IMELDA THE BEAUTIFUL / GLORIA THE VILE
Packaging is everything. When Gloria's apologists keep boasting of their master's achievements as a top-gun economist, and yet our economy is in the doldrums, that's wrong management of our investments. There's really only so much that the world economy can do to inflict damage in our country, for as it is we are on our own at the end of the day, and we can really do better even without those MOUs and MOAs. When Lorelei Fajardo, Anthony Golez, Jess Dureza and Ed Ermita and even my favorite flunkie Cerge Remonde keep saying that their master isn't bothered at all with her dismal acceptance ratings, and yet with Gloria's 24/7 tongue-lashing at them, they go on working late hours in the Palace to spin a weave of a miracle to improve her image, and then we see all over huge posters saying "Ramdam Ang Kaunlaran," and yet we have become a society of instant noodles with the high prices of food and commodities, they sure have packaged her in a very poor way, for the truth is "Ramdam Ang Kaunlaran" is really "Ramdam Ang Kahirapan." Take the case of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. In her campaign for the presidency of the country years ago, she tried appealing to the poor. At a rally in Manila, she told several thousand impoverished followers, "I am a squatter like you too." Then she climbed into her air-conditioned stretch Mercedes-Benz and returned to her $2,000 a day hotel suite. Now, that's another bad way to package a candidate, isn't it? And guess what? The approach didn't work. So, Mrs. Marcos' next tactic was to claim that the foundation of President Marcos' wealth was simply good fortune - he stumbled upon a vast horde of gold hidden by Japanese soldiers when they occupied the Philippines in World War 2. The First Lady added further that President Marcos had generously sold much of the gold to help the Philippines through difficult economic times in the 60s and 70s. Well, subsequent Philippine regimes didn't do any bit better. In fact, it is at its worst today! Previous administrations countered that the Marcoses accumulated their fortune through embezzlement and kickbacks, which in comparison with today's crooks in Malacananang, is mere loose-change. So, whether it be a MOU in China or a MOA in Malaysia, it all boils down to one thing - the people are the losers again.
Packaging is everything. When Gloria's apologists keep boasting of their master's achievements as a top-gun economist, and yet our economy is in the doldrums, that's wrong management of our investments. There's really only so much that the world economy can do to inflict damage in our country, for as it is we are on our own at the end of the day, and we can really do better even without those MOUs and MOAs. When Lorelei Fajardo, Anthony Golez, Jess Dureza and Ed Ermita and even my favorite flunkie Cerge Remonde keep saying that their master isn't bothered at all with her dismal acceptance ratings, and yet with Gloria's 24/7 tongue-lashing at them, they go on working late hours in the Palace to spin a weave of a miracle to improve her image, and then we see all over huge posters saying "Ramdam Ang Kaunlaran," and yet we have become a society of instant noodles with the high prices of food and commodities, they sure have packaged her in a very poor way, for the truth is "Ramdam Ang Kaunlaran" is really "Ramdam Ang Kahirapan." Take the case of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. In her campaign for the presidency of the country years ago, she tried appealing to the poor. At a rally in Manila, she told several thousand impoverished followers, "I am a squatter like you too." Then she climbed into her air-conditioned stretch Mercedes-Benz and returned to her $2,000 a day hotel suite. Now, that's another bad way to package a candidate, isn't it? And guess what? The approach didn't work. So, Mrs. Marcos' next tactic was to claim that the foundation of President Marcos' wealth was simply good fortune - he stumbled upon a vast horde of gold hidden by Japanese soldiers when they occupied the Philippines in World War 2. The First Lady added further that President Marcos had generously sold much of the gold to help the Philippines through difficult economic times in the 60s and 70s. Well, subsequent Philippine regimes didn't do any bit better. In fact, it is at its worst today! Previous administrations countered that the Marcoses accumulated their fortune through embezzlement and kickbacks, which in comparison with today's crooks in Malacananang, is mere loose-change. So, whether it be a MOU in China or a MOA in Malaysia, it all boils down to one thing - the people are the losers again.
(Image from http://amazon.com/)
