The good news about the so-called Philippine economic miracle is that the upturn of the economy is driven by its people – its skilled and talented workforce.
Overseas Filipino Workers’ remittances and revenues from Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) are the two biggest drivers.
But has the country really arrived? Has growth lifted the country from poverty and the pits of under performance? Not yet. We still have a far way to go.
On the eve of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia, being held in Manila for the first time, President Aquino described the country “brightest spot” in the region.
He told the Asean Business Club that “The transformation of the Philippines is a collective achievement built on the shoulders of a people prepared to undertake the difficult tasks together.”
We agree. The sacrifice and potential to surmount difficulties have always been there.
The country’s hosting of the East Asian edition of the WEF is billed as our coming out party in the global economic stage. On May 23 – 25, the WEF shifts to Cebu with the Open Collaboration with East Asia New Champions 2014 (OCEAN 14) summit in Mactan’s Movenpick Resort and Spa.
No doubt Filipinos are ‘prepared to undertake difficult tasks together.’ We have always been ready. Leaving the country to work in sweatshops abroad or earning dollars while living away from loved ones has been a way of life for millions.
It’s just as difficult to work in the Philippines where low pay and poor work conditions make job holders as heroic as their OFW counterparts.
The International Trade Union Confederation Global Rights Index 2014 scored the country’s labor condition at 5.
“Countries with the rating of 5 are the worst countries in the world to work in. While legislation may spell out certain rights, workers have effectively no access to these rights and are therefore exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices,” it said.
President Aquino’s recognition of the role of Filipino workers needs to be matched by effective leadership and a government that isn’t satisifed with the disturbing trend of “jobless growth”.
His administration’s anti-corruption thust will have to disable the stubborn perception, in the midst of the Napoles-PDAF scandal, that no matter how hard citizens work, their contribution in taxes goes to the wrong pockets.
We cannot be the “near failed state” that Robert Kaplan wrote about in his book “Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific.”
The real miracle is not about attaining a growth rate of 6, 7 or 8 percent. It comes with the imperative for the rule of law to prevail, for the corrupt to be sent to jail, for food security, and a chance for each Filipino to have decent and secure work in his homeland.