READING THROUGH THE NEWS AND COMMENTS ABOUT THE POST 7.8% growth, I can imagine how the PNoy’s spin doctors and apologists are crafting his SONA. Rather challenging I know. It is difficult to white wash truths that have come out in the open. The yellow media must be working double time too taking a cue from the spinners of tales. Like many, I still like to savor the high growth rate, the strength of the peso and the positive grades we have scored from the gods whose business is to advise the world who are good credit risks, but the true side that stares us straight in our faces are: high unemployment; low imports; negative real investments; bad foreign relations - these have not been able to move from grade zero on the reality gauge – in fact they have compounded during this administration. But there are still three years down the road for Mr Aquino and his team to start their work on a more serious tenor other than watching the popularity-approval gauge and making sure it does not slide; or if it slides, to employ big bluffs that the yellow media can pick up and disseminate in gay abandon. PNoy is not expected to complete every good project he starts - there is the incoming president to do that i.e. if the successor will start his business with magnanimity in his heart. But start he must, like improving the Manila airport/terminals, relocating the estero dwellers to ease the flooding problem in the metro, and replacing the unfits though his KKKs in his cabinet if he wants to leave office with head unbowed. I think his blaming the poor farmers for the lackadaisical performance of the agricultural sector was a mistake – or could be the mistake of his spin doctors, for poor and deprived as they are, our farmers are not putting up a façade for their true plight. I am not too sure if PNoy and his bright boys can duplicate what Thailand did to improve agriculture, which today, contributes a big chunk to its progress together with a robustly booming tourism sector. But there is no harm in trying, must less, imitating what works! It is just as well too for us observers to stop comparing ourselves with our more prosperous neighbors and stop gaping at their progress. This will only add to our frustration and daily stress – which we can do without! But what is really and categorically good for us [and I repeat] and for our leaders is to learn how our neighbors got themselves out of their rut and how they saved the day for their country and citizenry. It is THEIR, because change and progress come only when each stake holder learns the value of team work and cooperation, thus work for the common good.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:04:51 +0000
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