Students: There is no food because of government theft

April 10, 2008
Press Release

“If the Arroyo government would only stop stealing the people’s money, then there would be ‘food on our tables, computers in our classrooms and health clinics in our barangays.”

This was the response made by Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of youth group League of Filipino Students (LFS) to the statement made by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who lashed out at her critics yesterday for continued investigations and ‘political jockeying.’

“It has become the strategy of Arroyo to put the blame on her critics for the problems that the country faces instead of admitting that it is the result of her lopsided policies and projects. Doesn’t she remember that her administration mismanaged P729 million in fertilizer funds allegedly to boost her ticket’s campaign in the 2004 elections?” said Crisostomo.

The LFS, along with other youth groups trooped to the NFA rolling store in the Commonwealth Market today to explain to the people buying rice at the area that the present rice problem is the result of past and present government policies on food security.

Bringing empty plates, pots and pans that bore their slogans calling for and end to “rice cartels” and for the government to control the rising cost of rice, the students went to the NFA rolling store in Commonwealth, Quezon City to stage a noise barrage.

“This is not just political noise as Arroyo’s cohorts make of these actions. We want the government to hear the people who are hungry because they cannot afford the cost of food in the market,” said Crisostomo.

The youth groups said that today’s action is part of Beat the Break, the summer campaign of Youth for Truth and Accountability and Truth Now (Youth Act Now!) a broad alliance of student councils, publications and organizations formed to consolidate the youth demanding the truth about anomalous government projects such as the aborted ZTE-National Broadband Network. ###

Reference:

Ron Villegas, Vice-chairperson, League of Filipino Students, ronvil@gmail.com, 09154943120