WHOEVER said that one can take it easy upon becoming a senior citizen will have to re-examine his or her assumptions. In an e-group of my grade school and high school classmates, someone brought up how the student body was made aware of their rights and the need to fight for them sometime during our idyllic life on campus. Not long after, many of us joined ranks with others who got caught up in the maelstrom called the First Quarter Storm. Fifteen years later, we marched in lockstep with many others to fight for basic freedoms during the many years that preceded the People Power days at EDSA 1. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, not having learned anything from the previous struggles for change, the mood is once again ripe for a mass-based movement to bring down an unpopular leadership.
Many of those who participated in the past struggles for change are hopeful that, this time around, a more meaningful change in both structure and underlying moral values will finally result in a country that can do things right without having to fall back on those aspects of the dark side that continue to drag us down as a people. Otherwise, we will just pave the way for another pack of self-serving and greedy individuals who will line their pockets before they begin to think of working for the greater good.
The current leadership is keen on pointing out the country’s economic success, touting growth figures that, at first glance, do seem impressive. It does not take a trained economist to realize that these positive indicators -– fueled mostly by OFW inflows and a consumption economy –- are not solid enough for the economy to survive on in the longer term. A substantial chunk of our workforce abroad rely on the largesse and strength of their host economies, some of which may soon feel the strain of the increasingly negative growth being felt in the current slump. In fact, a recent survey points out that more and more of our countrymen feel poorer than before, which suggests that the growth being touted by the administration is not effectively filtering down to the masses. That is bad news.
Instead of focusing on big ticket items –- which are, of course, attractive because of the commissions corrupt officials and their cohorts can earn at the expense of the people –- the leadership should focus more on those programs or projects that impact directly on the fortunes and pockets of the ordinary Filipino. These –- to be truthful -– are precisely the areas that the NGO community revels in, but which the government studiously chooses to avoid. Not enough glory perhaps, or not enough personal gain or profit?
Instead of that stupid broadband deal -– which the private sector could have cobbled together for much much less than the accepted price –- money could have been poured into microfinance (working through NGOs or the small banks accredited for this purpose), habitats (like the GK communities), vocational education, et al. There is a wealth of very soft or free bilateral and multilateral money available for this purpose. But of course, these back to basics projects are not attractive because, as the saying goes, the projects are “Bulag.” Translation: “Wala Kita” (Literally, “Can’t See;” figuratively, “No Profit!”)
And then, there is that wonderful area of fund-raising by the government’s revenue generation agencies. The government always wonders why the revenue generation agencies don’t seem to meet their assigned targets. All one has to do is realize that many taxpayers end up paying more to unscrupulous revenue agents than to the government in the myriad arrangements that come up on a day to day basis. These less than honest agents make it harder for honest taxpayers to pay the right taxes.
Crummy! No wonder more people are joining the search for Truth and Justice!
