EDITORIAL

by ERNESTO T. SOLIDUM

People As Greatest Resource

The English dictionary defines poverty as a state of being poor; scarcity. Because of sheer numbers, Jesus Christ was moved with compassion to uplift their depressed state with the Beatific Sermon on the Mount. However, this was never meant to encourage them to remain in their miserable, wretched condition. Being poor in spirit is radically different from the material inadequacy hounding them daily. The former is spiritual hunger towards the word of God while the latter is inadequacy of basic necessities of life.

About 28 million Filipinos live in absolute poverty according to a study by UP Population Institute. The Aquino Administration has responded with a 2012 budget of P43.2 billion targeting 3.8 million households out of 5.2 million through the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program of DSWD. The monthly subsidy is P1,400 per household for maternal child care and primary education.

Before P-noy occupied Malacañang, poverty was 43 percent. Yet, despite CCT in the first quarter of 2012, 55 percent of households said they were poor compared to December 2011. Some 11.1 million families see themselves poorer in 2012 compared to 9.1 million in 2011 said the Social Weather Station (SWS). 

The research study further shows that for the first quarter of 2012, the number of unemployed Filipinos went up to 34.4 percent or 13.8 million. In the second quarter, unemployment was 26.6 percent or 10.9 million. In December 2011, this was 24 percent or 9.7 million only. The average for the first two years of the Aquino Administration is 26.8 percent compared to 19.6 percent under GMA, 9.2 percent Joseph Estrada; and 10.3 percent under Fidel V. Ramos.

The convenient way out of the impending hunger and want is for Filipinos to seek overseas employment. From 47 million per year during Cory Aquino, it was .69 million – Fidel Ramos, .84 million in Joseph Estrada and 1.0 million under P-noy. Altogether, there were 10 million OFW’s sending dollar at an average $22 billion per year.

From 1997 to 2008, the Philippines employed labor force grew from 27.9 million to 34.5 million. During the 12 year period, under-employed Filipinos were six (6) million as of 2008. The 1997 combined total of 801, 750 Filipinos who went overseas make up 33.73 percent of years’ total. The 2011 data shows there are 15 million unemployed and underemployed persons according to Department of Labor and Employment. 

The Philippines faces dire consequences with a run away population. At 2.0 percent growth rate per year, the current population of 96 million will expand to 184 million by 2040. This qualifies the Philippines as the 10th most populous nation in the world. The UP School of Economics warns that rapid population growth and high fertility rates especially among the poor exacerbate poverty and make it harder for the government to address it. 

History is replete with cases of reigning sovereign power to give dole outs to despondent population and miserably failed to contain civil uprisings. Medieval kings tossed coins during country visits and Roman emperors regularly gave bread. Modern civilization addresses the problem with food stamps and CCT. Research data indicate that it is grossly ineffective, unsustainable and waste of scarce financial resources. 

We are just abetting a culture of despondency plainly labeled as political patronage. Remember that unemployment and high food prices toppled authoritarian regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. 

Obviously, we have lost our innovativeness and creativity as a people to develop our natural resources namely: a) land to be self sufficient in food, b) hydro, geothermal and wind for renewable energy, d) clean coal technology and natural  gas for alternative energy and d) large scale mining in strategic areas – gold, copper, nickel, chromate, silver, and other minerals.

Unless we wake up and develop our initiative to help ourselves, we could revert to infamous tag as the sick man of Asia. It is a patent joke that we are outclassed by neighboring countries like Vietnam, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The economic tigers like Japan, South Korea and Singapore have scant natural resources yet it is the people themselves who are its greatest resource.

Needless to say, we need visionary and pragmatic leaders with the like of Quezon, Park of South Korea, Lee of Singapore and Roosevelt of the US. The one (1) million dollar question is do we find these sterling qualities in our elected officials? There’s several clues: consuming passion for the job, they tend to die early in life and they never talk about themselves. The fate of Pres. Ramon Magsaysay and Sec. Jesse Robredo, both engineers and plane crash victims easily come to mind. Unfortunately, they are either a vanishing breed or rarity among us. /MP