Both the administration and particularly the “opposition” refuse to address the economic condition of the Philippines without pushing their respective political agendas. This situation is not helped by various pundits and commentators weighing in with their “expertise,” which is equally politically tainted.
Caught in the middle are “We the People” who are not given a complete and accurate appraisal of our economy. Because there are so many factors that make up the big picture, it is easy to pick and choose data that supports a specific political bias and motive.
The latest figures for July 2018 show that the unemployment rate is at 5.4 percent versus 5.6 percent in July 2017. “Look at what a great job the current administration is doing.” The underemployment rate has increased, from 16.3 percent in 2017 to 17.2 percent in 2018. “The current administration has failed with its labor policies.” Which one is an accurate assessment of the employment situation? Both or neither of them?
Look deeper into the data and you find that year-on-year, we find the percentage of employed people working at least 40 hours per week—rather than less than 40 hours—has increased by 4.7 percent. That’s good. Basically, underemployment is defined as a person working at a job that does not make full use of her skills and abilities. The underemployment rate of college graduates has dropped by 11.7 percent in the past 12 months. That is potentially a strong “good” as more highly educated people are finding better jobs that they are qualified to do.
We all follow our natural tendency to want problems simplified in the hope that we can find solutions more easily. But most of the time that is not possible. Conditions are more complicated than we would like them to be. As a result, we can make the wrong decision.
Further, there is also the human tendency to stand firm on a conclusion even in the face of new evidence. During a United States House of Representatives committee meeting the chairman, George D. Aiken, interrupted a witness saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind already is made up.” Congressman Aiken said that he was merely making a joke.
Ordinary citizens seem to prefer to get their facts from the self-proclaimed experts rather than doing a little work to properly educate themselves. The Philippine government scored 67 out of 100 for transparency in 2017. Globally, the Philippines ranks 19th out of 115 countries. The government’s ranking is higher than South Korea, Japan and Thailand. In other words, the data and information we need is available through various government web sites.
However, when it comes to the public taking advantage of this transparency and access to information, the people are not doing the job. As a result, “My mind already is made up because I am ignoring the facts.”
American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Wherever the people are well-informed they can be trusted with their own government.” But it is our individual and collective responsibility to be informed. If we are fooled into accepting government policies that are not in our best interests, it may be our own fault. Get the best and correct information. Make your own analysis. Draw your own conclusions. Be an informed citizen about all matters that concern the future of the nation.