The True State of the Nation - A view from the ground

The true state of the nation is definitely not the one we shall be hearing on Monday. That one will be crafted by experienced language artists and experts on the art of weaving dignified untruths, ignoring the painful facts on the ground and focusing on glowing scenarios of aspirations still to be transformed into realities.

The true state of the nation is that our country is a poor state of 117 million people, where more than 16 million are extremely poor, wallowing below the poverty line and earning less than ?200 a day. Sixty-five million are moderately poor, struggling between debts and death. 24 million are lower middle class, who pay too many taxes, beyond one-third of their hard income. There are about 11 million upper middle class who have ways of tax evasion, thanks to their accountants and tax lawyers. And some 750,000 live as rich political dynasty members and landed families, gambling lords, and other kinds of lords, 200,000 truly rich who are owners of medium-scale to large business enterprises, and who pay bribes and protection money to the powers-that-be. Live and let live, or better leave na lang and become a fugitive.

There are about 45,000 very rich owners of banks, mining companies, exclusive universities, and expensive resorts and hotels, casinos, and POGO’s. All the rest are super-rich, including owners of conglomerates, business empire taipans, shipping tycoons, sugar barons, mining magnates. They also control the judiciary and constitutional commissions.

They also control the police, military, and the justice system. The theory that sovereignty resides in the people is just a theory, a tale told to children to make them proud or a provision of the Constitution to be memorized by students in order to pass the Bar.

People don’t have real power. Their votes are bought during elections or coerced through threats and some kilos of rice and ?500. This is a country where you can buy a new identity by late registration; you can be an alien, get elected as mayor, and control gambling to buy large tracts of land and helicopters.

The true state of the nation is that we have a total national debt of ?15.18 trillion. That means, by this time, it can run up to ?15.3 trillion or more because the interest rates keep on spiraling. And yet, the government's proposed budget for next fiscal year is ?6.352 trillion. The government is building better and more, and contractors are happy as well as the corrupt. Next year's budget is 10% higher than the appropriation for the current fiscal year. And yet during the past administration, billions were allegedly lost due to what Senator Gordon discovered in the infamous Pharmally deal.

Unemployment keeps on rising. Inflation rates go on unabated. Millions are jobless, homeless, and hopeless. Even ayuda funds are stolen by politicians. Oil and gas prices rise every Tuesday, except the Tuesday before SONA. Rice prices are in the vicinity of ?60 but for SONA purposes, they need to sell for ?29 even if this chokes local farmers. Rice taipans keep on importing rice because there’s money in importation. We even import onions and salt but throw away tomatoes. There is money in importation, that should be repeated to be understood and accepted.

The nation is facing threats from Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, from Kim Jong Un, and even perhaps from Donald Trump. We have 12 million Filipinos in 200 countries. There’s no nation without an OFW or a Filipino bride or groom who obtains salvation by marriage of convenience. That’s why whenever Hamas or Hezbollah attacks, we are affected. Whenever rich nations sneeze, we get a fever. The state of the Philippines as a nation is dismal and desperate.

But we have expert storytellers with tales of dignified lies to make us feel good even for a day. The SONA is like a FAMAS Awards night or a Palarong Pambansa, where we humor ourselves with gold medals that aren’t really gold or silver and are nothing more than a better version of plastic In the SONA, we shall be told we are in Paradise, that this nation is really great again. There’s more fun in the Philippines and more funds for the creative and the corrupt.

We just need to lull ourselves into seeing the true, good, and beautiful. God save the Philippines and bless the Filipinos. Lord, have mercy on our least, our lost, and our last.