Culture of mendicancy

After the economic catastrophe that resulted from the Marcos dictatorship, Corazon Aquino turned to the international community for help in reviving the devastated Philippine economy.

No, Juan and Juana, those weren’t “golden years” under Marcos 1.0, as his heirs would have us believe.

Cory Aquino was the darling of the liberal democracies, and the Philippines inspired freedom movements around the globe. The world moved enthusiastically to help rebuild the land of people power, putting together what was initially referred to as a “mini-Marshall Plan” to get the country back on its feet. It was called the Multilateral Aid Initiative or Philippine Assistance Program.

Alas, the MAI / PAP became bogged down in implementation problems. Fund utilization was underwhelming, with the numerous coup attempts seriously derailing national recovery efforts.

Opponents criticized the first Aquino administration, saying the Philippines was going around the world with a begging bowl – conveniently omitting the reason why the country became a beggar in the first place.

Now, under Marcos 2.0, we’re not going around with a begging bowl, but just borrowing like crazy. Our national debt has breached the P1-trillion mark, hitting P15.89 trillion as of end-September 2024. To finance the critical programs affected by the budget cuts this year, the government said it would source funding from official development assistance – meaning more debts, even at friendly rates.

Repaying all those debts will be a burden borne by every Filipino all the way down to Generation Beta.

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At the same time, Marcos 2.0 seems bent on the entrenchment of a culture of mendicancy among the masses, with financial dependence designed into the system so that people will be beholden to political patrons for advancement in life.

From budgeting priorities to project implementation and the delivery of basic services, dependence on political patronage is being encouraged, from the barangay all the way to the top levels of government.

The instruments of patronage come not from politicians’ own pockets, but from tax and non-tax revenues, with the middle class bearing the heaviest burden per capita.

Since