Cartoon is from the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Gloria Arroyo spend her last Independence Day celebration extolling the achievements of her administration. That was a very self-serving. To say that she had achievements is an insult to the people. The people know there is nothing memorable under the Arroyo regime in a positive way. However when one talks of negativity, the Arroyo administration is a top-notch. It now dwarfs the Marcos regime in terms of “achievements.”
At least Marcos, still has some decency left in his administration. He appointed technocrats, the brilliant minds in his Cabinet during his heydays. Marcos, in fairness to him, allowed protests and demonstrations in his time. Whatever it is, Marcos was less evil than Arroyo.
However, Gloria and Marcos have something in common. One, Gloria is masterful in using slogans, and propaganda to hide the true state of the nation. While the surveys shows that the economic numbers are good, the same did not register with approval and satisfaction from the people. The claims of the administration of economic progress was not felt by the people. Taking cue on this, Gloria Arroyo plastered the entire archipelago with giant billboards with its self-serving claims hugely written on it, “Ramdam ang Kaunlaran.”
Two, Gloria Arroyo in trying to hide the inadequacies of her administration in uplifting the livelihood of the people and in upholding good governance, diverted the attention by implementing massive infrastructure projects. Highways are improved, bridges and other public works are constructed. Huge edifices are constructed, reminiscent of the Imeldific projects of the Marcos era were made. When this capital-intensive projects are completed, it was being made as an “evidence” that yes, under the Arroyo administration there is “progress and development.” The Arroyo administration preferred form over substance.
Meanwhile the number of Filipinos who are getting hungry increased. Also more people went abroad to find a better life, sacrificing loneliness from their families. If the claims of the Arroyo administration that this country progressed under her watch, then how can she explain these realities?
Another form of diversion is the sudden rush of attempts to beat Guinness World Records. Countless pakulos such as the biggest salad, biggest cake, biggest barbecue festival, biggest flag, etc were launched majority of which has the support of the government. There was sudden obsession to claim the number 1 spot in the world assisted in no small terms by government agencies. It aims to project a wrong sense of achievements as trivial achievements are magnified to compensate for the administration’s inability of fulfilling its campaign promise of hunger and poverty alleviation.
At one time during the early years of the Arroyo presidency, then DENR Sec. Angelo Reyes launched the Green Highways project. It aims to make the entire stretch of the Pan Philippine Highways to look green by planting trees. School children, as young as Grade 1 were hauled in trucks to plant trees in the highways, exposing these children to real dangers in the highways all in the name of “make-believe” initiatives of the government. What is ironic that while these children were exposed to those needless hazards, the Arroyo government was not able to stop the further degradation of our forest in the country.
The absurdities and the hypocrisy are countless under the Arroyo regime that it will take an entire book if all is written.
During the latest Independence Day Parade, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that some people are being paid 500 pesos just to attend the celebrations. Each paid individual is pinned with words “WARM BODY.” Some who are employed in a government program were hauled in exchange for a day’s wage. For the Arroyo administration to resort to this kind of method to attract crowds only affirms its unpopularity and disconnect with the people. For if the people truly approved and admired your administration’s achievement, they don’t need to be hauled, they don’t need to be paid just to attend. They would come in droves to show their support and appreciation for what you have done to them.
In the end, it is a relief for the entire country that Gloria Arroyo and his ilk will now be gone. So much pain and so much hardships that the Filipino people endured and suffered under her rule. After all what they have done to the people, they still have the gall to claim of “achievements” and spent taxpayers money to the tune of 10 million pesos. Until the last-minute, the Arroyo administration failed to make even a single correct action. It remains insensitive to the feelings of the people and thus became irrelevant to the times.
Gloria Arroyo feels she finished with a bang. The Filipino people just brush it aside and settled quietly knowing that Arroyo and her forgettable administration just fades quietly into infamy.
