IF there is any particular intellectual failing in discussions about the Philippines in the press, media and on social media, it is the inability or unwillingness to put things in context and perspective.
For example, “Why can’t we be like Thailand?” Perhaps that is because Thailand has a King that is considered a near deity or demigod. Citizens go to jail for insulting the King. The Thai military has strong control of the government. Since 1932 Thailand has held 25 general elections and had 19 military coup d’états, 12 of them successful in overthrowing the elected government leader.
For freedom of the press, Thailand is considered “not free” by the 2017 Press Freedom Index with a score of 77/100 with 0=Most Free, 100=Least Free. The Philippines scored 44/100 and has the highest freedom of the press score in Southeast Asia. And do not even mention conditions in Vietnam unless it is to talk of the 100 people executed for crimes each year.
If we wish to speak of the economic success of Thailand, then we must first and always point out that a truck carrying a 40-ft shipping container can reach any point of the country within 24 hours. Here in the Philippines “any point in the country” from Manila is measured in days.
Everything must be put in context and proper perspective, otherwise it is a false narrative.
However, do not believe that near-sighted and narrow-minded thinking is unique to the Philippines. All nations are guilty of the same mistakes. Japan prides itself of being a nation that came from the ashes of World War II to become an economic powerhouse that has challenged both the West and East. Yet, it also tries to deny its own reality, as do all countries. The Japanese population is declining and will lose both economic and political influence in the years to come. Note this troubling condition.
Japan’s prisons have become a last resort haven and shelter for its elderly women. Japan has the oldest population of any country with 27 percent of its citizens 65 or older, almost twice the share in the United States. Nearly 20 percent of all women confined as criminals are elderly, almost all of whom have been convicted of petty crimes like shoplifting. This is no accident. Elderly women in Japan are economically vulnerable. Half live below the poverty line. Many live by themselves and have no one to turn to for help.
Bloomberg.com tells the story of Mrs. “F.” who was 84 years old the first time she went to prison. She stole rice and then shoplifted again to be able to go back to prison. “I didn’t want to go home, and I had nowhere else to go. Asking for help in prison was the only way.” Another woman —Ms. K, 74—said this: “I was living on welfare. When I’m released, I will manage to live with ¥1,000 [$9] a day. I don’t have anything to look forward to outside.”
The moral of this story may be found in looking at Japan’s recent economic history, which it has chosen to ignore. The “boom” period of the 1980s was naturally followed by a period of “bust” as the economic and business cycle demands. Yet, Japan refused to change policies with the new conditions and has spent 30 years looking for economic glory in the same policies that led to its economic fall. You don’t know where you are going unless you remember where you came from.