NR0707:Gma's ratings beyond salvation; KGMA group's funds questioned

From the Office of Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran
News Release July 7, 2005

GMA's credibility and trust ratings beyond salvation;
funding of KGMA group questionable

Anakpawis Representative Crsipin Beltran today said
that the latest Pulse Asia survey on the public's
sentiments regarding Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
were not surprising. Pulse Asia described the
President's 46 percent disapproval rating as
"unprecedentedly high" and her distrust rating (53
percent) "record breaking."

"The widespread dissemination of the tapes recording
Pres. Arroyo's poll fraud campaign in 2004 is partly
reponsible for this. More and more Filipinos since the
public release of the tapes and their airing through
the media have become increasingly convinced that the
incumbent presidency is illegal and illegitimate,
apart from being anti-poor. Clearly, the president's
'sorry' was not good enough for most Filipinos. The
demand for her resignation and removal from office
grows stronger everyday."

Beltran said that the sentiments of most Filipinos
against the President were also founded on the
president's failure to provide jobs and improve
economic conditions. He said that the successive
series of oil price hikes and the increases in
electricity rates also contribute to public outrage
directed against the president.

"Public trust and confidence in the president is at an
all-time low, and this is something she will not be
able to recover from. The attacks now being levelled
against members of the opposition especially House
minority leader Francis Escudero will not divert the
public's attention from the crimes and controversies
involving the president and her family. Rep.
Escudero's popularity ratings are without doubt much,
much higher than the presidents or any other members
of her cabinet and pro-admnistration lawmakers."

KGMA group's funding questioned

In the meantime, the veteran labor leader turned
lawmaker called attention to the high=profile campaign
of pro-GMA groups such as the KGMA organization who
have been putting up expensive tarpouline
material-streamers as well as glossy posters all over
the metropolis .

Beltran said that for a supposed grass-roots
organization, the KGMA group clearly has a lot of
funds going around. He also said that most of the
supposed pro-GMA rallyists attending the
congressional hearings have also been monitored to be
for hire or 'hakot."

"Where is this group getting all its money? Rallyists
are reportedly being paid P100-P200 a day. The posters
and streamers are all made of expensive material, and
are all over Manila and Quezon City. Is the group
receiving funding from the govenrment itself? If so,
this is another case of corruption -- misuse of public
funds."

Beltran said that he will file a resolution calling
for investigations into the KGMA group to discover the
source of its funding.#