Mga kunichiwa, here’s what I have about SONA 2008. Ang haba kasi nang litanya pantasya nang Gloria. Here’s the first part.
Just a few months ago, we ended 2007 with the strongest economic growth in a generation. Inflation was low, the peso strong and a million new jobs were created. We were all looking to a better, brighter future.
- ECONOMIC GROWTH:
Indeed, the Philippines recorded economic growth for 2007 was 7.3%. It’s a tricky GDP calculation, you must know. Why? Consider the almost $14 billion of OFW remittances. Now, while the remittances (according to them) were not included in the calculation of the GDP, what about consumer spending or private consumption? Let’s go back to the GDP discussion. I could agree with the statement that OFW remittances were excluded from the calculation because money flowing in could be easily be accounted for by the banks. Easy enough to exclude, agree? But how do you exclude OFW remittances when they become “C” as in, private consumption, as in monies spent? Difficult isn’t it? My point is, GDP calculation included consumption, the “C” in the GDP formula which means, income equals consumption. My point, that $14 billion spent by OFW families went back to the GDP formula as part of “C” meaning, part of the 7.3% is still OFW remittances. Anybody care to dis-agree, please enlighten me! But the bigger question becomes, how’s the unemployment rate? Did this economic growth fueled more job creation? Remember, the unemployment rate in 2007 went to 7.4%. So what was the 7.3% growth then, was it real?
- INFLATION:
Inflation is not low! An tataas nang bilihin ngayon! Hello! Especially when inflation hits a double digit number, you don’t call that low! Anytime it goes double-digit, you better expect that consumers are hurting. Here’s the inflation number from the National Statistics Office, 11.4%. Because we import most of our oil requirements, we are impacted almost immediately by rising fuel prices. The 11.4% inflation rate in June 2008 was a 14-year high! Now, if 11.4% is low, I don’t know what’s high to you. Does this mean that food prices are still going to go up some more?! I guess so, if Arroyo considers the 11.4% low!
- STRONG PESO:
No question. Indeed, the Philippine peso has been the best performing currency in Asia for years. But was caused it? Was it sound economic fundamentals because the Philippines still lags behind its neighbors in foreign investments! Infrastructure is still bad! And sound economic fundamentals to me equals good if not great tax collection and controlling corruption because those are lost funds. Now, have you ever asked yourself why we have strong peso? Two reasons: 1.) OFW Remittances 2.) The lousy US economy. You should realize that the Philippines relies heavily on OFW remittances, and how was it last year? almost $14 billion, or rougly 11 percent of gross domestic product. Those remittances contribute to the strength of the peso – workers buy more pesos with dollars earned overseas, sending the price of the peso higher. Now, is this something to celebrate? Not when you have about 10% of the population suffering because of the strong peso! Agree? Who are these 10% of the population? The OFW’s. What’s being done to help the OFW’s? The last time I hear was nothing. Did you hear something? If you did let me know. I’m interested.
- MILLION JOBS:
A million jobs?! I’m sure Malacanang has a list of a million jobs. Otherwise, they won’t claim that number. But not from independent reports! Here’s one. From October to January, around 175,000 people were added to the ranks of the unemployed, showing that the economy had failed to create enough jobs for those actively seeking work, economists told BusinessWorld. This was despite the strong 7.4% gross domestic product (GDP) growth recorded in the last quarter of 2007. Employment generation significantly declined as only 150,000 jobs were created in the past 12 months to January, bringing the employment rate to 92.6% from 92.2% last year. “A closer look at the data will fail to impress even the administration drumbeaters. Total net jobs created for the whole year was only 150,000, which was even lower than the corresponding figure of 483,000 in October 2007, and definitely way below the government’s target of one million jobs a year,” University of Asia and the Pacific economist Victor Abola said. I say, enough said of this million jobs! But there’s a bigger question here. How’s personal income?! You can generate a million job for Php300 per day, correct? But the genesis of this is that, are your personal income rising?
Because tough choices were made, kumikilos na ang bayan sa wakas. Malapit na sana tayo sa pagbalanse ng budget. We were retiring debts in great amounts, reducing the drag on our country’s development, habang namumuhunan sa taong bayan.
- RETIRING DEBTS IN GREAT AMOUNTS:
Indeed, according to the Central Bank, the Philippines’ foreign debt edged down 0.5 percent to $54.6 billion at the end of March from $54.9 billion at the end of 2007. With the decline, the country’s foreign debt as a percentage of gross domestic product slid to 35.5 percent at end March from 38.1 percent at end-2007, showing that the Philippines has an improved capacity to service its maturing foreign debt. Now, how much was that again? From $54.9 billion to $54.6 billion. WOW! Great amounts! After paying great amounts, we still owe $54 billion. $54 billion sya bago nabayaran, $54 billion pa rin nung nabayaran.
-
Did you see?! Essentially, what she’s saying is that, the rice problem was never a Philippine problem, but it happened because of some global challenges, read: problems. Do you agree?!
- CENTRAL BANK RESERVES:
Sya si Madam Auring. She’s got the foresight, girt and political will to shield the county from the global crisis. She is talking about Central Bank reserves here. What it is was that, she claims that we have enough reserves to buy fuel even if the fuel prices spikes higher and import more rice to fill the shortage. She’s bragging. She said, she had the foresight, the grit and the political will. Again, take it for what it’s worth. It’s up to you to agree with her claims. The Philippines’ gross international reserves rose to a record $36.7 billion in June even after the central bank intervened in currency markets to sell dollars to support the ailing peso. I could tell you that this is small especially if you have about $36 billion in foreign debts.
Neither we nor anyone else in the world expected this day to come so soon but we prepared for it. For the guts not to flinch in the face of tough choices, I thank God. For the wisdom to recognize how needed you are, I thank, you Congress. For footing the bill, I thank the taxpayers.
The result has been, on the one hand, ito ang nakasalba sa bayan; and, on the other, more unpopularity for myself in the opinion polls. Yet, even unfriendly polls show self-rated poverty down to its 20-year low in 2007.
-
Help me out here. Poverty? Down?! Where? I swear, I am not even researching the numbers.
To be continued… (actually, parang ayoko nang i-deretso to. Hmpt!)
P.S. mga kunichiwa, especially you guys, yeap, you, add me on bloglines! subscribe to my feeds and link me up! Dun lang gaganahan ang Reyna to continue the SONA. Pag wala akong nakita?! Grrrr!!! Walang SOOONNNAAA!
-
Now, the following statements by her was to prepare you for something important. That the rice problem was a global problem that did not start at home.
1.) Biglang-bigla, nabaligtad ang ekonomiya ng mundo. Ang pagtalon ng presyo ng langis at pagkain ay nagbunsod ng pandaigdigan krisis, the worst since the Great Depression and the end of World War II. Some blame speculators moving billions of dollars from subprime mortgages to commodities like fuel and food. Others point of the very real surge in demand as millions of Chinese and Indians move up to the middle class.
2.) Whatever the reasons, we are on a roller coaster ride of oil price hikes, high food prices and looming economic recession in the US and other markets. Uncertainty has moved like a terrible tsunami around the globe, wiping away gains, erasing progress.
3.) This is a complex time that defies simple and easy solutions. For starters, it is hard to identify villains, unlike in the 1997 financial crisis. Everyone seems to be a victim, rich countries and poor, though certainly some can take more punishment than others.
4.) To address these global challenges, we must go on building and buttressing bridges to allies around the world: to bring in the rice to feed our people, investments to create jobs; and to keep the peace and maintain stability in our country and the rest of the world. Yet even as we reach out to those who need, and who may need us, we strive for greater self-reliance.
Because tough choices were made, the global crisis did not catch us helpless and unprepared. Through foresight, grit and political will, we built a shield around our country that has slowed down and somewhat softened the worst effects of the global crisis. We have the money to care for our people and pay for food when there are shortages; for fuel despite price spikes.
melody (5)
myCover (4)
Silver (3)
vince (3)
Chi (2)
Gabriel (2)
maxi (2)
may utang ako (2)
nina (2)
roni (2)
shahani (2)
susan (2)
041282 (1)
an2nette (1)
blow-blow and car... (1)
{ 1 trackback }
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
nasuka ako mama! di ko tinapos panoorin! gusto kong batuhin un tv namin lalo na dun sa foint na 50cents na lang ang text messaging! ulangyan naman oo! tangna dami daming dapat ibaba ang presyo bakit text pa!
pusa’s last blog post..looking through
[Reply]
hahaha! di pa ako nakakarating sa part na yun dahil pantasya pa rin tong litanya nya. i was trying to see what happened to SONA 2007 kasi, i don’t even see the Super Regions no more, baka natabunan na nang mga bagyo?! hahaha
reynz’s last blog post..SONAr 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna)
[Reply]
inang!!!!
haynaku, nagpapapaniwala ka pa sa sona ni oyang na yan?
dumaan para bumati at mangumusta inang…. miss ko kayo.
mwahugz!
[Reply]
salamat sa pagdaan sa aking baron-barong
sawa na ang taumbayan sa mga pangakong napapako!!
hindi na tayo bata para pangakoan ng candy sa halagang 50 cents!
kelangan nating kumilos para maibsan ang gutom, pagtaas ng bilihin at paglobo ng gasolina!
sa oras ng kagipitan walang ibang malalapitan kundi sarili natin!
at hindi totoong ang lalaking gipit ay sa bading kumakapit dahil lahat stayo paektado na sa hirap ng buhay ngayon!
walang konek! i know.. hihihihihih
ciao!
[Reply]
hahaha ano toh meron ka din SONA?? LOL
chuvaness’s last blog post..TAG: The person/s who everyone thought you looked like?
[Reply]
ang ghandee nabuhay lang sa SONA?! hahaha! musta ka na!!!
reynz’s last blog post..SONA(r) 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna), 1
[Reply]
that was one great entry nag ginawa mo sa blog mo at talagang tawa ako nang tawa ateng! hahaha! sabi nga nila, me *TAMA ka, mare! hahaha! bow ang reyna seyo! hehehe!
reynz’s last blog post..SONA(r) 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna), 1
[Reply]
yeap! at hopefully tong mga studyante kong mga nangongopya dito eh magsubscribe sa bloglines ko hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..SONA(r) 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna), 1
[Reply]
di hamak na mas profound ang entry mong ito madammE! may facts and figures at may qoute and qoute pa!
pasok sa banga!
[Reply]
hahaha! charing! rough draft ateng! ang haba pa nang babasahin ko hehehe! para akong gumagawa nang term peyper at piktapus nito gawa ako nang SONA 2008 Summary hahahaha
reynz’s last blog post..SONA(r) 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna), 1
[Reply]
jusko! talo mo pa ang gumawa ng thesis nyan! suggestion ko mare, pag natapos mo na lahat yan, submit mo sa philstar, inquirer, manila bulletin at geisha diaries
hehehehheh
Geisha’s last blog post..SONA ni Gloria pinalakpakan ng bonggang-bongga
[Reply]
hahahah! charing ka! check mo yong SONA 2007 Summary ateng, alam mo bang inaway ako ni Miss Alpay at siguro pinagsindihan nang kandila kasi lahat at nang mga estudyante nya eh, kinopya ang summary nang lola?! hagalpak kami nang tawa dun sa entry hehehe
yaan mo padadalhan kita nang SUMANry nang Sona ni Reyna hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..SONA(r) 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna), 1
[Reply]
bwahahhahahah
nabasa ko yung SONA 2007. kalurky yung mga comments!
tawa ako ng tawa!
si malen pala yun! kala ko NBI ang nagsumbong! chupain ko sana!
Geisha’s last blog post..SONA ni Gloria pinalakpakan ng bonggang-bongga
[Reply]
*nagbabasa nang mga ~geisha diaries~ mo hahaha! how to drink WHATT???? hahahaha!!!! AY pwede yan si Malen! I think meron yang nakabitin hehehe tanungin mo hahaha
reynz’s last blog post..SONA(r) 2008 (State of the Nation Address ni Reyna), 1
[Reply]
*Hands barf bag to Pusa* O ayan jan ka sumuka. HAHAHA, kasi Pusa sa Pinas daw erg, eh necessity ang txt as in pang araw-araw na buhay mo yan dibanitch. Hindi ka ba nakinabang? Ikaw pa eh andalas mo mag txt sa kasintahan mo! HAHAH!!!
On sekantots – May na-mention ba si Tita Glow na para sa mga kababaihan at mga karahasan laban sa kanila? Hmmm, I guess txting is much important than them! Now, I wonder anong sabi ni Gabriella dito!
Footah ka talaga Tita Glow!
diwatang_byaning’s last blog post..The ChineseLady strikes back: Stereotypes and Labels Erg!
[Reply]
hahhaha! NAUTO ka ba? PROMO LANG YUN! hahaha! Pang SONA lang yong 50 cents na yon! HAHAHA MANLOLOKO TALAGA IN YOUR FACE hahaha! check mo yong sa sidebar hehehe
[Reply]
Gusto kong maiyak, may balak pa naman akong makipagtext sa mga paring gustong suportahan ang family planning ng gobierno.Akala ng mga obispo wala diyang mga radical na young priests. Magpaligaw nga sa kanila, he-he-heh.
Colegialagirl’s last blog post..President’s SONA, let the VAT be with you (Tulong sa mahihirap, ba’t kailangan pa nang VAT?)
[Reply]
na-onse ka rin ba sa 50 cents na teks? hahaha baka tamaan ka nang kidlat pag nagpaligaw ka sa mga yan ateng hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..SONA 2008, Part 2: Blame it on the gods!
[Reply]
thanks for da grt hlp! we really need this need it for my SONA reaction paper. ur great! ur even better than our professor! LOL hope you teach in my school in diliman!
[Reply]
~~blush~~ (kunyari lang) heheehe
let me know kung kanino ako magsusubmit nang resume! hehehe! salamat!
reynz’s last blog post..How do you write a SONA 2008 Reaction Paper?
[Reply]
nako. puro pambobola lang sinasabi ni arroyo, walangya. ano tingin niya sa mga pinoy? uto uto? kayamot!
Tin’s last blog post..Busy Bee
[Reply]
bakit an daming nag ccriticize sa pamamalakad ni Arroyo? kayo na lang kaya maging pangulo. tao lang xa, marupok! hindi naman xa Diyos para magwish tayo and in an instant,maggrant agad wish natin.My sarili tayong mga katawan at isip kaya gamitin nyo na lang para maging produktibo kayo at ng sa gayon, di kayo maxado aasa sa gobyerno. wag nating iasa ang buhay natin sa ibang tao dahil masasanay kayo.di ganun.okie people?hehehe
[Reply]
BAKIT? bago sya nang SONA, sia na ang presidenteng napaka-unpopular sa bayan. yan ang resulta nang survey. ang pamilya nya lalo asawa nya parating bida sa kurakot. andaming naghihirap sa bayan. nagtataka ka pa kung bakit andaming nag-ki-criticize sa kanya? Eh kahit naman anong utak na gamitin natin eh tayo ang inuutakan nila ano pa bang magagawa naten? Tingnan mo na lang ang nasa news ngayon. ultimo speaker ni gloria, yong kapatid kasama pala sa bayaran.
Nagtatanong ka nga pala kung bakit kinicriticize si Arroyo.. tsk tsk, saan ka ba nakatira at di mo alam?
[Reply]
hindi maiiwasan yan kasi lantaran na sya kung mang-corrupt noh!!!! lahat pa kontrolado niya. ultimo si lozada nagawa niyang iwasan sa pamamagitan ng NFA rice! magtataka ka pa. tao nga sya, nagkakamali rin. e pagkakamali ba ginagawa niya? di naman e! nagwawalangya sya!!!
at di kami umaasa sa gobyerno. kaya nga heto’t nagkakayod na kami. pag di kami nagkayod, edi lugmok na lalo tayo! taas taas na nga ng pamasahe e!
[Reply]
ei! pablo por kilo! hinay! hahaha!
jeff,
medyo galet ang tirada ni pablo noh? but i seem to agree with him.
when you have a really bad popularity ratings and most of the people who “look up” to you eh halos wala nang tiwala sa mga ginagawa mo, then yes, you have a situation na halos lahat nang galaw mo will be criticized. it’s in the leadership jeff. kung matino ang leadership na binibigay nang isang tao, matino din ang mga followers.
i was going to give you some examples, kaso, magbasa ka na lang nang headlines.
take a look at the fertilizer scam right no involving brother na mismo nang speaker nya.
take a look at the bribery na nangyayari sa Court of Appeals. no other than Jovito Salonga admits na nangyayari pala to.
if you have a strong leader, you think me mga kapalpakang mangyayari like this one?
sino ang natitira sa mga ganitong pangyayari?
si Juan at si Matilda. nag-titinda nang bote at dyaryo.
[Reply]
haha!daming nag react ah.. peace people!natapos din reaction paper ko sa SONA.ang hirap ng walang alam noh?di kasi ako nanunuod nyan kasi ala namang kwenta kung didibdibin ko yan.masisira lang ulo ko jan.para sakin, sinasamantala na ng pangulo ang lahat ng pnahon na natitira sa kanya.di lang naman ito ang mundo eh.gawa na lang tyo lahat ng mbuti.wag na nating gayahing cla.wag na natin ipakita sa mga bata ang mga debate at paninira sa iba kasi gagayahin lng nila ang.wag natin isisi sa iba ang paghihirap natin kasi, kung di naman talaga tau gagalaw, mamamatay tayo sa gutom.bye pips
[Reply]
pede po bang humingi ng copy ng sona sample..,.,kasi gagawa kmi ng sariling sona ehh dq alam ang gagawin ko .,,.,.paki text po ako 09056839278..or cndan nyo ako ng msge s fs q
[Reply]
ayos ha? hahaha! iki-click mo na lang yong category at tingnan ayaw pa at gibsung mo pa ever ang phone number mo. ano pa gusto mo? french fries? Grrrrr!
reynz’s last blog post..The Philippines Best Five Blog Entries
[Reply]