Philippine Economy and Philippine Politics

by: Brinkley Angeli S. Deticio

Economy is defined as the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services. Over the past few years we have no longer been labeled as the Sick Man of Asia but have gained the title as the new rising tiger. From the beggars on the streets to the slums we can see, there is but little development. The grim reality of our being the so-called rising tiger is that such wonderful economic growth is seen only in the media. Nonetheless, it is still calming to know that at least there are some places that are not entirely drowned to poverty as many provinces in the Philippines are. This is a start. A good one, in fact. A lot of essays mention how the Philippines will have a bright economy in the near future and that is undeniably possible. Why? The signs. First, despite the desolate overall world economic conditions at the moment, the same stormy clouds for the industrial and more developed economies are creating conditions that favor the Philippine economy. Second, there are inherent domestic factors that, if fully attended to, could improve the current pace of economic development. Third, the Philippines has, of course, lots of natural resources which is why scarcity might as well be the least of our problems. Finally, the degree of gains that might come our way depends on how the government makes use of the emerging opportunities as they come. So, all in all, our economy is not exactly on the top but is somehow on the way.

Politics refers to the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area. The Philippines has a the presidential, representative, and democratic republic type of political system. As much as I would like to say that the government of the Philippines is honest and just, we would all know and agree that that is a lie. The Philippines, for all it's beauty, has its flaws. Though, most of those flaws revolve around one great flaw which is our government. Economic success will never be achieved with the debt looming over the country, simply haunting the archipelago. With the upcoming 2015 elections, Filipinos can't help but cross their fingers, hope and pray that the upcoming officials will at least have some decency and thirst for a successful country. In a society in which nearly everybody is dominated by somebody else's mind, it becomes increasingly difficult to learn the truth about the activities of governments, about the quality of products, or about the health of one's own place and economy. In such a society, also, economies will depend less and less upon the private ownership of real, usable property, and more and more upon property that is beyond individual control, such as money, insurance policies, certificates of deposit, stocks, and shares. And as our private economies become more abstract, the mutual, free helps and pleasures of family and community life will be supplanted by a kind of displaced or placeless citizenship and by commerce with impersonal and self-interested suppliers. Thus, although we are not slaves in name, and cannot be carried to market and sold as somebody else's legal chattels, we are free only within narrow limits. For all our talk about liberation and personal autonomy, there are few choices that we are free to make which is quite sad. Despite this and the fact that our country, politically speaking, is full of peril, there is still hope that maybe as brighter future awaits.