RESOURCES? Not true! Philippines is rich in resources naturally. We have plenty of beaches, land for farming (specifically Mindanao and Baguio), etc etc.
Why Singapore and Hongkong are rich? Because they accepted western ideas which Thailand is being practice now. Japan, they were defeated in the WW2, they accepted western ideas. Thats how those countries become rich. China is now practising 1 child per couple. They finally realised this thing after all. Way back to Singapore and Hongkong, both countries are not rich in resources. Philippines, we have plenty.
Filipinos practice western ideas when they go to west but they become filipinos (ideas) again when they come home. Like pee on the wall, spit eveywhere, garbage everywhere, jay walking, traffic violations, maƱana habit etc etc.
Thanks.
Sorry, but no. They just tell us that in social studies to increase national pride (like Juan Luna actually winning a prize worth winning for "Spolarium", or being the first asian nation to launch a successful revolution via Lapu Lapu). It's a crock. Beaches aren't a resource, no matter how beautiful they are. Tourism is - but ours is mediocre at best. We currently
import our rice (land resources are irrelevant if you don't have the monetary resources to develop). We've got nickel and some copper, and that's about it. What we
do have is a resource in common with Singapore and Hong Kong: social capital, a competent and educated workforce. THAT is how Singapore and Hong Kong got rich. Invest in it's people. Successful people make successful companies, which MAKE money for the country.
Unfortunately unlike the two, we seem to be going by quantity over quality. We take care of
all our people, but in doing so we spend
less on each one. So we produce an educated populace which is nonetheless
inferior to the educated populations of Singapore and Hong Kong. Since social capital is competetive (and not being in a closed system, we can look
outside the country for jobs) these better educated Singaporeans will be favored by companies for better jobs, better pay, and better opportunities to invest that money in, or apply their newfound skills back in their own country. We on the other hand, are educated
just enough for manning cash registers, flipping burgers and taking care of babies as OFW's.
Now surely, a high population's got it's benefits? Sure! We can sell our work cheap and outbid those Singaporeans! Cheap labor attracts foreign investment too! Now, assuming we don't mind basing our economy on a model that has to us no chance of skills advancement or exponential growth (cheap labor only producing money
now, instead of skilled people producing
more money later), we're still not beating China, which has the resources to have
both huge numbers of unskilled, extremely cheap labor
and a sizable educated population.
The model's simple, and really is the only way those countries remain afloat.