Because of its abundant natural resources, its large and constantly growing pool of high-grade human resources and its cultural adaptability, the Philippine economy should by now, the second decade of the 21st century, be one of the world’s leading economies. But it is not, and it is mired in the middle ranks of the Third World.
The explanation is not hard to find. It is to be found in one word: Distraction. The political leaders of this country are repeatedly distracted away from the steadfast pursuit of development-promoting goals by activities that have little or nothing to do with the attainment of those goals.
Any person observing the national political scene and reading about the acts and utterances of Philippine political leaders is inevitably led to the conclusion that this country’s most pressing problems are Cha-Cha (constitutional change) and a shift to the federal form of government. The front pages of the newspapers and television and news programs are full of stories featuring officials of the Duterte administration and pro-Duterte members of Congress, who state, in a chorus-like manner, that this country is headed for disaster if Cha-Cha does not take place and no shift to federalism is enacted. Cha-Cha or perish is their battlecry.
This, of course, is not the case. Indeed, it is far from the case. The Philippines’ No. 1 problem is widespread poverty; it is not Cha-Cha or a shift to federalism. Recent surveys by the reputable opinion polling institution have revealed that the majority of Filipinos—with ratios ranging from two-thirds to almost 90 percent—do not favor a move to change the Constitution at this time or a shift to federalism from the present form of government. Stated differently, the majority of this country’s adult population believes that the Philippines will survive with the present Constitution and with the present unitary form of government.
In the meantime, one of the polling institutions has reported that 26 percent of the families of this country consider themselves poor and that 21 percent of all the polled families reported having to go without at least one meal in the preceding three-month period. Is it realistic to believe that those families are more interested in Cha-Cha and federalism than in having more income with which to buy sufficient food? I don’t think so.
Besides, the majority of the polled adults are asking why there is a need to change the Constitution and the present form of government when the Philippine economy, under the very same Constitution and governmental form is currently growing annually at rates that are said to be the second highest in East Asia. In effect, they are saying that the wheel is unbroken and therefore needs no fixing.
The diminution of poverty—translated most vividly into adequate food on Juan de la Cruz’s table—is what this country needs most. Everything else is a distraction. Our political leaders’ giving their advocacies fancy names like Constitutional change and governmental-system shift does not change the fact that they are engaged in distractive activities.
It is precisely the kinds of distractions our current political leaders are engaged in that have kept—and continue to keep—this country from achieving its full economic potential and its rightful place in the world.