The Philippines has one of the
fastest growing economies in the world, recently registering 6.6% GDP growth
(second highest in Asia). However, few Filipinos experience its benefits, as
the richest 40 families in the country owned 76% of this GDP growth. While the
government is doing its best to promote “inclusive growth”, 26% of Filipinos
still live on less than $1 a day. As large companies swallow up wealth, many
Filipinos are left out, especially the indigent, young and elderly, who find
securing employment difficult. A few years ago, I witnessed this tragic reality
first hand.
My
friends and I went to visit an old retirement home for abandoned senior
citizens. We were set to conduct interviews with residents for my friends’ thesis
about geriatric loneliness. It turned out, loneliness was the least of their
problems. Going around the compound, we saw that it was very ill-maintained.
Corridors and rooms were dirty, and pungent. The retirement home was clearly
understaffed and lacked necessary funding to maintain an acceptable standard of
living for its residents.
After
we left, I did some research and discovered that the retirement home has
constantly been the recipient of numerous social programs, from food
distribution to privately-sponsored Christmas parties. I also found that many
other public retirement homes experienced the same situation. My question was: despite
all of the largesse, why was the quality of life of residents in these
retirement homes still poor? I must admit; it took me a while to answer this
question.
My father
works for the government and part of his job was to oversee livelihood projects.
Once, I accompanied him during a trip to inspect a commercial center. When we
arrived at the site, it was not exactly the type of “high-end” commercial center
you normally see on television. It was situated in the middle of a city, and
was beside a public market where fishermen, farmers, and butchers delivered
their goods for selling. The building itself looked like it had been there for
a number of years with some parts of the structure visibly aging.
However,
business in the commercial center was booming. It had 5 floors, and almost
every available space had a store. From beauty salons to electronics stalls –
everything a mall should have was there. People from virtually all ages and walks
of life came to shop, as the prices were lower compared to signature boutiques.
The vendors were as varied as their customers with some looking like they were putting
themselves through high school, while others were already in their golden
years. The manager told me that before the commercial center, people around the
vicinity had limited opportunity for livelihood. Many literally relied on
begging and social programs to get by, each day. The commercial center was a
cooperative, and that at the start, people were given loans and allowed to rent
space in the center to start a small business. Until now, the center is still
abuzz with stores and provides livelihood for countless small-time entrepreneurs,
employees and families. This was when I realized what was lacking not only in the
retirement home we visited, but in our society in general: the opportunity for
self-reliance.
I think that the biggest detriment to
democracy and economy today is the exclusion of people from participation in the
free market. When people are unable to support themselves, they rely on
society’s largesse, which is sporadic and uncertain at best, no matter how
noble. By giving people the opportunity to support themselves, we consequently
empower them to elevate their own quality of life through sustainable means. I
believe that small businesses and cooperatives can help accomplish this. By the
creation, promotion, and support of small businesses, we can give disadvantaged
groups like the indigent, youth and elderly, the opportunity to become
self-reliant and even contribute to the economy.
“We”
here does not only refer to the government, but to any citizen willing and
able. One day, I hope to gather enough funds and professional experience to
start a cooperative for abandoned/indigent senior citizens in the public
retirement home we visited. I plan to focus first on simple livelihood skills –
arts and crafts, writing, or even cooking – relatively easy to learn even in
old age. I hope to accomplish this and provide a model for sustainable source
of income that can one day be replicated in other retirement homes, and even
sectors. This is my idea of inclusive growth.
