What's Happening in my Country

@jag003 (127)
Philippines
June 17, 2008 2:02am CST
Oil Prices are soaring high Everything in the market has gone up it's usual value and the Rice, my goodness, the Rice, our number one Commodity, now also one of our Number one Problems... What has our president done to our country? People are desperate to flee from this country, how do we survive? how could we survive? Everything costs too much But the salary stays the same The rich becomes richer The poor becomes poorer Prior to this time and age, there were 3 social status in this country upper class middle class lower class the middle class has gone missing, they're all part of the lower class, now who would determine what our country's status? What should we do?
12 responses
@desireeo (595)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
our country is indeed in a desperate state right now. it's true we don't have control over some of the things like the oil coz we have to rely on foreign companies for it but if there's one thing that we can do about is eradicate graft and corruption. i think this is the root of all evil. just look how much money have been wasted due to greedy politicians licking off the nation's coffers? that could have helped millions of our starving countrymen. when i see long queues of rice buyers hoping to save up a few pesos in the desperate move of stretching domestic budget, i can't help but wince because it's so hard trying to line up for something that we have in abundance in previous years. who doesn't want to work abroad when you can hardly feed your family living here? i don't know how to remedy this but all i know is that we have to work our a s s off to be able to eat 3x a day...
1 person likes this
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
It is true, we have to work our a s s off, me I'm doing online jobs as well as looking for jobs offline, and I'm even reviewing for the dreaded nursing licensure exams, we are not the poorest of poor, but you know years ago when I was just in grade school my stepdad didn't even have a job yet we were living as though my dad's on a satisfactory budget, now, he's earning a lot and yet I don't even feel that it's enough to survive for the next month... how are you coping by the way? Our country's drowning in the ditch... When can we get out of it... I hope that when I've grown much much older than I am now, there would be some sort of resolution to this problem, you know when you come to think of it why did we ever oust Joseph, is it to suffer under the hands of GMA?
@desireeo (595)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
don't ever trust someone with an impressive educational background coz they're the ones who will rob you in your face and you wouldn't even know it. of course, you can handpick a few who wouldn't do this but you can count them with your ten fingers. we have a little business and right now it's not doing well coz of competition plus the fact that we have to shell out more for our basic needs...right now i am trying out a few online gigs. can you share a few? i have just started and i'm still feeling my way through...do think we would have been better off with erap? or FPJ? the blatant lies of this regime disguised as contigency plans to remedy the current problems only humiliate us further. they make the Filipinos look like hungry pack dogs fighting over a scrap of bone.
@desireeo (595)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
yes, surveys aren't that dependable. i'm gonna try creating a blog. i'm still organizing my thoughts as to what to write about. thanks!
@livvy092002 (1032)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
I assume that we are living in the same country because those you mentioned are all happening in my country now. So depressing! Really, if we have a weak heart, those news are very disheartening and may cause us to faint! We know for a fact that every time the oil prices goes up.. the tendency is for most if not all of the basic commodities to also hike prices! And yes, our income level stays the same. For those who are earning regular salaries, little increases cannot cope up with the increasing rate of our cost of living. Actually, employees' increase in salaries was also proportioned to increase in taxes withheld from them. Adding insult to the injury, our country's values seemed to be boggled down. Corruption increases, poverty increase. I don't hope for the President to solve all those problems anymore (in fact, she may be one of the problems). I believe what we can do now individually is to start the change within ourselves. Be frugal and thrifty, respect the environment, and be honest in everything we do.
@desireeo (595)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
it gets down to us knowing how to tighten our belts in times of crisis. it's just so infuriating when the government who's supposed to take care of it's people doesn't have the welfare of it's people in mind. those people are only looking out for their own interests...
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
yep, Philippines indeed.... GMA could have been a good president, but there's a lot of corrupt people from her family starting with her husband and son, the number one people causing all crap to break loose. Yeah, you earn big, the bigger your taxes are. Whenever I look back at the taxes I paid I can't help but think that hey, that amount of money could have been enough to help make something or do something for someone in my family. And the unemployment and underemployment rates are just unbelievably frustrating. You're right the change has to start within ourselves, we could only hope for something bigger like having the politicians change, they are getting fatter while their constituents are suffering, if only politicians could be honest, there's less than a handful of politicians that you could actually say that are honest. The influence of evil when it comes to money and power is so great that they just can't help but be corrupted by it. I hope to see the day that our political positions are filled with honest, goody too shoes, type of people. Maybe then we could see progress in this country. And maybe then no one would even dare want to set a foot outside of our country just to find the promised land. Let's hope and pray for our country's sake. It's not too much to ask for a miracle, it's for the greater good after all...
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
17 Jun 08
i don't think it is only happening in your country... it is happening everywhere globally now... even in a developed country... i am also experiencing it here even though i live in a developed country... but may be the impact is not as bad as those people who live in a developing country like my parents and my family... i hope the government can do something to fix the situations soon... take care and have a nice day...
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
30 Jun 08
Thanks I really do hope that everything gets better out here...
• India
18 Jun 08
Hi friend, its not a crisis of one single country, it is facing by whole world. The only way we can do is minimize fossil fuel consumption. That is switch to bio-fuels. All commodities are related to fuel prices. Thank you
19 Jun 08
Bio-fuels are no way a magic solution. They still need to be grown. That needs land; so less land to grow food. The crops needed to make bio-fuels need fertiliser - most fertiliser is made - wait for it - from oil! No, bio-fuels are almost a complete waste of time. So, okay, if they can be grown on land which can't grow food and take less fossil fuel energy to grow than the energy they produce, maybe. And don't forget, how is all that agricultural machinery made? That also needs to be factored in.
@ritchel (842)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
Yes, i agree with you. Our beloved country - Philippines is in the middle of crisis which i don't know if the problems like you have mentioned will really be solved considering we have corrupt politicians out there.
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
20 Jun 08
yes, I agree with that as well, it's just so saddening to see the things that has been happening around in our country, I love the Philippines, I enjoy staying here, this is my very own comfort zone and to see it falling apart just makes me want to cry sometimes, it gets me depressed to see it this way...
@momz2gd (295)
• Yucaipa, California
17 Jun 08
Everything is going up in the usa, too. Gas prices, trucker strikes, and drought. I have to shop for cheaper food because gas in high.
17 Jun 08
It's the same in UK. Bread prices are very high, fuel prices are soaring. We have threats of more huge rises in gas and electricity for our homes so we are having to be careful not to use too much. The prices go up each week in the supermarkets. They blame oil prices but I wonder if everybody is just jumping on the band wagon and hiking their prices up.
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
18 Jun 08
It is true, all the things happening in my country are happening globally, it's just so unbelievably frustrating, the rate at which everything is increasing. It's like we haven't even had a breather for a certain situation and then suddenly you've got another thing coming...
@wisedragon (2325)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
If you're from the Philippines, well, remember the fertilizer scam? Remember the famous Jocjoc Bolante, close friend of the First Gentleman? They robbed the farmers of fertilizers. They used the money to cheat in the 2004 presidential election. Now we're not producing enough rice. We're supposed to be an agricultural country. We're supposed to be exporters of rice, not importers.
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
EXACTLY! why the heck are we importing rice when we should be making a living exporting them. I remember a certain radio commentator, it was during the issue of a Bohol governor who wants to produce rice only for Boholanos, like whatever rice they harvest goes to Bohol first, the commentators were joking around about BARTERING, say since Bohol's commodity is rice they could barter with someone from the bay area for saya certain amount of rice for a certain amount of fish, then came MANILA, we don't have any agricultural land in Manila right? Then he reminded us about the fertilizer funds, they were saying (in the point of view of the Boholanos), what the heck's your problem about our strategy don't you have rice mills in Manila you got a big portion of the fertilizer funds why are you complaining. See the point? There's nothing to cultivate in Manila, what buildings? Anyway, that's how corrupt this politicians are, getting a sum of money for something they don't even need and we are suffering for this. I believe in KARMA, so, goodluck to the people who are doing terrible things they equal to terrible KARMA as well...
• United States
17 Jun 08
hi friend as u said oil price is increasing a lot, this is only due to the increase in the usage of oil in differnet ways and at the same time decrease in the oil production in mines.When compared to the olden days now the usage of oil has increased a lot now a days.For example, now a days vehicles usage is lot where we can't go any where with out vehicle,but in olden days they use to go from one place to other by walk ,there exists the much usage of oil in the form of petrol,diesel and other ways. so, it finally leads to the effect on the poor people whom u consider them as poor. As the prices of our daily grosseries increased at the same time our salary rates also increase where we can't see much differnce in the increase in salary . therefore poor remain as poor and rich remains as rich. I think i'm right to your point.
19 Jun 08
MORE TO THE POINT - WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD As other people have said, oil and food prices are going up around the world. Of course, peoples' standards of living are different, but more-or-less everyone is suffering a drop in living standards. Why? The World's population is continually increasing. Asian countries such as China, have been industrialising at a great pace, with many people in those countries enjoying an increasing standard of living. In these circumstances, many choose to eat more animal foods, putting more pressure on the land to grow crops to feed these animals whether for meat or dairy. Another thing that seems to be happening, is that the oil that is available, there is not so much capacity to pump it any quicker to satisfy the spiralling demand. We maybe seeing "peak oil", where from now on supplies of it may gradually decline. Coupled with increased demand, there is only one main direction in which the oil price may go! The implications of this are going to be huge! ... So whatever is happening in one's own country, this situation has potential to make it worse. :-(. Of course there is always a silver lining to every cloud, it's just that I can't see it yet!!!
@gloreymay (882)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
I think it is happening world wide dear. One of the major cause I think are the corrupt officials and it should have an immediate action. But the question is on how to solve that problem? Pity are those who are belong to the poverty line they are the most affected one. As of now, we ordinary citizen have to be honest and helpful in our own simple ways not to add up the situation.
@jag003 (127)
• Philippines
17 Jun 08
yes, true ma'am, everyone in this country is corrupt at some extent. i don't think i actually ever knew any politician who has been honest in his service.
@fatima07 (169)
• Philippines
26 Jun 08
We really admit those tons of problems in our country and filipinos are really suffering from poverty, oil price hike, and rice shortage. But what we are going to do even me I don't know how our fellow country men could get off in crisis. Let's pray for Philippines and for the filipinos suffering from illness of crisis.
• India
17 Jun 08
Hiee !!! thats a very sad news now-a-dayz .......... even in my country , there is this similar kinda situation ........... m from India ...... i dont hav words to describe further at this moment but lets hope for the best in both our countries....... TC and HAppy MYLOTTING !!! [:)]