EDITORIAL - ‘Filipino mentality’

In interviews throughout the pandemic, those who were hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdowns expressed a common sentiment: while they appreciated emergency dole-outs or ayuda from the government, they wanted to be self-reliant, to have regular jobs and sustainable livelihoods.

So President Marcos is correct in saying the “Filipino mentality” prefers work to dole-outs in improving one’s plight. The President issued the statement in a vlog entry last Saturday, in which he gave a recap of his activities for the week. Among these were the provision of emergency relief aid to those affected by the restiveness of Mayon Volcano as well as the distribution of farm equipment and launch of livelihood and internship programs.

In times of need, the President observed, Filipinos prefer not to wait for assistance, but to find work and a sure source of income to improve their plight. “That’s the Filipino mentality,” he declared. “They prefer to work than to rely on aid.”

But Filipinos need the proper environment for meaningful employment and livelihood opportunities. Beyond providing dole-outs, the bigger challenge for the government is to create that environment. It should foster enough income opportunities that will stop the continuing exodus of Filipinos for greener pastures outside their own homeland. The overseas Filipino workers’ phenomenon is the biggest manifestation of the lack of opportunities in this country.

The government cannot stop anyone from going abroad for better employment. And the massive remittances from OFWs fuel the Philippines’ consumer-driven economic growth. But with a tenth of the working population overseas, the country is also feeling the impact of the brain drain and the lack of skilled manpower required in many sectors for growing the economy.

Among the worst affected are front-line services such as health care and education, where the quality of services has steadily deteriorated. The education crisis in turn has affected the quality of the Philippine workforce and overall national competitiveness.

Studies in the past years have pointed out that meaningful income opportunities can be created to make it unnecessary for Filipinos to find work overseas or in urban centers. The studies noted that among the sectors where such opportunities can be generated onsite are agriculture, tourism and the creative industries. With the proper environment, the “Filipino mentality” can thrive in these sectors.