The irony of the much ballyhooed Phl economic growth

Despite the corruption in government and the devastation brought about by the monster earthquake and the deadly typhoon – still there seem to be no let-up in praising and recognizing the country’s economic growth by world bank and financial institutions.

In both misfortunes – man made and natural – that affected more especially the poor sector of our society, the impact did not change much the perception and belief of these institutions and the international investors about the Philippines’ economic growth progress.

 “Optimism about the Philippine economy remains strong. International sentiment towards the Philippines has improved, particularly in 2013. Investment is becoming a growth engine, albeit at a slow pace,” it said.

The irony about all these, however, is that the much ballyhooed economic growth, which is said to be among the highest in Asia in recent years, has not translated to an equally strong growth in jobs or employment.

It probably would have been worse if the nation is not a beneficiary of the overseas Filipino worker’s (OFWs) remittances and the Philippines has not been a choice site of the many business process outsourcing (BPO) companies helping make a robust economy.

But, that is precisely the point – we cannot just rely on these two sectors that is propping up our economy, but the Philippines should also start creating more investment opportunities in other sectors to generate more employment and be able to sustain a high level of economic growth and reduce unemployment rate.

In a recent forum sponsored by foreign chambers of commerce, Julian Payne, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, made the following observation: “If you want a major increase in employment, you have to broaden your basis of growth.” He said there must be more opportunities in “sectors that really have huge potential in long-term employment generation” such as agri-business, manufacturing, mining and tourism — with only the latter currently enjoying some success.

Other observations/commentaries made in the forum have been reported as follows:

While they gave Aquino credit, the heads of the country’s foreign chambers of commerce said his reforms did not go far enough or were too slow.

While foreign direct investment in the Philippines had picked up, it was still lagging far behind its peers in Southeast Asia, they added.

“Competitiveness in the country is getting better but it is not enough,” said Takashi Ishigami, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce.

He and other foreign businessmen said the Philippines should scrap restrictions on foreign investment, keep the minimum wage from rising and further cut bureaucracy to bring the country to the same level as the rest of the region.

Cognizant of all these observations/comments and doing something about it, on top of the administration’s drive at stumping corruption, there is no doubt that translating economic growth to more investments and jobs will be a legacy that many Filipinos will be thankful for President Benigno Aquino.

Poverty and climate change causing world dishevel

Boatload of refugees

As we are looking for solutions to climate change causing serious environmental problems throughout the world, so are democratic world leaders suggesting and recommending to some of their peers to do away with their autocratic and despotic government that is only making poor people more destitute.

Poverty and climate change – these are now the two menacing factors causing world dishevel. In most respects, they are intertwined, and the many affected are those in the third world and developing countries.

Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt, where people power succeeded in toppling their despotic leaders who have been in power for decades, have been set off by food shortages, unemployment and poverty.

While climate change may have impacted on food shortages, it was corruption, unconcern and the inept governments of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak that put the struggling people of Tunisia and Egypt over the top.

“In many Middle Eastern and North African countries, you have a cocktail of politics, religion and other things, but often it’s just poor people saying ‘I’ve got to survive, I’ve got to eat, I’ve got to feed my family’ that ignites things,” explained Michigan State University professor Ewen Todd.

Ignite it does for it is happening now also in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, for the same reasons.

What the downfall of tyrants does – even in already stable country like the Philippines, where people power originated when it drove Marcos to exile – is that it creates what it is called now as “environmental refugees.”

Partly caused by nature and partly by greed, neglect and incompetence of man, “environmental refugees” are people fleeing from their own country in search of food security and better lives.

As early as 2001, Norman Myers of Oxford University was already talking and predicting about the new phenomenon called “environmental refugees.”

“These are people who can no longer gain a secure livelihood in their homelands because of drought, soil erosion, desertification, deforestation and other environmental problems, together with the associated problems of population pressures and profound poverty. In their desperation, these people feel they have no alternative but to seek sanctuary elsewhere, however hazardous the attempt,” Myers wrote in a journal of Britain’s Royal Society.

At the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), University of California, Los Angeles professor Cristina Tirado had this to say: “In 2020, the UN has projected that we will have 50 million environmental refugees. When people are not living in sustainable conditions, they migrate.”

Tirado’s statement simply confirms what is starting to happen now.

Egypt’s momentous revolution victory

Sweet revenge

Democratic and freedom loving people all over the world rejoice with the Egyptians in winning their revolution against their despotic leader of 30 years, the 82-year old Hosni Mubarak.

What made this victory so captivating is that it was the young generation of Egyptians who fought valiantly and intelligently using the modern day information technology devices in amassing a gigantic and unrelenting crowd of demonstrators that ultimately drove the tyrant out of his presidential palace and seek refuge in another country.

What made the victory even more mesmerizing and triumphant is that the revolution was won by the raw and collective understanding, agreements, dreams, beliefs and aspirations of the Egyptian youth.

If this is not poetic justice, I don’t know what is?

This is what makes the Egyptian revolution unique. It was a leaderless revolution. It did not have a single dominant personality that the protestors could identify with and rally behind.

What made it more providential is that the military became non-committal. Perhaps, they, too, understood and empathized with the feeling of the majority of their civilian countrymen. They simply wanted an end to the oppressive regime of human rights violation and police brutality, of poverty, unemployment and corruption.

But, is Egypt’s momentous victory complete?

There is a lot of similarity between the first people power revolution in the Philippines that toppled Marcos and the most recent in Egypt that brought down Mubarak.

However, overthrowing a dictator is one thing and recovering what was plundered and, without doubt, stashed away in some overseas bank account, is another thing.

The psychological and moral effects of the victory could only be complete if what was deliberately and maliciously stolen from the coffers of the nation to the disadvantage of the populace are returned back to the nation of origin and be felt by the people in terms of development, progress, and improvement of the people’s well being.

Alas, the Philippines until now hungers for the return of the Marcos’s hidden ill-gotten wealth and with the family’s successful political comeback in the country they have pillaged, the recovery seem irrealizable now.

Let not Egypt commit the same mistake. Let not this momentous revolution go in vain.

Let it happen during the lifetime of those who participated in the revolution that Mubarak’s personal wealth, allegedly amounting to about $70 billion deposited in various bank accounts in Switzerland, Britain, the U.S., and France be recovered and brought back to Egypt.

Only then can complete jubilation be experienced.

Walking the talk

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III made truthful remarks about the negative practices impacting the country and the Filipino people and has vowed to stop, if not correct them.

It is very encouraging to hear that most of those who have heard him agreed to his observations and believes in his determination to do something about it.

“Noy has made his talk. Let’s now see him walk towards liberating our people from poverty, oppression, extrajudicial killings, corruption and criminality. We the people should help him achieve his goals,” thus, said former Senator Aquileno Pimentel, Jr.

We are in the threshold of making a remarkable change in the way our nation is perceived to be and in the way we, Filipinos, are looked upon by other people.

With PNoy’s favorable election and acceptance as head of government to steer this nation into the 21^st century, it is only fitting and proper that we oblige to his call for all out effort and cooperation in forging ahead to a new dawn of peace, stability and prosperity.

Not since the time of Cory’s presidency have we seen a supportive public whose dreams and aspirations parallel those of the new president who happens to be her son.

Again, we had had enough of unfulfilled promises by past administrations.

Problems don’t seem to get any better. Unemployment keeps on rising, brain and skills continue to drain, poverty and hunger unabated, corruption at its highest, criminality and killings still largely happening, and worst, the population is burgeoning.

We should all be thankful of this chance. The same may never come our way again.

Let us all resolve that as we help PNoy improve the status of the country and try uplifting the lives of the poor masses, we should also support him in running after the corrupt government officials who have done this country so much wrong, and prosecute and convict them, if found guilty.

Henceforth, a lesson must be learned.

Only then can we say that PNoy made good his promise in walking the talk, in making the change this country needed so badly and that electing him president was the right choice by the people.

Noynoy has the political will

As Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III gets sworn in on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, as the 15^th president of the Republic of the Philippines, the nation would like to believe that here, at last, is the man who would emancipate the poor masses from the bondage of hunger, poverty and disease, liberate the people from the throes of greed and corruption perpetrated by those voted into public office and turn around this country toward peace, stability and prosperity.

Noynoy’s overwhelming win in the elections is the result of the distressing cry by many Filipinos that change has to happen in the character of our leaders and public officials and in their governance if this country has to move forward.

If, indeed, he is the son of his illustrious and martyred father, Ninoy, and venerable and pious mother, Cory, both heroes in their own time and in the eyes of many, then Nonoy understands what is gravely wrong with this country and what it takes to make it right.

It is often said that a six-year term presidency is too long for a bad leader and too short for a good one.

With the enormous problems being inherited by the incoming administration, which to name a few are the widespread corruption, the budget deficit by the trillions of pesos, massive unemployment, poverty, peace and order, especially in Mindanao, and population explosion, surely Noynoy will have his hands full.

Six years may not be enough to resolve these problems, all of which seem to be endemic in our presidential system of government, but having been part of history and having an honorable legacy to uphold, it could be possible, if not plausible, for change to happen.

Noynoy admitted that he could not do it alone. This we appreciate.

But, it would be more appreciated if the people, most especially those in the opposition, could grant him the liberty to choose and decide whomsoever he wants to be members of his cabinet and other important positions in government.

Let us avoid targeting down immediately at something that he is creating around him to effect the changes he wants done just because it runs counter to ones ideas.

This is his time. It could be ours, too, to benefit, if everybody gives him the chance.

One thing going for Noynoy is that he has his siblings, who certainly will not be interfering in the affairs of the nation, but who undeniably and definitely will ensure that Noynoy will serve the Filipino people with all his might and with all his strength, as his late father counseled him to do.

For this alone we should all be hopeful that even if the nation’s problems will not be resolved completely during Noynoy’s term of office, at least we shall have seen that the changes have been started towards the right direction and that it could be done if the political will to do it is there.

It is believed that Noynoy has this political will. Sustaining this political will shall see us through.