As expected, 2025 started with a bang—the same bang that echoed through 2024. Unfortunately, this is not the sound of celebratory fireworks, despite 2025 already witnessing two New Year celebrations. Instead, it is a bang laden with a heavy dampness—except, of course, for the billionaire class.
The greatest blunder that buried 2024 in deep disappointment and resentment was the signing of the 2025 national budget, or the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Whatever goodwill the Marcos presidency had managed to generate could not neutralize the negative impact of a budget that continues to simmer with controversy. It is not just about the amounts allocated but about the arbitrary and reckless decisions—deflating critical budgets while inflating favored programs. The unexplained cuts and bloated political pork have only fueled public distrust instead of instilling the confidence Filipinos desperately need as the year unfolds.
In my article last week, I described our current state as being “at a low and fragile point.” I thought that was the gentlest way to put it, given that others have been more scathing. After all, the regular SWS surveys show self-rated poverty at its worst in two decades, now at 63%. Food poverty figures are equally alarming, and government agencies are finally talking about prioritizing food security. Inflation is reported at deceptively low levels, yet the majority of Filipinos struggle to afford three full meals a day due to shockingly high food prices.
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As we enter the second month of 2025, I had hoped we could focus on how we—ordinary yet the majority of Filipinos—can help ourselves when the government cannot. But this can only happen if we are not constantly distracted by political feuds and reactionary squabbles. With the House of Representatives impeaching VP Sara Duterte, with the official campaign period now beginning, these distractions will only worsen. It is not a good time for Filipinos, and it is not a good time for the world either.
But I exclude the billionaire class from these economic and political woes. The wealth, power, and opportunities they possess shield them from the daily struggles of ordinary Filipinos. The Philippines, after all, recorded economic growth higher than most countries. But where did that growth come from? More importantly, where did it go? When economic growth coincides with deepening poverty and food insecurity, the answer is clear: that wealth has flowed upward, enriching the billionaire class and their business associates while leaving the masses behind.
It is a cliché—one that remains powerfully true—that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. But in the Philippine context, this is not just a cliché; it is a political indictment. It means the government has failed in its most essential role: to lead its people toward collective well-being. When continuous economic growth translates to greater poverty and food insecurity, the government is not leading—it is merely catering to the rich and powerful, clinging to a failed trickle-down economy.
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Development must meaningfully and substantially include the 63% of Filipinos at the bottom. The principle of ayuda is not inherently wrong—after all, the Catholic Church and the elite have used it for centuries. But it is ineffective beyond addressing immediate hunger. A real development strategy must go beyond short-term relief and move toward self-sufficiency. Protecting the weak may start with feeding and sheltering them, but it must evolve into empowering them.
This means no ayuda without a structured development plan that fosters responsibility, hard work, and productivity. It requires all sectors—government, business, private institutions, and education—to create a sustainable framework for lifting Filipinos out of dependence. Our widespread dependency, the staggering 91% learning poverty, the inability of public-school teachers to deliver effective education, corruption in government, the neglect of small farmers and fisherfolk, and the decline of patriotism—these are all interconnected ailments. They must be addressed under one comprehensive vision and mission.
The accumulated rot is seeping through, as it was always bound to. We cannot continue making blunder after blunder, driven by greed rather than service and the common good, without paying the price. And we have been paying for it—wasting opportunity after opportunity to grow from our native resources, intelligence, and noble culture. We have reversed the natural order, turning ourselves into the world’s service provider at the cost of our own dignity. Again, of course, I exempt the billionaire class, who continue to thrive many times over while those who need to thrive the most fall further behind.
Recent COA reports expose the inefficiency of project implementation in agencies like NIA, DPWH, PAGASA, and NFA. COA is not yet alleging corruption, only mismanagement and waste. But we have heard the same about DepEd, PhilHealth, and Customs. It is only a matter of time before every other agency is publicly exposed—not just for inefficiency, which likely already exists, but for outright corruption. The rot will seep through, as surely as night follows day.
I want to speak directly to the mainstream Filipino—the poor, as well as those who consider themselves neither poor nor rich. We must reclaim our sense of shame and restore what we have lost: our dignity, our talents, and our fierce drive to take care of ourselves. We suffer the most, yet we surrender our freedom and agency to a government that prioritizes the elite. We search for solutions and saviors, but rarely do we look to ourselves.
I also want to address the billionaire class. There are countless justifications for accumulating wealth—even obscene amounts of it—while most Filipinos struggle for life’s essentials. But may I ask: please, grow a conscience.
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And finally, to the government. You are the father, mother, big brother, protector, enabler, the last refuge of Filipinos in need—and most Filipinos are now in need. Patriotism demands the highest standards from you. Do not take the lowest road and become the treacherous bantay-salakay.
