Hunger is spreading. This is being reported in an alarming tone by the World Food Program and in a new survey by the respected Social Weather Stations.
The government is, of course, assuring that its “hunger mitigation” program is proceeding apace with charity feeding activities for young kids in public schools, rice dole-outs and cheap albeit lower quality varieties of the stable grain being brought around barangays in low income communities.
This scenario runs side by side with official reports about the Philippines’ trade deficit widening, the global financial crisis affecting local banks, and loccal companies tightening their belts resulting in more Filipino losing jobs as overseas Filipino workers (with the money they send back as our lifeline) also facing the prospect of joblessness and cutting their remittances.
Analysts of varying political stripes will be wont to slam the Arroyo administration for failing to do enough. To be fair it surely has its hands full fighting the war in Mindanao. This effort, with the military asking for up to Php 60-B in more war funds, further drains limited resources that should rightly go to social welfare. The prospect also is that the internal refugee situation in Mindanao will evenworsen before abating with new fighting taking place each day.
Predictably the reaction of government spokesmen would range from earnest assurances that government agencies will do better (with more resources being made available) to assertions that “government detractors have their own narrow political agendas and are trying to fuel discord to destabilize the government.”
A third aspect here would be how other Filipinos grown weary with the festering, and growing, divisions in the national body politic and the seeming hopelessness to vote with their feet and try at great personal sacrifice to find another country to sink roots in and live another life.
Those who do decide to stay or have no other option but to stay will continue to scrape out a living in hand to mouth fashion. Those on the fringes wanting to actuate their socio-political beliefs that the current social dispensation must be changed by force of arms will go to the hills.
This is the reality of national life.
So perhaps it is fair to raise this question: Why is it that with all the challenges on its plate (the war, corruption, poverty, and over all public mistrust) there is now the admission from certain elements claiming strong connections (if not actual ranking stature) that the true objective and “unstoppable” goal of charter change is to assure the sitting president’s enthronement for ten more years beyond the constitutionally mandated expiration of the chief executive’s term in 2010?
Has our experience with Ferdinand Marcos not ingrained the lesson that absolute power corrupts absolutely? If the charter change card fails, will the trump card of emergency rule be dealt?
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Wala bang blame ang ordinaryong naghihirap/mahirap na tao?
Lagi na lang (sa nababasa ko) sinisisi ang gobyerno. Oo naman, hinde kahanga-hanga ang gobyerno ngayon, kahit na ang gobyerno na nakamulatan ng isip ko, pero sila lang ba ang dapat na tuunan ng daliri?
Meron solution ang kahirapan. Alam mo yan, alam natin yan (yung mga tao na sumusulat dito). At pwede natin ipaabot yan sa mga mahihirap. At kung hinde nila bibigyan ng halaga ang sinasabi mo, then they deserve what they have now.
Henrico,
Ang pagbaka sa kahirapan ay tungkulin nating lahat at hindi natin dapat isipin na na pagsisi sa kahit alin msng panig ay lulutas sa suliranin. Nguni’t dahil sa lahat tayo ay binubuwisan, pangunahing responsibilidad ng pamahalaaan ang manguna at mahgpairal ng tamang mga panuntunan at pagkilos umang ang yaman ng bansa ay tunay na pakinabangan ng tao. Hindi maari na kapag may naitatalang tagumpay ay malakas na isisigaw ngobyerno ang nagawa ng bayan , nguni’t kapag may kabiguan ay tao ang sisisihin. Manapa dapat ring handa ang sinumang namumuno na tanggapin ang mga pagkakamali, bakahin ang mga kabukukan na nagnanakaw ng pera sa kabang bayan at usigin angmga nagkasakasala sinuman sila, Tulad sa usapin ni Jocjoc Volante ang paglustay sa pondo ng Qudancor… kung ang mga pondo nalustay rito ay ginugol sa paglaban sa kahirapan, hindi kaya higit na kaunti ang may 3 milyung Filipino na iniuulat na nagugutom sa ilat ng World Food Program. Tulong tulong tayo rito di ba dapat lamang, kabayan?
POVERTY is a never ending issue.. Sino ang dapat sisihin? The answer is..both the gevernment and the people..We are keep pointing each others faces.In this sick kind of government with corruption as its primary purpose (well hindi lang ako nagsabi nyan)all we have to do is to make a difference in our lives.Yes ang gobyerno ang dapat gumagawa ng mga hakbang para tulungang umunlad ang bawat Pilipino…but some bunch of politicians a.k.a. devil’s advocate..wala sa bokabularyo nila ang tumulong. What’s the point? Hindi natin pwedeng iasa sa kanila ang buhay natin para umunlad.At this point in our lives,living in a third world country is a SURVIVAL thing.If you are an ordinary citizen ofthis country, wala kang maraming pera at koneksyon all you have to do is give your best shot. Tulungan ang sarili para mabuhay at umunlad..at tumulong ka rin sa iba sa abot ng yong makakaya. Ang importante hindi ka namemerwisyo ng kapwa and you don’t violate God’s commandments..Hindi po ba?
As we keep on blaming our government na hindi magpasahanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin matanggap ang katotohanan na may problema ang Pilipinas at para sa kanila “everything is under control” (oh..c’mon), let us also evaluate ourselves…
Para sa mga taong nakakaangat sa buhay, may they continue to stretch their arms abd gie help to the needy..
At para naman sa mga taong hindi nakakangat sa buhay, naway tulungan nila ang sarili nila na iahon ang kanilang sarili..paramihan ng anak ang favorite nilang pasttime.. and from there..the problem is multipliedmagnified million/thrillion times….(OMG)-Oh my God
And for the people in the government who have wealth and power..May they realize that their primary function is to help, protect and serve every Filipino…