Time to turn around

‘Is it too much to ask those with power and wealth to pause and start turning around and start sharing or returning what they have with the millions who truly need to stay alive each day?’

There is no better time than now for the PNoy administration to finally decide to spread the so-called positive gains of the economy to the most needy in our country. How to do that?

Shall we start by freezing all the perks and bonuses of those in the GOCCs? Better still, perhaps it is time to trim the huge undeserved salaries of public officials, especially in the GOCCs. The public officials are public servants and if they cannot serve without the perks those in the GOCCs have been allowed for so long, then good riddance. They can return to their private practice where they do not have to compete with limited public funds intended to serve especially the most needy in our society.

There has been no full public disclosure of all GOCCs. It is also about time that the FOI (Freedom of Information) bill is fully approved in Congress so that, starting with GOCCs, we can finally see how much of public funds has been channeled ineffectively into non-performing GOCCs and non-performing GOCCs' officials and employees.

Public offices that generate funds and are good performers deserve to be awarded but without compromising the greater need of the rest of our people who are in dire need of welfare and service. Having enjoyed their perks and benefits unchecked for so long, it is about time those in GOCCs be made to experience the same basic salaries and benefits given to other public employees. Time for those who enjoyed earlier perks to live simpler lives for now and for those who tried to survive and make ends meet among our people be given the top priority now in terms of employment and better wages.

It is also about time to show the eager legislators solid data showing the historical and real impact of foreign investments and ownership of our resources before they again rush to approve their CHACHA version. They have not even approved the FOI or more pending bills that will directly benefit our people. They have not even closed the issue of PDAF completely. Now they want to sell the rest of our natural resources to foreigners or they are rushing to open our country to foreign ownership. Are those in Congress really Filipinos representing our people or are they traders or brokers of foreigners?

Hopefully, the FOI can also open the gates to more information about how much of public funds have been wasted on private interests of public officials at all levels, from barangay to national levels.

With or without the FOI approval, is it possible to make all public officials and employees accountable for all the public funds that go through their hands?

Let us include as well all the taxpayers, including the professionals. Our country needs to account for all public funds and ensure that these are used effectively for public service and welfare. That is not yet happening now. When can we see honest people truly and responsibly accounting for public funds? When can we see our people, individually and collectively sharing the resources of this country on a more equitable basis?

The present economic system is certainly making the rich even richer and the poor, sadly, poorer. How much wealth does one individual or family need to stay alive, even across generations? Should there not be a limit, a ceiling to wealth? Should not we strive within our country and all throughout the world, to have everyone enjoy the joys of being human and living humane lives? How can the extremely rich even not notice that there are millions starving and dying each day? Should not the rich be made responsible for the poor? Time to turn around. For as long as there are millions of hungry , poor, unemployed, homeless and desperate, no more empty boasting please about how economic indicators have improved. Let us start boasting genuinely when there are no more of these needy in our land, when there is no more clear gap between the very rich and the very poor in this land.

The disasters have widened the gap even further, among the privileged and the needy. Is it too much to ask those with power and wealth to pause and start turning around and start sharing or returning what they have with the millions who truly need to stay alive each day?

*** Email at cherryb_thefreeman@yahoo.com