After so many opinions and reports that have been written and said to praise and criticize President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s recent State of the Nation (SONA) Address last week, we should take time to listen to what the less-privileged have to say. A certain group of people residing in depressed urban areas were one in saying that first, they could not relate to what the President said in her SONA as she spoke in English. Second, they cannot understand nor believe the claims of economic gains being experienced by the country because they are actually becoming poorer with the prices of basic commodities going up. Third, what the President said about providing housing is not true at all.
Despite the criticisms and sarcastic remarks from the other side of the camp, GMA’s SONA was well-applauded, several times, as counted by reporters during the whole session. Indeed, the achievements of the administration cannot be denied. Investments, coupled with increasing OFW remittances, are at an all-time high, thus pushing the value of the peso up. However President Arroyo herself admitted that the government must do more to alleviate poverty and unemployment. Sadly, surveys bolster the fact that economic gains simply have not been felt by the masses at all.
Recently, we read about the designation of accessible “bagsakan centers” where farmers can market their produce and make these available to both small and midscale entrepreneurs and end-consumers alike at reasonable prices. This project will not make the farmers rich overnight, nor will it lower the prices of the products for the consumers. It does creates new avenues for marketing and buying though; trade is facilitated for the farmer who experiences quicker turnaround of his capital, thus resulting to a more steady income stream for his family.
In the same way, increasing investments in physical, intellectual, legal and security infrastructure, one of the objectives stated by the President in her SONA, will not directly make the poor richer. However, when foreign investors get attracted by these new infrastructure, new businesses are generated and more jobs are created in the process.
Presently, the ASEAN Ministerial Conference is being held at the PICC. One of the primary agenda is the creation of the Human Security Commission. Putting this in place will give more credibility to the ASEAN as an organization because it is a concrete measure to fight the onslaught of terrorism. Again those belonging to the lower rank of society will probably not find these matters to have a clear and direct relevance to their basic needs.
The language of progress that the ordinary citizen understands is having food on the table, a roof over their heads, having the basic necessities of life so that their survival is not threatened. Collective depravity of the most basic needs can threaten peace and can actually result to general discontent, even rebellion. Poverty and hunger must be addressed against the fact that the population keeps increasing. One reason why progress is not felt is because economic growth is far outpaced by population growth.
We do hope that economic gains will move the wheels of progress of the nation as it did many times in the past and that these efforts will actually uplift the status of the disadvantaged sectors. This is the only way we can have true justice and peace for everyone.