PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

CPP asks GMA to immediately start giving real substance to her pronouncement
January 6, 2003

"If Gloria arrogantly flared up because the people around her from the so-called civil society presented her with a proposed government program, what openness and sincerity can we realistically expect from her as far as the NDF's more basic proposals? Such mean demeanor over minor reform proposals from her own friends and subordinates can only reveal the closed narrow mindset of a hopelessly out-and-out reactionary."

Communist Party of the Philippines spokesperson Gregoria "Ka Roger" Rosal gave this reaction to the surfacing of the noted presidential temper in a meeting in Baguio City last December 30 with her civil society allies, led by Kongreso ng Mamamamayang Filipino (KOMPIL II), and cabinet officials she had harnessed from the same group. Macapagal-Arroyo outrightly rejected the proposals collectively presented to her in the meeting and insisted on her original eight-point program that is heavy on "war against terrorism".

"By stubbornly insisting that 'Nothing has changed (in regard to policies) except the fact that I'm not running anymore,' Macapagal-Arroyo is showing no willingness to even bend a little from her utterly puppet, militarist and rotten policies and acts," Rosal said.

"If she will not show any remorse about these policies and acts which have already caused too much damage to the national soverignty, the country's productive forces and the people's rights and interests," Rosal asked "what iota of hope will there be that she will be willing to sit down with the Party and NDF leaders before the negotiating table or in a so-called unity government?"

"No unity can ever be achieved if she insists on sticking to her utter subservience to imperialist "globalization" and Bush's war of terror and her own all-out war and her corrupt government," Rosal declared.

Rosal stated, "If she wants the people to believe that she is no longer playing politics, then she has to immediately start giving real substance to the face value of this pronouncement. She has a lot of things to do to convince the people and the revolutionary movement that her words are worth paying attention to."

"This means first of all immediately going back to the negotiating table, reversing her pro-US and anti-people policies and being open to talking with the NDF about country's basic problems which are at the root of the present armed conflict," Rosal added. "We can discuss in the negotiating table the necessary basic reforms to resolve these problems. That also means she needs to be open to recognize and rectify her own big mistakes in policies and remedy the damage that these have brought to the people."

"The time left for her is hardly enough for substantial changes, but we remain hopeful for the ball to start rolling and the peace talks to resume before her regime ends. The proposal for a unity government should best be brought before the negotiating table. But she should positively and immediately be decisive about these things. Otherwise, all this becomes academic as she would soon be booted out of office and we would better wait for the next resident of Malacanang," Rosal added. ###

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553



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