I’ve not spent that much time in Manila but its clear to me it’s an amazing place. Anyway, I’m just commenting here because I’m looking for blogs about the Philippines and found your site on yahoo. If you can share any tips on places to go while here in the Philippines then I’d appreciate hearing them. Enjoy Holy Week!
do you know arice’s number?
I like this site. Hopefully marami ka pang ma-i-popost na article. Mind-enriching talaga.
I’ll be working again..soon.. 
my net connection at home is having problem.. sorry for the late approval of the comments
hi! i will visit the pathways.org and see what else i could share. btw do you know an org that is inclined to nature tripping or promoting philippines touist spots?thanks
link to the 11th National Debate Championship is on the left side. thanks!
thanks for dropping by Gina! enjoy reading ^_^
nice, i’ll keep reading!
my sincere apologies for not being able to approve comments soon..back home now..
hi deyo! thanks! I’ll visit your blog too! keep safe!
thanks deyo! I’ll visit your blog! keep safe too!
hi rhein! yeah! na-busy! Ngayon ko lang uli nacheck blog ko.
hi lee! nice blog u got! keep safe!mabuhay mga bloggers!
hi lee! nice blog u got!keep safe!
hi lee!cool site you got! keep safe!
hello tagal mo nwala kuya.. busy masyado?
gandang gabi..
hehe! ayos! thanks sa pagvisit jelai!
ahh oo.. 1st commenter ko kasi sya kaya ayon..
24-year old guy who lives in Manila, Philippines
Official Site of the 11th National Debate Championship
Official Website of World Vision Philippines
Help Change Their Future
VIRTUAL REALITY
By Tony Lopez
The Philippines is not that poor*
The statistics and the analyses on poverty incidence in the Philippines are distressing. They will make you grab the nearest paltik and shoot the politician next to you.
My contention, however, is that the Philippines is not that poor. The Pinoy is not that poor. And yes, we need the politicians. Just look at how that priest in Pampanga is running the local government.
Why do I say the Philippines is not that poor? Let me cite some data:
1. The Philippines is a large country and a large economy. The population is 92 million, the 12th largest in the world. Only China, India, the US, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russian Federation, Nigeria, Japan and Mexico are bigger.
We are the same size as Vietnam. We are bigger than Germany 82.7 million, Thailand 65.3 million, France 60.9 million, the UK 60 million, Italy 58.2 million, Korea 48 million, Spain 43.6 million and Argentina 39.5 million.
The Philippine gross domestic product in purchasing power parity is worth $327 billion, according to the World Bank 2008 World Development Report and $319 billion, according to the IMF World Economic Outlook October 2008. That makes it the 36th largest economy in the world, out of 200 countries. The Philippines is the ninth largest economy in Asia.
We are bigger than Hong Kong, Norway, Chile, Portugal, Singapore, Vietnam, Ireland, UAE, Kuwait, and New Zealand. Switzerland, home to the largest hoard of hidden wealth in the world, is just slightly bigger.
In the whole of Asia, only eight other countries are bigger than the Philippines in GDP PPP – China, Japan, India, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia.
2. As a domestic market, the World Economic Forum classifies the Philippines as the 33rd largest market in the world. Domestic market here means GDP plus value of imports of goods and services minus exports. RP is bigger than Austria, Malaysia, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Portugal, Vietnam, Chile, Hungary and yes, Singapore.
In October this year, the IMF classified the Philippines as a newly industrialized country with estimated its nominal GDP per capita at $1,908.
Per capita, the Gross National Income, per World Bank 2007 data, is $1,620, 50 percent more than Vietnam’s $790. Even in per capita PPP terms, we are richer than the Vietnamese—$3,730 vs. $2,550, a difference of $1,180 or 46%. Of course, we could have been far richer if we had grown as fast as Vietnam.
In the eight years from 2000 to 2007, the Philippine average GDP growth was 5.14%. That of Vietnam was 7.63%, 48% faster. But who is happier—the Filipino or the Vietnamese?
3. The Philippines has ten million expatriate workers, the so-called overseas Filipino workers (OFW). There are 16 million families in the Philippines. That means 63% of total households in the country have an OFW. Two of every three families.
This year, the 10 million overseas Filipino workers will remit $18 billion. That’s an average remittance of $1,800 per worker. Divide that by 5.5—the average of Filipino family size and you get $327.27 additional per capita income. Add that to the domestic $1,620 per capita income and you get a per capita income figure closer to $2,000. In other words, one can conclude that 10 million households—two of every three—are middle class.
Compare that to the ten million households in America who are technically bankrupt because their homes have less value than the loans borrowed with which to buy them.
4. The Philippines is unique as a poor country. Filipinos spend more for e-loading and texting than for their milk, coffee, patis and even Jollibee. Is that the behavior of poverty-stricken people?
The Filipino farmer is productive only half of the time. He has plenty of spare time. He uses that to drink gin or beer with his barkada, make bets at the cockpit, and make love. He breathes fresh air, eats his wife’s cooking and listens to the latest two-bit political commentator on the radio. His wife, meanwhile, watches the latest telenovela.
Is he happy? Yes. Is he poor? Yes.
5. Philippine presidents are supposed to be corrupt, from Roxes to Quirino to Marcos to the present one - at least (if) you believe our NGOs and civil society groups. Ferdinand Marcos is supposed to have stolen $10 billion. Joseph Estrada is supposed to have stolen several billions too. And Gloria Arroyo topped the two.
Up to 40% of our budget goes to graft.
If it is true our Presidents, as well as all other politicians, steal so much, how come the Philippines is still standing as an economy? And based on the World Bank, IMF and WEF data, we are not doing very badly. The only conclusion: We have so much wealth which not even record thievery by each administration can finish. Or our Presidents are honest, after all.
If it is true we are that poor the Philippines should have been a goner long time ago. Just like Iceland whose banking system collapsed and whose savings evaporated.
Dr. Arsenio Balisacan praises how Vietnam has sharply cut down its poverty.
Vietnam, however, is a very different economy from the Philippines. The value added of agriculture in the Philippines is 14% of GDP. That of Vietnam is 20%. The services sector accounts for 55% of the Philippine GDP and 38% of Vietnamese GDP. Household spending is 80% of Philippine GDP, 67% of Vietnamese GDP, and 57% of Thai GDP.
The Philippines is not an agricultural country. It is a services economy. It is a consumption economy, just like the US. In services, it seems easier to created value added without adding to employment. That is why growth, no matter how dramatic, does not readily translate into large employment gains. Nor do its benefits cascade down to the masses. The result is growth with poverty all around.
Please remember that according to the World Bank itself, growth will always be uneven. Poverty will always be with us.
It is much easier for Vietnam to respond to poverty problems than the Philippines. Vietnamn is not a Christian country. You don’t have cardinals and bishops telling the government what to do, though sometimes Buddhist monks burn themselves to death to make a point.
Vietnam has a much larger agricultural base, thanks to the Mekong River Delta. And if food is half of consumption, then having a large agricultural base is a distinct advantage in addressing poverty problems.
In the light of the financial meltdown in the US and the ensuing global economic slowdown, how will the Philippines fare?
I think the Philippines will do better than most countries in the world.
We are not that dependent on the world as the other countries. Philippine exports as a percentage of GDP is only 41%, unlike Malaysia’s 109.6%, Vietnam’s 78.2% and Thailand’s 73.2%.
According to Goldman Sachs, the Philippines will be the 17th richest country in the world by 2050 with GDP of $3 trillion. We will be bigger than Italy, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh in that order.
In 2050, China will be the richest country in the world, with GDP of $70.7 trillion, 1.8 times No.2 which is the US, with $38 trillion, followed by India $37 trillion, Brazil $11.6 trillion, Mexico $9.34 trillion, Russia $8.58 trillion, Indonesia $7 trillion, Japan $6.67 trillion, UK $5.13 trillion, Germany $5 trillion, Nigeria $4.64 trillion, France $4.59 trillion, South Korea $4 trillion, Turkey $3.94 trillion, Vietnam $3.6 trillion, and Canada $3.14 trillion.
By 2050, per capita, the Philippines will be the 19th richest, with $20,500. With current per capita income of $2000, Filipinos will make an additional $440.48 each year over the next 42 years to reach to the $20,500 per capita income.
At 49 to $1, $440.48 is an additional income of P21,583 per year or an extra P1,800 per month. That’s like saying your average Meralco bill will be free every month over the next 42 years.
This is not to say we should not pay attention to poverty. We should.
To me, there are three main causes of poverty - the unequal distribution of wealth, the Catholic Church, and the incompetence of government.
Only ten families plus the government own most of the 100 largest companies in the Philippines. The same families bankroll political ambitions and candidacies which in turn serve vested interests. It is a vicious circle.
Many tycoons and taipans do not pay the right taxes.
In this country, business, big or small, is a family affair.
In the 1970s, Jaime Cardinal Sin declared a preferential option for the poor. Help the poor. Fight for the rights of the poor. After 30 years, the number of poor doubled.
The record of the Catholic Church in helping the poor is disappointing.
This is ironic considering that the poorest regions in this country, outside of the Muslim areas, have the highest Catholicism. Bicol, one of the poorest regions, is 98% Catholic.
In the last 30 years, according to World Bank data, the Philippines registered per capita growth of 0.2%, the slowest in the world, bar none. Now that’s incompetence.
What to do then with poverty?
My solution: Go abroad. Or join a family.
______
It took me some time to finish typing this article written by Tony Lopez, Chairman/President/EIC of BizNewsAsia. I posted this for the reason that it is very different from other writings about our economy in the sense that it offers us a brighter future to look forward to. I believe most of the things mentioned above, although some of them might be hard to swallow for some people.
I agree with the author admitting that the Philippines is not an agricultural country but a service economy and a consumer at that. For a long time, we believed that we are an agricultural country, in which our economy relies on growing crops like palay, corn, coconut, etc. It maybe the case prior to the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, but not anymore now. I’d like to add something to the comparison of Vietnam to our country, Vietnam doesn’t suffer as much as we do when raining season comes. Our land might be more fertile than them (this I’m not sure about), but I’m sure that more typhoons pass our country thus, spoiling our ricefields before harvest season.
Lastly, I share the same belief that the Catholic Church is largely to be blamed also for our poverty.
*Antonio S. Lopez was awarded the Gusi Peace Prize for Journalism 2008. He has covered 5 Philippine Presidents from Marcos to Aquino to Ramos to Estrada and to Arroyo. One thing common between me and the author is we celebrate our birthdays on the same date (Nov.25).
Education: Journalism and Economics, magna cum laude, University of Santo Tomas 1970; MBA Courses Ateneo de Manila University 1976-77; Global Journalism, University of Stockholm, Sweden 2005.
Source:
Antonio S. Lopez, The Philippines is not the poor.
BizNewsAsia vol.6,no.40., p.4-5.
Contact the Author: biznewsasia@gmail.com
I’m not impressed. Looks to me like the writer used facts to do a spin. With the same facts, a writer can claim that RP is in fact in a very bad condition.
“In the whole of Asia, only eight other countries are bigger than the Philippines in GDP PPP – China, Japan, India, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. ”
How many countries are there in ASIA Anyway? LOL. It’s like saying, oh I’m the Top 20 in a class of 25!
Posted by J at April 21, 2009, 6:40 pmThanks for commenting xdalisayx! Tama ka, marami tayong maipagmamalaki sa ating bansa; hindi lang sa mga likas na yaman kundi tayo mismong mga Pilipino. Talented tayo at makatao, maliban nalang sa mga iba na sumisira sa imahe ng bansa natin.
Isa ako sa mga taong naniniwala na may pag-asa pa tayong umunlad uli gaya nung mga panahong tinitingala ang Pilipinas sa Asya.
Posted by leeangelo at April 22, 2009, 8:32 amThanks for the comment Jj! Certainly we’re neither in a very good condition if we compare what we have accomplish as a nation compared to our Asian neighbors in the past 20 years. But in terms of being affected by the US meltdown, I believe we’re better than them. This might be the reason why Sec.Margarito Teves was named the Best Finance Minister in Asia. Wait, let me search..
Teves is Asia’s best finance minister - The Banker
01/08/2009 | 09:30 AM (GMANews.TV)
MANILA, Philippines - Finance Secretary Margarito B. Teves has been named “Best Finance Minister” in Asia, a title given by London-based international finance magazine, The Banker.
The recognition is published on the January 2009 issue of The Banker, which is part of the Financial Times group. The magazine is on its eighth year of giving the award.
In his letter of notification to Teves, The Banker finance editor Philip Alexander said the decision on choosing the best finance minister is a result of a survey conducted with economists and bankers “and therefore represents a real vote of confidence by the markets.”
“Survey respondents mentioned that, thanks to progressive improvements in revenue collection, lower public debt levels and more stable finances at the state-owned enterprises, the Philippines has entered the current global credit crunch in a much less vulnerable position than during the past financial crises,” Alexander said.
The thing now is that more foreigners should be able to recognize these efforts to regain investor confidence in the country. And of course, this should start from us Filipinos.
To Filipino investors: Keep your money in the country to fuel our economy. Foreign nationals are doing the same thing that’s why up to this point we have a net outflow of investments.
Posted by leeangelo at April 22, 2009, 8:47 amUpang patuloy ang paghinga, kailangan nating kumain, upang maging tanyag kailangan umibabaw.
Ikinahihiya mo ba ang pagiging Pinoy?
Mayaman tayo sa semilya, tingan ang mga batang parang hinihipan lang, dumadami na.
Mayaman tayo sa kaibigan, salat tayo sa kayamanan.
Mayabang tayong mga Pinoy. May katulong sa bahay kahit pwede namang wala, maawain at mapagmahal kasi tayo.
Posted by J.Kulisap at May 7, 2009, 5:24 pmit is not impossible for the philippines even getting to the top ten economic power by 2050 IF our government by 2010 changes the messes that arroyo administration have than in our country just this may or i think april i have known that an economist lined-up the philippines with new second world countries whose expected by 2013-2015 to be happened but if happened very early 2009 then its not impossible for us to get to first world status by 2015 again read the (IF) which makes a stand a chance to be in the top 10 by 2050 i doubt bangladesh,pakistan,iran,egypt,nigeria and the viets can surpass philippines if the edsa didn’t happen in marcos era we are now not having this problem because if marcoses term finished we could have been a first world by 1990 and what we are getting problem of by now is defeating japan and western powers economy and even U.S
Posted by joesel at May 10, 2009, 12:54 ami always wondered why they blamed our president GMA nasa isip kasi ng mga kababayan natin is corrupt un idol ko but its nit, we are doing well, we are one of the fastest growing economies in the world..
corruption is not the problem, we are the problem, kasi hindi natin mahal ang bansa natin, kung kaya nating mahalin ang bansa natin aangat tayo at hindi bababa ang tingin sa tin ng mga dayuhan gaya ni chip tsao, hindi natin sila masisisi, at tsaka kaya ba natin iyakan ang bansa natin? mayaman tayong bansa, we can show it to the world that filipinos are one of the best people and the philippines as well will be one of the richest in the world… sana matauhan ang ating mga kababayan na wag sisihin si pres. GMA..
and were a catholic nation we can really make our dreams fulfilled, gusto ko lang magcomment dito para sa ting mga kababayan
at tsaka hindi masarap mangarap kaya if you think that im crazy maybe you think but i just want to open the minds of all filipinos to love their philippines…
Posted by george gervin at June 9, 2009, 11:44 pmi luv philippines
someday philippines is one of the richest
country in the world
We have lakas-paggawa by 2020 because the Philippines is isang batang populasyon with a high literacy rate (92%). Unlike Japan, isang matandang populasyon (20% 65yrs old above) kaya, the Japan needs some prof. workers in some country like the Phil. kasi nga, nagreretiro na ung mga local workers nila. Ibig sabihin, dahil batang populasyon ang Pilipinas, magiging malaking tulong ito sa hinaharap… Mga 18-30yrs. old, 55% sa kanila ay magtatrabaho (10% tambay at walang ginagawa, 35% still nag aaral.) Yun lang.
Posted by espionage at June 13, 2009, 8:11 amHow many countries are there in ASIA Anyway? LOL. It’s like saying, oh I’m the Top 20 in a class of 25!
>>>There are more or less 50 countries in Asia, FYI, Sir/Ma’am J, including the newly-created states that are given nods to or not. Being at the eighth spot is not bad.
Yes, before we were second to Japan in Asia but here we are again in the top ten. For an NIC, is it still bad for us to be at number number? Yes, it’s not something to be really proud of but it’s something that we can look forward to. See? In 40 years, we will be bouncing back further to be at the 17th spot IN THE WORLD. From 36th in the world to 17th. That’s almost racing past half of the other contenders in a race. If you look at your history books, how long did it take the former British empire to overtake Spain to be the wealthiest, most powerful empire in the world? 50 years or so.
If you come to think of it, the Philippines at this point is one of the front runners in the Asean region and in the Far East. A few decades still, it’s most likely going to be a front runner of the entire Asian continent, maybe even the entire Asia-Pacific region.
To quote Lea Salonga, “Why not the world?”
Posted by Kevin at June 14, 2009, 8:14 amwell the reason that we put the blame to our president is because she is the PRESIDENT.
she is the only government oficial that the entire filipino people know.
dahil siya lang ang kilala natin at siya yung nasa pinakamataas na posisyon. malamang siya lang ang masisisi. kaya ganun.
aaminin ko nung una. galit na galit ako sa kanya lalo’t sa asawa nya pero nung maglaon napagtanto kong sa nangyayari ngayon di nya lahat kasalanan to kasalanan ko rin.
reklamo ko ng reklamo pero ala akong ginagawa. di pala may ginawa ako, ang umasa ng umasa sa iba na sya ang gagawa o kikilos sa pagbabagong inaasam ko.
kaya hangang ngayon ala pa ring nangyayari…
sa economics class nga namin nung highschool natanong nung teacher kung kami ang magiging pulitiko mangungurakot ba kami… lahat kami, hindi halos kundi lahat sumagot ng oo.
natatawa ko pag naaalala ko
ngayon alam ko na kung bakit ganun ang sagot ko kasi nung mga panahon na yon mahal ko lang ang sarili ko at ang mga mahal ko sa buhay. ala akong pakialam sa ibang pilipino…
sa opinyon ko…
tama ka ang totoo nating problema ay hindi natin mahal ang isa’t - isa. hangang ngayon nasa atin pa rin yung mentality ng kanya-kanya. pag ilokano ka mahal mo lang ang kapwa mo ilokano at ala kang pakialam sa mga bisaya.
(opinyon ko lang naman yan)
pero syempre umaasa at nangangarap pa rin ako na sa hinaharap uunlad tayo.
ang hirap man gawin. pinipilit ko ang sarili kong magtiwala sa gobyerno natin dahil syempre sila ang ating gobyerno. sino pa ba ang magtitiwala sa ating gobyerno kundi tayo ring mga mamamayan nito…
ngayon sinisikap kong magsimula ang pagbabago sa sarili ko. mahalin ang kapwa pilipino at magtiwala sa gobyerno. oo di mawawala ang corruption dahil nandyan na talaga yan. kaylangan lang nating tangapin
Posted by kojo at June 20, 2009, 3:12 pm————PLEASE CORRECT THIS ONE————–
By 2050, per capita, the Philippines will be the 19th richest, with $20,500. With current per capita income of $2000, Filipinos will make an additional $440.48 each year over the next 42 years to reach to the $20,500 per capita income.
———————————————————–
hindi po kc inningclude ng wikipedia ung ibang country dun sa “gdp per capita” table..nakalagay naman po dun eh.. iningclude lng nila ung mga countries n nsa next-11 at bric tska ung ibang g8…panu nmn ung australia?? hehe,,
Thanks for the comments J.Kulisap, joesel, george gervin, mark hartel, espionage, Kevin, kojo! Your comments raised points and added insights on the subject. My pleasure! ^_^
Ms./Mr. Zai, I have added yours too. This article was lifted from BizNewsAsia (source cited above). Mr. Tony Lopez’s email link is also there for further queries.
I did some searching..meron pong Australia sa list.. here’s the link/url:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
For quick reference, here’s what I got:
List of Countries by GDP (PPP) per capita
IMF (2008)
123rd Philippines 15th Australia
World Bank (2007)
111st Philippines 13th Australia
CIA World Factbook
132nd Philippines 19th Australia
I hope I’m still alive in 2050. If this is true, I’m going back to the Philippines
Posted by Leona at July 20, 2009, 11:57 amI believe in that, Philippines will be one of those powerful countries someday. As a Filipino businessman we all know that this was going to happen which is by destined and hard works.. keep the energy!! -jh
Posted by noodellbox at October 17, 2009, 7:15 pmpara po sa lahat ng bumabasa sana po matauhan po tayo this coming election at piliin natin ang tunay at mayroong kakayahang pamunuan ang bansang pilipinas
nahuhuli na po tayo, kasali ang pilipinas sa top 10 largest economy in asia, hindi deserving ang bansa natin makasali sa top 10, mas deserving sa mataas na rango ang bansang pilipinas na halos lahat ng resources na kailangan ng isang mundo ay na sa kanya na
piliin po natin ang dapat mamuno huwag tayong maging bulag, hindi po ako nangangampanya pero share ko lang po na ang bansang pilipinas ay nangangailangan ng isang tao na gaya ni richard gordon bilang isang pinuno ng isang tanyag at makasaysayang arkipelago sa pusod ng karagatang pasipiko
matauhan po tayo, im a fan of cory ofcourse but yun lang yun mahal ko siya, at na touch ako sa mga sinanasabi sa kanya ng kaniyang mga anak during jesicca soho show in gma, pero di ko matanggap na nasabi ni noynoy habang may nagtatanong sa kanya na reporter na sabi if your the president of the republic of the philippines what will happen on hacienda luisita? he replied, sa akin bayun? hindi naman sa akin yon eh
sana po piliin natin ang ating iboboto dahil marami tayong kababayan na kumikita ng hindi tataas sa 2 dolyar, maraming iskwater, madumi, at pati ang maynila naaapektuhan
this nation will be great again if there is a man who would rule honestly and despite having a people of almost 50% poor he can possibly turn this mega island to become a united philippine islands that having a national language, shared cultures and traditions and someday, somehow 5 years from now we will be great again
salamat po
Posted by george gervin at January 8, 2010, 5:11 pmpara po sa lahat ng bumabasa sana po matauhan po tayo this coming election at piliin natin ang tunay at mayroong kakayahang pamunuan ang bansang pilipinas
nahuhuli na po tayo, kasali ang pilipinas sa top 10 largest economy in asia, hindi deserving ang bansa natin makasali sa top 10, mas deserving sa mataas na rango ang bansang pilipinas na halos lahat ng resources na kailangan ng isang mundo ay na sa kanya na
piliin po natin ang dapat mamuno huwag tayong maging bulag, hindi po ako nangangampanya pero share ko lang po na ang bansang pilipinas ay nangangailangan ng isang tao na gaya ni richard gordon bilang isang pinuno ng isang tanyag at makasaysayang arkipelago sa pusod ng karagatang pasipiko
matauhan po tayo, im a fan of cory ofcourse but yun lang yun mahal ko siya, at na touch ako sa mga sinanasabi sa kanya ng kaniyang mga anak during jesicca soho show in gma, pero di ko matanggap na nasabi ni noynoy habang may nagtatanong sa kanya na reporter na sabi if your the president of the republic of the philippines what will happen on hacienda luisita? he replied, sa akin bayun? hindi naman sa akin yon eh
sana po piliin natin ang ating iboboto dahil marami tayong kababayan na kumikita ng hindi tataas sa 2 dolyar, maraming iskwater, madumi, at pati ang maynila naaapektuhan
this nation will be great again if there is a man who would rule honestly and despite having a people of almost 50% poor he can possibly turn this mega island to become a united philippine islands that having a national language, shared cultures and traditions and someday, somehow 5 years from now we will be great again
salamat po.
Posted by george gervin at January 8, 2010, 5:13 pmcheck this out: http://www2.goldmansachs.com/ideas/brics/book/BRICs-Chapter13.pdf
most of the datas used in this article came from a report from goldmansachs.
Posted by up_mc at February 10, 2010, 4:44 pmmahirap po tau…khit sabihin 36th wealthiest country tau….napakalaki nmn ng utang ntin… decada bago ma bayaran…
Posted by eljun at March 11, 2010, 1:25 pmworse excuse for poverty ever…
By our own government statistics, poverty increased from 2003 to 2006. this is despite sustained economic growth that this administration never fails to trumpet.
And the government cannot claim success by pointing to the improved economic conditions experienced by OFWs and their families. The labor export policy is a sorry excuse for our government’s failure to develop the local economy.
In 1956, the country imported 30,000 tons of rice. The World Bank said then that the marginal importation of rice will eventually stop as investments in agriculture boost productivity and output. Ha! this year we will be importing 2 million MT of rice. I’m not saying agri output has been stagnant. I is just that population growth has negated he impact of increases in output. At least the part about the intransigence of the Catholic hierarchy was spot on.
And the part were the author says we are a consumption economy is disingenuous. We have been a consumption economy since the 1950’s with consumption accounting for 80% of GDP back then. We have never invested much in our country which is why we are poor. The various governments throughout our history have failed in mobilizing national resources to build up the economy.
“RP is bigger than Austria, Malaysia, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Portugal, Vietnam, Chile, Hungary and yes, Singapore.”
All of those countries are either advanced or industrialized or have much larger GDP per capita than the Philippines.
“In the whole of Asia, only eight other countries are bigger than the Philippines in GDP PPP – China, Japan, India, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia.”
to whom exactly are we comparing ourselves to? The Bangladeshis? the Afghans? The North Koreans????
And while I am sure that Filipinos in 2050 will be glad with their good economic fortune, it does little to relieve the poverty and hardships millions upon millions of our countrymen experience today.
Posted by shinji at March 17, 2010, 9:17 pmThat’s not impossible, we are rich in natural resources… Sana lng matuto na ang mga Pilipino mag lagay ng tao sa pwesto. Ang gusto kasi ng karamihan ay artista, sikat, mga nag papa uto sa mga pekeng plataporma, mabigyan lang ng konting pera boto na agad sa taong yun. Sana mag karon ng taong mamumuno ng tapat.
Posted by Rhian at April 4, 2010, 10:43 pmThis is one of the best article i have red already tnx to you 
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WOW! NAMAN!
naks! inspiring! napaka-positive! tnx for sharing that article.
kaya naman kasi talaga nating mga Pinoy ‘yan e… we have the resources. ang yaman-yaman ng bansa natin. ang ganda-ganda.
at ang mga pinoy, kahit na kung anu-ano pang pinagsasasabing panlalait ni Chip Tsao, e marami tayong pantapat na positive na mga pahayag ng mga dayuhan about sa atin sa kanya. Ang latest na natutuhan ko ay tungkol sa history natin sa 2nd volume ng buru quartet ni pramoedya ananta toer ng indonesia. na-amaze ako sa mga sinabi niya tungkol sa ‘Pinas at mga Pilipino.
Kaya nating umunlad, umangat, iyon nga lang, kung anu-anong kabulastugan lang talaga ang pinaggagagawa kasi natin. ooops, kabulastugan talaga ang word. hehe. pis!
Posted by xdalisayx at April 20, 2009, 7:14 pm