A Heritage Of Smallness

[robert k]

Oh Thomas, please! US companies were allowed to help Saddam Hussein build great chemical weapons so his tiny army could kill tens of millions of Iranians, kill so many, that towards the end, the Iranians were sweeping the streets for any male between the age of 15 and 60. The US didn't speak up because Iran had held a couple dozen Americans hostage for over 400 days. The US government holds quite a grudge. :tiphat:

 I don't recall US dropping any airborne troops into Chile but I guess there could have been some sharp words.

[MacBubba]

But as long as they export their best people as OFW's I doubt any real change is going to come

That is debatable. There was a time, in the 60s and 70s, when there were professionals and technocrats who were successful in the Philippines, yet were lured by the promise of stability in the West. Those you might count among their best and brightest, resulting in what they then called the "brain drain". For the most part, those people were not disappointed. With their credentials, they managed to pursue their careers and were compensated handsomely.

The OFWs that came later (most, not all), are less educated and skilled than the aforementioned, and are filling far less lucrative jobs. You will not believe the concentration of very bright Filipinos who are still in some circles in Manila. They are staying because they are already successful, and have much at stake.

[jpbago]

The OFWs that came later (most, not all), are less educated and skilled than the aforementioned, and are filling far less lucrative jobs.

 

I know of a few OFWs, maybe 20, who are no longer OFWs. The ones in Macau, Singapore, England, and the Americas continue because their wage and life is better but the ones that work in the Middle East for 10,000 to 20,000p per month, nothing for the first 6 months while paying the placement fee to an agency that advertises "no placement fee", sleeping on the floor, after sending most of their wages back to PI, after seeing that it is all wasted, well they return and do not go back. It is better to stay in PI to work for 168p per day and be home with the family.

[MikeB]

You will not believe the concentration of very bright Filipinos who are still in some circles in Manila. They are staying because they are already successful, and have much at stake.

And the typical foreign retiree isn't rubbing shoulders with them. They don't need their money, they don't want their daughters marrying them, they're embarrassed by some of the antics they see. Very closed society, many of them Chinese-Filipino. I think of that every time I read someone saying "they're all this, all that". They probably think the same of us.

[MacBubba]

You're not wrong. They are a very closed society, and many of them are Chinese-Filipino. Without my wife (not Chinese-Filipino), I don't know that I would have the opportunity.

[alsuave]

But as long as they export their best people as OFW's I doubt any real change is going to come

You will not believe the concentration of very bright Filipinos who are still in some circles in Manila. They are staying because they are already successful, and have much at stake.

Of course, but the same can be said for the inner circle of educated elite in any 3rd world country. I don't think the Ayala family is who the author had in mind when he wrote the essay.

I also know that there there are many Filipinos who are highly paid expats. My college roommate was a Filipino. He's been involved in many start ups in Silicon Valley and has done very well over the years. He is not the only Filipino expat who does well. But guess what, his family is part of the educated inner circle (of Cebu in this case), and I don't think he has ever had to send money home to support anyone. In fact, he was the one being supported by his family in the PI those 1st few years. How often have you seen remittances going outside of the PI?

Upper class Filipinos are very Westernized in their thinking, and for the most part don't suffer from the problems the author addresses in the essay. But they are only a small percentage of the population.

Edited February 27, 2014 by alsuave

[jpbago]

I also know that there there are many Filipinos who are highly paid expats. My college roommate was a Filipino. He's been involved in many start ups in Silicon Valley and has done very well over the years. He is not the only Filipino expat who does. But guess what, his family is part of the educated inner circle (of Cebu in this case), and I don't think he has ever had to send money home to support anyone.

 

This is the brain drain that was referred to in an earlier post. These are the people who need to return to PI to lead the way out of their small way of thinking.

[Miguk]

preparation, is the key word to make a plan

 

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

[Miguk]

This is the brain drain that was referred to in an earlier post. These are the people who need to return to PI to lead the way out of their small way of thinking.

 

I think it is starting already with the return of the initial wave of OFWs now reaching retirement age and coming back home

[alsuave]

This is the brain drain that was referred to in an earlier post. These are the people who need to return to PI to lead the way out of their small way of thinking.

I think it is starting already with the return of the initial wave of OFWs now reaching retirement age and coming back home

That's great but I doubt that the retired population is going to be the spark behind the cultural change this country need.