The Philippines: A Newly Industrialized Country [Archive] - Page 2

marites4

June 25th, 2006, 07:33 PM

The Philippines
Muddling along

Jun 22nd 2006 | MANILA
From The Economist print edition http://economist.com/world/asia/dis...y_id=E1_SDJDNRV
Who needs a budget, Mrs Arroyo wonders?

THE year is almost half over and the Philippines' government still does not have a budget. Congress went into recess earlier this month, having neither approved the 2006 budget proposed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo nor agreed on an alternative. The chances of passing one now seem slim. Political turmoil is also blocking the progress of economic reforms and other much-needed laws.

It all looks bad. Yet the Philippines' financial situation is much improved since a year ago, when there were fears that it was heading for default. Since then, the government has won legal battles to broaden the value-added-tax base and increase the VAT rate. It has also improved revenues by cracking the whip over the sluggish and corruption-riddled tax-collection agencies. They are squealing at the demanding targets they have been set but so far they are, more or less, hitting them. The government has been able to bring forward, from 2010 to 2008, its self-imposed deadline for balancing its books.

The failure to pass a budget, a frequent occurrence in recent years, does not do much for the Philippines' image. But in some respects it is helpful for Mrs Arroyo's government. It will now have to re-run the 2005 budget. Since this is smaller than the one proposed for 2006, whereas revenues are rising, it should be easy to reach this year's deficit target, or even outperform it. Total public debt soared after the mid-1990s Asian financial crisis, peaking at over 100% of GDP. But by the end of last year it was down to 93% and it is set to continue falling. Since interest payments now absorb about one-third of the national budget, this should eventually liberate lots of money to increase social spending.

Just as helpful for Mrs Arroyo, a re-run of the 2005 budget will give her greater freedom on how to spend it, because money earmarked for projects that were completed last year can be used on other things. She might even be able to bend the rules to launch two flagship anti-poverty funds at the centre of the budget row.

The funds, together worth 8.7 billion pesos ($163m), would give grants to local authorities to improve drinking-water supplies and build schools and roads. One of them would be specifically for districts in the southern Philippines, in the hope of boosting the peace process with Islamist insurgents there. Many senators feared that the funds would be misused by the government to buy support ahead of next year's congressional elections. The Senate insisted on deleting them, putting it in conflict with the lower house, where Mrs Arroyo has more backing.

But the failure to pass the budget has a downside as well. Much of the spending increase Mrs Arroyo had planned for this year was for desperately needed improvements to roads and other infrastructure. The Philippines' investment in such areas is even more feeble than that of its main South-East Asian neighbours, holding the country back from the extra 2-3% of growth that it needs to make a dent in poverty. Much more private money would be forthcoming for such projects if public institutions, including the regulatory bodies that set electricity and water prices and road tolls, were reformed and freed from political interference.

DoggMann

June 25th, 2006, 07:53 PM

Kaya nga tinatawag na UNGGOY ang mga pinoy kasi kasing horny ng mga unggoy. Malaki ang pagkakaiba ng kaugalian ng TAO sa UNGGOY.
Pero marami ang Pinoy na kahit na tao sa pangagatawan, Pinili nila ang maging Unggoy sa Kaugalian.

Mga Unggoy Kasi!

Naalala ko yun kwento ng orangutan... mga lahi daw ng tao daw ang orangutan...
kaso pinili nila maging orangutan kasi kapag nakita ng mga tao na marunong silang magsalita at nakakainitndi sila baka gawin silang alipin ... :rofl:

overtureph

June 26th, 2006, 08:38 AM

A people's curse

By Jose Ma. Montelibano
Last updated 01:53pm (Mla time) 05/26/2006

FILIPINOS are a cursed race. But unlike many others who are cursed themselves, Filipinos must still be a favorite of the gods. Even as the curse weighs heavily on a people and serves as a wet blanket in their daily lives and in their pursuit of their dreams, the opportunity to understand the curse and the way out of it are there all the time.

Let us take the curse of some African countries that live in drought-prone land. What are they to do? They cannot plant anything so they can eat and can only walk to the borders of neighboring countries hoping to find food there. Of course, their neighbors limit their entry or deny it completely. And there is no generous sharing of food from them either. International intervention is the most popular method, often the only one, of feeding a starving people.

Another common curse is that which many Middle East countries share, the curse of violence from traditional and extreme prejudice. War has not been uncommon in world history, especially in the continent of Europe. There is nothing more common that reading about war in European history. It is a great feat that Europeans survived their constant slaughtering of one another enough to keep their populations alive through the millennia to modern times.

Most of Europe, though, seems to have transcended their penchant for war. Since the Second World War, the pattern of violence has reduced dramatically. Of course, it was not all that rosy as a few countries managed to keep butchering each other until external intervention used even more superior force to them. By and large, though, resting for almost six decades without a major conflagration is unusual for Europe.

The Middle East, though, is a different story. Historical differences and prejudices are too strong to avoid bloodshed which they resort to almost at every turn. While the use of weapons of mass destruction has been effectively scarce, suicide bombers have taken over. The Jew-Arab feud must be one of the longest running conflicts in human history. And it is fantastic how they managed to draw Christians into the fray.

As a result, Jews in Israel remain cursed. Arabs in Palestine remain cursed. And their neighbors live with the constant possibility that a regional war will suck them in. Because the historical prejudice goes beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine, even should the two decide with reluctance to stop killing each other, Iran or Iraq can use any of them as a reason to initiate violence. Even Bin Laden promises more attacks on the United States because of American support for Israel.

The curse on Filipinos is not any less harsh. While violence has been largely contained from going wholesale, poverty has not been less severe on the lives of the poor. Fertile agricultural land has not been able to stop hunger stalking millions of Filipinos on a consistent basis. And being one of the most abundant in minerals has not allowed the majority of Filipinos to cross the line from poverty to relative security.

Definitely, having all the best that Creation can give and having the worst that poverty dishes out cannot be a mild curse. The answer to the problem is just beside the poor; he is standing on the earth that can feed him, that can provide the resources to lift him out of poverty. He does not need outside intervention at all. The answer is everywhere.

The worst curse of the majority poor is to have the answer but not able to use it. The worst curse is to be denied the salve for the wound, the medicine for the illness, the abundance for the hungry and dispossessed. It can be said, then, that the worst curse of the majority of Filipinos is the minority who control the answer but deny it to the needy.

It may seem that the curse of the many is the blessing of the few. Fortunately, there is a greater justice system that orchestrates existence that is not subject to Charter change. When severe imbalances corrupt a natural working order, severe consequences emerge to create a new order. And that process is painful, especially painful, in fact, for those who have more to lose.

A curse cannot be contained to affect only the majority without eventually consuming the minority as well. That is already happening, and it is only a matter of time for the level of the pain to approximate what the majority poor have been subjected to. No nation and people in history have been able to escape a karmic debt, a collective curse. Everyone pays for evil, everyone reaps for good.

Even today, the impact of the curse of poverty has inevitably moved toward corruption, toward rebellion and secession, toward an impending collapse of a non-working system. Divisiveness is the first national consequence of our curse. There is nothing, there is no one that Filipinos cannot quarrel about. Any issue, concern or personality worthy of attention is also a trigger for debate and ill will. There is no peace among Filipinos because the curse of poverty on the poor is a curse the rich cannot escape indefinitely either.

Yet, as a favored land of creation, as a favored people of the gods, the curse Filipinos have can be wiped away without any great effort beyond caring for one another, beyond sharing with one another. We do not need the World Bank, the IMF, the ADB, the United Nations. We do not even need our politicians. We only need to love our God, country and people beyond our personal selves.

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://opinion.inq7.net/inq7viewpoints/columns/view_article.php?article_id=2867

marites4

June 26th, 2006, 08:48 AM

heathcliff

June 26th, 2006, 09:26 AM

yes i believe we are cursed. we were cursed with the type of politicians we have, motherboard Marcos. I realize the Phils is blessed and rich with natural resources but until this translates to where every single Filipino can live a descent life with just the basic necessities like adequate housing, healtcare and education met, then it's really all futile. There is some progress but it seems any progress is thwarted by few groups who have vested interests. We have all the potential but when will it be fully realized. Imagine a very well developed island paradise like the PHils, i guess it will be too much of a heaven on earth and it may not be possible.

I guess the answer lies here:

Yet, as a favored land of creation, as a favored people of the gods, the curse Filipinos have can be wiped away without any great effort beyond caring for one another, beyond sharing with one another. We do not need the World Bank, the IMF, the ADB, the United Nations. We do not even need our politicians. We only need to love our God, country and people beyond our personal selves.

If we Filipinos genuinely love our country over personal interest, we would be more responsible in electing our public officials than most of us are showing themselves during elections. There would be no rampant vote-buying, and no resultant accusations of cheating, if we respected ourselves despite our poverty. We would then have more right to demand of those who wish to govern us, the same respect that we give ourselves. We deserve the government we get. The key is self-respect; an honest government follows.

bitoy

June 26th, 2006, 09:59 AM

How? Not When, but How includes when. Then when will it happen but how?

I don't know. :D

Mayaman naman ang Pilipinas diba?

Meron mga high-End stores sa mga malls. :D Hehehe!

Baka lalong maging tamad ang mga Pinoys pag yumaman ang bansa.

overtureph

June 26th, 2006, 11:09 AM

Our road users mirror our society

By William Esposo
Last updated 01:33am (Mla time) 06/26/2006

When a businessman friend of mine first went to the US in the early 1980s, he inquired from Budget Rent-A-Car office if he can drive in California with the use of his Philippine driver’s license. The Budget sales clerk asked him what kind of a driver’s license he has. When he replied that he has a Philippine driver’s license, the sales clerk said: “That’s the best! You have the worst drivers and driving conditions there. If you can drive there, they know you can drive here. Just follow California rules.”

It turns out that the Budget sales clerk had been to the Philippines and was familiar with Philippine drivers and driving conditions. The reputation is of course well earned. We do deserve to be associated with the worst road users. An Australian I used to do business with in the 1980s euphemistically described Philippine driving as ‘unusually creative’. One Brit who worked in our sister company in the late 1970s turned over the wheel of his assigned company car to me barely fifteen minutes after we went on the road.

And nothing better mirrors the shortcomings of Philippine society than Philippine road users – the vehicle drivers, commuters and the pedestrians. Foreigners who visit our shores for the first time undergo a culture shock when they experience their first ride on a Philippine road transport. They nearly suffer a heart attack when they first try crossing Philippine roads. Many of them are led to ask: “Are there rules on Philippine roads for drivers, commuters and pedestrians?”

I have been a Philippine road user for over half a century now and yet I am not yet inured to the aggravation we can suffer from Filipino drivers and also pedestrians and commuters. I have been to many countries in nearly 30 years of overseas travel. Some countries may approximate some of our bad road practices but no country duplicates the Philippines in the extent of bad driving and commuter and pedestrian habits.

A perceptive person cannot miss how these bad road habits mirror the way we behave as citizens of our country. The end product, for one, is very similar – there is no order. Chaotic is the best way to describe our roads and our society. Nobody seems to respect the rights of the other citizen. Everyone seems concerned only with self interest and getting ahead. There is no sense of responsibility. The ‘Mexican standoff’ that happens when vehicles block the other lane in a two-lane street is no different from Filipinos who disregard the rights of others just to get ahead. Three lane roads here, like EDSA, become five lanes and the result is a further slowdown in traffic, delaying everybody and causing greater fuel consumption and pollution.

Driving on a Philippine road is like a video game where you win by navigating through a hellish course. You not only look out for reckless drivers on the road but also for vendors who ply their trade on main thoroughfares. In some places, be ready to suddenly have a dog in front of you while driving. When your traffic light says green, watch both sides of the intersection for drivers trying to beat the red light at 85 kilometers an hour. I encountered my first vehicle collision from one such driver right at the corner of Ayala and Gil Puyat (then known as Buendia) Avenues.

If these drivers, commuters and pedestrians did their usual thing in another country like the US and the UK, they will either land in jail or be meted stiff penalties and on the most serious violations – maybe get both a jail term and a fine. In Canada, for instance, if a pedestrian puts one foot on the road, no Canadian driver will dare drive past that pedestrian. That Canadian driver will stop as mandated by Canadian driving rules and allow the pedestrian to cross, regardless if the pedestrian is crossing via a pedestrian lane or not.

That is because in all developed countries the pedestrian is given the top priority in road use. Here the pedestrian is fair game, regardless if the pedestrian is on a pedestrian lane or not. In a developed country, maim a pedestrian and you may end up working for his living expenses for the rest of your life. Here, consistent with our semi-feudal reality, if you can afford P50, 000 (in some cases, a lesser amount of indemnity will do) then feel free to kill a pedestrian – just make sure that he does not belong to an upper class family.

Philippine road rules dictate that drivers are to overtake from the left. Here, the reality is more drivers overtake from the right. Some may do this out of ignorance. If so, then that is a condemnation of the system that allows these ignorant drivers to obtain licenses even when they do not have the faintest idea about road rules. Many know the rule but are just not inclined to follow it.

Now, does this not reflect one of the most serious flaws of the Filipino in his society – that of attempting to be above the rules if he can get away with it? Let’s face it – many of us take pride to be able to gain exemption from any or all rules. It’s as if it is a source of pride or a case of one-up-man-ship to be able to break the law and not be penalized for it. We first saw this in our colonizers and then Filipino illustrados took pride in also being able to enjoy similar exemptions to the rules. Lately, we saw these in our trapos and so we too want to enjoy this ‘gift of the gods’ of being above the rules and at times, even above the law. The psychology is one of seeking ways to be above the law rather than to follow the law.

Note how our so-called leaders are treated when on the road. They are escorted by vehicles with sirens and are allowed to pass us as if their appointments are more important and pressing than ours. They are supposed to be public servants yet when you and I are on the road, they are given these privileges that make the rest of us appear as vassals. In the cafeteria line, employers and bosses line up for their turn to get their food but that’s because corporate bosses are responsible leaders who value what their employees think of them. But it is not quite the same with our trapos. They have had generations of practice as feudal lords and we are to them nothing more than serfs and vassals. Let’s admit it – that is the sad state of Philippine society.

One might say that vehicle drivers tend to metamorphose into monsters once they are behind the wheel of a vehicle. It is no excuse but it is psychologically understandable how some people can be so affected by the feeling of power once they are behind the wheel, no different from the fly whose head swelled after getting on top of a carabao.

Just observe how many pedestrians insist on crossing dangerous thoroughfares even if the government has already erected very visible signs that establish the area as a no crossing zone and even if the government has already installed obstacles to prevent people from crossing. Just observe how many of them still cross the road even if vehicles have already been given the green light to use it.

In the case of our commuters, just observe how they block the roads in order to be the first to grab a ride – in the process slowing down traffic and delaying the flow of both private and public transport. In some cases, these commuters jump into the buses through the windows just to ensure that they get a seat. In their desire to beat the other fellow to a ride, they only manage to cause the further delay of many others to avail of transport. In areas where there is a lack of transport, the scene is one of ‘survival of the fittest’ and no different from the stampede of a thousand thirsty buffaloes rushing to get a drink in the river.

Woe shall befall you if you happen to be elderly, sickly or frail because you may have to wait until midnight to be able to get a ride without the threat of being jostled to the pavement or getting a wayward elbow from an inconsiderate brute. Outside of the rush to grab a ride, Filipinos are normally considerate to the elderly, to women and the frail. So how come that when they are commuters, they metamorphose into stampeding herds of insane roughnecks who become totally insensitive to the rights of others?

Depending on the place, time or circumstance, Filipinos become some sort of ‘Jekyll and Hide’ schizophrenics, appearing pious in Church but ruthless in business, well-mannered in the presence of high society but blunt and at times vulgar when among lesser folk. Filipino fathers can be generous to friends and buy them drinks that he cannot afford while at home his children hardly eat a decent supper.

The road mess in the Philippines is a whole kettle of rotten fish that stems from government half-hearted implementation of rules and regulations and the wishy-washy enforcement of the proper controls in order to curb these developed bad habits of drivers, pedestrians and commuters. We can also assign a good part of the blame to the state of corruption in the country. A Philippine vehicle driver will attest to just how much it costs to avoid the inconvenience of receiving official citations – money that goes to the pockets of arresting officers instead of the government.

I was once a special consultant for then Metro Manila Governor Elfren Cruz during the term of President Cory. Elfren felt that the Metro Manila Government may not be communicating well with the public so they thought that I could be of help in that department. In the various meetings that I attended, I noted how much of the traffic problem in Metro Manila was the result of too many drivers, commuters and pedestrians who did not follow proper road use rather than the abnormally high ratio of vehicles to road space. In meeting after meeting, the Metro Government under Elfren would deliberate on ways and means to correct the bad road use habits of drivers, commuters and pedestrians.

For a moment, we thought that Elfren’s “Pook Batayan” was the solution. Pook Batayan promoted private sector and police cooperation to manage key Metro Manila intersections, ensuring the ideal flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The names of the corporate partner as well as the traffic cop assigned to the intersection were visibly posted in the intersection to establish both accountability and the credit if people noted the improvement in the flow of traffic. Pook Batayan worked in the beginning but just like our Filipino ‘ningas cogon’ trait, it eventually was not sustained and fizzled out.

If the Filipino is to improve his society in order to have a better country for his children, the Filipino must reckon with the fact that not only our failed leaders need to be exorcised. We too have our own fair share of demons that we nurture and these are the demons that make our country such a hell of a place to live in. By all means let us purge our institutions of these corrupt, self-seeking leaders. But if we are to attain real progress, we too must learn to purge ourselves of our own demons.

You may email William M. Esposo at: macesposo@yahoo.com

Previous columns:
P1 B for anti-insurgency: What was Arroyo thinking? – 6/22/06
The kiss of death to Villar’s presidential ambition – 6/19/06
Pinoy fantasia – 6/12/06
Is Gloria M. Arroyo still in charge? – 6/05/06

Copyright 2006 INQ7.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://opinion.inq7.net/inq7viewpoints/columns/view_article.php?article_id=6604

marites4

June 26th, 2006, 04:57 PM

actually they drive better in Mexico they stay in their lanes and common folk use trash receptacles.
oo nga me pagkatamad mga pinoy. biruin mo kahit hirap na me maid pa.
Hindi makaraos kung walang maid. imbes na isave nila yung bayad sa maid at kaya naman nilang gawen yung tarbaho .

amigo32

June 26th, 2006, 06:29 PM

bitoy

June 26th, 2006, 07:54 PM

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/a.gif

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/b.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/c.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/d.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/e.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/f.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/g.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/h.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g62/Al_Paploy/i.jpg

Thanks to Al Paploy of Pacland Forum for these very touching message.

amigo32

June 27th, 2006, 01:21 AM

OMG! Meron talagang ganun?
Extreme poverty.

Hindi naman siguro ganun kahirap sa Pinas.

beads_strawberries

June 27th, 2006, 04:26 AM

I have received the images through email. We're very fortunate that this country is far from that situation.

On the contrary, amidst all the political noises we have at present, we can still discuss them freely and linger on them a little bit. Our economy, as a whole, is recovering from the dismay it once had. Infrastructures are continuously built, investors are coming in, we all just had vacation trips during the summer, we just bagged the most courteous award among Asians and even a wage hike will be implemented soon.

We're lucky enough we have what we need. Maybe if we will work with unity, the people and the leaders, we can be richer.

marites4

June 27th, 2006, 06:05 AM

Iknow we are moving but not fast enough to arrest the poverty because of our high birth rate and underproductivity. I'm not blaming this on GMA though because everyone is responsible for the quagmire we're in. The elusive extra 2 or 3 % is so hard to catch because some group always want to sink the boat. What more kung walang ofws na nagreremit nang pera. asa na lang ng asa sa remittance ng mga ofws. those remittances must be put to good use like the example of Spain and not just go to the mansions of politicians.

tigidig14

June 27th, 2006, 06:34 AM

napakamoving naman nyan tsinoy
innovative yung tsinelas

kunoL8

June 27th, 2006, 06:50 AM

tsinoy, that's so depressing. it is true that the philippines is indeed fortunate to have never experienced this level of poverty. it saddens me to think that despite all the international help these countries are getting, it's still not enough. :(

marites4

June 27th, 2006, 09:09 AM

kunoL8

June 27th, 2006, 09:22 AM

we have those too. Have you seen those babies being born with all kinds of abnormalities and defects at bantay bata. countless endless of them. In the countryside children are malnourished so they cannot absorb anything in their brain. Don't mean to be grim but we have to face reality so we can work doubletime and not be complacent.

i don't think that ours is as extreme as africa's though. i would have to say that food, shelter and welfare is relatively more accessible in the philippines. nevertheless, it is still a serious concern that needs immediate attention.

bitoy

June 27th, 2006, 11:10 AM

I know those pictures are depressing but can send a wake up call to everyone. Those are realities not only in Africa but in other nations. We can consider ourselves blessed, lucky or whatever you call it, the best thing to do is accept what we have for now and share what what we can to those that don't have.

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/icrceng.nsf/img/12-navigation+top-nav_top_logo2/$File/nav_top-logo.gif (http://www.icrc.org/eng) <-- To donate

http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/060222-F-2034C-022.JPG
MACTAN AIR BASE, Philippines (AFPN) -- Philippine servicemembers download water and military rations from a C-17 Globemaster III. The composite C-17 squadron of active duty and Hawaii Air National Guard flew their first contingency response mission to deliver relief supplies to the Philippines (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)

http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/060221-F-2034C-014.JPG
Relief mission
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) -- Tech. Sgt. Ken Bragg and Staff Sgt. Ryan Page give a safety briefing aboard a C-17 Globemaster III to members of the 15th Airlift Wing before a mission to the Philippines. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)

kevinb

June 27th, 2006, 12:00 PM

@tsinoy: grabe talaga ang poverty sa africa..even if i know what's happening in that impoverished continent, i sometimes can't believe that that's how they are there..i'm still thankful that we're not like that..and i hope we don't turn like that..

kyle@1008

June 27th, 2006, 12:13 PM

well Gloria Arroyo,... is the 25th richest head of state in the world ... if that helps...

JustHorace

June 27th, 2006, 12:43 PM

GMA is 25th richest? I thought she only had 76 million pesos. It's a big amount pero not big enough to land her on that position.

adverg

June 27th, 2006, 12:53 PM

I am so happy that all my wish reflects into this forum, hope the messages and pictures you post will wake up the sleeping and polluted mind(others who wants to sink us into deep poverty and sorrow) of Filipinos. It is time we must realize that we are far far behind from what we afraid off. Even we assume a large percentage of poverty in our country, just look around you, your environment compare to what you show in this thread, you can now judge, are we that pittiful? We have a lot of chance to receive the blessings from God, but we are only the one who ignore it, we cannot blame God if sometimes He give us trials just for us to wake-up, we are very lucky indeed coz God gave us the talent and resources which I feel we are ahead of other races but we never ulitize it for the goodness of everyone and our country but because of our selfishness, we use it for our own sake.....

ergit222

June 27th, 2006, 02:50 PM

kelan?

Yayaman lang ang Pilipinas kung i-firing squad sa luneta ang lahat ng garapal na kurakot mula sa Malacañang hanggang sa barangay level. Pagkatapos, ipagbawal ang pakikialam ng simbahan sa gobyierno tungkol sa population control.

kevinb

June 28th, 2006, 10:42 AM

^^pwede na rin..kaya lang masyadong marahas..un lang..

Jimbu

June 28th, 2006, 07:48 PM

Yayaman lang ang Pilipinas kung i-firing squad sa luneta ang lahat ng garapal na kurakot mula sa Malacañang hanggang sa barangay level. Pagkatapos, ipagbawal ang pakikialam ng simbahan sa gobyierno tungkol sa population control.

tama ang simbahan ay hindi dapat makialam. yayaman ang pilipinas kung magtrabaho ang mga tamad, wala ng gulo sa kalsada, wala ng komunista at lahat magbayad ng tamang buwis at siempre matigil ang kurakot.

lakolaz

July 13th, 2006, 09:40 AM

tama po yun.. mga kurakot lang ang kumakain ng binabayaran nating buwis.. dapat yun ang mga inaalis na problema ng pilipinas para silang mga kuto na mahilig sumipsip at magpakabusog..

overtureph

July 18th, 2006, 12:06 AM

Repealing the debt penalty

By Cielito Habito
Inquirer
Last updated 06:02am (Mla time) 07/17/2006

Published on page B2 of the July 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

"GOVERNMENT CANNOT REPEAL the debt penalty," writes Dr. Edsel Beja Jr., an Ateneo colleague who examines the current state of the public debt in a paper we are writing together.

It seems an apt way to describe the situation, in stark contrast to its similar-sounding counterpart. The debt penalty, indeed, is so quite unlike the death penalty.

For one thing, the death penalty falls on just a few individuals, but the debt penalty falls on all Filipinos without exception.

Many will argue that the former is a necessary instrument of justice; there is nothing just about the latter, falling as it does on people who had absolutely nothing to do with incurring the original debts in the first place. And while it has been possible to lift the death penalty with the stroke of a pen, lifting the debt penalty will take a great deal more than that, and will take a far longer time.

Mind boggling
According to latest calculations, each Filipino has a share of P46,846 of the government's debt burden. This comes from the April figure on the national government debt, which is now within a hair's breadth of P4 trillion (P3.996 trillion, to be exact). And this does not yet include the money owed by government corporations. Counting that, total public sector debt is approaching P6 trillion.

If that figure isn't mind boggling enough, think of it as a chain of P100 bills lined up side by side reaching all the way to the moon and back 12 times. Or if you prefer to stack them up, the pile would be about four kilometers high!

And there's more. Still not counted in the figure are the contingent liabilities, which result from government guarantees on borrowings or commitments of government corporations. That's more than another half trillion (P581 billion).

For example, if the Edsa MRT doesn't get enough passengers to raise the guaranteed minimum annual payment to the private company that built it, we taxpayers step in to make up for the difference. That contingent debt became a real debt that was actually paid in past years.

Growing debt service
In 2005, the outstanding debt of the national government was P3.8 trillion, amounting to about 72 percent of our GDP or total income in the economy. In 2003, the figure was P3.3 trillion, equivalent to 78 percent of GDP at the time.

But total debt service payments--that is, interest and principal amortization combined--rose continuously over the years, from P470 billion in 2003, to P581 billion in 2004, P674 billion in 2005, and P721 billion this year.

Taken against the government's total revenues, debt servicing in 2003 took P3 out of every P4 (75 percent) of revenue. The figure increased to P4 out of every P5 (83 percent) in 2004, and rose yet further to P9 out of every P10 of revenue (89 percent) in 2005.

Our government is like a wage worker whose friendly neighborhood "5-6" lender takes away P9 out of every P10 from his pay envelope on payday.

The good news is that the projected figure for 2006 is back to 75 centavos to a peso of revenue; the bad news is that the reduction is due to new and expanded taxation.

Caught in a pyramid
The data affirm what the Asian Development Bank (ADB) observed last year, i.e. that the government is trapped in a Ponzi (financial pyramid) situation.

It needs to keep borrowing more to meet debt servicing and public expenditure requirements. But for us to be able to borrow more, creditors need to be comfortable about our willingness and ability to pay back, and thus demand that more tax initiatives be implemented.

The debt penalty that Filipinos must carry will therefore continue to be large. Worse, given realities in our tax system, this burden disproportionately falls more heavily on the poor.

Hence, it cannot be stressed enough that aggressive debt management is needed to free up more funds for poverty reduction and health and education, whose shares in the national budget continue to decline.

The government needs to persistently pursue debt-reduction opportunities with creditors to explore conversion of debt service payments into funds for basic public services, poverty reduction programs, and ultimately, economic growth to enable us to "grow out of the debt problem."

But for creditors to be sympathetic, the government must be convincing about its sincerity and long-run stability, which ultimately rests on its legitimacy. Does the present government have all these? What do you think our creditors are thinking?

Blessing in disguise?
If there's one thing good about the 2006 budget not having been passed by Congress, it seems to be the way it has kept the government deficit down.

The government will announce the June fiscal data today, and the expectation is for another budget surplus for the third month in a row, keeping the overall deficit well within target. The government cannot spend as much as it had planned for the year, and that is helping keep new borrowings down.

But as we saw above, that hasn't kept debt service from growing, on which the outlook for rising interest rates and expectations of an oil-price induced weakening of the peso won't help at all. I'm afraid the debt penalty will be with us for quite a bit more time to come.

Comments welcome at chabito@ateneo.edu

http://business.inq7.net/money/columns/view_article.php?article_id=10114

overtureph

July 18th, 2006, 12:16 AM

NO FREE LUNCH
Our agriculture treadmill

By Cielito Habito
Inquirer
Last updated 04:18am (Mla time) 07/10/2006

Published on page B2 of the July 10, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

FARMERS and fishers, agriculture bureaucrats, academics, NGOs and agribusiness practitioners came together last week in the National Agricultural Policy Summit, a gathering that had been planned over a year ago but delayed by the change in leadership in the Department of Agriculture (DA) last year.

President Fidel V. Ramos made good use of such multi-sectoral summits in the 1990s to seek policy consensus. Much of the productive economic reforms of that decade were the product of such "summitry," whereby crucial policy issues were opened to wide public discussion by concerned stakeholders of opposing persuasions. The underlying rationale is that the wider the ownership (and therefore support) for policy reforms, the more durable those reforms will be.

Durable problems
The case of Philippine agriculture has been somewhat of an oddity in this regard. In this sector, what have been durable are the problems, not the solutions. After decades of multi-sectoral consultations and policy deliberations, and to some extent actual reforms, the problems of the sector remain the same. Some old-timers remarked to me in the summit sidelines that we're still talking of the same problems and solutions that we did in the 1960s.

I could see what they meant. It was my task in last week's summit to recap the results of more than a year of consultations for the sector undertaken by the Economic Policy Reform and Advocacy (Epra) project, run by a consortium composed of the Ateneo de Manila University and six national NGOs with support from USAID. Epra's aim is to widen participation in the economic policy reform process to ensure sound policies that promote the greatest good for the greatest number.

Glaring anomaly
Indeed, the list of issues in the farm and fisheries sector that emerged from those nationwide consultations trace back to the era of the current president's father, four decades ago. Low productivity (which statistics show to have worsened, not improved, through those decades), low farm incomes, poor access to farm credit, inadequate farm infrastructure, high post-harvest losses, monopolies and monopsonies in trading, and expensive inputs were pressing problems then as they continue to be now.

How could we have let down the sector that provides livelihood, directly or indirectly, to an estimated two-thirds of all Filipinos through all those years?

Quite clearly, there has been a failure of governance on a massive scale in Philippine agriculture. Overseen by a government department with one of the biggest budgets in the Philippine bureaucracy, the fact that the bulk of the stakeholders in the sector remain the poorest in our society seems a glaring anomaly.

Easy prey
And anomaly it is. What else do you call a massive program that purportedly allocated hundreds of millions of pesos to provide fertilizers for small farmers, but has been determined by the Commission on Audit to have been widely diverted to the wrong purpose and to the wrong pockets? And yet the only public officials who have been penalized are those suspected of having "spilled the beans"?

The odious fertilizer scam is but one among countless examples of how powerful interests have made the Department of Agriculture their playground and milking cow. The department's large budget makes it easy prey for an immoral few who would put aside the welfare of tens of millions of Filipinos to support their own narrow political ends.

It's governance, stupid!
Perhaps what was different about last week's summit was the wide recognition among the participants that no well-meaning policies could work for agriculture unless governance of the sector is first put in order. The dominance of the agriculture bureaucracy--which subsumes the fisheries sector, itself a massive sector that could very well be overseen by a department of its own--may be its own downfall. There is now wide support for the notion that local governments must play the stronger role in managing agriculture in their respective areas--that they must do the "rowing," while the DA confines itself to "steering." The latter includes technical guidance and capacity building for LGUs, setting and enforcement of appropriate regulatory standards, and coordination of research and development--but not directly running projects on the ground, something LGUs are much better placed to do. That way we should be able to avoid the massive fund diversions that we have witnessed in the department's budget.

Among all government departments, it has also been documented that DA has had the most frequent changes in leadership through the years, and especially under the current leadership (four in the last five years!)--clear reflection of the politicization of this extremely critical agency. For the sake of millions of poor Filipinos, politics must give way to professionalism in this sector. Such professional leadership is currently in place. But rumors are rife that certain interests aiming to collect on political debts are out to turn the revolving door at DA yet another time. Will we ever learn?

Comments welcome at chabito@ateneo.edu

http://business.inq7.net/money/columns/view_article.php?article_id=8932

mhe-ann

July 18th, 2006, 11:29 AM

Repealing the debt penalty

Mind boggling
According to latest calculations, each Filipino has a share of P46,846 of the government's debt burden. This comes from the April figure on the national government debt, which is now within a hair's breadth of P4 trillion (P3.996 trillion, to be exact). And this does not yet include the money owed by government corporations. Counting that, total public sector debt is approaching P6 trillion.

huhu... :cry: PhP46,846... waahhh! un sa fertilizer scam... ang laking pera na rin nun.

blue_summit1

August 5th, 2006, 08:15 PM

we can make this things happen if only we unite.. support one another.. and stop politicing..

blue_summit1

August 5th, 2006, 08:17 PM

we are on the track.. if we only cooperate and soon we'll get there..

*one more thing* dont vote actors.. there just good in dramatizing

TheAvenger

August 10th, 2006, 01:46 AM

kailan kaya yayaman ang Pilipinas at hindi maging future supermaid and ass wiper of the world ang mga pinoy.

mangyayari yaon na yayaman ang ating beloved country when we (especially the government peoples) start to love our country. when we love our countryry, it means everybody will help stop the cancer in the society that is slowly destroying the pinoy's moral values and thefilipino family.

we wished the nationalistic elite ( kung meron pa) will help us in this crusade. the nationalistic elite has all the resources and power to help reform the government by stopping corruptions, I eman all kinds of corruptions inclduing corruption of moral values. otherwise the next generations of pinoy will all become super maids and ass-wiper of the world.

pls read this forwarded email about loving our dear beloved country,
no one will love our country except us.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 09:30:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Jibrael Shalom" <jibrael_angel@yahoo.com> View Contact Details
Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by yahoo.com. Learn more
Subject: Re: [MANILAHIGHSCHOOLALUMNI] Philippines in the eyes of a Korean student -
To: jadian1224@yahoo.com, jaime_makabayan@yahoo.com, jane_j_cortez@yahoo.com, janethd@aol.com, "jess" <jess@softhome.net>, jett.onglao@jacobs.com, jff84@yahoo.com, jinggay84@hotmail.com, "jjowiejay" <jjowiejay@yahoo.com>, jlougar@yahoo.com, "joy joaquin" <bhengjoy@yahoo.com>, jojo.villanueva@wwwexpress.com.ph, "jude" <judelynrc@yahoo.com>, jundomorozo@yahoo.com, jvictorc3@cs.com, k_ohz2002@yahoo.com, "Karen" <karenlei16@hotmail.com>, kayleen14@yahoo.com, kl123xz8@yahoo.com.ph, lagrimasb@cs.com, "karen lanuza" <graciekaye45@hotmail.com>, ldecastro@triad.rr.com, "lea" <stleah4@yahoo.com>, leahantoinetterivas@astec-power.com, legpal@aol.com, lenny_tarrobago@yahoo.com, "leo" <leomerbc@yahoo.com>, leo_tamura@yahoo.com.ph, leon_guerrero411@yahoo.com, leonisastiles@aol.com, lessete_27@yahoo.com, "tess licerio" <tlicerio@isot-asia.edu.ph>, littleredrose1154@yahoo.com, lothar_pineda@yahoo.com, louiereyes64@yahoo.com, "luz" <rrlaserna@yahoo.com>, lynaros@yahoo.com, "lyra" <csm-lad@i-manila.com.ph>

Jibrael Shalom <jibrael_angel@yahoo.com> wrote: Philippines Through A Korean's Eyes
Dec 20, '05 5:14 AM ET
by Kent Bryan

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently
studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time.

This is an essay written by a Korean student i want to share with you. (Never mind the grammar; it's the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present.

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
by Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural
resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off
like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine.

Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, PresidentPark took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation
of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories.

So, PresidentPark sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germanyto borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the PresidentPark. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to
Korea.

So, PresidentParkwas able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off.
Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help
them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our
neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippinesbecause of so many poor
people.

I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Koreaso that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith.

I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad,and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippineslast week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids.

When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and
do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God.

I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and
country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person.

Love must start in everybody, in a s mall scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes
people,contexts and relationships. It changes the world.

Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others
we do to Him.

In the Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that

God also will be very happy if you love others. That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

(FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bring words and photos together (easily) with
PhotoMail - it's free and works with your Yahoo! Mail.

TheAvenger

August 10th, 2006, 10:03 AM

Yayaman lang ang Pilipinas kung i-firing squad sa luneta ang lahat ng garapal na kurakot mula sa Malacañang hanggang sa barangay level. Pagkatapos, ipagbawal ang pakikialam ng simbahan sa gobyierno tungkol sa population control.

next to impossible for that to accomplish, it may mean a revolution.

perhaps the radical left (the NPA) will agree to that but I am sure the moderate Left nor the rightist won't agree. it will result to chaos and untold
miseries to our people, it may be the end for our beloved country.

a sort of coalition government by the rightist, leftist, and the middle class
perhaps can reform the government and eliminate a revolution to happen.

le Reine

October 28th, 2006, 05:17 PM

Bump! wala lang just wanna share my thoughts if you want... Masaya lang cuase I got a high grade in PI 100 (Rizal course)

richard24

October 28th, 2006, 05:32 PM

^^ buti ka pa... i got 2.5 in Rizal. damn.

---------------------------------------------------------------
if the filipinos wont get their acts together, the next 100 years would be trash. east timor would be richer than us.... nah.

le Reine

October 28th, 2006, 06:02 PM

^nagulat nga ako eh kasi akala ko mababa. Mababa daw magbigay yung teacher. At pang-asar pa siya kasi lagi niya akong tinatawag na nagmamaganda! Asar! Gay kasi yung teacher ko. Inggit sa akin. ahahaha :lol:

Trivia:
Rizal have concluded that there's no other European country that could or would colonize the Philippines if ever Spain would lose it. But he said that only the US would be interested in colonizing our country. He predicted this a decade before the Americans would really occupy the Philippines.

Lili

October 28th, 2006, 08:33 PM

^^ Oh hi @XP. Can you please tell me which Rizal writing was that? Was it in Dentro de Cien Anos?

le Reine

October 29th, 2006, 11:01 AM

^yes. Philippines: A Century Hence. It's quite long but it's worth reading. He also gave some interesting points that would make you say "ahhh." Indolence of the Filipino People is also a great read. I've noticed that most of what he has written are still applicable today.

Lili

October 29th, 2006, 04:19 PM

^^ That is the genius of Rizal.

Rodel

November 1st, 2006, 06:49 AM

Manila will remain a premier city!

Metro Manila will be the capital of the country and we will have a federal republic...

garzland

November 4th, 2006, 01:04 PM

I guess, a comibination of those three... Those are actually happening right now.. All of those are contributing to our economy... So, I guess we will develop as of those three...

adverg

November 5th, 2006, 03:30 PM

To imagined if the Philippine already considered a developed country, if all OFW and immigrant Filipinos go back home coz the benefits they get abroad equals to the benefits they get in the Philippines, that is the best evidence that the Philippines included in the first world group, benefits is the answer to all Filipinos.

chixbebe

November 15th, 2006, 08:58 AM

Government officials are serious in the campaign of having stable economy. And to achieve that, Sen. Villar has called for a higher allocation for the public works and infrastructure. (Project under the proposed budget for 2007).

Having an allotted fund for these projects would make it possible to improve our economy. Not only would that it help our economy, it will also help our workers by providing them stable jobs as well as steady income. Reconstructing or constructing roads will be a big help to business sector for it will be a lot easier for them to transact business anywhere, anytime.

Louman

November 15th, 2006, 09:34 AM

well, the asian financial crisis of 1997 derailed it big time...

Even without the Asian Financial Crisis, someone would've ruined it. Rearrange the following letters to get the answer.

RAPE

(Hint: He's the president that came after Ramos.)

OtAkAw

November 15th, 2006, 02:39 PM

^^OMG, that idiot is worth 7 financial crises.

KT88

November 18th, 2006, 01:53 AM

How do you imagine the Philippines as a developed country?

What a question! Can't imagine it anymore, not even in my wildest dreams. I gave up. :lol:

kiretoce

January 12th, 2007, 10:07 PM

Bump! :colgate:

It's in three years time! :runaway:

Rene Ybardolaza

January 15th, 2007, 07:40 AM

Sad to say, but I think 2010 will probably find the Philippines the same..... just more people, more poverty.

crappypants

January 15th, 2007, 07:45 AM

^^^thankyou

flesh_is_weak

January 15th, 2007, 08:42 AM

nayki

January 15th, 2007, 08:56 AM

The Philippines will be better and better and better!:banana:

intramuros

January 15th, 2007, 04:11 PM

Sad to say, but I think 2010 will probably find the Philippines the same..... just more people, more poverty.

don't say this, you're just in los angeles.

Rene Ybardolaza

January 15th, 2007, 04:50 PM

don't say this, you're just in los angeles.

intramuros, unlike pIrEna who is more creative, I'm not really going out on the limb here when I say more people. more poverty - not being critical, just realistic. Three years is just around the corner and like a big ship, getting the Philippines turned around will take a lot of time and effort.

Speaking of time, I will be calling Philippines home in 2011. Effort? A friend and I started a BPO company in Ortigas a year and a half ago and this month, we will be in the black for the first time. We hope to stay black for a long time. Its a small effort, but every little bit counts.

intramuros

January 15th, 2007, 04:54 PM

that's good. thank you for your reply.

kevinb

January 17th, 2007, 09:33 AM

OtAkAw

January 17th, 2007, 11:36 AM

2010:

9% annual GDP growth rate
$1 = PhP40.00
PHISIX = 4,201.98

It's possible you know...

ark

January 18th, 2007, 04:09 AM

philippines would be composed of several countries...

the islamic republic of muslim mindanao

the republic/empire of manila and the tagaland

the republic of ilocos and northern luzon

the federal visayas republic

the federal republic of davao and mindanao

and the principality of cebu...where i would be the ruler...:rofl:

:jk:

hmmm according to my crystal ball, there will be a revolution in the visayan federation and the birth of the western visayan empire ruled by the great emperor, raul gonzales, sr. his imperial palace/fortress/citadel will be located in balaan bukid, guimaras so that he will have a full view of his capital, the imperial city of iloilo. the empire will invade the principality of cebu and the visayan republic. a revolutionary movement will occur led by generals franklin drilon, mar roxas, and niel tupas. president drilon will be installed as the new ruler of the confederate states of panay and negros. but a new revolution will occur in bacolod for the independence of the federal state of negros.

naks, parang lord of the rings hehehe hay, ang bad ng prophecy ko. erase,erase, erase :lol: :nuts: :bash: :ohno:

DoggMann

January 18th, 2007, 06:52 AM

GMA:
... she will finish her term...
... new impeachment bid will fail because the admin will still have the majority of the house...
... new constitution before 2010 ...
... the economy will suffer in the later part of her term not because of politics but because of nature ... unless they can come up with the plan to further improve our telecomm infrastructure and electricity ...

global warming and the philippines ...
... melting polar ice caps means rising ocean levels therefore expect more flooding in the metro ...
... rising carbon emision means green house effect therefore expect a hotter than ever summer ... and heat waves ...
... rainy seasons wont give any good news either because ...
... category 4 super typhoons will be more frequent than ever ...
... category 5 super typhoon will be experienced for the first time...
... more landslides because our corrupt politician cares more about their cuts on illegal logs ...
... because of these crippling typhoons most of the businesses especially call centers will relocatre to Cebu and Davao...

... the future is in the south people... i hope the government does not throw all its infrastructure investments up north where calamities are more frequent... the govt. should develop mindanao ... :)

KT88

January 20th, 2007, 08:03 AM

Good on yer, Rene. We need more peole like you in the PI> I too, will be back by 2010 hopefully for good and will assist on the joint venture business started with a local partner.

intramuros, unlike pIrEna who is more creative, I'm not really going out on the limb here when I say more people. more poverty - not being critical, just realistic. Three years is just around the corner and like a big ship, getting the Philippines turned around will take a lot of time and effort.

Speaking of time, I will be calling Philippines home in 2011. Effort? A friend and I started a BPO company in Ortigas a year and a half ago and this month, we will be in the black for the first time. We hope to stay black for a long time. Its a small effort, but every little bit counts.

bedista

January 20th, 2007, 09:52 AM

... a 500m skyscraper in the middle of navotas central business district!!! hahaha!!! NCBD, watch out for that...:lol:

ThisFire

January 20th, 2007, 10:45 AM

Environmental effects and state need to be thought of as well.

flesh_is_weak

January 21st, 2007, 05:37 AM

Funny.:rofl:

Pero hindi mo sinama ang Bicol. Gagawa na lang ako ng Kingdom of Bicolandia. Tapos ia-abduct ko si Queen Elizabeth para maging ruler namin. O kaya a younger descendant para maging "queen bee" siya. You know, ung work ng queen bee talaga.:colgate:

aw...my bad...nakalimutan ko palang gusto ring magsarili ng bicol...sure you may have your kingdom...

territory lang naman ng cebu ang habol ko...:D

...basta my vision would be to rival the growth of the emirate of Dubai, in terms of infrastructure and economy...at tsaka gusto ko rin na kaingitan ako ng sultan ng brunei...:lol:

hahaha...ano ba...tanghaling tapat na, eh nangangarap pa rin ako...:hilarious:

JustHorace

January 21st, 2007, 10:39 AM

In 2010:

- Analysts are now seeing the Philippine economy overtaking Thailand's in no more than five years. Malaysia's next.
- Wala ng karapatan makipagtalo sa atin ang mga Indones dahil naiwanan na natin sila
- Philippine economic growth at 8-9% per annum
- Tourist arrivals at 5-6 million
- Government works on the implementation of the Clark airport development
- unified metro system in Manila now exists
- MRT-7 nearing completion
- Mactan Cebu Int'l Airport Terminal 2 now on the works
- The supposedly Sheraton Hotel Cebu is already operating
- No less than 7 new 5-star hotels are u/c or newly-opened
- C-6 and the North Luzon East Expressway are u/c
- International flights are now available in three more cities in Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and General Santos)
- A Korean airline will be flying to Iloilo
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down after about 10 years in power
- first parliamentary elections would be held
- PAL returns to Europe
- Cebu Pacific now flies to the West Coast

- NAIA Terminal 3 has been operating for three years now.

Thunderflip

January 21st, 2007, 11:08 AM

Philippines 2010? Very hard to predict. It could go either ways, downward or upward. Depends on how Filipinos play their cards right. I mean really, politics and the government really play a very big role in the growth of a country, its not just the private sector. You cannot ignore political issues.

My say,

In 2010, there will still be poverty all over the country but vast imrovements will take place. I don't think that the Philippines would overcome Thailand by that time, it could take a bit longer. Our politics would still be corrupt by then and things could really go downward.

For the positive things, tourism will steadily rise as lonmg as we promote and improve our infrastructure and accomodation facilities. There will be a steady grow in the private sectore, especially the real estate and retailing industry. The peso will rise along with the phenomenon of OFW's and foreign investors.

Metro Manila's skyline will expand along with the progress of FBGC and FCC but it will still have its impression as a chaotic, polluted, suffocating and impoverished metropolis with all its slumscapes.

The country will also see the emerge of economic powerhouses and growth centers in the countryside that will play a major role in the country's export industry: You name them, CEBU, CLARK and SUBIC. But Cebu is on the go for sure. Other potential areas are Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo headed by Davao,Zamboanga and Baguio. I don't think there will be any changes in the rural areas of the country. All in all, nothing special for me, I don't think it will turn our country to a global player and increase our competitiveness dramatically but nice improvements.

Once and for all, sending nurses abroad and building call centers won't make our country any richer, only stable at some aspects. I think we need to increase the presence of our local companies in the global market,especially in China and India. That would be a big change.

kevinb

January 21st, 2007, 05:47 PM

In 2010:

- Analysts are now seeing the Philippine economy overtaking Thailand's in no more than five years. Malaysia's next.

Are analysts saying this now?

FrancisXavier

January 21st, 2007, 05:53 PM

that's cosmoManila typing in 2010..:)

kevinb

January 21st, 2007, 05:57 PM

^^ I see. Pero dapat ganun ang maging outlook natin. Dapat maging second economic power ulit tayo sa Asia.:D

FrancisXavier

January 22nd, 2007, 06:07 AM

That's long way to go. Ther are still Hongkong, Taiwan, SKorea, and Singapore..

flymordecai

January 22nd, 2007, 08:55 AM

Gotta take over the SEA first before setting eyes on Asia.

I read that back when the Philippines was among the richest countries in Asia in the 1950's, people from countries like Korea and Malaysia immigrated to the Philippines to live a better life. Now it seems that it's the other way around. Interesting to see if it flips around again in 50 years! Hah!

beads_strawberries

January 22nd, 2007, 09:42 AM

^^ That would really be interesting and such is not a far-fetched idea. After all, we're quietly regaining confidence in the international arena. With the huge success of the 12th ASEAN Summit, which I've heard was one of the most organized and well-prepared ASEAN Summits the delegates and participants have attended so far, I am sure we will encouraging more investments and better relations with other countries.

FrancisXavier

January 22nd, 2007, 09:45 AM

in 2010

GDP: US$200B
Population: 91000000

GDP/Capita: US$2200

JustHorace

January 22nd, 2007, 02:57 PM

Are analysts saying this now?

FrancisXavier is right. That's me typing in 2010.

Ako naman I see a GDP PPP per capita of $6600 - $7500.

FrancisXavier

January 22nd, 2007, 06:26 PM

FrancisXavier is right. That's me typing in 2010.

Ako naman I see a GDP PPP per capita of $6600 - $7500.

posible siguro yan.. now it's around US$5700 right?

WawaY[625]

January 22nd, 2007, 06:52 PM

BUMP!

heathcliff

January 23rd, 2007, 06:31 AM

The Philippines at 2010 will be as good as the people we vote into office. Provided that our next batch of Senators and congressmen continue the reforms that are being implemented by the present administration, then I don't see why we would not be able to sustain our economic growth.

We have to make sure that we have a more responsible Congress, especially in regard to passing the budget on time. Remember how we have been on the 2005 budget since last year. The delay in the passage of the budget holds up many important projects, including the rehabilitation efforts in typhoon stricken areas, and does not speak well of the lawmakers responsible for holding these up. Other important measures, like the renewable energy bill and the anti-terror bill, also continue to gather dust in Congress. Our choices in the next elections should be based on the commitment of the candidates to pursue reforms and not to the old politics of muckraking.

JustHorace

January 23rd, 2007, 04:10 PM

posible siguro yan.. now it's around US$5700 right?

Really? Parang $5100 lang nung end 2005. I dunno about end 2006. Hopefully we hit $10.000 per capita PPP within the next ten years.

Ady001

March 3rd, 2007, 12:22 AM

Lili

March 3rd, 2007, 01:41 AM

jgacis

March 3rd, 2007, 02:26 AM

Here's another view to this question...

People of the Philippines
How best to describe some of the warmest, friendly and informal people in the world? As with most predominantly Roman Catholic cultures religious traditions and customs help define the daily lives of the people, family values and their view of the world. Since arriving in the Philippines in 1980 I have felt more comfortable and at "home" than any of the more than 20 countries I have visited. My warm feeling is a direct result of the happy go lucky, easy going Filipino people all over the islands. Though over 70 language dialects, three major island regions and many of the 77 provinces lacking infrastructure help to divide Filipinos in many ways one thing they share is their love of life shown by their smiles and sense of humor. Three million Filipinos have emmigrated or work a large part of their lives outside the country but their great talent with learning and speaking different languages help make them disappear and be absorbed into every country they have gone. The many overseas Chinese worldwide also the Koreans and Japanese in North America are easiliy recognized living together in areas referred to as Chinatown, Koreatown or Japantown and introducing their cuisine wherever they go. Since the Philippines is such a "melting pot," Filipinos often are identified as Asians and/or Pacific Islanders; however, it truly depends on who you are asking. Living in the Philippines through the years I have experienced many emotions regarding the Filipino people, concerning both their strengths and their weaknesses. It took moving back to my own country before my view of Filipinos seasoned and matured with age and distance. I love and appreciate the Filipino people more than my own and will always consider it "home".

They live for TODAY, work to live, NEVER live to work as in many developed countries, take care of their elderly personally and as they struggle with incredible poverty remain good natured finding the simple joys of life enough to smile. So when visiting the Philippines, do as they they do SMILE, it's a beautiful life. DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY!

renell

March 3rd, 2007, 03:44 AM

Don't worry, be happy.

But how will that be achieve with political and economic instability in the country? We have relative periods of stability, but it is easily disrupted by the country's continuing fragility. There should be a continued effort to be developed. It's a long way I believe to achieve that in all aspects of the country. Until then the majority of us will not feel completely happy. Filipinos do find great ways to avoid sadness in hardships, and nations in the Western world still aren't the 'happiest' nations, you are right Ady.

We just have to keep climbing the ladder. Without attempts to develop the country will stagnate and rot.

queetz@home

March 3rd, 2007, 04:01 AM

^^ Unfortunately, we have crabs like the people in the Genuine Opposition that prevents us from climbing that ladder even further. I just hope we are able to eliminate such crabs on May...

renell

March 3rd, 2007, 04:08 AM

bigger problem with the opposition is that they do not oppose with what the government policies have, it's just they just oppose them for whatever they do. so if the government eats jollibee, they will blast them for not eating mcdo. if you catch my drift :D

to be fair, this goes with whatever opposition

kiretoce

March 3rd, 2007, 04:18 AM

diz

March 3rd, 2007, 06:10 AM

Reading this article, it seems as if the Philippines was on a bad luck streak.

I read an article in the Asian Reporter based in Portland about the uncontrolable suicides of many Koreans. The article said that many Koreans are suiciding because they cannot keep up with the rapid economic growth. Many people unable to keep up would take their lives so they won't shame their family name.

adverg

March 3rd, 2007, 08:15 AM

I am only wondering, what does this classification can contribute to the fulfillment of what we say model life being. How we estimates that a first world country is much better to experience rather than from a third world country not only viewing the physical and material aspects of daily life but in totality where we consider the psychological impact of this situation. I remember I saw one commercial in cable tv on national geography, wherein they show I think the chicago state where they claimed inhabitants about that size around millions but when ask who want to stay there, 25 persons only are willing to do so. This just give me a confusions why there must be a need to race for that level and why there must be such classifications.

dinabaw

March 3rd, 2007, 09:13 AM

Here's a question; once we reached First World status, then what? I'm glad that we're working towards that goal, but more often than not, the government sits on its laurels and then the cycle begins again with us trailing behind others who've blazed another trail to newer heights.

as the cliche say "what comes up must come down" in tagalog 'gulong ng palad ':D

imo i think what pulling as down is over population , i hope the government can address the problem, well maybe the politicians need more people ....voting wise ;)

oz.fil

March 3rd, 2007, 10:25 AM

'the light of asia' i remember reading that about the philippines in a history text book... we must be like the pheonix and rise out of the ashes!

g0Rs

March 3rd, 2007, 10:29 AM

^^ i remember reading that in one of the books @ the filipiniana section of the USC Main Library back in college.

Ady001

March 3rd, 2007, 01:24 PM

May I presume that the question you are posing now is whether or not making the nation First World will make its people happier? To some extent, yes. That is because life satisfaction has something to do with being able to achieve one's potential and more progress will make the country afford its people more nutrition and health care that will contribute to increased life expectancy. However, happiness is also reliant on the psychological well-being and resiliency of the people.

If you look at the study on the World Happiness Index, the Philippines rank No. 17 happiest nation in the world compared with Japan (#95) and the United States of America (#150). Out of 178 countries, the highest Happiness indes was scored by the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. The lowest is Zimbabwe.

The indicators that they used:

Life satisfaction x Life expectancy
_______________________________

Ecological Footprint

"The HPI reflects the average years of happy life produced by a given society, nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed. Put another way, it represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens.

Interesting Finding on Tropical Island Living

"The Index list showed that Island nations score well above average in the Index: They have higher life satisfaction, higher life expectancy and marginally lower Footprints than other states. Yet incomes (by GDP per capita) are roughly equal or sometimes lower to the world average. Even within regions, islands do well. (Malta tops the Western world with Cyprus in seventh place (out of 24)). The top five HPI nations in Africa are all islands; as well as two of the top four in Asia. Perhaps a more acute awareness of environmental limits has sometimes helped their societies to bond better and to adapt to get more from less. Combined with the enhanced well-being that stems from close contact with nature, the world as a whole stands to learn much from the experience of islands."

"The HPI shows that around the world, high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being (life-satisfaction), and that it is possible to produce high levels of well-being without excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources. It also reveals that there are different routes to achieving comparable levels of well-being. The model followed by the West can provide widespread longevity and variable life satisfaction, but it does so only at a vast and ultimately counter-productive cost in terms of resource consumption."

http://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm

Thanks for enlightening me this fact. So island nations like the Philippines have the chance of being happier than other nations? I am thinking of that happiness principle because of modern life/human condition jitters today. Nowadays, people somewhat lose their humanity because of so much businesses.

Happiness I think is by becoming satisfied. It does not rest on how people live longer (questioned by existentialist views) but on how people respond to situations while maintaining happier lives.

I was thinking of rephrasing the question to "Must the Philippines be rich?" because of existentialist views. After reaching the top, what happens next? will we be ever satisfied? will man find his own private Idaho? As they say, it gets lonely at the top.

There is a new trend in analyzing countries based in the economy nowadays, which is the HDI. The Philippines is part of the moderately-incomed countries.

But satisfaction though does not always correlate to happiness.

change is always inevitable siguro; we are faced with so many problems in the world, and the only way is to adopt it. But so much change and extreme economic focus can somewhat make ourselves myopic.

analyzing this "happiness principle," what do you think are the grey areas that will enable us to righteously discern this situation.

Solblanc

March 3rd, 2007, 02:09 PM

Hmm... first off, "First World" is an outdated cold-war concept. Back then, first world meant developed capitalist countries, second-world referred to communist countries, and the third-world generally refers to the countries that didn't really matter as they were too powerless to influence the conld war anyway :D

That being said, I believe that we should still strive to be a developed country for one important reason: we have a significant number of people beneath the poverty line, and it isn't necessarily because a whole lot of people are too lazy to work. People are finding in harder and harder to make their salaries fit their basic needs. If anything, we're probably a really happy country because practically everyone who's discontent left already.

Ady001

March 3rd, 2007, 02:30 PM

^^ That's my point there, but, where is the grey area of balancing happiness and progress?
I was also thinking of the happiness of a nation because it can give way to analyzing a nation’s stratification in terms of giving way to international ideas and becoming resilient to international pressure, as well as analyzing laissez-faire in terms of human conditions. The Philippines have achieved such distinction at a mixed bag, and nowadays, this has become a very important analysis.
In terms of soft power relations (cultural types or cultural assimilation) the Philippines is very resilient in adapting other people’s culture, which may sound very painful for many patriots of this nation, but at the same time, helped the country’s peoples, especially the OFWs in analyzing their country of destination, in adapting other people’s culture. I was thinking about happiness in this mode because sometimes, the most powerful nations are the most kept in patriotic stance. A Korean once wrote about the situation of the Philippines (find that in the “Korean Philippines” thread in SSC) and how “love for one country” can attribute to the improvement of the national situation, but at this stage, overzealousness in that love can lead one nation to frown on the other. Happiness can therefore be sacrificed; one would have to show ideals to the nation, which in turn would sacrifice that happiness. Racial superiority and ethnic cleansing have resulted in such clashes, and now, with the closing in of the globalization and multiculturalism of the world, many nations have adopted the advocacy of mixed peoples, which the Philippines have had a very long time ago.
Cultural power can be a very powerful concept because it helps shape the nations peoples. While there can be severe repercussions in the process, it can somewhat benefit people when a quirk of history could happen. For example, as I’ve noted before, English was introduced about a century ago. Fast acculturation and severe processes in terms of colonial history can be blamed for this leniency. But in such a quirk, English have helped brought up the United States of America at a fast pace, the language is used and even nations from which the US had no political alliances with is now learning it, and the country is benefiting from such a quirk. This probably rings true as what many theorists say is the dawning of a post-industrial society, of which services can boost up a country’s revenues.
Now where is happiness in such a situation? In acculturation, happiness is seen because of a peoples’ reaction to a phenomena. If the reaction is hostile, of course it isn’t happiness, but if not, clearly put happiness is seen. Many Filipinos in various phenomena have been able to put a smiling face despite hardships. Filipinos learning English years ago have bent the language to its local state and now attains a humorous place in our language. The country once prodded by crooks and thieves before were subjects of humor in various TV programs. And despite the pressure of our OFWs in adapting other people’s cultures, they manage to blend in with them and openly allow it to their benefit.
The Philippines as a whole has avoided several conflicts by analyzing every situation to its benefit. And it is now possible to see Filipinos ruling across the globe, even if History books have said that Spaniards, Americans and the Japanese have ruled us. And this had grown us quite adaptable to problems.
And despite this, while we remain poor, while our lives remain wretched, while other people trample on us, and we remain short-lived, we managed to look up on high and smile.

tigidig14

March 3rd, 2007, 08:05 PM

ye sure its a must, why not
who wouldnt wanna be living in a 1st world country?

Askal82

March 3rd, 2007, 08:19 PM

I hope that once Philippines reached its developed status, none of its 'carefree' and 'happy' aspects of its culture gets comprimised. Too much westernization and commercialization are gradually destroying what is inherent or natural to the Filipino culture.

Rajah_Soliman

March 3rd, 2007, 10:44 PM

i think we're better off as a poor third world banana republic country, people are very "happy" with what's going on in our political system.....imo ...we better ask richard gomez this question :lol:

earlat

March 4th, 2007, 01:01 AM

An astounding yes! The Philippines must be a First World Country, we'll get there, coz we all deserve it. We are resilient, dynamic and Happy People... We are hardworking call centers agents, industrialists, farmers, nurses, educators, etc... :D

renell

March 4th, 2007, 01:32 AM

well hopefully we're much more than call center agents and nurses and teachers. By then we should be able to take jobs that we would really excel in not just the popular ones. Maybe more lawyers, engineers and doctors, or get more people interested in government work because we need the flow of young people working in the future government.

If you should rephrase the question, must the Philippines be developed that is an outstanding yes. with that it makes the question so much clearer, with more relevant terminology. We need to be, or we will fall back.

Ady001

March 4th, 2007, 03:19 AM

^^ I was actually thinking to the likes of, "must the Philippines be first world while losing its people's happiness and satisfaction?"

crappypants

March 4th, 2007, 03:41 AM

Why are we presuming the people will lose their happiness and sunny disposition. That is a cultural trait. Developing isn't just economics, with it comes developed attitudes in social responsibilty, like taking care of the environment , disciplined citizenry, obeying traffic laws , pollution control, etc.. It will also reduce rampant corruption at grassroots level.
Ignorance is bliss ,until local pinoys experience what it feels to live in a developed country where there is efficient public services, which make your life a million times easier, they will not miss what they never knew.
It is easy for an outsider to say let them stay poor coz they're happy because they are not the ones actually experiencing the hell of living in a third world country.
A first world Philippines will be like paradise. Real estate value will be higher than Hawaii.

renell

March 4th, 2007, 05:15 AM

TheAvenger

March 4th, 2007, 11:09 AM

to revise

demented_pigeon

March 4th, 2007, 11:12 AM

just meiji-era japan's formula:
1. industrialization
2. efficient army and sophisticated parliamentary government
3. manufacturing of indigenous military equipment
4. revocation of unfair treaties with western power.

we're treated as slaves because we allow ourselves to be treated as slaves by the foreign powers. of course, bowing down is easier than standing up and demanding respect from the West.

amigo32

March 4th, 2007, 01:10 PM

Maybe they are super rich but Japan's suicide rate is very high.

amigo32

March 4th, 2007, 01:22 PM

http://www.mcdl.org/Stats/gnpsuicide.gif

Kung ganoon parang ayokong maging first world.

Philippines nasa bottom tayo.

http://fathersforlife.org/health/who_suicide_rates.htm

demented_pigeon

March 4th, 2007, 02:27 PM

Maybe they are super rich but Japan's suicide rate is very high.

meiji era japan yung tinutukoy ko hindi post-ww2. pero may punto ka nga naman.

Ady001

March 4th, 2007, 03:32 PM

http://www.mcdl.org/Stats/gnpsuicide.gif

Kung ganoon parang ayokong maging first world.

Philippines nasa bottom tayo.

http://fathersforlife.org/health/who_suicide_rates.htm

Well... It doesn't mean that we should be sitting docks...

I'm just proposing a first world Philippines that doesn't lost its own sanity in the process.

jgacis

March 5th, 2007, 01:08 PM

Hmm.... well let's consider Filipinos overseas in developed nations. Certainly there are more hardwork and sacrifices put in... but definately I know that here in Australia they are more hardworking but even more social-active and fun going. So..probably the answer will be "first world status" will not hinder us culturally

Actually, I think that a first-world society probably would affect us culturally to some extent. With a better quality of life, what we know to be important to us now might not be as important later, as we adapt to newer and better things. This can change our attitudes and perceptions as I have strongly seen the differences between filipinos in the Philippines and the ones here in the states.

As crappypants said though, happiness is our cultural trait and it is all of our repsonsibility to not let us forget who were are; at the same time have an open mind to adapt to a better life without changing our good-natured attitudes and perceptions of each other.

jgacis

March 5th, 2007, 09:05 PM

By 2010 this is what I see (IMO lang):

1. Sana the people would have learned more about GMA and not vote for another celebrity who has no experience in political leadership.

2. More condo dwellers as Lili stated (I'll be one of them.. :)).

3. Better infrastructure and more tourists (I've already been inviting my American friends to come visit and stay in my future condo..hehe).

4. I think the red tape for business entrepreneurs will be worked on (to retain and attract more investments).

5. Pressure for bank lending reforms will be in the works (due to the real estate growth).

6. The country will still experience poverty but the roadmaps for reform access will be more available to the masses.

7. Now that our nurses can take the NCLEX here in Manila, the next big career industry focus will be on teachers and educational improvement.

8. Cell phones, OPM, and our food will still be big sellers in our malls and our Metro Manila streets will somewhat get cleaner (maybe just a little bit).

9. More people will start buying DVDs instead of pirated VCDs as the prices go down (my 10 yr. old nephew already complains about the VCD's poor quality :nuts: ).

10. OFWs and balikbayans retiring back to the country will BOTH increase.

11. PSE and markets will reach new highs as these people (above) and local businesses pump more capital into our economy.

:banana:

flymordecai

March 6th, 2007, 01:26 AM

I like what you see in your magic ball, jgacis. Definitely within our reach and doable!

I will add one that should be doable as well:

1. One 300m (in construction) building in the Philippines. It would probably be in Metro Manila, although I hope it's in somewhere else in the Philippines like Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, or something. If that happened, it will have the same impact on the city like the Petronas Towers on KL and Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

Ady001

March 6th, 2007, 08:00 AM

^^ Surely, it will... Now, it has affected the way we perceive our values.

jgacis

March 6th, 2007, 10:45 AM

^^ Yes, the skycraper is one of the most symbolic forms of progress! Thanks for reminding... :okay:

renell

March 6th, 2007, 12:11 PM

But is "not being first world" the only reason for us having low suicide rate? I believe it may also have to do with our traditional values, Filipino values that are never undermined by money, or at least I hope it won't be. Let me make a generalization, those Filipino families that "assimilate" to the point of losing their Filipino values are those that probably have more suicide rates. I don't have stats, I only generalize, but as you say there is a difference between overseas families and Filipinos. Technically these immigrated Filipinos are now citizens of their countries, they grew up in that country.

Look at a lot of those countries with high rates, they are European; certainly European society is more singular in a generalization i.e. they live alone in apartments without much big family ties.

jgacis

March 6th, 2007, 12:51 PM

^^ True...and it also makes a big difference if the filipino overseas is an immigrate, 1st generation born, 2nd generation...etc. etc.

I'm 1st generation born here in Los Angeles, but I grew in a very traditional filipino household since my parents were both immigrants from the Philippines. The bigger differences I see are the filipinos who are 2nd generation whose filipino parents where born here also in the states.

I've travelled to many places around the world (about 27 countries including stopovers) and I have a more open mind where I can appreciate the Philippines (I've been there many times). Unfortunately, I know too many filipinos here in the states who have never been to the Philippines, and sadly some don't even care in going there. Fortunately, there are still those who want to go there and know more about their cultural roots.

So it's true filipinos assimilate to their host countries, especially if its a first world country. But I still think what really matters is the maturity level of each individual and how open (or narrow) minded they view themselves in their society and environment.

OtAkAw

March 6th, 2007, 03:19 PM

Well... It doesn't mean that we should be sitting docks...

I'm just proposing a first world Philippines that doesn't lost its own sanity in the process.

Alam mo ba, it has been proven that countries where there is a prevalent trend of suicide among the people are usually countries that experienced RAPID INDUSTRIALIZATION. Japan and Hungay are the BEST examples. Ever heard of the song "Gloomy Sunday"?

PaoloMig

March 6th, 2007, 08:05 PM

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1274/img2982zl4.jpg

kiretoce

March 6th, 2007, 08:12 PM

^^ Hmm....in three years time? :sly:

Lili

March 6th, 2007, 10:14 PM

In 2010, no more visible wires! (sana)

PaoloMig

March 6th, 2007, 10:32 PM

deleted

PaoloMig

March 6th, 2007, 10:33 PM

there are some parts of this freeway that looks like EDSA^^
only cleaner

Louman

March 7th, 2007, 02:07 AM

^^ that's in Pasadena btw. It's a city NE of Los Angeles. That freeway in the photo is the 210/134 if you guys wanna look at it on Google Earth to see what EDSA should look like. I've driven on it before and it has 10-12 lanes. For EDSA to have the same amount, the govt would have to buy off a lot of land to add more lanes.

Louman

March 7th, 2007, 02:27 AM

Here's an overhead view of the two highways in comparison

EDSA, Manila (serves a city of 11 million)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/EDSA1.jpg

210 Freeway, Pasadena/Los Angeles (serves a city of 3 million)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/210Fwy.jpg

Find anything wrong with the above pictures? heh heh.

flymordecai

March 7th, 2007, 05:14 AM

You're hardly making a point there as LA traffic is as bad, if not worse, than traffic in the Philippines. :p

IsaRic

March 7th, 2007, 05:17 AM

Louman

March 7th, 2007, 07:45 AM

You're hardly making a point there as LA traffic is as bad, if not worse, than traffic in the Philippines. :p

I'm not saying that the traffic in LA is better than Manila. I just wish the streets and highways, especially major ones like EDSA should be much wider that they are now. Anyone who has driven in LA on the 5 Freeway around Anaheim knows what big difference it makes (and how quickly the traffic disappears) when a freeway goes from 6 lanes to 10. Below is the portion of the freeway I am talking about. Notice the traffic on the segment before the transition to the 10 lanes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/santaanafreeway.jpg

Ady001

March 7th, 2007, 11:58 AM

^^ I Only knew Bloody Sunday by U2 hehehe :D

evangelistik

March 7th, 2007, 02:51 PM

Both. I want first-world status AND happiness. Let's have our cake and eat it too, it's the only way to live, baby.

AH-7Raja

March 7th, 2007, 03:29 PM

I'm mulling about starting this thread in SSC. Maybe people won't mind it; it's not even part of the development thread of the SSC-Pinas, but anyway, I want to mull it very well in order for others to help me in the mulling.

For a very long time, the Philippines already had chances of becoming First world. In the 1950s, cliche has it that we're just second to Japan in terms of the economy. However, rampant politicking, bad governmental plans, corruption and sometimes, ethnocentrism had dominated and somewhat ruined the dream of the Philippines to become a "rich" country. Marcos stated that "I will make this nation great again" and his Bagong Lipunan, but 20 years of his rule have forced the peso to crap, politics to an all time high, and the economy in shambles.

Then Cory came and restored the economy, moderately. It was not until the time of Fidel Ramos that Philippines 2000 came into prospect. The dream of achieving the Philippines to become a Tiger was all over the papers. This came until the Asian Financial Crisis ruined it all. The peso collapsed, many businesses closed and all of a sudden, we're in our second wave of economic depression.

When the 21st century came, the Philippines have started to benefit from its colonial attributes and used it to their advantage. A brief hiatus in the Erap era have again forced our economy to a brief stagnation. But now, we're bounds and leaps in progress. We've used the English language to BPOs. The millenium bug crash and the dotcom revolution have crossed borders and intensified our global competitiveness. Slowly, we are on the path of developing.

But I am wondering. Is the Philippines well off rich, or be satisfied and well-off?

I am not saying that to be satisfied is to be poor forever. I meant the satisfaction in terms of wealth, education and the like. It is a very philosophical approach to modern life; having seen people from industrialized nations becoming less enchanted, more jaded, and more weary of life, they turn to material wealth and become less satisfied with life.

Definitely everyone of us want to see our country to progress and to be developed in 20 years time. Sino bang sira ang may ayaw makitang umunlad ang pinas?

Also, you should do a better research about Cory.

First of all, how can you tell cory was able to restore our economy moderately, when in fact she never did? She tried though but failed.

Second of all, it was all her fault why we're still waging this war against communism and muslim rebellions. Why? Cory gave amnesty to dozens of communist leaders which then was known as political leaders, and one of them was Jose Maria Sison, who until now lives in luxary in Netherlands while playing his communist pawns against our government. Later, the worst ever she did when she demolished the parliamentary system that was initiated by Marcos. Im telling you, if we were in parliamentary since 1986, we may have long been finished the war in mindanao, as the muslims were only longing to have their own power in which in federal system, they could no longer have to dream of being separated from us, but atleast to have their own federal state. Now ask marcos why he liked to have a parliamentary system? You know what? Because he is smart, and knows how to end the war in mindanao.

Third of all, if the war against these rebellions ended for like 15 years agon, imagine that where we could be now? RP has spent billions of dollars just to fight the hardcores, and most of this money just ended up in the pockets of corrupt officials today and yesterdays. Dont you think we had the worst corruption ever since the marcoses left?

Lastly, it was the americans who helped our country screwed up by using their CIA's covert operations. Read David Wise' biography and books:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKwiseD.htm

The only reason why the marcos administration for the last 5 to 8 yrs had gone down because of the US intervention (CIA) by painting black roses to RP while broadcasting to the world that we are their #1 bestfriend in asia, this was ever since marcos started his patriotic programs. The americans supported all of marcos' enemies and hoping that our next president will be the american's next puppet. So whos the villain here? I think marcos was a victim of conspiracy theory, and was just another CIA victim. And what the americans did to our money where which ferdinand was carrying? It ended up at Fort Knox.

Therefore, to my own opinion, it was really the US who played as the bigtime Diablo here, as they sacked our engineers who pioneered our rocketry, automobile, aircraft, and electronic development technology programs. When Marcos was here, every other asian nations were afraid of him and admired our progress, and we could have never stopped our progress if it wasnt because of the americans!

Anyway, the only excellent filipino inventor left in the philippines was mr. Dingel, who have pioneered our first water-run engine, in which that time, the americans ignored him and thought he was not a threat.

There are many more stories behind the CIA's role in RP to be read.

As to what i understood, the CIA first wanted to topple the marcos administration because of his increasing militarilization and his nuclear ambition aside of being accused of nationwide corruptions, that we might ended up to become another Cuba. Marcos also wanted to make it clear that RP will learn how to be more patriotic and the secret of nationalism. He made many projects such as the self-reliance program, by developing pinoy cars, TVs, & other electronic products. This make also the US largely more insecured when Imelda visited and made diplomatic friendship with a number of communist countries, like Cuba, Libya, & China.

Anyway, the US' #1 pawn was Cory Aquino, in which they thought she could atleast change our nation into a better place to live and work. Unfortunately, she was one of the biggest mistake ever! As she let go of dozens of communist leaders, and that ended our Filipino Dream. She not also failed to continue the marcos' infrastructure projects, but she also failed to uplift the philippine educational system. Generaly, SHE FAILED EVERYTHING!

Millions of filipinos may have realized their mistake by now, and learned to accept our flaws and why we neglected our very own moment to change our country into a better place, and how much we missed that opportunity right after we kicked out Ferdinand Marcos. On top of this, Cory Aquino was a NO politician, NO business minded, & most of all had NO EXPERIENCE in politics when she became a president.

Now it took us 4 more administrations instead of 1 right after Marcos, before we can taste a real economic progress. Its just too bad that many filipinos are still blaming the marcoses with all the faults we have today, when we were even became worst than his administration. To sum up the total, believe it or not, RP also became one of the CIA's trial & error experimental place.

Now look at the US election campaign, they now not afraid of possibly to have a female president.

Im telling you, we may have be better off today if we never toppled the marcoses.

:cheers:

evangelistik

March 7th, 2007, 04:50 PM

Anyway, the only excellent filipino inventor left in the philippines was mr. Dingel, who have pioneered our first water-run engine, in which that time, the americans ignored him and thought he was not a threat.

A basic understanding of thermodynamics would prove that this is a hoax. I was twelve years old when I read about this guy, and even then I didn't believe it. I can't understand why anyone would.

Anyways, if one aspect of your thesis is wrong, how go the rest of your argument?

Rene Ybardolaza

March 7th, 2007, 05:30 PM

You're hardly making a point there as LA traffic is as bad, if not worse, than traffic in the Philippines. :p

This is all subjective, but I've ridden both (LA and Manila) on motorcycles and nowhere have I seen traffic as bad as the ones in the Philippines. There are places where my bike can't filter through traffic in Metro Manila because it is so congested. I have not experienced that at all in L.A. or New York or Mexico or South America or Europe.

Ady001

March 7th, 2007, 10:39 PM

^^ Actually, the Marcoses would've done good things though, but how in the world did they befriend those Americans? I mean, even Makoy has a mistress, and America does have a lot of influences at that time, even influencing the creation of the ill-fated manila film center.

It doesn't come as any surprise today. Chech out kiretoce's response on why the stock market is collapsing. Since China is surprisingly slowly surpassing the US in terms of the world economy, there is a reason for the US to fear.

And we couldn't possibly have BPOs today without the americans. I mean, who did the benevolent assimilation and who sent the thomasites almost 100 years ago?

Anyway, let's go back to the happiness thread. I guess this was what made makoy unhappy- the pursuit of leisure.

lumpia

March 7th, 2007, 11:34 PM

i certainly hope it will!

This "poor but happy" rubbish is only stated by those who aren't the worst off in Filipino society. Those people who are worst off may be thinking something completely different, along the lines of "i dont want me or my kids to slowly starve to death, help us!". The whole nation has to get serious in wanting ALL of its citizens to be well fed, clothed, sheltered and educated.

But it will mean that its up to the government to find a way to create enough job opportunities at home through foreign or local investment to overturn the large OFW exodus. Apparently, its not raising the economy, only stablizing it, and a country cannot raise its economy if most of the population aims to leave it behind in search of better economies. This is the sacrifice Malaysia and Thailand are making, and the fruits have only been evident in the last 10 years. The first step on the local as well as national govt. behalf is the tackling of widespread corruption (although Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia's govts are not stainless either), a move to at least considerably lessen corruption if eliminating it is impossible. As well as developing infrastructure for tourism, rural industry and outsourcing (creating more local jobs). The overruns from these can be used by the govt to provide some sort of menial welfare system for the poorest in society, mostly the rural peoples. Lessons must be learned from other more succesful members of ASEAN. Hopefully with that in mind of the next few presidents, the country will reach 1st world status one day. :D

So in short thats a yes! :lol:

lumpia

March 7th, 2007, 11:57 PM

Hopefully better in some ways. It all depends on the administration in 2010! I vote dictatorship! ;) That's the only way Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan had achieved their economic success: Economist autocracies, even for a short period of time. As we all know, Marcos was NOT an economist, he was a control-freak, and there is no way that with the Filipino people's experience of the worst, that they will ever allow such a guy to lead the country again.

Personally, I don't think US style democracy can help a 3rd world country achieve 1st world status. Think about it: what other examples of 3rd world liberal-democracies turning 1st world have we got?? Latin America and Africa are two of the poorest regions on earth.

On the contrary its what I had said: Economic-centric autocracies or semi-autocracies usually help in organising large-scale economic changes. The list of succesful 3rd world countries that went down this route in order to reach developed status lies in the stories of our immediate neighbours.

(Economically minded) Dictator for 2010! :lol:

Lili

March 8th, 2007, 12:22 AM

^^ Well, economically-minded but with a healthy respect for civil liberties, too. Is that possible for a dictator?

lumpia

March 8th, 2007, 12:40 AM

^^ Well, economically-minded but with a healthy respect for civil liberties, too. Is that possible for a dictator?
hmmm.. that's sorta hard to say, but then again, thats hard to say for the present too. What we have is: a new president every 6 years: not knowing whether he/she will actually help the country economically in the long-run or respect civil liberties, because politically, there is no long-run. What seemed good during Cory's stay was not so good during Ramoses. What was considered not-good during Ramos' stay became angelic compared to Erap's. Maybe we might need to try something abit different, something that has a long drawn out plan. Civil liberties can be sacrified for a short while, if it means that in the end that all Filipinos have access to food, water, shelter and education. We cannot sit on our laurels if it is not actually helping many people. That aim cannot be reached with everyone so intent on immediately opposing what they see at one time as non-beneficial from the government, because of the "short-term minds" that the last century has fostered in many of the masa. Change for at least a short while may be very beneficial to the country. (btw i am NOT a communist! :D)

PaoloMig

March 8th, 2007, 12:41 AM

post #127@lumpia, i totally agree with you on that man

evangelistik

March 8th, 2007, 01:35 AM

Lili

March 8th, 2007, 01:42 AM

^^ Ask @AH7-Raja. He is the one who made that tenuous link and all those Marcos conspiracy theories. lol.

Danny Chua

March 8th, 2007, 05:13 AM

Must the Philippines be First World?
If possible at all, hell yes!

First world = economic and political clout. First world = your subjects breezing through other countries' customs hassle-free. First world = your homeless still have welfare checks to collect. First world = immigrants begging to be let in instead of your people leaving in droves.

If becoming first world means a rise in suicide rates so be it. A small price to pay. Consider it 'survival of the fittest' at work. Those weaklings will earn no sympathy from me.

AH-7Raja

March 8th, 2007, 06:27 AM

A basic understanding of thermodynamics would prove that this is a hoax. I was twelve years old when I read about this guy, and even then I didn't believe it. I can't understand why anyone would.

Anyways, if one aspect of your thesis is wrong, how go the rest of your argument?

I dont know much about why you are comparing that 18th century thermodynamic technic or steam power with the more modern hydrogen-powered engine technics.

But i suggest, you watch his video.
http://inventors.about.com/b/a/257272.htm

I dont know how much intelligent this person is, but surely he can convince some people about his works.

Nobody knows though if Daniel Dingel is cheating or not everytime he has a presentation to prove his invention because he got no paper works, but all done by his verbal presentation with matching video. While his invention is not impossible since many more people out there were using the same technology, it may also be possible that he was just trying to protect his works from being pirated or copied.

Apparently, Dingel's invention had also reached the united states, and a certain Stan Meyer has developed his own version of water-powered engine, a very similar techonology used by mr. Dingel.

http://techepics.com/files/power_car_water.jpg
Inventor Daniel Dingel claims to have built a functional water-powered car “as early as 1969″ — the above project is one of his latest creations.

…engine has a chamber that breaks apart water molecules to produce combustible hydrogen. Electricity from a 12-volt car battery to used to split the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen components, with the hydrogen then used to power the car engine.

http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/a-look-back-water-powered-dune-buggy
http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/a-look-back-water-powered-car

Similar to Daniel Dingel’s invention, Stan Meyer created a dune buggy powered by a water fuel cell.

On board electrolysis, no hydrogen tanks, just water. It ran 100 miles per gallon. The Military was going to use this technology in their tanks, jeeps, etc. He had patents on his invention and was ready for production. Only $1,500 to equip your car! Stanley said he was offered a billion dollars to basically shelf his idea.

I say, our government should support his works and award him for his invention. Even if we just protect his works and grant him a patent, this will surely make him happy. So one day, if we all stopped using oil for fuels, then we can always revive his invention.

:)

Ady001

March 8th, 2007, 12:29 PM

^^ Probably suicide could shortchange progress, but sometimes it can affect the productivity of people. Some people cannot muster all the alienation and machines they'll be in for.

evangelistik

March 8th, 2007, 07:09 PM

I dont know much about why you are comparing that 18th century thermodynamic technic or steam power with the more modern hydrogen-powered engine technics.

I don't know.. maybe because it's a transfer of energy? It's high school physics, learn the laws of thermodynamics. That's like saying the law of gravity is moot because Isaac Newton died in the early 18th century. If someone drops a piano off a building, it's going to fall at f=mg. That doesn't change over the centuries.

Water is already at a stable state, that's why it's so abundant. Breaking apart the hydrogen and oxygen bonds would take so much more energy than it would produce that this is a no-brainer. Again, highschool level chemistry will teach you about the molecular bonds of water.

But i suggest, you watch his video.
http://inventors.about.com/b/a/257272.htm

I dont know how much intelligent this person is, but surely he can convince some people about his works.

Nobody knows though if Daniel Dingel is cheating or not everytime he has a presentation to prove his invention because he got no paper works, but all done by his verbal presentation with matching video. While his invention is not impossible since many more people out there were using the same technology, it may also be possible that he was just trying to protect his works from being pirated or copied.

Apparently, Dingel's invention had also reached the united states, and a certain Stan Meyer has developed his own version of water-powered engine, a very similar techonology used by mr. Dingel.

If you had the opportunity to meet Dingel, and he convinced you to invest in his "water-powered" engine, then he achieved his objectives. Because you just got scammed by him.

I say, our government should support his works and award him for his invention. Even if we just protect his works and grant him a patent, this will surely make him happy. So one day, if we all stopped using oil for fuels, then we can always revive his invention.

Let's use common sense here. Say the invention is true (which I bet my life and soul it isn't) and it works... say it's as simple as the video described it as... this thing would have been taken apart, studied, reinvented the world over. Especially now with the UN report on global warming, there's no way such a "miracle" source of extracting energy could be ignored. Don't even give me that oil cartel B.S. about them suppressing these kinds of inventions, this would have been discovered and distributed independently because it's so revolutionary.

Use your head. Maybe this should be moved to the Philippine Education thread instead.

jgacis

March 8th, 2007, 07:59 PM

^^ Dingel reminds me of the old style filipino ways of medical healing. You can see the videos of the sick being cured by these so called doctors, but there is no clear written scientific expanation or quantifiable verification that their practices actually work.

I'm sure our human minds are very powerful, and even just our minds alone may have helped in the healing process. But to assume that a particular process or theory is true must be quantified, explained in written form, and have the capability of being duplicated anywhere around the world. If it can't be, then explain why!!!

Being an inventor still requires a formal process in order to prove something to the world. This weeds out the fakes and the true innovative minds out there.

We need to stop acting like magicians (ie. performing video-taped road shows and demonstrations), and place more of our time into finding solutions through communicative processes and teamwork.

When we can do that, we are taking the first steps into becoming a first world country....... :)

Ady001

March 9th, 2007, 04:13 PM

^^ You know, your post reminds me of the Cultural Revolution. At that time, Mao was doing his own self-criticism during his speeches and he had plans of making China into a major iron producing country. Sad to say, they bent the figures and most of the output of the iron of China was lackluster to say at least. Many figures were bent and a lot of people really suffered.

Askal82

March 10th, 2007, 09:51 PM

Dingel's claim about his car running on water did not get the support of the government for the following reasons:

The laws of conservation on thermodynamics simply doesn't support Dingel's hypothesis that he can instantaneously feed the engine with the right amount/ proportion of hydrogen and oxygen mixture quick enough to react and produce sufficient energy to run it.

Power is produced by multiplying voltage by its amperes. If an average car engine requires 76,000 watts of power (100hp) and an ordinary car battery can only produce 12 volts of energy, therefore, it should supply about 6,333.33 amperes of current to come up with 76,000 watts (12 volts x 6,333.33). Ask yourself, can a regular car battery produce 6,333.33 amps? You either needed to steal one of those giant electric generators used in the powerplants or come up with a discovery of a compact device small enough to fit inside the hood that can multiply the amperage by that amount.

Just as evangelistic says, water is a very stable compound because of high energy it produces when it reacts. Conversely, the same is true when you break it down to their elemental composition. Taken into account of the massive quantities of energy or current required to come up with 76,000 watts given the limited resources available plus the extra power needed to break down a litter of water is simply beyond imagination.

During the tests conducted by the scientists and engineers at DOST, they observed that Dingel's car still produces significant amounts carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides - the usual end products of a regular car. Dingel also refused to disclose the tehnical specifications of his water engine to them as well.

http://www.gov.ph/FORUM/thread.asp?rootID=2678&catID=28&page=3
http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15313&page=3

jgacis

March 10th, 2007, 10:21 PM

Dingel also refused to disclose the tehnical specifications of his water engine to them as well.

If that is so, I think we shouldn't waste any more time with Dingel. :ohno:

Ady001

March 12th, 2007, 08:47 PM

^^ Nah... let's get back to my question, the dingle side seems to be off-kilter.

What could be the best place for the Philippines? Should we be like Japan that grew their way to the tops of the world but at the expense of alienation, or should we be like Malaysia, which although unlike Japan, still has maintained a bit of its sanity.

I'm asking this because if progress (or much of it) causes to hamper people's humanities, it can have averse effects. And larger economies also have a lot of worrying compared to developing countries like us na parang we seem to be so dependent to them, which causes them to freak out once a financial crisis lingers.

evangelistik

March 14th, 2007, 06:19 AM

I think it was Business Week magazine that did an article on "The Happiest Places on Earth".... they had Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Iceland among the top happiest countries in the world. U.S. was #23. That'll probably answer your question.

Being first world isn't all stress and anxiety.

jgacis

March 17th, 2007, 09:28 AM

This is what GMA has to say about the Philippines @ 2010....

"The basic task of the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan for the period 2004-2010 is to fight poverty and build prosperity for the greatest number of the Filipino people. We must open up economic opportunities, maintain socio-political stability, and promote good stewardship--- all to ensure a better quality of life for all our citizens. We will focus on strategic measures and activities that will spur economic growth and create jobs. This can only be done with a common purpose to put our economic house back in working order."

-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

The Medium Term Philippine Development Plan is a detailed roadmap towards achieving our common goal of reducing poverty through job creation and enterprise. After enumerating the Basic Tasks or 10-Point Agenda laid out by the President, it lays out the current macroeconomic situation then moves on to the fighting targets:

GDP growth accelerating to 7-8% by the years 2009 and 2010

An investment to GDP ratio nearing 28% by 2010

Exports exceeding $50 billion by 2006

A balanced budget by 2010

Annual job creation exceeding 1.7 million jobs by 2009

And poverty incidence reduced to below 20% by 2009

http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/mtpdp2004-2010.htm

Sound good to me. Some of the changes she mentions are happening now as we speak. I'm not too fond though of a unicameral parliamentary system. I think the democracy system we have now (modeled after the U.S. govt. system) is sustainable and good for now. Why? Because it's the people, not the system, that is corrupt and in need of reform. That's just my opinion though...

Solblanc

March 17th, 2007, 12:53 PM

^^

I completely disagree on civil liberties being curtailed. A perfect autocracy here in the Philippines where some magical smartass dictator does what's best for the country and leads us into economic development is not very feasible. Our rather flawed democracy is better than any dictatorship.

Anyway, back to the topic, any development by 2010 hinges on the elections. I'm hoping that competent lawmakers be elected this May, instead of personalities with no background in politics. That, and I'm also hoping for less political bickering and more hands-on work.

jgacis

March 18th, 2007, 12:44 AM

^^ Our rather flawed democracy is better than any dictatorship.

I agree, although I see the flaw more in corrupt mentalities than the democracy system itself. It's like trying to drive a car that runs fine. It will eventually crash if the person doesn't want to learn to drive it.

ryanr

March 18th, 2007, 01:20 AM

I'm not saying that the traffic in LA is better than Manila. I just wish the streets and highways, especially major ones like EDSA should be much wider that they are now. Anyone who has driven in LA on the 5 Freeway around Anaheim knows what big difference it makes (and how quickly the traffic disappears) when a freeway goes from 6 lanes to 10. Below is the portion of the freeway I am talking about. Notice the traffic on the segment before the transition to the 10 lanes.

You know, urban planning centered around highways is sooo 1950s/1960s mindset. Building more inner city highways with 10 lanes just ends up making traffic worse. I'd hate to see Metro Manila with the highways Los Angeles and other major US cities have. What i want is more mass transit (MRT lines) and efficient bus routes. Arterial roads should also be cleared up from vendors, jeepneys waiting in the middle of the road, etc...

The highway around Anaheim may be clear now, but wait for 5 years and it will be congested. More people will move out to suburbs because of these wider highways and contribute to traffic.

Askal82

March 18th, 2007, 01:23 AM

^^ Yeupz and all the world's major cities have mass transit systems and Manila should definitely follow that path when planning for transportation infrastructures.

jgacis

March 18th, 2007, 01:36 AM

The highway around Anaheim may be clear now, but wait for 5 years and it will be congested. More people will move out to suburbs because of these wider highways and contribute to traffic.

That's why Anaheim is trying to promote high-density projects like the Platinum Triangle....so people will live and work IN the city.

http://www.anaheim.net/article.asp?id=1161

I do agree with you on Manila keeping its road unlike those of L.A. Los Angeles county grew from several small towns that blossomed with the advent of roads connecting them. Manila on the other hand grew up without the reliance of the automobile that Californians had. It's better to let Manila keep its flavor and continue its mass transportation development (something that L.A. lacks) as the population grows.

ryanr

March 18th, 2007, 01:50 AM

That's why Anaheim is trying to promote high-density projects like the Platinum Triangle....so people will live and work IN the city.

http://www.anaheim.net/article.asp?id=1161

Good for them:okay: But even then, LA and its suburbs is huge and it will fill up in no time. Orange County and other folks still need to get to LA and Anaheim, so widening those highways is just a temporary fix.

I do agree with you on Manila keeping its road unlike those of L.A. Los Angeles county grew from several small towns that blossomed with the advent of roads connecting them. Manila on the other hand grew up without the reliance of the automobile that Californians had. It's better to let Manila keep its flavor and continue its mass transportation development (something that L.A. lacks) as the population grows.

:okay:

Insanedriver

March 18th, 2007, 05:55 PM

jeepneys and buses are the most common problems in metro-manila...
dapat meron "jeepney stop lane" (something like that) para hindi sagabal sa mga motorista... kasi nung nagbakasyon ako nung december, a jeepney suddenly stopped for a passenger, syempre agad nagbreak ung kuya ko... muntik na ngang mabanga...grabe... uminit ang ulo niya :lol:

tigidig14

March 18th, 2007, 06:53 PM

by 2010 lahat ng estero sa manila barado na at may nakatayong bahay haha

ramvingar

March 21st, 2007, 04:58 AM

hmmm.. that's sorta hard to say, but then again, thats hard to say for the present too. What we have is: a new president every 6 years: not knowing whether he/she will actually help the country economically in the long-run or respect civil liberties, because politically, there is no long-run. What seemed good during Cory's stay was not so good during Ramoses. What was considered not-good during Ramos' stay became angelic compared to Erap's. Maybe we might need to try something abit different, something that has a long drawn out plan. Civil liberties can be sacrified for a short while, if it means that in the end that all Filipinos have access to food, water, shelter and education. We cannot sit on our laurels if it is not actually helping many people. That aim cannot be reached with everyone so intent on immediately opposing what they see at one time as non-beneficial from the government, because of the "short-term minds" that the last century has fostered in many of the masa. Change for at least a short while may be very beneficial to the country. (btw i am NOT a communist! :D)

Reading this reminded me of my mom. Hehe! It's like she was talking. :lol:

Speaking of LA traffic, I live near Ventura Blvd close to the junction of the 405 and 101 freeways. Both these freeways and Ventura Boulevard are notorious for their gridlock and have the reputation of having the worst traffic jams in the whole US. Now I live three miles from work and there are times that it takes me 40 minutes to get to the office. 3 miles in 40 minutes? Now that's pretty bad!

Nabartek

March 21st, 2007, 05:08 AM

probably a near 100-million population... we're more than 90 million now and still growing in numbers!

ryanr

March 21st, 2007, 05:32 AM

Reading this reminded me of my mom. Hehe! It's like she was talking. :lol:

Speaking of LA traffic, I live near Ventura Blvd close to the junction of the 405 and 101 freeways. Both these freeways and Ventura Boulevard are notorious for their gridlock and have the reputation of having the worst traffic jams in the whole US. Now I live three miles from work and there are times that it takes me 40 minutes to get to the office. 3 miles in 40 minutes? Now that's pretty bad!

40 min for 3 miles!?! That just shows how car dependent LA folks (well, most Americans) are.

Louman

March 21st, 2007, 06:07 AM

40 min for 3 miles!?! That just shows how car dependent LA folks (well, most Americans) are.

Those two freeways are the only bad ones in LA (that and the 710). Those numbers are synonymous with LA traffic. As for more and wider highways in Manila. I still think it's a good idea. All those living in the slums will eventually become part of the middle class (upper class if they're lucky). They're going to want to buy a car with their new found wealth (not through Wowowee, but through education and a good job). They're gonna want to drive that car, not take the public transportation system. They're going to want to drive from the most southern point of Taguig to the most northern point of Quezon City in under two hours. Look at China right now and its increasing middle class. They're increasingly buying more and more cars. A mix of a good transportation and highway system is the way to go in Manila, not just one of them.

ryanr

March 21st, 2007, 06:16 AM

^^ That's the problem. Western capitalism wants people to buy cars, consume gas and live auto dominated lives. Its big bucks for oil companies, car companies and the consumption economy. Who loses out? The consumers, the environment and the other half of the economy due to losses caused by congestion and decrease in productivity. Look at NYC and most European cities, their mass transportation utilization rate is well above 50% of total commuters. In many cases its at a high 80-90%. These cities are highly efficient, productive and have lower pollutant emissions. By building mass transit instead of highways, people will use them for their everyday commute. Many New Yorkers are happy with not owning a car, and kudos to them. Tokyo, London, Zurich, etc are other good examples of how cities do very well with mass transportation. Sorry but when the middle class increases and if car sales go up, it would take more than 2 hours to get from Taguig to northern QC due to traffic;)

China is a country that is not planning for its future very well. It has some of the worst air pollution in the world, and it will only get worse with the increase of automobile use. They are following the path of the United States in the 1950s only they are coming in when peak oil production has either occurred or will soon occur. :ohno:

I'm not saying owning a car is evil. I personally love cars. But for commuting purposes, its best if cities concentrate on mass transit. People can use their cars on weekends or important events. In case you're wondering, i commute to school by bus and only use the car for other purposes;)

Louman

March 21st, 2007, 06:30 AM

^^ Well, I hope we develop a good subway system in the future (the number to beat is 14, which is how many lines Tokyo has). I'm not looking forward to an elevated rail system at every major street. People need sunlight after all! (not to mention the risk of being underneath those during an earthquake)

ryanr

March 21st, 2007, 06:38 AM

I'd like a good mix of subway and elevated systems in the metro:) Maybe some at-grade light rail systems in areas with space (Calgary style).

kiretoce

March 21st, 2007, 09:50 AM

I'm just waiting for the flying cars to be mass produced. :lol: :jk: :nocrook:

venntro

March 21st, 2007, 09:50 AM

leii_tomo

March 21st, 2007, 10:37 AM

2010 philippines...much better than today, if gloria is still there, i admire her, she has these legacy hopefully she can fulfill it...

kevinb

March 23rd, 2007, 08:48 AM

probably a near 100-million population... we're more than 90 million now and still growing in numbers!

If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere that our population will be playing around 137 million in 2025.

jgacis

March 23rd, 2007, 10:24 AM

^^ I really want to see several Subway developments and a nationwide railway system. The Makati CBD, FGBC and Ortigas CBD should each have their own underground rail system catering exclusively to the area within their respective CBDs. Not to mention, I don't want to see those spaghetti wires anymore.

Yes to that! Totoo...Spaghetti wires are so indicative of a poor third-world country.

Pic I took of spaghetti wires in my 2003 travel to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. This was inside the favelas...

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/8303/dscn1082bv6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Pic I took of spaghetti wires in my dad's area of Sorsogon City, Sorsogon Philippines in January 2007 (Bicol Region)....

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/894/dscn3855yc0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

:ohno: I hope in 2010 there will be LESS of these mickey-moused wires in the Philippines. Not only do they look bad, they are so susceptible to electrical/fire hazards (especially during repairs) and vulnerable to typhoons and storms. I think underground cables would be better like the ones in FBGC.

NOVO ECIJANO

May 23rd, 2007, 03:42 PM

Countries currently considered NICs.The category of newly industrialized country (NIC) is a socioeconomic classification applied to several countries around the world by political scientists and economists.

NICs are countries whose economies have not yet reached first world status but have, in a macroeconomic sense, outpaced their developing counterparts. Another characterization of NICs is that of nations undergoing rapid economic growth (usually export-oriented). Incipient or ongoing industrialization is an important indicator of a NIC. In many NICs, social upheaval can occur as primarily rural, agricultural populations migrate to the cities, where the growth of manufacturing concerns and factories can draw many thousands of laborers.

NICs usually share some other common features, including:

Increased social freedoms and civil rights.
A switch from agricultural to industrial economies, especially in the manufacturing sector.
An increasingly open-market economy, allowing free trade with other nations in the world.
Large national corporations operating in several continents.
Strong capital investment from foreign countries.
Political leadership in their area of influence.
NICs often receive support from non-governmental organizations such as the WTO and other internal support bodies. However, as they are beneficiaries of globalization, many fair trade supporters and other protectionists have balked at importing the products of NICs and the outsourcing of jobs to the NICs, especially from/to the People's Republic of China and India.

Contents [hide]
1 Historical context
2 Current NIC countries
2.1 Brief economic analysis
3 Issues
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Historical context
The term began to be used in the 1970s when the so-called "East Asian Tigers"[1] of Hong Kong (then colony of the United Kingdom), South Korea, Singapore and the Republic of China (Taiwan) rose to global prominence with rapid industrial growth since the 1960s, most now having evolved beyond this status. There is a distinction between these countries and the nations now considered to be NICs. In particular, the combination of an open political process, high per capita GDP income and a thriving, export-oriented economic policy has shown that these countries have now reached the ranks of developed countries. All of them possess an HDI (Human development index) over 0.9, equal to the average of EU countries. Finally, South Korea is now part of the OECD.

[edit] Current NIC countries
The following table presents the list of countries currently considered NICs in each continent by different authors [2][3][4][5]. Some authors still consider the first generation list of countries (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong[6]) as NICs, and some others argue they are now developed countries.

Continent Country GDP
(Millions of USD) GDP
per capita (USD) Income equality (GINI) HDI
(2004)
Africa South Africa [4][5] 520,948 12,796 57.8 0.653 (medium)
North America Mexico [2][3][4][5] 1,108,281 11,249 49.5 0.821 (high)
South America Brazil [2][3] 1,566,253 9,108 58 0.792 (medium)
Asia China [4][5] 8,814,860 7,598 44.7 0.768 (medium)
India [2][5] 3,779,044 3,737 32.5 0.611 (medium)
Malaysia [2] 275,830 11,858 49.2 0.805 (high)
Philippines [2][3] 426,689 5,314 46.1 0.763 (medium)
Thailand [2][3] 557,378 9,084 42 0.784 (medium)
Europe Turkey [3][5] 605,876 9,108 43.6 0.757 (medium)

NOTES:
1. GDP (PPP) (2005 data), and GDP (PPP) per capita (2006 data)[7] figures correspond to the IMF.
2. GINI Coefficient as in the 2006 United Nations survey. The higher the figure, the higher the inequality.
3. Human Development Index (HDI) as in the 2006 United Nations report (data from 2004).

However, China and India are special cases: the immense population of these two nations (over two billion people combined as of November 2006) means that per capita income will remain low even if either economy surpasses that of the United States of America. However, keeping PPP in mind, the Chinese and Indian populations will enjoy significantly reduced costs of living, as basic commodities tend to be less expensive in both nations.

Additionally the group composed of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa meet annually with the G8 countries to discuss financial topics, due to their economic importance in today's global market, in a group known as G8+5.[8]

[edit] Brief economic analysis
NICs usually benefit from comparatively low labor costs, which translates into lower input prices for suppliers. This shifts the labor supply curve downwards, resulting in a lower equilibrium wage and a reduced number of labor-hours per worker. As a result, it is often easier for producers in NICs to outperform and outproduce factories in developed countries, where the cost of living is higher, and labor unions and other organizations have more political sway.

This comparative advantage is often criticized by those advocates of the fair trade movement.

[edit]

le Reine

May 23rd, 2007, 03:44 PM

It's newly industrializing country. not industrialized

ravenhawk

May 23rd, 2007, 04:11 PM

IMO were still developing, I think the best way to describe an NIC is that it has a strong manufacturing sector and low poverty rate, In this country the biggest sectors are still services and agriculture. But definitetly were still in the "medium" category..There's still a lot to be worked on

j.r.

May 23rd, 2007, 04:33 PM

not yet.

kyle@1008

May 23rd, 2007, 04:35 PM

yup, not yet

j.r.

May 23rd, 2007, 04:36 PM

hopefully soon but as yet, quite a big percentage of the population still lives in the agricultural phase without actually tilling the land. :ohno:

j.r.

May 23rd, 2007, 04:44 PM

proof? just ask every other OFW wittingly or unwittingly bogged down by their relations ( 'coz of either necessity or design or both). :(

athan

May 23rd, 2007, 04:47 PM

I saw this posted in the wikipedia article on Philippine economy. I think it is accurate that we are an industrializing country and a new one at that. And just to remind everyone, manufacturing has already surpassed the agriculture sector in the Philippines since 1990s? With services at the top of the list. We produce and export more electronics and electronic equipments than rice and coconuts. :) We are a middle-income NIC and i can feel it.. and see it. :D

kyle@1008

May 23rd, 2007, 04:51 PM

parang commercial ni alice dixon.... I can feel it!! :lol:

le Reine

May 23rd, 2007, 05:07 PM

I can feel it... panalo ang line.. :lol:

j.r.

May 23rd, 2007, 05:10 PM

sana nga. hope i can feel it too. and soon as well. :)

NOVO ECIJANO

May 23rd, 2007, 05:43 PM

It's newly industrializing country. not industrialized

you are right,japan is one industrialized country and the philippines based on the the article is a newly industrializing country.having high per capita income is not one of the basis of being an nic.

athan

May 23rd, 2007, 05:45 PM

Haha! Sabi ko na nga parang narinig ko lang yung linyang yun. kay Alice Dixon pala. :lol:

Let's go over the requirements again and see if we really fit in.

Increased social freedoms and civil rights. CHECK
A switch from agricultural to industrial economies, especially in the manufacturing sector. CHECK
An increasingly open-market economy, allowing free trade with other nations in the world. CHECK (Japan and ASEAN)
Large national corporations operating in several continents. CHECK (SMC, Jollibee, etc)
Strong capital investment from foreign countries. Strongest so far. CHECK
Political leadership in their area of influence. Don't know about this but whatever. CHECK

lazybum

May 23rd, 2007, 07:14 PM

le Reine

May 23rd, 2007, 07:23 PM

we still need a lot of catching up to do

Arkdriver

May 23rd, 2007, 08:22 PM

Haha! Sabi ko na nga parang narinig ko lang yung linyang yun. kay Alice Dixon pala. :lol:

Let's go over the requirements again and see if we really fit in.

Increased social freedoms and civil rights. CHECK No doubt, killing here and there...first day you check in as a reporter means after that you must also prepare for your funeral
A switch from agricultural to industrial economies, especially in the manufacturing sector. CHECK (see the percentage of of workers involve in manufacturing)
An increasingly open-market economy, allowing free trade with other nations in the world. CHECK (Japan and ASEAN) then please discuss about executive orders 500A that makes Tiger Airways scared of business uncertainty influence by greedy Gokongwei
Large national corporations operating in several continents. CHECK (SMC, Jollibee, etc) Jollibee is large business? how do you define large corporations? their revenue must exceed minimum $ 250 million i think, not large number of restaurants....
Strong capital investment from foreign countries. Strongest so far. CHECK
Political leadership in their area of influence. Don't know about this but whatever. CHECK

longgggg way to go...

lazybum, thank you for providing important data, u gave us clearer picture, as we know..it's still long way to go

and for me government is doing the wrong thing by skipping industrialization stage by jumping straight focusing on service industry, convince me how can we sustain the development without strong industrial background.

Mercato

May 23rd, 2007, 09:36 PM

Boleh... :colgate:

lazybum

May 23rd, 2007, 11:18 PM

longgggg way to go...

lazybum, thank you for providing important data, u gave us clearer picture, as we know..it's still long way to go

and for me government is doing the wrong thing by skipping industrialization stage by jumping straight focusing on service industry, convince me how can we sustain the development without strong industrial background.

Hey, no problem, ssangyongs. However, the data I presented should inspire us to do more - it does not suggest that we as a people do not have the capacity to succeed. There are 149 countries in the world today. The good news is that the Philippines belongs to the upper 25% of all countries in terms of income, employment opportunities, etc.

As a matter of fact, in terms of GDP purchasing power parity, the Philippines is ranked #27 among all countries. Purchasing power parity is a technique used when determining the relative values of two currencies. For example, if a Big Mac costs $3 in the US, and 9,000 riel in Cambodia, we can determine that the exchange rate is $1 for 3,000 riel. We would then use this indexed exchange rate to determine relative value of other items. It is useful because often the amount of goods a currency can purchase within two nations varies drastically, based on availability of goods, demand for the goods, and a number of other, difficult to determine factors.

IMO, industrialization can be achieve in so many different ways. Japan, S. Korea, US, EU are involved in "heavy industries" like ship/aircraft building, satellites, car making, heavy machineries, etc. The Philippines doesn't have the capacity and resources necessary to compete in such heavy industries. On the other hand, the Philippines can supplement our existing industries by focusing on other industries that are geared towards food production, bio-medical equipments, farm machineries and implements, and so on. We just need to find a sustainable niche that is supportable in terms of financial and manpower capital.

Rajah_Soliman

May 23rd, 2007, 11:51 PM

philippines, nic????? :hilarious

hiiamdib

May 24th, 2007, 02:49 AM

^^^^ at anu nmn ang nakakatawa :baaa:

great184

May 24th, 2007, 02:54 AM

The huge disparity of rich and poor is something we must curb if we want to consider ourselves on the right tract to industrialization.

j.r.

May 24th, 2007, 03:54 AM

For me the sad thing is the entry: 40% of the population still below poverty line. If we truly want to be an NIC, we have to address this affliction. :ohno:

queetz@home

May 24th, 2007, 04:29 AM

^^ 40% of the population below poverty line is a remarkable improvement though since I remember prior to me leaving for Canada (1993), it was 70% of the population being below poverty line. This despite the fact that there were lesser ppl back then and the poverty line measurement threshhold itself was probably increased a little. God knows what the rate would have been if Erap didn't become president.... :mad2:

NOVO ECIJANO

May 24th, 2007, 08:11 AM

:banana: Cabinet approves ’07 IPP
By Elaine Ruzul S. Ramos

The Cabinet yesterday finally approved the proposed 2007 Investment Priorities Plan, a list of investment areas that are eligible for fiscal incentives.

Trade Undersecretary Elmer Hernandez said with the Cabinet’s approval, the 2007 IPP would now be forwarded to Malacañang for official endorsement of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

President Arroyo left yesterday for a three-country swing beginning with Japan, followed by Australia and New Zealand up to the end of the month.

Hernandez said the Cabinet approved the IPP in its entirety, except for a revision in which the agriculture and fishery listing was amended to agriculture/agribusiness and fishery.

“All the others were carried including coverage,” said Hernandez.

The inclusion of agribusiness in the listing is expected to facilitate the granting of incentives to enterprises that integrate agriculture with processing for a higher-value product.

The approval of the proposed 2007 IPP had been delayed for over a month after government officials were sidetracked by the mid-term elections.

An inter-agency committee led by the Board of Investments submitted the proposed 2007 IPP to the Office of the President on March 30 after consulting various agencies and the private sector.

The approval of the IPP is crucial to BoI’s realization of its 12-percent target growth in investments this year. The listing serves as an investor’s guide on the areas that have been identified by the government for priority promotion and development and eligible for fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

The 12 preferred areas included in the 2007 IPP are agriculture/agribusiness, fishery and support services; healthcare and wellness products and services; information and communications technology; electronics; motor vehicle products; energy; infrastructure; tourism; shipbuilding/shipping; iron and steel; R & D/training institutions; and machinery and equipment, raw materials and intermediate inputs in support of the activities listed in the IPP.

Cement products integrated with mining operations were also included in this year’s IPP.

The Department of Finance also endorsed the grant of incentives to new cement projects despite industry opposition.

Telecommunications projects in unserved areas are also entitled to incentives.

The mining sector has been removed from the 12 preferred priority sectors but is still entitled to government perks since Republic Act 7942, or the Mining Act, is listed in the mandatory inclusions of the IPP.

The proposed 2007 IPP retained the RED (Retention, Expansion and Diversification) program to cover the activities of existing investors either considered as global players or engaged in strategic industries.

The research and development listing covers in-house R & D activities of any manufacturing/producing firm and commercial R & D activities of private firms and research institutions.

The BoI has also included a provision requiring the endorsement of the respective government agencies on projects seeking incentives. The agency was earlier criticized for the loss of billions of pesos in government revenues because of the incentives granted to various enterprises.

Incentives registered with the BoI are granted income tax holiday of as long as eight years and preferential duty rate, among others.

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