EDITORIAL - Potential for improvement

Foreign observers remain bullish about prospects for improvement in the Philippines. The latest indication of this sentiment is a report from The Wall Street Journal based on an assessment of US consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

The firm listed Manila among 34 cities in low- and middle-income countries with the greatest potential for getting much better in the next two decades. In Southeast Asia, Manila, which usually refers to Metro Manila, was ranked behind Indonesia’s capital Jakarta in terms of potential for improvement.

That potential can be realized only if reforms are sustained and additional effort is exerted to make Manila a better place to live. Urban blight threatens the National Capital Region and limited resources cannot meet the demands of a ballooning population. Manila is one of the most densely populated urban centers in the world, and the consequences are evident in the traffic jams, pollution, criminality, slums and high poverty rate. Compared with several other Asian capitals, Manila also ranks low in competitiveness.

These problems are not insurmountable. Good government can translate into efficient traffic management, clean communities and crime-free streets. Good government also cuts red tape and creates an environment conducive to investments that generate jobs and other livelihood opportunities. Good government means the efficient delivery of basic services including public education and health care.

As important as good government is citizen involvement in realizing the potential for getting better. Public vigilance is a good deterrent against corruption and profligacy in handling people’s money. Civic responsibility also helps ensure that garbage is collected properly, communities are kept clean and criminality is kept at bay. Foreign observers see the promise of a better Manila. Filipinos must ensure that the potential is realized.