| The Human Face of Despair By Antonio C. Abaya May 16, 2002 A recent Agence France Presse story which appeared in the May 8 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, is essentially a document of despair on the quality of life in this country and should cause some introspection on how we have to come to such a pass and where we are headed for from here. (For those who missed that Inquirer story, we have archived excerpts from it in our website www.tapatt.org). The AFP story summarizes the results of a nationwide public opinion poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) last March 4 to 23, with 1,200 respondents. Read and weep. Fifty two percent said their quality of life has deteriorated over the past 12 months, only 15% said it had turned for the better. In a similar poll last year, 43% said they were worse off and 17% said they were better off. (This should be viewed in the light of recent data which showed that the economy grew by 3.4% in GDP and 3.7% in GNP in the year 2001. As President Arroyo has admitted, economic growth this modest, though welcome and actually larger than that of many other economies in this part of the world, does not have any impact on the daily lives of the vast majority of the people). The SWS survey also revealed that 26% were optimistic of their conditions in the next 12 months, while 21% were pessimistic. Last year, 31% were optimistic and 16% pessimistic. Even more disturbing were the respondents� view of the overall economic prospects of the country as a whole: 38% believed conditions will worsen over the short term and only 17% think they will improve. Last year, 25% were pessimistic and 28% optimistic. ***** One cannot read such despairing self-descriptions without feeling empathy for one�s fellow human beings trapped in a quagmire not of their making and over which they have little or no control. And the saddest thing about it is that for the overwhelming majority, there is really no way out of the quagmire during their lifetimes. Those who can will try to get out and seek a better future in other countries; but for those can�t, the future is indeed bleak. The long and short of it is that, because of several reasons previously discussed, this economy just cannot generate enough jobs for those who want and need to work. As I have written in this space, our economic problems may be said to have started in the 1960s when, second only to Japan in standard of living in Asia, the Philippines was avoided by most prospective American manufacturer-investors in favor of Hong Kong and Taiwan (despite our English-speaking work force) because wages there were lower than wages here and, most important, were not mandated by a minimum wage law. In the 1970s and 1980s, while our neighbors deliberately geared their economies to the export of manufactured goods and thus built the foundations of their prosperity, the Philippines stuck by its traditional exports of commodities plus some light manufactures (garments, furniture) which communist labor militants deliberately set out to wreck.. As if that were not bad enough, the adventurer Gringo Honasan staged coup attempts against the sitting government in 1987 and 1989 in a continuing effort to install his mentor Juan Ponce Enrile as president, cheered on by some members of the press and the business community even though his capers discouraged investors and tourists and cost the economy billions of pesos and tens of thousands of jobs lost. Add to these woes the power crisis of 1991 when daily brownouts of up to ten hours crippled the economy and again discouraged investors and tourists from coming here. It should be recalled that the power crisis was triggered when President Aquino, under pressure from anti-nuke activists (who, not coincidentally, were also anti-US bases), scrapped the 620mw Bataan nuclear power plant. The power slack could have been taken up by the 300mw Calaca plant in Batangas and the 300mw Masinloc plant in Zambales, both coal-fired and ready to go on stream. But the commissioning of the two plants was blocked by environmentalists on the grounds of pollution. The net effect was that thousands of businesses and thousands of private homes bought and operated their own generators, resulting in even worse pollution in tightly populated Metro Manila than the pollution radical environmentalists sought to prevent in the rural areas. There is a lesson to be learned here, but Filipinos, with their preference for the fires of confrontation stoked by perennially carping and bitching columnists and commentators, may not see it. And then the Asia financial crisis of 1997, brought about by the volatility of capital under globalization, dragged the Philippines down with most of the developing world and wiped out whatever gains President Ramos achieved in his successful effort to normalize the power situation, a normalization that is now blamed for the high cost of power in which consumers are forced to pay even for power that has not been generated or consumed. Next, the Free Trade embraced for us by President Ramos not only flooded the market with imports, driving many local producers to ruin, it also resulted in the withdrawal of many multinational manufacturers from our economy, since they could more profitably just import their products to sell in our market, instead of continuing their manufacturing here and suffer the hassles of high power costs, rampant lawlessness and communist labor unions making unreasonable demands on them. And finally we come to 1998-2001 in which the incumbent president, a criminally inclined ignoramus who should not have been allowed to run for the office in the first place, is driven out of power by a middle-class revolt, and his replacement, a woman, is being threatened with a dose of the same medicine by macho men who are impatient to grab the reins of power from her by fair means or foul. Given the sad recent history of this unfortunate country, is it any wonder that more and more Filipinos see no future here for themselves and their children and are leaving for other shores at the average rate of 2,307 a day? Theirs is the human face of despair. ***** The bulk of this article appeared in the June 3, 2002 issue of the Philippine Weekly Graphic. |
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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �The Human Face of Despair� June 18, 2002 I do not want to be controversial again, but I think we have to be detached and see it from a broader perspective � beyond the presidential election in 2004. We have to evaluate what is wrong with the values of the Filipino, the political system, etc. The fact that many people are sharing the same view shows that as leaders we have to address the issue. I am now in the United States and will be back on July 13th. Perhaps we can start (by asking) why is it that Filipinos are very good citizens abroad and when Clark and Subic (were) under the United States � the Filipinos working in the bases were very good and followed the rules. Do not get me wrong. Why is it that we follow the rules in these two former bases, but when we go out of the (bases), we are back to the crab mentality and lack of discipline, etc. Raul T. Concepcion. [email protected]. MY REPLY. Perhaps Filipinos follow the rules when the rules are consistently and equitably enforced, but disregard them when they know they can get away with it, or have seen or known of others who have gotten away with it. The solution would be to have a strong state that will enforce the rules, but this would go against the grain of wishy washy liberalism that is the dominant religion in the Philippines. You know, be kind to crooks, be kind to criminals, be kind to coup plotters, be kind to communists. ***** To paraphrase, we criticize because we want better. We leave because we have lost faith. People rebuke our critique because they are afraid. They tear us down because they are unimaginative. The aim of land reform is not to make us more productive but to give the landless a leg up and, more importantly, to tear down the corner stone of feudalism. As always, your articles are incisive. There are solutions but few good ones will be forwarded as long as people are afraid of being torn down. Hundreds of thousands (are) leaving our shores for parts unknown, for a fresh start�filled with risks, yes, but with prospects for a better life. I wish them all well. May they increase until they find their voice. Then, may that voice thunder out. Eros. [email protected]. ***** As a non-citizen permanent resident of the Philippines, I do feel that I have a �stake� in this country. I say �Bravo� to your new piece. My outlook on the Philippine situation has gone through many phases since my arrival at the height of EDSA One: first, euphoria; then, disappointment, followed by optimism, then disgust, then optimism again, then disappointment again, followed by despair. Right now, I think I�m emerging from despair into a very cautious hopefulness. For instance, I notice that some people are beginning to see that one of the biggest problems (which was hardly mentioned until recently by anyone) is runaway population growth. This gives me reason to hope that sometime in the future it will become a focus of attention on the part of the economic and political powers-that-be. Keep up the good work. Kenneth Wright. No address given. ***** Dear Tony. Very nice article and, just like what you said, �IT MAKES ME WEEP.� If you will allow me, I will be quoting much from this article in our seminar tomorrow with the media in Davao City. More power. Edgar Martinez. [email protected]. ***** And so-called nationalists, Tony, begrudge those who go out to greener pastures even as their remittances directly or indirectly benefit the begrudger. They love to say that Filipinos must stay in the Philippines and do something if they want their country to prosper. I wonder what they are doing to make the country prosper aside from just carping about the ills of society. The Philippines, after all, belongs to the few powerful rich. The poor is disenfranchised in his own country. He might as well seek another country more hospitable and loving to human beings. There are those who say that being second-class in another country is the worst thing that can happen to anybody. But what about being second-class in one�s own country? Gras Reyes. [email protected].. ***** Dear Mr. Abaya. What makes the situation one of utter despair and not just disappointment is the deepening sense that there is no hope. Even Filipinos who dared hope and dared to sacrifice in the past are now fed up and calling it quits, thus the increasing motivation to migrate. It is really the lack of hope, beyond economic hardships per se, that makes ours a situation of despair. As you pointed out, the numbers that show economic development on the surface are meaningless. They don�t translate into real benefit for the common Filipino. A greater reality than GDP growth is growing unemployment. But what is significant in our current situation is that, like the later years of Marcos rule, even those who are materially well off are fleeing in despair and disgust. For a third world economy, there will always be hundreds of thousands of people looking for a way out of abject poverty � thus the high number of DHs in Hong Kong and Singapore, construction workers in Saudi, dancers in Japan, and seamen all over the world. What is alarming now is that the people who are fleeing are doctors, entrepreneurs and executives. I�m not implying that these are in any way superior to the previously described group, not even that it is less desirable to lose them. The point is that they are the ones who don�t need to do so for material reasons, but are leaving anyway. I have a stable job in a big multinational company and am quite comfortable. My kids go to good schools and we generally get to enjoy life. But I too am seriously considering leaving. I used to say I will never migrate. I used to believe that the Filipino is worth dying for, and I put my life on the line at EDSA 1 and 2. But in this country, there is no point in being a good person, because the system works against you. Even if you try to pay the full and correct taxes, the BIR will force you to make lagay. There is no justice. Have any major criminal cases been solved and people put behind bars? (Actually, yes, such as, for example, Mayor Antonio Sanchez, the son of the late SC Justice Claudio Teehankee, Cong. Romeo Jalosjos. But a greater number of prominent crooks and criminals have managed to avoid jail. ACA) Convicted criminals still run for public office and win and take office! The despair now is even deeper, even darker, because more than economic hardship, there is a growing realization that corruption, crime, injustice, and useless politicking are not being resolved, they are getting worse. And even for those who are materially well off, how can you live with peace of mind in a place like this? How can you give your efforts to make the country a better place, when the system will destroy you? Very truly yours, Tonton Mapa. No address given. ***** Everything you say is valid, but don�t forget that Filipinos have been in charge of their own destiny for more than 50 years, and can only blame themselves for the state of their country. The dead weight of medieval religions and superstitions, runaway population growth, again due to autocratic religions, and rotten education, have contributed mightily to the nation�s problems. Then add the egotism and selfishness in the Filipino character and you have disaster. Hpconnect. [email protected]. ***** I notice that you make no mention at all of the growth in population, which among other things: 1) creates and feeds unrest due to mass unemployment 2) makes it impossible for us to ever catch up with the educational requirements of the populace 3) negates any economic gains. The cause of this problem, I believe, is primarily the Catholic Church. I consider their stand to be as sinful as could possibly be. It is they who relegate human life to a value commensurate to the lives of economic livestock such as cows and pigs. I�m sure they don�t see it that way, but when they provide a convenient mechanism for parents to use the biological mechanism of childbearing as a tool for creating gambling chips to increase their own chances of survival, they are committing the ultimate crime. The Catholic Church does not adequately frown on people who can barely support themselves, going out and having 10 children who will be thrown into the pit of the worst malaise��� The Church has so instilled this concept that condoms are �sinful� that when premarital sex occurs (and it occurs A LOT), there will be no pressure at all to use any kind of protection. The result, intended or not, is that the use of condoms is more frowned upon than premarital sex itself. Men don�t like using condoms. This stand of the Church makes it so much easier to have unprotected sex. The Church cannot even force its own clergy, who have sworn themselves to celibacy, to keep celibate. How in the world (or in the name of God) can they expect people who have very little faith (and who are not sworn to celibacy of their own volition), to be able to resist the natural biological urge to fuck? It is so unrealistic a demand that the very thought that it is possible borders on stupidity. It is very unfortunate that the Church loses nothing with this stupid stand. In fact, it is very arguable that it gains big time. The losers are the pawns in the game and the country as a whole. Peter Capotosto. No address given. MY REPLY. I have written many articles in the past on the population issue. I have not included it in this particular article because I was confining myself to specific events and developments during the timeframe being discussed. But I agree with you 100%. The Catholic Church and its stand against artificial methods of birth control, while not directly responsible for economic underdevelopment, makes economic development that much harder to achieve. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |