Wash’s wish

One of the most respected senior members of the business community here and abroad is Wash Sycip. Many know how he turned a one-man accounting firm into a flourishing and internationally known institution that SGV is today. He has been around a long time and at 85, he has met with almost all the 14 presidents of this country. One could say that Washington Sycip has been there, done that. Though he is of Chinese descent and is an American citizen, there is no question that he is more Filipino than many of us. Through all these years, Wash has always wanted this country to progress and become first class like the rest of its neighbors in Asia, and he has always been impatient about the slow progress in this country. This impatience is even more apparent now that he has reached the twilight of his years, but of course, he is still as strong as ever. He tirelessly flies around the world speaking on behalf of Filipinos, steering business investments to the Philippines.

Mr. Sycip hit the message right on the head in a speech he delivered before the Management Association of the Philippines, where he echoed his wish for this country to have national unity in order to solve its many problems, foremost of which is poverty. Like many businessmen, Wash believes that this country is off to a good start this year – citing better confidence in the Philippines, a lowered budget deficit, more foreign reserves, a strong peso – a sentiment that echoes what we have aired in previous columns. A man who believes in giving credit where it is due, he cites GMA’s resolve to push through with tight economic measures that may not necessarily be popular. Even the World Bank praised the government, citing its credibility in macroeconomic management will strengthen investor confidence in the country, and ensure that fiscal targets are met.

Despite such positive indicators, however, Washington Sycip tempers this optimism with a pragmatic view that is perhaps typical of accounting people: How do we resolve the problems that have plagued this country for the last 50 years? Fifty years ago, there were such high hopes for the Philippines, hailed for being the only democratic and Christian nation in Asia, second only to Japan in terms of economic development. Yet today, we are way behind Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, with Vietnam showing indicators that it may yet overtake this country in terms of economic progress. Western-style democracy with its emphasis on political freedom has not helped in lessening the gap between the rich and the poor, in contrast to such countries as Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea – countries that continue to thrive despite its history of authoritarian or military regimes. Priority should be given to food, education, housing and health care for the poor, Wash said. (Interestingly, Wash, in his speech, echoed a suggestion by Peter Wallace in a population forum that perhaps the Church could help address the lack of classrooms by allowing schools to use empty Church facilities as classrooms.)

But these problems will not be solved if we continue to turn a blind eye on one of the most glaring problems that continue to set this country back – the unabated growth of this country’s population. Time and again, we have pointed out in this column that it would be impossible to solve the problem of poverty and the effective delivery of basic services like health and education because the resources are not enough. Though he believes that the economy is expected to boom in 2007 – a banner year – he knows that the boom can only be sustainable if we start to manage our population. At the end of this year, there will be 88 million Filipinos. Being an accountant, Wash certainly knows the numbers, and the equation is quite simple: A bigger population means more people to feed, more funds needed for education and health care, but less resources which equals to zero, nada, zilch – in real economic growth.

The influence of the Catholic Church has constrained the effective implementation of a sound population management program because this country’s leaders have been hesitant in speaking openly on the issue and yet, almost all privately agree that indeed, the issue of population management has to be addressed. In GMA’s speech during the traditional vin d’honneur in Malacañang, she said economic indicators all point to the fact that the Philippines is on the verge of an economic takeoff, but in the same token she admitted that there are still so many poor Filipinos today. She expressed the desire to move faster to improve the lives of the poor, and "eventually halt the inequalities." But the real challenge for her is to do a balancing act between pleasing the Catholic Church, and doing what is right for the country.

Mr. Sycip points to the example of Ireland – a deeply religious Catholic country whose sharp political divisions have made it one of the poorest in Europe. In 2005, Ireland embarked on a dramatic shift on its goals when business groups, politicians, church and labor leaders agreed on national objectives and determined what economic and political framework would best promote growth and development for their country. Today, Ireland is experiencing an increase in investments, and its per capita income has surged past other European countries. This growth has been sustainable so far, and many Irish immigrants who have left their country have returned to their native land to contribute to its growing prosperity.

At the end of the day, it is really the economy that will drive this country forward. Perhaps it is now time for all the big business groups – the Makati Business Club, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines and all the foreign chambers – to start working together and determine what issues need to be raised and what steps should be taken to resolve these issues. They can put up a united front and come up with an objective and more positive action to solve the perennial problem of poverty, unemployment and other issues that have plagued this country for so long.

In fact, this was the suggestion made by Philippines Inc. chairman Jesus "Susing" Pineda. Philippines Inc. was originally "Team Philippines" during the time of FVR, where almost all business groups and organizations were represented during his trips abroad. Team Philippines was successful in creating more interest in the Philippines as an investor destination, and this can be done again if business groups come together under one umbrella and have one voice in addressing the issues and problems of this country squarely. If Ireland can do it, there is no reason why we cannot do the same.

Washington Sycip believes that if we have one united goal, and if we have a common program to reduce the problem of poverty in this country, then we may be able to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Wash’s wish may very well be the wish of most every Filipino.

* * *

E-mail: [email protected]