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72% of Cordillerans, Ilocanos want GMA to leave palace — survey

BAGUIO CITY (July 22) — The masses have spoken. In the recent survey of IBON Foundation, Inc., and Northern Media and Information Network, Inc. (NorMIN) Databank, seventy two percent (72%) or seventy five out of one hundred four respondents from Benguet, Mt. Province, La Union, and Ilocos Sur want GMA to step down as president of the Republic of the Philippines.

This is in view of the continuing crises and controversies that the country is facing under in the Arroyo administration. Seventy four percent (74%) of the respondents claim that the country’s economic crisis is getting worse while twenty percent (20%) believe that the economy remains the same.

Workers are still adamant in the struggle for a P125 across-the-board wage increase where seventy seven percent (77%) of the respondents claim that their salary is not enough, and sixty two percent (62%) believe their livelihood worsened in the first half of this year (2005) as compared to the first half of last year (2004).

When asked what is causing the economic crisis, the “graft and corruption in the bureaucracy,” was the common answer of the respondents. Eighty two percent (82%) believe that corruption in the Arroyo government is severe, six percent (6%) claim it is not bad, and seven percent (7%) claim it is minimal.

Despite Arroyo’s admission that she called on Commission on Election (COMELEC) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano at the height of canvassing of presidential votes last 2004 election, and saw nothing wrong, with it many of the respondents believe that she was not sincere in her statement. According to the survey, eight percent (8%) believe that she was honest with her statement, while seventy two percent (72%) claim she was not honest, and nineteen percent (19%) remains neutral or had no comment.# Joel A. Capulong for NORDIS, with reports from Johnny Fialen, Isagani Libongen and G-Ann Malicdem

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