“Hindi Ako Si Darna”

Written on Sunday, June 15th, 2008 at 5:10 pm | by Marck Ronald Rimorin

The latest TV advertisements of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have the exhortation, “Labanan ang Kahirapan.” There are a lot of things an “anti-Gloria savage” like myself would already be irritated at, but what really got me irked is the pose of the President: in her pink pantsuit and her “forward-looking” gaze, I think GMA’s image-makers are giving the public a new perception of their dear leader:

Darna.

In previous entries here at Filipino Voices, I wrote that images represent more than just an intended message; it is often the unintended consequence of messages that are more important.  While GMA may try to project herself as an image of stability, there is at least one other person out there except for me who thinks that GMA is trying to project herself as a “superhero,” at the very least for the problems of economic inequalities and political instability.

A 1990s hit by Jenine Desiderio already answers it for me, at least: “Hindi ako si Darna.”

It would have been nice if in her long term as President, GMA would have laid out the foundation of a long-term economic project.  It’s not as much as the Presidency is a thankless job - and given the many “destabilizers” that there are in Philippine society, it is - it’s just that the Arroyo administration has turned to so many “issues” and addressed so many “concerns,” however trivial, that it is a Presidency without direction.  Worse, it has left the one of the most important issues - political legitimacy - not addressed.

So how does the Arroyo administration address poverty?  I think no practicing economist will disagree with me that statistics alone are not convincing barometers of economic growth, much less economic survival.  A 7% growth in gross domestic product does not translate into 7% buying power, a 7% increase in the quality of life, and a 7% increase in job satisfaction.  Besides, 7% growth does not mean that the President deserves what Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez calls a “pat on the back:” no economic system exists ceteris paribus.

I guess - and this is nothing more than a hazardous one - is that the solution to the Philippine economic impasse is something rather simple: direction.  Not limits, not a set goal of “being a First World country before 2010″ - but a trajectory for development.  Obviously, the haphazard application of Rostow in the Philippine context does not work: where development is supposed to be “ramdam na ramdam,” a lot of Filipinos take more to a Linkin Park response (I’ve become so numb / I can’t feel you there / I’ve become so tired / So much more aware).

Yet what I would like to point out is that the image of Gloria as “superhero” does little to actually reflect reality.  I wouldn’t be surprised if GMA would next endorse a brand of glutathione supplement…

But that’s another story

Tags: , , , ,
Add to del.icio.us | Digg this! | Yahoo MyWeb | Google Bookmark It! | Stumble It!
About The Author: Marck Ronald Rimorin is a twenty-something blogger, "critic," and writer from Baguio City, and currently works in Metro Manila as a writer. His personal blog is at The Marocharim Experiment

Filed Under Local News, Society

Related Entries:

Comments

Leave a Reply