The older generation will probably remember that the
Philippines was the economic giant among the ASEAN countries in the
1960s, even overwhelming the likes of Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore,
Malaysia and Vietnam.
Today, the Philippines is a pale shadow of
its former glory, overtaken by Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and just
or about on par with Vietnam and Malaysia. Years of economic
mismanagement and corruption has taken its toll on the second biggest
country in ASEAN in terms of population.
Like India, population
growth in the Philippines is not translating into what they hyped up as
'demographic dividends' to be reaped. To do that job creation must grow
in tandem, which both countries are short of. In fact, the Philippines
is losing out in attracting and even being hollowed out with big
investments by foreign capital leaving the country, and this is a
longer-term problem with an expanding population.
The fact that
the Marcos family's past unsavory history still enabled Marcos Jr to
return and become the President tells us that Filipinos are still asleep
under a rock and not waking up. Corazon Aquino's rise under a People's
Revolt have turned into wasted effort and dust and allowing the Marcos
family's return is causing Benigno Aquino, her husband, to turn in his
grave.
What Marcos Jr is doing is turning back the clock in the
Philippines and destroying the country in the footprint of his father,
instead of seeking repentance for the misdeeds of father during his
years of pillaging the country and bringing sufferings to the people.
Anonymous
3 comments:
While Ukraine is recognized as the most corrupt country in Europe, the Philippines is also the most corrupt country in ASEAN. As long as corruption is not eradicated, the country can never move forward. The USA knows this and is using this as leverage to control the Philippines. They closed both eyes in the face of Marcos Snr pillaging the country. Any attempt to move away from this sickness will be threatened by the USA. Duterte tried and was warned very forcefully for sure. He knew the danger he faced and said so himself that he may not survive the CIA.
Just imagine Duterte's effort to eradicate the drug menace had been demonized by the West using human rights as an excuse. Who controls the drug infestation is the question as to why the West has to raise the argument against his action? We know for a fact that drugs weaken a country, a strategy used by the British to force China to open up to the opium trade in order to weaken the Chinese while reaping the benefits. And we have to remember that India played an important part in that injustice by supplying all the opium forced upon China.
Because of the anti China policies by Marcos, just on the export of bananas to China, the Ppines has lost nearly $200m in revenue in the first 3 months of the year. But this lost is nothing to Marcos, not his lost. He is looking at his gain, of recovering the US$10b held at ransom by the Americans.
Lost to the Ppines not his business.
And instead of working for peace, he is working for war. Instead of growing the economy, he is growing the military, wanting to buy submarines, war planes, warships, wanting to have more foreign military bases and military alliances.
Is he working for himself or the Pinoys?
The Philippine is one of the world's most important exporter of bananas. That is going to transform the Philippines into a banana republic. A banana republic uses banana notes.
Banana notes will soon rise in popularity, with the Japanese Yen and US$ potential members of the unique banana alliance coming into focus.
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