Words and Souls
“Our words are a faithful index of the state of our souls.” — St. Francis de Sales
This statement of a saint sums up our reaction to the latest SONA of GMA. The following biblical statements are helpful as well to summarize our response to GMA and her SONA: “Don’t put your trust in human leaders; no human being can save you ( Psalm 146:3).” Sin is on their lips; all their words are sinful; may they be caught in their pride! ( Psalm 59:12 ).
On Monday, in her nth SONA, GMA proudly announced that telecom companies agreed to cut text rates to 50 centavos. The very next day, the telecom companies clarified promo lang ang text cut – temporary lang. Was the announced text cut then just to humor the people to listen to GMA’s SONA? Wednesday news said newly appointed NEDA Chief Ralph Recto hopes the 50% text cut becomes permanent. What did GMA brag about then last Monday? A temporary text price cut timed and tailored just for her SONA, just like the peace pact in
What the SONA text announcement did, however, was show the hidden truth: That government like hers can force telecom to fix their rates for a day, for SONA. That telecom rates, after all, can still be adjusted to make it abot-kaya ng mga tao. And yes, that this GMA government controls and will control business where it can, when it wants too. That this government under GMA does not regulate pro-people prices but will settle for quick fixes, for palliative relief for our people, pang-SONA lamang, for pogi points. Consuelo de bobo, consuelo de gloria?
Her government aided the poor. Goodness, even government agencies, apart from private surveys, are showing that poverty and hunger levels increased and that there are more poor and hungry now than ever. Whenever and whoever wrote that SONA speech for her, and why she went ahead anyway, despite her being a well-trained economist, to not speak the full truth about our poor is a statement from her heart, from her soul and also from the hearts and souls of those who drafted the SONA speech for the nation to hear?
The
Lies can state the truth however.
By using the Spanish colonization policy and period to highlight that her government is merely continuing a previous policy of rice importation, 1) GMA unwittingly shows the glaring truth that like the Spanish colonizers, her government is depriving our farmers of their right to till and own their lands, 2) that her government has not provided ample support to the farmers and our food producers, 3) that her government favors and prioritizes still the export over the food crop sectors. More recently, GMA and her officials have not fully accounted for the fertilizer and other funds, collected from VAT and other taxes, including foreign donations, that have been intended for the poor, including those for our farmers and other food producers among our people.
Also, by referring only to particular periods during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, by not completing the data about when this country was independent of or dependent on rice importations, GMA in her SONA showed how her leadership will continue to use data to suit her need, not to use complete information to speak the full and complete truth about the rice crisis to our people this time and the unresolved GARCI tapes in the not-so-distant past.
GMA should, like her speechwriters be more honest and more learned speechwriter from now on.
Better still, perhaps, the Filipino people should allow only the honest and truthful from their souls to do the SONA and lead this nation from now on?
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