Balancing the interest
Two pieces of information that got published few days ago should deserve the focused attention by our government and more importantly by our collective action as a nation. These are first, the news that an international rating institution has marked the Philippines as an investment destination and second the revelation that the tourist arrivals from China have shrunk to the lowest percentage. The space here allows me to dwell only on the first.
That we have been marked as an investment destination simply means that foreign funders are encouraged to put their investment portfolio in our country. Because it came from a respected organization, known for its conservative approaches, it must have been a product of a careful evaluation, foremost of our national leadership. Well, I am not a believer of His Excellency, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, but for one, his administration must have done wonders to minimize the indicators of graft and corruption that usually turn off fund sources.
Without however taking the credit away from the administration, we must consider that among the greater factor why foreign investors should come to our shores is the fact that we have pools upon pools of managerial talents and competent and knowledgeable manpower available. Why this abundance of brain? Let me attempt to contribute my humble observation.
Thanks to a defined Filipino culture, our families always encourage and support family members to achieve education. Those in the lower echelon of society always look up to education as the best, if not the only, possible source of their liberation from the bondage of poverty. That is why “bahala na og magka utang-utang si Tatay ug Nanay, pa eswelahon jud og college si Dodongâ€.
This is likewise true among the wealthy in our midst. They are also steeped giving their children the best available education. That is why they send their children to the most expensive of the leading institutions of learning hereabout for their baccalaureate degrees and abroad for their advanced studies.
The result of this diploma culture is obvious. Many children of the lowly are equipped with modest college diplomas. Their training makes them excellent workers. For instance, it is never a wonder to find Filipinos manning the merchant marine either as deck officers or engine officers. Our nurses abroad are known for their competence and diligence. Why am I not surprised to hear from my nephew that the Filipino engineers working under him in a leading Middle East company excel over other nationalities.
When an international magazine recently featured Filipinos holding key positions in such diverse institutions as banks, hospitals, hotels and construction companies in leading capitals the world over, that publication somehow validated the Filipino obsession for good education. Common in those countrymen ours is their impeccable education.
Ironically, we do not have enough jobs, in our country, for the millions of qualified Filipino workers. That is the main reason why our brothers seek work opportunities abroad. If foreign investors put their funds in our country, they can help create jobs. Then, we will no longer need to send our countrymen abroad and in the process put a stop to the phenomenon that we call as “brain drainâ€.
There is no doubt that that favorable rating as investment destination is to our advantage. To me though, this fresh investment climate is just an icing. Realistically speaking, when fund sources invest in our country, it is because they acknowledge this abundance of needed manpower. Without sounding extravagant, I feel that top management of these funders have noticed the efficient and knowledgeable Filipino hands working for them, wherever they are located presently. They have reason to suppose that there are more of such kind of talents in our country. Should they locate here, they will save the cost of looking for talents, which is quite prohibitive already. All that they have to do is streamline the skills of our workers to match to their corporate objective.
This is where our government needs to come in. It must adopt policies that will balance of need of continuing to attract foreign investors and at the same time, address the lot of the workers. After all their co-existence will serve both interests best.
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