The Philippines is not independent

How can we be free when Imperial Manila wants to tie the hands of governors who exercise local autonomy? What kind of independence is this that Manila bigwigs want to micromanage Cebu? The top guns of the DILG, DOH, and their underlings who are not elected by any constituency want to impose their will on a governor chosen by 1.4 million Cebuanos.

Free but not independent? A nation can have freedom, and yet is without independence. Like the Philippines, it is supposed to be free. It has its own territory, its own constitution, its own government, its own flag, national anthem, and other symbols of freedom. And yet, it is not independent. It has no food security, no oil security. It cannot defend its own territory. It is mired in public debt and almost half of its 112 million people are languishing in poverty.

The first proof that we have no independence; we rely on heavy rice importation from Thailand, Vietnam, and other ASEAN countries. We are supposed to be an agricultural country but we allowed the reclassification of our rice fields to give way to the unrestrained construction of too many malls, golf courses, and low-cost housing subdivisions. We take away the focus of the people from food production to too much consumerism. We end up relying on other countries to supply us rice and other basic commodities. The irony is that these Thais and Vietnamese studied scientific farming in our Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute.

Second, we do not have oil and fuel security. If the Middle East stops selling oil to us, all our industries shall stop and our economy shall collapse like a house of cards.

Third, the Philippines does not have the will and the capability to defend its own territories. China has blatantly made incursions into our exclusive economic zones and even our national territory. We allow our fisher folks to be bullied and bombarded with water cannons because our leaders do not have the will to stand on our own national dignity. We cannot even enforce a favorable judgment by an international arbitration tribunal.

Fourth, we can be attacked like Ukraine and we have no wherewithal to fight.

Fifth, during natural calamities and disasters like Yolanda, Ondoy, Odette, and in volcanic eruptions like Pinatubo and earthquakes, we still rely on international aid in search, rescue, and rehabilitation.

Sixth, during health pandemics, like COVID-19, we had to beg, borrow, or buy from other countries such vital medicines as vaccines and even masks and other medical kits.

Seventh, more than 40 million Filipinos are living below the poverty line, many of them are homeless, jobless, and hopeless.

Eighth, more than 5,000 Filipinos are leaving the country for good to work abroad, many accepting dirty, difficult, dangerous, degrading, and deceptive jobs just so their families can survive.

Ninth, the country is indebted by ?13 trillion both from foreign and domestic lenders. The middle class are overtaxed and underpaid. The poorest of the poor and the poor minimum wage earners are not paying taxes at all. Most of them are beneficiaries of government dole-outs. The richest of the rich do not pay taxes because they have multiple ways of shifting taxation to the consumers. They have many tax avoidance tactics and strategies with the aid of highly-paid accounting and law firms. It is the middle class that is overtaxed and underpaid. They carry the burden of funding a government which is ineffective and corrupt.

Tenth, the people are free to vote in elections but they are dependent on trapos, LGU leaders who coerce and mislead them, exploit their naiveté and powerlessness. They cannot receive ayuda, they cannot be employed as casuals and job-order workers if they do not blindly follow the dictates of these trapos. They are free but not independent. If national appointed officials cannot even respect local autonomy and want to micromanage the LGUs, let them run for governor or mayor here, and let the people decide