Continuing with the Sona… here’s the SONA 2008 Summary pointers. Let me start by giving you an example of world prices… on steel. Now, recall that the Chinese economy grew double digit for the last 10 years or more. That was consistent. Recall that even the Indian economy grew rapidly as well. Because both of those two giant economies have booming construction, demand for steel went to the stratosphere. Result? Unbelievably high prices for construction materials, especially steel. Look into the United States. At a time when the country was hit by sub-prime, housing construction went down. You would think that because construction in the United States went down, steel prices would go down as well. Answer? NO, it didn’t. Why? The effect of the global demand for steel.
Let’s look at rice. It is NOT TRUE THAT THERE IS A WORLD CRISIS IN RICE. If there is a shortage, it was artificial. Why? Because of the restrictions placed on rice exportation by some nations. Here’s one good article that talks about it, Understanding the Global Rice Crisis. I also wrote an entry regarding my Davao experience with strking drivers that might be of interest to you, How to deal with rising food prices.
Now that you have an idea of the GLOBAL factor in this issue, let’s get back to SONA 2008.
Rice production since 2000 increased an average of 4.07% a year, twice the population growth rate. From 1978 to 1981, nag-export tayo ng bigas. Hindi tumagal. But let’s not be too hard on ourselves. Panahon pa ng Kastila bumibili na tayo ng bigas sa labas. While we may know how to grow rice well, topography doesn’t always cooperate. Along with massive rice production, we are cutting costs through more efficient transport. For our farm-to-market roads, we released P6 billion in 2007.
Nature did not gift us with a mighty Mekong like Thailand and Vietnam, with their vast and naturally fertile plains. Nature instead put our islands ahead of our neighbours in the path of typhoons from the Pacific. So, we import 10% of the rice we consume.
ANOKAMO?!
Did you catched the keywords? Here:
1.) Twice the population growth
2.) Topography doesn’t always cooperate
3.) Massive rice production
4.) Nature did not give us
If indeed rice production increased twice as much as the population, what’s with the rice shortage then? We do know that population is running uncontrolled which is now nearing at 100 million Filipino and yet, even the Church refuse to address that, instead, blames the government that population explosion was caused by corruption. Makes me wonder, why not refuse to give communion dun sa mga kurakot? But this will be another blog entry.
As I have said, we rely on imports, so when those exporting nations restricted the exportation of rice, nadale tayo. Why? Because our rice production is not enough to feed us. I don’t know much about “massive” rice production. Do you?
Here’s an interesting one that I read on the speech. Los indios makinig ka! Panahon pa nang Kastila?! I honestly don’t find this a reasonable justification for continually importing rice, other than if we don’t then we got nothing to eat. To me, it’s an open admission of failure that indeed something went wrong.
Blame it on the gods! Nature did not give us the mighty Mekong River! Would anyone from the great Banaue Rice terraces please stand up and teach something about topography and why our ancestors were able to solve the problem then when theirs is not even flat?
I agree that rice prices in the world market was well, dictated by world prices. She did explained that we have money and she was right. We have about $36 billion in Central Bank reserves to cushion the impact of rice importation. Now, as I said, $36 billion is not a big reserve if you consider the foreigh debt we have which is about $36 billion also. If you are familiar with computing Net Worth, that means, we actually don’t have money. But it’s fiscal management, so let’s leave that to the Central Bank.
What about risk management? Risk management measures such that when global rice prices spikes that we could weather the weder weder?! Unrelenting program on self-sufficiency? Agri-business and education? Hey, any scholarships? Modernizing agriculture? Soft loans to farmers and cooperatives? Corruption, corruption, corruption? Agrarian reforms for which I commend them. Or better still, copy copy den lang naman tayo, why not copy how Japan was able to modernize their rice production?! Yet make no mistake mga kunichiwa, the reality is, the years of neglect on rice education and production finally hit us in our face. That artificial rice shortage was a wake-up call in this slumber party that has gone way too long! Blame it on the gods!
My point is, the Philippines is home to IRRI, as if that’s not insult enough. We have taught the best agribusiness and rice culture education to the world that Vietnam and Thailand learned from us. Now? They are now a rice exporting nation. What happened to us? Topography? Mekong River? Path of typhoon? All of the above? None of the above? Someone from above? Someone from below?
Blame it on the gods!
SONAngaling!!!
Pahabol: NALOKO KAYO NO?! This is why I love Ellen Tordesillas! Hehehe! Visit visit if you have the chance!
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Kung ayaw ng mga pari ang mag-family planning pues ako. Walang problema dahil dalaga pa ako. Kailangan nang talaga na limitahan ang paglobo ng ating populasyon.
Colegialagirl’s last blog post..President’s SONA, let the VAT be with you (Tulong sa mahihirap, ba’t kailangan pa nang VAT?)
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Kapag ako ay pinakasalan ng aking supot na boyfriend, lagi siyang may supot kapag nakikikain sa bahay dahil nag-uuwi pa ng ulam ang ugok,unang kondisyon ko bago sirain at warakin ang aking kapurian magpavasectomy muna siya. Kung hindi,hindi niya ako matitikman, promise. H-hehehehe.
Ngayon pa lang pinasusubmit ko na siya ng resignation letter para madaling kumalas kung ayaw na niya sa akin.
Kiddingly aside, our population growth is very alarming. Imagine the rate our “young” population is growing. It is so huge and rapid in process. There is no way we could protect our environment if we do not limit the size of our population to the manageable level.
Colegialagirl’s last blog post..President’s SONA, let the VAT be with you (Tulong sa mahihirap, ba’t kailangan pa nang VAT?)
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hehehe di naman ata nabubuntis ang pari? u think? hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..SONA 2008, Part 2: Blame it on the gods!
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simpol aritmitik lang naman yan ateng di ba? heheh pag sandosena junakees, maraming kilo nang bigas. well, on one hand at least maraming pipila for NFA rice hahaha
reynz’s last blog post..SONA 2008, Part 2: Blame it on the gods!
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He-he-he naku mali po… sorry sa unang comment, ang sasabihin ko sana ay: kung ayaw ng mga pari na magfamily planning ang mga babae,may asawa man o nakikitikim lang,pues…
I stand corrected po.
Colegialagirl’s last blog post..President’s SONA, let the VAT be with you (Tulong sa mahihirap, ba’t kailangan pa nang VAT?)
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hahaha! tinotoo nang tunay ang sinabing mag-mutiply hahaha!
reynz’s last blog post..SONA 2008, Part 2: Blame it on the gods!
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i can’t imagine bakit ke dami ng popolasyon ng pilipinas samantalang dun sa barrio namin, halimbawa sa pamilya namin nueve kami, sais ang nasakal na pero ang apo ng nanay/tatay ko ehh di pa na break ang nueve nila so ibig sabihin may koreyente na dun kaya di na pwedeng labinglabing lang ang that’s entertainment. baka siguro sa lugar lang nila ang overpopulated hahahahha di kami kasali(sabay kembot!) saka dun din sa barrio namin di pinipilahan ang NFA dahil halos lahat ng nakatira dun kamote, gabi, saging at iba pa ang kinakain di na uso rice dun!(jokes)
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hahaha kala ko dini-describe mo ang Barrio Siete ko!
well, isa nga sa dapat gawin ni Gloria di ba minen-tion nya yong Super Regions nung last SONAngaling speech nya last year? ano ang nangyari nong Super Regions?! NAWALA ‘DAY! dapat gawen nya is to develop urban centers like sa dulo nang Luzon e.g. Matnog or sa tuktuk nang Luzon e.g. Batanes o kaya sa Visayas at Mindanao para indi nag-uumpukan sa Avenida.
Swerte na nga dahil merong Davao, Cebu, Iloilo, CDO, Baguio etc etc pero sa totoo lang noh, kahit sa Legazpi na poor gyud na city sandamukal na ang tao at di na kayang palamunin lahat dahil alang mga trabaho.
Sa pa ateng, eh sosyal na ang mga pinoy baka di na kelangan nang rice, pasta na hahahahah PASTAHIN na lang ang tyan dahil ala nang makain hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..SONA 2008, Part 2: Blame it on the gods!
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hahahah naman lam nyo naman po na magkasing gulang ang barrio natin!
dapat sana mention man lang nya kung ano na development sa super panaginip na yun tsk tsk! Buti nalang yung mga namumuno samin medyo may malasakit pa maski papano yun nga lang may pagka crocked ata ang pag-iisip nila imaginin mo naman gagawan ng internationa airport dun sa panglao island? hallerrrr e di sira ang kalikasan dun!
nung panahon ng aking adventure sa bicol region halos pare-pareho lang ang mga cities dun like Legaspi, Naga, Iriga & Sorsogon City napakalayo nito sa mga cities in visayas and mindanao as you’ve mentioned. It’s a shame wala man lang satellite like city for bicol region. saka wala din akong napansin na marketing tourist attraction pwera lang yung Mayon, nakakapang hinayang talaga yung barrio siete mo kasi they have all the resources na pwedeng i develop yun nga lang kulang sa infrastructure kahit sa pagtawid man lang ng local products sa karatig-bayan napakahirap na.
Pasta ba kamo? alam ko na kung anong the best gamitin… cassava starch malapot yun hahahha!
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applause, applause! pero bakit wala kang megaphone man lang para makarating sa kina-u-u-kulan tong post na ‘to!
roni’s last blog post..are you ready for this
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hehehe salamat sa papuri hahaha, sa dami nang estudyante dito, di man lang mapaligaya ang reyna *kusut mat* *hikbi*
actually, tinatamad na akong tapusin ang bwisit na summary na to, puro lang naman kaSONAngalingan ang nababasa ko HAHAHA
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hoy tumigil ka noh?! napunta na ako nang BOHOL at TAGBILARAN at pag kinompare mo yan sa Barrio Siete ko? Anak! Dyuskudya! Bohol becomes a real cosmopolitan City! hahahaha!
reynz’s last blog post..SONA 2008, Part 3: Promo Queeng na nabuking!
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tell it to the marines mare para sa panibagong coup de etat! go go go!
wagi ka talaga sa mga entries mo! sana makita to ng lahat!
i’ll walk the talk!
Geisha’s last blog post..SONA ni Gloria pinalakpakan ng bonggang-bongga
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ngayon lang ako ulit naka bisita sa blog mo, ngayon pa lang ako mag comment….ganda ng mga articles mo very interesting saka nakakaaliw ang mga side comments mo….
regarding sa SoNa-faBitch ni Doña Gloria, hindi ko napanood pero nabasa ko naman sa newspapers….talaga namang gusto kong maiyak, hindi dahil sa tuwa….hindi ko alam kung saan galing fantasia itong si Doña Gloria at totoo ngang panay fairy-tales lang ang pinagsasabi.
congrats sa blog mo…
link kita (kung ok lang)
Ah’Kong’s last blog post..Plaque of Appreciation
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hehehe! maraming salamat kumare! hahaha! mas waging kahala-halakhak naman yung ginawa mo hehehe! maliwanag na festival ang rally na to hahahaha
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maraming salamat for the kind words Ah’kong! hahaha! kelangan ko to gamot sa ADS nang lola hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..How do you write a SONA 2008 Reaction Paper?
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hindi ako nawawalan ng hope, hindi naman yata makatarungan kung sa pangulo natin sinisisi ang lahat, besides hindi lang naman siya ang nag cocorupt, mismo tayo sa sarili nating tahanan nagnyayari din yun,,,, hindi ako pro at hindi ako anti,,, nagbibigay lang ako ng respeto sa kung sino man ang ating presidente,, minsan hindi lang natin naiisip na may kasalanan din tayo,, marami ang nagrereklamo na ang mahal na ng lahat pero may pambili pa rin ng load para sa mga textmates,,, ang pinoy nga naman,, wlang pagkakontento puro lang reklamo and on the other hand hindi naman siya ang nagpapatakbo ng ating buahy kaya huwag nating paikutin ang ating buhay sa kanyang mga didisyon at mga ginagawa,, tayo lang din naman ang maiinis eh,,,,, nagpapasalamat din ako na siya ang nagging pangulo natin sa mga nakalipas na taon,,, dahil sa marami siyang koneksyon sa ibang mga bansa, tingnan nyo tayo ngaun may nakakain pa tayong murang bigas,,,, tayo naman kasi ang mali lang ang tinitingnan natin at kung nakagawa naman ng mabuti hahanapan talaga ng mali,,, bago manghusga tingnan muna natin ang ating mga sarili,,,,,, everything starts from ourselves,,,, im from La Salle University Ozamiz City….. a fourth year student
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Well, the SONAs contain so many Fantasy Themes and other discourse related concepts that a critical linguist can extract using scientific means.
In reality, the political speeches are aimed to entice the people…..kaya lang, ang kabalintunaan ng lahat…Tsk Tsk….
Napakagarbo ng SONA samantalang napakadami ng mg pinoy na halos wala ng makain o mailaman sa kanilang mga sikmura….
Dapat siguro e iamend na yang constitutional mandate na yan ng annual SONA na sa Batasang Pambansa pa ginagawa with all the luxuries and caprices of the people joining there. Instead, just air it or do it in a more maka-masa place like Luneta etc.
But then, take pride in the Filipino….Kahit marami walang pera, masasabi nating “BONGGA” pa rin ang lahat……
Thanks to this site…..Makakatulong ng husto sa complete analysis ko sa linguistics.
God bless po. MABUHAY ang FILIPINO!!!
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