Sunday, February 7, 2010

Finding our place in the sun

This blog is a year old. But the impetus came earlier during a Holy Week break: friends and relatives kept asking, “How do you view, what is your sense of what’s happening to the country?” Regrettably, his first news this year is even bleaker: corruption and poverty have turned for the worst.

“You would not believe it but Filipinos are speculating about what’s in store for these politicians in the afterlife. Filipino values and our Christian upbringing are out the window. And fairly or unfairly the mothers of these despised individuals are being blamed for their “recidivism”. We’re indeed a banana republic – the new normal is to keep one’s office via military/police protection; and of course politics is “addition”. Marcos is suspected to have started it, but it has been elevated to an art form. Filipino “hiya” is so yesterday. Anyone who can’t take the new reality is naïve. Forget about Rizal and the Filipino ideals. Your country has gone to the dogs.” The writer, his wife and daughter just sat dumbstruck hearing people pour their hearts out.

On January 20th the Manila Bulletin had a two-page spread detailing the economic achievements of the current administration. In fairness, they deserve a “Bravo” going by the comparisons presented versus the three predecessors. Unfortunately, it fails to present reality – where we stand as a country. A 4.9% GDP growth would take us 175 years to attain developed country status according to the World Bank. And our GDP per person of $3,300 (PPP) puts us right where we belong: underdeveloped – left in the dust by our neighbors and confirmed by the latest Economic Freedom report. Ergo: our economy is not to crow about; and we better do something!

It likewise fails to present another reality: we are an OFW-, not an investment- and industry-driven economy. Our industry does not generate the requisite number of quality jobs; we have to turn overseas to lift our families. And the more of us become OFWs, the more our politicians can crow about our economic achievements – adding insult to injury!

And industry can keep mum though pursue CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), like we’re committed to the Sunday collection? In a small globally uncompetitive economy, local capital is King. Unfortunately, our industry is reminiscent of days when new cars needed to be broken-in. And industry took the need for granted given the absence of global competition. Were we thus short-sighted or didn’t believe in ourselves, or both? What is the reality? The US, Japan, Germany and the other big players are being beaten in their own game. We can think small, we can think the past, we can think status quo . . . and the 21st century will indeed leave us in the dust!

The bottom line: Has the 21st century rendered our basic beliefs and assumptions outdated? The new century has made the world smaller and countries and people more interconnected and interdependent? And in this global environment, we have to find our place in the sun lest we occupy the bottom rung? Are we there yet? The option is to pull up our bootstraps and be an active participant of the new world order – drive our revenues/GDP like they do in the private sector and dynamic economies? But will the powerful and the haves have it? Or it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond?

After a year of engaging on the subject, the writer remains hopeful as a Filipino. But objectively, benchmarking against our neighbors, the mountain we have to scale is ever higher. Problem-solving of such magnitude as nation-building demands the discipline and focus of great athletes (or why Keynes at the height of the Great Depression railed against muddled thinking?), not the romanticism (and bias for inclusion) that is our comfort zone? National, not false, pride is what we need to give us the resolve to step up to the plate. We can’t be lumped, dumped with other third world countries that are objects of charity . . . instead of models of dynamism like our neighbors?

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