Independencia

Yesterday was Independence Day and I got free train rides. People were not really in a celebratory mood, what with the inflation rate, unemployment rate and the strong peso. You think people should be happy with a stronger peso which means more purchasing power. Imported goods and travel abroad become cheaper. Unfortunately, the common Filipino will still be unable to afford foreign travel. Instead, they are unhappy because this would mean that the dollars their relatives are sending from abroad will have lesser value here. It felt more like dependence day, when the economy of the country depends so much on the dollars coming in from nurses, maids, construction workers, fathers and mothers who left their children...