The Mamasapano fiasco may be the most woeful event to have hit our nation early this year and I hope our grief does not stop us from moving forward now that we are starting to feel the gains of good governance. The nation has mourned immensely. No words of comfort and reassurance can contain or ease the pain, anger and disgust we have for the people responsible for thefate of those SAF soldiers who bravely faced their certain deaths.
But we have wept enough. And our wounds will never heal if we employ blame as our balm to mend it. If truth be told, we will never find complete healing for the loss and emptiness of those who were orphaned by the bloodbath. We can only hope that justice be met to those who allowed this reprehensible incident to happen. It is in vigilance, not weeping, can we only be assured of the justice we seek for the families left behind by the debacle. We must learn to rise up and move on.
As the Good Book says, “There is a time for mourning and a time to dance.” After what had happened, it is also worth noting that we have so many reasons to be hopeful this year. Bloomberg Business recently came out with this stunning report that the Philippines is the world’s second fastest growing economy to date next to China besting the most affluent countries in terms of growth rate. This accomplishment is not only a vote of confidence given by investors to the present administration. This is a vote of confidence to the Filipino people whose resolve and sacrifice have given this country another chance to be in the map of hard-working nations.
All praises also go to our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) for braving strange lands if only to give the best for their families. To the people in the Business Process Outsourcing, who tirelessly and pleasantly assist irate strangers over the phone with their credit cards and things, you have made this country proud for your warmth of service in the wee hours if only to find solution to the problems of others. We owe it to the contribution of our OFWs and our people from the BPO for churning the wheels of our economy to provide not only the bread and butter for many families but also a better future.
But we have to preserve our present gains. OFWs and BPO people must also think about growing their money. To provide for their family’s future is a good thing to do. However, they must also think about the fact that sometime in the future they will lose their strength to work They must also learn to prepare for their retirement; to be also enterprising for them to enjoy and keep going even in their unproductive years.
And if you happen to be an OFW or from the BPO, think about things that will insulate you from the uncertainties ahead, and if there’s any good investment you can bet on today, it is real estate. Of course, insurance is also good but real estate is one of those investments which are really hassle-free. If you have the money to put up an apartment in the city, you easily get tenants in less than a week. The beauty with leasing is that, you only have your tenants to look after for – less overhead and less people involved.
Many OFWs still think that setting up a sari-sari store in the province or operate a jeepney or taxi will do them well later while others also embark on hogs or raising chickens. The success rate of this venture is not so encouraging not because of the market but because of poor financial management in which OFWs must also learn specially those they have entrusted to run the business.
I would like to talk about the bright side of things in real estate in my next column.