On Sona misses and Arroyo’s speakership

Letters .

THE President’s State of the Nation Address centered on defending the administration’s anti-poor Train Law and affirmed the relentless and chilling bloody war on drugs while leaving out the teachers’ and Filipino workers’ demand for immediate pay hikes and lowering of taxes and prices of commodities.

The government can no longer deny that the nation is in deep economic and political crisis as tens of thousands of dissatisfied people the United People’s Sona.  Filipinos demand concrete policy statements from the President that would address grave economic problems of unemployment, job security, and inflation.

He praised the speedy passage of the Universal Health Care Bill in the Lower House and urged the Senate for its immediate enactment. Unfortunately, this measure seeks to expand the coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance System or PhilHealth while leaving public hospitals with almost no maintenance and operating budgets, making health care even more elusive to impoverished Filipinos.  To add, the Duterte administration actually failed to implement the provisions in the 52-year-old Magna Carta for Public School Teachers which mandates free medical check-up and treatment for overworked public school teachers who have been suffering from various workelated diseases.

Instead of policies that would provide economic relief, Duterte shamelessly declared the continuation of his relentless and chilling war on drugs. He made his usual antagonistic remarks towards human rights groups and dismissed the growing dissent against the rising toll of human rights violations under his administration.

It is alarming for a head of state not to see human rights as inseparable from human lives.  It is clear that you can’t have one without the other. The President has to address—right now—the killings and denial of due process made in the course of his so-called anti-drug war, anti-tambay operations, and martial law.  Filipinos are dying, Mr. President, their lives destroyed under your wars even as they are crushed by your additional taxes, worsening poverty, and other anti-people policies.

The people will not stop demanding substantial salary increases for teachers and government employees, a P750 national daily minimum wage, security of tenure and the repeal of regressive provisions of the Train Law. We will not allow his planned Charter Change to pass especially with the possibility of having the former President Arroyo as Prime Minister. Martial Law in Mindanao must be lifted now. If Duterte continues implementing its anti-people policies, the education sector will have no choice but to join the people to build greater unities and launch bolder actions against his regime. – Antonio Tinio and France Castro, representatives, ACT Teachers

Against GMA

THE Makabayan bloc voted no to the speakership of Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to register a strong political statement that we do not agree to have a massive plunderer and human rights violator to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

What happened was an in-figthing of the pro-Duterte factions but evenso whoever is placed in that position would push for Charter change and higher taxes.This would not have happened without the blessings of Malacanang and even the reported intervention  of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte in the proceedings.

This reflects the rotten politics of the ruling system and shows the easy turncoatism of politicians.

The Macapagal-Arroyo faction was victorious but nothing beneficial to the Filipino will come out of it. As it is, Arroyo already said that she would push for the legislative agenda of President Duterte.

We would continue to oppose the anti-people and anti-poor policies of the Duterte administration and we hope that more congressmen would side with the people. –Makabayan Bloc coalition (composed of Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Gabriela Women’s Party Reps.Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Anakpawis partylist Rep. Ariel Casilao, ACT Teachers partylist Reps. Antonio Tinio and France Castro,  and Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Elago)