My old 2016 post calling out candidate Rodrigo Duterte for his insulting language and bad behavior got reposted again, and I have no idea who started it. FB friends, friends of friends and colleagues in civil society have asked if this was really mine, when it was posted and what happened.
For the record, it was posted during the 2016 Presidential election campaign, got published in an inside page of a national newspaper, and was totally ignored by Duterte. And I thought, well, at least I tried.
Sadly, it doesn’t look like he’s changed his ways. Worse, his followers have inherited his bad habits. The most recent victim of indecent language was Vice President Leni Robredo. Lewd comments targeting the VP, complete with a dirty-finger selfie, were posted on the Facebook page of a student of the University of St. La Salle, a young man who calls himself a “diehard Duterte supporter and Marcos apologist”.
The reactions were quick and unforgiving, prompting the University to investigate the sad incident. The concerned student posted a rather ambiguous apology, saying he hoped to be “allowed to prove his innocence”.
Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, had this to say about similar circumstances happening in America: “We have come to live in a society based on insults, on lies and on things that just aren’t true. It creates an environment where deranged people feel empowered.”
The Vice President has soberly responded to this latest assault on her person but has again pointed that “Leaders who bring out the worst in people are not what our country needs.” Truly, the Duterte leadership is that kind of leadership, and it has brought out the worst in many Filipinos. As I asked then, and I ask again, ENOUGH!”
Did you know?
I am taking the liberty of sharing some information collected by former NEDA Secretary General Cielito Habito and recently presented in a forum on Inclusive Growth and Poverty. His presentation is instructive for students of sustainable and equitable development.
The wealthiest 1 percent of Filipinos control 60 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The top 150,000 families have as much income as the bottom 6 million families. In 2011, the increase in wealth of the 40 richest Filipinos comprised 76 percent of the increase in total GDP, compared to Malaysia’s 5.6 percent and Japan’s 2.8 percent. The pattern has not changed much since then.
Our GDP fell into recession for the first time in 29 years (-16.9 percent in the second quarter and -11.5 percent in the third).
Accommodation and food service activities (hotels, resorts and restaurants) declined by 67.2 percent in the second quarter and by 52.7 percent in the third. Education fell by 21.4 percent in the third quarter.
Household consumer spending fell by 15.3 percent in the second quarter and by 9.3 percent in the third. Imports fell 37.9 percent and 21.7 percent in the previous two quarters. Surprisingly, construction (supposed to have been fueled by “Build, Build, Build”) dropped by 37.9 percent and 21.7 percent in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, respectively, with government construction down by 28 percent. Exports went down 35.8 percent in the 2nd quarter, and recovered in the 3rd, showing only a 14.7 percent decline. But the sad thing is that Philippine exports and Foreign direct Investments (FDI’s) have perennially lagged behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and even formerly war-torn Vietnam.
On the positive side, there seems to have been consistent improvement (recovery) between the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Hopefully, the economic recovery continues.
But a major concern persists: malnutrition prevalence is at a high 31 percent.
The silent crisis
Every discussion about human development must necessarily touch on two major factors, namely education and nutrition. When an economist like Habito talks about malnutrition in an economic briefing, one sits up and takes notice.
The history of malnutrition is not alien to us Negrenses. Remember Joel Abong? By way of perspective, Habito recounts that as of 2015, 1 out of 3 children aged 5 years and below was stunted, a victim of malnutrition. And citing the fact that 90% of brain development happens before age 5, a stunted child is “damaged for life”. The comparative images of normal and stunted brains are dramatic.
The historical data will show that hunger and malnutrition have always been a problem: 30-34 percent of children aged 0-59 months were reported as malnourished from 2003 to 2018. The current scenario is chilling. A September 2020 survey shows moderate hunger rising to 22 percent and severe hunger to 8.7 percent. That can only mean more malnutrition if little is done to arrest the problem.
Why does Habito raise the issue?
Stunted children = stunted brains. In the latest IQ test among different countries, the Philippines had an average IQ of 86, the lowest in the ASEAN region. By comparison, Singapore had the highest average IQ of 108, Vietnam (!) had 94, Malaysia 92, Brunei, Thailand and Cambodia 91, Laos 89, Indonesia and Myanmar, 87.
And if we don’t handle the education crisis well, this situation can get worse. This is a major challenge for local government units and civil society. – NWI
