men,”

“What we would like to emphasize is that the main cause of the suffering of our nation, is the Macapagal-Arroyo administration itself and its policies. As long as it is in power and it continues its anti-people policies then we can never have a better future. Take the case of the Hacienda Luisita massacre for example almost two months have already passed and nothing has been done to address the grievances of the striking farm-workers and workers. A number of killings and shootings have also been done against the strikers by the Cojuangco-Aquinos since the massacre, but up till now no one has been held accountable. The government has even gone to the extent of blaming the strikers for what happened to them. Is it wrong to struggle for land and just wages?” asked the peasant leader.

Meanwhile Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “another scenario we must watch out for is the event that when the Macapagal-Arroyo administration would try to take credit for this less pessimistic outlook of Filipinos. Gloria must accept the glaring fact that the Filipino people are not happy with her and what she is doing. Besides didn’t she say that it is all right for her popularity to plunge as long as what she is doing is right. Can’t she see that what she think is right is definitely wrong for the lives of the majority of the public?”

“We cannot afford a president who toys with the lives of Filipinos because she says what she is doing is right but in reality it is devastating not only our economy but our sovereignty as well. Also if she is really unperturbed by her popularity plunge, why are there again so many street sweepers with her name printed on their backs? They disappeared right after the elections and now they are back again. Were they reinstated to shore up the popularity of Gloria, or are they here to again fool the employment statistics for the year? Maybe they are here again for both of these purposes,” added Ala

“If this is true then Malacanang knows that from all indications, Gloria has nowhere to go but down and out,” ended Ala. # # 
 

KMP - 9 January 2005