SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT

CURRENT ISSUES ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

(Note: Twenty years ago, our Division Chief who was then pursuing a master's degree, requested me to do this ‘take home’ final exam for him. Thus, ‘current issues’ here refer to those in 2001.)

QUESTION 1:
Development per se is Human Development. Government policies and resources are all geared towards the attainment of such goal but still 70% of the total populace is within the poverty threshold that hinders development. Give an honest critic/analysis WHY President Aquino, President Ramos, and President Estrada (30 mos.) FAILED to alleviate the standard of living of their constituents. Explain briefly.

ANSWER:
Development has always been the thrust of any government or administration. Laws are enacted, policies are formulated, and government resources are utilized for the achievement of such goal. The Aquino, Ramos, and Estrada administrations each had its own program geared towards the attainment of goals on national development designed to alleviate the economic woes of the people. Despite their efforts, however, a great percentage of the total population still lives within poverty level. And poverty has always been a deterrent to growth and development. Why did Presidents Aquino, Ramos, and Estrada fail to ease the people’s economic burdens? Where did they go wrong?

President Aquino

President Aquino’s ascension to power was very popular and a rather dramatic one. Her term, owing to the previous oppressive conjugal dictatorship, was characterized by monstrous problems, yet both the poor and the oppressed saw it as a ray of hope that will liberate them from social injustices. The economy was in shambles; there was a huge foreign debt it inherited from the previous regime; the military was divided; there was a series of coup attempts that scared the investors away; and with the coming of “Kamag-anak, Inc.,” the nation’s economic problems were perceived to linger on. Still, and very unfortunately, forces beyond government and human control—that series of natural catastrophes: Mount Pinatubo eruption, earthquakes, typhoons, and floods that were so devastating—contributed much to the misery of the people.

Another giant factor why the Aquino administration wasn’t successful in easing the people’s economic troubles was the case of ill-gotten wealth the Marcoses reportedly stashed abroad. The amount according to reports was in tens of billions of dollars. That huge amount could have been used to pay the country’s foreign loans or to finance income-generating projects that will provide employment for the masses.

With these almost insurmountable problems enumerated above, government projects and programs did not materialize as planned to uplift the lives of the people. The Aquino Administration, being a transition government, therefore, did not accomplish much especially economic-wise. Its greatest achievement, so far, was the restoration of democracy.

President Ramos

President Fidel V. Ramos started his term right. The transfer of power from President Corazon C. Aquino was so peaceful it became the envy of the rest of the world. It thus gained the confidence of foreign investors to invest in the country. The Ramos’ presidency had for its goal the making of the Philippines as the “new economic tiger of Asia.” With his government’s efforts to restore peace in Mindanao, it was easy for the nation to gain the title of New Industrialized Country. And having continued the previous administration’s programs and projects, President Ramos had uplifted the Filipinos’ standard of living. The advent of globalization, however, probably affected the country’s economic climate negatively such that some of its economic gains were left unnoticed.

President Estrada

President Joseph Estrada’s administration was characterized by political turmoil that (as reported by the media and as, obviously, judged by the Filipino people) had its roots from widespread graft and corruption, cronyism, economic plunder, and a lack of moral ascendancy to govern. With just barely two years in office, the Filipinos became disgruntled with the administration. Accused of so many charges, Estrada became the first Philippine president to be impeached. As the impeachment trial went, the nation turned politically unstable. The peso plunged to an all-time low. And as pro-administration senators sitting as judges in the impeachment trial made some sort of maneuverings, people flocked to EDSA and staged a giant indignation rally which turned out to be People Power II. With all these uncertainties that characterized the Estrada administration, it is apparently easy to perceive why his administration failed to alleviate the standard of living of his constituents.

QUESTION 2:
People Power succeeded again with all those so many reasons/issues/charges that ousted President Estrada. You are a master’s degree holder in Public Administration hired as Consultant on Local Government. WHAT will you do to attain Rural Development? Explain briefly.

ANSWER:
Economic activities sustain and develop citizens as well as localities, both urban and rural alike. In urban areas, agriculture is not a means of livelihood but industries that provide employment to the people and income to the local government. Urbanites are engaged in these economic activities the whole year through. In the rural areas, however, the main source of people’s livelihood is agriculture. Unlike in urban areas where people work continuously the whole year through, in rural areas, people are engaged in farming during planting season which usually leaves them idle and unproductive after planting.

As a Consultant on Local Government, I will suggest the creation of more economic activities for the inhabitants especially when the planting season is over. I will introduce to them various livelihood programs where people can be productive and earn more. Naturally, the community where they live will also benefit from their toils. Such livelihood programs as furniture-making, slipper-making, hog raising, poultry raising, etc. will be introduced. For those who lack capital, the local government should extend assistance to them by lending them money to be paid in due time and at minimal interest rates. And for them to further benefit from their labor, I will suggest the tying up or linking of their livelihood activities to export entities. This will make them as well as the community where they belong even far more productive and developed.