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We may
have one of the best currencies in
Asia and an economy that is recognized as robust and highly
competitive and attractive to foreign investments.
However, these pogi points have been badly soiled by the
unceasing political discord brought on by rallies,
protests and investigations that are more like fishing
expeditions and political assassinations rather than aid
for lawmakers in lawmaking. Somehow, all these have made
the country a bit risky for prospective investors.
As a
result, the country is the least attractive destination
for foreign investments. We got a miserly $2.5 billion
while Vietnam received some $11.3 billion.
This is
the essence of the President’s plea for Filipinos to
unite and help in making a much-stronger economy that
can attract the attention of more foreign investors. You
and I can help and there will always be a lot of room
for improving our economic performance.
We need
more Manny Pacquiaos to sooth a sector of our society
that seems to be dissatisfied with everything.
****
Now the
Philippines is experiencing the ill effects of the brain
drain, according to a report released by Punongbayan &
Araullo, a Grant Thornton Intl. Ltd. member-firm.
Results
of their study indicate that the lack of skilled workers
locally is the biggest restraint in the business
expansion of many local companies, and that the country
is one of three countries whose business growth is
limited most by human-resource problems. Thailand is the
first, New Zealand second and the third is shared by the
Philippines
and Australia.
A
networking company, Cisco, reported that it lacks some
1,000 information-technology professionals, and demand
for networking professionals is expected to rise to
25,000 in 2009 from 13,000 in 2006.
South
Korean and Middle Eastern contractors are also
complaining of a lack of skilled workers which affects
their expansion plans to a large degree.
It is
not just a government problem, but to provide industry
with the right-skilled manpower is a problem that should
be addressed jointly and holistically by labor, industry
and academe.
****
Let’s
look at another disturbing news: “9M jobless,
underemployed.”
The
National Statistics Office (NSO) released the result of
a survey that showed this much unemployed and
underemployed in the country, 9 million workers.
The
Asian Development Bank (ADB) also reported that the
country has one of the highest level of underemployed
workers in the world.
The NSO
said that we have around 6.7 million underemployed
workers who are waiting for better opportunities to
secure an extra job to improve their income. If we
couple this news with the lack of skilled workers, it is
clear that we have a pool of workers willing to improve
their skills and get better jobs.
It’s a
question of matching jobs with skills. It is more of an
opportunity than a problem, don’t you think?
****
“I am
not an idolater of constitutions. I do not believe that
once proclaimed, they should be forever on tablets of
imperishable stone beyond the reach of impious hands. On
the contrary, the people should be allowed to live with
their constitution, but the caprice of the powerful
should not be confused with the anxieties, the longings,
the want and the will of the people,” wrote the late
constitutionalist Claro M. Recto.
****
To
fiscalize is to provide the checks and balances in an
active democracy. By all means, it must be allowed to
continue for this is the essence of democracy.
But to
abuse some aspects of fiscalization with baseless
issues, some with no attributions but only imagined
situations, we will be destroying what is dear to us,
not only the democratic system we enjoy but bringing
down the present administration and the whole country
down with it, as well.
****
The
attitude of the media is crucial to our country’s
socioeconomic stability. It reflects on our perception
of ourselves, often giving rise to miscues to foreign
media resulting to a distorted image of our country in
the eyes of the world. |
