Student leaders are better than Manila president, Aquino critics say

By Gerry Albert Corpuz and Pepsi La Loma

MANILA, Philippines- Leftwing militants belonging to Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya)told Senator Joker Arroyo not to compare the student government to the administration of President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, asserting that student leaders especially from the ranks of activist student organizations operate student councils and student governments with unparalleled patriotism, people-oriented service and effective leadership.

"The student governments in this country are effectively steered by student leaders with high passion for truth and justice, and they have strong sense of history, especially if these student bodies are governed by political activists," said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap in a press statement.

" These student bodies are far better or a thousand miles above par compared to the Aquino led government. Please Sen. Arroyo, don't compare student bodies to the way the present Palace occupants in Malacanang run the affairs of this nation. President Noynoy is undeniably below par compared to student government officials," the Pamalakaya leader added.

"The student leaders are not landgrabbers and feudal exploiters unlike Noynoy who wants to continue his family's illegal and immoral possession of Hacienda Luisita. The student leaders don't belong to Kamag-anak Incorporated, to Kaklase Inc., to Kaibigan Inc. or to any factions within the Aquino ruling clique. So it is a big mistake on the part of Senator Arroyo to compare them to Noynoy," Hicap added.

Malacanang yesterday downplayed Senator Arroyo's remark that the Aquino administration is running the country like a student government as the spokesperson of President Aquino emphasized the county's recent economic successes.

"If you speak about our success in the peso global bond float, if you speak about the confidence of the stock market, if you speak about the underspending right now, all these good news, certainly we would say we are performing well, that we're doing the best we can and so it does not appear like we are a student body running this country like a student council," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacañang as quoted by a GMA News TV online reporter.

"Last time I checked, [we have no] sergeant-at-arms," added Lacierda, referring to a position student governments usually have.

According to Lacierda, the net foreign buying on the Philippine Stock Exhange reached P2.133 billion, pushing the main index to close at all time high of 3,972.60, on a value turnover of P8.05 billion.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima likewsie announced a P1.3-billion budget surplus, which Lacierda attributed to the Aquino administration's sound fiscal management that included tightening government-owned and controlled corporations' personal services and subsidies, lower rice importations, and reviewing public works contracts.

Last Sunday, Senator Arroyo slammed the Aquino administration for supposed mistakes in allocations in the proposed 2011 budget.

Sen. Arroyo argued that Malacanang's budget priorities for next year are "misaligned" and "lopsided" because the Department of Social Welfare and Development got a 123-percent increase, while the judiciary, which is co-equal with the executive and legislative branches, will again receive less than 1 percent of the total budget.

Arroyo also slammed the Aquino government for its decision to present the Incident Investigation and Review Committee's report on the August 23 hostage tragedy first to Chinese authorities before making it available to the Filipino public.#