Our country’s chances of surviving headwinds

The suffering brought about by the country’s preoccupation with the impeachment tussle among our legislators—literally wasting precious time to address serious economic concerns—is too much to bear. The Senate leadership of the 19th Congress has succeeded in blunting the process. They threw the problem to the 20th Congress. The International Criminal Court (ICC) trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte is adding angst to our nation.

Groups and victims crying for justice have their causes in the right places. However, the other half of the country begs for food on the table and sufficient wages to be able feed their families. How can we brace ourselves against the economic headwinds from abroad when we are unable to even work out solutions to the internal problems basic to the struggle of daily living?

We do not even have enough export earnings to buy oil, the equipment, materials and parts to run our industries. The earnings of overseas Filipino workers, which we have relied on to contribute 50 percent of export earnings, will soon dwindle because of the wars in the Middle East, where many have been working.

It is time for us to tell our leaders to come down from their political pedestal and serve us. Let law and justice fall where they may and spare the public the time wasted on the impeachment and the ICC trial of Duterte. The Vice President should also think about the country and serve the people.

Some of our countrymen are wallowing in subhuman conditions. Many come to Metro Manila from the provinces because they have not been reached by government services. We are doomed with the propensity to spend more than we earn.

In 2026, the proposed national expenditure program is P6.79 trillion; the projected government revenue is under P5 trillion. We are seeing an operating deficit of P 1.8 trillion! This operating deficit syndrome has been going on for years. The government’s debt rose by P19 trillion from 2016 to 2025. We have to be collectively practical as a nation, help ourselves and not decimate each other politically and bring the country down with our unforgivable folly.

MARVEL K. TAN,
captbeloytan@gmail.com