Why Aquino refuses to believe that many people are going hungry?

Why is it that President Aquino refused to accept the fact that he is still "miles to go" when it comes to poverty alleviation? That the current state of affairs in our country is not as rosy as his economic advisers picture it to be; rather, it is a state which hovers between steady to tumultuous.


Let me explain.


The current economic figures being provided by the Philippine economic managers point to a 4.2 % growth this year, quite near World Bank estimates and to ADB, rather optimistic since they still see it at 3-4% only. There is a notice-able influx of big-ticket investments over the last few weeks, but notice however, there was also a fairly big number of foreign firms which left our shores. This just shows you how ambivalent foreign investor confidence is about the Aquino administration. Those who are now in business with very close Aquino associates say that it is easy and safe, to do business here. Others, however, refused to believe that there are already changes in place in government which assures the safety of foreign investments. This will all change if this government really shows its will to curb graft and corruption, and red tape, and show that the regulatory environment is fair to everyone. Foreign investors welcome strict regulations but if in the process of regulation, personal consideration is still a factor in the process, then, government must find a way to eliminate human intervention in the process and transform regulation into what it is--unbiased and scientific.


Anyway, going back, what Aquino refuses to believe is the fact that many people nowadays are victims of a brutish and brutal economic system. Many are jobless and many are already losing hope. The number of impoverished families increased to about 27 million individuals by January of this year,which is higher than expected. In a survey, many people are feeling the brunt end of an economic crunch brought not by global trends, but solely by the greed of those who do business in the Philippines. 


Aquino is being fed the wrong information and given reports that show a happy Filipino people, and getting into fiestas every single day and singing "Its more fun in the Philippines." While some sing the theme just to drown out the wails and pleas of a hungry population.


It may not be as distant as what some think it is, but the possibility of crimes escalating into unmanageable levels remain and the further possibility of a breakout of mass emotions into a seismic-size event is another, which this Aquino administration, should not readily dismiss.