Babe's Eye View article

A study which was recently made shows that one of the biggest character flaws inherent in many of us Filipinos is the propensity for “instant gratification.” Many of us are impatient and always want immediate results. The study also disclosed that other Filipino characteristics that stand out, aside from the so-called crab mentality, are palusutan, singitan, puwede na and the bahala na mentality.

The recent hostage taking is a good example of our tendency to demand instant appeasement and how easily we blame everybody, especially the President, for not taking decisive action in getting rid of those culpable in the botched rescue. But the fact is, we have to follow a process—first, investigation (which was just completed last Friday), then submission to the President, after which we wait for what action he will take.

But even in ordinary things, this need for immediate satisfaction is apparent. Take the LRT for instance, where some people cut in and insert themselves between friends already waiting in line, oblivious to the malevolent stares of the other passengers. This is even worse with traffic, with undisciplined drivers snaking in and out of lanes, endangering other motorists just to get ahead, some of them even starting a counter flow that creates a bigger gridlock and in the end nobody moves and everybody suffers.

To paraphrase Neil Armstrong’s moon landing message to the world, “one small step by the Filipino, one giant leap for the country”—and many of us are pleased to see the small but important steps being taken by the President and his Cabinet to effect change in the Filipino attitude. Nobody should expect this administration to perform miracles overnight.

At Malacañang last Friday, the “who’s who” in business were invited to lunch and a dialogue with the President and some of his Cabinet secretaries. The presentations made by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, DTI Secretary Greg Domingo, Tourism Secretary Bertie Lim and Energy Secretary Jose Almendras were all very candid, articulate and more importantly, doable. Many of us were also pleased to hear P-Noy being straightforward and as always, candid.

Many of the problems we have are a result of decades of neglect, apathy and our propensity for patch-up quick fixes. People must realize that quick fixes have never proven to be the best solutions. And while this administration says it wants to seek closure concerning the controversies and scandals that have hounded the previous administration by creating the Truth Commission, we should also not let it consume us. We should allow this so-called Truth Commission to perform its mandate, then move on to the all-important business of making government work.

There are obviously many problems that need immediate attention, in particular the growing number of poor people. The economy isn’t growing fast enough to catch up with it. As pointed out by Secretary Purisima, the priority for now is to help the 4.3 million poorest of the poor while trying to get the economy to expand faster.

Latest figures show our GDP grew by 7.9 percent in the second quarter—higher than the government forecast of 5.9 to 6.9 percent. The last time the Philippines experienced two consecutive quarters of more than 7 percent GDP growth was six years ago. Investments grew 11 percent; exports rose 27 percent; government spending grew 6 percent while private consumption increased by 5 percent. We have to give credit where it is due, and that is to the administration of GMA. Even Finance Secretary Purisima acknowledges that, and the idea now is how to best build on that foundation.

While the current optimism is buoyed by positive indicators (like the recent ASEAN Business Outlook 2010 survey released by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines showing 86 percent of American businessmen confident of boosted profits due to strong growth in the local economy, and the record-high rise in stocks that have breached the 4,000 mark), P-Noy is not dreaming that change can be achieved overnight, nor does he expect “instant gratification” in this respect either.

One area however where quicker economic results can be achieved is in tourism, because this is one sector which has a great multiplier effect through indirect job generation in various parts including the countryside. Tourism Secretary Bertie Lim is at the forefront and together with the President, will be reactivating the PNP tourist police to provide security specifically for tourists.

If anything, the hostage-taking incident revealed that one cannot take shortcuts when it comes to training, equipment and other logistical requirements especially for sensitive police operations. Some Manila SWAT team members who took part in the assault disclosed that their last training was more than six months ago and some as long as two years ago. A recent study cited that the lack of funds due to poor tax collection was one major reason why our police forces seem to be lagging behind their counterparts from neighboring countries.

“No pain, no gain” is an old saying that every Filipino businessman must embrace. While some of us may claim that we have already endured enough pain, there are also many of us who have had so much gain. It’s time to give some of that back to the only country we’ve got.