The Superficial “Economic Boom” of the Philippines

The Superficial “Economic Boom”
Of the Philippines
by Apolinario Villalobos

One need not have to be a statistician or an expert analyst to come up with an honest view of the real state of the Philippines and the Filipinos. All that one has to do is go beyond the affluent peripheries of the cities where vast areas of slum can be found. In those crannies of the cities, one can find the different faces of poverty. Not all of those who live there are indolent. Most of them survive on hope and perseverance. It is not fair, therefore, to say that they are just idly waiting for the dole outs from the government. The president is overwhelmed by the big remittances from Filipinos laboring in foreign lands. But for the knowledgeable Filipinos, such revenue is unreliable, as it depends on the economic stability of host countries, hence, should not be viewed as a sign of development.

Surveys say that the country has gone up by leaps and bounds as far as employment and food sufficiency are concerned. Those paid guys who made the surveys must be out of their mind! They interview the wrong people and they seemed to be blind on the high prices etched on cardboards that mark bins of different varieties of commercial rice, that have not returned to their previous prices during the early part of 2014. Even local vegetables are ridiculously marked with high prices. The skyrocketing of the price of fish is crazily attributed to the cold weather! A promise was made by the government to ensure the return of the jacked up prices soonest as the price of fuel has gone down, but despite their slide, nothing has materialized out of the promise made. On the other hand, thousands of sacks of imported rice are on their way…is this food sufficiency?

Commercial and residential infrastructures continuously pockmark the landscape of highly developed towns and cities, but conglomerates that own them are dominated by foreign names, if ever Filipino names are found in incorporation papers, they are consistently the same. The country’s development is haplessly geared for the enrichment of foreign investors and few Filipinos, albeit, with foreign ancestry. It is good for the country, but not for the Filipinos whose taste of these developments are in the form of meager wages as housemaids, chambermaids, clerks, drivers, busboys, room boys, dishwashers, call center agents, and other lowly jobs, though decent. Filipinos have become servants in their own land! The government clearly failed to come up with opportunities that would make the Filipinos decently self-sufficient. Even agriculture is hopelessly neglected!

The number of scavengers that forage in the dumps for recyclable trash to be sold to junkshops, and even for bits of food did not dwindle a bit. Families relocated to the sites without basic facilities such as water, roads, and electricity are trekking back to the esteros where they were pulled out or find nocturnal comfort on sidewalks. Questions on where the budgets for habitable relocation sites went, are never answered. This government indifference is shown even by its inaction to anomalies regarding the unexplained plight of donations for victims of calamities, such as typhoon Yolanda.

Reliable mass transit system is one of the gauges for a country’s development, and which the Philippines is pitifully lacking. The aging Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems are in a sorry and shameful state due to mismanagement, but which some sector claim as corruption. Every time the president speaks, promises are mumbled, to the point that Filipinos got tired of his verbal rattling. His spokesperson even shamelessly told Manilans not to rely so much on the train systems for there are options available such as buses and jeepneys. What happened then, to the ease and comfort promised by the government when the two elevated train systems were built?

With the onset of Pnoy’s departure from Malacaῆan Palace in 2016, he confidently presumes that he has delivered what have been expected of him as the president of this distraught country that wallows in poverty, unemployment and corruption. He must be dreaming!

Ang Magagawa ng Gobyerno at Mga Mambabatas…suhestiyon lang naman

Ang Magagawa ng Gobyerno

at Mga Mambabatas….suhestiyon lang naman

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Para sa isang third world na bansa tulad ng Pilipinas, ang hinahangad lamang ng mga mamamayan ay magkaroon ng maayos na trabaho, sapat na sweldo, mga presyo na abot-kaya, malinis at mapayapang kapaligiran. Ang pamahalaan naman, hindi na dapat mag-isip ng mga kung anu-anong hindi makatotohanang adhikain at proyekto upang umangat ang antas ng kalidad ng buhay-Pilipino. Sa ganang ito, ang mga sumusunod ay suhestiyon lamang:

 

1. Ibalik sa pangangalaga ng pamahalaan ang pamamahala ng langis at mga produkto nito dahil napatunayan nang hindi maganda ang kinahinatnan ang deregulation.
2. Ibalik sa pangangalaga ng pamahalaan ang pangangasiwa ng pailaw at patubig dahil nadanasan ang hirap nang isa-pribado ang mga ito.
3. Kumuha ng mga talagang “managers” na may angkolp na kaalaman sa pagpapatakbo ng mga ahensiya at hindi mga taong pinagkakautangan ng loob nang nakaraang eleksiyon. Dapat ituring ang buong bansa na isang malaking “kumpanya” na ang nagpapatakbo ay isang bihasang “manager” – ang Presidente. Sa ganitong paraan, magkakaroon ng propesyonalismo sa bawat tungkulin.
4. Ayusin at i-update ang mga operating manuals ng lahat ng mga ahensiya para malaman ng mga kawani kung ano ang dapat nilang gawin sa lahat ng pagkakataon at sitwasyon. Napansin na kung kaylan may problema ay saka pa lamang naghahagilap ng mga memo o dokumentong pagbabasehan ng mga karampatang aksyon at solusyon
5. Gumawa ng isang mega-operating manual na ang mga sentro ay Malakanyang, Hudikatura, Kongreso, at Senado. Sa ganitong paraan ay hindi magtuturuan kung sino ang nagkamali at kung saan ang pagkakamali. Kalimitan, walang maayos na koordinasyon ang apat na itinuturing na mga haligi ng bayan.
6. Damihan ang mga barko at helikopter ng Philippine Navy na dapat ay naka-deploy sa mga major na daungan ng bansa upang mapabilis ang pagresponde sa mga pangangailangan lalo na sa panahon ng kalamidad. Nakita ang kakulangang ito ng Pilipinas noong hagupitin ng bagyong Yolanda ang Leyte at Samar, dahil dalawang araw na ang nakalipas pagkatapos humagupit ang bagyo ay wala pa ring dumating na tulong sa mga tao. Dapat alalahanin na ang Pilipinas ay isang bansa na binubuo ng mga isla. Hindi kailangan ang mga eroplanong pandigma kung ito ang binabalak ng gobyerno upang mapangalagaan ang karapatan ng Pilipinas sa mga islang pinag-aagawan sa West Philippine Sea, dahil wala ring magagawa ang mga ito sa mga dambuhalang gamit ng Tsina.
7. Bigyan ng insentibo sa pamamagitan ng subsediya at tulong teknikal ang mga Pilipinong imbentor. Pangunahan din ng gobyerno ang pagbili ng mga imbensyon nila. Magtalaga ng isang permanente at malaking showroom ng mga imbensyong Pilipino na madaling puntahan ng mga mamamayan, lalo na ng mga neyosyante.
8. Palabasin mula sa mga aircon na opisina nila ang mga Municipal at City Administrators upang personal na mag-check ng kalagayan ng kanilang nasasakupan, upang hindi lang umasa sa mga dinadayang report ng mga field workers. Hindi isinasama sa mga report ang mga palpak na contracted projects na hindi maayos ang pagkakagawa lalo na ang mga drainage at kalsada. Hindi rin isinasama sa mga report ang mga manhole na ginawang basurahan. Isama pa rito ang mga establesimento na nagpapabaha ng mga bangketa kung maglinis sila ng pwesto, kaya may mga taong nadidisgrasya dahil sa pagkadulas, at mga tulay na ginawang palikuran. Mga maliliit na bagay ito kung ituring subali’t kapag pumutok ay yumayanig sa kredibilidad ng pamunuan ng mga lokal na pamahalaan.
9. Gawin sa paraang incognito o hindi halata ang pag-iinspeksyon ng mga palengke upang mahuli ang mga nandadayang negosyante pagdating sa presyuhan.
10. Bilhin ang mga matitibay na mga pasilidad na pang-ilaw sa mga kalsada, tulay at iba pang nakatiwangwang na mga lugar, hindi yong makukulay at magaganda nga ay plastic naman kaya, isang bagyo lang ang dumaan ay warat na.
11. Magkaroon ng batas na magbabawal sa mga lokal na pamahalaan sa wala nilang patumanggang pagpalit ng mga simbolo at kulay sa mga bayan o lunsod, ayon sa kagustuhan ng bagong nanalong mayor, na nagiging dahilan ng pagkalito ng mga tao.
12. Palakasin ang mga ahensiya na may kinalaman sa pagpapalago ng small at medium businesses, at pagsasaka, upang mapatatag ang pundasyon ng mga ito na siyang magsusustina sa mga Pilipino sakaling hindi na bagsakan ang bansa ng mga produktong galing Tsina, sakaling lumala ang alitan dahil sa pinag-aagawang mga isla.
13. Magpasa ng batas upang ang mga Pilipinong maski 50 taong gulang na o mas higit, pero malakas pa, ay mabigyan ng pagkakataong magtrabaho. May mga ahensiya ng gobyerno na nagbibigay ng pagkakataon sa mga senior citizens upang magtrabaho tulad ng MMDA, pero hindi ito sapat.
14. Ibalik ang dating sistema sa edukasyon na paggamit ng mga libro sa tradisyonal nitong ayos, at hindi pormang workbook, upang magamit pa ng iba. Ang pormang workbook ay may mga tanong- pagsusulit kada tsapter kaya hindi na nagagamit ng iba.
15. Magtayo ng mga paaralan sa mga liblib na lugar ng Pilipinas, at palakihan ang mga nakatayo na upang madagdagan ang mga kwarto. Lagyan din sila ng maayos na mga palikuran.
16. Ayusin ang mga sirang parola o lighthouse sa mga isla at maglagay sa mga baybabayin na wala nito upang matulungan ang mga maglalayag, lalo na ang mga mangingisda.
17. Magtayo ng mga istruktura para magamit na palengke o talipapa sa mga liblib na bayan o malalaking baryo.
18. Seryusuhin ang pag-aaral tungkol sa isyu ng basura.
19. Magkaroon ng makatotohanang gamutan sa mga barangay. May mga nurse nga, wala namang stock na mga gamot.
20. Rebisahin ang kabuluhan ng mga ahensiya upang malaman kung alin ang mga inutil at walang silbi upang hindi na kumain pa ng budget mula sa kaban ng bayan.

 

Kung ang mga mambabatas at ang pamahalaan ay kumikilos ayon sa inaasahan ng mga taong bayan, wala sanang nangyayaring pagmamartsa sa kalye ng mga taong sumisigaw at nambabato ng paninisi sa kanila. Wala nang naniniwala sa mga report ng maski anong international na grupong bihasa daw sa estatistika dahil ang pinagbabatayan nila ng kanilang report ay mga dinayang report ng mga ahensiya upang mapagtakpan ang mga kakulangan ng pamahalaan. Ang kailangan ng bansa ngayon ay totoong mga lider at mga mambabatas na hindi inakala ng mga botante nila na magiging kurakot at mahihina pala pagdating sa paggawa ng makatotohanang desisyon.

On Job Opportunities

On Job Opportunities

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

They say, opportunity knocks only once and if that happens, one should seize it. Unfortunately, it is this dictum that most often puts the vulnerable in unlikely situations because of the opportunist that sometimes lurks not far behind. There may be opportunities that come as they are – plain opportunities, but the fussy let them pass by and later regret what they have done.

 

There are some people who may be considered lucky because of the seemingly unlimited opportunities that come their way. However, some of these people fail to utilize them due to inadequacy on their part that these opportunities require. This happens for instance, when job opportunities are laid down in front of a newly graduate, but he is helpless as his knowledge and skill just do not match what any of the jobs require.

 

Life is full of opportunities, if only we know how to recognize them. Sometimes we perceive some opportunities as hindrances just because we do not want to stretch even an inch of our muscle to seize them – we do not want to make a sacrifice to hurdle them.  We always thought that opportunities are easily obtained.

 

The onset of waves of unemployment throughout the world, has given the concerned governments more than one reason to take a second look at their educational systems and pre-employment programs for the undergraduates. Despite their effort, however, it seems that the educational institutions are far from cooperating because “junk” courses are still being offered. One of these is the “Airline Secretarial” being offered by schools in the Philippines. Just imagine the thousands of graduates from this course every year to be equated with the small number of airlines in the country. Even the so called “BS Tourism”, graduates of which end up working as sales girls in shopping malls, waiters in restaurants or bell boys in hotels. And, to think that taking up such course is not easy on the pockets of parents because of the costly pre-graduation requirements such as field trips and “practicums”. I admire those who take these jobs, just so, they have something to earn while waiting for the right opportunity to come their way.

 

On the human aspect of the situation, there are just finicky job seekers who do not want to start their career from the lowest rung. Just because they finished “management courses”, they thought they could immediately land on managerial positions. They do not want to start their career as “liaison officers” (glamorized title of messengers), or office clerks. These young graduates forgot that for them to understand how an office operates, they have to have a wide exposure to its operations. It seems, the schools forgot to remind their students about this situation. Yes, there are forums held about prospective employments, but sometimes, school authorities pick up wrong resource persons who are not honest enough to impart to graduates-to-be what to expect when they join the ever- growing throng of job seekers out in the field of cut-throat competition.

 

In a tourism forum, one speaker from a government agency spent the whole half day talking about the state of the tourism industry in a general tone. This could have been easily learned in several subjects of the students, if they were serious enough. So for the whole half day, the participants were fed with statistics on tourist arrivals, and other industry information which is far from what they need to know as future job seekers.  I was given the other half day slot and it was only this time that the students learned the real situation – that finding a job is not easy due to the glut of graduates that overwhelmed the demand, and that if ever lucky enough to land a most coveted job, it might not fit their course to a “T”. I saw disappointments in the faces of those in the audience. Some jokingly remarked that they should have taken up a vocational course in “welding”.

 

The real situation in seeking jobs is disheartening, but there is always even a bit of patience in every one. One failure should not give one a reason to lose heart in persisting to land a job. There is a popular adage that says, “while there is life, there is hope”, actually, a literal translation from Filipino which says, “habang may buhay, may pag-asa”.