LAST MONDAY, July 24, 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). Those who came to the Batasan Hall to listen to the President, and those who were just in their homes or offices who showed interest in what Marcos, Jr. was to say had varied reactions depending on where their political persuasion is aligned.
And as always is the case, the opposition and the perennial anti-government activists – the leftist groups – have their own version of the State of the Nation. Those leftists, whose party-list organizations managed to gain entry in the Lower House, wanted to see the nation with workers’ wage increase by so much and not P40.00 per day. It is as if they do not know that there is need to balance everything in the process of attaining a functional economy for the country.
Somehow, they wanted not just the eggs but also the hen that lays it. Imagine a scenario where industries cannot expand and create more job opportunities for the people because all that they earned extra will have to go to footing the additional expenses to be incurred in the large increases in daily wage of the existing number of current employees!
Of course, we agree with them that a bigger daily wage will surely improve the standard of living of the common man. But we also see the need for the labor sector to look into the business climate so as not to force the businesses to resort to employee reduction or downsizing.
In other words the leftist lawmakers must consider in their advocacy for bigger wages, either borne solely by the businesses or subsidized by the government, that there is need for both parties to make some sacrifices so the desired objective can become a “win-win” solution to the problem the leftist groups in Congress want to address.
Meanwhile, the President in his SONA last Monday uttered BIG words relative to the nagging problem of agricultural products smuggling and hoarding. But many among his listeners, including us, are entertaining reservations on what he said. Ours and those of many others’ wish is that the President, in the soonest possible time, will be able to match the size of his words with equally similar size of his action against the smugglers and hoarders and all others who are taking advantage of the weaknesses of the government system in the country’s agricultural sector.
Actually, the greatest fear of the Filipinos is the usual commitment of any new administration to change the system but instead ends up being eaten by the system it endeavors to change.
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What happens to the investigation on the bombing of a private vehicle parked on the side of one road at Ecoland Subdivision a little over a month ago? The “bombed” vehicle was reported to be owned by a lawyer.
The investigation of the incident was also done by a special investigation task group created by the police, similar to the one organized by the law enforcers for the purpose of investigating the rape-slay case of a Calinan lady architect.
So far, the police have not made any update on the car bombing. Not even the owner himself has come up with any statement to the public if only to make them aware of the status of the probe.
As usual, the latest that we heard after the incident was that the investigating group has already some “persons of interest.” Were the probers able to get hold of any of the “persons of interest?”
We believe that the police have the obligation to let the public know what has come up so far in their probe.
Let us not forget that the local government of Davao City has been very passionate in its desire to make the city and its people free from possible terrorist activities. The 2016 Roxas Ave. bloody incident still remains fresh in the minds of the people.
So any incident involving explosives will open a portion of the “wounds” inflicted by the Roxas bombing and in the process hurt the city’s pride as one of the most peaceful all over the country.
Will the investigation task group on that blast stand up and make a report please?
