This column had been written a day in advance to avoid the stress of deadlines. But I had to rewrite the whole article after it had been overtaken by events. You see, Noynoy Aquino, with surprising speed uncharacteristic of his more familiar noynoying, ordered the Bureau of Customs to stop its plan of subjecting balikbayan boxes to random inspections.
The swift action by Noynoy validates for me the perception that OFWs are a class of their own in this country. And yet they are just 10 percent of the population, which is why I cannot understand that while the rest of us 90 million Filipinos are treated so shabbily, government fawns upon OFWs as if they are royalty. Sorry to friends and relatives who are OFWs but there is no ignoring the glaring fact.
Consider this: OFWs are heroes, right? Right. The billions of dollars that they remit to the country annually helps prop up the economy in a big way. There is no argument about that. But what about the Filipinos who are right here in the Philippines? Don't our contributions to the economy also matter? It is asked what would happen if OFWs stop remitting. Perhaps the better question to ask is what would happen if all of us who are here stopped working?
I am tired of us Filipinos who are here getting treated like second-class citizens. Never mind us here in Cebu because we are quite removed from the corridors of power. But look at the poor Filipinos living in Metro Manila and how they struggle to wake up before dawn just to be able to get to work and school on time because of the traffic and transport mess that Noynoy has simply ignored and then endure the same hell on the way back, reaching home already deep into the night.
In Congress, there is a bill that has been languishing for more than a year. The bill seeks to institute tax reforms so that the highest taxes ever levied on a people in Asia can at least be cut in half to allow overworked and underpaid Filipinos right here in the Philippines the extra purchasing power that unforgiving taxes have prevented them from enjoying. Noynoy has never lifted a finger to help that tax reform bill along. He never even mentioned it in his SONA.
Speaking of heroes, none could have been more heroic than the SAF 44, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. And yet, when the bodies of the SAF 44 came home in flag-draped coffins, where do you think was their commander-in-chief? Why, Noynoy was at the inauguration of a foreign car manufacturing plant, having a good time.
When Filipinos right here in the Philippines agonize for hours in traffic or get stuck or injured in trains that are breaking apart, Noynoy acts as if there is no such thing, even if the problem has been around for years and the complaints have grown louder over time. And yet, when OFWs complain about a plan by Customs to subject balikbayan boxes to random checks, Noynoy swings into action in just a matter of two days.
When Filipinos right here in the Philippines agonize for years under inhuman wages, often in working conditions that strip people of their dignities, Noynoy chooses to remain oblivious to the suffering. He ignores even the one thing that, if he cannot measure up the powerful employers, can at least lower taxes to give breathing space to workers. But while he refused to raise wages and lower taxes, he quickly comes to the rescue of OFWs complaining about, ah, er, balikbayan boxes.
When real heroes like the SAF 44 who fought and died so that justice might be served come home in coffins, the least their commander-in-chief could have done was to be on hand to receive their mortal remains and at least give honor, dignity and respect to their memory. But Noynoy just isn't up to fulfilling even such basic, human and Filipino expectation. But when OFWs are in an uproar over balikbayan boxes, Noynoy is quick to respond and give in to their wishes.
I know I can be easily misunderstood here. So let me be very clear. I do acknowledge the heroism of OFWs. But I cannot say that without also mentioning the fact that when they left home and country and family, it was always for personal betterment and advancement. No OFW ever went overseas because he wanted to save the country. The great help their billions in remittances provide for the economy is but consequential and incidental.
I also appreciate the value of the balikbayan box, having been on occasion a recipient of the "happiness" it contains. But to say that it is inviolate simply for being so is, to say the least, unfair to everything else that must be subjected to lawful scrutiny, scrutiny that must continue even if the scrutinizer may have failed or been remiss in other duties. Just because one fails in one or more duties doesn't mean we give up expecting the fulfillment of other responsibilities.
Noynoy himself has been a failure in so many things. And yet we continue to expect him to do his job. In fact, he got the most tremendous applause he ever got in his entire political life from OFWs on account of his action on the balikbayan flap. Checking boxes or any other container is an intrinsic responsibility of Customs and just because it has failed to check smuggling and corruption doesn't mean it has to look the other way or else OFWs would be unhappy with their happiness boxes.