Amid rampant corruption and widespread hunger
GMA says economy is improving?

Following a survey that gave the administration a slightly lower negative satisfaction rating, two unflattering poll reports concerning the Arroyo government were released this week.

The first was on a study conducted by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risks Consultancy (PERC), which pegged the Philippines as the most corrupt economy in Asia. The Philippines got a 9.40 score, the lowest score among 13 countries that PERC included in the survey using a grading system ranging between zero and 10 as best and worst scores, respectively. The poll is based on perceptions by foreign businessmen operating across the region. The Philippines has taken the distinction from Indonesia, which was deemed as Asia’s most corrupt country in last year’s survey.

 

The second was a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on hunger incidence in the country, which showed that some 3.4 million families, or a record-high of almost a fifth (19%) of Filipino households, have experienced “involuntary hunger” in the first quarter of 2007 (see SWS survey here. http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070319.htm).

Both surveys have pulled the rug underneath President Arroyo, who has been frequently extolling the supposed economic gains under her administration. The reports also contrast an earlier survey by SWS showing a slightly improved – but still negative – satisfaction rating of President Arroyo. Malacanang had previously hailed the slightly lower dissatisfaction score of -4, claiming it was indicative of public recognition of how Arroyo tried to uplift the lives of common Filipinos.

Sans the spin, Genuine Opposition spokesperson Adel Tamano had said it most aptly, saying, “the situation with President Arroyo is that things have gotten so bad that with a -4 satisfaction rating they (Malacañang) are already very happy with that.” Prevalent hunger and pervasive corruption are, of course, undeniable sources of public dissatisfaction.

---

Last March 7, on-line news-magazine Newsbreak editor Gemma Bagayaua was arrested and detained over a P100-million libel suit filed by administration senatorial candidate and Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson. The libel suit stemmed from a February 12 Newsbreak article analyzing the changes in political factions surrounding Mrs. Arroyo.

The article, “Where Factions Thrive: The Arroyo Government Is Dominated by Hard-Core Power Players,” written by managing editor Glenda Gloria, identified Singson as one of five persons who helped Mrs. Arroyo survive an election-rigging scandal that would have likely led to her ouster.

In December last year, the President’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, filed libel charges against five Newsbreak journalists in connection with an article that appeared in the magazine three years ago.

The arrest and detention of Newsbreak reporters and editors has been deemed as the latest case of an enduring effort by the administration to harass and muzzle the press. According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the First Gentleman alone has already filed libel charges against 43 journalists belonging to seven different media organizations.

In response to the administration’s use of criminal libel suits, a coalition composed of more than 600 journalists and 30 local and foreign international media freedom organizations has issued a joint petition calling for the decriminalization of libel.