Thursday, July 31, 2008 Espinoza: Sona and the President’s promises By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
PRESIDENT Arroyo’s eighth State of the Nation Address (Sona) did not make a difference on the lives of million of poor Filipinos. To them, Sona is just a ritual.
The speech, which lasted almost an hour before a joint session of Congress, failed to address the issues of unemployment and skyrocketing fuel and rice prices.
President Arroyo defended the value-added tax (VAT) noting that if it is removed, “we strip our people of the means to ride out the world and fuel crisis.”
But most Filipinos feel that VAT is causing the hardships that people in the low income group are experiencing. Instead of the merchants paying for it, VAT is passed on to the consumers on top of other taxes.
People expected the President to announce available employment, the lowering of the pump price of oil and of making rice available to everyone. With the low purchasing power of the peso and high unemployment rate, the Sona was useless.
Worse, Malacañang plans to increase the budget to P1.4 trillion in 2009. That would bind us, our children and our children’s children forever to foreign debts.
The bulk of the money will go to the departments of public works, agriculture, and education. But haven’t we had enough of corruption in these departments?
There are suspicions that the 2009 budget is part of preparations for the 2010 elections. But let us give President Arroyo the benefit of the doubt that before she bows out of office in 2010 she could implement what she promised in her Sona.
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Call it coincidence but my July 24 column about stolen motor vehicles in Metro Manila being sold here was validated by the arrest of the suspect the other day.
The operation led by Quezon City cops and the police Regional Intelligence Division (RID) shamed the Traffic Management Group (TMG) here. The failure of TMG to discover this illegal activity can also be understood that it slept on its job. Worse, it can be accused of protecting carnappers.
I hope the raiders were not selective in their operation. My source said there are still stolen cars displayed by some secondhand car dealers.
The policemen deserve commendation for a job well done. But they should prosecute the case until justice is served.
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Is government a business enterprise? I was asked this after Gov. Gwen Garcia, in her State of the Province Address, said the province saved billions of pesos.
Government is not a business entity. It was partly created to collect taxes and in return answer the taxpayers’ basic needs. The huge savings does not suggest that the province did not use its funds to provide services like roads, light and water. Capitol is just frugal.
To be fair, some provincial roads have either been asphalted or cemented.
Roads were built in areas previously unreachable by motor vehicles. I am not suggesting that Capitol empty its coffers and pour the money on more projects, otherwise the lifestyle of its officials will be affected.
The next elections are still more than a year away. Expect the implementation of more infrastructure projects next year and the months leading to the elections. This has been the practice of almost all incumbents and is no longer surprising.
But I hope Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes won’t wait until 2009 or 2010 before he orders the repair of a portion of Abellana St. in Canduman.
