Philippine’s bishops declare Arroyo’s rule a failure

(June 02,2010) In the Philippines, at least 22 Catholic bishops marked Filipino President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s nine year administration as a failure, in a poll conducted by Radio Veritas on Sunday. In the Church-based station’s on-air survey, the bishops came up with a list of criticisms that contributed to Arroyo’s low marks: Failure to address poverty in the country; • Failure to provide quality education for the poor; • Failure to protect the environment and failure to win the trust of the people. They also criticized the alleged lack of transparency in the Arroyo administration, as well as the profusion of graft-ridden contracts and dubious government programs.
While acknowledging their right to their opinions, a spokesperson for Arroyo dismissed the bishops’ verdict, pointing out that good progress was made in basic education programs and that freedom of the press was strictly observed throughout the entire term. Deputy presidential spokesperson Roger Peyuan said the administration is currently making an inventory of President Arroyo’s reign and promised, “We will look into all their comments and they may be used for discussions on the accomplishments of the administration.”