Think country!

The candidates have already spoken. As they stormed into the Commission on Elections last week, to file their certificate of candidacies (or COCs), we saw them in full gear each with a beaming smile. Somehow you wish those smiles were all made with the purity of heart and with the sincerest intentions to serve the country to the best of their abilities. But we all know that behind those smiles are possible smirks with deceptive plans of action of trying to gain a powerful ground to lead a bigger part of the Philippines. Is it truly service they all want to do? Or is it plain and simple greed?

What has happened to the Executive and Legislative branches of government? We still have eight months to go before the elections and it already seems that government has shut down. Cabinet members have resigned and left us in the air with the services they should be giving while congressmen and senators are obviously preoccupied with their campaigns. Sanamagan!  Shouldn’t there be a law stating that no current government official can run for elections until their terms have ended? I feel that this election will go wayward with all the stubborn, headstrong candidates we have right now. I hope that Comelec will do their job in fairness to the citizens who are their real bosses and to the candidates who deserve to be qualified for the elections.

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There is a major dengue outbreak happening right now in the country but I don’t understand why this is not heard in the news. I also don’t understand why the Department of Health (DOH) is not properly addressing the issue in coordination with other departments of government concerned. They have already recorded 55,079 suspected dengue cases from January to August 8, 2015 and the count has been increasing on a daily basis. According to Health spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy, this is 9.15% higher than the 50,462 cases recorded during the same period in 2014. Most of these cases come from Calabarzon (15.2%), Central Luzon (13%), National Capital Region (11.1%), Northern Mindanao (8.7%), and Cagayan Valley (7.5%).

Dengue is basically tied up with environmental sanitation. These mosquitoes live and breed in urban areas in close proximity to humans. The mosquito breeds in artificial containers (e.g. old tyres, pot plant trays) that collect water and feeds almost exclusively on humans for blood. The dirtiness of our environment is very alarming and government has not lifted a finger to do something about it.  Yes, we have street sweepers but that is not enough.  We need to regularly disinfect the roads and walkways. We are surrounded by filth, pollution and dirt. Our canals are clogged, esteros full of human feces, stagnant water abound especially after flooding, but no one seems to care.

Dengue is one of the six neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that has remained of great concern in the Philippines. Others would be rabies, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasia, and soil-transmitted helminthiases. It is sad to note that the country’s health department has only allocated P887,182,612 or ($20.03 million) in its 2015 budget for NTDs. This is billions of dollars lower than the $2.9 billion recommended by the World Health Organization.

A few weeks ago, my son fell ill with dengue. I called his doctor and she told me to have his blood test done. After getting the results, she confirmed that he had dengue (with the NS1 being elevated). But she said just keep him home, make him drink lots of fluid, eat nutritious food and take lots of rest. The doctor instructed me to have his blood test to check his CBC levels every day. Only when the CBC count falls in the lower levels will we decide to confine him in the hospital. So, my son stayed at home for almost a week. He rested and was free from the viruses that he may have acquired in the hospital if he was confined. To help him gain more resistance, strength and energy, I gave him supplemental doses of Moringa more commonly known as malunggay.

My friend introduced me to an organization who specializes on natural herbal supplements that works wonders, The Globaleader Inc. who by the way first introduced the pito-pito herbal tea years ago. The founder, Richard NC Gomez, who is currently a member of the Filipino Inventors’ Society, told me that we just need to be educated more about our health particularly dengue. We do not need to confine children or adults in the hospital and spend time and money.

Many Filipinos worry about the effects of dengue. Little do we know that it can be cured easily. We just need to be careful and monitor the platelet count religiously. How many people (child or adult) suffer and worry that they may die with dengue. If only our doctors and hospitals can properly inform us and make us realize how we can manage this disease. By doing so, we can give more hospital beds to patients who need more attention other than dengue.

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Last week, I wrote about the urgent need to reform our income tax law. I cited some examples of tax-paying citizens having difficulty making both ends meet with the heavy taxes thrown at us. Not only do we pay direct taxes, but there are indirect taxes that also burden us like the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Using the same example I gave on a family with two children, the husband earning P25,000/month and the wife P20,000/month (totaling an annual income tax of P72,000), please take note of the other indirect taxes they need to pay. Assuming that 70% of their annual net pay is spent on goods and services subject to VAT such as groceries, clothing, utility bills, rent, etc. and 30% is spent on education and other expenses not subject to VAT, the family will be paying an estimated VAT of P33,000 or 6% of the annual pay. Total annual tax paid by the couple is P105,000 equivalent to 19% of their gross pay.

If the couple owns a property, they will need to pay the annual property tax. There will also be other fees that they may need to pay to get permits, renew licenses and even registration of vehicles. After all these are paid, what is there left for the family to live a decent and comfortable life? If the basic services given by government are of average standards, then, I think Filipinos wouldn’t feel bad about the taxes they pay. Unfortunately, we don’t see our taxes being put to good use. We don’t feel that we are served properly and efficiently by government whether on the national or local level. And what is worse is that most of the time, we see our politicians enjoying our money – splurging on junket trips, unnecessary team building programs, government programs that are not sustainable or infrastructure improvements that don’t even last for three years.

As our future leaders prance on stage as they file their COCs, we pray to the highest heavens that they think country.