Perceiving the ‘Real World’

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos08F4SAPR8lXPgC7B-Yb4qpu9w-a_2iT9vdIc1aio1JjPItDdjg-RbiE5UIzDMp-4nbmlbvwWYStY2uKFqhwn5d0KseqpYEAWHGkPuSLMlNhmw3M0vDMybaPsLprq4sh7SIkNyDFGcmt/s1600/breakthrough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos08F4SAPR8lXPgC7B-Yb4qpu9w-a_2iT9vdIc1aio1JjPItDdjg-RbiE5UIzDMp-4nbmlbvwWYStY2uKFqhwn5d0KseqpYEAWHGkPuSLMlNhmw3M0vDMybaPsLprq4sh7SIkNyDFGcmt/s400/breakthrough.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Perceiving the ‘Real World’</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">By: Ray Matthew O. Lamzon</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Graduation day. My final hours as a high school student. The culmination of all my hard work. According to my teachers, this is the day that I step out of my comfort zone and into the ‘real world’. Since my very first day in high school, my teachers have been rambling on and on about how they were preparing us for the ‘real world’. They were readying us for the unforgiving and challenging nature of the ‘real world’ and that they were shaping us to become the leaders of tomorrow. Back then, all of this seemed so true. I was just a young student. I was just a blip on the radar. I was but one small piece of the puzzle of Philippine society. Yet, as graduation day came, I felt no change. There was no stepping into the real world. There was no ‘coming-of-age moment.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">There was only the realization that I was in the real world all along.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In that moment, it came to my attention that the things that my teachers said were only partly true. Yes, it was true that they were preparing us for our futures and it was also true that we are going to face more challenges and obstacles when we step out of our high school lives. However, saying that they were shaping the leaders of tomorrow was a mistake. This is because they were actually shaping the leaders of today. The youth of today simply has too much potential and power to be only limited and labeled as ‘leaders of tomorrow’. They should be encouraged to voice out their opinions and take action today instead of tomorrow.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Like many of my fellow Millenials, there have been too many times wherein I’ve been apathetic towards the issues of Philippine society. I blame myself for not seeing the importance of my voice in the problems that plague our beloved country. Now that I’m older and less ignorant, I want to change this mentality. I want to be more involved. I want to be more aware. To my fellow youth, I encourage you to do the same. Let us not allow our generation to be labeled as the ‘Selfie Generation’ that only thinks about self-importance and individual image. We are part of a larger community and it is our duty to work for its improvement. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">We are already in the real world and we must face it with honor and dignity.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The author graduated Class Valedictorian of the Lourdes School of Mandaluyong High School Class of 2017. He is an incoming Business Administration freshman at the University of the Philippines</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> Phil. Observer <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 3858732215881173933&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 3858732215881173933&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png"></a></div>

Cultural Socio-Economic Youth Perceiving the ‘Real World’

Perceiving the ‘Real World’ By: Ray Matthew O. Lamzon Graduation day. My final hours as a high school student. The culminatio...

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Shelter: The Unsolved Problem

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVL99V2lpC4Z7mU9hvlK-I10P9z59H8nzgu4bBXMbArWFT_V3-c0BA39YJt7N8wXP3rJFDeHWRpEkXqSFFcGdtS5i-twtfglQxtNixOUDwPxE2odwA_jpSftU3AN9MDzDSFFqifJep-om3/s1600/Housing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVL99V2lpC4Z7mU9hvlK-I10P9z59H8nzgu4bBXMbArWFT_V3-c0BA39YJt7N8wXP3rJFDeHWRpEkXqSFFcGdtS5i-twtfglQxtNixOUDwPxE2odwA_jpSftU3AN9MDzDSFFqifJep-om3/s400/Housing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">This writer’s experience in government service first started with housing. It was the early 1990s when earnest efforts were made in addressing the housing problem of the country. It was during those times that millions of housing units were needed and it was projected that millions more will have to be built in the near future if only to break even with the demand. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Government has recognized then that aside from national food security, shelter was second in the basic needs of Man. Previous attempts have been made to solve the perennial problem but it has not been effective. The thrust was to give low-cost housing to the working class. Thus, housing programs and financing were offered to middle income workers both from the government and private sectors.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Funds were mobilized in both the SSS and the GSIS institutions for these low cost housing programs. It was also supplemented by the PAGIBIG Fund so as to provide the least interest rates. The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) tried to bridge the gap as the Housing Loan Originator bank so that housing units can be built and financing availed from the SSS and GSIS that required the housing units first be built before releasing the needed loans to finance them.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">But the problem persisted since only 12% of the population qualified for the requirements in availing of the housing programs then existent. The D and E classes of the population could hardly qualify since they were not formally employed and does not even have the capability to pay for the monthly amortizations.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The National Housing Authority (NHA) was given the mandate in providing housing for these unserved sectors of society that formed the bulk of those that needed housing. It is not only in the economic front that the programs will address but also in the social and cultural aspects of the entire body politick of the country. Housing has become not only a political mission but a mission for national survival.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">But how come there are still millions that are in need of socialized housing programs? Almost 3 decades have passed and yet the problem increases? How coe the recent headlines have bannered the KADAMAY organization occupying 5,000 idle government housing units in Bulacan?</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">It is recorded that in the NHA that there are 53,000 unoccupied housing units nationwide and these are deteriorating because they are unoccupied and neglected. Even so, they are still not enough to address the situation that is rending the socio-economic and political fabric of the nation.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The government seems not serious enough in addressing the problem with regards to spending and allocation of funds in relation to GDP.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The government would have to make a dramatic departure from the past public spending record in housing. Data on public expenditures on housing over the years and there is an obvious fact. The  spending levels on housing have been  lower compared to other ASEAN countries. According to Asian Development Bank data, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, plus Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, figures  show that over the 15-year period 2000-2014, public expenditures on housing averaged 0.75 percent of gross domestic product for the other countries, ranging from Bangladesh’s 0.25 percent to Singapore’s 1.6 percent. The Philippines, the smallest public housing spender in the bunch, spent only 0.12 percent of GDP, even less than half of Bangladesh’s proportionate allocation, and less than one-sixth of the group average.  </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">This is the reason why we have an increasing amount of informal settlers.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Such investment in housing also redounds to downstream industries such as labor and housing materials supply enterprises.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The investment by government will thus have positive social and economic results.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID=%203175456780786906037&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID=%203175456780786906037&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div>

Finance Socio-Economic Shelter: The Unsolved Problem

This writer’s experience in government service first started with housing. It was the early 1990s when earnest efforts were made in add...

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Agham Road

<div style="text-align: justify;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiCirHEVI4zG9ah0hbGANHAONouNKAmsLf0QuEK3HIt5QTkUK2EvEcJaGKQi23ciHbIDGdMhze28EcmLhyphenhyphenaID7H7kUCZmMNynsh6Eza5OfdpWVKZktaTsdxAXmRikS8jnJQgRs6zXyGbe/s1600/Agham+Road+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiCirHEVI4zG9ah0hbGANHAONouNKAmsLf0QuEK3HIt5QTkUK2EvEcJaGKQi23ciHbIDGdMhze28EcmLhyphenhyphenaID7H7kUCZmMNynsh6Eza5OfdpWVKZktaTsdxAXmRikS8jnJQgRs6zXyGbe/s400/Agham+Road+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demolition at Agham Road</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Agham Road traverses a part of Diliman , Quezon City. First of all, Diliman is home to many government offices, Departments and agencies. It was part of having a National Capital that will have all the government offices and even the Parliament. Quezon City was envisioned to be the showcase of the best in the Filipino. A planned city just like Washington DC and even Brasilia in Brazil. To serve the needs of the nation and house those who work for the government. That is why there is a Project 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. Settlements  expected to house the thousands of civil servants that will man the huge government bureaucracy that will be the human resource of the government.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Aside from the usual civil administration, it also was aimed to come up with the software in human capital. There is the Department of Science and Technology as well as the head office of the source of the funds that will be the lifeblood of government basic services, the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Along Agham Road these agencies are located. But again, there is more to it. Agham Road is where the Philippine Science High School has its home. PSHS is the premier Science High School in the Asia – Pacific. Its scholars are the most “gifted” in all the Philippines. The hope of the motherland as Jose Rizal would have termed it.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Agham Road is aptly named because of the DOST and PSHS, one for applied theory and the latter for the basic building blocks for national development and progress. The school will provide an endless stream of talent, creativity and the germ of genius needed to catapult the country to greatness. Such was the plan. A grandiose plan and with a noble ideal. So aptly named, Agham means Science in Filipino. Real development will be complemented by the Advance Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities, Politics, Literature and the Arts of the University of the Philippines while the raw talent will be supplied by PSHS. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">But we do not live in a vacuum. In the 1990s, a PSHS honor student was mugged and killed. Across PSHS was a huge squatter colony. The culprits came from there. One of the best and the brightest the country has to offer was killed by the dregs of society whom he was supposed to serve and uplift when his time came.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The outcry for blood was tremendous. How dare the sub-humans kill the cream of the cream of the Filipino race. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">After observing and learning how the PSHS nurtures the future seed corn of the race, I availed myself of the chance to see the other side. The killers. It was the first time I rode a pedicab or a “traysikad”. From PSHS to East Avenue. I had no intention of riding one to be honest but upon my exit from the gate of the school, a guy stood in front of me and offered to take me to my destination. I just said yes. The fare was 30 pesos. Not even the flag down rate of a taxi. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The driver seemed gaunt and undernourished. Although there were no inclines along Agham Road, he was huffing and puffing even after 10 meters. Each pedal came with an effort. The fact that he was driving against the wind even made it harder for him. He was also tubercular because I can tell from experience. I asked him to stop and rest. That he did. We pulled over and I offered him a cigarette which he accepted with great appreciation. I asked him to sidle up to a sidewalk stand and I bought him a bottle of Coca-Cola. Upon conversing with him, I learned that he only lived a few meters away. I told him that he should take a break and he invited me to his hovel which was only a few meters away. There I found he has 4 children. None of them were going to school. His wife was lying down and he apologized for her since she also has tuberculosis. She could not sit up for long. He told me that he earns around 200 pesos a day since he was too weak to keep pedaling the whole day. With that he can buy a kilo of Galunggong, some tomatoes, onions and garlic. He already bought rice from his morning’s earnings. He told his 10 year old daughter to prepare the fish with the ingredients and put lots of water since their mother would need to have lots of soup. So this was the other side of the tracks or road.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">I told him I was leaving and there was no need for him to finish the trip. I paid him the fare plus extra. His hovel has no piped in water much less electricity. One of his sons have lumps on his head. It was an infection and he could only afford antibiotics if he had extra. So, one lump goes away and another one takes its place. I cannot escape comparing them from the gifted children in PSHS.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">As I was walking along Agham Road, I saw the institutions that were supposed to solve these problems. EDSA may be the center of gravity for the body politick of the country but Agham Road signifies the deep divide in the heart of the nation.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 7928171722069120825&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 7928171722069120825&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png"></a></div>

Nationalism Socio-Economic Agham Road

Demolition at Agham Road Agham Road traverses a part of Diliman , Quezon City. First of all, Diliman is home to many government offic...

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The Philippine Credit Gap

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdliuW627ujv3Ju7ZddELO0fT9miE1AbjVwFkyPd4zHADA3xRJQdxq0jGbdlmXusx3KSOR_46SU63iDaoNt2dXMLeHwtJauSev9RfdlnTXpIn6GJykCkRP-OCOQjWraHOS9mDg-MTbuJG/s1600/bumbay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdliuW627ujv3Ju7ZddELO0fT9miE1AbjVwFkyPd4zHADA3xRJQdxq0jGbdlmXusx3KSOR_46SU63iDaoNt2dXMLeHwtJauSev9RfdlnTXpIn6GJykCkRP-OCOQjWraHOS9mDg-MTbuJG/s400/bumbay.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An integral part of the economy</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Recent news about the “5-6” Bumbay financiers have been the staple of headlines. These are the ubiquitous motorcycle riding financiers for many of Filipinos. These Indian nationals have been part of the trade and business landscape of the country for almost 100 years. They have a niche carved in the “informal” lending business so critical to the “underground” economy.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">It is already recognized that the underground economy employs more Filipinos than the top 100 corporations. In fact, the Micro enterprises comprise more than 80% of businesses in the country. But where and when did this start?</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Contrary to current belief, there was a similar mode of financing more than 100 years ago. Being an agricultural country, Filipinos also obtained loans then. But it was not in the form of money. Loans were given in the form of palay. Small farmers would borrow palay to be repaid in palay twice a year since there were 2 seasonal harvest times. The palay borrowe will be repaid with interest also in the form of palay.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">But the shift gradually from agriculture to commercial due to urban migration also necessitated such small scale borrowings and lendings. Instead of farms, Filipinos in the urban areas would put up stores and food stalls. The traditional lending institutions such as banks would never touch these small enterprises since the risks were high, processing in terms of credit investigations and even loan monitoring had a higher overhead than the expected credit yields. Of course, these businesses would never have the needed security or collateral.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Thus, the Bumbays came into the picture. They of course would lend and then collect every day the loans payments. They would be part of the community in such fact that they provided a service to the community by easy lending terms but at interest rates as high as 12% per month. In so doing, they would also have the funds to further expand their clientele in financing.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> This is where the problem lies. A segment in the economy that needs financing but with traditional institutions unable to serve their needs. An informal source of financing that is considered illegal but is also seen as indispensable.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The government must fill in the gap with relaxed credit rules and guidelines that will enable Filipinos to bridge the credit gap that is so important I economic development. This is the only way that the underground economy still survive and even thrive. It must be noted that a vast segment of the population survives only because of this economic sector.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 7370655980421766274&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 7370655980421766274&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png"></a></div>

Finance Op-Ed Socio-Economic The Philippine Credit Gap

An integral part of the economy Recent news about the “5-6” Bumbay financiers have been the staple of headlines. These are the ubiqui...

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The Challenges of Filipino Housing

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcjA7vafaMY7EwKHgVWBur76hSgYwN5P637ySFgJcuGNXp5cBys0ZDlom8SiBzvcaPG-RY-O49jrlwK0aWRNqUxtTcxSkzNoopgXjEAzgBg6pZCUd-DyYq85XebyP6_WmCVB9GjpC4wtw/s1600/Housing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcjA7vafaMY7EwKHgVWBur76hSgYwN5P637ySFgJcuGNXp5cBys0ZDlom8SiBzvcaPG-RY-O49jrlwK0aWRNqUxtTcxSkzNoopgXjEAzgBg6pZCUd-DyYq85XebyP6_WmCVB9GjpC4wtw/s400/Housing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">They said that when Magellan first stepped foot on Philippine shores, all Filipinos became squatters.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The historical roots of this country’s housing problems still haunts the country. In the United States, one of the indicators for its economic performance is based on how many houses were built for a year. This dates back to the boom years after WWII.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In the Philippines, the burgeoning population of 102 million as of the current date give population pressure to land ownership and homesteads. This also competes with available land for commercial, agricultural and industrial purposes.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Resolving the challenge of affordable and sustainable housing has long been a subject of many discussions and forums among think tanks, governments, experts, industry stakeholders, and the non government organizations. But this lingering problem continues to persist.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">An estimated 56% of the population lives in rented or even informal housing. This is a stark reminder of the need for housing with increasing population as a backdrop.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Effective solutions to address inadequate housing has yet to be formulated and more so implemented.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">According to a paper written by Zaigham M. Rizvi last year for the World Bank, more than one billion people—or one out of seven persons on the planet—are now slum-dwellers. Asian cities such as Karachi, Dhaka, Mumbai, Kabul and Manila have some of the world’s largest slums.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">“Asia, which is already facing a massive housing backlog, will soon be facing an even bigger housing challenge—compounded by the deterioration of the existing housing stock and the continuing shrinkage of household size. The housing deficit, with demand outpacing supply, is destined to intensify today’s already-massive housing backlog,” said Rizvi, an expert consultant on housing and housing finance to the World Bank Group.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">“Despite government promises to alleviate the situation, most countries are making no progress toward meeting the housing challenge. Thus ground realities are fast deteriorating and are getting complex for urban planners for viable and doable solutions,” he had said in the paper.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The Philippines needs socialized housing owing to the socio-economic conditions not only of its D and E socioeconomic brackets but also from the “C” class or middle class. The country needs to reverse the backlog of 5.7 million units registered last year 2016. That would entail building 2,600 housing units everyday for the next 6 years</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">“The massive housing backlog in the Asia-Pacific region—made all the worse by the absence of adequate, affordable institutionalized housing finance and the apathy of stakeholders in addressing housing-related issues—requires an assertion of political leadership that goes far beyond political sloganeering. It is imperative that political leadership comes forward, in a determined manner to take on this challenge, by mobilizing urban planners, academic scholars, local governments and regulatory authorities,” Rizvi had said.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">This only highlights the need for socialized, affordable housing that are located in non-hazard areas since the Philippines is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 7013811876782979906&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 7013811876782979906&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png"></a></div>

Finance Socio-Economic The Challenges of Filipino Housing

They said that when Magellan first stepped foot on Philippine shores, all Filipinos became squatters. The historical roots of this ...

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Gifts and Curses

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr97brBiDeli0U1sCdYo4TmwKGbjWtz5D_7osMgGMipnXhTuy4n7daJnXB8Az5lP-RLN0RWwSpU88vjU6dxI1Sm0BiikP_fGCFix7dBVlArCSos6leTxYQDau0ftYlI2HJv9l4g9hmxETq/s1600/Philippine+Tragedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr97brBiDeli0U1sCdYo4TmwKGbjWtz5D_7osMgGMipnXhTuy4n7daJnXB8Az5lP-RLN0RWwSpU88vjU6dxI1Sm0BiikP_fGCFix7dBVlArCSos6leTxYQDau0ftYlI2HJv9l4g9hmxETq/s400/Philippine+Tragedy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">I remember when the world started to open up. I was in 1st grade and I started to learn how to read. I once felt amazed on what the world had to offer. I can now choose between Coke and Pepsi because I can read. I knew that it was called Chippy since I can read. A flood of knowledge cascaded when I found that 1937 Reader’s Digest tucked in one of my grandfather’s bookshelves.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">But along with obtaining information, there came the responsibility of not only keeping it but also using it the right way. When I read that copy of Time Magazine with the emaciated child, I learned of hunger. Not the hunger I daily feel but of a hunger that is deliberate. It then explained to me things that were unwritten. The day I had to accompany my mother and aunt to a store further down the street and wait in line. I discovered that the same situation was also [present but to a far lesser degree. We had to wait in line for the National Grains Authority truck to deliver rice. Those in line were only allowed to purchase 5 kilos of rice. There were no assurances when the truck will be back.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">That explained why some of my classmates would defecate inside our classroom much to laughs from us. Then other classmates would tell stories of how their rice was mixed with corn or kamote (sweet potatoes) to augment them. That of course became the source of diarrhea. The same story was recounted by my sister to happen in their classes. That was a time in our history that seems to have been conveniently forgotten but hunger still stalks these lands. I have only to go to our school that is beside the church every Saturday. The church and school have feeding programs and that is a laudable program. What must be considered is that those styropor food containers must also include eating utensils. I find it obscene to take pictures but I have seen with my own eyes how the children eat with their hands and the food packets were just laid  on the sidewalks. The children were eating like dogs. In fact, our family pet, Khal has better food containers.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">How did I arrive at this? It is because I learned how to read. I learned through the structured instructionals at school how to analyze and evaluate. Those are the same skills that I have applied throughout my professional career that ranged from banking, finance, project development and Complete Staff Work at the Presidential Management Staff in the palace at a given span of time.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Now, I use it still in everyday life. Those skills have managed to feed me and put a roof over my head. I have met people of high standing because of it and I have so many times broken bread with them and even got to know more about them and they got to know me. Such contacts have also given me a modicum of standing and connections. I made friends and also enemies because of these skills but the ledger points to assets more than liabilities.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Today, I use those skills in trying to help those that need help but we all know that these are not enough. Analysis and evaluation, forecasts and projections are now second nature to me. At a certain level, I try to turn it off since it always adds to the same thing. That the bottomline is we are losing more than winning. It is not a breakeven proposition. It seems that every day, more of the children end up eating on the sidewalk every morning. By evening, while walking home, I get to see not only children but entire families eating like dogs on the sidewalk. I will do the math on my head and I discontinue before arriving at the same “solution” since it will mess up my evening.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">This is what is happening to many of us now. Having been blessed with education and above all discernment, we having been cloaked with the mantle of critical reasoning are able to see things as what they are. We are now faced with choices on what to do about these gifts. To turn a blind eye and have tunnel vision on what we want to see and do or use the gifts for a greater responsibility bestowed. We used to marvel at our abilities and talents but then realize what must be done. The country is in need of those gifts now more than ever.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Truly, ours is a gift and at the same time a curse. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 1225335487009640657&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 1225335487009640657&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png"></a></div>

Nationalism Op-Ed Patriotism Socio-Economic Gifts and Curses

I remember when the world started to open up. I was in 1st grade and I started to learn how to read. I once felt amazed on what the wor...

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19 years after: The Quintos Brothers and the Mamburao 6

<div style="text-align: justify;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAU3anSj6AUFOlovm8cgXPHJ3_6yin11w5MRkXGUZ7xxmJQlaVrpJvis_gzt5q0DyHYZJnSoGNVLG7WIh9Jv_Oc1vTfmd4QN2uJs_61pkuKTlAWSd-1FV4JTkTeITFPTgd-gxJMSoTmEvg/s1600/JUSTICE.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAU3anSj6AUFOlovm8cgXPHJ3_6yin11w5MRkXGUZ7xxmJQlaVrpJvis_gzt5q0DyHYZJnSoGNVLG7WIh9Jv_Oc1vTfmd4QN2uJs_61pkuKTlAWSd-1FV4JTkTeITFPTgd-gxJMSoTmEvg/s400/JUSTICE.gif" width="400" /></a></div> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Dec. 13, 1997, 19 years ago, gunmen went to a house in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro. There was a birthday party being celebrated when they opened fire on Michael and Paul Quintos.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The Quintos brothers were the sons of a local official named Ricardo Quintos. The elder Quintos tagged a political rival who was Congressman at that time of the province. Rep. Jose Villarosa. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Those who were involved in the killings were known as the Mamburao 6. They were Eduardo Hermoso, Josue Ungsod, Manolito Matricio, Mario Tobias, Ruben Balaguer and Gelito Bautista.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In March 2006, then former Rep. Jose Villarosa together with the Mamburao 6 were sentenced to death by Judge Ma. Theresa Yadao of RTC Branch 81. It was 8 years after the death of the Quintos brothers.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">But it did not end there, in March 2008, the Court of Appeals acquitted Jose Villarosa (his wife was the current Congresswoman of the province) citing that the verdict was based on flimsy witnessing by one of the group who served as lookout. </span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">The appellate court’s fifth division, in a decision penned by Justice Noel Tijam dated March 18, ordered the release of Villarosa and “Mamburao 6” farmers Balaguer, Bautista and Tobias. The other members of the fifth division were Martin Villarama and Sesinando Villon.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In November 2008, the Quintos family asked the Supreme Court to reverse Villarosa’s acquittal, saying the appellate court committed an abuse of discretion.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, Villarosa filed criminal and administrative charges against Quezon City judge Yadao in September 2008, accusing her of wrongfully convicting him of the murder.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In October 2009, a resolution by state prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera cleared Yadao of the charges, but in a subsequent directive issued in March 2010, former Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera ordered charges to be filed against Yadao, citing “gross errors” in her decision and reversing Navera’s earlier resolution.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In May 2012, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima cleared Yadao of the charges, saying she was denied due process when Devanadera directed her indictment.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">In November 2011, Villarosa said the Quintos’ filings were a form of “harassment.”</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Thus, the case is still pending in the Supreme Court. It has been 19 years since the killings occurred.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 8257936670435543340&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0S0FvmVeOZsZsyHBRYXs6SOZJFhYBhuQl7OyKadUhy4moMHToFTEST_ch1O_s7SEAdn5dqXBJMznFjilw7Ml42IQSpvsFeEt2olcocpNz3nSnB67pdCgiyERJ8dQXDr_rMeDI_fG1ydc/s1600/sharefb185.png"></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=1985206085145330708&postID= 8257936670435543340&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVWTbY-f69CzSsrK9okrvKibUin1YURVntTu2W1qH6so7vbU6RiR36tV5fVzui_gG4ArLMrsG3k4OvyDg33RZO134rMkgTJC0y_fHDi-Zxcf29jZSC3xcypmVNJ8EWhpyL9MiVhAa7vM/s1600/sharetw185.png"></a></div>

Events History Socio-Economic 19 years after: The Quintos Brothers and the Mamburao 6

Dec. 13, 1997, 19 years ago, gunmen went to a house in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro. There was a birthday party being celebrated when t...

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