Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s recent remarks on the sky-high 6.4-percent inflation rate reveals his utter disconnect from the vast majority of Filipinos. For the unrepentant Roque to claim that “inflation is under control” runs contrary to the experience of the masses, where nearly all common goods and services have increased in cost as a result of a series of fallacious economic policies. The TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) Law, no matter how much the administration denies it, will remain the culprit that triggered the current price hikes that burden the poor.
Often overlooked by the likes of Roque from the ruling class is the intense struggle of those in the margins of society who suffer due to the decisions by this government: students from low-income families struggling to make their allowance last a day and must now manage every single peso with greater attention than before; and workers whose wages are barely enough to buy commodities to fulfill their family’s needs, and who, simultaneously, also suffer worsening labor conditions.
More examples come to mind, but if one thing is unmistakably true, it is that the long struggle of the masses has become even more intense due to the bungled policies of economic managers, made worse by insensitive politicians and economic dunces.
And yet they deny their fault in all these effects, distracting the people from the cause of their suffering, as if the masses are so stupid that they would not see through their smokescreens, such as the persecution of opposition leaders to consolidate power for themselves, rather than to serve the people.
SHARA MAE LANDICHO, spokesperson, Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan, progresibongkabataan@gmail.com