ROXAS: "THE BEST GIFTS ON LABOR DAY ARE
AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP AND HOPE FOR THE NATION."

"Other than the usual promises of assistance and modest benefits, the best gifts on Labor Day are authentic leadership and hope for the nation during these extremely stressful and difficult times.

"Labor Day comes at a time when the whole world has crossed over from the cove of adequate and affordable food and oil supply to the rough seas of food shortages and soaring oil prices.

"Never has the need for safety nets for minimum wage earners as well as millions of underemployed and jobless Filipinos more acute than today. A national conversation on the fate of the 12 % EVAT on oil must start now. Given the weekly escalation in oil prices, such a high consumption tax on oil and petroleum products is oppressive and unjustified.

"Austerity is the call of the times and government must lead by example. Public officials are called upon to do away with the usual trappings of power such as a convoy of gas-guzzling security vehicles with sirens and blinkers. Energy audit teams must be revived sans fanfare. Excessive and unjustified use of public funds for official events and unnecessary foreign travels must not be allowed. A tighter watch on government procurement is called for. All projects must undergo public bidding as a deterrence to connivance and corruption.

"I propose a four-day work week to give government employees a long weekend to develop micro enterprises or spend with the family must be examined. A compressed work week will help the government conserve on energy costs while allowing its workers to save on transportation and food allowances. Frontline agencies can provide a skeletal force to ensure that essential public services are not disrupted.

"Because revenues have failed to match expectations, and additional tax measures are unconscionable, the government must invest funds to pump-prime the economy through labor-intensive infrastructure and housing projects. We must stimulate the economy and stem corruption that drives tourists and investors away.

"Authentic leadership provides hope that our people are not alone in dealing with the great uncertainty of high prices and low incomes. What our workers don't need is a government that for some reason is unable to speak the truth about the current rice, food, and oil crises, thus adding to the confusion and anxieties of our people and narrowing their options to short-lived politically-driven solutions."