People who are not concerned about food and fuel shortage in the economy are either indifferent or simply ignorant. Even those who are better off in life are disturbed by the admission of the government that the buffer stock o rice for the nation is only for 59 days. This means that if no new stock is brought from the farms or by importation, there will be no more rice for the kitchen. Although this sad situation is unlikely, it ought to be a source of apprehension considering that the buffer stock used to be good for 70 to 90 days. It might be fair to let the public know that there are now only two countries that are exporting rice, namely, Thailand and Vietnam. Australia and Pakistan have not responded to the call for bids by the National Food Authority. The present situation indicates that the national government is not doing well in the maintenance of food security, a primary goal of development.
The Philippines has a fuel shortage. This does not mean that there is no stock at the pump. The shortage is shown by the fact that gasoline and diesel are so expensive that they drive up the price of goods and services. Transportation cost will continue to go up with bad effect on the cost of living and prices of commodities in the market. The high cost of fuel has led to lower scales of business operation leading to unemployment. The high cost of LPG has brought a shift of fuel consumption to wood and charcoal as can be observed in the middle-class homes. Fuel shortage adds to the degradation of the forests. There are some who say the worst is yet to come.
* * * * *
Spending, not savings, moves the economy. More savings means a weaker economy. The market becomes stagnant and many producers will stop production. Those who continue producing will raise their prices and a new problem will emerge. It is called inflation.
* * * * *
Elections are supposed to ensure a democratic government for the people, by the people and of the people. That supposition is not always true. In many countries where elections are held, the exercise is often characterized by fraud, terrorism and manipulation. The aftermath is usually bloodshed especially when the political rivals do not believe in the electoral commission or the court due to past record of partiality. There are also elections in which the winners have been predetermined and the voting is nothing but a show. An example is one in which government funds are spent to buy votes, the military rigs the counting of votes, political opponents are jailed or disqualified, and election documents are tampered. Real democracy is lost when the results do not reflect the will of the people.
* * * * *
It is doubtful that the President will heed the request of Bro. Mike Velarde to allow former NEDA Director General Romulo Neri to testify further in the Senate. Neri could spill all the beans to the senators with further damage to the already low credibility of her administration. If however the President releases Neri to the Senate, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will lose knew the President would ignore them. They had to save face. That face will be lost if and when the El Shaddai request is given due course.
* * * * *
When it was reported that a woman from Mindanao had been reduced to the herd goats and sheep in the desert without pay, the popular reaction of the Filipinos was pity for her. When it became clear that she was undocumented and had been recruited by crooks, pity for her turned to condemnation. She knew that her travel papers were fake but she took the risk. She got her full reward for her stupidity.
* * * * *
The population of Japan and the European Union consist of a large number of elderly. This means that there will continue to be a big job market for Filipino nurses and caregivers. It is of note that the retirement age in those economically advanced countries is between 50 to 55 years of age and the productive population of those countries do not grow much due to birth control. The need for less skilled workers and technicians is a window for job opportunity of Filipinos who cannot have employment in local industry. The economic slowdown in those countries, specially the USA, should not discourage those who aim to find work overseas. Train for future employment in a relaxed way now because better times will come. Like the wise men say, stay calm like the swan on the water but paddle like the devil underneath.
* * * * *
In India, gays who cannot keep the appearance of being straight have the option of becoming eunuchs or canonized men. They do this by living in a eunuch colony where after a year or two of integration, they submit themselves to castration. They dress like women. Unlike those who have undergone surgical sex change, they urinate standing like men. In the Philippines, castration among gays is not practiced. They keep their masculine faculties even as they live with other gays in same sex arrangement. It is of course understood that in that arrangement, both are homosexuals. They make love by anal coition, the unpardonable sin that led to the damnation of Sodom and Gomorrah. Psychiatrists say that men who fondly hold each other’s hand in public or in private are likely to engage in homosexual perversion. This is true even among those who develop their muscles in the gym and grow their mustache for macho effect. The homosexual hidden beneath the skin of the gay usually comes to the surface when he gets drunk.