While PNoy harps on his already worn-out and empty slogans and charges the ills of the nation to the wrongdoings of the past regime, his 1-year achievement report to the people he calls his “boss”, remains far below minimum expectations.
The masses of the people cannot make out “tuwid na daan” and “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap”. It is grinding poverty that is very real. Even as the people’s expectations on PNoy were high at the start, they were just awaiting for changes beyond “walang wang-wang, walang counter-flow”. They were expecting that the PNoy administration would start addressing the causes of poverty, beyond corruption.
But what steadily revealed in the past year was: the path being pursued by the second Aquino regime is along the same neo-liberal direction that was followed by past administrations. The difference, Noynoy’s presidency is out to prove itself that it is pursuing this path in a manner that is opposite the self-serving and self-aggrandizing ways of the Macapagal-Arroyo criminal syndicate.
The illegitimacy, massive corruption, abuses and the blatant scheme of the GMA regime to stay in power roused the people to action and rendered grave costs to the socio-political system that caters to the interests of local and foreign elite. It is therefore the task of the PNoy administration to save this system from impending implosion but in a way that the government would regain the people’s trust.
The PNoy administration is turning out to be more faithful to the conditions set by the IMF-WB and other foreign creditors and investors than to its “covenant” with the people.
The anti-corruption and anti-tax evasion drives and the fiscal policies being pursued by the Aquino administration have gained recognition from international credit analysts. Being rewarded with credit rating upgrade is the greatest achievement of the PNoy administration! Now, its aiming for an investment rating upgrade.
But as the government is drawing savings and earnings from its anti-corruption drive and improved revenue collection, it is spending less on social services.
This is in accordance with conditions set by foreign creditors and investors, specifically the guideline for the Philippine government to lower the budget deficit to within 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So as not to default on its debt payments!
The credit rating upgrade achievement and the investment rating upgrade being worked-out by the Noynoy presidency are added assurances for creditors and financial speculators to do business in the Philippines. Indeed the net inflow of non-productive, non-job creating portfolio investments have significantly increased by 245% from $647 million in the first half of 2010 to $2.36B in the first half of 2011. Also, the total debt (domestic and foreign) of the government has ballooned to P4.712 trillion in April 2011. This is everything for the financial speculators and nothing for the Filipino people except a heavier debt burden and denial of social services!
The prices of oil and oil products keep on rising effecting increases in prices of basic needs: water, electricity and other utilities and services and cost of production. But nothing has been done by the government within its mandate, not even cushioning the impact of inflation. Immediately it could have suspended or reduced EVAT as suggested by some legislators. This could have been followed with the scrapping of Oil Deregulation Law and EPIRA and checking monopoly pricing by oil and energy cartels. Instead the Aquino administration extended EPIRA for another 10 years.
The PNoy administration boasts of expanding coverage of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to two million - its centerpiece pro-poor program.
But the fact being muddled is: the 4Ps is the continuation of the “dole-out” program started under GMA. The funds being used are loans from WB and ADB. It is also not being admitted that the CCT is not immune from corruption and is a convenient way for politicians to build and sustain political patronage. The conditions that have to be met by the “beneficiaries” further promote mendicancy and non-productivity. In fact, reports say that some who have availed of the 4Ps are not poor!
PNoy is consistently betraying the trust of his “boss”, by deviating from his campaign promises. He is making it safe and secure for big land-owners by distancing from the case involving his family’s large estate, the Hacienda Luisita rather than pursue agrarian reform that favours the landless peasantry.
He favours the interests of both local and foreign big capitalists and turns away from the workers’ pleas and demands against contractualization of employment and for just and living wages, job security and safe working conditions. The workers’ cases in PAL and Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines (HHIC-Philippines) represent the continuing failure of government to give justice to workers’ rights to job security, safe working conditions, self-organization, living wage and other benefits. Demolitions of urban poor communities sans relocation continue despite pleas to continue the short-lived moratorium.
The human rights record of the Aquino administration is also dismal. While not as worse as the previous GMA regime, it remains inconsistent with the pronouncements by PNoy, and echoed by the AFP and PNP of “respecting human rights”.
The killings, enforced disappearances and arrests and detention of activists and journalists in different lines of advocacy—from political to environmental causes-- continue. This is a continuing insult and injustice because not one among those accused of perpetrating the extra-judicial killings (EJKs) and enforced disappearances from 2001-2010 is yet brought to justice. The most notorious of them, Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan is scot free even as he is charged in the case of two missing students from UP. And of course GMA, who honored Palparan as a “defender of democracy”, is free and a congresswoman even!
The promised closure of cases involving GMA, her family and their accomplices in government, police and military is far from being realized. The process which has been blocked in the past regime remains impeded still. And among the big impediments is the indecisiveness and sluggishness of the PNoy presidency. For instance, the cases of human rights violations, election fraud and the other cases of betrayal of public trust are grave historical injustices to the Filipino people. Should the PNoy presidency fail to act decisively, it could be overtaken by the outrage of the people, his boss.
The PNoy presidency has confirmed once again that the Philippines is not sovereign. It is a US neo-colony and the Philippine government is a stooge of this declining but very aggressive superpower.
Several times did PNoy and Malacañang deviate from the ASEAN principle of peace, freedom and neutrality over the issue of the islets of Spratlys. Several times did PNoy do sabre-rattling even as his daringness was clearly being propped-up by non categorical statement of the US State Department that USA would back the Philippines should China invade the islets.
It’s like the little boy inviting trouble while his big brother stands behind. This is scary for the little boy in this case is the president of over 90 million people.
Finally, it is expected that PNoy would include in his second SONA the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016, which is said to be based on his “Social Contract with the Filipino People”. The PDP was launched last month but it would need certain legislations so it could be pursued. Nevertheless, PDP 2011-2016 is a rehashed and broadened version of the Millennium Development Goals of the UNDP for the Philippines.
The masses of the Filipino people have suffered long. They have been longing for liberation from the social ills. They elected a government that promised to be the alternative. Should they be failed again, the people would not cease from justly taking upon themselves the pursuit of liberation.
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