The day I left for college
I've been going to Manila ever since I was a boy in the 60s. I don't remember exactly how many times. In all of these trips, I've always been going with either my mother or father or both. Most of these trips were for the purpose of visiting my elder sister who was then already going to the university, and a few trips were actually for some sight-seeing, e.g. Manila Zoo, Quiapo, etc. I remember we always had to pack as early three or four days before and all of our luggage will be neatly lined along the hallway all zipped-up and ready to go (and not to be touched by anyone, except by my mom, of course). But there is one departure that will forever remain in my memory - the day I left for college. On the day of my departure for college, Conching went through the same meticulous preparation except that this time a few more items were added to the things we're bringing on the trip - a basket full of half-ripe bananas, half a sack of ...
before I read it, I hope he has something in the end which goes like, how can we get to where we want to be...
ReplyDeleteWell, he does that but not really in a very straighforward way. He points out where we went wrong so the answer is somewhat the opposite of these "mistakes" (though not entirely). I know you're a "bottom-line-kind-of-person," Cat. But as you know there is no single answer or a silver bullet to resolve this issue. And as I said, this is just one among the many in the market of ideas out there.
ReplyDeleteChito..you know it, hirap sagutin..
ReplyDeleteI may tip on one big factor, agree or disagree, I am convinced: Over population...
2nd: Distribution of wealth as seen in the Poli-Science world..(taxes,etc..so plays the role of corruption)...
Hi Nona. Thanks for the feedback and your point about over-population as a factor that hampers development.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that over-population could be a factor that hinders progress but Dr. Villegas, in his article, points out that large populations have in fact been a boon to the current slump in the world market's demand for goods, i.e. because exports have weak demand abroad, a strong local demand is the key to a strong market by countries like Brazil, Russia, China, India, etc. (He discusses this on the third paragraph of his article about 'neo-Malthusians').
A case in point is my own former HS classmate who's been running a furniture company for more than a decade now. His products are mainly aimed at the foreign markets, e.g. the US, Italy and other European countries. But when the financial meltdown occurred, the demand for his products disappeared, he lost all of these markets. Were it not for his few local customers, his furniture company would have already folded-up as early as last year. But as it is, he's surviving and just needs to cut down on his costs to keep his business afloat. I would imagine a similar situation happening in other industries such as the garments industry or processed food industry. Dr. Villegas says we must have a strong local economy. And vital to that is a big local market which is partly due to a large population (the other factor of course is an economically/financially empowered population).
i agree...ang hirap mag over analyze without suggestions how to help alleviate the poverty level...
ReplyDeleteI have this mug that says "wherever you are, there you are". This is one of the toughest things to talk about.
ReplyDeleteHi Lou. The thing about this quote is that it presumes you have full control of your 'destiny,' which is not the case, especially for many of our countrymen. On the other hand, it may also imply that you have to accept whatever cards are dealt by life to you and that you just have to make the best of it. In other words, you just have to accept your fate and try to live it the best you can. I know this is being practical and realistic and may be acceptable given the circumstances, or risk frustrations, disappointments, and emotional aches and pains. And you're right, it's tough talking about it.
ReplyDeleteHi MeAnn. Thanks for your interest. In a way, you may be thinking about a pitfall in many discussions referred to as "analysis-paralysis," i.e. when people tend to focus on analyzing rather than solving the problem. Poverty is such a complex problem that no single theory or explanation could possibly capture its essence much less resolve it.
ReplyDeleteThe point of this exercise, however, is to try to get as much benefit in terms of knowledge gained given the level of access we now have to such expert opinion and analysis as Dr. Villegas,' which were hitherto unavailable or accessible only by a certain select group of our society as the academics.
hndi ko pa nabasa..:) thanks also for broadening up the topic..and true a strong local market is good to support the enonomy...but one question comes to my mind, if the local market can't afford?
ReplyDeleteI read this part.."Large and young populations have two advantages: they provide low-labor costs and attractive consumer markets.", I agree.. but this is just a drop of solution to the whole..parang may irony..sa discussion..di ko ma point out..
ReplyDeleteI read you, Nons. Isa nga lang ang population sa multi-dimensional problem na ito ng poverty. But if you will note, binanggit din ni Dr. Villegas yung issue ng distribution of wealth. He is of course saying that there is an uneven distribution of the country's resources (and arguably, of political power as well) - the 80/20 theory - where 20 percent of the population has access (and control) of 80% of the country's wealth, while 80 percent of the population has access and control (or fighting for access and control) of only 20% of the resources. And this has to be evened-out somewhat, or as many people would rather say, we need to level the playing field.
ReplyDeleteChito..interesting..and my hopes go to all our countrymen..a Japanese woman I met in the late 80's, who studied in Sophia University in Japan-Sociology-, said that more often, those in the 3rd World countries don't even know the problems they have..logically, we're submerged into it, paano nga ba lalabas ang nalulunod.But even then I still don't lose hopes..sana may puso sa tao talaga ang susunod na president/s cause only generations after would be the ones to enjoy the consequential success..that is if the start could come now, well well..
ReplyDeleteMy father's point of view of developing agriculture then, was also discussed by Dr. Villegas..babasahin ko na talaga..:) thanks chito!
It's very timely that you have to mention this Nona. Former President Fidel Ramos was just on TV the other night, and one of the things he said (in reference to the coming elections) was that those who want to lead the country, i.e. Presidential aspirants, should not only plan for the next six-years or only for or during his term, but must rather plan for an entire generation.
ReplyDeleteYour father was right on the money Nona. He is so right about developing agriculture. That, too, is a major point in Dr. Villegas article, i.e. that we failed to invest resources in our local agriculture and instead focused such resources in developing the manufacturing sector. I'm sure you are aware that our country has an agriculture-base, that more than three-quarters of our rural economy and population is dependent on agriculture. With our big population, we enjoy an advantage over the other countries in that labor is abundant and necessarily inexpensive. We have to use this manpower advantage in developing our agriculture and produce products that other countries cannot produce competitively.
ReplyDeleteAm poor with statistics, impressions lang..but I do believe you in this..Chito, sana mag-candidate ka ng as President :) no joke..
ReplyDeleteTito Eddie! how is he?..tito siya ng isang barkada noon..so tito Eddie na rin kami sa kanya..
ReplyDeletei had to flag this post as i had no time to read the article before now. question: what now?
ReplyDeletehe he, joke lang. dapat siguro ang question is: where do i begin? he he, joke na naman.
seriously Chito, i know some friends who have turned to farming and yes, the start was kind of rough for some of them but now all of them are enjoying the fruits of their labor [pardon the pun].
bakit nga ba ang sama ng tingin natin sa agrikultura... i don't know if it started with my generation but during my high school years i did not know anybody who wanted to take it up in college. everybody wanted white collar and prestigious jobs/careers. anybody who took interest in it was either frowned upon or pitied. i on the other hand just didn't put much thought into it. and kahit ngayon, ang mentality is to leave the land to find greener pastures [oops another pun]. since i work in a school, i hear stories from colleagues about how the public school students they visit during career guidance week respond to their visits. i have yet to hear anyone asking about agricultural courses, even if it is the main source of livelihood in their area. it is devastating to find out that a lot even want to forgo post secondary education and just go to japan to be a yuki.
so for me it all boils down to education pa rin. according to deped although poverty is still the main reason why only 4 out of 10 highschool graduates proceed to higher education, another big factor is the lack of direction, the students do not know what they want or are resigned to their plight. and that is because there is no one to motivate and inspire them. our teachers need reeducation too. and it is frustrating cause its a vicious cycle. as long as our eductional system does not improve, we will sink lower and lower.
pasensya na ha, i face this reality almost everyday kasi and it frustrates me that not being able to do anything big and significant [yet] makes me a part of the problem.
I've been following the thread of this discussion. Kaya lang I don't want to get into the fray muna. Ayaw ko pang mag-isip!
ReplyDeleteHi Nons. I'm not very good at statistics (or economics) myself and this is the reason why I am glad that with technology, we now have access to credible opinion/analysis by experts who know statistics (libre pa).
ReplyDeleteTito Eddie is still very active in Philippine politics. He is Chairman Emeritus of Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats). He still holds influence on many aspect of Philippine politics.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know, Chiara, why there is this very low regard for agriculture as a job or a profession. But I do know for certain that it did not start only with your generation. When I was in HS, we had an Irish priest-teacher who encouraged us no end to go back to the land, so to speak. He told us to go ahead and pursue a college degree but he specified UP College of Agriculture. He then asked us to use the knowledge gained back in our home province. He was quite successful in convincing many of us to go to UP Los Baños but wasn't as successful in influencing them to return. Many were offered (and accepted) jobs in corporations that had agri-business interests, e.g. San Miguel Corp., etc. My own brother was taken in by Menzi Plantation in far-off Mati, Davao Oriental. But most of us, myself included, went on to pursue "white collar" job-oriented courses, preferring desk jobs and such rather than to work in the farm.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my own generation is concerned, I think this anti-agriculture view was not totally out of choice. Many of us did not have farms or a parcel of land to begin with. Although my grandparents did own a few parcels, my parents were both civil servants, i.e. public school teachers. I also think that (at that time and probably more so now), agriculture or farming could not provide for a more stable or reliable source of income given the vagaries of nature not to mention the high cost of production (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides/herbicides, etc.) as well as marketing difficulties (no post-harvest facilities, poor or absence of farm-to-market roads, unscrupulous middlemen, etc).
This is actually the dream of most of our poor people, i.e. na makatapos man lang ng pag-aaral ang kanilang mga anak, believing that that is the only legacy and wealth they could ever leave to their children, and that education is the key for them na maka-ahon sa kahirapan. But even as you point out that the current mode of education lacks direction we still have to implement an "education-for-all" strategy. I believe that giving everyone an opportunity for an education is as important (if not more) as developing the right orientation for education.
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure what you mean by this Chiara. But frustration is a way of coping-up and a sure sign that you have not grown insensitive to these issues. And for as long as you are able to help another individual, e.g. your husband run the business, or the people you employ in such a business, then you are already doing something positive. And it is not a question of whether it is a big endeavor or a small one. On does not need to be the president to be able to contribute positively to our country's development.
ReplyDeleteTime is all that we have Lou. We can wait. And no need to think too deeply. Spontaneity is always appreciated. And by the way, no one is under any obligation to say something about the issues here. And there will be no exams scheduled after this :-).
ReplyDeletei'll tell you what i mean later ha, now, i have to run, its salary day and i'm in charge of payroll, ttfn!
ReplyDeletewe are too religious. aw! i see eyebrows heading north. personal opinion lang po.
ReplyDeletei don't totally agree that it's the huge population that highly caused poverty in our country. China is over populated but their economy is booming. India is also over populated... though they have huge poverty, their economy is heading worth a glance on its people's expertise.
corruption... THERE IS a difference on the corruption level in other countries... though i have read articles of other countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia having their share of corrupt officials. but calculating to what our own officials are said to pocketed, were way higher compared to other country officials. like one president we had allegedly taken in billions of USD. and that was just one. thus, corruption surely contributed to where we are now.
one main observation i have on why we are where we are now... my first line. which country is too religious that the Church can control the State? especially during elections... the politicians will do everything to get religious groups on their side to get its believers vote. sure win.
is there any country as religious as we are that belongs to the First World? ... like having a president who in times of crisis will announce... Bahala na ang Diyos. rather than act on a problem or an issue, why leave it to God. God would prefer that we work to solve our problems. He's got too many. it's not only the president who utters that line. it's very common to us Filipinos. after saying, "bahala na ang Diyos." we wait for signs to come. too many signs up our face that we still can't see those signs. because the sign we are looking for is quick solution... instant miracle for the whole population. so we keep praying. waiting... waiting...
we are too forgiving... corrupt officials... rapist officials... abusive officials. we denounced them. they laid low. do a comeback. they run for a government position. we voted them. and also their families.
nothing about being religious... we are also too celebrity-oriented. as long as one is famous. one can become a president. a senator. a congressman/woman. a governor. a mayor. a barangay captain.
yon po. personal thoughts lang.
Hi Helene. Thanks for your reactions. Yes indeed, it is also a known fact that religion plays a big role in our national life and politics in particular. I understand what you mean when you said, "the politicians will do everything to get religious groups on their side to get its believers' vote." If you saw the photos and video footages of the recent wake of a religious leader, you would note that it was like the "who's who in Philippine politics." Some of them may have been there for genuine sympathy, but I'm sure most of them were just there for their own political agenda. And not to be outdone, our current President even declared a holiday.
ReplyDeleteMay I also recommend/suggest that you also take a look at one of my other links at http://chitoirigo.multiply.com/links/item/63. This may provide you another angle on the issue. This may give you a glimpse of why we vote they way we vote (and by we, I refer to the large majority of the Filipino voters, i.e. the masa).
sorry ha if i did not make it clear what i am frustrated about. i was talking about the educational system we have, in general but more so in public or less 'prestigious' schools. i don't mean to look down on our public school teachers but ever since i was in college i already saw how most of the ones who were taking up education as a course were high school graduates who thought they had no other choice. to them it was the easiest and cheapest college degree that you can enroll in and their aim was to become public school teachers because at that time it was the one sure job that they were going to be paid high salaries [i don't know how it is nowadays], and be assured of a stable monthly income. very few enrolled in education because it was their passion, or because helping children learn was what they loved to do. i myself took it up because i did not know where to go and what to enroll in. all i knew was that i loved to be with children and and owning a playschool someday was not a bad idea. i actually didn't know what i wanted to do with my life.
ReplyDeletebear with me for veering so far from the topic. but my point is, because most of the people who become teachers are not in it to mold young minds and develop character imbibed with high moral standards and values, these are the kind of high school graduates we get: students who are not really ready to take the next serious step in life, get an education that will improve not only his own life but others as well; students who do not know what to do with themselves; students who have no direction in life. and we can not blame them for this.
i meet high school graduates almost everyday who can not even write a single sentence in proper english. never mind that, they can not even answer why they chose the program they are enrolling in. scrap even that, they can not even stay focused in a five minute interview. and the worse thing is, they don't care. and if i try to analyze why, it goes back to where they come from, what school they went to, the kind of teachers they had, the kind of parents they have. it's endless.
to me, we are where we are because of this.
Agree ako sa mga sinabi mo Helene. The Philippines is where it is dahil din sa mga tao, yung kanilang attitude saka values sa buhay. China and India are good examples, masisipag mga tao. Marami akong gustong sabihin pero wag na lang baka makasakit lang ako ng loob ng ating mga kababayan.
ReplyDeleteAt isa pa, bakit nakikialam ang simbahan sa politics? The other day I was watching TFC (The Filipino Channel)at nakita ko sa news, sabi ng isang Cardinal na Pinoy, baka daw hindi nila susuportahan si Noynoy dahil sa pag support ni Noynoy sa contaceptives. Ano ang kinalaman ng borth control sa pagpapalakad ng bansa? Ang religiosity ng mga ibang kababayan natin ay mahirap intindihin. Outwardly, sobra sila magpakita ng devotion sa Panginoon, pero sa gawa at kalooban puro palpak. Mangungumpisal at luluhod pa sa altar pero magnanakaw naman. Di pwedeng sabihin "bahala na ang Diyos," dapat kumilos at gumawa ng paraan para umunlad ang bayan. Dasal nga ng dasala, wala namang ikinikilos, e di wala rin mangyayari.
I have to say sorry before I drop these words, but I'm referring to politicians naman not to our countrymen..Helene, kaya yan ang sinasabi nila, to avoid work and define problems, mas mahirap yun eh, eh di pinapaubaya na lang! LOL!
ReplyDeleteYes, Chiara. It seems like it's a vicious cycle. And it's getting worse every cycle. It seems that every new generation is outdoing the previous in terms of mediocrity or worse. Having been once in a position myself to meet/interview new employment applicants, I also feel so disappointed that these young people cannot write, talk and think straight (even in Pilipino not to mention English). Also, critical thinking is sadly, a strange concept to them. I agree, the way they were educated may be responsible for that. But there are other influences as well. There are just too many to mention them all but let me just cite a simple example. When given a simple arithmetical problem to solve, let's say addition of more than two 2-digit numbers, the tendency now is to use the calculator. What happened to the capability of mental computation? Addition palang yan. The invention of calculators, while making some tasks efficient and quick, has also in a way disabled some of our mental capabilities. Of course, di naman natin nilalahat, as I know there are still those who have this capabilities unaided by technology.
ReplyDeleteThey key, as you pointed out, is education. And as you also implied, the educators (teachers) themselves should also be taught or reoriented again. I know this is easier said than done. But I think we have no choice. Doing it (breaking the cycle) is the only way.
Thanks again for your views.
Hi BNK. Thanks for your thoughts. I understand your reluctance to say more. Indeed, we Filipinos have a tendency to go beyond the arguments and sometimes take the comments personally, instead of taking it as just one of the many opinion that each of us have a right to say and have.
ReplyDeleteOn the issue of religion or religiosity, I only want to add that many if not most Filipinos (including me) are what may be referred to as nominal Catholics (or Christians), i.e. concerned most with only in form such as Sunday mass, devotions to saints, and annual fiestas, rather than in deeds, e.g. helping others, etc. That is probably the reason why there are now many new Christian denominations. Some of them are premised on pragmatism not unlike the Protestants. But many are just as dogmatic if not even more than the Catholics themselves, i.e. everything (as in anything) is based on or should follow what the Bible says. Some even taking the words literally. By the way, it's not only the Christians who do this. Many Filipino Muslims, like their counterparts in other countries take the words of the Koran quite literally, and do not take kindly to other religions or religious beliefs, referring to any non-muslim as an "infidel."
There is also the issue of separation of church and state. But as in so many other facets of our national life, there is no such thing as separation of church and state here, just like there is no separation of the entertainment world and the world of governance, or movies and real-life.
Hi Nons. I hate to say this, but it is true that the "bahala na ang Diyos" attitude is pervasive among the Filipinos not only among the politicos. But if it's any comfort at all, this attitude is not all negative. It is what keeps us from despair. It is what keeps us going inspite all these seemingly unsurmountable challenges in our national life (and even in our own personal moments of depression).
ReplyDeleteWhat is probably lacking or what may have been forgotten is that we were also taught that God helps those who help themselves. When we kneel down to pray for God's help, He does not expect us to keep on kneeling forever. Sa larong basketball, merong isang klase ng tira na kung tawagin ay "bahala-na-ang-Diyos-shot." It means that one tries a make the shot in the most awkward manner but is hoping that he ball will go through the hoop anyway. The key is that the ball was released from the hands of the player not by God.
yes, for the common people, it is the popular cynicism..unwarely..pero this I could understand being in their shoes..but TRA-politicians bahaviour, I have less tolerance.
ReplyDeletethis makes a lot of difference..and correct!
ReplyDeleteHello BNK. Oo naman, okay lang to post that essay here. Afterall, this post is open to everyone and everyone's comments is welcome.
ReplyDeleteThis piece by a Korean is a very popular piece that has been doing the rounds in the internet for some time now. I heard that this has also been taken-up in some classroom discussions. I won't say though that the points raised are valid or not valid. But I can say that the essay does bring to fore an issue that we Filipinos need to confront, i.e. love of country. The essay begins with a religious admonition - we should love our neighbors because that's what God wants us to do. It then goes on to say that even though we are the only Catholic country in Asia we are not following God's word by not loving our neighbor. It then concludes that Filipinos do not love their country, and this evidenced by many people leaving for other countries. An interview with some Pilipino prisoners who expressed their desire to leave the country buttresses this conclusion.
I would say one would would be a hypocrite not to agree with some of the issues in the essay. Afterall, who will argue against a very worthy and noble act, that of loving one's neighbor. If we follow the logic, all we need to do then is love our neighbor (as God commands us, Catholics, to do) and everything will be nice and dandy and we'll be on our road to progress and bliss.
But (and here's the big BUT some maybe anticipating), the essay (in my view) seems to have awfully simplified the picture. By the essays arguments, it is saying that Filipinos who are abroad, especially those who did not come back, do not love their country. By the essay's arguments, those who are not here in the Philippines hate to be here. It has also equated the logic of a few prisoners who want to leave the Philippines as soon as they can as the prevailing national sentiment. This is like saying that even the scum of the earth do not want to stay in his own country so why should anybody else. But these are prisoners, their motivation is that they would really want to be out of prison as soon as possible. The essay mistakes this desire to be out of prison as loss of love for country and the desire to abandon it. An excursion by the author's mother in Pagsanjan rapids and an experience with a boatman follows the same logic.
The essay starts by saying that corruption is not the problem of our country. How the essay came to this conclusion is not clear though. It just goes on to expound on the need to love one another. I agree though with the essay when it says that faith and prayer alone cannot solve things and that what we need to do is act.
While I do not wish to argue about the writer (because I believe that Korean or not, there's a lot of truth in what he said), I also really wonder why the Philippines is now crawling with Koreans. This is not just a thought. This is a fact. The main road of BF Homes Subdivision in Parañaque is now littered with shops and restaurants on both sides of the road with purely Korean signages (wala man lang Pinoy or English translation). There's even a school (with a college department) and a church exclusively for Koreans. This is not only true for BF Homes or in Parañaque area. This is true almost throughout the country, e.g. Davao, Baguio, Cebu, etc. Just last Friday night when we were playing badminton in a place where there were about 15 courts in all, more than half of that was occupied by Koreans (at around 9PM). Each court had four players playing and some more waiting on the sidelines waiting for their turn. Can you imagine how many they were? I felt like we were in a foreign country at that time. I truly wonder why these Koreans are here in the Philippines and not in their own country.
I don't mean to say that these Koreans do not love their country. I'm sure, as the essay implies, they do love their own country very much. But can't we say the same thing for the Filipinos who are now in other countries?
By the way, as I mentioned earlier, this Korean essay has been passed on via email and are also re-posted and discussed in many blogs (mostly by Pinoys). Most of them though state their agreement and provide positively reinforces the issues mentioned in the essay. But here's one of those that attempt to provide a different response: http://jammygrl08.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-response-to-jaeyoun-kims-essay.html
ReplyDeleteI also got this letter sometime ago, I gues more that 3x and since mga 4 years na...
ReplyDeletealam mo chito, I heard na sa Boracay, Koreans are building lots of establishments there, nakahanap sila ng free enterprising mentality..baka sa Korea controlled ang put up ng business and enjoy sila ngayon sa Phils..may pang capital sila eh..and tell you one known fact is that there's not much control sa atin ng mga sprouting business, although at times nakkasira sa privacy ng mga villages..
Here's another essay on the same subject:
ReplyDeleteWhy Is The Philippines Poor?
THE DIFFERENCE
The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country:
This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.
On the other hand, Canada, Australia & New Zealand that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.
The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.
Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole orld and exporting manufactured products.
Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world's strongest, safest place.
Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.
Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE THEN ?
The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.
On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:
1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for savings & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.
10. and of course...Discipline
In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.
The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources. We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.
You heard right about Boracay, Nona. I also personally know that in Pagsanjan, most of the resorts along the river where most of the boats wait for tourists, are now owned or operated by Koreans. Sometime ago this was the trend involving another group of our Asian neighbors, i.e. the Japanese. By marrying Filipinas, these Japanese were able to operate businesses. But these foreigners remain in the sidelines more or less. Today, many Koreans do not have that kind of "shyness." And this was surely helped immeasurably by our own laws (rules and regulations) on foreign investments that allow foreigners up to 60% ownership of Philippine business. Local government in fact are virtually begging these Koreans to open businesses in their respective towns because of the revenue and employment opportunities. But the thing is, this Koreans (and other foreigners as well), have learned how to "play the game," i.e. avoiding/evading taxes, not complying with minimum wage law. They have learned that doing things "under the table" is the way to do business. On the other hand, our local government officials try to get as much as they personally can by fleecing these foreigners.
ReplyDeleteSo. As you now probably realize Nona, it is a bit more complicated than what Dr. Villegas points out as the reason why we are where we are now, i.e. bias against agriculture and uneven wealth distribution, nor is it about our convoluted educational system, or our "religion-for-convenience" type of spirituality. It is also about a lot of other things, investment laws, and pervasive corruption both in and out of government, so on and so forth. It may even be because of our unbridled version of democracy. And even of it were all of these, we may only be seeing the proverbial tip of the iceberg, i.e. we've not even touched on the subject of the Mindanao separatist movement, or the dangerous military adventurism, or the fractious Reproductive Health bill, or affordable food and medicine, unemployment, unscrupulous investment managers, etc., etc.
If you are the candidate for President, how would you propose to improve our national life? You don't have to answer that. It's just a rhetorical question aimed at exercising our brain muscles. But if you really think you have something to say to help, then by all means let's all hear it.
very well said Chito..I appreciate learning much from this note! thanks thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour post BNK reminds me of something I read many years ago. It's about a short piece is entitled, "Everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten. "
ReplyDeleteAnd I quote:
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
-Share everything.
-Play fair.
-Don't hit people.
-Put things back where you found them.
-Clean up your own mess.
-Don't take things that aren't yours.
-Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
-Wash your hands before you eat.
-Flush.
-Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
-Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
-Take a nap every afternoon.
-When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
-Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
-Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
-And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
[Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum. See his web site at http://www.robertfulghum.com/ ]
(End of quote)
This has been a basic premise whenever I read or hear discussions about Filipino attitudes and its being a cause for our development (or lack of it) as a progressive nation. Some people sum this up as Filipinos not having discipline. I range these accusations against what I see, or hear, and read about everyday and I must say that we as a people are indeed guilty as charged.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing though that puzzles me somehow is the fact that Filipinos, when they are in other countries (developed countries), do follow and respect the law and rules, are ethical and responsible in their work, are punctual and disciplined, etc., etc. Some are even exemplars of competence, honesty, dedication and integrity. We've of course all heard about how Pinoys behave and follow road restrictions when they are in Subic (or within the American bases).
Is it then an attitude problem (caused by faulty education or to something that others refer to as our"damaged culture")? I don't have the answer to this question and as I said, it is a puzzler to me.
On a parenthetical note, it would also be quite enlightening to know the following (assuming we indeed have a damaged culture):
- What was it that damaged our culture?
- Who was responsible for this damage?
- When did it (start to) happen?
- What was our culture before it got damaged?
- When we realized it, did we do anything to repair such damage?
Good questions Chito, something that can be discussed in a umiversity class, or even in a thesis.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this, and I don't understand why. When I was young, we used to go to Clark and Subic, and it was noticeable how our kababayans' driving habits changed while they're inside the base - para silang nasa US, sunod lahat ang traffic rules, full stop pag may stop sign, no straddling of lanes, no unnecessary blowing of horns, no speeding, etc. Pero pag labas sa gate, balik na naman sa dating style of driving. WHY?
ReplyDelete