Consumers Domain
Citizens Wish List
"Come sister, come brother
Our spirit is all it takes
To effect simple wonders."
- from the poem "The Call" by Sara Mathai Stinus
Looking back through the years, I can only sigh at the seemingly regressing life in our country. Our nation, our existence, may have progressed in this or that aspect but most will certainly agree with me that in the overall the situation only worsened.
At the end of every year it is but fitting to glance back to the past year or even beyond and take stock of all things and events that brought us to where we are now. More often we ask, are we better off now? Are we happier? Are we satisfied in our life as an individual? As consumers? As taxpayers? As citizens? As a nation?
Despite the gloom though we find strength and hope from different sources - from our resolve and idealism, our dreams and aspirations, from our anger and frustrations, or from our sheer stubbornness. As we start a brand new year in a vast sea of desperation we never fail to see a glimmer of hope, thus we make wishes.
For the past 3 years, every time the year is dawning or has ended and a new year is approaching or already has started, this column featured consumers' and taxpayers' wish list. In that tradition, the first articles for January 2006 of this column will be taking up people's wishes.
To all readers, you can still send in your contribution to this wish list that I can feature in the next article. Now let me start this list with the inputs of this paper's readers and its online visitors as well.
- - "I wish that politics in the Philippines will undergo a meaningful transformation that would truly serve to eradicate poverty in our country." (E-mail from Diego Flores who is now based in London)
- - "I wish dat der wud b an amendment in the E-VAT law and decrease of power rates ds yr." (Text message from Zherry Pajado of Zarraga, Iloilo)
- - "Tama na ang ptaka nga psaka sg PECO! I also wish dat der wud be no mor brownouts. Napocor conectn cud be a solution & brato pa." (Text message from R. Papa of La Paz, Iloilo)
- - "Cheaper/affordable prices of books written by pinoy writers and a decrease of the prices of Philippine-made products." (Text message from Tata Ola of Jaro, Iloilo City)
- - "Roll back sa presyo sg gasolina. Manubo ang presyo sg basic commodities. Trabaho sa wla sg trabaho kg dugang nga sweldo sa mga may trabaho. Peace and order para damo ma invest sa Pilipinas. Kg makilala ang pinoy products sa global market. Stable economy." (Text message from Liza Panaligan of Jaro, Iloilo City)
- - "Hapi nw yr! A hapi nw bgning 4 anadr yr of consumers dmain. Mor xciting issues & inspiring thots 4 us readrs. 2 d authr wish u mor courage & wisdom 2 share & unveil 2 us d trut on d issues dat confronts d society 2day. Mor pwr!" (Text message from Joy Gaitana of Oton, Iloilo)
Now for my wishes:
- - The first one would be for the integrity of the media. That as the Fourth Estate, media will truly be a beacon of truth and justice, and serve its social responsibility to be a voice of the oppressed and the marginalized. I wish that the independence of editors and all journalists will be upheld and not be trampled upon by the shallow whims and interests of some profit hungry boars and corporations.
- - Next, I wish that PECO and PPC stop deceiving and threatening the Ilonggo power consumers. Take for example the reaction of PECO to my previous article that was accommodated in this paper (December 19 2005 issue). At face value it may appear logical but in close scrutiny it is full of fallacies, half-truths and outright lies. You may read my rebuttal to PECO's letter at: http://consumersdomain.blogspot.com.
- - PECO and PPC (and other big business interests for that matter) have all the resources to initiate its PR and media campaign so I also wish for more vigilance and critical-mindedness among the public.
- - I wish that electric cooperatives (ILECO I, II, III, GUIMELCO, AKELCO, CAPELCO, ANTECO, CENECO, etc) would be converted to genuine cooperatives where consumers will have a real voice and meaningful participation.
- - I wish that MIWD and all local water districts would improve on their efficiency that will translate to lower rates and better services. Wishing further that the privatization of these water districts as dictated by government policy would not push through.
- - This column also wishes that contactors (ABE and other subcontractors) behind and the politicians who benefited from the anomalous and substandard construction of the Pavia Housing Project would be penalized and put behind bars.
- - I also wish that in this year Gloria Arroyo will be possessed by a spirit and miraculously admit to her crimes to the nation and voluntarily vacate Malacañang. And that the Filipinos will wake up from hibernation and reclaim their power from the elite traditional politicians to chart their own future.
- - This column also wishes for the enlightenment of our Congress Representatives and the Senators that they may pass a 2006 budget that is responsive to the real needs of the Filipinos and the country. That education, health, housing, employment programs and other services are given priority.
- - That the billions of budget for debt payments be rechanneled to the eradication of hunger and long-term solutions to poverty. In a recent SWS survey that covered the last quarter of the 2005, the number of Filipinos who said they went hungry rose to a record high with 16.7% of people surveyed saying they had nothing to eat at least once.
- - I wish that Filipinos especially politicians will take a cue from the display of honesty of a 12-year-old girl named Cristina Bugayong, a girl belonging to a poor family in Metro Manila who recently returned the P300,000 that she found to its rightful owner.
More next week folks! And please send in your own wishes.
(Send your wishes, comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337; for e-mails to ianseruelo@yahoo.com; and for blogs to http://consumersdomain.blogspot.com.)