"The Plan for the Future of the Philippines"

     For every advancement, there is a plan and for every plan there is a purpose behind it. What is our plan for this kind of advancement? Who will make this plan? We know that in the political structure of every country the president is always the one who plans the economic advancement of their respective country. Our honorable president, Benigno Aquino III who is the current the President of the Philippines, assumed his office in June 2010. Each president has their own plan for economic advancement and in our country it is called as the “Medium Term Philippine Development Plan” or also known as the MTPDP. What is a Medium Term Philippine Development Plan? Would it help the Philippines? To find out more about the MTPDP, let us go back in the terms of the previous presidents of the Philippine Republic.

      Each president has their own plan that can change the situation of our country. Presidents like Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are great examples when you want to know more about the definition of an MTPDP. Let us study the MTPDP of President Fidel Ramos which is called the Pilipinas 2000. The Pilipinas 2000 was approved in December 15, 1992. President Fidel Ramos mainly focused on livelihood projects and improvement of the economy.

The Philippines 2000 platform largely hinged on five major areas:

• Peace and Stability
• Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
•  Energy and Power Generation
•  Environmental Protection
•  Streamlined Bureaucracy

     Let us now the study the MTPDP of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which is called the “10 Point Strong Republic Agenda” or also known as “10 Point Agenda”. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo mainly focused her plan to macroeconomics, domestic economy and OFWs.

The 10 Point Agenda platform focuses on different areas:

• Gross Domestic Product of 7-8%
•   Investment in Gross Domestic Product of 28%
• Annual Work Openings with a budget of 1.7 Million
•  A Balanced budget for 2010
•  20% Poverty Incidence
• Implementation of agri-business
•  RVAT/ Refined Value Added Tax

   Now we know what an MTPDP is, we can say that it is a plan for any advancement and has a purpose behind it. The only question is “what is the MTPDP of our current president?” The MTPDP of President Noynoy Aquino is also called “10 Point Agenda”. He mainly focused his MTPDP on the assistance of the public society.

The current president’s 10 Point Agenda platform focuses on different areas:

• 10% Poverty Incidence with a target of 16.6% in 2015
• 7-8% GDP growth rate
• Share Investment
• Universal Health Care
• Self-employment assistance
• Student Financial Assistance Program

The different MTPDP of our presidents have changed the belief of people of what really change is. In my own opinion, the public society have not yet experience these so called plan even with our previous presidents. We are almost midway in the term of our current president but we are not yet seeing change but we are still hoping for the best to come for the Philippines.

   “I HOPE THAT THESE BLOGS HAVE OPENED THE HEARTS OF EVERY FILIPINO CITIZEN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING ECONOMICS. I CAN NOW CLEARLY DEFINE WHAT ECONOMICS REALLY IS…. ECONOMICS IS THE NATION ITSELF, IT WILL FALL IF WE ARE DIVIDED AND IT WILL RISE IF WE ARE UNITED”

                                                                                                                             -- Anton Miguel Jordan

"New Tiger, A New Reputation for the Philippines"

     Our country, Philippines, has shown a great potential in the economic competition against other bigger countries. We could say that the Philippines is like a “wheel” for it has its ups and downs nevertheless we are continuing to improve our methods or ways of handling our economic funds. Over the course of the years, our country has improved our economy but not just our economy but also our reputation outside the Philippines by decreasing the rate of unemployment, continuously paying our national debt to the World Bank, maintaining the standards of our tourism and other methods. Due to the fact that these factors have changed the reputation of the Philippines turning it into a much better one than the previous years, the Philippines is now one of the “New Tigers” in the Southeast Asia together with Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan which are all world-recognized Asian Tigers.

       What does the nickname “New Tiger” means? Does it change the reputation of the Philippines? To find out more about this nickname, let us define what the nickname “New Tiger” is. New Tigers are economies that have been overlooked in the past and are now "poised to drive future growth and grab more economic power. New Tiger simply means an improvement from the past problems or crisis and having the potential to become a great country in terms of economic growth. If the nickname New Tiger means an improvement from the past problems then what is this big or major problem that we have solved? Let us go back to 1997 where a great financial crisis happened which is known as the Asian Financial Crisis. It started in May 1997 when Japan threatened to raise their interest rates to protect yen so the different investors began selling their Asian currencies through the threat of Japan although it did not happen. We were given an extension of credit by the IMF or the International Monetary Fund in the amount of 1.1 Billion Dollars. Different Asian currencies have declined because of the crisis which has greatly affected the Philippines.

       

      Because of our perseverance and unity, we were able to get back up from the ashes of the crisis. Because of this, Philippines is named as one of the New Tigers in the Southeast Asia together with Indonesia who was also greatly affected by the crisis and has improved their economy.

Market Watch said it selected Indonesia and the Philippines because of several shared characteristics:

1.   Large, young and dynamic populations

2.   Relatively low levels of national debt

3.   Expanding middle classes

4.   Diversifying economies

5.   Stable, elected governments with policies that inspire investor confidence

6.   Top performing stock markets

    We have changed our reputation and we have shaped it into a better one. The Philippines is now one of the contenders due to the fact that we are as brave as a tiger and that is why our country is considered as one of the New Tiger. Even with all the problems or risks that our country would be facing in an unpredictable time, our country is still on the right path on achieving a good economic growth.

                                                                                                                              -- Anton Miguel Jordan

"Choosing the Leaders of the Next Term"

       What does it take to become a good leader? How does one become a leader? When would we experience a new and unique leadership? The Philippine Nation experiences every time a change of leaders in our government but does this change makes the leaders deserving of their position? Some, because not all leaders have the compassion to serve their nation and their goal is just to steal money or to corrupt the very foundation of our government. One example of this change that we experience every time is the Philippine Election. There are many various terms or period of leadership like the election for president, senators, mayors and government. The election may be local or national. One of the most discussed topics for this year is the Philippine Senate Election 2013. Let us discussed more about the Philippine Senate Election to learn more about it and determine the aura of the possible leaders of our nation.

    The Philippine Senate Election 2013 will be the 31st of the Philippine Senatorial elections. It will be conducted on Monday, May 13, 2013 to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The newly elected ones and the past elected ones in the last election of 2010 will form the 16^th Congress. The senators who were elected in 2010 will serve until June 30, 2016, while the senators who were elected in this election will serve up to June 30, 2019. Philippine Senatorial Elections are done via the plurality at-large-voting system: the entire country is one at-large "district", where a voter can vote up to twelve people (one vote per candidate), with the twelve candidates with the highest amount of votes deemed being elected. During the course of the election, the different coalitions or groups are campaigning by showing the public advertisements, posters or tarpaulins, flyers and other public campaigning methods to promote what they have done.

       

  Some candidates violate the rules and regulations in campaigning which are set by the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) by posting different ads in prohibited places or displaying the name or image in products such as food, canned goods and other products. One of the most visible part in campaigning is the representative color or political color of each coalition for example Yellow for Team PNoy, Orange for the UNA (United Nationalist Alliance) and other political colors of the coalition. These coalitions sometimes argue with each other in a way that they throw off different controversies to tarnish the name of the candidate to the public. These candidates will be the next generation of leaders that will take us to a nation not divided but united but some leaders may have different goals on why they ran for that position. They do not need to be so competitive but what they need is to give their real intention which is supposed to be to serve our nation not to steal from our nation. The Senate Election 2013 is near. We should all be wise and knowledgeable on whom we choose as our leader of our nation. It needs proper discernment.

                                                                                                                               -- Anton Miguel Jordan

"The Secret Behind the RH Bill"

News Article 1
News Article 2

     The Reproductive Health Bill is one of the most talked issue over the past years. An argument between the Church and the Government has risen through the course of enforcing the law. What is really the purpose of the Reproductive Health Bill? Would it improve our country's economic performance? These questions might be answered over the course of the coming years. According to the National Statistics Office, our country is overpopulated with a growth rate of 3 to 4 percent every year with a Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 1 to 2 percent every year. It seems that a lot of problems have arisen of continuous growth of our population. According to the government, The Reproductive Health Bill was said to be the solution to this rapid population growth but is it really the only solution to solve this problem? To answer this question, let us know more about the Reproductive Health Bill or also known as Senate Bill No. 2865.

   The Reproductive Health Bill is a law in the Philippines which guarantees universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. The Department of Health is proposing 13.7 billion pesos to be fund the RH bill if it is passed in 2012, according to Senator Pia Cayetano. According to the senate policy brief titled promoting reproductive health, the history of reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the Philippines. President Ferdinand Marcos signed the declaration on population. As you can see the Reproductive Health Bill aims to teach the uninformed ways on how to use contraceptives to stop an increase in the birth rate. It also teaches the people about sexual education to have knowledge on what is sex all about. 

      Now we know what Reproductive Health Bill is. We can move now to the secret agenda the Bill contains. Based on the countries all over the world, the countries have enforced similar laws like the RH Bill in the Philippines. It means that our country is the only country that has not enforced this kind of law. Some economic experts say that the RH Bill should be enforced because it is the only way to borrow money from the World Bank. With an increasing population growth rate, it was said that if the Philippines does not enforce this law then the World Bank wouldn't let us borrow money because if there is still an increase in the population growth rate in the Philippines then the more money we would need to borrow to meet the needs of our citizens who are suffering because of the rapid population growth rate. The Reproductive Health Bill is now enforced in our very nation. This law has left scars between the church and the government but is it worth it? We can find the answer if we see economic advancements in our country. The RH Bill has affected the economic status of our country through the means of finance. 

                                                                                                                              -- Anton Miguel Jordan

"The Privatization of Public Hospitals"

    Privatization is the process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency, public service or public property from the public sector or the government to the private sector, either to a business that operate for a profit or to a non-profit organization. There are certain laws that tackle the so called “Privatization”. One concrete example of these laws is the House Bill 6069 or an Act Creating National Government Hospital Corporations. House Bill 6069 was filed by Bacolod Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez, Jr., which has been passed by the Committee on Health in the House of Representatives last May 16. The House Bill 6069 aims to privatize privatize or corporatize 26 public hospitals like Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), Veterans Regional Hospital, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, Region I Medical Center, Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center, Jose B. Lingad Memorial Medical Center, Batangas Regional Hospital, Bicol Medical Center, Bicol Research Training and Teaching Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center, Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), Western Visayas Medical Center, Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC), Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, Caraga Regional Hospital, Davao Regional Hospital, and Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro, Sr. Regional Training and Teaching Hospital. 

    The House Bill 6069 is similar to the law passed by Senator Franklin Drilon which is the Senate Bill 3130 or the National Government Hospital Corporate Restructuring Act, which also has the same content as HB 6069. Why is there a privatization? How does it help our economy? According to the Economic Analysts, privatization is usually done to public properties those are not supplying the needs of the people and generate income for the government projects. Does this mean that these 26 public hospitals don’t supply the needs of the people and generate income for the government projects? It is really a question to us citizens whether this law can improve our economic status. The government believes that a corporation will improve if it is controlled by the private sector because there would be enough capital for the improvement that will be applied to the business unlike if it is controlled by the government where there is a problem where to get the income. Our country is experiencing budget deficit because of the disequilibrium in the prices we conduct and income that is not properly distributed.

   House Bill 6069 was all strongly opposed by progressive groups. The opposing groups said that privatizing public hospitals reduce overall access of the poor to health services, increase the number of seriously-ill people unable to get treatment, and result in more deaths from diseases  due to the fact that it would be controlled by a private sector where the price to be declared depends on him/her. Based on my own opinion, the House Bill 6069 or the Senate Bill 3130 lacks points of strength because it remains unclear or vague to us the objectives of this House Bill but it is said to us that it aims to privatize 26 public hospitals but do we know what comes next? The government should look and study the law because enforcing the law would affect the economy because there would 26 public hospitals that would be privatize which is a large number for me considering that these are public hospitals not owned by the private sector. For every law there is a purpose and that purpose has also another purpose behind it.

                                                                                                                              -- Anton Miguel Jordan

"The Slow Progression of Our Agriculture"

The News Article

     Looking at the situation of the Philippines, it is true that we are behind the economic growth of other Asian countries like China, Indonesia and Thailand. The reason for this low economic growth originates from the sector of agriculture due to the low capital and investments for machinery infrastructures and other improvements and halted implementation of land reform and production process. The situation of the sector of agriculture had gone worse through the course of the years. The Philippines have a slow implementation of land reform which causes the farmers to rebel against the government due to the fact they want their own land to harvest and low productivity output which causes our economic growth rate to decline or diminish. According to Washington SyCip, founder of the financial auditing company SyCip Gorres and Velayo, commented on the agricultural status of the Philippines and compared it with other Asian Countries like China, Japan and Thailand. It was said that the Philippines is one the most agricultural countries in the world because the country contains abundant natural resources. It was also said that we were the ones who taught other civilizations how to farm and harvest but what happen to our agricultural magnitude?

     In every country, the Sector of Agriculture is the main sector of one's economy for it delivers raw products to the industry to be processed and keeps our economy stable but if left unchecked our economy may fall. What is the problem with our economy? Analyzing the statement of SyCip, the Philippines lags on the implementation of Land Reform and Productivity Output. Even though our economic growth has increased by 5.9 percent in the Gross Domestic Product, it is not enough to boast it because if we compare it with other countries like China which has a 7.8 percent growth in their GDP over the same period and Indonesia which has a 6.4 percent growth in their GDP over the same period. This information tells us that our economic growth is getting worse due to the lack of attention on the sector of agriculture.

     What should we do to improve our Agricultural status? After all improving our agricultural status would be start of a good economic status. Based on my own opinion, the only way to improve our agricultural status is to stop corruption because stopping it would lead to a chain of reaction that would eventually lead to a stable economy. We should also have an equal distribution of income so that the Sector of Agriculture particularly the farmers and their families would have enough income or capital in giving their best in harvesting crops. Our government should also build infrastructures and machinery to help or to make their work easier and quicker so that our economy would grow up fast. Let us give them a land so that they would achieve freedom and happiness. Let us contemplate on the different successes of our neighbor countries and let us see them as an inspiration for a bright future for all of us.

                                                                                                                              -- Anton Miguel Jordan

"The Fight for One Land"

     Agriculture is one of the primary sectors of our country perhaps it is the most important sector because the Sector of Agriculture supplies raw materials, brings in money from the different countries, buys products from the Sector of Industry and gives jobs to the less fortunate or the jobless. It is also visible to us that the Sector of Agriculture is one of the most in need sectors of our country because they lack lands to harvest crops, income that will satisfy their needs and technology that will make their works easier. There are many issues that have existed in the past years issues that concern about the land ownership, satisfaction of needs and other points of land issues. The most famous issue that concerns about the Sector of Agriculture is about the issue of the Hacienda Luisita which is own by the Cojuangco clan. It is the most famous issue in Agriculture for it has appeared in news up to the present. To give you more information about Hacienda Luisita, Hacienda Luisita is a 6,435-hectare sugar plantation estate located in the province of Tarlac, Philippines, owned by the Cojuangco family, which includes the late former President Corazón C. Aquino and her son, incumbent President Benigno S. Aquino III. It spans various municipalities in the province, including the capital Tarlac City.

   Hacienda Luisita was bought by Jose Cojuangco Sr. who borrow money from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or Central Bank of the Philippines in order to buy this property. There is an agreement that after 10 years he would turn it over and give it to the farmers of the land, an agreement that was never fulfilled. The farmers continue to fight for their land even there is a risk when they continue it. These little people are fighting the big men of our country which I consider unfair. The government should look into this problem and give the land that is rightfully theirs after 10 years of the purchase of the land. I also realized that there is a secret agenda which works behind the Corona Impeachment Trial. It is said that Former Supreme Chief Justice wants to give the Hacienda Luisita to the farmers but President Benigno Aquino III pointed out his attention on him and quickly finds a way to stop him from giving their property to the farmers. The way was the so-called Impeachment Trial. 

    Agencies like the CARP,  NARRA and other NGOs should focus their attention in giving the land to the farmers. This is the only thing they want even though this is not the only thing they need. Francisco Nakpil, one of the workers, are just one of the many who are fighting for their right in Hacienda Luisita until the very end. This is not just an issue of land distribution but it is also an issue that pertains about the relationship of the government and the people. These little people who we called the farmers fight till the very end until they receive what is rightfully theirs. They would not surrender even though they are hurt by the combined forces of the AFP and PNP in their previous attempt to conduct a rally. That land is more valuable to them than the owners of the land because it would provide them more income and happiness once they have the land. They fight for one land, a land that is the only hope for them.

                                                                                                                              -- Anton Miguel Jordan