Urban poor group not convinced why Aquino did not sign Magna Carta of the Poor

Progressive urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) did not buy Malacanang's reason why President Benigno Aquino III did not sign into law the bill creating the Magna Carta of the Poor. On Monday, Aquino vetoed the said bill citing primarily the lack of fund to implement its provisions.

According to Gloria Arellano, KADAMAY national chair, the nation has actually imposed lots of taxes, most of them are regressive taxes or those collected from the poor like the Value Added Taxes and the Sin Tax Bill. "It is only proper that this government will give back to the poor what is due to them, and not passing the bill only suggests what the priorities of the Aquino administration are," Arellano said.

KADAMAY also slammed senators and a pro-Aquino partylist group who defended Malacanang's stand on the Magna Carta of the Poor.

"We ask those who support President Aquino's stand on the Magna Carta as to whom their allegiance lie?" said Arellano.

Meanwhile, KADAMAY slams Aquino for highlighting the lack of necessary budget to fund the housing program cited in the Magna Carta. "As the government has admitted that it lacks fund to finance the housing program for the poor, why then is it pursuing massive demolition of homes of more that half a million informal settler families in Metro Manila under his term," asked Arellano.

"In fact, the urban poor do not need the P2.3 trillion housing budget as long as the government could provide the poor with employment and livelihood, a right are also secured in the provisions of the Magna Carta of the Poor," Arellano remarked.

"Aquino will never sign into law any bill that is working against the ruling class, and the status quo that it maintains. We doubt any law as as Magna Carta of the Poor or any similar bill will be passes under any Philippine government whose head comes from the elite, more so under the current landlord president. Even If passed, the Magna Carta of the Poor will be futile as long as the Aquino administration remains in penchant of anti-poor programs based on policies dictated by neoliberal globalization such as privatization, deregulation and liberalization," cited Arellano.

She added, that any pro-poor bill that is contrary to these policies, including the Genuine Agrarian Reporm Bill, P125-Accross the Board Nationwide Wage Hike and Anti-Oil Deregulation Law that have been pending in congress in years, will always certainly get a veto from the president.###

References: Gloria Arellano, KADAMAY National Chairman, 0921.392.7457