An entire generation of young Filipinos are growing up to be liabilities

Certain “activists” take exception to a country’s people being referred to as “capital” to “invest in” in order to “get returns from”. This is in reference to the recently-published World Bank Philippines Human Capital Review report where some pretty damning facts about the collective ability of the Filipino people to compete in a rapidly-evolving world is called out.

This report shows that the country trails behind countries of similar levels of economic development in quality of education, skills, and nutrition. Raising quality of education and protecting health, especially in the early years, will equip the next generation with the skills they need to meet the demands of higher productivity and higher paying jobs. Investing in the skills of this young population is essential to fuel future growth and increase household incomes. It will help the economy grow faster for longer.

Even more disturbing, the report goes on, “a Filipino child born today will only reach 52 percent of her/his potential productivity compared to a child provided with full health and good quality education.”

It is difficult, however, to hold a conversation on investment without taking into account the idea that investments are necessarily justified by some sort of return. These “activists”, however deride the very idea as “capitalist free market ideology” that seeks to persuade people to “embrace their exploitation”, believing that their happiness is hinged on being profitable assets to their employers.

In short, these commies believe people should be free of an obligation to pay their way in society. To be fair, they are just being consistent with their nanny ideology. Commies after all believe every person is entitled to an equal piece of the economic pie regardless of their added value to the economy. This perverse belief is echoed in many Filipinos’ lament whenever they see others enjoying nice things: sana all.

The fact is we are all part of an ongoing competition for finite resources. This, along with an equally powerful instinct to reproduce, is what is behind pretty much every evolutionary force that shaped who we are both as individuals and as societies today. In a competition, the most competitive often wins. If Filipinos are only reaching half their potential because their development is stunted by a lack of resources during their formative years, then, sure, the state and society needs to invest in its young’s development. The goal is to ensure their productivity is maximised. That is the expected returns on investment in human development.

Commies are unable to present a better alternative to free market capitalism and, instead, appeal to humanitarian notions to justify dole-outs based on mere need. Unfortunately, the facts paint a different picture. It is only through competition that one’s lot improves. Investment is, indeed, required to build strong nations. The deal here is that, in exchange for that investment, one gets assets and not underperforming liabilities.

benign0

benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.