Workers incredulous—not surprised—over Arroyo’s growth claim

Kilusang Mayo Uno-Southern Mindanao Region today slammed Gloria Arroyo’s declaration that her administration’s plans for the economy has succeeded, saying the hard-up Filipino people will be the first ones to negate her preposterous claim.

In a news conference Thursday, Arroyo said that the Philippine economy grew at its fastest pace in 20 years and concluded that “our economic plans succeeded.’ She hammed up the second quarter growth of 75% and the improved performance of the industry, service and agriculture sectors.

Romualdo Basilio, chairman of KMU-SMR, said that Arroyo has reveled much too soon and proved only how detached she was from the Filipino people. “She is already grandstanding figures that the Filipino people do not feel, much less understand. In her stolen chair at Malacañang, the view may be good; but from where we stand, along with 77% of Filipinos (August 2007 Ibon Survey), the view is bleak and dire.”

“If indeed the economy has furthered,” Basilio argued, “why haven’t the wages of workers increased correspondingly? Only substantial increases in wages, accessible social services and improved standard of living can best represent genuine economic growth for workers and the struggling masses. In this vein, Arroyo certainly did not deliver.”

He said that this incongruent “growth” and trickle-down-effect buttresses yet again the labor center’s argument that Arroyo’s definition of improvement is not for depressed Filipinos but only for capitalists and her imperialist bosses. “Does she expect us Filipinos to gloat in her presumptions of improved economy while we can hardly afford our basic necessities to survive even on a daily basis?”

Basilio noted that Arroyo is only eluding the real issues of the day that has put her bogus administration under fire again. “She has repeatedly dolled up her administration with assertions of improved economic standing in times when there is a looming threat in her government. We are not surprised that her bandwagon suddenly decides there is a 7.5 per cent growth in the economy this second quarter, as the ghost of the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal, unrest in the military and her hand in the arbitrary arrest of Prof. Jose Maria Sison are rocking her administration’s credibility.”

“She must be joking if she thinks we are experiencing her so-called economic growth. If she is indeed joking, she’s the only one laughing,” concluded Basilio.