Tinig Migrante sa Vancouver | July 23, 2024
July is SONA time in the Philippines. It is the telling of the two SONAs – the presidential SONA and the People’s SONA. The story of the rich, powerful few and the story of the people.
The president delivered his SONA at the Batasang Pambansa while the People delivered its P- SONA in the Parliament of the Streets in Manila and in different cities and provinces. Around the world, OFW and Filipinos overseas held their People’s SONA too.
In his SONA, the president admitted that the Filipino people are suffering, but in the same breath said that there was “current data proudly bannering our country as among the best-performing in Asia.” Huh? Paano nangyari iyon?
He said, “Bagamat maganda ang mga istatistikang ito, wala itong kabuluhan sa ating kababayan na hinaharap ang realidad na mataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin, lalo na ng pagkain —lalo’t higit, ng bigas.” He sounded like he almost cared for his suffering people but then we know better. Only the Philippines’ top 100 corporations and the three richest Filipino billionaires, Manny Villar, Enrique Razon and Ramon Ang truly profit from “best-performing” Philippines. We know who eats well and who does not.
Tama ang sabi ng Migrante Canada: “Mas malakas ang ungol ng sikmurang nagugutom kaysa sa mga anunsyo ng rehimen na mabuti daw ang ekonomiya ng bansa. Hindi kayang habulin ng sweldo ng mga manggagawa ang bilis ng takbo ng pagtaas ng pagkain, kuryente, tubig, upa sa bahay, gamit sa paaralan, gamot, at iba pang bayarin ng mga mamamayan.”
Marcos Jr. failed to tell the people he was to blame for the neo-liberal policies and the consequent inflation. At the special coverage of the 2024 SONA, the economist reporter for Rappler, JC Punongbayan said, “the biggest omission that Marcos Jr. did not say, that the biggest reason for the steep increase in inflation was himself! Because remember, he was Secretary of Agriculture, he had control over the agricultural sector, rice production in particular, and that the biggest contributor to inflation would be rice…that was a huge responsibility on his part.”
The SONA mentioned the remittances of OFWs and Filipinos overseas. Marcos, Jr. declared, “Sadyang napakalaking tulong nito sa ating bumabangon na ekonomiya!” And it is true. The Central Bank reported that over $30 billion of OFW remittances went to the Philippines in 2023. These accounted for about 8.5 percent of the gross domestic product and 7.7 percent of the gross national income.Dahil sa remitans, natutulungan na makaahon ang ekonomiya kahit paano. Ngayon, kung wala ito, tiyak na malaking, malaking gulo.
He mentioned special facilities and services for OFWs like the OFW Lounge sa NAIA at Seafarer’s Hub sa Maynila. Huh? Sure, but OFWs have more pressing issues, even life-and-death problems, than to sit in the lounge at the airport. OFWs feel abandoned and neglected by the consular offices and embassies and by the Department of Migrant Workers in many different parts of the world, and they have the stories and the witnesses.
To Marcos’ wish that ”Sana ay napapanood nila ito,” referring to OFWs watching his SONA, I strongly suggest that he watch Migrante International’s “The State of OFWs and Filipinos Overseas” on the FB page of Migrante International.
I would like Marcos, Jr. to listen to the story of Maricel Santos whose husband was on death row and how she was abandoned and neglected by the embassy in the UAE. There was nothing the embassy could do and turned her away. She went to Raffy Tulfo, hoping he could help but all he did was to point her to Malacanang and OWWA . They could not help her either. When someone told her to approach Migrante International, she did so right away and Maricel said, “‘Hindi ako binigo ng Migrante.’ Migrante International came to her help and together, they were able to bring him home. A happy ending and were it not for Migrante, Maricel would be a widow now, no thanks to the embassy.
There was no mention of domestic worker Mary Jane Veloso detained in Indonesia for the last 14 years. I would have wanted to hear him say that he would talk with Indonesian President Widodo about clemency for Mary Jane Veloso.
This is also the 50th year of the Labor Export Policy. Created by dictator Marcos, Sr. the LEP remains a testament to the Philippine government’s inability to create and provide decent jobs and living wages at home. It is the failure to ensure the rights and welfare of the OFWs, both land-based and sea-based workers. There was nothing on ending forced labour migration or on having our working men and women stay here instead of working abroad.
Things we did not hear: Nothing on divorce, making the Philippines still the only place in the world, outside of the Vatican, where divorce is forbidden. The war on drugs has not stopped. Continuing human rights violations including the issuance of trumped-up charges against progressive leaders and activists have not stopped. The state terror from the NTF-ELCAC continues and goes unchecked. The ridiculous P35 increase in the minimum workers wage in Metro Manila which is not enough to pay for three eggs at the market! (If he really wanted to raise wages, he could just give the order.) Nalimutan na ang Maharlika or on Quiboloy.
Two things we heard: A ban on POGOs. And asserting the West Philippine Sea – “Ito ay atin.” Not China’s. Not that of the US.
Let us see if he can keep his promises. ###
(Originally came out in Philippine Asian News Today (PNT), vol. 26, no. 14
Political cartoon by Balinghoy
