Yellow for bananas

I WILL GIVE Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III’s First 100 Days speech an excellent ‘A’ – an ‘A’ for acting.

It always seems to me that whenever PNoy delivers a speech it is as if he is in some kind of drama show. His speech seemed well rehearsed complete even with humorous quips. Even the town hall meeting style question and answer segment appeared too scripted like that of a talk-show to help PNoy highlight and underscore his so-called accomplishments.

The whole report appeared very conceited and full of ironies.

At the end of his speech, PNoy said “Kung mayroon po tayong pagkukulang, ito marahil ay ang hindi natin naging kaugalian na ipamalita ang mga tagumpay na atin pong nakamit.” Well, isn’t that what he just did exactly in his “Report kay Boss” speech, brag about his administration’s so-called ‘accomplishments’?

In his speech he bragged about strengthening the fight against corruption and leading a frugal government in his First 100 days in office. Aquino mentioned his administration’s unearthing of irregular benefits of officials of Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs). He also boasted an improved Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), with weather forecasting now done hourly.

“Ngayon, mayroon na po kayong gobyernong handang makipag-usap at magsabi ng totoo; handang makinig sa makabuluhang usapan; handang iangat ang antas ng pampublikong diskurso ukol sa mga isyung makaaapekto sa ating lahat, at maging sa mga darating na henerasyon,” PNoy said.

However, PNoy failed to mention about more important issues like that of Hacienda Luisita and genuine land reform, reproductive health, jueteng , the Quirino Grandstand bloodbath, a legislated wage increase, the worsening human rights situation, the budget cut on state universities and colleges, etc.

He boasted an increase in the Department of Education’s budget without mentioning that the true cause of the increase of the DepEd budget is the mandatory increase of salaries of DepEd employees and not due to conscious prioritization by the government. Not to mention that while the budget for SUCs will have a gargantuan cut, the budget for military spending will increase doubling that of the budget for education.

He stressed that the creation of jobs is the focus of his government while one of his priority project is the conditional cash transfer program called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4P program (a program from PGMA’s administration) which does not generate sustainable livelihood for the poor but promotes patronage politics.

There is no tinge of humility in his speech.

The president boasted the approval of the government’s application to the Millenium Challenge Corporation Grant which granted the government 430 million dollars. He stressed that two past administrations failed to achieve what he has done in only 3 months.

“Ididiin ko lang po: dalawang beses nag-apply, ni-reject sa loob nang hindi bababa sa siyam na taon, tayo po sa tatlong buwan, inaprubahan,” he said.
What is wrong here is that PNoy is bragging of begging for money from other countries. I can’t see how anyone can be proud of being given dole outs in exchange of policies that will not benefit the Filipino people.

Listening to his ‘bosses’ – the people was what he promised in his first “Kayo ang boss ko” speech, however, it is quickly becoming clear who is PNoy’s real bosses are.

It appears that PNoy’s priority is the same as the past administration - to lure more foreign investors here and even strengthen their grip on our economy evidenced by his recent trips to the US.

The Philippines do not need more foreign investors controlling the economy. We need to focus in building our own independent economy based on modernized agriculture. We must stop depending on foreign investments creating jobs for the Filipino people but rather begin focusing on creating jobs and industries of our own.

PNoy compared the previous administration to “Tatlong Matsing,” for being deaf, blind, and for lying. Well, after a hundred days of PNoy’s administration and seeing not much difference, I now know what PNoy’s yellow color stands for.

Eliza

SHE PLAYS ON HER MOTHER’S LAP. Occasionally, twisting and turning to look at the unfamiliar faces that surround her and her mother. She gives up a frown while examining each face that she sees and then retreats to a smile returning to her playful demeanor.

Someone calls her name, she turns and quickly a camera captures her image, smiling, unaware of the events that lead to that moment. For an instance, she was taken aback by the camera flash. The photographer tries to get her attention a second time but this time she was too embarrassed to sport the usual beam.

Eliza, only one year old will never again experience how it is to grow up with a father. His father will not be able to send and fetch her from school and buy her ‘baon’. There will be no ‘pasalubong’ or kisses. No fatherly advice or tight embrace. No father to carry her on his shoulders. No father to tell her stories of ‘mangkukulam’ and ‘aswangs’. No father to reprimand her for staying up late with friends or on going on dates. No father to walk her on the isle when she gets married. No father to see her own children grow up.

But she does not realize that yet.

Today she is still oblivious to the grim reality that she is a victim of human rights violation. That her father, Elmer Valdez, was allegedly mistaken by elements of the military and killed on the hills where her father makes a living by making furniture out of bamboo. That they are today before a human rights commission seeking justice.

She is still oblivious to the state her father’s body was found – decomposing, almost beyond recognition because of the extent of the damage it sustained but mostly because it was missing a large portion of the head.

She does not know yet that she has become one of the thousands of victims of human rights atrocities. She does not know that the same has happened to countless others and the peril that many more will suffer the same tragedies still persist.

If she did know, she wouldn’t be smiling. She would be the one protesting against the injustices that thousands have suffered under numerous regimes.

She would protest that under a so-called democratic country, how could anyone suffer such gruesome fate as her father? How could a one-year old be left fatherless under a government that has promised reforms under its slogan of “tuwid na daan”? How could she and her mother be left as victims seeking justice against the same government that promises “pagbabago”?

She would question the government’s true intent in extending the murderous counterinsurgency program “Oplan Bantay Laya.”

She would point out that there is no significant change under this government and the previous one.

She would say that despite the bright yellow color of PNoy’s campaign his first one hundred days are stained red with the blood of victims of state terrorism.

Eliza is only one of the thousands of children stolen of a complete and normal childhood. It will not take long until she will wonder why she no longer sees her father and probably it will take many years before she realize why so.

Until the government makes a true stand for the interest of the people and against the perpetration of human rights violations, until programs such as Oplan Bantay Laya is continued by the government, until the government stands for genuine social change, more Elizas will emerge.