A Pinoy Blog About Nothing

Sorry medyo late pero di ko mapalampas:

INQ7.Net: World Bank: OFW money shouldn’t distract gov’t policies

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, has said the administration acknowledges sacrifices made by Filipinos seeking opportunities abroad but added that the government will continue “to look for ways to keep them home by aiming at a strong economy generating well-paying jobs.”

When I was a kid, Cambodia used to be called Kampuchea. I used to hear it in the news a lot. KAM-POO-CHEY-AH. It was also that age when I was learning curse words. The adults around me, conscious of a child within earshot would say ‘Nampucha.’ I didn’t know what it meant back then but I knew my parental units wouldn’t be pleased if they hear me say it. NAM POO CHA. (Later on I found out it’s a contraction of a phrase roughly translated as ‘child of woman engaged in the oldest profession’. Something gets lost in translation, no?) I really thought it was a country near Kampuchea.

So anyway. When I was reading Mr. Bunye’s reaction to the World Bank that the Philippine government shouldn’t rely on dollar remittances of overseas Pinoys, that was the first thought that came to mind. Nampucha. Granted that it was probably a snippet off a long statement, that’s just simplfying things. “Well-paying jobs.” Nampucha. Reminds me of an old joke — Binigyan ka na nga trabaho gusto mo pa ng sweldo. Of course the government would rather rely on the easy money because to do otherwise is a much harder task.

From what I’ve experienced and what I have learned from Pinoys who have moved here, that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Aanhin mo ang malaking sahod kung panay ang taas ng bilihin? The government should encourage the private sector to build businesses, encourage entreprenuership so that these can generate jobs. Go after the mofo big corp tax evaders. Create an environment where it’s easy to create businesses not penalize them. Simplify processes. Create tax breaks for small businesses. Create an environment where the local merchant won’t be afraid to walk to the bank with his day’s earnings. Make sure these people can make business calls on their cells phones while on the street doing the errands without fear of someone yanking their phone out of their hands or being held-up. Make sure financial institutions are readily accountable. All these people want is to earn money enough for a home that doesn’t leak or flood after 30 minutes of rain and something which will last them till they retire. They want the money they’ve saved for their children’s college fund to be there when it’s time to collect.

A nation with well-paying jobs? Nampucha. We’d settle for a country where it is safe to conduct our own lives.