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Aquino’s Sona Can’t Conceal High Prices, Unemployment and Glaring Poverty

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“There will never be enough spin to conceal the glaring reality of the people’s growing poverty and glowing statistics of economic growth will remain meaningless. Mahirap pagtakpan ang katotohanang sa loob ng tatlong taong panunungkulan, ay lumala ang kahirapan.”

This is according to Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luzviminda Ilagan in anticipating what she dubbed a “grand SONA cover-up” as President Aquino delivers his third State of the Nation Address on Monday.

“The prices of basic commodities have drastically increased while the number of Filipinos with decent jobs and living wages continue to go down. The price of rice has gone up by P2 per kilo. The prices of diesel and gasoline have gone up by at least P8 since Aquino held office in 2010. Researches indicate a 4.3% inflation rate in the cost of public utilities while a 2.6% inflation rate was posted for the cost of food and basic commodities in the past three years of the Aquino administration. This has made it extremely difficult for poor Filipino families to cope. Sa sobrang taas ng presyo ng bilihin, mas marami ang gutom, mas marami ang naghihirap!

According to Ilagan the SWS surveys indicate an increase in the number of unemployed workers from 9.5M in 2011 to 11.6 in 2012.

The Gabriela solon also deplored the growing number of poor Filipino families which recent SWS surveys pegged at 10.5M. “The number of families who consider themselves poor have consistently increased from 8.9M in 2010 to 9.9M in 2011 and 10.5M in 2012.”

“Aquino’s policy direction geared towards the privatization of services and utilities, creating an environment supposedly conducive for foreign investors by granting privileges and removing economic restrictions while giving loan-funded dole-outs to poor families will not resolve the people’s poverty and the remaining three years of his administration promises ill for poor Filipino families,” ended Ilagan. #

 

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