GOING ON "10"
The Philippine Star
02/07/11

We started this column nine years ago – February 11, 2002 to be exact – with much conviction and enthusiasm directed at issues that affect business, and consequently, the life of the nation.

Never once had we wavered in our quest to bring to the fore what we believed were legitimate and potential issues that are being swept under the rug, ticking time bombs that are being ignored or buried underneath tons of disinformation until too late to prevent from exploding.

Shipping’s need for a life jacket

Our very first column dealt with maladies that affected the shipping industry (“An industry in dire need of a life jacket,” www.bizlinksphilippines.net/021102.shtml), one that particularly called on the government and private sectors’ attention to the dangers of using ageing vessels on our seas.

Over the years, this column has exerted pressure in the best way possible for regulators to maintain vigilance over passenger ships that are remiss with regards passenger safety. It is however unfortunate that more lives have been lost during the past years in sea accidents that could have been prevented.

The attention of the shipping industry was also directed on the need to upgrade the competence and remuneration of local ship captains to eliminate the cause of human error in many local shipping disasters.

We have likewise tackled the need for a competitive and dependable domestic shipping industry that will bring goods and services across our waterways efficiently and at a reasonable cost. The benefits to rural commerce and the lives of our impoverished farmers and fishermen who comprise a vast majority of the population cannot be underestimated.

Neglect and anomalies beset rice industry

From Day One till today, we continue to fight alongside our concerned readers on anomalies that beset our rice trading industry. These cover outright smuggling practices to over-importation through official channels that affect the supply and pricing of the Filipino’s basic food commodity.

Rice farming and production have not been left in this crusade as BizLinks continued to hammer on the need for government support in terms of upgrading irrigation infrastructures, prioritizing the construction of farm-to-market roads, and bringing our farmers away from the clutches of poverty.

As the world tries to melds into one global nation, we have continually upheld the belief that food, particularly rice, self-sufficiency is a must during the uncertainty of this transition period. As a major rice-consuming nation, we can insulate ourselves from the volatility of international rice trading and pricing by producing enough rice to feed ourselves.

We have started to call attention to other factors that threaten rice production, and even other agricultural products that cumulatively account for still a sizeable share of the country’s gross domestic productivity: environmental degradation, unfair trade practices by other countries, and our farmers’ fundamental problems that restrain them from bringing the cost of production to competitive levels.

Over-dependence on overseas remittances

The country’s economy continues to be lifted by the money that overseas Filipinos are earning and repatriating to their families here. While this phenomenon seems to see no end in sight, it continues to be one of those niggling issues that could impact on the nation’s future.

Take away the income of our migrant workers, and one can see why there is a need for longer term planning that would mitigate any negative fallout from diminishing remittances, even if this seems highly improbable at the moment.

While we have the advantage and the momentum, the country should put its mind together to build on the blessings that our people so far are enjoying. It seems such a waste that the $20 billion sent annually from abroad are just spent on consumables, often imported from China and other countries.

Boosting tourism even further

This column has also strongly voiced its support for a reinvigorated tourism industry that capitalizes not only on the country’s breathtaking coastline and eco-resources, but also on the hospitality and warmth of Filipinos even those not within the immediate ambit of the tourism industry.

It is heartwarming to note that tourism now has become the government’s priority program, and that private sector partnerships in tourism infrastructure investment opportunities are seen as key to transforming the Philippines into a serious player in the Asian tourism arena.

But as we strengthen tourism as a pillar of our country’s economic growth, we should never lose sight of recent challenges, particularly in the area of recent rapid and alarming environmental changes that is sweeping the world’s ecology.

In fact, the environmental issue is taking on a quickly disturbing turn that it is not just a concern for the tourism sector, but even to those responsible for producing the nation’s food who are vulnerable to the harsh climactic changes that the world is more and more experiencing.

Population growth

Of late, the issue of reproductive health has once again taken on a critical turn. On one side are those who believe that controlling population growth is a key to the nation’s future growth and well-being, and the other side that deems contraceptive use as a basic affront to human dignity.

As one of the fastest growing nations in the world and with an increasing number of poor in the midst of scant resources, I have always believed in responsible and informed parenthood, and the right of a couple to plan the size of their families.

This has been dealt harshly by those who disagree with my view, and while I remain unconvinced to move to the other side of the debate, I am genuinely hopeful that this debate is resolved amicably on both sides. We have more pressing concerns that deserve our time and resources.

Other concerns

There are so many other issues that this column had tackled and continue to tackle, but we currently constrained by space. In ending, let me renew the vow that I had given nine years ago to the readers of this newspaper and this column.

We will continue to expose hidden issues, highlight those begging for action from the government and the private sector, spot issues that are needling companies and industries and expose them before they become a national crisis or disaster.

I thank our loyal readers who believe with us in this crusade, and we look forward to the next years.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, SalcedoVillage, 1227 MakatiCity. Or e-mail me at reydgamboa@yahoo.com. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net