December 18, 2013
A Philippine Star article by Thomas
Ancheta states that more Filipinos look forward to a better life in the next 12
months.
A recent Social Weather Stations
(SWS) survey showed the net personal optimism rose to a “very high” +35 in
September, with 40 percent of the respondents saying they expected the quality
of their lives to improve in the next 12 months and six percent claiming
otherwise.
This was higher than the “high”
+28 (35 percent optimistic, seven percent pessimistic) recorded in June.
It is however important to note
that this survey was conducted from September 20 to 23, 2013. The expressions
of faith and optimism were therefore done before Sept. 16 when charges of
plunder, malversation, bribery, graft and corrupt practices were filed in the
Office of the Ombudsman against Janet Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile,
Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada and 34 others and before the Oct. 15
magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol and Cebu and the onslaught of record-breaking
Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas.
It is therefore confusing that after
the series of exposes, man-made and natural disasters took place, selected media
and opinion-makers suddenly discovered that PNoy government is ineffective,
graph-ridden and needs drastic overhaul.
Just as surprising is the
statement from the Economic Markets Strategy paper of Singapore-based bank DBS
saying on December 12 that the Philippine economy remains in a “sweet spot”
despite the devastation left by Typhoon Yolanda as strong domestic demand,
rising remittances and the prospect of more structural reforms are expected to
continue to boost growth.
HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED?!
