Former president Corazon Aquino urged the government to uplift the lives of the poor Filipino first before changing the Constitution.

The statement was made during a press conference, Tuesday in connection with the forthcoming anniversary of the EDSA 1 People Power revolt that toppled the Marcos regime in 1986.

Aquino said, the January 4 tragedy at the Ultra in Pasig City, illustrates the sense of desperation engulfing the poor.

“Seemingly bereft of any other avenue for hope, thousands of our countrymen-many from distant provinces-saw the slim chance of winning in a television raffle as their big ticket, however fleeting, out of misery," she said.

She underscored the need for another people power but not to topple a leadership but to fight poverty.

"Rather than give up on democracy and dismiss people power as nothing more than legalized mob rule, we should take steps to strengthen the institution that we sought to build and restore in1986," she added.

The former president stated that changing the constitution and system of the government today is not the urgent issue. “All talks of political structure are pointless if the very spirit of democracy is weak. No government can function effectively if it is detached from the people it is supposed to serve or if its leadership does not enjoy the trust of its constituents."

Aquino has asked President Arroyo to make an ultimate sacrifice and resign following allegations of electoral fraud in 2004.

Aquino said that people's organizations and other non-government organizations such as Gawad Kalinga are instrumental in the success stories of small entrepreneurs in helping the poor.

HYPOCRITE

Meanwhile, administration solons slammed Aquino’s statement accusing the former president of using the stampede tragedy in Ultra to smear the government.

In a statement, Reps. Prospero Pichay Jr., (Surigao del Sur), House Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Gerry Salapuddin and Rep. Douglas Cagas (Davao del Sur), hits Aquino's hypocrisy for using the poverty issue against the government when her own family failed to embark on the emancipation of Hacienda Luisita farmers.

Hacienda Luisita is a vast sugar plantation in Tarlac which is owned by the Cojuangco family and was the site of a shooting incident between the military and striking farmers. Scores were killed during the shootout.

The solons described the statement of Aquino as a cheap shot of riding on the stampede issue "So why should the President be held responsible let alone apologize? If this is the case, then Cory should also apologize to the Luisita farmers who were killed when their strike was suppressed, and that incident was political in nature since it protected the interests of Cory and her family." -GMANEWS.TV