A Myopic Fallacy

If the Malacañang waits for lauds and commends for the recent survey stating that our country is "an island of calm", they should lose all hopes on it.

The full page advertisements which displays the "high-rated reviews" of the Philippines amid the global crisis are nothing but myopia. As the Malacañang would know, the global recession affects the entire world, thus excusing no one--- even the Philippines. The problem is, the administration seems to content itself from a mere optical illusion of "economic stability"in medias res--- which is definitely a short-sightedness.

While celebrating these short-term "glory" increases hope, the government must take the necessary actions in order to halt the coming obstacles. However, as the effects of the meltdown slowly gnaws upon our "stable economy", law-makers and the cabinet seem to continue their never ending corruptions. As multi-national and international companies cut their costs, the government boosts the budget, not for the consumers expenditure powers but, for them to buy their positions for re-elections by expanding their pork barrels into suspicious amounts.

The labor department reports that 15000 OFWs have lost their jobs and projects an increasing trend with these numbers in the succeeding months. With these, thousands of Filipino families will suffer from unemployment. Moreover, the resting stone of the Malacañang's alleged "economic stability"--- that is, foreign remittances--- will eventually decrease simultaneous with the recession. Therefore, we will suffer the consequences of the government's propaganda of false hopes.

If the president thinks that Obama will "nourish [our] starved bodies and feed [our] hungry minds", she must recognize that the America is still suffering the greater impact of the recession. His projected number of jobs to produce in the next few years are only restricted, of course, for the Americans. In fact, Obama is not insane enough to work hand-in-hand with the Philippines, whose global fame deeply relies on the government's big time corruption, just to survive the scourges of the crisis. Therefore, as much as Obama envisions to rebuild Americ, Ms. Arroyo should try to do something good for our country right now in order to, at least, balance out her worst deeds during her administration.

Ms. Arroyo should stop social climbing in international fora.