Babe's Eye View article

BANGKOK, Thailand—Arriving at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok the other day, it's very disheartening because it reminds me of our rundown international airport. There's no question we really need a new airport, but sadly, even before the Ninoy Aquino Terminal 3 airport could start its operations, portions of its roof had already collapsed. This Terminal 3 has so many structural defects that even GMA had admitted that the entire thing could collapse in the wake of an intensity 6 earthquake.

The new Suvarnabhumi airport as everyone knows has become one of the busiest airports in Asia. It has the tallest control tower in the world and the second biggest single building and airport terminal. Its interiors are very impressive with its high-tech features and massive terminal complex.

One big reason why Thailand has become economically successful is due to the fact that they pursued a vigorous population program that brought down their population growth rate from 3.1 percent in the '60s to about 0.68 percent (or even lower) today. No doubt, Thailand's "condom king" Mechai Viravaidya—a longtime former senator and cabinet minister as well as a Ramon Magsaysay awardee—has contributed a lot in the successful population program of Thailand with his relentless campaign to promote safe sex through the use of condoms—which have come to be popularly referred to as "mechais" in Thailand. Perhaps he should visit the Philippines again to reiterate how important it is for a country to have a sound population management program.

The Thai population is estimated at a little over 64 million while the number of Filipinos is expected to reach 88.7 million by the end of this year—a significant fact considering that in the 1970s, Thailand and the Philippines roughly had the same size of population. In 2000, the Philippines had one of the highest population growth rates in Asia at 2.36 percent. Experts admit that population management is at the heart of a country's economic development and is a key factor in improving the people's quality of life, and this fact is reflective in the per capita income of Thailand which was pegged at $3,155 in 2006.

Over the past two years, the Thai baht has surged so strongly, appreciating by as much as 17 percent against the US dollar. Current exchange rates hover at 32-33 baht to the dollar, and some economists are urging government to create alternative measures to control exchange rate volatility and prevent speculation which could spark a crisis.

While the ongoing unrest in the southern part of Thailand has given it some negative publicity, tourism authority officials say the situation is not serious enough to affect arrivals, and they're right. Thailand expects 15 million tourists this year and they're very likely on target because they have already managed to attract more than three million visitors in the first quarter of 2007.

Despite a slight dip in 2004 because of the tsunami, Thailand's tourism industry continues to flourish, with 13.82 million visitors recorded in 2006. No doubt, tourism authority officials hit on a successful strategy with their catchy "Amazing Thailand" theme to promote their country. Just recently, they came up with a seven-point marketing package called "Seven Amazing Wonders of Thailand" that incorporates their core products as well as the Thai culture and heritage to target more tourists.

Thai food is also very popular, and a lot of people believe that Thai and Filipino food are almost the same. Thailand has also become the world's number one rice exporter, exporting some 6.5 million tons per year. Some 5,000 varieties of rice are reportedly preserved in the rice gene bank of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna—and to think that the Thais learned their know-how from Filipinos at IRRI.

Some people agree that another main reason why Thailand has become economically successful is the fact that their culture has remained cohesive through all these years. Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand is the only one that was not colonized by a Western power. I guess in contrast, we are pretty mixed up because of all those years of colonization.

We had over 300 years under the Spaniards that gave us a "convent mentality" while 50 years under American rule left us with a "Hollywood star complex." The British arrived in 1672 and stayed here for two years. Maybe they should have stayed longer, as I told British Ambassador Peter Beckingham, because just maybe we could have had a similar system of government like theirs.

While Thailand also has a history of military coups, with the latest one in September 2006 that displaced Thaksin Shinawatra, it seems that they have a system of government that suits their culture very well. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, with a king that remains a popular and revered figure. No one can dispute that Thailand's shift to a parliamentary system of government has done wonders for their economy.

During the MOPC forum last Tuesday, Speaker Joe de Venecia reiterated his call for Charter Change perhaps before 2010. But JDV said he is no longer interested in becoming prime minister, and that the younger ones should start taking over. I'm beginning to believe what Joe de Venecia had been harping about for the last 15 years—about changing the Constitution—is one way to go if we want to catch up with Thailand. JDV believes we need a more efficient system of government—and he may just be right.