SONA 2003, Arroyo's fantasy
"It's all fantasy..." "Sounds like she's talking about some other country..." These and similar reactions were expressed by the people regarding the paradise presented by Gloria Arroyo in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28. Her boastful claims of progress, stability and peace in the country were far divorced from reality.
Within two and a half years of Arroyo's term, the people's livelihood had steadily declined. The regime has not only been inutile in providing for the most basic needs of the majority. It has also taken the lead in exploiting and plundering the public treasury for the benefit of the Arroyo family and the most favored bureaucrat capitalists and comprador-bourgeoisie.
In her SONA, Arroyo failed to mention the latest leading economic indicators (LEI) for the start of the third quarter of 2003 released by the National Statistical Coordination Board. The LEI serves as the overall measuring stick for economic performance based on trade, the price and consumption of electricity, goods and stocks and the value of the peso, among others. The LEI fell further from negative .079 during the second quarter to negative .096 in the third quarter. With the LEI measured before the Makati mutiny, it still does not reflect the rebellion's negative effects on the economy.
Arroyo likewise failed to mention that over 80% of the country's population lives in poverty. Thirty-five million Filipinos or more than 40% of the population lives on an income of less than P32 a day. In the United Nations Human Development Index for the year 2003, the Philippines' ranking fell down further from 77th to 85th place. The UN evaluation includes the quality of life, health, literacy and education levels, respect for human rights and other matters pertaining to the people's welfare.
The budget allotments for education, health and other basic services are dwindling. At the same time, the regime is furthering the privatization of public institutions to the detriment of the people who depend on them.
The country's unemployment rate is the highest in all of Asia. More than half of the labor force is either unemployed or underemployed. More than half of those employed do not receive regular wages and benefits. The number of those with regular employment is also declining as regular positions are replaced with contractual and irregular jobs. More and more Filipinos are forced to take their chances in search of gainful employment abroad. More than ten million Filipinos now work outside the country, with 3,000 adding to this number daily.
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Since 2001, the Arroyo regime has rejected demands to raise the wages of workers and the salaries of civil employees of the government. The highest minimum daily wage is pegged at P280 even as the average family of six needs P558 a day to live decently. The Arroyo regime is forcibly prettifying its own poverty statistics by insisting that a daily wage of P162 is sufficient for a family of five to live on. Contrary to Arroyo's boastful claims, the prices of basic commodities and services have risen in the last three years while the real value of wages has fallen. According to the government's own statistics, the value of the Philippine peso now stands at a mere 58 centavos compared to 1994 levels.
Even worse, almost a third of the basic wage and salary now goes to electric bill payments. Arroyo has not only refused to put a stop to the purchased power adjustment (PPA), she has made things worse through the "unbundling of rates" or the separation of charges so as to avoid the people's ire being directed at her regime's inutility or the avarice of her patrons in Meralco. Water service costs have also increased. There have likewise been repreated oil price hikes.
The Arroyo regime's greed and corruption have exacerbated the people's suffering. The estimated P20 billion siphoned off by those in power annually is too small a figure. According to a survey, over 57% of private companies admit to dishing out bribes to land beneficial contracts. The practice of alloting a minimum of 20% of project expenses to bribe government officials persists.
Arroyo and her underlings in Malaca�ang have entered into numerous anomalous contracts and agreements.
The regime's systematic plunder of the country's treasury, the growing budgetary allocation for the military and mounting government debt payments have aggravated government bankruptcy. It is estimated that the budget deficit will come to P263 billion by the end of the year. In 2002, the budget deficit exceeded by P82 billion the P130 billion target for the whole year.
Many of the leading government corporations have already been auctioned off at fire sale prices. Thus, additional borrowing has become the principal means of sustaining government operations. The debt has grown once more by 12.7% in the last twelve months and has now come to P2.96 billion. Public sector debts are now at more than P5 billion. Already exceeding 120% of the GDP, public debts continue to rise relentlessly especially since the government deficit and the necessary debt payments continue to increase.
The people are sick and tired of the Arroyo regime's empty statements and promises. The regime is extremely isolated from the people. Because it is so weak and with public resources available for plunder ever dwindling, the Arroyo regime's leading rival faction is in a hurry to grab power from it.
Despite all this, Arroyo clings stubbornly to power and all of its attendant privileges and bribes. Instead of using the latest SONA to bid farewell, what was apparent to most was her obsession to run in the 2004 polls.
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