July 28, 2009
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had upset the Filipino once again. In her ninth State of the Nation Address yesterday, Mrs. Arroyo rated herself an A+ as a "working president" despite data that showed worsening poverty and hunger, high unemployment rate and dramatic drop outs of students.
As of press time, Social Weather Stations released the 2nd Quarter Hunger survey which stated that involuntary hunger has risen 'to 20.3% or an estimated 3.7 million families, from 15.5% or an estimated 2.9 million families in the previous quarter.'
"We are very much worried about her saying that the Goal 2 of the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) in providing universal access to basic education is impossible to reach by its deadline in 2015. This statement of Mrs.Arroyo conveyed a message that the Filipino people should not hope for a better future," said Claudine Claridad, Chairperson of Kabataan Kontra Kahirapan.
Mrs. Arroyo's admittance on the impossibility of MDG 2 only confirms that indeed education has not been the priority of the Arroyo administration. The budget allocation for basic education under her term has still not met its international standard of six percent (6%) of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or 20 percent (20%) of the national budget.
"With this, what do we expect from Mrs. Arroyo? We have lost so much in terms of providing education to children and youth," continued Claridad.
"This year's SONA further proves Mrs. Arroyo's determination to cover up her lies, underachievements, scandals and treachery to the Filipino people. We condemn her act as if she thinks we can still be fooled by her last SONA," said KKK Spokesperson Luis Granados.
"We were expecting her to discuss what our country's true state of the nation and how she will address these problems before she ends her term in 2010," added Granados.
"We think that this is the time for the youth to act and be critical of GMA's next steps. We should maintain militant against moves that will hide her plots to remain in power," said Claridad.
Despite the pour of heavy rain, Kabataan Kontra Kahirapan march from the University of the Philippines in Diliman to Ever Gotesco in Commonwealth Ave. to mark Arroyo's last SONA. #
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