Exploiting poverty conditions

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle’s call for politicians and others involved in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam to go to the slums and experience for themselves what it is like to be poor (“Scam moves Tagle to tears,” Front Page, 8/14/13) touched me to the bone.

Indeed, greed has reached the highest levels of government despite this era of “daang matuwid” promised to us by President Aquino.

We cannot simply turn a blind eye to the diversion of billions of people’s money—orchestrated allegedly by Janet Lim-Napoles—to fake nongovernment organizations in connivance with greedy politicians. The P10 billion was meant to finance infrastructure and other worthy projects for the upliftment of the poor. Just imagine the millions of Filipinos who have become hopeless and whose living conditions have worsened because they were robbed by a few cunning individuals and groups whose insatiable greed has escalated beyond measure.

With P10 billion, how many ordinary Juans would have benefited from it?

1. More MRT/LRT coaches would have been acquired without the need to borrow from foreign investors. And instead of a hellish ride every day, there would be a smile from every commuter after each ride.

2. More school buildings could have been put up and students need not be packed inside cramped classrooms. Likewise, public school teachers need not complain of meager salaries and delayed benefits.

3. Farm-to-market roads could have been built in many of our rural areas. Then farmers could have sold their produce to the lowlands and farming would be a profitable endeavor with accessible markets. Smooth roads to the Samar islands could also have been built, and with pristine beaches to boast of, Eastern Samar’s tourism could have easily flourished.

4. Government hospitals need not shoo away poor patients for lack of funds. The sick in every government hospital ward need not be overcrowded. Dental problems among Filipinos would have been attended to.

5. Mendicants on city streets would have been put in a facility where they could eat three meals a day. Petty crimes due to poverty would have been fewer.

6. Quality mass housing projects would have built decent communities. Those living in slums near rivers and creeks could have been relocated without fuss.

7. Being a country with wide idle lands, a lot of livelihood opportunities in agriculture could have been started, then there would be no need to import our rice, vegetables and fruits; we can sufficiently produce them in the countryside.

The list goes on.

Let the brains of this abominable crime of taking advantage of the plight of the poor for their self-enrichment be held accountable.

—BELEN DOCENA-ASUELO,

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