Where do we go from here?

Madonna put the question with a style when she sang the song “You Must Love Me” in the musical play Evita. Evita, a popular actress, was married to Alberto Peron, Argentina’s former President.  She was deeply loved by the people. She was full of contradiction but the masses kept on believing that she had never lied to them as she had continued to embody their hopes and aspirations until her death. Her beauty dispelled all doubts about her fitness to be Argentina’s First Lady.

            Philippine statistics are full of contradiction like Evita. And like her, statistics do not lie. They may be cold but they reveal to us the truth about our present state.  

            According to government statistics, at least 27.9% of the population are below the poverty line during the first semester of 2012 (NSCB). The SWS Survey reported in May 2013 that the hunger incidence rose from 22.7% to 25.5% among the self-rated poor during the period of December 2012 to March 2013. Moreover, the survey firm rated adult joblessness at 25.4%, or at 11.1 million people, in the first quarter of 2013. Poverty and hunger are getting worst while people’s jobs are vanishing like mist. 

            The National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that there were at least 597 crimes committed per day in 2012. The Senate of the Philippines found that the crime volume was at 217,812 (translated to the crime rate of 227 per 100,000 people nationwide) in during same year (available at ). And just recently, a pro-gun website claimed that as per its record, there were 2,324 violent crime incidents (involving 1189 injuries and 1862 fatalities) during the last gun ban period (available at ). Meanwhile, speculations that the summary executions of notorious criminals under police custody were procured to prevent them from talking have dominated the headlines.

            In 2013, the Philippine government had contributed more than $125 million “to the pool of money disbursed by the International Monetary Fund to help address the financial crisis confronting economies in Europe” (available at <http://business.inquirer.net/45725/philippines-contributed-125m-to-imf-as-of-end-%E2%80%9911>). Ironically, the Bureau of Treasury said that the Philippine debt had risen to P5.364 trillion as of May 2013 (available at ). This means that the government had given away more than a hundred million dollars to help Europe’s First World countries despite the Philippines huge indebtedness with foreign and local creditors.

            Three years ago the campaign line “Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt” catapulted the son of a former President to the highest position in the country. Now, surveys are showing that there is prevailing notion that corruption in public institutions had waned. Despite of this, however, the lives of the poor remain unchanged. And while the government claims that the economy is getting better, the number of poor families continues to increase. 

            Where do we go from here?