May Day and a hungry people is called out to protest against the government
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) In an atmosphere of heightened tensions ahead of demonstrations scheduled for May Day, some retired Filipino generals have called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign.
Two recent independent surveys indicate that the Filipino population is destitute. The studies found that as many as one in three Filipinos do not get enough food and that one in ten households goes hungry.
The survey by the Social Weather Station is based on data gathered in the first three months of 2005; it shows that in this period 13 per cent of households went hungry often or always.
In the survey by Pulse Asia, 33 per cent of all respondents said that their food was "inadequate".
This is happening at a time when the Filipino state is experiencing a deep financial crisis, resulting in lower aid to families in need, which, in turn, is contributing to social unrest and causing political instability.
President Arroyo ran her 2004 re-election campaign on a platform that centred on "cheaper drugs", "drinking water for the villages", "micro-loans" and "a million new jobs", but thus far she has not been able to deliver.
For the government, hunger can be tackled through economic recovery, but there is widespread dissatisfaction with the inadequate measures taken to boost the economy.
On May Day, opposition parties and trade unions are planning mass demonstrations.
For Manila, the authorities have planned tight security measures and will deploy 14,000 soldiers and police officers.
According to Fortunato Abat, former Defence Minister and a leader in a coalition for national salvation involving several retired Filipino generals, the time was ripe to take a bold but peaceful step to change and renew the political situation in ways similar to what happened in Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine.
What is needed, he said, is "a non violent change of the political leadership with the military and police staying neutral".
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Buynes warned however that Ms Arroyo had no intention of resigning and that such statements are seditious.
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