We drown in politics, while poverty devours our future

While our politicians battle for power, millions of Filipinos are struggling to simply survive. This is the dark truth that we should confront.

Every day, the country is consumed by political controversies. We argue about personalities, dynasties, accusations, investigations, impeachment hearings, alliances and betrayals. Social media explodes over who said what and which political camp is gaining or losing ground.

Politics is our national obsession. Addiction actually. Thus, we forget the more important issue. Where is the economic discourse, or quest for a program that will end poverty?

Poor Filipinos, estimated at not less than 17 million, hardly care which politician won the latest political debate. A farmer does not become prosperous because a senator delivered a fiery speech. A minimum wage worker does not bring home more money because one faction defeated another.

Our people need jobs. Quality jobs. They need higher income. Farmers need markets and productivity. Businesses need affordable electricity and robust infrastructure. Young Filipinos need skills that lead to decent-paying employment. These are the battles that matter.

Politics is necessary in a democracy. Accountability is essential. Good governance matters. Elections are vital. But politics should be the vehicle for improving lives, not the destination.Our tragedy – we have allowed political drama to overwhelm the economic conversation.

Wrong focus. We spend precious hours debating who should control government, but far less time on how we can create wealth through productive enterprises and competitive jobs.

While we argue about personalities, other countries are focused on building factories. We are mesmerized by political predictions, our neighbors are inspired by investment frameworks and growth strategies.

We are tragically distracted. Millions of our youth dream of leaving the country the soonest and search for a decent future elsewhere. They plan to join the more than 2.5 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). We are confused on how to measure our national success.

The Philippines needs an economic agenda powerful enough to survive political administrations. We need to industrialize. We must. Being a perpetual consumer-driven economy, a net-importer regime and backward agricultural sector is a sure road to despair and despondency.

Way forward must be relentlessly pursued. Our agriculture must be modernized. Our industries must be globally competitive. Our middle class must be expanded and strengthened. Hopefully, the brain-drain and continuous export of our best laborers must be reversed. To achieve these, we must have reliable and affordable electricity, efficient infrastructure, stronger education and skills training and a business ecosystem that encourages investment instead of frustrating it.

We need to measure government by concrete results. How many jobs were actually created? How much did household income rise? How many farmers escaped the shackles of poverty? How much private investments landed? How much did productivity improve? How much has total logistics cost decreased? How many local companies became global?

These questions should dominate our national conversations. Let’s cease from always asking who’s winning politically. We must yearn to know who is delivering economically.

The media has a big role. Political controversy will always attract attention. But we need more serious discussions about economic policies. Filipinos deserve to understand not just who is attacking whom, but what each political leader intends to do in arresting poverty, unemployment, agriculture, industrialization and economic competitiveness.

Our voters must demand the same. Before we cheer for a politician, we should ask: what is your economic plan? How will it be funded? How many jobs will it create? How will it increase income? When will the ordinary families see the results?

Because promises are cheap, results are what matter. The country does not lack talented people. We have more than enough natural resources. We have countless entrepreneurs. We have more than enough workers and ideas.

What we need is focus. Desperately. We must have the collective courage to put economic development ahead of political gamesmanship.

Political administrations are never permanent. They come and go. Presidents will inevitably be replaced. Political alliances will collapse and new ones will emerge. But poverty will persist. It decreases when people have productive work, better incomes, access to basic goods, productive farms, dynamic industries and genuine opportunities to build better lives.

Politics is not our greatest battle. It never was. The greatest battle is against poverty. We may win every political battle and still lose the war for our country’s future. It is long overdue to stop asking who will control the country – and start to demand who will transform it. Because we will drown ourselves in politics, poverty is not waiting. It is devouring our country’s future.

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