Pangan: Figures Don't Lie

Thursday, February 9, 2012

FIGURES may not necessarily lie, especially if quoted in real terms and if the source if credible and unimpeachable.

Whatever the pronouncements from Malacañang are, more Filipinos are getting hungry every day and as based on the latest Social Weather Station (SWS), some 4.5 million families were said to have experienced having nothing to eat and some families having eaten only once or a few times, with the children suffering most and often.

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This same survey showed an increase in hunger incidence during the last quarter of 2011. This may have prodded Senator Edgardo Angara to suggest that the present administration should "take aggressive measures to combat hunger and reduce malnutrition in the country as the demand for food continues to rise exponentially."

The senator from Quezon bats for adopting hunger-mitigating measures that will target the country's absolute poor, or those who have no means to buy food. He adds that the government should establish mechanisms and promote national policies that give incentives for maximizing agricultural production.

Figures on gross domestic product, international reserves and other rosy pronouncements on our growing economy are contradicted by statistics on hunger and poverty incidents, as the prevalence of poor and marginalized sector seems to outpace the economic engine of the country.

The gentleman from Aurora thus suggests two ways to initially give solutions to the abovementioned problem, namely, by increasing food production to stabilize prices and prevent fluctuations in supply and by raising the incomes of the rural poor who are often the casualties of hunger.

The palliative measure to ease the burden by way of a massive dole-out euphemistically named Conditional Cash Transfer does not help alleviate the lot of the country's poor. On the other hand, it helps promote corruption and fraud, as the list of beneficiaries includes very non-deserving recipients.

Prominent writer-columnist Federico D. Pascual, Jr., of the Philippine Star exclaimed in his February 5 column thus: "Where's the cash? How is the P30-billion pile in the administration's Conditional Cash Transfer dole-out program being used? Is it being spent to alleviate hunger or poverty, or unrest or grumbling or what?

See, many observers believe that this ambitious program of the PNoy administration suffers lack of sincerity and effectivity in its implementation and the results of such impulsive scheme are not encouraging!

Poor PNoy. While his daang matuwid may be paved with good intentions, nature does not cooperate with him as disaster after disaster punctuates his otherwise seemingly smooth handling of government. Typhoon Sendong devastated Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities and parts of Dumaguete. Lately, earthquake shook Negros and Cebu, resulting in deaths and damage to infrastructure and properties.

Coupled with these natural adversities are the spiraling prices of basic commodities and gas and oil products and then add to this sorry scenario the unsolved Maguindanao massacre and spate of crimes happening in Metro Manila, the seat of power and in other areas of the country.

All these negative occurrences offset the gains thus far registered by the Aquino II administration and the ongoing Corona impeachment trial does not add up to the plus side of PNoy's balance sheet because it (the trial) seems to drag and eats up substantial portion of the Senate's time which could have been devoted to crafting laws and refining calendared bills, plus, of course, the considerable sums of money and other resources expended for this trial of the century.

--oo0oo--

Mabalacat cityhood. Speaking of the Senate, I joined other LGU department heads last Tuesday to witness the third and final reading of the conversion bill of Mabalacat into a component city.

Majority Floor Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto stood up to formalize the reading and acquiring of votes of assent to the bill, enough to pass it and from there, a bicameral committee meeting to refine it follows.

Of course, Mayor Boking Morales was understandably excited over the prospect of finally seeing his town become a component city, after Angeles and San Fernando.

Senator Sotto read into the records the gratitude of Senator Lito Lapid to his colleagues and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada. Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr., chair of the Committee on Local Government, was not in attendance during the final reading of the Mabalacat city hood bill.

From the reconciled bill, a refined one follows for signature of President Aquino and then the requisite plebiscite comes in April. After that, the rest is history for Mabalaqueños.

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Like finding a needle in a proverbial haystack, the two teenagers from Barangay Agapito del Rosario, Angeles City, namely Warly Miguel and Jano Fortades, deserve the people's gratitude, commendation and recognition for making an exemplary act, that of returning intact a bag they found which belonged to a visiting Korean couple, Kim Mi Hwa and Lim Deok Kyu. Such gesture deserves continuing notice and dissemination to other youth not only of Angeles but in the entire Philippines for being extraordinary, particularly in these dire financial straits we are into.

The duo could have spent the US $3,500 found in the bag but no, they opted to return it, cash, passports and other contents to barangay officials in Agapito del Rosario chaired by Judy Susan.

The Angeles City government, headed by Mayor Edgardo "Edpam" D. Pamintuan and its Sangguniang Panlungsod, were right on the button for the timely and appropriate recognition of the exemplary act of Miguel and Fortades.

May their kind increase!