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President Gloria Arroyo said she was praying for peace, progress and
prosperity for the nation in 2009, as her predecessor urged people
to welcome the New Year with enthusiasm and hope.
Many leaders have the economy in mind these
days, as the government earlier said that the country was facing
economic slowdown, not recession this year.
In her New Year’s message released Wednesday,
President Arroyo also renewed her call for unity, so that the
country, she said, could join the global community in weathering the
international financial meltdown.
“For 2009, first and foremost, I wish for
peace, progress and prosperity for the people of the nation,”
added the President, who is spending the New Year with her family at
the Mansion House in Baguio City.
The Arroyo administration said it would make a
priority massive spending on infrastructure in 2009 to stimulate the
economy, pursue the peace process with both communist and separatist
rebels and improve national security.
The President assured the nation that the global
recession has not reached crisis proportions in the country.
“Here at home, I hope that the efforts we are
making to eliminate poverty and to improve the lives of our people
will continue to bear fruit and that these efforts will pave the way
for the creation of a more prosperous Philippines. Happy New Year to
all,” Mrs. Arroyo said.
Erap’s wish
Sounding equally optimistic on what 2009 would
bring, former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada urged the people
“to welcome the New Year not with reluctance or fear, but with
enthusiasm and hope.”
In his New Year message, Estrada said that
Filipinos also “must welcome [2009] with confidence, knowing that
we have endured challenges of the past, and believing that we will
not only survive but thrive in the future.”
“It is my fervent wish for the people that we
remain strong in faith and in hope, that together we may overcome
hardships, and reform and rebuild our society to become the nation
that we aspire to be and to achieve the prosperity that our people
deserve,” he added.
Pimentel for prosperity
In his New Year message, Senate Minority
President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. conceded that the country
“achieved modest economic growth.”
Such achievement, however, “has not addressed
the massive problems of poverty, criminality, lack of relevant
education, poor health care and the social ills of the country,”
Pimentel said.
Because as “a nation we know that we have
missed many opportunities to establish stability, progress and
social harmony,” he added, Filipinos should strive in moving the
country forward on the road to progress, social harmony, justice,
equality and development.
The arrival of 2009, Pimentel said, is not only
a time for merrymaking but also a time for “contemplation and
reflection” of what might have been for the country.
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