Hopelessly ever hopeful Filipinos

With Easter comes the hope of new life, a new beginning washed clean by the sufferings of a Man, His Mother and all those close to Him. After Black Saturday comes the Glorious Easter.

Millions of Filipinos are looking forward to another "Easter," a new life after the May 10 elections when the thick black smoke of politics clears up, and a new beginning by the newly elected leaders solemnly to fulfill pledged promises.

For this coming "Easter" in May, many are praying that if GMA wins, she will do less politicking and buckle down to real work to push the nation forward. Those who have decided to vote for her are also hoping that she will be able to stop "Jose Pidal" (whoever he is) or at least slow him down. Anyway, six years is a long period of time.

More or less as many are praying that if FPJ wins, he will remove his dark glasses and start looking straight in the eye the various problems he has to overcome to really help the poorest of the poor. They are also hoping that he will not just sit down with his close friend Erap and drink the night away or bully hapless waiters, media people or anyone standing in his way.

We, Filipinos, are eternally optimist. After witnessing the mudslinging and backstabbing of our political leaders during the campaign, we are still hopeful that they will do something good after the elections.

Despite these politicians, we as a nation have so many positive things around us. And that is the reason why we can afford to be eternally hopeful.

One Bright Spot

With the peso drastically beaten to an all-time low and a looming fiscal crisis threatening to hit an economy already down and out by lingering political woes and fundamental economic concerns, it is perhaps an appropriate time to shelve negativism for the moment and instead highlight the many positive things we have as a nation.

After all, it is these competitive advantages that have kept the Philippines resilient amid the difficult times we have had as a nation. And hopefully, contenders in the May 10 polls – and the Filipino people in general – would be enlightened by the inspiring thought that all is not lost for the Philippines.

And that we could cease to be "the sick man of Asia" if only our people – through an inspiring and an enlightened leader – would capitalize on the strength of the Filipino and overcome prevailing weaknesses.

Economist Bernardo Villegas, one of the 19 economic advisers of presidential front-runner FPJ, has laid down some good points in his book "The Philippine Advantage" published in 2001 with the sponsorship of Shell companies in the Philippines, which I think deserves some space in this column.

A Vibrant Labor Force

The country’s most valuable resource is undoubtedly the Filipino labor force that is not only well educated, but is also highly trainable and adaptable and has a satisfactory command of the English language.

A recent technological competitive survey has even ranked the Philippines as No. 1 in the category of knowledge jobs in terms of availability of workers, topping countries like Australia, US, Canada and France – which means the country leads in terms of supply of qualified engineers and IT skilled workers.

We compete with India in terms of being the region’s leaders in the export of knowledge-based jobs. Such that the labor competitiveness we continue to enjoy would perhaps negate one presidential candidate’s platform that under his leadership Filipinos would no longer have to work overseas to earn a living.

Borrowing a quote from Villegas, he said that: "It is highly probable that even as our per capita income improves and the poverty incidence is reduced, Filipinos will continue to migrate to other countries, no longer out of economic depression but because they will be among the most highly appreciated migrant workers for their education, cultural adaptability and attractive human traits."

The fact is labor migration is a way of life in the Philippines not only because it is driven by poverty, but because of the invaluable role a Filipino worker brings to his employer.

Like it or not, our overseas Filipino workers will continue to be one of the country’s main engines of growth given their remittances of more than P8 billion annually. Adopting a protectionist stance against overseas deployment may only prove to be detrimental.

Need To Raise Individual Productivity

Despite the abundance, there are some warning signs our government must address in terms of harnessing a competitive edge. A huge chunk of our labor force remains unskilled, which results in low productivity, lower wages and consequently a decline in their families’ standard of living.

Much too has yet to be desired in terms of the quality of education in the country. Recent survey results showed our students have continued to perform poorly in terms of Math and Science proficiency, an alarming sign for a country known for its highly skilled pool of IT professionals.

Our labor force is one of our gems. Let’s keep it well polished. But most of all, let’s not lose it.

What Ails Our Agri Sector On TV

"Isyung Kalakalan at Iba Pa" on IBC News (4:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Monday to Friday) starts today a discussion of the agriculture sector and what ails this vital component of our economy. Compared to neighboring countries, our local agri sector is lagging behind in terms of growth, productivity and competitiveness. With more mouths to feed, and as population growth remains unabated, local agri production continues to fail to meet demand. Thus, we are spending precious dollars importing food items that should have been produced locally.

Those in the sector are also blaming the government for not providing the much-needed funds to modernize and upgrade facilities despite explicit provisions of existing laws. As a result, our farmers, fishermen and those in the livestock industry feel vulnerable with the onslaught of lower cost imported agri products. Watch it.

‘Breaking Barriers’ With DOE Secretary Vince Perez

"Breaking Barriers" on IBC (11 p.m. every Wednesday) will feature Department of Energy Secretary Vince Perez on Wednesday, 14th April 2004.

The energy sector has been in the limelight with the spate of oil price increases, the Meralco electricity rate hike and the looming power crisis in Southern Philippines. What is the government response to the series of oil products price hikes? Is there a possibility of a subsidy to ease the burden on the consuming public? What is the government doing to reduce the country’s dependence on imported crude oil? Watch it.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz.