Philippines Is Rich, The Filipinos Are Poor

Dear Classmates,

November 24, 2008

It’s time to share with you some important inputs regarding the true and real analysis of what has happened in the Philippines in my own personal view and experiences.. Maybe we are now old enough and carry with ourselves enough wisdom to have a better understanding of these inputs. My inputs are relatively coming from my 23 years in the Electronics Industry, 8 years as Catholic Lay Minister, 12 years as Academician and 8 years as member of different private NGO’s. The Philippines is RICH, the PEOPLE are poor. This is the statement I always received from numerous visitors, students and friends from foreign lands and eventually confirmed when I have had a chance to visit some countries in Europe and Asia. Filipinos below poverty line is 45% not 25% as you have read from print media, heard in the radio and seen in the television. My Ate Let from Long Beach California has invited me to join my siblings to go with them in the U.S. in 1983 and due to personal reason I decided to stay. The reason being is because of curiosity. The curiosity that I wanted to answer is the hypothesis that the only solution to prosperity is to immigrate to USA. She told me that there is little poverty in USA and the opportunity in the Philippines is very limited. But the question is why very limited? What are the reasons? You are all aware that I grew up in Guimba, Nueva Ecija and finished my High School at Paco, Manila. In 1965, I personally observed and experienced how my elementary classmates were driven-off from their location. Their houses were relocated for the reason that they do not own the land where their houses were constructed. I felt sadness, very sad indeed in that moment. In Pandacan Manila, I also experienced to live near squatters area and played with my friends in slum areas. Note that our house was burnt in 1966 and the family has limited income to continue living but were able to survive through the help provided by some relatives. In Tondo, during ROTC days I was even able to have had a chance to interview some of the people living in the squatters’ area while cleaning their dirty and highly pollutioned creeks. I also witnessed countless of gang fights in and out of Roxas High School. In Mapua, joining MITSCA was an eye-opener to know how many children were born out of wedlock during a visit at Hospicio de San Jose. Without knowing, I believed these experiences became my social awareness and foundation of knowing what life is and what the Filipino society I am living with is. I started my work at Stanford Microsystems Inc. in Ugong, Pasig in 1977 and witnessed how workers are exploited. They were given incentives but limited their employment to a casual position and deprived of right benefits under the law. Since then I have worked in seven more companies and witnessed the same exploitation of the capitalist to their workers. I know that as a manager, I should be a part of this system but the system I believed was not ethical. As a manager, I was given all the benefits that a manager should have and possessed but employees and workers were not given and treated the same. The

gap was enormous. At Cavite Economic Zone, I have witnessed as Chairman of CAPO (Committee of Administrators and Personnel Officers) how the so- called contractualization and apprentice position were abused by foreign investors. Workers assignment was only for five months, laid off and rehired after two weeks. Direct Labor cost became a fixed cost. How can an efficient worker improve his life if his compensation is stagnant, no merit increases for that matter …forever? I pushed hard to change this system and win only a little bit. The system is still being implemented today and is spreading like cancer in both manufacturing and service sectors. Both urban and rural workers have very limited income resulting to limited purchasing power. How can an economy move, become more stable and progressive when there is limited disposable income? And worst, the system is introducing more taxation rather than improving the process of taxes collection and corruption on governance is everywhere from the lowest to the highest position. Note that this was the true cause of French Revolution in the 19th century. Poverty became more widespread for both urban and rural areas. The dream of a farmer to have his own land to till is still a dream to come true. The owners of the land forty years ago are still the owner of the land today. The clamor for social justice during President Quezon time is still the predominating cry of small farmers and peasant’s today. The government is working like a snail if not a turtle. This system is against to the sound democratic principles. This is not the essence of ethical capitalism. This system pushed the Filipino to accept the only option of going out and be a member of OCW and suffer the social consequences, for him and to his family. As a Lay Minister, I have had a chance to conduct Bible Services in some Pastoral areas in Cavite where I was assigned. I was able to confirm the effect of the system to society. Filipino economic life has not changed. Poverty and economic sufferings are all over. SM . Robinsons, Eastwoods, Alabang Town Centers, Ayala Centers, The Fort and others were just aesthetics, a camouflage of reality. The Filipino is no longer patriotic, a Catholic and Christian no more according to the Korean writer. Sorry, but I disagree. I have read some historical materials prior to the arrival of Magellan in the Philippines in 1521. The Filipinos were rich in culture, they have more than enough food to eat, the trade with Japan and China is good and the Filipinos are definitely happy. During this time the Western countries were using mercantilism as a form of trading in order to enrich their countries. Globalization is not new. Magellan, Pizzaro, Balboa, Cortes and Columbus are prime- movers of Globalization during their time. Their only intention is Global expansionism making their King and Queen and their countries richer compared with the countries they traded in. The Philippines was a victim of Global expansionism. The Philippines was a victim of Spain, Japan and United States. They robbed and siphoned the natural resources, replaced the culture and social traditions of the people, changed their minds to be consumers rather than producer. Everything was best especially every good and service coming from the

United States. The Thomasites as an instrument of United States were very successful in inculcating this idea to the mind of a Filipino. It was even enhanced by not allowing any Filipino to handle the Philippine Education Department from 1902 to 1946. The best is American, the movies, MTV’s, Popeye, and Three Stooges, including George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln as heroes. Everything from the Philippines was inferior. The Philippne Constitution was copied from American Constitution. This is maybe one reason why even the enacted bills and legislations are copied from U.S. Senate and House of Congress. The Philippines is smaller in size compared to California, and yet the population is almost one-third the population of the whole United States. This means, the Philippines was one a good destination of U.S. exports and surpluses. I noticed that Philippine Dutyfree shops have a lot of American products that are not well known brands. I call these products surpluses. Products that cannot be bought in the United States or low in demand are being thrown in the third world countries including the Philippines. I have not seen these products in Sweden, Germany and Estonia. Colonies will always have all the products of colonizer. It’s only fortunate today that China is competing with the United States in dominating the goods and services in the world today. It is only in the Military Hardware that other countries cannot compete with United States. This is one reason why United States was always in war with other countries. War is a good promoting tool. I cannot understand why a Filipino needs to pay 100 dollars in applying a U.S.visa for an interview with an American consul while American citizen do not pay a single penny in visiting the Philippines. In 2006 Philippine U. S. Embassy has generated 650 Million pesos for this system. The United States who is supposed to be the richest country in the world is siphoning money using this process to a poor country like the Philippines. Cannot they think any other method, mechanism and control to prevent massive immigration which they started by attracting Americanism in the Filipino in the first place? The Philippine is RICH, the PEOPLE are poor! When a country like the Philippines is subjected to neo-colonialism and the resources is continuously depleted by external forces and internal policies are controlled and manipulated to answer a consequential government loans and international financing, the Filipino people would always be the sacrificial lamb and shock- absorber. The Filipino is having a hard time in going out from the quicksand of exploitation, and abuses. This was even further aggravated by corruption by greedy officers; both public and private. These are the reasons why a Filipino is still poor today. The playing field is not labeled. Greedy Capitalism today has not changed and improved at all. I call this system as feudalism in modern society. As long as there is greed and envy in the hearts of Filipino leaders, as long as there is a Filipino who does not know the meaning of empathy, as long as there is a Filipino who are just watching and observing and without action and commitment, then there will always be poverty and sufferings in our country.

The Filipino people are patriotic. They love their country. This was manifested by 13 billion dollars remittances of OCW’s to the Philippines in 2007. The Filipinos love God and Jesus Christ. If not, many people have died already. These are now the situation in Africa and some parts in the world who are atheist and do not believe in GOD. The Filipinos love the democratic process. We love our fundamental institutions. If not, then the Philippines is now in anarchy, and the Koreans cannot live peacefully here not by the hundreds but hundreds of thousands. The power of committing yourself to good advocacies and projects for the welfare of other people is a good start of renewal. By knowing that there are people who are victims, that there are people who are in need, then this is the best time that we can fulfill our hearts as being a good Christian and a Catholic. GOD BLESS! Yours sincerely, Ped

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