“It’s the
social economic reforms,
professor!!!”
(A Macro
Position Paper)
A Rebuttal to GMA . . . A lesson of the
past for P-NOY
 |
| Leon Estrella Peralta with Ka Leleng (Chairman-KADAMAY) |
GMA’s
well publicized Position Paper entitled “IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUDENT!” (Pls.
see related news article below )boasted her regime’s economic gains at the same time
lambasted P-Noy’s poor economic performance for 2011. While it is actually true that GMA had achieved economic
gains during her past administration, this truth is inutile in her
administration’s fight against poverty. The GMA administration’s yearly positive economic
growth rates within the span of 10 long years conspicuously did not cure the
economic standing of the poor and had placed a large number of the lower middle class
to imminent poverty or near poverty. Generally, considering the actual facts of the past
administration, we could conclude that Good Economic Standing
of the State does not necessarily mean economic
recovery for the masses; a true picture of GMA’s past presidency. GMA’s failure to install genuine social
economic reforms specifically lowering down the prices of petroleum products,
electricity, water, and all basic commodities in a “socially economic curable level” (Please see below its definition and
description(s) by the herein author) was the big reason for GMA’s failure of
her administration’s fight against poverty. GMA
apparently aggravated the economic condition of the poor when she signed the E-VAT
LAW which mandated the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) for petroleum
products, water, and electricity. The E-VAT LAW, adding insult to injury, had caused
a fatal blow to the long desired economic recovery of the poor and likewise, this
consequently had shaken and weakened the economic stability of the lower middle class
hence, had created a new class in our society, referred to by the herein author as the “MASSES IN
GENERAL” (Please see below author’s
definition and description(s).
While
history was unfolding in P-Noy’s initial successful fight against the alleged
“Mother of all SCAMS,” twin bleak news came into the limelight. The Pulse Asia survey specifically concluding
the worsening economic condition of the people and the news about the declined
growth rate of the national economy in 2011 have dampened P-Noy’s initial
victory against graft and corruption.
History of P-Noy's 1 1/2 years of presidency apparently taught him and his economic team that their failure to spend what is on
the 2011 budget mainly for infrastructure had a fatal intertwined setbacks in
the general economic standing of the country and the economic standing of the
poor and likewise the lower middle class. Seemingly, it’s the history of their said past
action that P-Noy’s administration decided to spend 438.8 Billion pesos this
2012 for sustained, rapid, economic growth.
This comprises 24.2 percent of the 1.1816 Trillion pesos National Budget
of 2012. Specifically, the 2012 economic
budget will fund 182.2 Billion peso infrastructure program according to a DBM
report. (Please see below related news article).
Relative
to the aforesaid, to spend BIG is generally a GMA economic formula and
definitely will lead to the economic recovery of the state but not necessarily
transcend to the economic recovery of the “MASSES IN GENERAL”. The aforementioned reality is the true
picture of GMA’s 10 year presidency, a healthy economic condition of the state
but a sorry economic condition for the “MASSES IN GENERAL”.
The nation and the rich are getting
richer, the “MASSES
IN GENERAL” getting poorer.
Of course, P-Noy’s copy cat economic program as proven by the
economic performance of the past administration would surely lead to more
employment and money to spend for the “MASSES IN GENERAL” but again, if genuine social
economic reforms would not be installed vigorously with intensified Political
Will by P-Noy, the current crippling prices of petroleum products, electricity,
water, and all basic commodities, if not
lowered to a “socially economic curable level”,
would greatly neutralized the aforesaid. As a result, this would be construed by the “THE MASSES IN GENERAL” as simply cosmetics or simply anesthetics for the same would not see and feel the truth of the sorry state of their economic standing.
DEEPLY, THE ECONOMIC UPLIFTMENT OF THE "MASSES IN
GENERAL” MUST HAVE
THESE ELEMENTS: Enough money to spend for all their basic necessities,
enough money to spend for their desired education and enough savings for future
capitalization for them to be able to engage in small businesses without
resorting to “loan shark” financing. IDEALLY, THESE ELEMENTS WOULD TRIGGER THE UPLIFTMENT
OF THE SOCIAL ECONOMIC STANDING OF THE “MASSES IN
GENERAL” WHICH
WOULD INITIALLY NARROW THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR AND ULTIMATELY
CREATE A “DRAGON MIDDLE CLASS” . . .
History
has proven the GMA presidency’s economic programs had continuously widened the gap between the RICH AND THE
POOR and had shaken & weakened the economic stability of the lower middle
class which had placed a large number of the said class in imminent poverty
or near poverty by her administration’s failure to install the aforesaid
specific genuine social economic reforms for 10 long years. It is a kind of social
reform that should had brought down the prices of petroleum products,
electricity, water and all basic commodities in a “socially economic curable level” which
should have had ultimately created a “DRAGON MIDDLE CLASS.”
Will history repeat itself in P-NOY’S
presidency?
"IT’S THE
MISTAKE
OF THE
PROFESSOR,
STUDENTS!!!"
We all have to STUDY
the past in order to know the present . . .
By KA LEON
ESTRELLA PERALTA
Founding
Chairman
Social Reformist /Political and Human Rights Advocate
Social Reformist /Political and Human Rights Advocate
____________________________________________________________________
Definition and description by the author:
Definition and description by the author:
“MASSES IN GENERAL” – A mixture of the poor and a large
number of the lower middle class who are now in the brink of poverty or near poverty.
“SOCIAL ECONOMIC
CURABLE LEVEL” – downgraded
prices of petroleum and petroleum products, electricity, water and all basic
commodities that would bring about the upliftment of the Social Economic
standing of the “masses in general” which, if implemented, would initially
narrow the gap between the rich and the poor and ultimately create a DRAGON
MIDDLE CLASS. Specifically, this will bring about to the “MASSES IN GENERAL”: enough money to spend for all their basic
necessities, enough money for their desired education, and enough savings for
future capitalization to be able to engage in small business without resorting
to “Loan Shark” financing.
“DRAGON MIDDLE CLASS” – An ideal middle class that
has a very strong economic foundation and to its inclusion, a large part or
percentage of the productive population of the country
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Daily TRIBUNE
January 13, 2012
