Philippine politics

I promised myself a long time ago not to think about Philippine politics. When I was younger and more idealistic, I really felt that the Philippines really had a chance, that the people would lift themselves up. Benigno Aquino had said at one time that the Filipino is worth dying for. For him that is exactly what he did, and 20 some years later, the country has not progressed in any real fashion, with the exception of the exploding population, which at 80 million (it was 60 million in the 1980s) is expected to double within the next 20 years or so. Is the Filipino really worth dying for?

Hello Garci?

Now the current president is embroiled in an election scandal that seems to sprout new wings and take off with every passing day. It appears that she had phoned an election commisioner on the eve of the vote for president during the last election against the now deceased Fernando Poe Jr. in an effort to ensure that she wins by 1 million votes. The election commisioner apparently told her that they will try their best, for what nobody seems to know. But what appears is that the country has yet again lost confidence in their leader, with many apparently clamoring for change. Her family is also apparently flirting with the same problems that befell the last duly elected president, Estrada. Namely, her husband, son and brother are caught up in a jueteng scam of their own.

Left out in all of this is everyday filipino, who has to figure out how to feed their families on a daily basis while the elected officials continue to stick their hands in the cookie jar and taking out enough to feed thousands of filipinos everyday.

Things will Never Change

Things will never change in the Philippines, that is a statement that my dad has always said, ever since I was in high school. And I tend now to believe him. People in the Philippines tend to be a bit corrupted, and this all comes from the top, from the govt, and the "public servants" on down to the driver in the city streets who pay off the cops who pull them over. Sad but true.

The problems seem to be unsolvable as political families keep amassing fortunes on the backs of the people. Now the Philippines wants debt relief? The country has been paying down its debts that were incurred during the Marcos regime, but the govt. still hasn't shown to the people of the Philippines, let alone the world, that they can be trusted with other peoples monies. Some say that eliminating the foreign debt would release more funds for the country, but the problem here is those funds widely end up in the pockets of the politicians, I should know.

Leave the Philippines
More and more Filipinos are seeking their fortunes abroad, which in turn turns the people into a mobile workforce, building up other countries at the expense of the Philippines. Now the govt. is more reliant than ever on the foreign remittances that these migrant workers send back home. It is increasingly becoming clear that as more people leave the country, the more the country will stay in the dark ages, and the more the Filipino will be known abroad as the workers performing the unwanted or unfilled positions in far off places.

Vietnam has a very industrious people and their govt. is communist. Just 30 years ago, it was wracked in war that left more than 1 million Vietnamese dead. That country is surpassing the Philippines in many areas, both socially and economically, and soon, the Philippines will return to its status not as the Pearl of the Orient, but the sick man of asia. What is it going to take to get the Philippines on track? A U.S. trained economist? She is not working out, and the people have lost faith in her. The U.S. government will support any "duly" elected leader. Is a coup d'etat the right answer in this case? Or should Arroyo step down for the good of the country? It is sad that a mere four years later, the people are faced yet again with the potential of taking matters into their own hands are calling a people power election, but is their support this time around of the cabinet members and armed forces or will the country follow Arroyo to whereever she takes it?