Eliminate Poverty in this Generation

[BaryaLang]

As this special time of year arrives announcing and celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ we should reflect on what we are doing to follow his will for each of our lives.

The Philippines 60 years ago was expected to be, and continue to be the economic leader in the Asia world. As we know that has not happened. During 2005 and more so in 2006 we have before us an opportunity greater than ever presented to the Philippine people in all of history. We can keep our best-trained and educated people in the Philippines. They can earn Dollars from abroad using the Internet and special training to design Internet Web Sites by USA standards.

Join me in making it possible for this generation of Philippine youth to become strong economically and to be able to pass that strength to family, friends, neighbors, and the population in general through their earning and spending.


Barry

Barry Doolittle, Instructor
The Official Web Site for the Happy Pinoy
Barya Lang Internet Family
http://www.happypinoy.com

barry@happypinoy.com

http://www.baryalang.com
http://www.900ph.com
http://www.19d.us
http://www.1job.us

[mac_bolan00]

that doesn't sound like it'll eliminate poverty for the whole country. it'll make our talented people earn dollars is all.

[BaryaLang]

that doesn't sound like it'll eliminate poverty for the whole country. it'll make our talented people earn dollars is all.

This generation may be the last that this will work for. In the past the Philippine culture caused an individual person in the Philippines to "share" their good fortune with family, friends and neighbors. As the Philippines is exposed to the western thinking we are become less "giving" and "sharing" and more selfish.

This generation will still share by "employing" those that need work and income. Some still help with "gifts" to family, friends and neighbors. The tide is changing so to use the opportunity to get "external money" into the Philippines and still get it distributed we need to act soon.

In another generation we may see that money earned by a few may only go to purchases of higher lifestyle for the few.

You are right, it may soon not help the whole country and only the ones earning the income.

I am hoping that more people reply to this thread. To me this seems a MOST IMPORTANT topic that nearly everyone should have an opinion on. Please share your thoughts.

Barry

Barry Doolittle, Instructor
The Official Web Site for the Happy Pinoy
Barya Lang Internet Family
http://www.happypinoy.com

barry@happypinoy.com
barry@baryalang.com

http://www.baryalang.com
http://www.900ph.com
http://www.19d.us
http://www.1job.us

[mac_bolan00]

i wanna know where you got that notion of a "last generation" with a peculiar mindset. you're talking about tradition within a population that has only a small percentage of people who really know how to make and manage money. but businessmen and investors have always been there. those who know how to save and manage their funds will stay rich. those who don't lose their wealth in a few generations. those who are truly talented and have the daring to match become very rich.

your plan is much the same as asking all our OFWs to spend their dollars on friends and relatives, which is what they do.

[tennisace]

Barry

I keep telling you, for your own sake..... Make statements that make sense.

Highlighting phrases and enclosing words in quotations isn't doing you a whole lot of good to get your point across, well-intentioned as it may be. Don't say I didn't warn you, some folks who post in these forums are no dummies. Seems like you just got run over by a Mac truck.

[BaryaLang]

mac_bolan00;

You may be right the previous generation may have been the one that needed to make the social change and eliminate poverty. Maybe in 2006 and beyond only the very few will gain by our efforts in building web sites.

When I first can to the Philippines in 1986 the mindset of the general population was strongly centered on family. During the past 20 years I have seen more and more young people (those under age 40) that have become more concerned about themselves, their pride, and their businesses than their families.

My various trips between the USA and Philippines over the last 20 years has allowed me to meet many Philippine young people in the USA and the Philippines. When a Philippine wife moves into an USA neighborhood all other Philippine wives introduce themselves within days. I become privy to things I'd rather not have known by just being married. I did not know any overseas workers but rather folks that were staying in the USA. When many Philippine people become even a little successful they leave the Philippines for the USA (not like going to Saudi to work). They were staying in the USA because they immigrated there or were TnT due to overstaying a tourist visa and could not come back to the Philippines.

In the late 1980's the Philippine people sent money back to families in the Philippines because they were seriously concerned about relatives left in the Philippines that were hungry and without proper clothing. Recently the People that send the money back seem more motivated by the thought of how generous "they" are because "they send money to family in the Philippines". The difference may seem subtle but it is a very big difference. The previous reason of sending money was because of "concern for others". The current is a selfish desire to "seem generous".

In 1986 a Philippine-American seldom told others about their generosity in helping the family back in the Philippines. Since 2000 Philippine-Americans set around at parties "bragging" about how much they sent home to the Philippines. Definitely a change in motive from actual Christian Charity to one of Satan's worldly sin of "selfish pride".

The expansion of television and movies from outside the Philippines to the Philippine "mall screens" viewed by hundreds at a time is causing the Philippine youth to believe that "selfishness" is an accepted norm. Television broadcasts teach our youth that they should be concerned about themselves and not others. In 1986 simple jewelry was accepted. Today, young ladies sport full-caret "fake" diamonds and believe it is proper. The "see how great I am" attitude has made it into the Philippine mindset.

It is true that a small percentage of people in the Philippines know how to manage money. The people have been survivors for several generations. Today youth are being convinced that "Pyramid Schemes"(wrongly called MLM), Lotto, OTB and, other such immoral things are a legitimate form of business. As you point out mac_bolan00, the (educated) rich are not likely to give up their money to these scams. It is ever so sad when the rich own these businesses and take the money from the foolish poor that give their hard-earned money away to the rich.

The Internet DOES give us an opportunity that was never so great. If only a few take advantage and do not share then poverty will be eliminated in the same way it is usually eliminated (by death due to starvation or curable sickness).

The USA has a hard time funding its many programs to help the poor. The Philippine government will never have a chance to generate the money needed to solve the problem when there are so many millions that are poor. Over the last 20 years I have seen the USA average man-on-the-street's thinking change from wanting to help the Philippine poor to suspecting that another Nigeria is being grown here. If we do not put the creative talent to good use here in the Philippines it will be put to bad use.

The tropical climate will stay in the Philippines. Maybe in 100 years the national language of the Philippines will be Chinese.

Barry

Barry Doolittle, Instructor
The Official Web Site for the Happy Pinoy
Barya Lang Internet Family
http://www.happypinoy.com

barry@happypinoy.com
barry@baryalang.com

http://www.baryalang.com
http://www.900ph.com
http://www.19d.us
http://www.1job.us

[tennisace]

See? I knew you could do it! One of your better posts, I believe. Kudos.

[mac_bolan00]

much clearer barry!

you illustrated (pretty well i should say) how a person's outlook changes with time and experience. i might not agree with you regarding people's motives for giving. more important, i do not agree with charity altogether.

it will take a very good economist to explain how charity could possibly pull the poor out of their predicament. yet this seems to be your crucial premise. i have a different idea about poverty eradication, as i'll explain in the next paragraph. but your idea has its merits. the most important is the use of new technology to attain old goals. few filipinos even venture the thought.

in my own opinion, a family does not get rich simply by going into a profitable business or by doing savvy investment. a family becomes rich by SAVING CONTINUOUSLY. if only our people would free themselves from this fascination for youthful experience. if only they would prioritize basic needs rather than wants. and if only they would focus on accumulating wealth throughout their productive years, a good 30% of our poplulation will have saved more than one million each before they're 50.

[BaryaLang]

...i do not agree with charity altogether.

it will take a very good economist to explain how charity could possibly pull the poor out of their predicament. yet this seems to be your crucial premise...

We are in 100% agreement, believe it or not. The type of charity I see should not be called "charity" but be understood as the "self concern" one has for their family, close friends, and neighbors. Not at all related to giving without knowing where the gifts would go (charity?). This help is based on the sound human self interest, that is socially accepted, Christian oriented, of learning to provide for yourself and those you are responsible for. The "give a man a fish..." statement covers this. We need to "teach them to fish" lang. We need them to learn discipline to be personally responsible for their actions, saving for the future included. I have never, do not now, and never will in the future suggest, promote, or believe that "charity" will do any good.

Charity's only value is to let the "giver" release their feeling of responsibility for someone else. I have not used the word "charity". Charity is a word you and others have attached to my "Individual Philanthropy" concept. I believe "philanthropy" is defined as "goodwill to fellowmen; especially: active effort to promote human welfare"
see: http://www.philanthropy.baryalang.com/

Governement Charity in the USA called entitlements has destroyed millions of members of two genertations of individuals already. The programs have only increased those willing to not work but be fed by the governement. We can thank God that the Philippines has, in the past, not been able to use this entitlement method to make taxpayers "feel good" by letting the government take on their responsibility to their neighbors.

...in my own opinion, a family does not get rich simply by going into a profitable business or by doing savvy investment. a family becomes rich by SAVING CONTINUOUSLY...

But, one needs income beyond the lowest "survival" income to be able to "save continuously". When you have a 5 member family and earn 100 Peso a day you are only able to eat, provide shelter, and some clothing but not save for that lifetime millions.

[tennisace]

The elimination of poverty in my opinion is nothing more than a utopian mirage. Poverty is a pandemic - a human scourge that every civilized nation has to grapple with, and it’s not going to go away.

To address the issue of poverty in the Philippines, one must first address the issue of the politics of Philippine economy. The unemployment rate is hovering around 12%, and 40% of the population is living below the poverty line. The GDP per capita is around $5,000. The industry sector, represented by 16% of the labor force, turns in a healthy 32% of GDP. By contrast, agriculture’s 36% labor force turns in a lackluster 15% of GDP from the country’s 19% of arable land. Of this, permanent crops represent only 17% of the entire agricultural output. The service sector represents almost half of the labor force at 48% and contributes more than half of the GDP at 53%. The inflation rate is 5.5%. The population growth rate is high and there exists a gross inequality in the distribution of income. 74% of GDP is spent on public debt, $57 billion of which is external. Obviously, this fiscal constraint hinders the government’s ability for social spending.

From these numbers, one can glean where the roots of the country’s socio-economic problems lie and see what the possible solutions are. However, it all begins with government, good governance and fiscal responsibility. A strong enforcement of the tax code for instance, and an efficient and effective method of collecting revenues (not the imposition of new taxes) are essential to bolstering national coffers. The privatization of inefficient and unprofitable public enterprises can also contribute to the mitigation of public funds drainage. Entrepreneurship and/or free enterprise must be encouraged by creating an economic environment that is conducive to it. Currently, the requirements for incorporating a business are restrictive. Too much red tape and redundant (and often unnecessary or unreasonable) requirements for lesser forms of business structures makes establishing even the most basic of businesses a major chore and a royal pain in the butt. This forces a significant number of sole proprietorships and partnerships to go under the table rather than dealing with a bloated bureaucracy. In the end, the throttling of entrepreneurships and the corruption involved in taxation denies the government its rightful revenues. The principles of free enterprise and the business-friendly nature of its tax code made the US economy the richest in the world. Quite an achievement considering that the economy is barely over 200 years old. Over 80% of the US economy is derived from small businesses. It’s time for the Philippine government to quit the lip service and institute palpable changes in its socio-economic policies. The progression of Philippine economy, in my opinion, lies in the encouragement, support and empowerment of local entrepreneurships. Instituting economic policies that encourage foreign investments are great, but I believe that government has to do more in the manner of incentives and support to foster a sustainable growth in local entrepreneurships. Economic growth has to start from within. It cannot and must not rely on foreign intervention.

Teaching individuals to set up their own businesses is a noble idea. However, without the corresponding changes in economic and enterprise policies, one cannot fully exploit the advantage and potential of business ownership. Most, if not all business startups are one- or two-person operations. Current Philippine rules prohibit incorporation unless there are at least 5 people involved. By contrast, one person can either incorporate or file for an LLC in the US and immediately benefit from all the tax advantages that it brings. It is also clear that US business and enterprise policies encourage businesses of all sizes and capitalizations to incorporate. This is further highlighted by the maximum tax benefits and advantages accorded to corporations and LLCs over sole proprietorships and partnerships. Irrespective of these issues, however, one must also consider each individual’s aptitude for business. To Filipinos, earning a college degree or at least achieving college-level education is a given. All of us who were born and raised in the Philippines realize that a college education is a crown jewel of any family’s pride. Anything less and you’re looked upon either as inadequate or a failure, and you’re doomed to the most menial of jobs. The Philippines has an outstanding literacy rate at 93% and boasts a labor pool of college-educated people. This bodes well for the industry and service sectors, but is a bane for the propagation of entrepreneurship. In my opinion, a large labor pool of college-educated people means that most of us home-grown Filipinos have been conditioned since the first grade to be employees and followers. Entrepreneurship requires the ability to recognize opportunities in its many forms and requires the mindset of a potent leader. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but chances are, none of us would want to be the first to stick our necks out. We like to bemoan inequalities and injustice, yet we refuse to be the first to stand up, swallow the risks and take the heat. We also have a culture of apathy, the manyana habit and crab mentality. Hence, aside from changing the rules of business, we also need to instill into would-be entrepreneurs the mindset of being a true leader, the aptitude for doing business and the tools required to grow and sustain a business. Helping people set up their own businesses is a step in the right direction. However, it must be followed through with creating the right environment that is conducive to its growth.

I don’t subscribe to the idea that successful people automatically leave the country. People who leave the country do so in order to make more money elsewhere in order to support their families, both immediate and extended. That is the choice they are left with considering the lack of viable income opportunities in-country. I know of many successful Filipinos who insist on maintaining their Philippine residency and citizenship. It would be a gross misjudgment on their part to leave the place where their success was built just to start from scratch again somewhere. Migration statistics show an emigration rate of about 1.49 per 1,000. The Filipino population in the US is less than 3 million, although it seems like its more than that for those who live among the Filipinos concentrated in California, Chicago and the New York areas. There are TnTs, but a lot of them have readjusted their immigration status through amnesty, some have been deported and the muster for the issuance of visitors visa has become tougher. Most Filipino émigrés in the US were petitioned by relatives, although the current shortage of nurses in the US has prompted the influx of Filipino nurses and their families under permanent residency visas which ultimately lead to US citizenship. From there, the petitioning cycle re-establishes itself. The government is not about to clamp down on its most profitable export (manpower) when overseas remittances contribute close to $8 billion to its coffers. Speaking of which, those of us who were born in our native country understands that it is an obligation for those who are doing well (and it is assumed that one is doing well when working abroad) to help those who are struggling in their family. Filipino expatriates send money back to the motherland not because of some selfish and pretentious motivations, but for first-generation Filipinos especially, it is thought of as an obligatory gesture. Not doing so when one is obviously well-off is generally frowned upon regardless of where a Filipino is situated. Non-Filipinos may interpret this as a self-serving gesture and understandably so, but this innate gesture has more cultural roots than anything else.

Charity is a relative term and the motivation for it varies between each individual. It may range from saving one’s self from the embarrassment of not putting something in the church collection basket as it’s passed around to an effective and legally-sanctioned wealth preservation strategy employed by someone of Bill Gates’ financial stature. Philanthropy, in my opinion, is just a highfalutin term for charity. The term is generally used to let us know that the charity is coming from a rich person. Why is Bill Gates a philanthropist and I’m a just a charitable donor when we’re basically doing the same thing? Because Bill has a few billion dollars laying around and all I have are nickels and dimes lodged between sofa cushions, that’s why. Having concern for others has nothing to do with the spirit of charity or philanthropy. It is an innate human characteristic that has just been buried deep inside of us because we have somehow grown to be jaded and cynical. However, the act of terrorism on 9/11 and the disasters created by the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina show that human concern for the welfare of others still exists regardless of nationality and personal circumstance.

The desire for status and the placing of wants before needs is a basic human weakness. We are social creatures, and social creatures live and thrive in a society built on a hierarchal system. We all want to shed the image of a drone and take on the colors of the queen bee. I go to Chinatown in New York and I see people of different races and nationalities buying counterfeit merchandise ranging from fake Prada bags to Cartier watch look-a-likes. They all have the same reasons for doing so; that is, to somehow fool other people into believing that they can afford the real and expensive stuff. We are constantly locked in a duel of one-upmanship with acquaintances and strangers. It is, in my view, a manifestation of the basic human desire for social validation. From what I’ve observed, the really wealthy do not waste their time and money on snob appeal. It is the nouveau riche and the wannabes that consciously flaunt their Armanis, fake or not, to announce that they have arrived. Many Filipinos have no concept of money management, and their idea of handling money is limited to the strategy of the one-day-millionaire. This is not really surprising considering that a significant number of us are living below the poverty line and a considerable number of us are unemployed. How are we supposed to learn how to manage money if there is not enough money to manage in the first place? We all want a taste of the good stuff, and when a few extra bucks allow us to do so, we indulge without hesitation. We want it now before the money disappears.

Aside from all these things, the issue of population control has to play an integral role in the alleviation of poverty. The problem is, the Catholic church has been playing a pseudo-political role since the time of Padre Damaso and Padre Sybila. They meddle in politics where there should be a clear separation of church and state. The government has to do a massive overhaul of its family planning policies but the holy oracles of the Catholic church condemns the premise of contraception and undercuts whatever measly efforts the government undertakes in this regard. Clearly, the hit-or-miss method such as the rhythm or withdrawal methods advocated by the Church has not been effective to say the least. Riding bareback has resulted in a rash of unintended pregnancies. It’s true that moral decay has accelerated but I still believe that poverty has its underpinnings in the country’s general socio-economic conditions.

NGOs cannot be relied upon as advocates for change. We can continue to do our part individually and collectively, but ultimately, the government has the task of changing the rules and policies. As a democratic society, it becomes the responsibility of the voting public to set the tone for change. The country has had enough of career politicians, political dynasties, celebrity morons and self-serving wealthy individuals. Something has got to give. The thing is, though, when the common people tolerate and practice corruption and allow themselves to be corrupted, we’re back to square one. And when we talk about corruption, it again boils down to the politics of economics. So the cycle continues.

All I can hope for this year is the best for our country and our people. Those of us who are fortunate to call ourselves entrepreneurs must continue to do the best we can in the interest of our country’s economy and our people. This is neither charity nor philanthropy. It is simply the right thing to do.

Happy New Year to all.

[Barya]

Since posting this thread in Nov. 2006 and Jan. 2007, I have been detained in the The Bureau of Immigration Detention Center, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines as a Legal Immigrant Permanent Resident of the Philippines. This detention in April 2008 has delayed the cause. Other people have taken many of the websites shown in my signature so the links may not work. However, trust Mr. Google to find me.

We, as of June 30, 2010, have a grand new President Aquino and I hope he will see the advantage of the things we talked about in 2007.

Let us add to this discussion now that much water has passed under the bridge.

Barry
Barry Le Roy Doolittle
http://a6t.info
http://barya.org

[froshie1]

Interesting... I was thinking of a PEXer whose business is to help and teach people make websitesbut I can't remember his name. All I remember is that he has a business portal that charges minimal fee to individuals and SMEs that need website design.

Sad to know that he got detained!

[LindaPH2010]

For a small amount of money you can start your own business, get help doing it, and change your life.
It takes work on your part but it has been done. I am proof.
http://Linda.FilipinoWealthBuilders.com

[froshie1]

any news kay Barry Doo Little?

[Barya]

The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is near the end. The People of the Philippines are about to take a step to better government. I watch http://anc.abs-cbnnews.com to see the live events. Next trial date is May 29,2012 at 2:00 PM (Philippines time - GMT +8). This is an important step in the Philippine goal to "Eliminate Poverty in this Generation". Another location for viewing is http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video...ream/cjontrial