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SILAY CITY: Former President Joseph Estrada described
the government’s handling of crises the country is facing as
“band-aid solution.”
Estrada was in Negros Occidental
to give assistance to more than 3,000 families in the northern part
of the province who were badly affected by Typhoon Frank.
Claiming it was not political but
merely keeping his promise to the masses, Estrada, accompanied by
Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati and former Sen. Ernie Maceda was given
a huge welcome at the Silay Airport by his supporters.
Asked for his reaction to the
country’s state in the face of the rising oil prices, the former
president slammed the intervention of the national government as
“mere dole-outs that is not a solution to our crisis.”
Acknowledging that the oil
problem is worldwide, Estrada nevertheless gave the government
unsolicited advice saying, “We would be better off if Malacañang
scrapped the expanded value added tax [EVAT] temporarily to
alleviate the plight of the masses.”
Estrada said it would have been
easier for Malacañang to address the problem by scrapping the EVAT
rather than handing out subsidies in various forms.
Meanwhile, Estrada also said his
going around to the four provinces that were badly hit by Typhoon
Frank has nothing to do with the opposition’s political plans come
2010.
He said while they currently have
six presidential candidates being mulled, “it will be dependent on
the survey and the party.”
The opposition has floated the
names of Binay, Senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Francis
Escudero, Mar Roxas and Panfilo Lacson.
He said they would try to avoid
dividing the opposition and carefully study whom they will field for
the presidency.
As to rumors that he might run
for the presidency to save the opposition, “that is purely
speculation, but you can be sure that I will campaign hard and
ensure the victory of the opposition.”
“We did that in 2004 with FPJ,
but unfortunately, he was cheated,” Estrada said.
“Rest assured we are strong
enough to topple the administration,” he said, adding that food
security will be topmost in their platform of governance.
--Ma Ester L. Espina
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