WHILE government assistance is urgently needed by millions of Filipino families struggling with soaring prices, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay warns that the Marcos administration’s expanded UPLIFT cash aid program of P12,000 over six months for qualified families remains a temporary relief measure that fails to address worsening poverty.
The government’s continued reliance on ayuda only treats the symptoms of poverty while leaving untouched the economic policies that have eroded workers’ purchasing power and pushed more families into hardship.
Ang ayuda makabulig sa gilayon kag lip-ot lang nga panahon, pero indi ini ang matuod nga solusyon sa kapigaduhon. Ang P2,000 kada bulan indi makaigo para mabawi ang pagsaka sang presyo sang gatong, pagkaon, kag iban pa nga kinahanglanon sang pamilya.
Fuel prices have remained significantly higher compared to previous years, when petroleum products were still around P40-P50 per liter before the escalation of global conflicts and geopolitical tensions. Even previous fuel subsidies, amounting to P5,000 for transport groups and more than P2,300 for farmers and fisherfolk, were only enough to cover a very short period of operating expenses, demonstrating that government dole-outs cannot keep pace with the continuing increase in production costs.
There is also the selective nature of government assistance programs based on lowered poverty thresholds and a narrowed definition of who qualifies as poor. Ang pagpangabuhi sang isa ka pamilya indi matakos sang numero nga gintalana sang gobyerno. Ang matuod nga kinahanglanon sang pamilya para sa pagkaon, balay, kuryente, tubig, transportasyon, kag iban pa nga basehan nga kinahanglanon nagalab-ot sa masobra P22,000 kada bulan, tuman kalayo sa P13,900 nga poverty threshold suno sa National Anti-Poverty Commission. Wala pa labot dira ang edukasyon, pabulong, savings, kag iban pa nga kinahanglanon sang pamilya.
Long-term solutions require reducing the burdens placed on ordinary Filipinos. Remove the value-added tax (VAT) and excise taxes on essential goods, particularly petroleum products, and impose greater taxes on large corporations that continue to profit amid the economic crisis.
Indi dapat ang ordinaryo nga Pilipino ang nagapas-an sang epekto sang krisis. Ang gobyerno dapat magkuha sang dugang nga kita halin sa dalagkuan nga negosyo kag indi magpabug-at sang buhis sa mga mamumugon kag konsumidor.
Ultimately, implement a P1,200 daily family living wage to ensure that workers can provide for their families without depending on periodic government assistance. Ang matuod nga solusyon sa kapigaduhon amo ang makabuhi nga suweldo, disente nga trabaho, kag ekonomiya nga nagaserbisyo sa pumuluyo. – ELMER FORRO, secretary general, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Panay
