Pandesal

Pandesal (or pan de sal; literally, salt bread) is a rounded bread usually eaten by Filipinos during breakfast. It is a bread made of flour, eggs, lard, yeast, sugar, and salt. It has a soft, powdery texture and can be prepared in a number of ways by using numerous sandwich spreads. It is also used for dipping into tsokolate (from Spanish chocolate), a Spanish chocolate drink very much like hot chocolate but with pure cocoa as its main ingredient. Despite the literal meaning of its name, the taste of pandesal varies from bland to slightly sweet. It usually costs one Peso (about 4 cents U.S.), with larger varieties costing 2 Pesos.
Pandesal is the most popular yeast-raised bread in the Philippines. They are shaped like garrison caps due to its unique method of forming. The dough is rolled into long logs (baston) that are rolled in fine bread crumbs first before being cut into individual portions with a dull dough cutter and then allowed to rise and baked on sheet pans. Its taste and texture closely resemble those of the very popular rolls of the Dominican Republic called Pan de Agua and Mexico’s most popular type of bread Bolillos for the reason that they all use a lean type of dough and follow similar techniques that were learned from Spanish or Spanish trained bakers early in their history. As in most commercially produced food items, they vary in quality to meet taste requirements and economic standards of various communities in the Philippines where there are bakers in particular cities and towns that simply produce better quality pandesal such as in certain towns of Pampanga and Bulacan so that they command higher price, gain renown and their pandesal sought after by consumers all over the region.

That was the short history of pandesal here in the Philippines.

Aside from the facts mentioned above, pandesal, for the Filipino people, is the bread of the masses. In same manner, I think it is right to say that pandesal is the measuring tool of the Philippine's real economic situation.

Just last month, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo proudly announced to the whole world that our economy is becoming good. She was even defensive when a reporter asked a question about the credibility of her report. Know what she answered her? "Ayan ang statistics."

Yeah, nagtaray ang Lola Gloring mo. But with the price increase of pandesal, its future price increase, the alarming oil-price hike, and the Php 12.00 price increase of LPG within a month, the question now is, "Does she has the right na magtaray to those who question her good economic standing?"

As mentioned above, pandesal costs only Php 1.00 each piece. If its size before is as big as a man's fist, today, because of its too small size, you can eat pandesal in one bite. And worse, its price will increase on Monday; meaning, there will no longer be any bread that will cost you only Php 1.00. What will happen now to the masses?

Government statistics may say that poverty rate decreased, a good implication of the government's actions in addressing this root-problem of the society, reality however will falsify these statistics. No one was alleviated from this problem, worse, their worse condition became destitute. Even the independent SWS Survey said that last September this year the poverty rate increased by 21.5%, higher than that of the previous months, indication of a worsening scenario. Practical example: sugar costs only Php 6.00 before, now it's Php 9.00 per 1/4 kilo. And I am not hoping that its price will decrease. In the present situation of the country, its better not to hope but rather look for a job and earn something to augment to the expenses for the already high prices of commodities. However, the next problem will be the lack of jobs.

Going back, what will the toiling masses have for breakfast or snacks now? Php 1.00 has no more value today in the Philippines. No one can be sustained by a peso now, even one pandesal will be imposible to be bought by it. Juan dela Cruz will have to tighten his belt once again, till when he has to tighten his belt, only time knows. And, no one's hoping that Juan dela Cruz will ever loosen his belt even once.

I just want to share one instance here.

President Arroyo has a friendster account, maybe one of here fans. And all of the posted bulletins are all good news about her administration - good economy for example.
And I even had a hot discussion with the moderator of that account. He told me to visit the statistics and even said that I do not know how to do math and have no idea about economics. I told him I definitely know how to do math for my minor subject is math.

And now, all I wanted to tell him: HERE IS THE PROOF OF THE DESTITUTE Conditons of the country. Once again i would like to tell him this: Bring your statistics to hell. Look at the destitute people around you and better shut your mouth and eat yourstatistics.

P.S. When you throw your statistics for to hell, please include the President GMA.