Debt, Debt and More Debt
January 4, 2011
I was pretty young when I was first acquainted with the debt that the Philippines has. Actually, I wouldn’t really use the word “acquainted” since the discourse on the matter was not even thorough. It was merely one of my sisters mentioning that we have a debt and that Marcos was the one who perpetuated it. (Hands off on that one) Anyway, it was really a random conversation but it was instrumental in changing my perception regarding my citizenship as a Filipino. Even as a child who dines in a marble dining table (I am not joking), I believe I was poor. I am a Filipino and our government has an immense debt. Therefore, I am at debt too.
Years passed and the people around me continued to open my eyes to the economic situation of the country. I remember a teacher in high school who was obsessed with news. She makes us report before we start class and she practically thrives in bad news that involves the government.
My cynicism grew and with it came my skewed discernment about the status quo.
Fast forward to 2011, my assertions pretty much remained the same. I am not as active politically as I used to, especially where mobilizations and campaigns for economic reforms are concerned. Nevertheless, I am still at a point where I am irrevocably disconcerted with the efforts of the government to keep the country from going to the dogs. At present, I am particularly irate at privatization issues, which continue to bleed us dry.
Water and power issues are two significant cases in point. Water and power is privatized and the consequences of that move are carried by the people. We are immensely burdened by these issues as corporations make money out of our necessities. It is evident that there is water pollution and water shortage to deal with. There is also power shortage in Mindanao in 2010. And perhaps that shortage will also reflect in Manila in the coming years. These issues plague us collectively and yet government intervention is scant. These important issues were not being properly addressed not merely because of a lack of prowess on the part of the powers that be. Fact is, the government cannot take charge of these key issues because they do not have the same authority that they used to. Water and power is privatized and as such, the responsibility does not fully belong to their hands anymore.
Let us try to put things in the proper context. When the government decided to privatize water and power, its mind was set on doing the math. Taking its hands off these two basic services would be parallel to less overhead costs. Thus, we can save up and instead use the appropriated cost on other basic social services and on debt servicing. What the government failed to anticipate is that not all plans of actions that look good on paper will be translated to such ideal results when applied in a practical setting.
That said; look at the common people’s way of life. Where are we now? Some groups are fighting more privatizations as this is essential in trying to keep our heads up as a nation. Significant efforts are being exerted and I think the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) has won legal issues on this regard. But we are still a long way from sweet victory. The battle is just beginning. We need the understanding and cooperation of the executive, legislative and the judiciary because they can tweak things up in favor of the Filipino people. The question is, do their interests cover ours?
