FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


SOONER RATHER THAN LATER



So the time has come for CHANGE in the Philippines. The Filipino people chose Noynoy, the son of former president Cory Aquino and Filipino hero, Ninoy, to be their president for six years.

Real change is the big challenge facing the incoming president. First in the chopping block is the deep-rooted problem of graft and corruption that has plagued leaders of mostly third-world countries where the Philippines is still one of them.

If money can be used for evil purposes, then I think it can also be used for good ones.

The record says that the nation’s wealth is controlled by very few Filipino families. Because wealth is power anywhere in the world, former dictator Marcos called those rich Filipinos as “oligarchs.” Marcos’ folly, I believe, was his scheme to covet those riches that did not belong to him.

Given such a situation where the very powerful few can convert their money into power, the new Filipino leader may try to convince this special segment of the Filipino society to convert their money into ways to improve the economy of the Philippines, particularly in creating millions of jobs for the jobless through opening of thousands of industries, plants, and factories all over the archipelago. One way to move them is to offer incentives, most particularly tax incentives.

However, for those “rich” Filipino kleptocrats who stashed most of their stolen wealth abroad, one country such as the United States has a policy of seizing the “dirty” stuff and giving them back to the Filipino people. This campaign should start as soon as possible.

I will call the election of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as one last chance for CHANGE. After it, I do not see anything better if it won’t succeed.

Fellow Filipinos, it’s also time to work together to get the job done sooner rather than later.