The Filipino loves to be told what to do.
Think about it: why do Filipinos seemingly work harder for foreigners than for his or her countrymen? Could it be due to colonial mentality, that the white man’s words are better than his own?
By adopting this thinking, we neglect other aspects of the problem. We have a behavioral problem as a people when it comes to work. We love to slack off, do only what passes for a job done (the culture of pwede na ‘yan), and ‘celebrate’ after a “hard day’s work.” We have been criticized for our mediocrity – our work, our products, are crude and lack sophistication. We keep machines running as long as possible even if they are no longer running efficiently.
Why? Because we lack innovation. Don’t get me wrong, adapting to circumstances is one of our most cherished values. Our resiliency even in the face of disaster proves that. Even our word for it – DISKARTE – has no equivalent in any other language. However, in a globalized world, making do with what we have simply won’t cut it.
Our industries remain primitive (handicrafts still dominate our home-grown products), resources are under-utilized and most importantly we are outperformed by our neighbors in even in agricultural production. What industries that do perform well are those owned by multinational corporations.
When it comes to working for foreigners, we Filipinos are the best. We tolerate low pay, long hours in exchange for a pat in the back. We don’t complain, we perform well. In other countries, the Filipino has become synonymous to low wage worker. And yet we love it. Every year more and more people go abroad to work for Arabs, Americans, Europeans etc. At home, foreign companies use Filipino labor for production of intermediate goods such as semiconductors, used to make consumer electronics that we love to buy.
Is it such a bad thing that Filipinos are working for foreigners? Economists might say no, for their precious labor and remittances have kept the Philippine economy afloat for almost three decades now. BPO jobs have dominated the semi-skilled labor market, giving jobs to college graduates that failed to get jobs due to the already over-saturated market.
So how does this become a problem?
You see, we were raised to be workers. When the Spaniards came they reduced a free and peaceful people into their own servants and workers in a medieval sense, tied to their lords. Under the Americans, those servants and workers became servants and workers still, but in the industrial sense, treated as a factor of production and given wages that barely sustain a living. Those that did get an education replaced the colonizers when the latter left.
We were taught to do what we’re told to do, and not how to do stuff ourselves. We import t-shirts, TVs, automobiles and other industrial products without ever learning how to do it ourselves. Our biggest businesses are malls that sell these stuffs. Sure we try to create it ourselves, but our products always comes more expensive than cheaper imported (and in many instances, smuggled) goods.
The result? We have no control over our destiny as a people. We are swayed by the ever-changing tides of the global economy. We remain poor while making other nations rich though our work. Everyday Filipinos abroad sing the Star-Spangled Banner (or whatever anthem they sing in their adoptive countries), shedding their allegiance to our country. In politics, we elect people that will tell us what to do, not those that urge us to do stuff ourselves. We let them stay there even if we know they steal from us, just so we don’t do the running of the country ourselves. Marcos stayed in power for two decades not because of Martial Law but because we as a people wanted him to. Now we have a potential dictator in our midst, duly elected by the people…
We as a people can never achieve greatness if we wallow in mediocrity and lack of accountability for our nation’s fate. If we keep on saying “it’s not our fault, the Spanish did this to us!” then a time will come when our worthiness as a free people will be tested. Would we fight for it, with all our might? Or would we simply retreat in meek subservience, as our forefathers did?
The question every Filipino should ask shouldn’t be “Why should we love our country?” but HOW.
Think about it: why do Filipinos seemingly work harder for foreigners than for his or her countrymen? Could it be due to colonial mentality, that the white man’s words are better than his own?
By adopting this thinking, we neglect other aspects of the problem. We have a behavioral problem as a people when it comes to work. We love to slack off, do only what passes for a job done (the culture of pwede na ‘yan), and ‘celebrate’ after a “hard day’s work.” We have been criticized for our mediocrity – our work, our products, are crude and lack sophistication. We keep machines running as long as possible even if they are no longer running efficiently.
Why? Because we lack innovation. Don’t get me wrong, adapting to circumstances is one of our most cherished values. Our resiliency even in the face of disaster proves that. Even our word for it – DISKARTE – has no equivalent in any other language. However, in a globalized world, making do with what we have simply won’t cut it.
Our industries remain primitive (handicrafts still dominate our home-grown products), resources are under-utilized and most importantly we are outperformed by our neighbors in even in agricultural production. What industries that do perform well are those owned by multinational corporations.
When it comes to working for foreigners, we Filipinos are the best. We tolerate low pay, long hours in exchange for a pat in the back. We don’t complain, we perform well. In other countries, the Filipino has become synonymous to low wage worker. And yet we love it. Every year more and more people go abroad to work for Arabs, Americans, Europeans etc. At home, foreign companies use Filipino labor for production of intermediate goods such as semiconductors, used to make consumer electronics that we love to buy.
Is it such a bad thing that Filipinos are working for foreigners? Economists might say no, for their precious labor and remittances have kept the Philippine economy afloat for almost three decades now. BPO jobs have dominated the semi-skilled labor market, giving jobs to college graduates that failed to get jobs due to the already over-saturated market.
So how does this become a problem?
You see, we were raised to be workers. When the Spaniards came they reduced a free and peaceful people into their own servants and workers in a medieval sense, tied to their lords. Under the Americans, those servants and workers became servants and workers still, but in the industrial sense, treated as a factor of production and given wages that barely sustain a living. Those that did get an education replaced the colonizers when the latter left.
We were taught to do what we’re told to do, and not how to do stuff ourselves. We import t-shirts, TVs, automobiles and other industrial products without ever learning how to do it ourselves. Our biggest businesses are malls that sell these stuffs. Sure we try to create it ourselves, but our products always comes more expensive than cheaper imported (and in many instances, smuggled) goods.
The result? We have no control over our destiny as a people. We are swayed by the ever-changing tides of the global economy. We remain poor while making other nations rich though our work. Everyday Filipinos abroad sing the Star-Spangled Banner (or whatever anthem they sing in their adoptive countries), shedding their allegiance to our country. In politics, we elect people that will tell us what to do, not those that urge us to do stuff ourselves. We let them stay there even if we know they steal from us, just so we don’t do the running of the country ourselves. Marcos stayed in power for two decades not because of Martial Law but because we as a people wanted him to. Now we have a potential dictator in our midst, duly elected by the people…
We as a people can never achieve greatness if we wallow in mediocrity and lack of accountability for our nation’s fate. If we keep on saying “it’s not our fault, the Spanish did this to us!” then a time will come when our worthiness as a free people will be tested. Would we fight for it, with all our might? Or would we simply retreat in meek subservience, as our forefathers did?
The question every Filipino should ask shouldn’t be “Why should we love our country?” but HOW.
