Reflections for Lent

As we observe the start of the Holy Week today – Palm Sunday, it is a good time to reflect on where the country is and where we should be headed. Have we ever stopped to reflect lengthily on why the Philippines still has not developed economically despite all the natural and human resources God has given us?

Tropical abundance has made us complacent, unwilling to plan, and act in a profligate manner. Jose Rizal had written about Filipino "indolence," and that the tendency to have the "mañana" attitude or "put off for tomorrow what you can do today" can be attributed to the heat and the fertility of our land and seas. One would probably find it difficult and impossible to work under the glaring sun. However, the abundance of resources have conditioned Filipinos to think that they don’t really have to work hard to make it at the end of the day and that somehow, they will manage to survive. Definitely, it’s the bahala na mentality or "God will provide", that has become an albatross on the Filipino neck. It makes us attribute everything to fate and that God will take care of everything. This is perhaps the reason why where we are today. In spite of all our problems, we have been voted as one of the happiest people in the world. That’s not really all that bad but at the end of the day we just can’t be happy and not plan for the future.

Fortune Favors the Bold author Lester Thurow – the Lemelson Professor of Management and Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – wrote: "Except for the city-states of Hong Kong and Singapore, there are no examples of successful economies anywhere in the tropics. In countries such as Brazil that have both tropical and temperate zones, the temperate zones are much richer. There are real physical reasons why tropical development is difficult. To get economic development started, food surpluses must be generated in rural areas and used to feed city populations. Technology advances occur in urban cultures. But productivity is very low in tropical agriculture".

If we don’t change our thinking, we will be depleting our natural resources and destroying our tourist attractions. For example, the world considers Boracay as one of the best white-sand beaches and it hasn’t even discovered the beaches and islands in the Sulu archipelago. And yet Boracay, in true Pinoy fashion, is now widely infected with Escherichia coli or E. coli bacteria. We know of a lot of people getting sick after coming from Boracay. Twenty percent of those who visit and swim in the island resort get infected with the E. coli bacteria. The situation is reaching alarming proportions. And yet little is being done to address this. A lot of foreigners are dumbfounded why natural resources that should be conserved are being destroyed. Despite warnings dating a few years back, local government officials, resort owners, and residents are complacent about installing a proper sewage system.

As to human resources, Filipinos who work and live abroad become very successful, are very well-liked, and are more often than not law-abiding citizens. They are more disciplined in other countries because they know that they could not talk their way out if they break the law. They have no relatives they can run to, unlike here in the Philippines where the whole barangay will come to their rescue. Filipinos abroad have to show that they are really good because job competition is more stiff, the norm being meritocracy, not palakasan.

While we pride ourselves of being the first democracy in Asia, there is a lack of civic mindedness, which made us lag behind other countries in terms of economy and technology. We carp about a lot of things but we are not willing to do anything about it. Instead of getting involved in socio-civic projects, a lot of people still display apathy and lack of concern. Many diplomats have cited our lack of civic culture as a reason for our backwardness. It’s not just corruption that is keeping the Philippines from moving forward but the unwillingness of Filipinos to become really involved in activities that would help ease social problems that beset the country.

The need for civic-mindedness and involvement is confirmed by Thurow: "Countries need both social capital and social capabilities to engage in economic development. Working together, individuals have a higher productivity than when they work alone. Social capital refers to the social networks individuals join to raise their standard of living. It is estimated, for example, that bilateral trade between ethnic Chinese countries is nearly 60 percent larger than it would be if both sides were not ethnic Chinese. Trust, culture, social solidarity and language make a difference. Social capabilities refer to the ability to get organized – to set up village schools, to separate drinking water from sewage water, to take preventive actions to check population growth, to establish the institutional frameworks (political, social, and legal ground rules) necessary for economic development. This must not be left for outsiders to do, no matter how well intentioned. No country can organize a school system for another country. This is a task each country must do for itself."

Thurow cited that China got its act together. For example, its population growth rate is under control at just 1 percent annually. When it comes to fitting the profile of what is necessary to develop, China fits. Because it fits, it succeeds. Successful economic development is not a holy mystery. What has to be done is clear. It is simply a matter of following successful models and executing properly. And by the way, I received a lot of positive responses to my column on population management last Sunday. Albeit I had a few negatives – one from an ultra-conservative Opus Dei member. It is very difficult to argue with one who invokes the name of God and so the only thing I can say is that when the population of our country goes totally out of control and massive poverty – as we see it today – multiplies a thousand fold (perhaps, I’ll be dead by then) – I hope these people who have a closed mind can bake enough "cakes" to feed the multiplying number of poor people.

We cannot continue to depend on the government. We have to look within ourselves, squarely face what is wrong with our system, and resolutely help change it for the better. We must continually be reminded that this is the only country we’ve got. No matter where you go, at the end of the day, the color of your skin or the way you think will show what you are – still a Filipino. So hopefully, at this time of the year, everyone will reflect on what we could individually do to make a difference and make this country move forward.

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