Below is the forwarded e-mail.
Why Is The Philippines Poor?
Dear Friends,
Here is a good article sent by Dr. Arsenio Martin of Fort Arthur, Texas. Enjoy reading.
THE DIFFERENCE
The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country:
This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old, but are poor.
On the other hand, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.
The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.
Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.
Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality! It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world’s strongest, safest place.
Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.
Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.
What is the difference then? The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture & flawed tradition.
On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:
1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for savings & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality.
10. and of course…Discipline
In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.
The Philippines is not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. In fact, we are supposedly rich in natural resources.
We are poor because we lack the correct attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.
If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you. Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years, and also, you will not get sick or go hungry.
But those may happen because of your lack of discipline & laziness.
your love for intrigue and politics, your indifference to saving for the future, your stubborn attitude.
If you love your country, let this message circulate so that many Filipinos could reflect about this, & CHANGE, ACT!
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
BlogusVox 04.24.08 at 3:32 pm
That “Bahala na”, “Pwede nayan” and “Baka makalusot” are only few of the negative attitudes that we have which makes us culturally fuck-up. Bakit sa ibang bansa, we are disciplined and productive naman. Change should come from within us first. The problem with the majority of our people is they blame the government for all their woes. Not only that, they expect the government to fix all their problems.
I hate to admit it but in general, we really are a bunch of beggars.
Connie Veneracion 04.24.08 at 3:39 pm
What I’m curious about is whether all that attitude was part of the pre-Spanish culture. I’m no historian but as far as my readings go, pre-colonial Filipinos had a flourishing barter economy and were generally self-sufficient.
BlogusVox 04.24.08 at 4:18 pm
You are right, pre-colonial Filipinos had a flourishing barter economy and generally self-sufficiency but tribal pa rin ang mentality and no national identity. Everything was muddle when we were colonized. Culturally, the Spaniards and the Americans did the most damage. I think the only thing we retain from pre-colonial attitude is our regionalist mind-set.
batang buotan 04.24.08 at 5:03 pm
I come from a small village from the province of Zamboanga del Sur. Roseller Lim town where Jen come from used to be part of Zamboanga del Sur before the province of Zamboanga Sibugay was created.
While I agree some of Jen’s revelation, about the poverty of that part in Mindanao, I stand that there are many villages that have been transformed after the folks see the “presence” of the government.
Let me take the case of our barangay. Long before it became an Agrarian Reform Community, its economy is backward. People’s lifestyle are comparable to Jeny’s place. But when projects started pouring in, farm to market road improved, irrigation system rehabilitated, when we start to see the benefits of electricity, when the community was organized to construct a water system, new school buildings constructed, the people of our community changed.
I think it has something to also with land ownership. I mention ARC remember? Thats part of CARP.
All children go to school. Every household is monitored to ensure that there is toilet. There are many participatory programs initiated. I can’t mention all but I’m proud to say that our barangay feels progress. I witness progress everytime I spend a vacation there.
I attribute it to “government intervention” and people’s participation.
(I sometimes feel the “guilt” for being here in the city, facing computers. I should be in our farm, helping my father and other farmers but its not my expertise. It seems the fears of some of our community leaders is right, we might also experience “farm experts” labor shortage in the near future as more and more pursue “higher education”.
Connie Veneracion 04.24.08 at 5:07 pm
Now this is getting interesting. Makes you wonder what the heck a “national” identity is all about. You have small independent communities, flourishing, interdependent and content. A power comes in, declares all communities to be under a single authority. Whether that power is a colonizer or a national government is secondary. Point is, you destroyed an effective system.
Second, what is the basis for declaring those communities as belonging to one “nation”? The geographic proximity? Is that enough? Considering the diverse backgrounds of these tribes, from the Ilocanos in the north to the Muslims in the South, is it really a good move to lump them all together especially when the new superior authority does not embody the interests of all?
John Lennon made more sense when he said “Imagine no countries.”
ed villanueva 04.24.08 at 6:40 pm
I remember when I was in elementary my dad resigned from his job and bought a farm in my moms hometown in Pangasinan to farm,My dad wakes up early in the morning to work on the farm and retires later than most of the farmer in the village do.In the yard he planted fruit trees and variety vegetables, while other farmers are just playing “tong its” and going to “Kabaret” at night after the planting season, my dad focus himself on his farm.In a couple of years his yard was teeming with fruits and vegetables,The thing is some farmers in the village drop by on my dads resthouse for a little chat and then later ask for papaya or vegetables for their lunch or dinner.Look around the country side connie there are a lot of idle land but only a few dare to make it productive.They would rather beg for a piece of papaya than plant it.We are blessed with a fertile land but then we have to work hard to enjoy that blessings.
Connie Veneracion 04.24.08 at 9:34 pm
batang buotan, so you’re saying people won’t move unless there is government initiative?
Ed, my point exactly.
ormocanon 04.24.08 at 10:43 pm
There is only one person to blame why the Philippines is still poor today.
It’s all Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s fault…ask our honorable senators, they can tell us in various ways why it’s all her fault.
Before her, it was all Erap’s fault…
before him, it was all Fidel Ramos’ Fault…
before him, it was all Cory’s fault…
before her, it was all Marcos’ fault…
and unless we stop blaming others for our misery instead of our own selves, I’m sure we’ll remain a third world country for generations to come.
You’re right Ms. Connie, what it all boils down to, is “attitude”.
jennie 04.24.08 at 11:58 pm
And being dependent to our parents … it is a practice that’s been passed on from generation to generation. Our forefathers/mothers are at fault for spoiling their children. The lack of discipline, irresponsibility, lack of initiative, laziness etc.. etc.
I was raised by an army and a teacher, and our no. 1 rule in the house is to be responsible. I remember having responsibilities eversince I was able to do chores/work as early as 7 yrs. old (as I can remember).
Again, it all boils down to good parenting.
Tom 04.25.08 at 1:32 am
I was advocating that the country be divided into 4 autonomous regions para mag kanya kanya tayo.
Sabi mo hindi puwede iyon because of feudalism.
You came up with this idea of changing our form of government to a parliamentary system with a sectoral representation as its structure. The “transcending” effect of your idea I believe was the missing piece that could complete the puzzle.
You know, when you look at it as a whole, (the 10 million OFWs remitting 12 to 14 billion dollars annually, those expatriates whose assets easily in the billions of dollars that need diversifying and the political power these two groups could wield if they would exercise their dual citizenship as provided by law) it is like those idle lands along the country side.
So, let’s stop picking on those that could obviously be picked on. Let’s pick on ourselves, the ones that could make a difference.
Rudy 04.25.08 at 6:37 am
The Philippine society is third world rated because of the government’s ineffeciency. Corruption have tickle down to the lowest level of society. Until the people become proud of their government, until the Pilipinos deep in their hearts become proud of their identity, we will stay poor and remain unproductive.
batang buotan 04.25.08 at 7:27 am
@ Atty. Connie Veneracion, I wish to convey that government initiative or an NGO help to mobilize people. Both are not the only elements that make people “move”. I can’t explain the reason why this happens. I can’t attribute it to a certain era of history nor to any external influences. Yes, it is a matter of attitude. It is also a matter mind setting. There is a vicious cycle in our society that is very hard to break. It’s a complex problem.
This discussion is getting more and more interesting. This could be a good start towards “transformation” of our society.
Kongkong622 04.25.08 at 8:10 am
I know, for a fact, that the Philippines is sitting on enough natural resources that can make it one of the 10 richest countries in the world. 3rd in terms of mineral resources. My family is in the mining industry and it is so frustrating to have to work with this so called attitude not only of the people, but mostly of the people who are running the country.
Back in the 60’s until the early part of the 70’s, the Philippines was one of the biggest exporters of gold. Forgive my lack of complete knowledge, but I think that this was the time that currency was pegged against gold. Therefore, the peso was very strong.
Today, everyone knows that there is a supposed “mining boon.” Potentially, this is what could lift the country out of the doldrums. Kaya lang….eto na, pasok ang red tape, politiciang slash businessmen, anti-mining groups, church officials, and mga miron. Everyone wants a piece of the action without really working for it. Gusto porsyento o di kaya gusto mabigyan ng business. Di na nga maka-umpisa tuloy ang mga negosyong minahan dahil dyan.
There, I’ve said my piece
Kongkong622 04.25.08 at 8:11 am
Sorry, I meant “MINING BOOM”..hehehe
Connie Veneracion 04.25.08 at 12:20 pm
Tom, it is true that we can’t turn back the hands of time and re-institutionalize autonomous regions as though the last 500 years never happened. Those 500 years created a system that places an elite class in control of most of the resources.
I stand by my idea of full sectoral representation but question is how will that jump from idea to reality? It’s not as if those people in Congress will ever propose such an amendment to the Constitution because it will wipe them off. People’s initiative (in the COnsti sense)? Based on what happened last time, it is an incomplete process.
Ting 04.25.08 at 12:54 pm
The indolence of the Filipino people. Tama yata si Jose Rizal. The province where my husband comes from still has lots of arable lands but his relatives would rather drink and gamble than till the lands so that they’d have at least rice to eat. And then you hear about crops being stolen once they’re ready for harvesting. Parang “ako ang nagsaing, iba ang kumain” story.
Yes, some would rather steal, kidnap, and kill to live. Others opt to sit down by the sidewalk to beg for food and money. Who would not like to live the easy way? Sad.
ed villanueva 04.25.08 at 12:54 pm
Kong Kong,In the spanish colonial era the spanish conquistadores journal noted that the natives in the Island were adorned with eleborate gold jewelry,and gold as big as a fist can be found scattered everywhere in the Island.Indeed the island is rich that the American in the early 1900 explored our mountains for that famed gold myth of the spanish era(Surprisingly I have original pictures a pieces of history of american explorers in the 1920s )Well there is no gold scattered around the island but the gold mines in Benguet produces tons of gold and together with other mines around the island strengthened our economy in the mid 1900,But the devastation is beyond our imagination Baguio as well as benguet were crisscrossed by hundred of mining tunnels, for decades tons of waste materials flows down to pangasinan destroying hectares of fertile lands. Do you know that for every gold ring produced 20tons of waste materials were also produced that includes toxic chemicals that poisoned our rivers and lakes. Mining could be our sunshine industry if only we have the technology to extract minerals without destroying our environment.
BlogusVox 04.26.08 at 2:04 pm
Ms. Sassy, except for the Kapangpangan and our Muslim brothers in the south, if the Maragtas Legend is true, we all came from a group of people led by 10 datus. Right there, we could have formed a confederation, similar to Malaysia, thus creating our “national identity”. Unfortunately because of geographic location and lingual diversity, nag kanya-kanya tayo. Easy picking for the colonizers.
Connie Veneracion 04.26.08 at 2:12 pm
BlogusVox, that’s a big if — IF the Maragtas legend is true. At any rate, the diversity is a serious issue. I really think that the regions would have been better off developing on their own. It’s tempting to blame it all on the Spanish colonization but it’s really about human nature. If it weren’t the Spanish, it could have been some other power at some other period. It is this penchant for colonizing — this greed to extend power and property. The empire mentality.
BlogusVox 04.26.08 at 3:31 pm
Hmmm…. you got a point there. But if we adapt federalism in the form of super-regions, I don’t think Western or Central Visayas are willing to share their wealth with Eastern Visayas or Northern Luzon eager to shoulder Southern Luzon. If we leave the regions as it is, mai-iwan ang Bicol, Samar, Leyte and the far-flung islands of Sulo and Tawi-tawi. I think what we really need is a complete over-haul of our psyche. A cultural revolution. How to achieve it without bloodshed, that I have no answer. Secondary na lang yang gobyerno.
Tom 04.26.08 at 4:49 pm
Now that the 10 datus are mentioned, Correct me if I am wrong in my understanding of the story. It is said that there were these 10 datus who instead of facing up (fight) their vicious ruler decided instead to leave (flee) in the midst of night. I wonder if that fleeing trait had become dominant in our character as people. Is that trait not being acted out in the rampant practice of graft and corruption, in leaving the country for other places convinced that we’d be better of in doing so, the excuses we come up with which unfortunately convinces us to do nothing because it is hopeless to even try?
The path back home sure is going to be a tough one.
Connie Veneracion 04.26.08 at 5:09 pm
That’s the thing. Federalism would have worked then but I think it’s too late now because we have already developed a system where even in the regions, there are those few families who own just about everything.
Connie Veneracion 04.26.08 at 5:43 pm
You know, I’m curious Tom as to why your name is always linked to a domain name that doesn’t work. Someone told me though that once it went straight to a porn site. True or false?
BlogusVox 04.26.08 at 7:18 pm
LOL! Tom, totoo ba yan? I remembered you once mentioned you do amateur movie making as a hobby. Baka naman puro “x” yang pinag-gagawa mo ha.
Tom 04.27.08 at 2:32 am
I agree. This is where the genius of sectoral representation comes in. The idea, it seems, could pick up what is currently happening in our politics and provide us the ability to move on. In comparison to what Sen Pimentel is suggesting at charter change, his ideas seem to be indications of senility. It was like TEAM UNITY this past election which was made up of backstabbers. Since the senate will be discussing this topic, supposedly to begin informing the public, why not join them in the fray? You have access to print media and you could post this topic on your blog. Pag usapan natin. This exercise could get sectoral representation, like you said, “jump from idea to reality”.
Golly! Connie, parang ginagawa mo akong contestant ng WOWWOWWE’s OO! o HINDI! What you are experiencing is probably the same problem I’ve been experiencing whenever I attempt to send out e-mails from this mac system that I have. It flags me with something that has to do with my server. I’ve been trying to solve this problem but to no avail. Any tips to correct the problem?
As for the porno site, WOWWOWWE!!!
Connie Veneracion 04.27.08 at 11:56 am
Tom, I can’t remember anymore how many times I’ve written in the column the our current copycat system doesn’t work anymore. But people like what they are comfortable with, that they have always known. Well, except for the anarchists and the revolutionaries.
Hey Tom, when anyone posts a comment in my blog or any other blog, the name, e-mail, URL and comment are manually entered. So, if the second paragraph is meant to explain why your given URL is always there, it doesn’t.
Re third paragraph, I take that you’re NOT DENYING it.
ormocanon 04.27.08 at 9:27 pm
“…In comparison to what Sen Pimentel is suggesting at charter change, his ideas seem to be indications of senility.” - tom
Careful with your choice of words Tom, you don’t have any parliamentary immunity.
I think the politically correct term is “…indications of memory gap.”
Bex 05.02.08 at 2:03 pm
I agree with Atty. Connie that “it’s a matter of attitude”. One example is traffic rules & regulations. In Subic, it’s strictly enforced. And Filipinos follow them. Once outside the base, back to the old ways. Errr… isn’t it Subic is in the Philippines? Or is it a place too special that Filipino motorists fear to break the traffic rules? I don’t get it. Nasa Pilipinas pa rin naman ang Subic, diba?