By FLORO L. MERCENE
GLORIA Macapagal Arroyo bared her soul to the Filipino people in her inaugural speech at the Luneta. It was the most powerful, direct, and bare-knuckled speech delivered by an incoming president.
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Her 10-point agenda was impressive enough. It’s her pledge on how she will govern that leaves you breathless. "I pledge to you a government that will live within its means and put every spare peso to real work…
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"I will crack down on wasteful and abusive officials and influence peddlers. I pledge to collect taxes mandated by law even as I stop extortion masquerading as tax collection…I will crack down on tax cheats."
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And the clincher: "
Araw-araw gigising ako at kakayod para sa inyo. Gagawin ko ang tama at magaling sa ikagagaling ng lahat at hindi bilang pagmamagaling.
"I shall make good and I shall do good for the good of all and not just for the cameras…Iniaalay ko ang aking buhay at yaman sa patupad sa katungkulang inyong itinakda."
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Art M. Padua has been reelected president of FAMAS with an overwhelming vote from the members. He was proclaimed winner at the National Press Club by Alice Reyes, president of Aliw.
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Militant group is opposing government plans to build a casino and entertainment complex on 65 hectares of Manila Bay.
More crowding and more pollution for an overcrowded city. Why don’t they build it somewhere in Cavite or Batangas?
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10-point agenda of GMA envisions decongestion of Metro Manila. More than 50 percent of its residents are squatters. Where do we relocate them?
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Government will seek full computerization of elections. But get rid of Comelec and Namfrel as the counting agencies.
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Simplicity and austerity are the new gizmo. Those who are making it on
R100 a day are exempted.
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Forty members of Jemaah Islamaiah, the Asian branch of al Qaeda, are holed up in Mindanao and training terrorists. US is sending special forces to help our troops hunt them down.
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Trial court judges will ask the Supreme Court to arm them and to provide them with bodyguards. Six of them have already been murdered for doing their duty.
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Catholic Bishops Conference will meet to determine if there was massive fraud in the elections. Intrusion by the church into political matters is becoming more and more blatant. Who will put a stop to this?
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Vice President Noli de Castro is not interested in becoming Secretary of Foreign Affairs like his predecessors. He is interested in becoming Secretary of Social Welfare and Development.
Getting ready for 20l0, that’s what.
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Jinggoy says there will be no reconciliation as long as Daddy is in jail. Talking tough now that he is a senator. Let’s bend the law to accommodate them.
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The original 6-point agenda of GMA: Triple the loans to small and medium enterprises, create one million jobs a year, deliver clean water, provide electricity to l,500 barangays, build new school buildings, provide scholarships to the poor, and cut by half the price of common medicines.
