Gloria the Horrible

It looks like trouble galore in the Philippines. The de-facto President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has just instituted something akin to martial law called a state of emergency, whatever that means. Well, she can take control of the public utilities and she can take control of the media. She has already taken control of one newspaper, the Daily Tribune. Officials of the government are promising even more acts against the media. All of this bodes very bad for the future of the Philippines.

Economically, things have been going very badly in the last few years, as if things couldn’t get any worse. The most recent assault on the people was the recent e-vat measure which provides for a new 12% tax on food and medicines as well as most goods and services in the Philippines. It is a quite high tax and it is a tax that falls disproportionally the poor rather than the rich. See the rich and the middle class has been derelict in paying their taxes, even though the Philippines has some of the highest tax rates in Asia, tax collection is another story. The ruling oligarchy chooses who has to and doesn’t have to pay tax. The evat measure was a way to raise government revenues and the poor had no choice but to accept it.

Things have become so bad in the Philippines as of late that many families, unable to purchase cooking gas(also hit by the 12% tax) are now using charcoal to cook food. These are not out of work squatters, these are families with working parents just trying hard to make ends meet. What next is a feeling that many Filipinos have. Escape is a feeling many Filipinos are feeling, escape from a sinking ship.

I remember watching the movie Titanic and seeing everyone getting into lifeboats then seeing everyone trying to jump on the ship in cold waters, and still a few decided just to give and accept fate. This reminds me of what I see in the Philippines today. First people left legally, legal immigrants to other countries, good job contracts and the like, then came the desperation that boils over, young girls knowingly leaving to be prostitutes, those unable to leave working in dimly lit internet chat businesses, performing sex acts on the internet for chump change, school teachers abandoning their schools to teach in China and Thailand. Things are bad and are getting worse. GMA’s actions will only perpetrate more of this, but before feeling sorry for Filipinos, remember this is what Filipinos prayed for.

Christians and Catholics gathered in January 2001 and rallied to remove Joseph Estrada from office. They feared God’s judgement on the Philippines if they allowed someone with his vices to remain in office. They prayed for deliverance and prayed to have Gloria Arroyo put into the Presidency. They obviously got what they wanted, someone more corrupt, more power hungry, and more evil than the one they wanted to illegally remove from office.

A hint for the future: Pray that the people will turn to God and pray that a leader can arise who humbly accepts that true power comes from God and that they are to be a guardian of the people and do His will.