Is There True Philippine Freedom?
The Philippine celebrated her 109th independence day on June 12. In Kalibo, Aklan only a handful of municipal employees headed by Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo attended the celebration.
Governor Carlito S. Marquez and Congressman Florencio T. Miraflores who were scheduled to deliver their respective independence day messages were unable to attend. According to Atty. Diego M. Luces who represented them, Governor Marquez and Congressman Miraflores were indisposed.
In the Luneta, only a mini crowd, mostly soldiers and policemen attended the celebration which was short of spectacular due to lackluster program. There was no student participation unlike the past celebrations. The police estimated the crowd at between 2000 – 4000 people including president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In her speech, President Arroyo acknowledged there is a continuing "struggle for freedom still rolls forward; freedom from want and freedom from fear as we march together in the fight against poverty, divisiveness, terrorism, despondency. . . "
Is RP Really Free?
Chief Justice Reynato Puno was the independence day guest and speaker in Caloocan City. The commemorative program was held in the Bonifacio Monument. In his speech, Chief Justice Puno pointed out to the "fraud-marred May 14 elections, the continuing exodus of workers and the feeling of shame called Filipinos show the Philippines is not entirely truly free". According to Chief Justice Puno, "as long as the sacred vote of even just one person is violated, we are not free."
Puno though noted that the Philippines had attained only political freedom. But the Filipino heroes did not offer their lives for a theoretical concept.
"What is the true condition of the Filipino now?" Puno asked. Does he have what we could call honor? Can he hold his head up high? "Filipino should be living with honor as his heroes did not fight for an abstract idea," stressed Puno. "Freedom must go hand in hand with honor. A free person is one who is honorable, he is not anybody’s slave and is only guided by his own conscience," Puno pointed out.
In a free country, people should have decent jobs, be able to access all basic necessities, provide education to the children and prepare for their needs adequately.
Chief Justice Puno likened the extra judicial executions that plague the Philippines at present with conditions prevailing more than a century ago.
How do we live today after 109 years of independence? Are government officials honest especially those at the top? Are the Filipinos well off? Is there available jobs and livelihood for every able bodied Filipino? Is there freedom from poverty among Filipinos about 35 million of them?
Is the Filipino free of corrupt government officials? Is he free from fear and may walk by the road side without being robbed? Can he breath clean air?
NATIONAL DEBT
Is a country immersed in heavy debt free? The national government under President Arroyo is indebted by P3.93 trillion as of March 2007. This is 0.9 percent higher than February which was P3.897 trillion. This national debt if spread among the estimated 88.7 million Filipinos this year, will show that each Filipino’s share is P44,318.
Financial managers of the Philippines predict national debt will continue to increase as long as there is budget deficit spending. This propensity of government officials to borrow, the loan proceeds of which partly (40 percent) go to graft and corruption makes the Philippines financially dependent. It will promote poverty and impede the exercise of freedoms.
The government also borrows through auction of treasury bills and bonds in the local markets and floats sovereign bonds in the international markets.
On the basis of the latest Bureau of Treasury report, P1.75 trillion were foreign-dominated debts and P2.18 trillion were of local obligations. /MP
Governor Carlito S. Marquez and Congressman Florencio T. Miraflores who were scheduled to deliver their respective independence day messages were unable to attend. According to Atty. Diego M. Luces who represented them, Governor Marquez and Congressman Miraflores were indisposed.
In the Luneta, only a mini crowd, mostly soldiers and policemen attended the celebration which was short of spectacular due to lackluster program. There was no student participation unlike the past celebrations. The police estimated the crowd at between 2000 – 4000 people including president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In her speech, President Arroyo acknowledged there is a continuing "struggle for freedom still rolls forward; freedom from want and freedom from fear as we march together in the fight against poverty, divisiveness, terrorism, despondency. . . "
Is RP Really Free?
Chief Justice Reynato Puno was the independence day guest and speaker in Caloocan City. The commemorative program was held in the Bonifacio Monument. In his speech, Chief Justice Puno pointed out to the "fraud-marred May 14 elections, the continuing exodus of workers and the feeling of shame called Filipinos show the Philippines is not entirely truly free". According to Chief Justice Puno, "as long as the sacred vote of even just one person is violated, we are not free."
Puno though noted that the Philippines had attained only political freedom. But the Filipino heroes did not offer their lives for a theoretical concept.
"What is the true condition of the Filipino now?" Puno asked. Does he have what we could call honor? Can he hold his head up high? "Filipino should be living with honor as his heroes did not fight for an abstract idea," stressed Puno. "Freedom must go hand in hand with honor. A free person is one who is honorable, he is not anybody’s slave and is only guided by his own conscience," Puno pointed out.
In a free country, people should have decent jobs, be able to access all basic necessities, provide education to the children and prepare for their needs adequately.
Chief Justice Puno likened the extra judicial executions that plague the Philippines at present with conditions prevailing more than a century ago.
How do we live today after 109 years of independence? Are government officials honest especially those at the top? Are the Filipinos well off? Is there available jobs and livelihood for every able bodied Filipino? Is there freedom from poverty among Filipinos about 35 million of them?
Is the Filipino free of corrupt government officials? Is he free from fear and may walk by the road side without being robbed? Can he breath clean air?
NATIONAL DEBT
Is a country immersed in heavy debt free? The national government under President Arroyo is indebted by P3.93 trillion as of March 2007. This is 0.9 percent higher than February which was P3.897 trillion. This national debt if spread among the estimated 88.7 million Filipinos this year, will show that each Filipino’s share is P44,318.
Financial managers of the Philippines predict national debt will continue to increase as long as there is budget deficit spending. This propensity of government officials to borrow, the loan proceeds of which partly (40 percent) go to graft and corruption makes the Philippines financially dependent. It will promote poverty and impede the exercise of freedoms.
The government also borrows through auction of treasury bills and bonds in the local markets and floats sovereign bonds in the international markets.
On the basis of the latest Bureau of Treasury report, P1.75 trillion were foreign-dominated debts and P2.18 trillion were of local obligations. /MP
No comments:
Post a Comment