ROXAS TO GLORIA: STOP CHA-CHA, RESPECT THE PEOPLE,
DO YOUR JOB

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today rebuked President Arroyo and her allies in Congress for their continued attempt to ram through an illegal constituent assembly to amend the Constitution and perpetuate themselves into power beyond 2010.

"Gloria, bakit mo pinagwawatak-watak ang ating bayan? Bakit kailangang paghati-hatiin mo ang ating bansa at ang ating mga mamamayan sa panahong ito na laganap ang gutom at kahirapan at milyon-milyon ang walang trabaho? (Why are you dividing the nation in this manner? Why are you dividing the nation at this time of hunger, widespread poverty and joblessness?)" he asked.

He warned persistent moves by Malacañang cronies to change the Charter and lift term limits could turn the public against the government and provoke street demonstrations.

He said President Arroyo should have learned from Thailand's experience and prevented her cronies from reviving any Cha-Cha moves, which a recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey has shown is spurned by 66% of voting-age Filipinos.

"Malinaw na wala kang natutunan sa iyong pinakahuling biyahe sa Thailand, kung saan kinailangang i-airlift ka at ang iba pang mga lider ng ASEAN para makaiwas sa mga galit na mga nagpo-protesta doon. Malinaw na malinaw na ang puno't dulo ng gulo doon ay dahil hindi nagkakaisa ang mga lider ng kanilang bansa. (The root cause of that tumultuous situation is the leaders who want to divide the nation among themselves like a piece of meat, instead of working together to serve the common welfare,)" he added.

He pointed out "ganito rin ang nangyayari ngayon sa liderato ng Kamara, na alam ng lahat na kontrolado ni Gloria bilang lider ng Lakas at Kampi (this is also what is happening in Congress, which Gloria controls as leader of Lakas and Kampi)."

The Visayan senator said Mrs. Arroyo should move now to stop her allies from pursuing their illegal con-ass resolution and prevent a civil disorder.

"Gloria, alam ng lahat na ikaw lang ang may kapangyarihan na pigilin ang Cha-Cha na ito. Alam ng lahat na ikaw ang may kapangyarihan para ayusin ang ating bansa para kayanin nating harapin ang mga problema sa ekonomiya dahil sa global financial crisis. (Gloria, we all know that you are the sole authority to stop this Cha-Cha. Everybody's looking at you to fix out country and steer us through this economic difficulty caused by the global financial crisis)," he said.

"Pakiusap, utusan mo na ang iyong mga alipores sa Kamara na itigil na nila ang kabalbalang Gloria Forever Charter Change na ito. (You must stop this move of your subalterns immediately to perpetrate a Gloria Forever Charter Change)," Roxas appealed to the president.

"Hindi laruan ang buhay ng mga Pilipino, hindi laruan ang ating bansa. Gloria, pakiusap, itigil mo na ang kabalbalang ito. Respetuhin mo naman ang ating mga kababayan, respetuhin mo naman ang mga Pilipino. Gawin mo ang iyong trabaho. (Don't play with the lives of our people, don't fool around with our nation. We appeal to you, stop this arrogant game, have some respect for the people, do your job)," he added.

Roxas said government should re-focus its priorities and concentrate on bringing real service to the people.

He noted more than 200,000 Filipinos have lost their jobs since the global financial meltdown hit the local economy, the electronics industry is struggling to survive and nearly nine million Filipinos are either out of work or underemployed. The figure is expected to increase with the entry of new college graduates to the employment sector.

He also said there are the more than 30,000 families who were victimized by scheming pre-need companies whose children would not be able to enroll in the coming school year.

"Pero nasaan ang gobyerno? (Where is the government?) The government has for so long been absent from the lives of the people because it has been engaged in this conspiracy to perpetuate those in power," he said.