Wednesday, March 07, 2007 Ledesma: Simple math By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
THE economic managers of the administration came to town and dazzled us with impressive statistics. Even as they are dazzling, indeed they are credible.
For one, the hard-to-please opposition and the pessimistic Makati business elite especially those identified with the bacchanalian regime of Erap Estrada had even grudgingly conceded that the economic strategies of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have improved the economic outlook of the country.
So, even if one is not a student of GMA in economics, seeing those statistics in vivid Powerpoint presentations, the figures can indeed be impressive.
Finance Secretary Gary Teves is even more dramatic as he embellished his report card with cinematic effects. Business presentations are almost as soporific as raindrops but the savvy Gary T, I must stress, knows the proclivity of audiences as much as he knows the bland subject of economics that he used some visual aids to get his audience through the end of his report.
The economic team was generously applauded. However, I thought that they could further simplify the reports to the business community into a simpler math for the greater mass to appreciate. The opposition would simply dismiss the report as mere figures that benefit the rich and conclude with the tagline: "nothing has trickled to the poor."
Impressive as their reports maybe, the economic team lacks the suasion of explaining in simple and graphic terms the gains that the economy has on the hoi pollois. The poor looks at the success of the economy from a different view. They neither care about the ups and downs of stocks in the exchange nor worry about where the peso is heading to vis-a-vis the dollar.
They measure the success of the economy in terms of how much has the jeepney fares and gasoline and diesel prices declined. Or, are they paying less for the sardines and dried fish today than a year ago? Will they be able to afford the tuition fees in Ateneo or La Salle? Are the prices of brand new shirt affordable now or will "ukay-ukay" and imitations remain to be the only option still. Has the NFA bought the farmers' palay at a price better than last year?
These questions should find answers from the presentations of the economic team. If it cannot sufficiently respond to the quiet predicament and clamor of the masses, then the picture of a rosy economic boon remains to be irrelevant.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the gains have not reached the poor. They may not have trickled to the poor in real and perceptible terms but surely the impact is there as quickly as the economy perked up. Now let the creative genius of Gary T and his teamwork on that.
BTW. The pretty airline executive secretary of Philippine Airlines who looks like Lea Sanga emailed this corner to remind all Davao City High School batch '83 that there will be a General Assembly on March 17, Saturday, from 1-4 P.M. at the DC(N)HS auditorium. The agenda is the preparation for the 2008 Grand Alumni Homecoming. For further information call Lea at cell No. 0917-701-1179.
