Dear Classmates, November 24, 2008

It’s time to share with you some important inputs regarding the true and real analysis of
what has happened in the Philippines in my own personal view and experiences.. Maybe
we are now old enough and carry with ourselves enough wisdom to have a better
understanding of these inputs. My inputs are relatively coming from my 23 years in the
Electronics Industry, 8 years as Catholic Lay Minister, 12 years as Academician and 8
years as member of different private NGO’s.

The Philippines is RICH, the PEOPLE are poor. This is the statement I always received
from numerous visitors, students and friends from foreign lands and eventually confirmed
when I have had a chance to visit some countries in Europe and Asia. Filipinos below
poverty line is 45% not 25% as you have read from print media, heard in the radio and
seen in the television.

My Ate Let from Long Beach California has invited me to join my siblings to go with
them in the U.S. in 1983 and due to personal reason I decided to stay. The reason being is
because of curiosity. The curiosity that I wanted to answer is the hypothesis that the only
solution to prosperity is to immigrate to USA. She told me that there is little poverty in
USA and the opportunity in the Philippines is very limited. But the question is why very
limited? What are the reasons?

You are all aware that I grew up in Guimba, Nueva Ecija and finished my High School at
Paco, Manila. In 1965, I personally observed and experienced how my elementary
classmates were driven-off from their location. Their houses were relocated for the reason
that they do not own the land where their houses were constructed. I felt sadness, very
sad indeed in that moment. In Pandacan Manila, I also experienced to live near squatters
area and played with my friends in slum areas. Note that our house was burnt in 1966 and
the family has limited income to continue living but were able to survive through the help
provided by some relatives.

In Tondo, during ROTC days I was even able to have had a chance to interview some of
the people living in the squatters’ area while cleaning their dirty and highly pollutioned
creeks. I also witnessed countless of gang fights in and out of Roxas High School. In
Mapua, joining MITSCA was an eye-opener to know how many children were born out
of wedlock during a visit at Hospicio de San Jose. Without knowing, I believed these
experiences became my social awareness and foundation of knowing what life is and
what the Filipino society I am living with is.

I started my work at Stanford Microsystems Inc. in Ugong, Pasig in 1977 and witnessed
how workers are exploited. They were given incentives but limited their employment to a
casual position and deprived of right benefits under the law. Since then I have worked in
seven more companies and witnessed the same exploitation of the capitalist to their
workers. I know that as a manager, I should be a part of this system but the system I
believed was not ethical. As a manager, I was given all the benefits that a manager should
have and possessed but employees and workers were not given and treated the same. The
gap was enormous. At Cavite Economic Zone, I have witnessed as Chairman of CAPO
(Committee of Administrators and Personnel Officers) how the so- called
contractualization and apprentice position were abused by foreign investors. Workers
assignment was only for five months, laid off and rehired after two weeks. Direct Labor
cost became a fixed cost. How can an efficient worker improve his life if his
compensation is stagnant, no merit increases for that matter …forever? I pushed hard to
change this system and win only a little bit. The system is still being implemented today
and is spreading like cancer in both manufacturing and service sectors. Both urban and
rural workers have very limited income resulting to limited purchasing power.

How can an economy move, become more stable and progressive when there is limited
disposable income? And worst, the system is introducing more taxation rather than
improving the process of taxes collection and corruption on governance is everywhere
from the lowest to the highest position. Note that this was the true cause of French
Revolution in the 19th century. Poverty became more widespread for both urban and rural
areas. The dream of a farmer to have his own land to till is still a dream to come true. The
owners of the land forty years ago are still the owner of the land today. The clamor for
social justice during President Quezon time is still the predominating cry of small farmers
and peasant’s today. The government is working like a snail if not a turtle. This system is
against to the sound democratic principles. This is not the essence of ethical capitalism.

This system pushed the Filipino to accept the only option of going out and be a member
of OCW and suffer the social consequences, for him and to his family.

As a Lay Minister, I have had a chance to conduct Bible Services in some Pastoral areas
in Cavite where I was assigned. I was able to confirm the effect of the system to society.
Filipino economic life has not changed. Poverty and economic sufferings are all over. SM
. Robinsons, Eastwoods, Alabang Town Centers, Ayala Centers, The Fort and others were
just aesthetics, a camouflage of reality.

The Filipino is no longer patriotic, a Catholic and Christian no more according to the
Korean writer. Sorry, but I disagree.

I have read some historical materials prior to the arrival of Magellan in the Philippines in
1521. The Filipinos were rich in culture, they have more than enough food to eat, the
trade with Japan and China is good and the Filipinos are definitely happy. During this
time the Western countries were using mercantilism as a form of trading in order to
enrich their countries. Globalization is not new. Magellan, Pizzaro, Balboa, Cortes and
Columbus are prime- movers of Globalization during their time. Their only intention is
Global expansionism making their King and Queen and their countries richer compared
with the countries they traded in.

The Philippines was a victim of Global expansionism. The Philippines was a victim of
Spain, Japan and United States. They robbed and siphoned the natural resources, replaced
the culture and social traditions of the people, changed their minds to be consumers rather
than producer. Everything was best especially every good and service coming from the
United States. The Thomasites as an instrument of United States were very successful in
inculcating this idea to the mind of a Filipino. It was even enhanced by not allowing any
Filipino to handle the Philippine Education Department from 1902 to 1946. The best is
American, the movies, MTV’s, Popeye, and Three Stooges, including George
Washington, and Abraham Lincoln as heroes. Everything from the Philippines was
inferior. The Philippne Constitution was copied from American Constitution. This is
maybe one reason why even the enacted bills and legislations are copied from U.S.
Senate and House of Congress.

The Philippines is smaller in size compared to California, and yet the population is
almost one-third the population of the whole United States. This means, the Philippines
was one a good destination of U.S. exports and surpluses. I noticed that Philippine Duty-
free shops have a lot of American products that are not well known brands. I call these
products surpluses. Products that cannot be bought in the United States or low in demand
are being thrown in the third world countries including the Philippines. I have not seen
these products in Sweden, Germany and Estonia.

Colonies will always have all the products of colonizer. It’s only fortunate today that
China is competing with the United States in dominating the goods and services in the
world today. It is only in the Military Hardware that other countries cannot compete with
United States. This is one reason why United States was always in war with other
countries. War is a good promoting tool.

I cannot understand why a Filipino needs to pay 100 dollars in applying a U.S.visa for an
interview with an American consul while American citizen do not pay a single penny in
visiting the Philippines. In 2006 Philippine U. S. Embassy has generated 650 Million
pesos for this system. The United States who is supposed to be the richest country in the
world is siphoning money using this process to a poor country like the Philippines.
Cannot they think any other method, mechanism and control to prevent massive
immigration which they started by attracting Americanism in the Filipino in the first
place?

The Philippine is RICH, the PEOPLE are poor! When a country like the Philippines is
subjected to neo-colonialism and the resources is continuously depleted by external
forces and internal policies are controlled and manipulated to answer a consequential
government loans and international financing, the Filipino people would always be the
sacrificial lamb and shock- absorber. The Filipino is having a hard time in going out from
the quicksand of exploitation, and abuses. This was even further aggravated by corruption
by greedy officers; both public and private. These are the reasons why a Filipino is still
poor today. The playing field is not labeled. Greedy Capitalism today has not changed
and improved at all. I call this system as feudalism in modern society.

As long as there is greed and envy in the hearts of Filipino leaders, as long as there is a
Filipino who does not know the meaning of empathy, as long as there is a Filipino who
are just watching and observing and without action and commitment, then there will
always be poverty and sufferings in our country.
The Filipino people are patriotic. They love their country. This was manifested by 13
billion dollars remittances of OCW’s to the Philippines in 2007. The Filipinos love God
and Jesus Christ. If not, many people have died already. These are now the situation in
Africa and some parts in the world who are atheist and do not believe in GOD. The
Filipinos love the democratic process. We love our fundamental institutions. If not, then
the Philippines is now in anarchy, and the Koreans cannot live peacefully here not by the
hundreds but hundreds of thousands. The power of committing yourself to good
advocacies and projects for the welfare of other people is a good start of renewal. By
knowing that there are people who are victims, that there are people who are in need, then
this is the best time that we can fulfill our hearts as being a good Christian and a Catholic.
GOD BLESS!

Yours sincerely,
Ped

pedsalvador@yahoo.com