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Every
hour, about 100 documented Filipinos leave the country
to work abroad. But if undocumented ones are included,
some 3,000 Filipinos leave every day to seek the
proverbial greener pastures. But the jobs they get
overseas are those that local residents refuse because
these are considered dirty, demeaning or dangerous.
Facts
and figures from the nongovernment Center for Migrant
Advocacy (CMA) say the continuing increase in the prices
of fuel products and basic commodities has already led
to the exodus of more Filipinos so they can provide for
their families. With more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)
leaving, the NGO predicts cases of exploitation and
oppression of our countrymen abroad to rise as well.
The same
gloomy forecast has been made by Benjamin Diokno, a
former budget secretary and currently an economics
professor at the University of the Philippines, who says
“it can’t be business as usual for the Philippine
economy.” Given the prospect of fuel and food prices
going through the roof even more in the months ahead,
it’s hard to muster enough arguments to the contrary.
On
Saturday, for the 18th time this year, prices of diesel
and kerosene were raised to P2 a liter, while that of
gasoline was increased to P1 per liter.
Earlier,
the government reported an 11.4-percent inflation rate
in June, the highest rate recorded in 14 years. But this
weakening of consumers’ purchasing power does not seem
disturbing to the country’s economic managers. The
National Economic and Development Authority assures that
June’s inflation rate “is still within the target” of
the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) projection of 7
percent to 9 percent for the whole year.
For his
part, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. is confident the
monetary authorities are up to the task and that the
economy is in a better position to deal with whatever is
coming. Having freed the economy from the supervision of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he says, we have
been able to craft our own monetary policies, and the
IMF-free years “signal to the market that we have come
to a level of strength in our external position that
allows us to be less vulnerable to external
volatilities.”
But for
Diokno, with the prices of food up 17.4 percent and rice
soaring to 43 percent, monetary authorities must take
action to shield the poor from high prices of goods and
services, or else their suffering will deepen, which
raises the prospect of political unrest that the Arroyo
administration doesn’t want to happen.
The good
news is that the business sector continues to be upbeat
and is helping the government address pressing economic
concerns such as food security. For instance, San Miguel
Corp. and the Kuok Group of Companies recently forged an
agreement to pool together $1 billion to develop at
least a million hectares of agricultural lands, mostly
in Visayas and Mindanao, for food production. The
joint-venture project will allow for a sustainable and
adequate supply of grains, sugar and other food staples.
While it
definitely won’t be business as usual with galloping
inflation and more Filipinos desperately seeking jobs
abroad, it is hoped the government manages to keep
itself on top of the situation, even as the private
sector remains bullish about our economic prospects.
****
Overcrowded Metro Manila
If you
think Metro Manila is already overcrowded and virtually
unlivable, be prepared for the bad news: Around 2.6
million more residents will be added by the 2020,
according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The ADB
projects the population growth rate in Metro Manila to
hit around 24 percent from 2006 to 2020. This means the
Philippines will have an urban population of 34.8
million by 2030, or a 67-percent increase from 2005, and
account for 3.2 percent of the country’s population by
that time. Based on 2005 data, Metro Manila’s population
now stands at 10.68 million.
The
increase in the number of Filipinos residing in the
metropolis has resulted in unwanted consequences. There
is proliferation of slum settlements where residents
live in squalor and poverty, as well as environmental
concerns, such as pollution and solid-waste management
problems.
The
study sees the air-pollution problem taking a turn for
the worse as the number of private vehicles is projected
to grow by 12 percent every year and double every six
years.
The
problem, the bank correctly points out, is that neither
the government nor the market provides the right
incentives for sustainable development in the urban
areas. It sees the Philippine government as lacking in
effective planning control or direction.
What
should be done? The ADB sees an urgent need to foster
sustainable development for Asian cities like Metro
Manila. One way forward is to institute local government
reforms to allow them more financial room and authority
to implement changes, including structural improvement
that will lift millions out of poverty. Apart from this,
it suggests expanding projects that cater to low-income
housing. This will not only remove slum dwellers, but
also help increase the chances of the metropolis to
combat poverty and displacement.
Metro
Manila is already reeling from urban blight, with many
slum communities existing cheek-by-jowl with pockets of
affluence. With the city expected to see more
overcrowding and congestion in the years ahead, what is
the government’s blueprint to address the issue? That
we’d like to hear from our economic planners. |
