The Philippines with its population of 96 million registered a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $117 billion in 2006. Singapore for its part, with its relatively paltry population of 4.6 million delivered a GDP of $132 billion on the same year.
For less than half a tenth of the humanity Filipinos apply to the job of adding value to the economy, Singapore delivers more in absolute terms.
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The starkness of the difference between the economic value of every new Singaporean baby born compared to every new Filipino baby born is hard to ignore. Even harder to ignore is the stupidity of continuing to multiply at the rate we are multiplying given the anemic economic output of the average Filipino schmoe.
At an annual population growth rate of 2 percent, Filipinos are increasing their numbers at twice the rate Singaporeans are increasing theirs. Filipino women bear, on the average more than three children compared to just one for the average Singaporean woman.
Where is the sense in continuing to encourage people to “go forth and multiply” while at the same time hindering any efforts to implement a reasonable population control policy?
[Figures from NationMaster.com.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Who cares about progress and growth like. Growth like that comes with all those pesky first world problems. I just want to be happy* and to live a simple life**
—-
*(http://getrealphilippines.com/2014/05/filipinos-obssession-with-happiness-is-what-keeps-them-mired-in-chronic-poverty/)
**(http://getrealphilippines.com/2014/06/filipinos-notion-of-simple-life-makes-them-look-like-simple-minded-simpletons/)
Ok, misleading title..I though it’s another one of those hate jeepneys post.
With an improving economy we can hope to utilize the growing number of people..whether those who stays here to work or those working abroad. But still, that trend has to end with better job development here so that we can really compete with the world..otherwise, we’re just adding manpower in our list of exports.
what you’re stating in the article, can easily be done by philippines but it can be political suicide for anyone who tries.
you have too many people not producing and are being fed by those working/producing.
and the first problem you encounter if anyone tries to solve this is, how much are you going to pay those not working to work?
if i get paid $10 to not work, why would i do back breaking work for $8?
just look at the amounts of zombies hired, just to stand there and get paid.
if you’re a politician, using strong-armed tactics is guaranteed to backfired and get you demonized by the media and the church as a dictator.
i see the filipinos “crying out for a strong leader” but they don’t like to be the ones the strong leader deals with. it’s always others, other degenerates no good slum dwellers.
The way I see it, it’s an even bigger sin to put an innocent child into this horrible and fetid nation without having the essentials to develop and grow into a productive member of society.
I wonder how the pinheads at the PCC would argue against that.
The PCC don’t need to argue with anything. They rule the place. They tell people what to do, and they do it.
No justifications or reasons required.
Basically, the Spaniards never left.
We need a kind of leadership that can break the impasse. Not the present leadership but I believe it should come from its extreme opposite side. A Marcos leadership!
No, we don’t need a Marcos to dictate to us what they think is best. The authoritarian ethos is far less marked here than in countries like Russia or China (probably due to our lack of sense of nation), but given the customs we do have, and given normal human proclivities, it is unwise to give any one man or any single party the powers of a dictatorship.
So we’re stuck with our messy democracy and teaching future generations not to have (so many) children without means to feed or house them, but what can we do? I’d say better that than waiting for a sociocultural messiah that may turn out to be a demiurge in disguise.
Since we’re comparing notes,
Metro Manila
246.5 sq miles (638.6 km²)
Population: 11.8 M
Major Cities: 16
Note: with least poverty incidence according to NSCB (the most poverty stricken is Mindanao. Note how there’s no city with no record of poverty in our country(?))
Singapore
276.5 sq miles (716.1 km²)
Population: 5.4 M
Major Cities/State: 12
Note: with highest percentage of millionaires in the world!
I see there’s a lot of good coming out of comparing notes. Just compare Manila to Singapore (central city) for example. Also compare QC, the most populated city in Metropolitan Manila with 2.8M people, to half of Singapore that holds the same population. We’ve a long way to go. Our leaders, especially the ones who hold the “savings/budget”, should learn from basket of talents and effective leaders at least or work their brain and muscles up with their workforce to come up with unfailing suitable solutions to our country’s long list of problems (that goes on until it served its purpose – kaso sa bansa natin hindi namamana ang solusyon). Who knows their city (or country) more than their own leaders with their ever-ready resources, devoted supporters, and scholarly reformers (advisers)? 3:P
As a current resident of Singapore, and a former resident of Manila, and a foreigner to both, I can add that it’s fairly futile trying to compare Singapore to almost any other country – in this case to the Philippines.
Singapore’s unique historical and current circumstances is hardly a comparison to the Philippines hugely chequered and fractured history. And also the difficulties in governing an archipelago that was never completely colonised anyway.
Tama. Kaya kelangan nang i-federalize ang bansa. Hindi nakikita ng gobyerno ito eh. Mahirap i-manage ang bansa dahil sa structure nito.
Sa federalism, Eventually each state may declare independence (in the future) if this happens. This should have been the setup long ago if spaniards never came.
Im half tagalog bisaya but grew up in metro manila. I know that haring matanda is my king. Our warriors are called maharlika and our nobles are called maginoo. We have the monarchy system. If spaniards didnt destroy our society the tagalogs would have progressed base on their own culture. Our govt structure will be parliament. Sadly like you said, the history is fractured and destroyed. Another issue why nationalism is weak.
Kapag na-federalize na, may state kaya na hihingi ng tulong sa US? Ang Singapore nagkaro’n din naman ng foreign assistance e kaya sila nag-boom.
foreign investments pala ‘di foreign assistance.
Its because the poor are blessed, and favored, and etc.
bago lang po sa site nyo… parang.. sa singapore po nakatira authors ng site?