By EUGENE ADIONG
BACOLOD City — Filipinos should take advantage of the country’s economic gains and “work harder,” Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said.
“Filipinos are [among] the most talented people (in the world), but we lack industry compared to the Japanese and the Koreans,” Marañon said.
Most Filipinos are “hardly working,” he stressed.
The governor’s statements came on the heels of the Philippines’ hosting of the 23rd World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia.
During the WEF, the Philippines was dubbed as Asia’s fastest-growing economy.
Critics say, however, that the economic progress of the country is not felt by the poor.
That is not always the case, according to Marañon.
He cited gains in the business process outsourcing industry, which he said helped many poor Filipinos become middle-class earners.
Still, “because of the huge number of poor Filipinos, the government can only do so much,” said Marañon.
If Filipinos do not become rich, they would have enough money to buy food, have a decent house and send their children to school, he said.
President Benigno Aquino III, in his speech before WEF participants, said the country’s economic gains under his watch were backed by “the renewed perceptions of the international community.”
“We are set to build on our momentum and become even more competitive, as our manufacturing sector continues its revival and as we continue to increase our infrastructure spending — more than doubling it, from around P200 billion in 2011 to more than P400 billion in 2014,” Aquino said.
He said “all signs for the future are pointing upwards.”
The Philippines would hit by next year a “demographic sweet spot,” characterized by a significant portion of the population joining the labor force while also driving consumption, he said.
“We are incredibly poised to take full advantage of the situation, having made strategic investments in education and skills training, which will equip our future workforce with the correct skills to fill the jobs that are and will be created,” Aquino said./PN
