Suggestion Foreigners and Expats, Economic progress think tank. Outside the box!

debate over the topic, just my opinion. Philippines had the last years a stable GDP growth of about 6%, our western countries can just dream about such a number. it is still just a number that doesn't explain everything, but it means at least:
- there is money in the country, and quite a lot
- people + companies make money in this country, there are profits.
the simple old problem is: the money and the profits are in the hands of only a few and still so many people here have simply nothing. this problem must be solved. big money must be shared and invested in schools, hospitals, streets etc instead of bombs and weapons. fight tax evasion and corruption consequently. it needs a wise government and a good social contract and general agreement of the people of this country for a change. we foreigners play just a marginal role, we could just be good examples how to run good societies, which we are not.
unfortunately, the Corona crisis will bring the GDP down this year, and many people will face severe problems.

 

Nothing can be done without major bloodshed at this point and I'm not encouraging that. Those in power and with the wealth know that sharing it and raising standards for the lower class leads to their eventual loss of power. The more wealth the bottom 50% have the less they will think about today and the more they will think about tomorrow which means a likely political uprising. So keep them poor but not hopeless of living and they will be controllable. Only way to really do anything is taking all that wealth and property and sharing to some extent except the wealthy have full government control with no real way to challenge them. Thus what I said only some sort of civil war with blood which I also don't want to see.

We foreigners really have no role. We are pretty powerless to do anything and can't even really be good examples because an example requires someone to look at them when its good but we're completely ignored unless its bad. There are of course some bad foreigners and they stand out but as foreigners we try and push and teach things like good customer service, safe driving, respect for those being respectful, and being generous as many of us are far more generous then the locals. But do you think anything we do good even in the slightest rubs off? Of course not.

 

You are 110% correct, of course. [P.S. I don't usually exaggerate %].

Within the foreign population here they have many people with knowledge and skills to be useful - including in this crisis. But would they be interested in listening? Very unlikely. They prefer their narrow, and often incorrect, methods, to examining wider perspectives. Yet they 'admire' foreigners for coming from wealthy countries - but don't think about how those countries got there. [I use 'admire' here also to mean 'you have money so you should give some to us'].

They prefer to find photo ops or news stories about a foreigner spitting when their own p*ss and sh*t in the streets (yes, I witnessed the latter!). But it's their streets to spit, p*ss and sh*t on!

It is their country and we are here by choice - if they wish to ignore the resource they have here in the foreign population then fine, their country fails to benefit.

If they are willing to penalise (as in deportation) foreigners for even commenting on politics but (as reported) a very senior member of the Philippines advised Filipinos to vote for a particular Presidential candidate in the US then it is their choice.

But as you and others have said, perhaps they don't want too much progress. It might ask too many questions.

 

I was shocked when we drove from Montinlupa to Manila in February and passed through Alabang, 12 years after first time. Very modern and non-stop businesses and expensive housing. They are doing okay without foreigners. Like most large cities, the rich get richer, the middle class grows, and the poor get poorer.

 

I had looked, via the internet, at the possibility of living in Alabang when I moved to the Philippines, but (as you say) very expensive housing.

But how do you know it is based on locals and not foreign money?

 

I don’t know, my error. I almost moved to Ayala Alabang but too far to drive to my office.