Who benefits from Philippine elections?

Only half of the expected 2 million Filipinos registered as new voters, says the Commission on Elections. As of June 2009, the total number of Filipino registered voters stand at only 44 million, down by about 4 million. COMELEC expects the number of registered voters to about 49.5 million before May 2010.

I also received distressing news that overseas Filipinos have not registered themselves yet. Only about 220,000 have registered. There is an estimated 10 million Filipinos working abroad and this is dismally low. What is the problem?

Are Filipinos giving up on elections as a democratic way to change things? Are they expressing their silent dissent that these elections are just a mockery of democracy and like always, nothing will change even if they register and vote come May 2010?

Many people whom I talked to express their disappointment with our democratic process. They said that nothing will ever change in this nation of 90 million Filipinos. And I can't blame them.

For the past twenty years after the 1986 EDSA Revolution, with more than ten elections participated in by the people, was there any real, substantial change in the way we do things? There is none.

The poor gets poorer and hungrier by the day, while the rich becomes richer by the minute. Grafters like Jocjoc Bolante still roam the hotels, coffee shops and streets of Manila while the likes of Legacy owner Celso delos Angeles and that Sulpicio Lines owner remain outside the reach of Justice.

Those road contractors who amassed billions of pesos enjoy their steaks while big-time operators have their field day buying properties left and right, using those hard earned taxes paid by the people.

Food, oil and electricity prices have started to strain the pockets of the middle class. The high costs of tuition fees are getting on the nerves of parents. Telecommunications companies, particularly Globe Telecommunications, act like tyrants and brutes, even blaming their subscribers for their vanishing pre-paid loads.

For all of these things, the poorer sectors of our society continue to get the brunt end of the bargain. They are the ones being victimized by VAT. They are the ones being asked to pay additional taxes. And they are the ones who are always blamed by the middle class whenever someone like a big-time gambler and womanizer wins the presidency.

In all of these, the elites are sure beneficiaries of democracy. They scot around the law whenever they are being accused of violating them. They get billions from public coffers. They swim in a pool filled with gems and jewels, while their farmers and feudal peons work the fields to harvest sugarcane.

They act like they're the leaders of this country, telling the people what to say, think and do. Every other three or six years, they go around town, urging people to vote just so that these people forget all their hardships and sufferings and take part in this charade called democracy.

Who are the prime leaders of this call for elections? Analyze and observe, my people. They are those who benefitted from public monies paid by us. They are part of the elite class who use elections as a social heroin and a pretext that we are in a democracy instead of a plutocracy. They are members of civil society who are part of the counter-elite, the social conscience of this despicable class. They don't want us to revolt. They don't want an authentic revolution here. They are the stooge of the ruling class. They are a big part of this decrepit system of virtual slavery. Through this thing called elections, the down-trodded and the poor, the disfranchised and the sufferers, the penniless and the powerless all continue their sorry stories of oppression and poverty. Elections are Greek tragedies that are used as bait to further enslave the huge mass of Filipinos.

So, who benefits from elections?

Gloria The Savior and the Strategy Beyond 2010

Why is the government bent on collecting more VAT when suspending it for a few months seems a plausible solution to the people's dilemma on high food and oil prices? And why is government persistent in its subsidy plan when all indications show that i'll not ease inflation nor the pressure of high prices?

Answer: creating more destabilizing factors favor or justify an extension of Gloria's term BEYOND 2010.

A destabilized environment is always favorable to Gloria. She and her gang of misfits have thrived under a state of destabilization. In the past, Gloria survived and even grew stronger when wave after wave of political protests rocked her administration. Now, creating a more destabilized economic situation could serve as  a springboard for Gloria's term extension.

Continuing VAT collections will enable government to stay financially afloat. VAT collections enable government to continue projects that feed Gloria's gang of misfits and operators. That P80 billion collections don't necessarily go to the poor through subsidies. Government only allotted 8 billion for subsidies.

This 8 billion pesos will benefit 3 million poor families. If government continues this dole-out strategy in a consistent manner, it will create dependence which in a transactional political atmosphere such as ours, could favor Gloria.

Believe me, Gloria will use this subsidy plan to justify that there's actually a public clamor for her to extend her term. If the economic situation worsens, as what experts expect, this could be used by Gloria for a State of Emergency declaration which could justify her term extension and the cancellation of the 2010 presidential elections.

Some suggestions to mitigate the worsening economic crisis

These are just some suggestions for government to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis. We are seeing a slow spill-over of the effects of this crisis into the populace. And sincerely, we don't want riots to break out right now since disorganized violence tends to destroy rather than create societies. Here are some thoughts:

1. Government should momentarily suspend VAT collections until January 2009. Analysts say, the global slowdown will ease starting February 2009. Instead of collecting VAT and giving it to the poor as subsidies, suspend VAT altogether to prevent the further swelling of the ranks of the poor. Without VAT, that would allow the middle class to at least survive this crisis. This crisis affects the middle class more than the poor since they are the ones who consume more.

2. Government should implement the daylight saving time (DST) again to conserve energy and resources.

3. Implement a four-day work week for private companies and some government agencies. That would reduce costs and save government some money.

4. Increase excise taxes. Collections from excise could mitigate the effects of VAT collections.

5. Encourage businesses to give non-wage benefits instead of increasing wages to 10%. A wage increase right now will not ease the economic and financial pressures caused by the global slowdown. A 10% wage hike will put pressure on firms to pass up the extra wage hike to consumers, hence, higher prices of commodities.

6. Lower interest rates of banks to encourage more people to engage in small businesses or enterprises. This will keep the domestic economy alive.

7. Prevent or deter a localized sub-prime market crisis by allowing a loan interest holiday up to January 2009. That would allow people to keep more money, hence, they are more liquid. Pag-ibig or SSS should give debtors some leeway in their late payments. A condonation of debts could also work.

8. Encourage people to save more in banks. The more people putting their money in banks, the more it contributes to fiscal equilibrium.

Cheap Tricks

Yesterday, Gloria signed the Cheaper Medicines bill. It aims to bring down the costs of medicine. Senator Mar Roxas was there. He witnessed the signing of his pet bill. After that, he was interviewed, along with Gloria, and said that the bill will help Filipinos buy cheaper priced medicines.

Question to Mr. Roxas--how diluted is this approved version? I mean, Gloria thumbed down the "generics only" provisions of this bill. Now, based on your assessment, will this affect the prices of medicine? In the next few weeks or months, we will see if this bill will indeed, bring down the costs of medicines.

Two days ago, the DSWD and Meralco started giving 500 peso dole-outs to lifeline users of electricity. Question---how long will government give cash subsidies to the poor? Reports say its only for the month of May. Succeeding months, consumers will have to bear the brunt of high electricity rates. It's okey, says the apologists. At least, government extended some help to ease the burden. After this month, what then?

Gloria also ordered the Department of Energy to extend a 5-peso diesel subsidy to jeepney drivers and operators. Energy secretary Angelo Reyes says this is all there is to it. While Reyes was saying this, prices of gasoline and diesel shoot up to 1.50 pesos per liter. Diesel prices are now close to 50 while gasoline prices are nearing the 60 peso mark. Reyes can't do anything? And he says that he's a former Chief of Staff? What a wimp!

Question---why is Gloria's gang not touching Petron, Caltex and Shell? I mean, now is the time for government to intervene, but they are not? Marcos did regulate these oil companies before. Why can't we regulate them now?

The truth---oil companies probably give billions worth of lobby funds to silence government opposition. That's the only reason I see at this point.

Lastly, Gloria's gang are targeting telecommunications companies to lower text and call rates. That's commendable, to say the least. However, there's a catch--government will still continue getting VAT-related costs from them. So, the costs will still be considerable for the Filipino consumer.

Anyway, I had enough of this. Let us allow government to do its thing with all these cosmetic and palliative solutions and let's just see what will happen next.

There's one thing that is very evident in all these--government did not do its job properly during the last eight years of its administration.