I mean, honestly, does a single peso still have enough purchasing power to actually buy something these days? I ask because I can still recall a time when a peso could actually buy you something of value!
If you were thirsty, a cup of palamig of any variety - regardless if it was a gulaman, sago-at-gulaman, buko or pineapple kind - could be had for just a peso. Your throat's itchy? How about some Storck Menthol Candy; piso, tatlong piraso. Or if you're hankering for a stick of cigarette, a stick of Marlboro Reds for just one peso can easily take care of that. And back in grade school, before I got caught red-handed going to Cubao by my lonesome at a tender age of 11, therefore exposing the fact that I already knew how to commute in a jeep by myself, a trip of around 4 kilometers to Cubao from Ateneo - just to buy a G.I. Joe action figure every week - only cost - you guessed it! - a peso.
Nowadays, as far as I know, a peso is hardly worth anything anymore, save for its role in making a hundred pesos worth, well, a hundred pesos. You see, I have this personal belief that goes like this; "A hundred pesos won't be worth a hundred pesos if it's missing a peso." So if you think about it, in a way, I'm contradicting myself. But still, by itself, is a peso still worth something these days? Can you still buy something with just a single peso?
A cup of palamig costs 5 pesos now, while 3 pieces of menthol candy has gone up to 2 pesos. Looking cool while getting lung cancer also costs more now since a stick of cigarette can now run up to PHP (Philippine Peso) 1.50. As for the price of commuting these days? Forget about it because the minimum fare for jeepneys just went up by 50 centavos today! That's right, riding a jeepney now is going to cost you a whopping 8.50 pesos! And it gets even worse because, come August 1, the taxis will also be raising their flag-down rate by 10 pesos, bringing the minimum fare to PHP 40! SERIOUSLY! That's why I can't help but be whimsical when I think about the time the minimum fare for a jeepney was only 75 centavos!
It's no wonder then that a lot of Filipinos are turning to riding motorcycles and scooters to travel around the metro. And much like any ill-trained driver on four wheels, most of these motorcyclists are also seriously lacking in road discipline, putting their lives on the line by weaving across traffic, "assuaged" by the "fact" that their lithe, nimble transport of choice will keep them safe from harm, when nothing could be further from the truth. But I digress...
So what am I getting at here? It's simple, really. Combine the fact that the government is hardly taking any step to alleviate the country's economy from the worldwide recession with the Filipino people's Me-First, You-Second attitude and talangka mentality and we have a country that's going to the dogs.
Yes, folks. We're in a dog pound where the top dog is a small chihuahua who's surrounded by Great Danes, St. Bernards and a few Doberman Pinchers all wanting their share from the food bowl. And we, the masses, are the poor mongrel dogs hoping and waiting for some juicy scraps of food the big dogs in the pound would miss.
0 comments:
Post a Comment