By
Liling Magtolis Briones
From ABS-CB Interactive
July 30, 2007
"On the day of the SONA itself, we raised this question
in the light of the shortfalls in collection and the rising
deficit. In spite of the assurances of the president that government
revenues will fund the massive infrastructure program, it will
not be enough. It is not even enough for the daily operations
of the government."
SONA
2007 has come and gone. Exactly one week ago, the nation watched
another ritual in the business of governance. For weeks, the people
had waited with bated breath as Congress was spruced up, and media
engaged in a guessing game on what the president would say. The
ladies and gentlemen of the government went into a tizzy over
what to wear, the military prepared their contingency plans, and
the militants formulated their Contra Sona statements.
July
23 finally dawned. Schools were closed and public offices went
on half-day. Anticipation mounted. In the meantime, the lady members
of Congress and the spouses of gentlemen members went through
the tortures of beautification. Their tummies were cruelly flattened
by corsets, their bosoms lifted and puffed up, their waists pinched,
and their faces and arms anointed with creams and lotions. Their
hair had to suffer the ministrations of merciless hair stylists—shampooed,
dyed, teased, slathered with gel, rolled and pulled every which
way. Their eyes were lined, shadowed and adorned with false lashes.
And
the six-figure gowns! They were in all colors of the rainbow with
preference for the brightest fuschia pink and the most electrifying
neon green. Kilos of swarovski crystals and kilometers of multicolored
sequins glittered as the ladies tittered at each other and teetered
on their high heeled designer shoes. Congress began to look like
a lake of pink flamingoes surrounded by a forest of green, chattering
parrots.
Finally,
The Speech was delivered. Applause upon applause as names of grinning
congressmen were called as this contract for that project was
reported, the bidding for another project announced, the opening
of a third airport in a small favored province trumpeted, and
an additional post in a pier included as an important part of
the SONA.
Of
course there had to be private parties. The ladies needed somewhere
to go! When the cost of a gown is more than double or treble the
annual income of a poor family of five, it has to be displayed
to one’s rivals in beauty, youth and power.
Now, it is the morning after the night before.
After
the bonggacious ritual, the applause and the hangovers, people
are asking: where will the money be coming from?"
On the day of the SONA itself, this column raised this question
in the light of the shortfalls in collection and the rising deficit.
In spite of the assurances of the president that government revenues
will fund the massive infrastructure program, it will not be enough.
It is not even enough for the daily operations of the government.
It
was mentioned that the private sector will build some of the large
projects. Three points need to be considered. First, the cost
of these privately financed projects will ultimately be borne
by the users. Profit margins must be built into these services.
Second, private businesses rely on ratings agencies to help them
decide whether to invest in the country or not. The morning after
the SONA, a leading rating agency observed that fiscal problems
of the government are not fully resolved. Third, private business
will only pick up projects which are financially viable for obvious
reasons. Who will take care of projects which are needed by the
people but are not immediately profitable?
Privatization
has been enthusiastically cited as another possible source of
financing. Again, many people have to be reminded that President
Cory Aquino started the process of privatization twenty years
ago. Since then, the government’s most precious earning
assets have been sold like our oil corporation. A few financial
assets remain. However, if these assets were obtained because
they are part of ill-gotten Marcos wealth, the proceeds from their
sale can only be used for agrarian reform, and not for three airports
in a small but politically important province.
Thus, the question
remains: How will SONA 2007 be financed?
Is Makati the
Philippines? Make no mistake. I love Makati, especially its social
development programs. Makati invests heavily in health and education.
Its infant mortality and maternal mortality rates are much lower
than the stratospheric national numbers. Aside from the usual
20% discounts for senior citizens, they are treated to free health
services, movies and other perks. Makati has its own university
for those who can’t afford the tuition fees of elite schools.
The observation
was made on television that since there are more fast food centers
in Makati which are packed with people, hunger must be going down.
Obviously, Makati is not the barometer of hunger in the Philippines.
The richest city in the Philippines cannot represent the rest
of the country. In Makati, hunger can be voluntary especially
for those wanting to lose weight. In the rest of the country,
hunger is involuntary for those who desperately need to gain weight.
One million
peso budget for foreign trips? What is this news about congressmen
and women being allotted P1 million for travel abroad? At a time
when the Department of Finance and their revenue raising agencies
are undergoing horrendous pressure to bridge their yawning shortfalls,
money is being distributed as largesse for votes. This is the
classic case of the left hand being profligate while the right
hand is drowning in deficits.
In the meantime,
local government units are taking the cue from national government
officials. It is now fashionable for local officials—be
they barangay captains, councilors, or mayors to hie off to some
place like Hongkong, Singapore, or as far afield as Australia,
Europe and the United States for "Lakbay Aral." In other
words, they need to travel abroad to improve their minds. A favorite
destination is Geneva, where our officials along with their wives,
buy loads of Bally shoes and expensive Swiss watches and refurbish
their wardrobes, but not necessarily their minds.
I humbly suggest
that instead of traipsing around the world and spending millions
of dollars, the servants of the people should do their "lakbay
aral" in the Philippines. They should peek under the bridges
where they will discover human colonies living like rats. They
should visit the garbage dumps where human settlements abound.
They should visit public hospitals and study the state of misery
and neglect. They should take off their Bally shoes and swim in
the sea of garbage under Tulyahan bridge.
Perhaps, they
just might learn to be true servants of the people.
(Ms. Leonor
Briones is a former National Treasurer of the Philippines. She
is currently teaching public administration at the University
of the Philippines. She also writes a column for the Business
Mirror)
Other
Feature articles:
-Of
Command and commandeered votes
-Coming
soon: young bureaucracy?
