Tuesday, August 5, 2014

THE TRUE STATE OF THE NATION


PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino didn’t tell the truth and nothing but the whole truth in his State of the Nation Address before a joint session of Congress last Monday about what has happened in the country ever since he ascended to the presidency in 2010.
 
A great many people, after they heard him recite his “accomplishments” in his one hour and thirty minutes long SONA, called the President’s claims as full of nothing but lies and failures and dubious statistics, vindictive attacks against his perceived political enemies and critics in media and academe.
 
It’s absolutely not true, they said, that the President enhanced the growth of the economy, that he gave a temporary respite to the poorest of the poor, that he created a better environment for job-creating investments, that he put anti-corruption on the nation’s conscience, that he started a wave of reforms in government, that he championed the rule of law and judicial reforms, et cetera, et cetera. 
 
The true state the nation, in the view of people --- his critics in politics, media and academe, and yes, even those in the city streets and marketplaces, and in urban and rural areas all over the country--- is the President’s failure of his vaunted anti-poverty program; failure to create jobs he promised when ascended his high office; failure to stop corruption in government; failure to control the surge of crimes of all kinds from murders, kidnappings, hijacking of cars, holdups, and so on; failure to take care of thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers who have sent millions of remittances to the country coffers’; failure to provide rice sufficiency; failure to rehabilitate and provide homes to millions of typhoon victims; failure to solve the power crisis; failure to prosecute his “kaklase, kakampi at kabaliran” who have been charged in atrocious scams of the people’s money, and so on and on and on and on ad nauseam. 
 
After four years and with less than two years left of his presidency, the people, in a manner according to the biblical saying, “weighed and found him wanting.” They also said, “We have lost faith in him ... and his promises of ‘tuwid ang daan’ (straight path), ‘koyo ang boss ko’ (you are my bosses), and ‘kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap’ (no one will remain poor if no one is corrupt)... have all turned out to be mere campaign gimmicks.” And more, they said, he has even imperiously threatened all justices of the Supreme Court for declaring his Presidential Pork Barrel unconstitutional, which, in the words of a critic, was “a grand scheme that hijacked the budget for use at his whim”, and for being untruthful to his oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution!
 
Indeed, the truth is that a deluge of impeachment complaints have been filed against him, with three cases already validated in the House of Representatives. And, in the face of his plunging approval and performance ratings, his numerous violations of the Constitution and other laws of the land, all these and more are all clear indications that his presidency is an utter failure.
 
President Noynoy Aquino has already wrecked the “Ship of State” even before he could dock it safely in two years on June, 30, 2016! 
 
***
 
One of the many, many voices of the people calling for President Aquino’s impeachment came from former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino. “The basic reason is,” he said, “...he has committed culpable violations of the Constitution and betrayed the public trust.
 
“Under the Constitution, impeachment is the only way to hold the President accountable for his wrongdoings... This impeachment is not just about Aquino’s accountability. More than that, it is the logical continuation of our people’s righteous fight against the pork barrel system, a system that President Aquino continues to defend despite the Supreme Court’s rulings on PDAF and DAP. This is important because the Palace and Congress have connived to create a new mechanism for legislators to access their pork barrel.
 
“By pushing Aquino’s impeachment, I contribute to the effort to change a hopelessly corrupt system fuelled by the pork barrel and lorded over by political dynasties, oligarchs and vested foreign interests. The impeachment represents a big blow to the Establishment that we all know is rotten to the core.
 
‘I am for impeachment of Aquino because I want genuine change. Removing the Pork Barrel King is a first step!”
 
***
 
Quote of the Day: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics!” – Anon.
 
Thought of the Day: “We the people are the rightful masters...not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow those who would pervert the Constitution!” – Abraham Lincoln
- See more at: http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/opinion/true-state-nation

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