Asias Rising Tiger May Not be Rising Fast Enough

The Philippines had the worlds eyes set on it when the World Bank dubbed the
country as the Rising Tiger of Asia. Yes, the Sick Man of Asia may be sick no more. Boasting a
6.8% GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2012 , 7.0% in the third quarter of 2014, and
expecting a 6.2% more by the end of 2014; the country, which many had perceived to be the least
in terms of economic growth in East Asia proved to be a gem for foreign investors among its
ASEAN counterparts.
But behind all these promising statistics, the Filipinos are yet to benefit from it.
If we would randomly ask a Filipino about the countrys economic status, he
would have said Nakakain ba yan? (Is that edible?) or Hindi namin nararamdaman. (We dont
feel it). The growth may be significant statistically but if the PNoys boss, the people, do not
benefit from it then it is not significant at all.
What could have gone wrong? High inflation rate, lack of effective regulation,
high unemployment rate, and underdeveloped infrastructures are some of the many things the
administration should focus on. The economy may be boosting, but that does not mean the work
is done.
And then enter ASEAN 2015. Who would have thought that South East Asian
leaders will develop their own version of Globalization? DepEds K+12 Education was the first
step to this program, reforming the educational pattern of the Philippines parallel to that of its
neighbors so course curriculums will be not be of worry for traveling students. For the
administration, it is a yes to educational reforms. But that is just one.
What about legislations? Being considered in the implementation of ASEAN 2015
is the parallelism in licenses, and a reexamination of laws in labor, security of tenure, and even
due process; these may result to the validation of Filipinos to work freely in other ASEAN
countries and vice versa, a thing that may put our labor force limited. A similarity in labor laws
means a large number of job opportunities which is good, and a larger number of competitions,
which unfortunately is bad. You may have to battle out with a Singaporean Engineer to get a job.
ASEAN 2015 surely is not a question of advantages, but of readiness. Is the
Philippines ready for the implications of the program? For most people, including diplomats, the
answer is a big fat No. Singapore is, but not the Pearl of the Orient.
A tiger may be resilient, strong, on top of the food chain, but although it is a prey,
a tiger needs to grow. The Philippines needs to grow in all aspects.
Growth, they might say, can be found in taking risks and pushing through but for
now, the Rising Tiger of Asia is better off in its cage. For now.