The problem with our country is that all matters are peremptorily transformed into political issues. Take, for instance, the wage issue, as well as the price increases of prime commodities. The population issue, the RH Bill, the Ombudsman resignation and her unconsummated impeachment, the Sandigan decision on the plea bargain agreement, and even typhoons and floods are all politicized or unduly infused with political color.
In other words, in this country, there is simply too much politics for our own good, too much politics and too little economics. Worse, there is too much freedom to talk and not enough thinking and analytical processes. Everyone wants to be commentators, without knowing the basic facts. Everybody is trying to project mastery of all issues without even studying the matters at hand. The result is too much noise, too much words, and less actions.
Let us just focus on the wage and other labor-related issues. The just decided increase of P22 in the workers’ COLA for the National Capital Region is being exploited by petty politicians, political ideologues, trade union leaders, and plain rabble-rousers in order to muddle the discussions and unduly spread chaos and discontent and anger among our people. Even unemployed “estambays sa kanto” who do not care to study and analyze the factors impinging on wage-fixing dare to lambast the President of the country and call him names, and hurl invectives via national television, on matters that directly depend on the economic dynamics of supply and demand, and of which the President does not have direct responsibility.
I have nothing against ordinary people being interested in national issues, nor do I begrudge concerned elements of the “hoi polloi’’ being involved actively in public discussions on matters that directly affect the masses. These, after all, are admirable hallmarks of dynamism in a working democracy. However, to insult our own Head of State and Head of Government, while he was attending an international conference (ASEAN SUMMIT) in Indonesia, was too much and would achieve nothing positive and useful. On the contrary, it would exacerbate the weakening of respect for our institutions and duly-constituted authorities, and add insult to an already much-maligned government in the eyes of the international family of nations. More importantly, such “argumenti ad absurdum’’ did add nothing constructive in the formulation of an intelligent public opinion.
It might have been correct to allege that the COLA adjustment was insufficient vis-a-vis the run-away inflation driven by a series of price hikes involving petroleum and related products. It might have been apropos to relate the issue of wage increase to the various economic indicators but to resort to gross insults against the Secretary of Labor and the President was too unbecoming of a mature citizenry. If there are oppositions to NCR Wage Order No 16, the proper remedy is to appeal the decision of the regional tripartite wage and productivity board to the National Wage and Productivity Commission, and not to resort to name-calling.
The problem with this country is that too many people are prone to play politics on purely economic, legal and even issues involving natural disasters and calamities. There are too many professional and full-time demonstrators and rally organizers, abetted by some scheming institutions and people, who, at the slightest provocation, and even on mundane and trivial issues, would rush to mount a stage, grab a microphone and lambast the President and other officials, the Supreme Court, Congress, the DOLE, the Wage Boards, and stage demos and rallies, without knowing the facts, much less, analyzing the issues first in some intelligent and dispassionate discussions.
People who don’t know the facts are quick to blame the government, insult our national leaders and filibuster on issues via national television. Even street urchins and habitual drunkards would have the temerity to scold the President on matters that were discussed, studied, analyzed by a tripartite body like the wage board, where labor, capital and the public are amply represented.
These things never happen in Japan, where, despite the grave disasters that they suffered, no one dared to lambast the Emperor or the Prime Minister via national television. They face their problems calmly and rationally as mature people. In our country, people would blame the President even for typhoons and floods. The people would blame the government for poverty, for population, for price increases and for all forms of misfortunes and disasters. The problem with this country is too much freedom to be reckless, too much democracy without due responsibility, too much freedom to talk without even thinking. Worse, we do not even have basic respect for our leaders and institutions. There should be a law penalizing the crime of opening one’s mouth without using one’s head. My simple counsel to all my countrymen, especially the Cebuano-speaking folks: “AYAW UG LUD-I ANG LANGIT, TINGALI UG ANHA MOTUGDON SA INYONG NAWONG.”