Here’s a very interesting site I came across via some online research on a fellow online entrepreneur’s site.
people write and ask me all sorts of questions regarding the Philippines and especially how life here in the Philippines stacks up with life in other countries.
Most answers to that question revolve around opinion .. and opinions are like armpits, almost everyone has a couple.
But here’s a site/service that tries to do a fairly complete, unbiased look at where countries stand next to each other
2012 Index of Economic Freedom.
They cover about 200 countries which more or less is a complete list, and their areas of interest, at least to me, based on experience in living in 6 of the countries they cover, seems fairly accurate (in my opinion, of course.
There’s a lot on the site, and it deserves some attention if you have nay interest in these sort of rankings/discussions at all … so I’m not going to tell you much about where the Philippines ranks compared to the USA, for example.
But I thought I’d quote a few of the tidbits they wrote about the Phil9ippines just to put things in perspective:
… The Philippines’ economic freedom score is 57.1, making its economy the 107th freest in the 2012 Index. Its score is 0.9 point higher than last year, with a significant improvement in business freedom. The Philippines ranks 19th out of 41 countries in the Asia–Pacific region, and its overall score is slightly below the world and regional averages.
…
There are lingering institutional challenges that will require deeper commitment to reform. Despite some progress, corruption continues to undermine prospects for long-term economic development. The inefficient judiciary, which remains susceptible to political interference, does not provide effective protection for property rights or strong and transparent enforcement of the law. …
The rule of law remains uneven, and the legal framework is deficient in independence and efficiency. The cumbersome court system and loose regard for contracts continue to be causes for concern. The judiciary is nominally independent but susceptible to political interference. Despite some progress, government anti-corruption efforts have been too inconsistent to eradicate bribery and graft effectively….
The business regulatory environment has improved considerably. Although launching a business still takes more than the world averages of seven procedures and 30 days, the overall process has become less costly. The time and cost involved in dealing with licensing requirements have been notably reduced. The labor market remains structurally rigid, but existing regulations are not particularly burdensome. Inflation is modest. …
Anyway, I was interested in learning more, rather than just listening to yet another regurgitation of the chismis and bar room myths regarding the Philippines.
Perhaps you would be too. Godspeed.
For me the lack of discipline remains a key factor. Also, I still don’t feel a common dream or goal that Filipinos share.
Just as advice to me, as well as you, Dan … the “lack of a common dream” seems to be a problem that the USA (and many other countries) seem to share along with the Philippines. Even though I let myself get mired in annoyance and anxiety over that factor, the best advice is forget it.
It’s really only _your_ dream which matters. I see this all the time, for example on TV, where they will come across an example of a Filipino who has succeeded exceptionally well. The TV commentators will be in awe, almost acting as if they were interviewing an alien from another planet or somehting. So unimaginative and short-sighted.
Forget the “common” and “everyone knows” ideas and just live your own.
Now, “if only” (God but I hate that phrase) I would follow my own advice