I am not an economist, but it seems obvious that the way things are usually done in this country has only led to more poverty (as the poverty statistics show).
Things may look fair and square in the eyes of the law, but there are so many laws that unduly benefit business owners at the expense of employees. To be sure, there are business establishments that provide all the required benefits. What I don’t understand is why the businessmen who dutifully pay for their employees’ rightful benefits don’t speak up to egg errant business entities into complying with the law and give their workers the benefits due them. After all, any violation of the law on labor benefits by a business entity effectively penalizes business establishments that incur higher business costs for complying with the law.
Then there is government. It gets defensive when presented with the unchanging, if worsening, poverty picture, yet it doesn’t stop the unfair practices that make rich, unscrupulous employers richer because they pocket what is due their workers, thus further widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
Also, there is the Bureau of Internal Revenue which cannot reach its collection targets. Why should it be puzzled by its failure? How can it hit its target when people do not have to pay or remain exempt from paying income tax because of the unfair practices of their employers?
It seems that the government has become so inured or “manhid,” such that it sees nothing wrong with the malpractices in its bureaucracy and ranks.
I wish the government would open its eyes to the many injustices in our society. Only then could we, a truly a rich nation with talented people just waiting for the right government support, all move forward. Until then, greed will continue to trump fairness and justice.
—JACQUELINE VEGA,
jacqueline_cancio_vega@yahoo.com