07/29/2011
What is P1 billion over nine
years of graft to P800 billion in debt service corruption each year,
totaling P7.2 trillion the past nine years? The former is just coffee
money while the latter is a gargantuan scam by the financial
institutions. Officially adopted as policy in past administrations, this
national swindle has even worsened under PeNoy after a fresh new round
of debts was incurred, beginning with P300 billion in December 2010. And
that’s despite the fact that the foreign debt, which the country no
longer needs, can even be reduced by paying off substantial portions
while renegotiating the rest. But has PeNoy made a squeak, much less,
thought about it?
Indeed, this problem has gone on for decades;
but the present regime has now been handed the golden opportunity to end
it by tapping the OFW remittances accumulated and idled in the Special
Deposit Account (SDA), as well as the surplus Gross International
Reserves (GIRs) regularly bragged about by the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP). So why does PeNoy keep mum on all this? Could it be
ignorance, cowardice, or both?
Consumer woes brought about by
inflation are one of the most serious crises ever to hit the Filipino
people — from the astronomical rise in the price of National Food
Authority (NFA) rice (P11/kilo during Erap’s time to today’s P23/kilo)
to the high cost of public utilities (including our highest electricity
rates in Asia and our highest cellphone interconnection rates in the
Asia-Pacific).
In past annual assessments made by former
presidents, inflation has always been a key emphasis, with the lowly
galunggong as the standard. Nowadays, even galunggong is way beyond the
reach of poor Filipinos and is no longer mentioned. Discussions on
commodity prices are relevant only if the people have the jobs and the
decent income to purchase such goods and services.
However, one of
the centerpiece programs of PeNoy, the CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer)
or his political doleout program, where pro-PeNoy rallyists are
rewarded, and which doesn’t create jobs — confirms his government’s
failure at jobs creation.
One of the commodities that define
Filipino living standards today is electricity. PeNoy praised Congress
for two laws extending the lifeline rate subsidy and the Joint
Congressional Power Commission (JCPC) set-up to oversee electricity
privatization.
Upon hearing this, power consumer advocate Butch
Junia immediately texted us: “I do not know what to make of P-Noys’
claiming credit for the lifeline rate and extension of the JCPC. Did he
endorse the lifeline rate knowing full well that those consuming 101 kWh
or more per month are the ones paying that subsidy? That is P25
additional cost for a 150 kWh household. Did he know that the Epira
administered by the JCPC increased our power rates to the highest in
Asia? If he knew these, what kind of a president is he to lay the
subsidy burden on unknowing customers?... If he did not know these
fundamental realities… what kind of president is he?”
PeNoy
boasted of reducing unemployment from 8 percent as of April 2010 to 7.2
percent. But Ibon Foundation contradicted this, citing the failure of
1.2 million new entrants to be absorbed into the job market. PeNoy, as
expected, reacted acerbically, saying: “Kung ayaw n’yong makita, ‘di ba,
sorry, ‘di ba, wala akong magagawa do’n.”
To settle the question,
I checked on data banks culled from the International Labor
Organization (ILO) figures placing RP’s 2010 unemployment rate at 7.2
percent — no different from what PeNoy is claiming today. Only, PeNoy
and his speechwriters tried to distort the picture by presenting
seasonal against annual trends — which is no different from Gloria
Arroyo’s style in claiming better stats.
But as they all
obfuscate, they have invariably classified tricycle drivers as among the
employed when such is the recourse of those who lose their jobs, same
with their tact of considering unpaid family workers as among the
employed.
This jobs crisis should be seen against the backdrop of
the economic environment — from Cory Aquino down to her son —
characterized by liberalization, deregulation and privatization. Trade
liberalization undercut Philippine industries that deregulation and
privatization made uncompetitive with predatory rate fixing of
privatized public utilities (electricity, water, irrigation, tollways,
port services, telecoms). Add to this increasing tax burden on both
industry and consumers and the humongous annual debt service and you
have a recipe for disaster.
As the Philippines became
uncompetitive, the middle class shrank and the underground economy
expanded, thus narrowing our tax base and causing government
capabilities to collapse with escalating graft and corruption. Kilusan
para sa Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME) chairman Jimmie Regalario summed
this all up in our Destiny Cable TV show entitled, “So-Ano Na?”: PeNoy
has nothing on any of these.
A long decade after mainstream
broadcast media stopped inviting me to their TV debates, I was invited
again last Monday to a 1 p.m. GMA News show. Winnie Monsod sat across
me. She gave PeNoy a passing mark based on the Movement for Good
Government (MGG)’s rating of 10 indicators — this, despite the fact that
the MGG actually rated PeNoy a failure, with a score of only 4.75 out
of 10.
Furthermore, Monsod crowed about the anti-corruption drive
of the “daang matuwid,” which I said was belied by PeNoy’s appointment
of several corrupt personalities — from the DILG and DoTC
undersecretaries, to the sweepstakes agency chief who was with the
Arroyo and FVR boards where she consented to and undoubtedly partook of
all the graft and corruption there. While I was at it, I also cited
Joker Arroyo’s alleged use of that agency’s funds for his 2001 campaign
which they choose to keep silent about.
Finally, PeNoy’s flagship
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program was not mentioned because it’s
still an absolute zero; same with the bluster around the Spratlys and
the boasted acquisition of vintage Hamilton cutters, which are
laughable. These are why PeNoy’s cheering squad in mainstream papers
such as the Inquirer can only praise his “greatness” in oratory (like an
Amorsolo in speech) and the oversold “wang-wang” spiel… All in the
spirit of shameful and shameless obfuscation.
(Tune in to Radyo
OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m., and Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday,
Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; Talk News TV with HTL,
Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable
Channel 8; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and
http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio
archives)
(Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel)
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL:
http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110729com5.html
