Filipinos’ economic woes to worsen — Leni Robredo

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo said President Duterte’s failure to admit economic and other problems could only worsen the economic woes of Filipinos.

In an interview with media at the Batang-batang Elementary School in Victoria, Tarlac the other day, Robredo said Duterte should have used his televised “tete-a-tete” with chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo as an opportunity to admit that “there really is a problem and this is what we are doing.”

Robredo said there are many proposals to solve inflation but they are not acted upon.

Robredo cited as example the Bawas Presyo Bill of Sen. Bam Aquino and Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo seeking to suspend the imposition of excise tax on fuel given the domino effect of higher oil prices on other basic commodities.

Another problem, Robredo said, was that different people were facing the public saying different things, making Filipinos more worried as there seems to be no solid plan to address the problems.

“…lalong lumolobo iyong inflation (inflation is ballooning even more),” Robredo said.

She said the government should give an assurance that “it is on top of the situation” rather than look out of control and cause people to worry that life will only become more difficult.

Robredo also urged Malacañang to resolve the rice crisis immediately.  She said the President’s denial of a rice shortage was contrary to what was being experienced by Filipinos nationwide.

She also lamented the statement of government that rice hoarding could be a culprit in the rice crisis, yet no one has been arrested.  “If there are shortcomings, accept them so that solutions will be done,” she said.

Robredo also noted Malacañang has ignored the clamor for the ouster of National Food Administration (NFA) administrator Jason Aquino, who eventually asked to be relieved from his post, because of the agency’s inefficiencies.

Robredo recalled that during her recent visit to Zamboanga along with Senator Aquino, people complained of hardship because of the high price of rice.

She also noted long lines of people seeking to buy cheaper rice wherever it was available.

The Vice President said Duterte has not reached out to seek her help on current problems.

Still, she said she needs to voice out her proposals and that she had submitted a long list to Malacañang in recent weeks.

Robredo was in Victoria to inaugurate a school building costing P1 million in Barangay Batang-batang.

The building can accommodate 54 Grade 1 and kindergarten pupils.

The project was under her office’s Angat Buhay program in partnership with Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa Foundation and JVR Foundation.

Protest actions set

Various peasant groups will stage simultaneous regional and provincial protest caravans today to assail the government’s failure to address the economic issues plaguing farmers and rural folk.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said farmers in Central Luzon, Bicol and Negros regions will lead the protest caravans.

KMP secretary-general Antonio Flores said thousands of farmers from Bicol will start their decentralized provincial protests in Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate and Catanduanes. 

“The protest caravan in provinces will highlight the farmers’ demand for genuine land reform and opposition against militarization and human rights violations. Bicol coconut farmers will also demand the increase in the buying prices of copra,” Flores said.

Flores likewise said that starting Sept. 17, farmers from the country’s rice granary Central Luzon will walk from Pampanga and Bulacan to the National Capital Region to raise urgent farmers’ issues, including massive land grabbing, land use conversion in the region as a result of Build, Build, Build government projects.

In Negros Occidental, more than 4,000 farmers will converge on Sept. 20 for the 33rd anniversary of the Escalante massacre.

“Meanwhile, Bicol and Central Luzon farmers will also join the United People’s Action-led people’s protest on Sept. 21 in Luneta,” Flores added.

The KMP also hit the House of Representatives for approving the second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law or TRAIN 2, renamed Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities or TRABAHO when the public’s demand is for the government to immediately stop the implementation of TRAIN 1.            

The group said doable solutions to the inflation problem include immediate suspension of TRAIN, which had resulted in damaging domino-effect on prices of petroleum, rice, basic goods and services.

“TRAIN is among the major culprits of price hike. Stop this wayward TRAIN that is wrecking the livelihood of the people,” KMP said.

Flores said “another solution is the imposition of price control on the prices of rice and grains, fish, vegetables and other food produce.”

“This strong public demand cannot be simply dismissed or ignored by the Duterte administration. The need for firm state intervention through price control is urgent and necessary,” Flores said.