The Philippines Before and What Now? |
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Columns - Op-Ed Page | |||
Written by Dr. Cesar D. Candari | |||
Monday, 09 August 2010 06:49 | |||
By Cesar D. Candari, M.D., Henderson, Nevada
We are jubilant Filipinos with Noynoy Aquino as the new President of the Republic of the There is so much to be desired about the There is a sense of hopelessness in the business community. There is so much greed, dishonesty, opportunism, frustration, and unfathomable graft and corruption in the government. How Noynoy can correct this is beyond my imagination. How I wish he could.
POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES
It is not my intention to denigrate the My thoughts were on the piles of uncollected garbage along the streets and the possible source of epidemic it might bring. I came across a crowd of people of all ages covering their noses with handkerchiefs, presumably to protect themselves from the gasoline fumes and the garbage smell. The narrow street was jammed with jeepneys and cars honking their horns and filling whatever space there was in or outside their lanes. There was no traffic order and no sense of courtesy on the part of the drivers. “Undisciplined” was the word to describe such madness. The scenes I just described were widespread all over Gloria Arroyo’s accession to power was further legitimized by the mid-term congressional and local elections held four months later when her coalition won an overwhelming victory. Her initial term in office was marked by fractious coalition politics as well as a military mutiny in Gloria Arroyo in her Machiavellian maneuver declared in December 2002 that she would not run in the May 2004 presidential election but she reversed herself in October 2003 and decided to join the race. She was re-elected and sworn in for her own six-year term as president on Then President Arroyo unsuccessfully attempted a controversial plan for an overhaul of the constitution to transform the present presidential-bicameral republic into a federal allegations of corruptions by GMA and her family of multi-millions of dollars were true, no question she perpetuated an atrocious regime of mass fraud and thievery committed during her presidency. Another one in question was the $503-million North-rail project. This is only a microcosm of a presidential plunder that must face justice. To the Filipinos, these colossal corrupt deals are sickening in the stomach. How I wish Noynoy could do something to please the Filipino people. Noynoy must do something. Corrupt officials must be in jail! All these, of course, reflect the desperation with which the ECONOMIC FREEDOM M ankind discovered democracy not once, but many times. Filipinos fought the Guardia Civil of the Spanish regime; we had skirmishes with the Americanos in the 1900s; and we were guerillas during the Japanese occupation. We finally rediscovered democracy at the indomitable EDSA revolution. Let me say it again. Virtually 70% of the Philippine population is trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation. Where so few are very rich and so many are very poor is what our beloved country is. There is so much to be desired about the Unemployment is endemic; the price of food and other commodities is continually rising. Hunger, disease, pollution and congestion in the cities are appalling. The expressions of despair are in their eyes of the people. What can we do? We ask if there will be deliverance from these crippling maladies. We cannot live by love of democracy and freedom alone. What we also need are economic justice and power. The dispensation of the latter rests with the rich and the government. What is needed is the sacrifice on the part of the affluent by sharing their wealth and the intelligent planning and vision on the part of the government to spur economic development. Doing so, will go a long way in alleviating the economic plight of our people.
Noynoy Aquino must have the responsibility to lead the country and propel it to an industrialized nation in the years to come; no more graft and corruption, and “those who erred must face justice”. There must be an effective and visionary leadership with priority in economic initiatives. End our poverty. The enormity of problems facing the Filipinos particularly in its deliverance from economic injustice demands heroic sacrifices from everyone. Democracy restored is not all that also be free from hunger and want. Only then can Filipinos declare themselves free at last. # # #
Editor’s Notes: Our new columnist, Cesar D. Candari, MD,
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Last Updated on Monday, 09 August 2010 06:57 |
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