Credits

Monday, July 27, 2009

True Lies: The SONA

No its not a fantasy game though I wished it was, but Gloria outdid herself again. She portrayed herself the leader she never was and never will be. The way she boasted about her achievements almost made my ears and eyes bleed in utter disbelief. I'm a bit exaggerating but I was cursing all the way. After two terms, she could have done a perf3ect job. But no, not Gloria. She ran again in 2004 to escape the allegations she and her husband were involved in corruption.

Getting back to the SONA, as expected, she gave herself a perfect score. She went on citing programs and data that did not match the realities on the ground. Her redefinition of employed allowed her administration to boast the unemployment is low and that she created 8 million jobs. Her frequent junkets bore only promises that have yet to materialize as another company is set to close shop.

She also boasted of the CARP despite the throngs of farmers hiking their way to Manila for the agrarian reforms they have long fought for. Despite her promise to modernize the agriculture sector, you will still see palay being dried on the streets of Central Luzon. She may have irrigated thousands of hectares but a price that added to the woes of our farmers. She also boasted about how thousands of new classrooms were built and how many new teachers were hired. Yet the ratio of student to classroom and teacher is 70:1. Shifts had to be made to accomodate the thousands of students in public schools. Tjhe kids of our househelp were asked to choke up P100 each to cover the cost of new faucets installed in their school. This is Gloria's claim that public schooling is free.

The Cheaper Medicines Act was not implemented the way it should be. Gloria made concessions with pharmaceutical companies and only selected medicines were dropped by 50%. The economy did not grow, it shrunk in the last two years. The proof is how small businesses lsot from 50% to 80% in their gross sales. This is the reason why the BIR failed to reach its collection quota. Inflation is really high despite her claims. The cost of living shot up and more and more families are feeling the pinch. I wouldn't rely on surveys, what I rely on are what I see on the streets and my personal experience. Only a fool would say that their life improved.

The true state of the nation is far from the lies she peddled. Without the OFWs, our country would have sank. This is the problem with Gloria, the lies have become truth. Instead of being sincere and transparent, she threw the blame at her critics. I dare her and her henchmen to live in my neighborhood even just for a day, then say that everything in her SONA is true. If there's anyone who is afraid, it's Gloria and not her critics. She and her family has a lot of answering to do. The numerous unanswered scandals will surely haunt her long after 2010.

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