Article Review    Business Matters: How did we get to where we are?

	Neneth Bañas and Marielle Galajones

Marielle Gallajones was awarded the ANAK Liwayway Scholarship for Leadership Excel- lence, last June. The following review was her submission that earned her a scholarship to study at the 2010 Philippine Studies Summer Institute.

The article, Business Matters: How did we get to where we are? was written by Dr. Bernardo Villegas and was published in the Opinion column of The Philippine Daily Inquirer on September 12, 2009. The article is mainly about how one of the worst poverty issues in the world has developed in the Philippines. With the situation of the Philippines today, having 11.7 million people suffering from poverty as of 2008, it is evident that the article is relevant in today’s situation. Moreover, since it is election time, this article could help the future leaders of the country to have a different perspective in making the economy more stable. In the article, Villegas mentions that corruption is not the only factor to blame with regards to poverty. He identifies two of the major factors of poverty as, one, the inability to recognize certain advantages that the Philippines has, such as rich environmental resources, and not being able to surpass the mentality that World War II generated.

The author is able to deliver the messages in a very clear manner. He uses concepts such as poverty and economic development in a way that can be easily understood by the readers. Dr. Villegas emphasizes the most important aspect of the economy in the Philippines, which is the underdeveloped agricultural industry. Philippines is a very rich country in terms of its natural resources. It has a total land area of 298,170 square km but only 14.5% of its cropland is irrigated as of 2003. With regards to natural resources, it is evident that the Philippines has an advantage compared to other countries. However, instead of cultivating it, the government has focused on industrialization and neglected the agriculture industry. To be able to maximize the agriculture industry in the Philippines, the readers became aware that the government should provide subsidies to some of the farmers who were affected by the calamities, such as floods and drought, faced in the past year, and to help them recover from it. In addition, a good irrigation system is also needed to ensure that the crops will have a watering source, which is one of the primary requirements needed for successful agriculture.

Developing the agriculture industry in the Philippines would require substantial investment. However, the cost that would be incurred in it would be recovered as the Philippines would reduce its imports from neighbouring countries and increase the sale of its own product in the country. Moreover,anexpandingagriculture industry would also create more jobs in the rural areas. With an unemployment rate of 7.3% as of 2010, the agriculture industry would open up opportunities for those people who are currently unemployed.

In conclusion, agriculture is the crucial factor that the Philippine government should look at to improve the economic stability of the country. They should take advantage of the resources that they have by creating irrigation for farms, subsidizing farmers who cannot afford all the expenditures needed to sustain a farm and by encouraging people to value the potential of the natural wealth contained in agricultural sector in the Philippines.

Marielle Gallajones is a recent graduate of Churchill High School and is currently in her first year of studies at the University of Manitoba.

To learn more about ANAK and the Liwayway Scholarship for Leadership Excellence, visit www.anak.ca.

Contact the author at info@ anak.ca

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