QUEZON CITY— The national center of Philippine public sector employees Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), today critiqued Aquino’s 2nd State of the Nation Address as a disappointing display of worthless declarations devoid of any substantial economic plans.
According to COURAGE National President Ferdinand R. Gaite “As expected, government employees and the general public were subjected to an hour-long speech full of empty claims designed to give the appearance of accomplishment but sorely lacking in substance. Despite boasting about improved credit ratings and increased investments in oil resources, the Aquino administration has so far been unable to deal with the long-standing issues of constant price hikes, near-starvation wages, nonexistent benefits, lack of job security and inhumane working conditions—issues that the labor sector has to confront daily. In essence, these numbers regarding upgraded credit ratings mean nothing to the common laborer or rank-and-file employee who still struggles to survive with meager wages amidst the soaring prices of basic goods and services. A glaring example of Aquino’s incompetence lies in his inability to control the skyrocketing prices of oil and other petroleum products and his blatant refusal to implement a substantial wage hike for private and public sector workers,” Gaite pointed out.
The labor leader also criticized Aquno’s presentation of data as deceptive, saying “Noynoy has the gall to brag that the unemployment rate has decreased, without taking into account the fact that the number of jobless and underemployed Filipinos increased by over 600,000 in the past year. Research done by the Ibon Foundation has shown that there are now 11.6 million unemployed (4.5 million, by IBON's estimate) and underemployed (7.1 million) Filipinos in the country. Coupled with pitiful wages—the minimum pay for public sector employees remain pegged at P8, 287/mo. and P404/day for private sector workers, the prospects for the labor sector remain bleak,” Gaite added.
“Aquino’s reliance on his Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program to solve poverty shows his inability to grasp, much less resolve the roots of poverty in the country. Instead of attempting to pacify the people with meager dole-outs which will only bring temporary relief, the government should focus on creating stable jobs with living wages. Contrary to Noynoy’s claim that Filipinos can now choose between working here in the country or abroad, data has shown that the number of Filipinos choosing to work overseas has grown from 3,500 everyday in 2009 to 4,413 in 2010—irrefutable proof that the government has failed in its promise to create jobs and halt the previous administration’s labor export policy,” Gaite declared.
COURAGE also critiqued Aquno’s statements regarding the ‘renewed dignity’ of public servants. “Because Aquino has consistently ignored our legitimate demand for a P 6, 000 increase to the minimum pay of employees, rank-and-file government workers remain notoriously underpaid and overworked. The minimum pay is pegged at P8, 287—far below the estimated Family Living Wage of P29, 640 per month. Threats of lay-offs and displacement due to the impending privatization of various government agencies also continue. Our hard-won benefits are revoked in the name of anti-corruption and cost-cutting, while corrupt fat cats remain in the bureaucracy and continue to bleed the government coffers dry. We now ask Aquino, are we supposed to be proud that employees survive under such deplorable conditions? To quote Shakespeare, the 2011 SONA is “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Gaite concluded. ###