Jinggoy hits fantastic claims of GMA in SONA

OPPOSITION stalwart Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada yesterday expressed disappointment yesterday over the fantastic and false claims of achievements made by Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.

In a privilege speech at the Senate, Estrada that based on his own personal views and the observation of the people, Mrs. Arroyo's enumeration of achievements and future plans have not changed the lives of the Filipino people since the administration took over power in 2001.

"Six years after Mrs. Arroyo grabbed power, and seven SONAs later, our people remain poor, helpless, desperate, frustrated and alienated. They are simply worse than they were six years ago," Estrada stressed.

Mrs. Arroyo only tried to make the people believe that the country now has a robust and resilient economy.

"Our people were treated to another litany of fantastic infrastructure achievements and fabulous projects now supposedly in the pipeline," he added.

Estrada also warned the people that the extravagant projects planned by the administration could result to the implementation of new taxes and increase of fees for government services and transactions, or Malacanang plans to borrow more money.

"Are we going to borrow again? Nowhere, if my memory serves me right, does Mrs. Arroyo tell us how these projects can be funded. she has chosen to be vague on this. The bottom line in all these (projects) is money. The rest are just plain conversation," Estrada said.

Mrs. Arroyo announced a 77 percent rate of conviction against corrupt government officials which is far from the truth.

Estrada said Arroyo also boasted that the economy is improving and 400,000 new jobs were created which is also untrue.

"If this is so, why is it that our people continue to leave the country in droves everyday to become super maids, caregivers, baby sitters, manual laborers and even manages and technical workers in foreign lands?"

Estrada lamented that despite the pronouncement of hailing the overseas Filipino workers as new heroes, Mrs. Arroyo's SONA did not include any concrete program for the contract workers.

He said the reality of worsening poverty and the increase of poor citizens can be found in the streets and slum areas. Mrs. Arroyo also forgot to make concrete plans to solve the continued extrajudicial killings, ambuscades, assassinations and abductions that have attracted attention from the international community.

"Sa magandang palabok ng SONA, wala tayong narinig tungkol sa kung ano ang ginagawa o gagawin ng gobyerno ni Mrs. Arroyo sa mga extrajudicial killings. Hindi magtatagal, tayo na ang magiging extrajudicial killing capital of the world," Estrada said.

He said that Mrs. Arroyo only proposed new laws, to apparently divert attention from the failure of her administration to stop the killings.

Mrs. Arroyo also failed anew to answer the lingering questions over the Hello Garci tapes, the Jose Pidal bank accounts and the fertilizer fund scam, Estrada said.

He said the people wants relief from poverty, taxes, high prices of basic commodities, criminality. and many other things that the government failed to deliver.

"This is because Mrs. Arroyo is simply busy fantasizing about her enchanted kingdom, so detached from her people and so secure in the electrified fences of Malacanang," Estrada said.