The report wanted to highlight the effects that the economic recession has had on the country. The latest crisis has affected pretty much any nation, but the impact on developing countries like the Philippines is obviously far more devastating than in first world countries. As one of the many proof of that,
an Asian Development Bank report published in May 07 estimated that food price increases in the Philippines could send an estimated 2.72 million people into absolute poverty. This was the best-case scenario, based on an assumption that the cost of food would rise by 10 percent over the next year. More than 5.6 million people would be pauperised if food prices jumped by 20 percent and over 8.8 million people if the increase were 30 percent.In such context, where a majority of people live so close to the poverty line, minimum changes in the economic conditions can have huge impact on the lives of million of people. It is therefore even more essential than in developed economies to have a proper social security system to assure basic survival needs to people in case they lose their jobs or get sick.
Unfortunately, according to the BBC report, only 20% of the world population can count on proper social welfare in form of healthcare and unemployment benefits. This 20% is all coming from rich nations. Another 30% of the global population can rely on some form of help and a staggering 50% has no coverage whatsoever.
The BBC report showed, amongst others, Filipino kids swimming in sewage water to collect items that they later on try to sell, the story of a young man who earns just over $1,000 per year but was asked to pay $4000 for hospitalization cost to cure his cancer, leaving him with two options: die or leave a life in debt.
What is most shocking to me is that the government does not seem to care much. Philippines is currently spending only 3.3% of GDP in social security. When asked why they are not investing more, Esperanza Cabral, Social Security Secretary of Philippines answered the BBC that they would like to, but there are other priorities, such as
She said that without any shame in front of a global audience. Frankly I do not really understand how those could be more important than letting your people starve."...debt repayment, national defense, infrastructure and many other things..."
Defense from whom? What are those dangerous threats that take priority over people's lives?
Developing infrastructure is essential to a country economy, but should come after having assured basic level of services to the people who live in that country not before. And by the way, whoever has visited Manila will wonder where the money have gone as infrastructure is to say the least not adequate to a capital.
Worse than that, the head of a think tank called Minimal Government Thinkers, Bienvenido Oplas, went on and declared publicly to the BBC that the government should allow poverty and that social welfare
"...corrupts the concept of personal responsibility of people. People can become lazy...and later on demand that certainly economic benefits are their rights" - Bienvenido Oplas, Minimal Government Thinkers.To put it bluntly, Mr. Oplas, a Filipino living in Makati, is declaring to the BBC that he believes Filipinos to be too lazy to deserve a social security system as they'd would only exploit it by staying at home and collecting the government benefits instead of finding a job.
I hope only that these people do not seriously believe in what they say or I suggest they watch the video below. It is "Chicken a la Carte", a short movie by Ferdinand Dimadura that won public approval at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival (available at Culture Unplugged).
Watch the full BBC World report below:
There was nothing I said in the BBC interview that Filipinos are "too lazy to deserve a social security system as they'd would only exploit it by staying at home and collecting the government benefits instead of finding a job."
ReplyDeleteMy point was that universal social security can encourage laziness and personal irresponsibility, but I did not say that there is 100 percent causality. If quality healthcare is a right without personal responsibility, then people can drink every night, smoke 2 or more packs a day, get into stabbing fights and rumble from time to time, and when their intestines and lungs become dilapidated, they will demand from the government that "healthcare is our basic right."
I appreciate the clarification. However I must point out that people are clever enough not to waste their lives just because the government is providing them with basic services, which every human being has the right of enjoying.
ReplyDeleteThe most civilized countries in Europe are paying healthcare and unemployment benefits to people who are not certainly for this reason drinking or smoking to death, nor sitting around doing nothing just because they have those rights.
Philippines is following what your movement is advocating, allocating 3% of GDP to social welfare. The result is in front of the world, sadly so as I love your country.