13/11/2025
๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ: ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก?
Sometimes I wonder can the Philippines build a government system where assistance to the poor is not simply handed out as โfree money,โ but instead earned through honest work? Instead of providing cash aid or subsidies without return, why not create a national program where beneficiaries are hired as laborers for government projects?
There are so many skilled engineers, architects, and professionals already serving in government agencies. Instead of always hiring private contractors, why not establish a government construction unit that handles its own infrastructure projects from roads, schools, and housing to disaster rehabilitation? The poor beneficiaries could work as laborers and receive proper salaries for their efforts. This way, public projects are completed efficiently, employment is generated, and assistance becomes more meaningful because it empowers people instead of making them dependent.
I canโt help but think that corruption and the way government subsidies are being distributed to the poor share a common problem both involve the careless use of taxpayersโ money.
In corruption, funds intended for public service are taken by a few for personal gain. In the same way, when subsidies are given freely without accountability, it becomes another form of misuse only this time, it is done in the name of โaid.โ Either way, the result is the same: public funds are spent without clear and lasting benefit. The money still comes from the same source the hardworking taxpayers, government employees, and small business owners who consistently contribute to the nationโs fund.
I feel itโs unfair that during calamities or social aid programs, those of us who work hard and regularly pay taxes are not given assistance. The focus is always on the โpoor,โ while employees and small business owners, who also face financial burdens are often left behind. For instance, senior citizen pensions are given only to those who have no SSS or GSIS pension, as if having worked hard and contributed during our younger years disqualifies us from any form of government support. Is it our fault that we chose to be responsible, save, and pay for our benefits through years of service?
It is time for the government to review its policies and find the right balance between compassion and fairness. Helping the poor should not mean neglecting the working class who keep the system running. Assistance should not only be for those who have less, but also for those who continuously give their share to the nation.
Itโs not about taking support away from the poor itโs about creating a system where everyone has the opportunity to earn with dignity, contribute to national progress, and feel that government programs are truly fair, inclusive, and just.
