A recent news item I came upon said that there are suggestions from members that the Social Security System (SSS) contributions from workers and employees be stopped while the COVID pandemic is still raging. I think that is one very laudable suggestion that our lawmakers should study and consider, because this pandemic has not only impoverised and stricken people without exception, rich and poor alike. And having a percentage of their earnings still going to the state seems like a penalty for being a member.
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Of course we all know that our contributions do provide help by means of loans and death benefits, but I don’t think an agency of the government intended to provide help through loans to members, but in this time of need caused, not only by a pandemic, which means that it has struck down people from all parts of the country, our lawmakers should think of what such agencies can do to help their so-called members. Of course we know that many, or even most of its members are already indebted to it, but this is an agency that can, or should come to the rescue of contributors to its funds.
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And it is not as if it is government money that will be doled out as loans. The fund comes from contributions deducted from their salaries and wages. If such agencies were set up to help their so-called “members”, this is one time they could really help. After all, those funds are actually theirs – deducted from their salaries. I wonder if any of our congressmen and senators have thought of, or considered legislation that will help them in time of great need?
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But I think that the most heartless businesses or companies are within the groups or individuals from oil-producing countries who promptly raised prices of their products making them almost impossible to reach by consumers in poverty-stricken countries. And to “rub salt on their wounds”, they have hiked gasoline, diesel and kerosene prices. When I see on TV scenes from Divisoria and other markets in Manila the proliferation of tricycles or “trisikads”, I immediately remember the calesas of my childhood. Are we on the way to fielding horse-drawn or feet-powered transport like the pedicabs?
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I never feel like laughing when people I know make or crack jokes about Manny Pacquiao who has reportedly announced his intention to run for president. Not that I believe he is brighter than any of those other contenders holding impressive degrees from colleges and universities, not only in our country, but even abroad. Seriously, I am ready to vote for him if he decides to run in the coming elections. Who knows? We don’t really need the wisdom of those who have acquired degrees from the best universities abroad. Who knows he may have better solutions for problems than those educated in Harvard and Yale!
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Is it true that the death toll from COVID in the United States has gone up to 700,000? Could it be that that country is the worst hit by this virus that China has shared with the world? Maybe other countries, including ours, are hesitant to announce their casualties, but who will not feel alarmed at such developments? And the U.S. is one country we consider the leader in inventions and development. This new virus is making no exceptions, from its first appearance in Wuhan, China. We have no figures informing us how many victims have been stricken worldwide.
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I saw an item on TV that said Dubai is currently having an exposition that had been planned for some time. I wonder if people from other countries, or even from other cities and towns in Dubai itself, are flocking to the site? I recall going to a world exposition in Tokyo years ago and it was a wonderful experience with several countries competing in setting up their booths. It was a memorable experience with so many countries vying for the most attractive, and most visited booth.
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The good news is that the drug company called Merck has come out with a new pill that was noted to cut hospitalization and deaths by one-half! Let us all pray that our Health Department people do not waste time but rush to acquire it as soon as possible. The same news item said that the death toll from COVID in the U.S. has gone up to 700,000. No wonder some states have reportedly made vaccination obligatory! For those who still hesitate to undergo vaccination, tell them what their mothers used to say “This tastes bad, it is for your own good”.*
