Beleaguered Filipinos

Some years ago I had the good fortune to interview then Minister J. Habibie of Indonesia. I asked him why the Indonesian government undertook such an ambitious program to manufacture their own airplanes and ships. His answer was simple: employment. It was his theory that because of the labor intensive nature of the industries, the government would be able to provide jobs for Indonesians. I remembered that because of the opposite route that the Philippines had taken. From a temporary solution, the emigration of Filipinos became a permanent one, there just weren’t enough jobs at home for everyone. We did not have the industries to provide jobs so Filipinos left in droves to seek work elsewhere. In a way there is some justice that the man who presided over the export of labor during Marcos’s time is now the man at the helm of the Department of Foreign Affairs in whose hands the responsibility of seeing the workers return must fall.

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I don’t know which issue is feeding what but it would seem at least in the US it is fear of terrorism that is pushing the American government to clamp down on Filipinos. This column recently printed a letter from Gus Mercado, a former Philippine consul in the US, asking Filipinos to unite in the face of some 500,000 Filipinos threatened with deportation. He cited the case of Filipinos who have been in jail while an investigation of their papers takes place. I received a letter from the wife of one of the Filipinos in jail.

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From Kristie Carlos: In behalf of my family and the families of the eight other men who were in Mansfield, Texas, we would like to thank you for featuring the article Re: nine aviation men being detained at Mansfield. This is the worst nightmare of our life. These men went to the states to give their families a better future. . . a better life, is asking too much? I assure you these nine men were truly hardworking people . . . good father . . . and husband . . .

As for my husband, we are so proud of him because he’s been sacrificing for the sake of his family. He doesn’t deserve this . . . never . . . he’s been cited as an outstanding employee of the United Airlines and wouldn’t be loved by his co workers for nothing. We just hope and pray this crucial crisis in our life would soon be over.Thanks to people who never had any second thoughts of lending a helping hand especially to Mr. Gus Mercado and all the Filipinos there and to you for bringing this out in your column last August 17, 2002. I am not sure though if the 2nd part has been released.

Please help us in praying for these good nine men especially now that they are feeling so low and depressed already despite the many supporters. We just can’t blame them . . . It was truly hard, very hard.. God bless you!

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Another perspective on PIATCO controversy. When looking at the national scene and the different conflicts that hamper the country’s progress, I sometimes wonder how much of it is self-inflicted and how much is part of the clash between the old and the new that is inevitable in the modernizing process of a nation. I see the controversy on PIATCO as an ideal case study of the difficulties that come with leaving behind some of the traditional ways we do things.

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Having taken the position that the public’s interest is best served by allowing PIATCO to open the new airport as soon as possible, the task for ordinary citizens is to keep a close watch on the players of the drama with the aim of pointing at who are delaying it and why they are delaying it. That is one way of showing patriotism in answer to those who wrote and called to ask what they could do to help. It is not just about the airport itself but other allied things, like a favorable business climate that is hurt by government highhandedness. Here’s what a businessman who actively participated in the construction of NAIA 3 wrote. In deference to him, he remains anonymous until I have asked his permission to use his letter which I was unable to get before press time. I know that businessmen in general are wary of giving their views publicly for good reason.

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J.C. wrote: I am very much in agreement with the article you wrote on September 5, 2002 concerning our ability as a nation and people to get our acts together for our own good. I am a small businessman and have been continually suffering from the effects of the business downturn since 1997. My business is steel and our industry is still wondering when and how our country can get out of the current mess we are in. The construction of the NAIA 3 is certainly a boost to the local steel industry. We look forward to the government’s efforts to attract more BOT projects such as this. The amount of steel used and how it was fabricated and installed shows the capability and maturity of the local steel industry in the construction field.

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We can do more! The NAIA 3 is one of the crowning achievements for this country and the government should know how to capitalize on it. May I also take this opportunity to inform you on the plight of the steel industry:

The consumption of steel in a country usually reflects the stage of infrastructure development where the country is in and going. Since 1997, the consumption of steel has been continuously declining and now, we are consuming even less steel than Vietnam! You can check this data from the Philippine Iron Steel Institute. A main player in the steel industry, National Steel Corporation, has been in a state of limbo for almost 3 years despite pronouncements that it will be opened soon. The government supposedly took charge of negotiations and declared that it will be able to put it back in operations by the start of 2002. We are now about 3 quarters through the year but still there is no light to the solution. Even with government intervention in privatized business like National Steel Corporation, they could not get it to operate! It is about time that somebody knocks on the President’s door to tell her that what this country needs is plain business sense and not legal intramurals and political positioning or alliances. A smooth respectable governance is to have funds to fuel the economy and run by patriotic people with good business sense. Don’t you agree that it’s about time? "

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My e-mail address: [email protected]