Distractions

The mind can trick us into believing the brawl is necessary, it’s real and that there will soon be more blood on the streets. 

The parallelism is stark and easily, we might find our way to Rome’s Coliseum of centuries past where spectators salivate at prospects of a messy fight among the toughest gladiators. 

The men in the white palace are conjuring magic and they’re hoping we’ll roar to the beating of blood-thirsty fighters. The failed mutineer is left with no choice. He has taken on the challenge and vowed to fight with his last breath before they can put him behind bars. 

The mutineer will pay for his sins and the crowd will cheer. The action star turned ass-kissing supporter has joined the fray.  

This is the script the men had written – crafted without rules in mind, to be followed at all costs, no matter the consequences. 

Era of the gladiators

In the era of the gladiators, the mob roared and forgot about everything. They were entertained as they should be. And it’s exactly why gladiator fights went on for a long time — nearly a thousand years until the games finally declined during the early fifth century after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire. 

The playbook indeed is borrowed from the Romans — entertain the masses and take away their freedom so the rulers can do what they want. 

But here, the mob isn’t roaring anymore. The distraction is simply not enough for the people to go blind with what’s happening.

Monster inflation

 Consumers are groaning, no thanks to the monster inflation that surged to 6.4 percent, the highest in almost a decade. 

Unemployment rate improved slightly in July – 5.4 percent from 5.6 percent a year ago – but more Filipinos are not in the jobs they want. 

Indeed, the quality of available jobs eroded as the proportion of those underemployed — or employed persons who are still looking for better work or longer working hours — worsened to 17.2 percent in July from 16.5 percent. 

The blame game has started with messianic and publicity hungry lawmakers saying this and that — that the central bank is incompetent, that the economy is choking, that economic managers should resign. 

There will be more finger-pointing in the coming days. But the time is ticking and the economy, as I’ve said before, is dangerously unraveling.

 As I write this, the peso is at its lowest level in almost 13 years – 53.8 – as rising domestic inflation and concerns about contagion from emerging markets have made investors jittery. 

This is the peso’s lowest since it closed at 53.985 versus the dollar on Dec. 7, 2005. 

Immediate measures are necessary – an increase in rice importation and well- coordinated distribution to areas with supply problems such as Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi; the passage of the rice tariffication measure and stronger support for the agriculture sector.

 Businessmen should also stop passing on the costs to consumers. It’s no secret that many traders are taking advantage of the situation.

 On inflation, monetary authorities should make up for their blunder. They were way behind the curve in raising interest rates and the world knows it. Economists now expect the central bank to raise rates by another 50 basis points to 4.50 percent at the upcoming Sept. 27 meeting.

 Because of rising prices, labor groups are clamoring for a wage hike, which unfortunately will only drive up inflation. 

Amidst all these, the burly court jester in the palace said inflation is nothing to worry about. That’s a grave insult to the desperately poor who are struggling even harder to survive these days.  

We now find ourselves in a precarious situation and another wrong move could put us in an even worse place. 

But the government is too distracted and too busy distracting its people that it cannot focus on solving the country’s woes. 

Now more than ever, the economy needs all the attention it can get, much more than all the attention that Sen.Antonio Trillanes IV is getting from the government now. 

The political will to persecute him is so strong that I’m sure it can work wonders if it’s channeled instead toward fixing the economy.

 And if that happens, there will be no need to put on a show, no need to bring the mob to a roar and no need to conjure magic. 

 Iris Gonzales’ e-mail address [email protected]