美国国家公共电台 NPR--The economic headwinds facing Philippine President-elect Marcos are stiff

The economic headwinds facing Philippine President-elect Marcos are stiff

Transcript¹

A pandemic and soaring oil prices would be a challenge for any incoming leader. But Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the son of dictator who abused Filipinos' rights, and his mother plundered² billions.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the Philippines right now is its sluggish³ economy. The president-elect will need to revive it. But as NPR's Julie McCarthy reports, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s family legacy⁴ complicates⁵ that.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE⁶: The economic headwinds facing Marcos are stiff. Pandemic-induced spending has saddled the Philippines with a whopping debt. Inflation, a global peril⁷, has jacked prices at the pump to over $5 a gallon.

(SOUND OF ENGINES AND HONKING)

MCCARTHY: Reynaldo Ortega drives a jeepney, a form of cheap local transport

REYNALDO ORTEGA: (Speaking Filipino).

MCCARTHY: "They say the fuel prices are because of the war between Russia and Ukraine," Ortega says. "Before, we used to make a decent living. Now we work longer and earn only half as much." A pandemic and soaring oil prices would be a challenge for any incoming leader. But Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is no ordinary president in waiting. He is the direct heir of a dictator who abused the rights of thousands of Filipinos and, alongside his wife, Imelda Marcos, plundered billions.

PETER MUMFORD: For those of us that are old enough to remember the - when the Marcos family was in charge before - that's a huge thing.

MCCARTHY: That's Peter Mumford with the Eurasia Group. He says you cannot assume that Marcos 2.0 is going to be Marcos 1.0. But businessman Rafael Ongpin says Marcos' chief problem will be overcoming apprehensions⁸ that he'll behave like his parents.

RAFAEL ONGPIN: The father and the mother treated the Philippine treasury⁹ as their own personal bank account. That is the main headwind. People don't trust him.

MCCARTHY: Analyst¹⁰ Robert Herrera-Lim says, to gain trust, Marcos must first assemble a strong economic team. He says Marcos offered no details on his economic strategy. And the uncertainty¹¹ saw the main Philippine stock index plunge¹² last week following global declines. Herrera-Lim says prominent economists¹³ had backed Marcos' rival, Vice¹⁴ President Leni Robredo, and says some of the best economic minds will have no interest in serving Marcos.

ROBERT HERRERA-LIM: That is one of the challenges of Marcos, that the pool of possible choices that he has among the Philippine elites¹⁵, among the Philippine bureaucrats¹⁶, the academe, the business community is smaller, I think, than of the past few presidents.

MCCARTHY: The Marcoses have come to be regarded more as cultural figures than political ones - the Kardashians of the Philippines, as one commentator¹⁷ put it. But Marcos Jr. has also secured a stunning¹⁸ lead in unofficial returns that analysts¹⁹ say might persuade one-time Marcos detractors to join his team. Eurasia Group's Mumford, meanwhile, expects a Marcos administration to continue to welcome foreign investment. But investors²⁰ will be keeping a watchful²¹ eye on who Marcos ultimately names as advisers²².

MUMFORD: Is he going to draw in more independent-minded technical experts, or is he going to largely tap into his wider family and personal connections?

MCCARTHY: If it's the latter, Mumford says the cronyism²³ and favoritism long familiar to Filipinos could get worse. In any case, the Philippines is in for a rough ride. JP Morgan this week dropped the country to the bottom of an investment preference list, putting the Philippines behind its other Southeast Asian peers.

Julie McCarthy, NPR News, Manila.

(SOUNDBITE OF KIASMOS' "HELD")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 plundered   

掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Many of our cultural treasures have been plundered by imperialists. 我国许多珍贵文物被帝国主义掠走了。
• The imperialists plundered many valuable works of art. 帝国主义列强掠夺了许多珍贵的艺术品。

3 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

4 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

5 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

8 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

12 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

13 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

15 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

16 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

17 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

18 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

19 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

20 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

21 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

22 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

23 cronyism   

n.任人唯亲，对好朋友的偏袒

参考例句：

• Many small town mayor and city official practice cronyism.许多小镇的市长和大城市的官员都有任人唯亲的行为。
• Bringing business people into politics can also produce corruption and cronyism.商人从政也容易带来腐败和任人唯亲。