President Marcos arrives at the Batasang Pambansa Complex to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address | Photo via PCO
PBBM delivered refreshing honesty, if nothing else, during his latest state of the nation address. The president expressed the widely held frustrations of the Filipino people. The SONA was not merely about taking a victory lap. Admittedly, some success is undeniable, almost unavoidable when P6.35T is involved. Some good has to come of all that spending.
The drug war is nowhere near being won. It is, however, notable that the killing and mayhem have seemingly stopped. What was missing was how many are actually in drug rehabilitation. There were no reports of a prominent, influential, powerful drug user apprehended – perhaps these individuals don’t exist? Law enforcement must be ‘encouraged’ to raid swankier places and where the rich and famous live, or does the law not apply to them? If we’re being serious, the Filipino propensity to take action if incentivized can be exploited. Offering outsized bounties for the arrest of drug dealers may result in more arrests. The reward includes P10B for information leading to the interdiction of deliveries at ports of entry, any beach landings, manufacturing sites, and the arrest of drug lords. Additionally, there is a P1M reward for street-level drug dealers. The drug addict must be considered a victim and be offered rehabilitation; on refusal of rehabilitation, the person with an addiction must be jailed for no less than it takes for rehabilitation and be compelled to identify their suppliers.
A foreign policy of ‘friend to all and enemy to none’ is indeed commendable. In consonance, the Philippines could organize a coalition of the willing to build an international military base on Scarborough Shoal, aka Panatag Island or Bajo de Masinloc, or at Thitu Island, aka Pag-Asa Island, or both islands that would welcome all visiting foreign forces that acknowledge Philippine sovereignty over the same. It may have the effect of creating the wealthiest barangay in the Philippines – including a world-class resort, perhaps.
The Overseas Filipino Worker was relegated to an honorable mention. Admittedly, obtaining clemency for around 600 of our Filipino compatriots is important, but failing to mention a more robust plan for their reintegration was simply unacceptable. The advocacy for transitioning the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFB) ownership to oversee Filipinos was a glaring failure. Although Senate Bill 2379 and House Bill 11424 seek to charter the OFB, they did not earn even a glancing mention in the SONA. Was this a tacit wink-wink-shrugged-shoulders approach after a dismal turnout of overseas Filipino voters during the last election?
Infrastructure spending? Who can argue against it? The only question worth asking is whether the debt burden is worth it. At the current pace of borrowing, including the recent non-payment of principal, an accounting gimmick, this burden will be borne by at least two generations of unborn Filipinos, not to mention the additional tax burden that will become necessary to preserve any semblance of fiscal balance in the short term.
“The SONA deserves full-throated discussion beyond this simpleton’s ideas. The one ingredient that no economics class will ever teach that is in seeming short supply is ‘patriotism’ – are they among the 315 members of the House of Representatives, the 24 senators, or in Malacañang Palace?”
Corruption – a problem that has become so intractable in the Philippine setting. Politicians talk a good game but indulge and partake in it with great relish. PBBM, like many presidents before him, has vowed to eradicate this problem yet again. But the government fails even at deliberations on the most basic of measures – integrity software – use of biometrics, at minimum, digital signatures, to track all transactions, from payroll to procurement, would be an excellent start. The Whistleblower Law and the Anti-Corrupt Practices Act can both use some amendments to include a more punitive civil forfeiture clause, exclusion from presidential clemency, designation as a heinous crime, asylum abroad for whistleblowers, etc.
Employment must be redefined – a dishwasher or a floor sweeper working in a family-owned business must be excluded from the definition of the employed. Each farmer or fisherman engaged in subsistence livelihood cannot be considered employed. Each employment report must be accompanied by a parallel report that includes the repatriation of every single overseas Filipino worker. Stop the pretense that there are more jobs than actually exist.
On education, the shortage of classrooms remains the most glaring blot on government effectiveness. It is time to bid out all the remaining unbuilt 150,000 classrooms to civil society – this would be an experiment so bold that mere mention of it sends shivers down the spine of would-be corrupt DPWH personnel and contractors.
Health delivery should aim to ensure that patients who would otherwise be admitted to a DOH hospital are admitted to private hospitals with full coverage. This unconscionable class caste system in health must end.
Transportation, Fares, and Fuel prices – all public transportation must be free for all Filipinos. Pay for it through means-tested vehicle registration fees, with carve-outs for vehicles that cost around the price of the most popular vehicle used for taxi service, the more luxurious, the higher the registration fees. Diesel fuel prices must be adjusted by shifting the cost differential to gasoline-powered cars, but with a registration surcharge for diesel vehicles for private use – this will impact jeepney fares, delivery cost of all commodities, interest-island travel, power generation, etc.
Supplementing the incomes of farmers and fishermen starts with enabling their ownership of the entire supply chain – from farm to table. It will require supporting their cooperatives instead of behemoth conglomerates. Imagine a fleet of fishing vessels the size of the Chinese maritime militia – the water cannons will stop.
The SONA deserves full-throated discussion beyond this simpleton’s ideas. The one ingredient that no economics class will ever teach that is in seeming short supply is ‘patriotism’ – are they among the 315 members of the House of Representatives, the 24 senators, or in Malacañang Palace?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Crispin Fernandez advocates for overseas Filipinos, public health, transformative political change, and patriotic economics. He is also a community organizer, leader, and freelance writer.
