Labor Center fears for more economic and political uncertainty under Arroyo

"Continued oil price increases in the world market are pushing more and more Filipinos into abject poverty while the regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo only provide token gestures to curb the problem. Massive corruption by the First family is eating away at the remaining funds purportedly for the benefit of the nation and wrangling among the ruling-class is ever increasing. And the situation is bound to get worse."

This was the statement today by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center as the economic and political turmoil continue to increase under the watch of Arroyo. "Despite warning from various sectors, the regime of Arroyo remains beholden to the interests of the oil cartels and is ill-prepared to address the energy crisis we are facing. Even the much-touted weakening of the dollar against the peso cannot deliver the promise of cheaper prices for the common folk," said Prestoline Suyat, spokesperson of the KMU.

"The trust rating of Arroyo is at its lowest precisely because the stomach of Filipinos are grumbling. The recent suicide of Mariannet Amper was a clarion call to all Filipinos that Arroyo failed the economy. The worsening economic conditions is further aggravated by corruption, trade and human rights abuse and environmental degradation. Tomorrow will the the 3rd year after the massacre of workers at Hacienda Luisita but up until now, justice remained elusive," opined Suyat.

"Despite the regime's efforts to whitewash, the people strongly believe the bombings, both in Glorietta and in Batasan Pambansa, were meant to divert public attention from the many corruption charges faced by Arroyo. Instead of diverting attention, the effect is actually underscoring the problems," stressed Suyat.

But the labor leader warned that the disintegration of the situation can be exploited by Arroyo to justify the declaration of Martial Law. "The hawks in the regime of Arroyo are just waiting for the right moment to pound the gavel and declare a state of emergency. We need to be vigilant during these ominous times to preserve the remaining democratic space we have."

"We are sitting on an economic and political time-bomb created by Arroyo and it is ticking fast. We need to remove the problem before all hell breaks loose," ended Suyat.