JEDDAH, 18 November 2005 — I’VE just come back from a two-week vacation in the Philippines and I’m sad to report that despite the usual outward signs of happiness and friendliness, the Philippines and Filipinos are undergoing a profound test of their ability to further withstand the continued political instability and economic hardships that they have been experiencing under the Arroyo regime.
“I’m depressed as it seems that most of my friends are trying to leave the country, emigrating to Australia and New Zealand,” said my friend Ciso over a cup of coffee in his office in Ortigas.
Ciso is a former OFW himself, having lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for two years many years ago. But working abroad in a strange land was not for him, so he returned home and has been gainfully employed ever since. For him, as well as for me, it is painful to see Filipinos despairing of their own country’s future, so much so that they have to make plans to permanently leave the country.
I say permanently because, let’s face it, starting over in a foreign land is not for the weak of heart, and takes much dedication and hard work. Most Filipinos who move abroad don’t return for a visit to their homeland for many years, many not until they are old and wrinkled. But that is another story.
Many people I talked to likened the current political chaos to the Marcos years, with some such as the writer Jessica Zafra saying tongue-in-cheek that the current problems made the Marcos era look better in comparison. Of course there have not been any mass arrests of opposition figures yet, or a wholesale declaration of martial law, but we seem to be creeping awfully close to it.
According to informed sources, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Franklin Drilon makes sure to leave the country every weekend so that if martial law is declared he won’t be accused of supporting it and also to avoid being placed under arrest. Conrado de Quiros, the columnist who is a staunch critic of the Arroyo administration, is also allegedly planning to go underground if a crackdown on critics continues.
I myself was a little concerned that I might be harassed upon entering the Philippines for having written so many columns against the president, but happily no one at Immigration grilled me about being a journalist.
I just made sure to stay away from any public rallies in the off-chance that I could be arrested for participating in “anti-government” activities.
But returning to the hardships being faced by the man on the street in the Philippines, the implementation of the dreaded eVAT of 10 percent on many goods being sold, started when I was in Manila and only served to highlight the economic misery that so many Filipinos find themselves in. A liter of gasoline now costs around 39 pesos or SR2.70 including the eVAT. While foreign economic interests, namely the World Bank, were over the moon when the eVAT was implemented, all Filipinos I met told me they hated the tax for being so unfair (as it affects Filipinos of all income levels) and emphasized how the Arroyo administration could have gotten a similar level of revenue if only they enforced tax laws already in existence and forced tax evaders to pay up.
But President Arroyo seems more interested in pleasing her foreign backers than in easing the economic hardships of her fellow kababayan. With such a scenario, is it no wonder that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are yearly leaving the country to seek greener pastures abroad? Not really.
I have started my own blog called Rasheed’s World. On it I will write about the funny, irritating and bizarre things in life. I was inspired to start my own blog when Jessica Zafra told me how easy it was to run her own blog: http://twistedbyjessicazafra.blogspot.com.
As you may remember, Jessica used to write a regular column for Today newspaper, but decided to stop it in 2003 when she found herself repeating herself. In any event, Today has now merged with Manila Standard, morphing into the Manila Standard-Today without Teddy Boy Locsin, Julie Yap-Daza and Jessica. Although Locsin is still listed as the publisher of the merged paper, insiders assured me that he has nothing to do with running the paper anymore, which is now owned by a mega-rich backer of President Arroyo.
So go ahead and visit my blog at http://rasheedsworld.blogspot.com. My first entry is about the lovely Miss World 2005 candidate from the Philippines, Carlene Aguilar. She’s stunningly beautiful, has legs for days and a lovely smile.
For once, the Philippines has a real chance of winning the pageant, which is being held again in Sanya, China, on Dec. 10.
Comments or questions? E-mail me at: [email protected].
