HONASAN: NOY SHOULD EXTEND HAND OF RECONCILIATION WITH GMA
MANILA, JUNE 27, 2011 (STAR) By Christina Mendez - Instead of picking a fight, President Aquino should reconcile and join forces with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to come out with a better strategy to prevent further conflict with China and other countries over the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.
Sen. Gregorio Honasan called for a "ceasefire" among feuding political factions to allow the incumbent and former leaders of the country to firm up a national consensus on dealing with the Spratlys issue.
"There should be a ceasefire first," Honasan said over radio dzBB, reacting to the renewed exchange between Arroyo's camp and the President.
The latest exchange came through the tweets of Palace spokesperson Abigail Valte and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay over Arroyo's criticisms against Aquino over his "nobody home" style of governance.
Malacañang replied by telling Arroyo, now elected Pampanga representative, that she left nothing in the national coffers when she stepped down from office last year.
"Let us wait for Malacañang's initiative first and avoid heckling remarks like `nobody home' which is counterproductive," Honasan said.
No 'wang-wang' policy is Aquino's only achievement - bishop By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated June 27, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The "no wang wang (sirens)" policy remains the only achievement of President Aquino after almost a year in office, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said yesterday.
Cruz said Filipinos are still expecting more from Aquino who is set to mark his first anniversary in office on Thursday.
"Where is the promised matuwid na daan (straight path)? What happened to the claim that kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (If there is no one corrupt, there is no one poor)?
"How should the shout Kayo ang boss ko (You are my boss) be understood? Is walang wang-wang (no more sirens) the only achievement of the already one-year-old administration?" Cruz asked.
Cruz said Filipinos have many aspirations for themselves and their country, for their families, community and society as a whole.
"(But) There is not simply so much wanting but also so much wrong all over the land," he said.
Cruz, former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said it is not surprising that Aquino's satisfaction and trust ratings are going down, as many of the basic needs of the people remain unattended.
Aquino's approval and trust ratings dropped in the past three months based on the recent survey conducted by survey firms Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).
"With pomp and pageantry, the present government took over. It is now anybody's guess what the forthcoming SONA (State of the Nation Address) will say-and what will the people in turn say thereafter. The following is predictable: Grand accomplishment report. Miserable reality show. And that's it. And this is no guess," Cruz said.
A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) gave Aquino a failing grade in his first year of presidency.
Migrante said there was no improvement in their lives even after the change in administration.
"After a thorough consultation and deliberation and assessment on what the Aquino presidency had done so far after a year, We, member-organizations of Migrante in the Middle East, declare that he (Aquino) failed to deliver what he had promised during presidential campaigns and policy pronouncements during his inaugural and public speeches," the group said.
Migrante-Middle East said they are giving Aquino "a failing grade of 65 percent, 10 percent point below the 75 percent passing grade."
Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said the group assessed Aquino's performance based on what he promised to do. – With Mayen Jaymalin
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