Time flies so fast. It's 2008, and the Philippines remains a third world country while the most developed ones kept on improving every year. People readily blame the politicians and existing government policies. But there are other and inner reasons why our country had a hard time getting itself out of economic difficulties. In fairness to the present administration, modest economic gains have been achieved. The Philippine economy surged in the first quarter of the year. According to Romulo Virola, Head of the National Statistical Coordination Board, first-quarter gross domestic product was up 6.9 percent on an annual basis and grew a seasonally adjusted 2.5 percent from the previous quarter. The peso significantly gained strength against the U.S. dollar due to tha latter's weakening and the strong remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers(OFWs) especially during the holiday season. Let us try to look into the deeper reasons. The fact that the peso is tied to the dollar makes our economy susceptible to the dictates of foreign business interests. The Asssociation of Southeast Asian Nations should consider coming up with a common regional currency to strenthen the economic position of members states. Despite globalization, loopsided economic policies of rich nations work against poorer ones like the Philippines. Our dependence on oil importation is a major factor in hampering the country's economic growth. Without these, the Philippines could have performed better. A liberal orientation on governance might provide the solution. As clearly stated in the Primer on Liberalism authored by Dr. Julio Tehankee, Liberals believe that liberty is the best remedy against poverty. Liberals believe in the principle of freedom of the individual and a set of inalienable human rights. Extereme poverty is a daily attack on the right to life of an individual and therefore cannot be tolerated by liberals. A market economy based on economic liberalism, competition, and free trade as defined by Adam Smith is the framework that we need. LET'S WELCOME 2008 AND BEYOND WITH A LIBERAL PERSPECTIVE!
7 comments:
In the real world, political parties in the Philippines are based on personalities rather than ideologies. Some Liberal Party legislators are Gloria Arroyo’s collaborators on anti-people economic policies-globalization and free trade. Thirteen LP members voted against GMA impeachment in 2005 in exchange of pork barrel funds. They have chosen personal interest first before national interest. The political clans and dynasties were reined in by Gloria Arroyo’s control of the disbursement of priority development assistance fund (PDAF). The pork barrel is the source of institutionalize and systematic corruption.
The glorious past of the Liberal Party is not transferable to LP president Sen. Mar Roxas. The Liberal Party produced five of the six Philippine presidents from the 1946 to the 1969 presidential elections. Sen. Mar Roxas’ flip-plop ratification stand on toxic waste Japan-Philippine Economic Agreement, JPEPA is disturbing. This may have a negative impact on his presidential ambition.
What economic gains? Where, in the Gloria’s Enchanted Kingdom? Hello! O’ common, numbers don’t lie.
EDSA II Anniversary: Joblessness, Family Incomes Worst In Last 7 Years
Written by IBON Media
Saturday, 19 January 2008
President Gloria Arroyo’s seven years in office has brought record levels of joblessness as well as falling family incomes, according to independent think-tank IBON Foundation. According to IBON research head Sonny Africa, historical levels of joblessness were registered under the Arroyo administration since 2001. In 2007, there were 4.1 million jobless Filipinos and an annual average unemployment rate of 10.8 percent. Although 2007 figures were a slight improvement from 2006, the average annual unemployment rate of 11.3% over the 2001-2007 period remains the worst such period recorded in the country’s history, Africa said.
Moreover, most jobs created in 2007 were in domestic household help, followed by the transport, storage and communication sector, wholesale and retail trade, real estate, rental and business activities (which include business process outsourcing) and construction. Africa pointed out that in general, these are the lowest-paying and most insecure jobs in the country. For example, household help would be lucky to earn P3,000 to P3,500 a month, he said.
Since 2001 Filipinos’ incomes have also continued to fall throughout the Arroyo administration. Figures from the 2006 Family Income and Expenditure Survey show that average family income for all families in real terms (at base year 2000) fell by P20,400 between 2000 and 2006. For the poorest 10% of the country’s families, this meant a decline in annual income to P23,000 in 2006 from P25,000 in 2000. Since incomes were insufficient to meet their expenses, there was an annual debt of P1,700 per household in 2006.
Inequality also remained high in 2006, as the richest 20% of the country’s richest families account for nearly 53% of total family income, while the poorest 20% share less than 5% of total family incomes.
Dear luningning(kung sino ka man),
I'm speaking here of Liberal Perspective or liberalism in general NOT the Liberal Party. It's a sweeping accusation to say that some LP legislators are collaborators on anti-people economic policies. I can engage you to a debate on globalization and free trade. May I ask you, do you have somebody in mind who can be a good president for 2010?
I agree that the pork barrel is a source of institutionalized and systematic corruption but i disagree with your general statement that poltical parties are based on personalities rather than ideologies. At least the Liberal Party is trying to promote an ideology based on LIBERALISM.
What I mean by modest economic gains is the fact that the GDP grew in the First Quarter of 2007.
Yes, numbers don't lie. No less than the National Statistical Coordination Board came up with the figures. I must admit that the Philippine economy is in a sad state, that is the reason why I am proposing for a Liberal Perspective in 2008 and beyond.
The National Statistical Coordination Board data is not reliable gauge on so-called modest economic gains. Even your uncles and granpa knows that NSCB statistical data can be manipulated to impress their big boss. You don’t even know where their numbers came from? The so-called modest gains mean nothing to common Tao. Why not make your own random survey? Ask the tricycle drivers or city hall employees if the aftereffects of 6.9% gain have improved their quality of life. You are in a shaky ground if you defend Gloria Arroyo’s economic miracle. As I told you earlier, numbers don’t lie.
I noticed you had deleted your picture with Liberal Party banner background. So, you are not speaking as LP partisan. What your stand on political dynasty? There is a pending bill in Congress, the outright dismantling of political dynasty in the Philippines. You should write your district representative and your LP party mates in the Senate to facilitate the approval of dynasty bill before the 2010 elections.
There is no such thing as a good president. Asians prefer Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew type iron-fisted leadership. The current crop of Philippine presidential timbers, I think opposition Senators Lacson and Trillanes may have the qualities of tough leader based on their military background. The rest are deal or no deal types, pa-cute and opportunist. Sen. Trillanes is not qualified to run for the presidency due to age limit. He will be only 39 years old in 2010. Ilocos Sur kingpin Chavit Singson has also the quality tough leadership and can be a darkhorse in the presidential derby. Your president Gloria Arroyo is lameduck and kiss of death in the next polls. It was proven in 2004 and 2007 elections.
The Filipino people want their next president to be like Lee Kuan Yew’s iron-fisted rule and protect the interest of its citizens and the State. Jose Pidal mafia should be thrown out of power.
Who is Lee Kuan Yew?
Excerpts from Wikipedia:
Government policies
Like many countries, Singapore was not immune to the disease of corruption. Lee was well aware how corruption had led to the downfall of the Nationalist Chinese government in mainland China. Fighting against the communists himself, he knew he had to 'clean house'. Lee introduced legislation that gave the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) greater power to conduct arrests, search, call up witnesses, and investigate bank accounts and income tax returns of suspected persons and their family. With Lee’s support, CPIB was given the authority to investigate any officer or minister. Indeed, several ministers were later charged with corruption.
Lee believed that ministers should be well paid in order to maintain a clean and honest government. In 1994, he proposed to link the salaries of ministers, judges, and top civil servants to the salaries of top professionals in the private sector, arguing that this would help recruit and retain talents to serve in the public sector.
In the late 1960s, fearing that Singapore's growing population might overburden the developing economy; Lee started a vigorous 'Stop-at-Two' family planning campaign. Couples were urged to undergo sterilization after their second child. Third or fourth children were given lower priorities in education and such families received less economic rebates.
In 1983, Lee sparked the 'Great Marriage Debate' when he encouraged Singapore men to choose women with high education as wives. He was concerned that a large number of graduate women were unmarried. Some sections of the population, including graduate women, were upset by his views. Nonetheless, a match-making agency Social Development Unit (SDU) was set up to promote socializing among men and women graduates. Lee also introduced incentives, such as tax rebates, schooling, and housing priorities for graduate mothers who had three or four children, in a reversal of the over-successful 'Stop-at-Two' family planning campaign in the 1960s and 1970s. By the late-1990s, birth rates had become so low that Lee's successor Goh Chok Tong extended these incentives to all married women, and gave even more incentives, such as the 'baby bonus' scheme.
The issue is the credibility of the Arroyo government. It’s like a “Midas Touch”. Every time Gloria Arroyo dips her finger on established government institution it becomes tainted or polluted. Look what’s going on at the Como-lec, PNP, AFP, the House of Representa-thieves, and other constitutional bodies. It’s all prostituted by usurper Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the sake of political survival.
Editorial from Philippine Daily Inquirer 01/24/2008
Constitutional menace
“The President has already compromised the integrity and independence of the Commission on Elections, refused to cooperate with the Commission on Appointments that is constitutionally mandated to screen her appointees, forbade her Cabinet and other officials from cooperating in legislative inquiries, and made a stab at civil liberties by banning political rallies and even media coverage of conflict situations. Now she’s making a mockery of the civil service. Everywhere she goes, she spits at the Constitution. She’s a walking constitutional menace”.
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