“We have always said that a balanced budget was our goal by the time we leave office. That remains our target. We are well on our way to meeting that goal. Our surplus in April more than doubled year on year due to higher tax collection. Our cumulative budget deficit from January to April fell to P25.8 billion. I’m confident that we will be able to sustain progress on the budget front… for the first time in a generation, our budget is under control; we are lowering our deficit and raising unprecedented amounts of revenue. We do not want and will not go back to the days of heavy deficit spending. Our commitment to economic reform has proven effective.” —GMA, Speaking at the launch of the $550-million cable network facility of PLDT Tuesday, 27 May 2008
A Balanced budget. Raising unprecedented amounts of revenue. Economic reform proven effective. Pardon me Madam President, Does this mean the crisis is over?
Call me stupid. But the truth is I can not understand how GMA can make such a callous, immoral statement. Callous because we must bear increasing gasoline/diesel prices week after week after week for the next couple of months. Callous because with every increase in pump prices government is making money. Callous because prices of all commodities have been rising too while incomes have effectively fallen.
Callous because more and more of us are going hungry.
Government is raising an unprecedented amount of revenue? Of course it is. Most of the revenue she is talking about comes from VAT as all of us know only too well. Which means, too, that government is profiting from our collective misery.
Ordinarily we do not begrudge government for its effort to raise money. It can not, afterall, function without money. But these are not ordinary times. Woldwide the price of oil is skyrocketing. Same for rice. Same for almost every conceivable thing—from diapers to toothpicks. But must we be so helpless in front of it all?
Immoral because amidst all these misery, there is no real effort to curb corruption. Whatever happened to ZTE? Whatever happened to each and every single corruption scandal that has blanketed this administration like the plague?
The truth is no one of note in this administration has been made to account for each and every case of wrongdoing since 2001. Every effort to ferret out the truth has been stonewalled; every effort to make someone accountable for every cent stolen has gone to naught.
Now what assurance do we have that money from the government’s “unprecedented revenue collection” will go to social services as claimed? What assurance do we have that the “higher tax collection” will result to less of us going hungry?
Stop the spin, Madam President. Cut taxes and clean up your house before making speeches about how better off we are supposed to be. Otherwise, just shut up.
