Arroyo criticizes PNoy on Cotabato flood problem

The somewhat faltering efforts of the Aquino administration to resolve the perennial flood problems in Cotabato drew criticisms from former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. At a rare media briefing in Lubao, Pampanga Friday, Arroyo said her successor, President Benigno Aquino III, has the option to continue her administration’s “Mindanao River for Peace" project, or continue to draw flak from the opposition. Before she ended her nine-year administration, the former President said she authorized P50 million to be released for the rehabilitation and development of the Mindanao River Basin, one of the many river deltas in the region.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV However, Malacañang said it finds Arroyo’s statements unsurprising to make “political hay when the sun isn’t shining." “Despite her glaring absence from proceedings inquiring into her culpability and accountability as President, she has found time to try to obtain media mileage [amid] the current weather disturbance," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement. Tropical storm Falcon is in Philippine territory at the time Arroyo invited media for a rare gathering and press briefing in Lubao — Arroyo’s hometown. Valte pointed out that Arroyo wants to be “treated" as a former President when everyone does not give her due courtesy as the former chief executive. “She seems to confuse official courtesy with the hallmark of her stay in power, impunity. We believe that her press conference today is merely a ploy to deflect attention from her refusing to submit to proper procedures for ascertaining accountability," Valte said. “We regret that instead of focusing on her constituents’ needs at this time, she is trying to hog the headlines in a gambit to distract attention from her past deeds," Valte added. What Arroyo admin started Arroyo said at least two or three development projects had been implemented in the river basin before her presidency ended in 2010. Now, she said, she only hopes that the current administration will continue what she had started. “It exists [and] it just needs to be continued," Arroyo said, pointing out that the incumbent President “should not grope [in the dark] because there is a master plan for the project." Rio Grande de Mindanao, the longest river in the region and one of the many that connects to the river basin, is hounded by water hyacinths that hamper the flow of water causing unprecedented floods in some parts of the region. The Mindanao River Basin project is a promising venture, especially when included in the Aquino administration’s public-private partnership scheme, Arroyo said. “It’s good because it contributes to credit upgrade," she added. The economy after Arroyo Herself an economist, Arroyo said there are danger signs of an economic slowdown in Aquino’s term: consumer prices continue to increase, poverty incidence is worsening, the poor are getting poorer, and corruption rating is rising. “‘Yung economiya na iniwan ko, very strong. [Now] when the rest of Asia is recovering [from the global crisis], ours is decelerating," the former President said. Arroyo stressed that the Philippines is a “characterization of nobody’s home. That’s the main source that there maybe danger lurking ahead for the economy." One way to get away with such a problem is for Aquino to continue programs that worked during his predecessor’s period, Arroyo said. “I built [my administration] on gains of previous leaders." With one such formula, Arroyo said she was able to turn over to Aquino a new Philippines with a sustainable and uninterrupted growth rate for 10 years. “I was focused on sustainability — that’s when I started my reforms. I raised taxes even though unpopular and all the things to achieve sustainable growth. So, a year later [after my term], the economy is still benefiting," according to Arroyo.— With Lia Mañalac, JE/VS, GMA News