The war between the Philippine military and the communist New People's Army in Southern Mindanao has spilled over from the battlefield to the media, with both sides claiming that, in an encounter last June 7 in Compostela Valley province, each killed more than what the other was willing to admit in public.
MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wants to assure investors, creditors, and credit watchers that the Philippines is not going to backslide in its bid to shore up finances, saying the government can balance the budget and fund an ambitious infrastructure program even without new taxes.
The Chief Executive issued the statement as international ratings agencies and multilateral institutions recently warned the government against being complacent with respect to fiscal reforms.
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By V. Bruce J. Tolentino
The Asia Foundation
Economic policy reform is inherently political. Economic policies are codified into public laws, regulations, ordinances and other legal instruments that establish the ?rules of the game? and allocate access and assets among various members of the body politic. Changes in economic policy affect the status or welfare of communities in varying ways, often evoking resistance from those whose welfare or status may be diminished by the reforms.
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MANILA — The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today assailed the Armed Forces of the Philippines for ?manufacturing popular clamor for the return of troop deployment in Metro Manila.?
The statement came in the wake of announcements by the Armed Forces of the Philippines that 19 baranggay chairmen allegedly want the troops back in their communities. The AFP revealed an alleged petition from community leaders asking that troops be brought back for peace and order.
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MANILA — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino ?Nene? Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today urged the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) to scrap its plan to redeploy
soldiers to depressed barangays in Metro Manila now
that the mid-term elections are over.
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