THE change in the foreign policy of the current administration has caused problems in the peace and security of the Philippines.
This was stated by Foreign Relations Expert Sass Rogando Sasot when asked for her reaction regarding the recently held “Hakbang ng Maisug” Prayer Rally in Cebu.
The prayer rally carries the slogan ‘Transparency, Accountability, Peace, and Security’.
‘‘From an international relations perspective, we have a peace and security problem and of course the change in the foreign policy of [Pres.] Bongbong Marcos that, until now, they still refuse to acknowledge as a wrong direction. The Economist Intelligence Unit released a report last year stating that we are now the most vulnerable in Asia geopolitically, and prior to that, we were not, right?’’ according to Sass Rogando Sasot, Foreign Relations Expert.
According to Sass, energy and food security are crucial and are connected to international relations, and the Philippines is facing problems in these areas.
This also affects the Philippines’ relations with other countries.
Sass also cited a government official’s comment about Russia regarding this issue.
‘‘We don’t have any issues with Russia, but we hear a government official, Commodore Tarriela, mentioning Russia as some sort of an enemy of the Philippines. These are short-sighted assessments of the situation, and perhaps they are still thinking that the United States, which has been in our country for over 100 years,’’ Sasot said.
Sass also pointed out that the Philippine society has not changed since the time of the Spanish era, citing Jose Rizal’s books.
She also stressed the relevance of the Cebu Prayer Rally’s call for transparency and accountability, especially in handling public funds.
‘‘The Philippine society right now, if you’re going to read the books of Jose Rizal, is still the same society, we haven’t yet progressed as a nation. So, transparency and accountability, of course, are very relevant right now, especially with what they are doing with the people’s money,’’ Sass added.
Budget for ‘ayuda’ should be allocated for industrialization, modernization of Philippines —scholar
When it comes to the billions allocated for ayuda or assistance in 2024, Sass suggests that these funds should be directed toward supporting the industrialization and modernization of the Philippines and that the continuous distribution of aid won’t solve poverty.
‘‘So, with this endless assistance, we don’t know where it is heading. This is a politics of the past. No country has developed solely through giving assistance. The [government is] giving a huge amount of aid, and if this money had been used to support the industrialization and modernization of the Philippines, we could have been much better. But what they are doing now is just giving away the money. So, what they are doing is trying to resolve poverty by entertaining the core with those people in poverty by giving them money,’’ Sass added.
Sass also criticized the budget allocated for the controversial ‘‘Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program’’ or “AKAP” program by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), amounting to P26.7-B.
She also explained how middle or working-class Filipinos suffer from such a large budget for assistance.
‘‘The middle class are the ones who will suffer from this because they do not have the opportunity in order for them not to pay taxes, especially the working class—because taxes are automatically deducted from their salary. The upper class and those in the lower income bracket exempted from taxes are not greatly affected by this, although everyone pays tax, we are talking about income tax here. Tax that is deducted from your labor, and not from your consumption.’’
‘‘And this now renounces or reflects what we are as a nation. What are we promoting to our fellow Filipinos and to the next generation of Filipinos with these constant ayuda, that you need the government di ba? We are promoting the culture of mendicancy,’’ Sasot said.
