Ermita appeals to the youth not to turn a blind eye on the many good things the gov’t has done.

Nope, this is not a headline from the Inquirer nor from any leading TV station or media organization.  I read it from the Philippine government website as one of its banner stories.  The headline suddenly caused shivers down my spine.  How in the world was Ermita able to arrive at the conclusion that this government has done many good things to the Filipino people?  Of course, this is understandable, coming from an Executive Secretary no less.  But how was he able to muster enough nerve to say it to the youth, particularly to the PUP graduates?  When lies are repeated over and over again for a long period of time, they become gospel truth to the person who utters them.  This, I think, may be the reason why Ermita has mouthed words that are plainly opposite to the real state of the nation. 

Ermita said:  “Whatever has been said by those who oppose it, we have a government and a leader in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who tries everything that she can to make a better life for our people.” 

Come again, Mr. ES?  On the contrary, the past seven years under President Arroyo has been one HELL of a ride.  If I were to rate Arroyo’s performance on a scale of 0 to 10 (with 0 as the lowest and 10 as the highest), the result is quite obvious:   

JUSTICE and HUMAN RIGHTS — ZERO.  Where is Jonas Burgos?

FOOD and AGRICULTURE — ZERO.  More rice please.

ENVIRONMENT and NATURAL RESOURCES — ZERO.  ECCs for sale?

LABOR and SOCIAL WELFARE — ZERO.  Prices are up.  Wages remain the same.

ENERGY and ECONOMY — ZERO.  Thanks to our OFWs.  The have kept the sinking boat afloat. 

EDUCATION and MORALITY — ZERO.  Lying, cheating and stealing.  These have become normal practices for people in government. 

As if praising his boss was not enough, the former military man sounded like an economist when he said:  “Barring all the unforeseen, we intend to keep our sights on a similar surge in our gross domestic product (GDP) which grew by 7.3 percent last year, exceeding all market expectations and the strongest growth registered since 1976, after 31 years.” 

Granting for the sake of argument that our economy is on the upswing, the same has not trickled down to benefit the common man.  The poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer.  People lining up by the hundreds to avail of cheaper rice should be a cause for embarrassment to a President who boasts of economics as her field of expertise. 

Nothing will happen to this country so long as there are leaders who continue to enrich themselves at the people’s expense.  And to all those who continue to support this bogus and corrupt administration, you deserve the kind of government you have.