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8/6/2019 The Philippines is Not Poor
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The Philippines is not poor
MANO-A-MANO By Adel Tamano (The Philippine Star) Updated September 19, 2010 12:00 AM
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On my daily commute from Fairview to Ortigas, which lasts at least an hour, I spend the time listening
to podcasts, speeches, and various forums that I download from the Internet. Instead of listening to the
news or music, I listen to, among others, forums held at Harvards Kennedy School of Government,
classes on Roman and Greek history from Yale University and even Spanish language lessons from and
this shows how flat the world has become a radio show in Scotland. Ive been doing this for nearly two
months and I can say that it has enriched my intellectual life immensely. In the midst of the daily routine
of work and earning a living, it is rare that you have the chance to discuss and think about great ideas or
to dialogue with inspirational leaders and thinkers of the world. So, for me, listening to these podcasts is
my modest effort, aside from trying to read one or two books a week, to keep my mind fresh, alert, and
to continuously learn. Two days ago, as I was listening to the lecture of Prime Minister RailaOdinga of
Kenya delivered at the John F. Kennedy Forum at Harvard University, two points that he raised deeply
resonated with me: 1) Africa is not poor, rather it is unfair; and 2) He is an afro-optimist, meaning that
he remains optimistic about the future of Africa. Regarding the point that Africa was not poor but rather
that it was unfair, such that, in Africa, inequity and social injustice are the root causes of poverty rather
than the lack of resources and opportunities, I couldnt help but think that that same insight applied to
the Philippines. As someone who has traveled the length and breadth of this country during the last
elections, I can say without a doubt that, in terms of natural resources, our nation is not only rich but
also incredibly beautiful. Specifically, the Philippines is rich in mineral resources. Metal deposits, such as
nickel, copper, and iron are estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons. Non-metal deposits, such as marble,
lime, and clay are projected at 19.3 billion metric tons. Additionally, we have vast timber and
agricultural resources, especially in Mindanao, as well as rich marine resources due to the archipelagicnature of the Philippines. Over 2,000 species of fish and also marine products such as corals, seaweed,
and pearls are found in Philippine waters. However, also because I have traveled the Philippines
extensively, I have witnessed firsthand the grinding poverty of a large segment of our population, which
is contrasted with the abundant wealth of a very small group of Filipinos. So, is the Philippines really
poor? I asked this question to my friends and the general sense, for most people, is that our country is
not poor, at least not in terms of resources; however, our country has been mismanaged and there
remains great inequality. Moreover, corruption undermines efforts to minimize poverty. Another way to
look at the issue of whether or not the Philippines is poor is to ask how poor are most Filipinos? The
statistics are stark and raise serious issues about social justice in the Philippines: In 2006, about a
quarter of Filipinos more or less 20 million of our countrymen lived on a little over one $1 a day. Also,nearly half of Filipinos about 44 percent of the population survived on less than $2 a day.
These facts are sobering indeed, particularly when you realize that your cafe latte costs more than the
amount it takes almost half of your countrymen to survive. Even more worrisome is the fact that
although poverty incidence meaning roughly the number of people living in poverty as a ratio to the
entire population has been reduced in recent years, the actual population or the real number of Filipinos
living in poverty has actually increased in the last 20 years. With regard to social justice, how equitably
8/6/2019 The Philippines is Not Poor
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or how fairly is income or wealth distributed among Filipinos? A tool economists use to assess economic
inequality is the Gini Index or Gini Coefficient. Essentially, the Gini Coefficient measures the income
inequality among a countrys population. Thus, the higher the Gini Coefficient, the greater the
inequality, meaning that wealth is not equally spread across a countrys population. According to the US
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in terms of the Gini Coefficient with the country with the most
unequal distribution being the highest (in this case, Namibia, which is ranked number 1) the Philippines
is ranked 37th out of 134 countries. Sadly, countries like Thailand (ranked 50th), Indonesia (ranked
66th), and Vietnam (ranked 78th), whom we benchmark against, fared significantly better than the
Philippines. What the data shows is that, similar to the African situation, the Philippines is resource-rich
but is poor in the sense that only a small population of Filipinos enjoy the benefits of the countrys
resources. Yet despite this hard reality, like Prime Minister Odinga, I too am a Phil-optimist, meaning I
remain solidly optimistic about the future of our country. Part of this optimism is rooted in the very
richness of our country. We have the resources for development in abundance, unlike some countries,
such as Singapore, which despite the lack of natural resources have reached first-world status. In terms
of human resources, we have high rates of literacy and our English proficiency is still above many of our
neighbors in Asia. Simply, we have the resources and so the next step the most important and difficult
step is to get our political act together. On this point, we must remember that the Philippines is a young
nation; we have only been an independent state for 65 years and 20 of those years were spent under
martial law. So the mistakes and missteps in governance, while painful and unjust, should be understood
in this l ight. Of course, getting our act together politically, minimizing social inequalities, addressing
social injustice, and moving this country forward is much easier said then done. But always, the doing
will be much easier when we keep our optimism and when we realize how rich and blessed the
Philippines truly is.
Questions:
How did the author prove that the Philippines is a rich and a beautiful country? According to the writer,
our country is not poor but mismanaged. Cite 1-2 examples that the country is truly mismanaged.
According to Gandhi: Be the change we want to see in the world. Today it is difficult to be PHIL-
OPTIMIST in this country considering that we are surrounded with pessimists, mediocre minded people
and corrupt officials. What values should you possess to improve the present economic condition of our
country?