Disappointed but not surprised.
That would probably be the average Filipino's reaction to news reports that the country’s inflation rate once again rose to 2.9 percent in December 2024, from the 2.5 percent recorded the previous month.
The skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, particularly vegetables, in the past few weeks rudely awaken ordinary Filipinos who still struggle to make do with a seemingly shrinking purchasing power of the Philippine peso.
Not to mention the fact that their contributions to the Social Security System (SSS) were hiked to 15 percent starting this year, another burden in their pockets.
And the reaction of many legislators to the fact that Filipinos are able to buy less and less with their monthly (or daily wages)? Billions and billions of funds to the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and other programs that are nothing more than dole-outs without any clear intention, aside from giving away money!
Such a response clearly reflects a myopic view that has taken root in our governance: officials’ preference for projects that will bring short-term benefits (and gratitude from the electorate, of course) but with long-term consequences.
Without clear programs that will attract investments, generate more jobs and livelihood, and help bring down the prices of basic commodities, these “financial assistance” programs are not just band-aid solutions, so to speak: they could prove calamitous for the government’s finances in the long run.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonEditorial #Ayuda #AKAP #AICS