Arroyo takes swipe at political opponents in ninth SONA

In an hour-long speech punctuated at the end of almost every sentence with applause, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo used her ninth State of the Nation Address on Monday to lash out at her political opponents and brag about the achievements of her administration. “I am accused of misgovernance. Many of those who accuse me of it left me the problem of their misgovernance to solve. And we have done it," she said. “I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my office for personal profit. Many of those who accuse me of it have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime," she added. “We can read their frustrations. They had the chance to serve this good country and they blew it by serving themselves. "Those who live in glasshouses should cast no stone. Those who should be in jail should not threaten it, especially if they have been there," Arroyo said, obviously referring to former president Joseph Estrada, who was ousted in a people power revolt in 2001 and convicted of plunder in 2007. Arroyo, who served his remaining term and won election as president in 2004, granted executive clemency to Estrada. Direct hit In a statement, Estrada spokesperson Margaux Salcedo said the popularly elected president took Mrs. Arroyo’s words as a “direct hit" and an attempt to muzzle her critics. “This is an indicator of the cruelty and dictatorship that the current administration is capable of and another attempt by the administration to stifle our freedom of speech and of expression," Salcedo said. She said Mrs. Arroyo “seems to have forgotten that at the end of the day, she is still a public servant, that her duty is to serve the Filipino and not to dictate her whims." "Therefore, the people will continue to speak against her for all her sins against the people, and that voice will include President Estrada’s," said Salcedo. Although she did not name names, Mrs. Arroyo’s barbs were evidently directed at certain politicians. At one point, she talked about her support for the Cheaper Medicines Law “over the weak version of my critics" that resulted in lower prices for essential drugs. “To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it. Don’t pander, and don’t say bad words," she said, eliciting hearty applause from the largely pro-administration crowd at the plenary hall of the House of Representatives. Senator Mar Roxas, a presidential aspirant who had pushed for a different version of the medicines bill and once uttered vulgar words in a speech at an anti-Arroyo rally, reacted in his Twitter account after the speech: “I have to say bad words in public because of bad deeds done in secret." Speaking to reporters at a protest rally outside the congress building, he told reporters: “Hindi ko pinapansin ang mga ganyang banat, basta, pababain lang niya ang presyo ng gamot. Ang pinapansin ko ay ang mga hinaing ng ating mga kababayan na gustong makaroon ng murang gamot." (I don’t pay heed to those criticisms, as long as she lowers the prices of medicines. I only take notice of the complaints of our countrymen who want to get cheaper medicine.) Like nails to their posts Mrs. Arroyo omitted any reference to a transition plan for the next administration after her term as president expires, making a crafty remark instead about her intention to remain a strong leader for the remainder of her term. “At the end of this speech I shall step down from this stage...but not from the Presidency. My term does not end until next year. Until then, I will fight for the ordinary Filipino," she said. “I never expressed the desire to extend myself beyond my term," she added, stopping short of making a categorical statement that she would step down in 2010. Instead, she again turned to her critics, saying “Many of those who accuse me of it tried to cling like nails to their posts." She added: “The noisiest critics of constitutional reform tirelessly and shamelessly attempted Cha-Cha when they thought they could take advantage of a shift in the form of government. Now that they feel they cannot benefit from it, they oppose it." House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora expressed disappointment with Arroyo’s speech. “Di ko makita na hindi niya naisip na mas maganda kung categorical siya, sabihin niya lang na ‘ako’y bababa’ (I don't see why she didn't realize that it was better to be categorical, if she had said that she would definitely step down from office)." Muntinlupa City Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon of the Liberal Party said he was waiting for Mrs. Arroyo to say her goodbye and provide details on how she would turn over the reins of government to a new administration next year. "Ang hinihintay ko, pagkatapos nung maraming salamat, paalam, parang kay Cory (I was waiting for her to say goodbye after all the expression of gratitude, similar to what Cory did)," said Biazon. During her last SONA in 1991, then President Corazon Aquino had made a reference to the “traditional ceremony of political succession," according to Biazon. “Ang nararamdaman ko ‘dun sa speech niya, gusto niyang iparamdam na she is a strong president, na hindi siya lame duck president (I felt that in her speech, she just wanted to prove that she was a strong president, that she was not a lame duck president)," Biazon said. Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino, who boycotted the event but watched the SONA from Bacolod City, noted how Mrs. Arroyo made “a bad joke about stepping down from the podium but not from the presidency." "This, plus the push for Cha-cha makes us ever doubtful about her true intentions. Overall, it was a great campaign speech for the prime ministership in 2010," Casino said in a text message to reporters. With Mrs. Arroyo’s speech lacking in specifics, Senator Francisco Escudero vowed: "Notwithstanding the absence of a formal farewell, we the people will have to simply bring her to the door come 2010 so as to ensure her exit." – with reports from Aie Balagtas See, Amita Legaspi, Johanna Camille Sisante and Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMANews.TV