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Rungleigh Kor, a Philippine native who currently [December 2005] lives in San Francisco, has completed a study of his home country government's economic policies as compared to the MIEPA list of policies as outlined above. The study on Philippines is shown below. The ratings herein are based on the following rating scale:
RATING SCALE
5.0 Perfect Facilitation of Wealth Creation
4.0 Midway between Perfect and Neutral
3.0 Neutral Effect on Wealth Creation
2.0 Midway between Neutral and Obstructionist
1.0 Perfectly Obstructionist to Wealth Creation
[Rating scale copyright Mike P. McKeever, 2005. Used herein with permission]
To read a disclaimer about the analysis in this file, scroll to the bottom of the file.
Philippines
Comparison of Philippines' economic policies to MIEPA criteria as prepared by native student of Philippines, Mr. Rungleigh Kor, studying in the US in December of 2005.
RATING SUMMARY
POLICY NUMBER RAW SCORE ADJUSTED SCORE POSSIBLE PERCENTAGE
1 4.0 12.0 15.0 80 %
2 3.0 9.0 15.0 60
3 1.0 3.0 15.0 20
4 4.5 13.5 15.0 90
5 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
6 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
7 4.0 12.0 15.0 80
8 2.0 6.0 15.0 40
9 1.0 3.0 15.0 20
10 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
11 5.0 15.0 15.0 100
12 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
13 4.0 8.0 10.0 80
14 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
15 3.0 6.0 6.0 60
16 4.0 8.0 10.0 80
17 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
18 1.5 3.0 10.0 30
19 1.5 3.0 10.0 30
20 1.5 3.0 10.0 30
21 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
22 4.0 8.0 10.0 80
23 2.0 4.0 10.0 40
24 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
25 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
26 1.0 2.0 10.0 20
27 5.0 10.0 10.0 100
28 4.5 9.0 10.0 90
29 2.0 2.0 5.0 40
30 4.5 4.5 5.0 90
31 4.5 4.5 5.0 90
32 1.0 1.0 5.0 20
33 4.0 4.0 5.0 80
34 4.5 4.5 5.0 90
TOTAL 97.0 211.0 375.0 56.0%
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INDIVIDUAL POLICIES
The Philippines is a democratic society through and through. As such, the citizens are allowed to do anything they want in their own rights which is not a violation of the law. Outside of the government’s laws, anyone can build a business on a location they like, purchase goods from local and foreign markets and such. Entrepreneurs do have to obtain a business permit from the city hall, but that is for merely validation purposes on the safety and cleanliness of what is intended to be sold. This is exemplified by the ability of people to import foreign goods and sell them in the local market. The citizens are free to move on their own discretion, although one may argue that this is the reason why so many crimes are committed in the Philippines. Nonetheless, with the independence of the country came the independence of the people, which earns high marks for the Philippines on this policy.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines; http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/countries/philippines/philippines.html and personal
2. Freedom of Speech: 3.0
For a country that is heavily influenced by the American government and constitution, the Philippines apparently did not find the Freedom of Speech appealing, or maybe not as much. In a social view, there is freedom of speech as evident in the famous “non-bloody” revolutions of the Philippines, EDSA 1, 2, 3. This revolution was heavily influenced by Catholic Christian priests, bishops and most importantly, beliefs in the Virgin Mary. On the other hand however, there is an apparent religious intolerance when discussing about Muslim, Protestant and other religions’ belief, quickly dismissing them as inappropriate and sometimes heretic. In the economic stand point, the Philippines has less freedom of speech as evident in businesses. For example, a soda company like Coke cannot say the name or compare it to Pepsi when in a commercial; it’s against the law. There are other “civil” restrictions present in the industry. However, the thing the encompasses both viewpoints is the government. Whatever they say, the government has an amount of influence on the media and the press which forbids the media to directly criticize the government beyond a certain extent (on contrast of USA’s Meet the Press). But, these are relatively minor things in the society, for when the people really want it, they can and will achieve freedom to speak their mind. It’s just that there is a possibility that these statements will only reach the deaf ears of the government. The Philippines gets a neutral score for this policy.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDSA_Revolution; http://www.smallwars.quantico.usmc.mil/search/LessonsLearned/philippines/bearers.asp and personal
3. Effective Police Force: 1.0
Although the crime rate in the Philippines is reported to be lower than other industrialized countries, it has been repeatedly reported in the news that investors are having a hard time to start a business in the Philippines because of the criminal acts. This may be because of the corrupt government or just the fact that the “true” crime rate may be hidden to mask the Philippine face from the world. Moreover, ask any Filipino and he or she will tell you that the police force is nothing short of hypocritical. There have been many “expose” documentaries on which policemen are shown to be accepting bribes from passengers against ticketing them legally. This is again due to the very low minimum wage; policemen often find accepting bribes more profitable than legally earning their paycheck. Lastly, because of the recent terrorist attacks from the Al-Queda group, the Abu Sayyaf, the crime rate in the Philippines shot up in terms of kidnappings, bombings and murders. The Philippines gets a very low score for this policy.
Source: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/rwinslow/asia_pacific/philippines.html; and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Sayyaf and personal.
4. Private Property: 4.5
The Philippines, in its numerous islands, value the right of private property. All titles of land are nationally recognized by the government. Moreover, the government takes real estate to a whole new level by selling parts of its islands to private investors in an attempt to increase the economy. Land deeds, as well as the protection of property are clear and concise in the eyes of law. Some of these laws include the Philippine Real Estate Acquisition and Disposition Laws, which protect the right to private property. The idea of private property and real estate is perhaps the most profitable business right now in the Philippines, thus earning the Philippines high marks for this policy.
Source: http://www.philestate.com/support.php and http://www.privateislandsonline.com/mystery.htm
5. Commercial Banks: 4.0
There are numerous banks in the Philippines that are commercial, some of which are international. Some of these include Equitable-PCI bank, Bank of America and China Bank. These commercial banks share a same function of being a retail and corporate full public service bank which include loans and investment; all of which are free from government influence. Moreover, these banks are known to be stable; the more popular ones lasting more than half a century. The Philippines gets a high score for this policy.
Source: http://www.equitablepcib.com/ and http://mysearch.ph/knowledge-base/foreign-banks.htm
6. Communication Systems: 4.0
The Philippines certainly has the sufficient communication equipment in its possession. The Philippines for one, is considered to be the texting (cell phone messaging) capital of the world, outnumbering the number of texts continental Europe does in a month compared to what the Philippines does in the day. In addition, most television sets have access to news and entertainment through its local channels, not to mention the option to have cable access in order to see international news (e.g. CNN). Radios are perhaps the most abundant of all media sources in the Philippines; every house is certain to have one. Newspapers are widely spread and faxing and the computer (internet) has already been introduced quite some time before. However, the downside to this is that it is not totally spread throughout the country; most of it is only available in the urban areas. It is indeed understandable why the country does not expand its technology to the rural areas (the country is exceptionally culturally diverse) but the country does take a hit on this from an economic standpoint. The Philippines gets a marginal high score for this policy.
Source: www.nokia.com.ph and www.abs-cbnnews.com and personal
7. Transportation: 4.0
In all aspects of transportation, the Philippines supplies the public with its needs. In addition to private transportation such as cars, people can opt to take public road transportation via taxis, jeepneys and tricycles (a motorcycle with a modified sidecar attached to it). As for rail, there is the Metro Rail Transit which travels vertically through the urban commercial areas and the Light Rail Transit which travels horizontally through the same areas. The public can opt to take ferries to travel from island to island, or take to the air via domestic flights mainly provided by the Philippine Airlines. The only downside to this though is the absence of most of these facilities in the rural areas (Visayas and Mindanao regions are thought of to be rural oriented, Luzon is considered to be the urbanized region); the people from this region should travel to the urban cities to fully use these public services. The Philippines gets a relatively high score for this policy.
Source: http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/ and http://www.superferry.com.ph/ and http://www.philippineairlines.com/
8. Education: 2.0
First of all, the Philippines does have a high literacy rate of 96%. Moreover, there are schools within the Philippines that are globally recognized such as De La Salle University. However, the reason why the most of the populations is still very much under the poverty line is because of the inability to access a college level education. To put it in simple terms, should the Philippine education be put into the United States, it has a great chance to flourish and prosper. That’s because people here can access this education easily, especially regarding financing. However, in the Philippines, the economy only allows the minority of middle and upper class citizens (about 20%) to access higher education. Moreover, when one only attains a secondary degree, he or she can expect to have a job in retail at best, which doesn’t pay that well to begin with. Then, if this person decides to have a family, he or she cannot afford to send his or her child to higher education because of low wages. In short, it isn’t the education system that’s the problem, it is the lack to access it by the majority. The Philippines gets a relatively low score for this policy.
Source: http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/profiles/rp.html and personal
9. Social Mobility: 1.0
“The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”. This statement could not be more true in the Philippines. The reason why the media likes to emphasize on success stories so much is because it rarely happens. The “rags-to-riches” story only appears once a decade on average. This is because of the numerous barriers in Philippine society like corrupt government and lack of access to substantial education. If one asks any Filipino, he or she would say that hard work is not by any means a guarantee that you will get rich; it depends more on luck. The Philippines gets a very low score for this policy.
Source: Personal
10. Freedom from outside control: 5.0
The last instance that the Philippines was under foreign control was back on World War Two. After initially being under the Americans, the events on WWII resulted in the Philippines as an American territory under Japanese control. When the Americans defeated the Japanese however, it would not be long before the Philippines would gain its independence. Thus, on July 4th 1946, the Philippines was granted its freedom and was not occupied ever since. Moreover, the Philippines ensured its protection by enlisting themselves as a member in the United Nations on October 24, 1945. This move gave the Philippines an international image and security in the midst of foreign countries. The Philippines gets high marks for this policy.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Independence_Medal and http://www.un.org/Overview/unmember.html
11. Foreign currency transactions: 5.0
The Philippine monetary unit is the Philippine Peso. It is the only currency accepted and used as money in the Philippines. Foreign currency should and must be exchanged at local establishments in order to purchase products and services sold in the Philippines. The country gets a high score on this policy.
Source: http://www.philippine-islands.info/ and personal
12. Border Control: 1.0
The Philippines, simply put, does not have border control. This is not because of any lack on the government’s part however; it is because of the way the Philippines is geographically. The Philippines, being a country with over 7000 islands, cannot possibly monitor transactions between these islands. Therefore, certain disruptions like piracy and smuggling will always be present, and cannot be avoided. Indeed, it is tragic, but it still needs to be dealt with regards to an economic and business view. The Philippines gets a very low score for this policy.
Source: http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:21QF8AjpU4QJ:www.philippines.travelmall.com/country_images/philippines_map.gif and personal.
13. Currency: 4.0
The Philippine Peso, albeit struggling, is still very much in use within the country. Moreover, most business institutions (with the exception of banks) require that purchases be only made with the Peso. As such, the businesses usually provide foreign exchange booths in their establishments to tend to the needs of foreigners and locals alike. Even foreign businesses such as GAP or SONY in the Philippines only accept Philippine pesos. However, with the presence of foreign exchange facilities virtually everywhere, there is usually no need for conflict. The Philippines gets high marks for this policy.
Source: http://www.filipina-women.com/traveltips.htm and personal
14. Cultural, Language Homogeneity: 2.0
When the Philippines was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century, they encountered few of the numerous ethnic tribes. Up until today, there are still many, many tribes in the Philippines, all with their own languages. Some believe that the reason for this is because the Philippines is an island country, so isolation of the tribes could be very apparent in the 7000+ islands. Nevertheless, this presents a language barrier in the whole country. Moreover, even urbanized people speak their own “slang” if you will, especially in the northern parts of the Philippines. This presents an unwanted diversity in economic terms, and thus earns a low mark for the Philippines in this policy.
Source: http://www.emailpinoy.com/educational/philippines-tribes.shtml
15. Political Effectiveness: 3.0
The Philippines, being an island-country, does have its disadvantages. For one, technology between the urban and rural areas are very far apart. This makes communication between the government and the rural areas very hard to do. And without communication, there is a harder implementation of the political process in these parts of the country. The Philippine government has tended to focus most of its energy on urban planning rather than rural issues. Unfortunately, even in urban planning, the political process is failing because of controversial politics and corruption; so what more could be expected for rural issues? However, because of the way the Philippine government is structured, there are some local governments who try to make processes work in the rural areas. Moreover, the government is indeed trying to start institutions to handle the management, productivity and advancement of the rural areas, such as the Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in the Rural Areas. The Philippines gets points for effort, but loses the same because of their ineffectiveness in following through in striving for political effectiveness. The Philippines gets a neutral score for this policy.
Source: http://www.psdn.org.ph/phildnet/About_Phildhrra/Phildhrra_Members/phildhrra_members.html and Personal
16. Institutional Stability: 4.0
It would not be surprising for a person to find out that many of the Filipino institutions date back to 50, or maybe even 100 years back. This shows that when these organizations were built, the planning was so effective that it is still successful and stable up until now. For example, the University of Santo Tomas (Saint Thomas) was founded more than 4 centuries ago. This was built by the Spanish who came to colonize the Philippines during the 17th century. Up until now, their system of teaching (especially in religion) is still being used today. As for the government, the Philippines has taken the United States type of government, originating as far as the 19th – 20th century when the Philippines was under American control. That is still the same government in effect today. In more recent terms, the Philippine National Police, formed in 1989, is still working and serving the country amidst the intense political strive during the 90’s and even in the potential threat of revolution today. The Philippines gets a high score for this policy.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_National_Police http://www.ust.edu.ph/innerhome/countdown2011.asp and Personal
17. Honest Government: 1.0
The Philippines has the second most corrupt government in Asia and the 12th or 13th most corrupt in the world. With that being said, the Philippines has always had the notorious reputation of “politics first, people second”. If it’s any proof, the last two presidents (including the current one) have either been impeached or have faced impeachment. In that sense, the current president of the Philippines, Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo, is still facing an impeachment case against her for her being caught in the act of cheating in the elections. The main evidence in this case is the taped recording of her phone conversation with one of the election officials. But, even with this huge evidence AND the fact that she admitted to it already, she is still trying to cover up the case and delay or even annul it as much as possible. Even with the continuing rallying of the democratic people, it seems that the government just turns a deaf ear to the cry of justice. The Philippines gets the lowest mark possible for this policy.
Source: http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2005/08/30/61958.html and Personal
18. Common Laws: 1.5
There is certainly a set of common laws for everyone to follow in the Philippines. However, these laws are also commonly disregarded by the citizens. These not only take the form of discreet robberies and theft, but there is also a blatant atmosphere of defiance in most of the urban establishments. For example, the Philippines has recently passed laws concerning piracy and the ban of sales of pirated/fake CD’s. But, most of the malls and stores spread throughout the whole of the Philippines sell everything from pirated music CD’s to pirated fake movie DVD’s. The lack of enforcement for common laws gets low marks for the Philippines.
Source: Personal
19. Central Bank: 1.5
The Central Bank of the Philippines is a government owned enterprise. As such, one could expect that there is some sort of political control on the central bank, especially with the Philippine government. The Central Bank of the Philippines has a history of becoming too diversified. Moreover, this central bank is expected to not function as an independent bank but to help finance the government deficits. Therefore, the central bank was relatively ineffective in developing financial markets and the bank just imposed a greater cost to society. It focuses too much on political issues and more often than not, puts its duties to the citizens aside. Struggling with the poor economy of the Philippines doesn’t help the bank’s job either. The Philippines gets a low mark for this policy.
Source: http://www.trv.net/phuket/general/articles/thaiphil.htm and Personal
20. Domestic budget management: 1.5
The Philippine budget deficit in short, is very much bigger than the budget itself. For at least the past three years, the deficit has been going up at a rapid rate, reaching a “ceiling” mark of P180 B (roughly $3.21 B) while the budget is at an average of $1 B. However, it is showing signs dropping down to P100 B ($1.80 B) so it may be an improvement in the government’s part. Nevertheless, the Philippines gets a low score for this policy.
Source: http://www.biz-day.com/read/energy/03_mar_05/f9cvz-p/egat_employees_say_that_union_leader_must_go.htm
21. Government Debt: 1.0
The Philippines has been notoriously known for its foreign debt, especially to the United States. The statistics are as follows:
Foreign Debt for 2004: $54.9 B
GNP for 2004: $1.024 B
Foreign Debt for 2005: $56.1 B
Percent of Government budget going to debt payments: appx. 40%
As shown, the Philippine debt is more than 50 times over the country’s GNP for a year. Banks have said that “the weighted average of maturity of such debt stands at 16.7 years”. Moreover, the debt is making up of more than half of the country’s annual budget and even that is relatively small compared to the size of the debt. The Philippines gets a very, very low score for this policy.
Source: http://dirp.pids.gov.ph/eismain.html and http://money.inq7.net/breakingnews/view_breakingnews.php?yyyy=2003&mon=09&dd=23&file=17
22. Economic statistics: 4.0
In the Philippines, the economic resources there are usually found in magazines made internationally such as Time magazine and the like. However, the internet has provided many non-government sites for one to be able to fully gauge the Philippine economy. These are of course published websites and highly commented by independent readers. Moreover, in the media, there is usually a business section in the news where the exchange rate and stock exchanges are posted on a daily basis. These statistics come from the top news media in the country and is known to be very dependable. The Philippines gets a high score for this policy.
Source: http://dirp.pids.gov.ph/eismain.html and personal
23. Protection of Public health and safety: 2.0
Infant mortality rate: 24.24 deaths/1,000 live births
Tuberculosis cases - Per 100,000: 226V Tuberculosis immunization: 87%V Life Expectancy from birth: 68.0 yearsV
The Philippines infant mortality rate is the 84th highest out of 179 country statistics collected by the UN. As for the tuberculosis cases, it is the 17th highest out of 165, despite the relatively high immunization rate. Life expectancy is 101st out of 175. The Philippines isn’t known for its public health and as far as the UN standards go, Philippine Public health is relatively low. The Philippines gets a low score for this policy.
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/country/rp/Health
24. High Wage Policies: 1.0
The Philippines have already set a minimum wage policy of P198, or approximately $5.00 every day. However, most company owners do not follow this policy, sometimes offering dramatically less. The wages in companies sometimes go as low as P100 for blue-collar and white-collar workers. This may be because of the lack of enforcement of the wages in the country. Moreover, even if the minimum wage policy does get followed, it is hardly enough to compensate for everyday living. For example, if one family of four should eat only one meal per day (average of P40 per person), then it would be equal to P160 already. That’s excluding housekeeping, taxes and other expenses. The Philippine economy is not enough to give people higher wages or even lower prices. Approximately 80% of the Philippine population lies below the poverty line because of the lack of work or the lack of good wages. The Philippines gets a very low score for this policy.
Source: http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/oiea/wagestudy/FS-Philippines.htm http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050103/4/1u2s1.html and personal
25. Environmental protection: 1.0
The Philippine government, as with any other government, tries to provide laws towards the protection of the environment. However, if a foreigner does travel to the Philippines, the “protection” is yet to be seen. At a distance, it is almost certain that you will see black, putrid smoke coming out of a factory, thus polluting the air. In rural areas, there are always signs of deforestation, especially on mountains. In urban areas, if one travels by car across a bridge, not only will he see the massive amount of garbage on a river, but he will most likely also see people throwing stuff into the river. This is so because of the lack of authoritative backing on the environmental projects and laws. The “no throwing of garbage” signs cannot be seen, because of the huge amount of garbage covering the sign. The Philippines gets a very low score for this policy.
http://philenvlaw.blogspot.com/ and http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=102 (picture in the middle) and Personal.
26. Strong Army: 1.0
The Philippines is a very small country compared to its neighbors in Asia like China, Indonesia or Japan. Thus, they have depended on international security agreements and organizations, like the U.N. However, this does not excuse the apparent disregard of the Philippine government towards the growth of the military. The Philippine military has been using sub-par weapons and technologies since the 1990’s and as the 21st century came by, nothing has changed in terms of advancement.
Philippine Budget for 2005: appx. $16.2 B
Military Budget: $0.78 B
Percentage: 4.81%
Approximately 5% goes into the military budget. The reason that the Philippine government gives so little is because the country is currently experiencing a fiscal crisis. However, that is no excuse to not provide enough funds to improve military equipment to at least protect the country from itself. The Philippines gets a very low mark for this policy.
Source: http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=30341
27. Foreign trade impact: 5.0
GDP (as of Q2 2005) = $23.06 B
Export: $3.462 B
Import: $4.005 B
Total: $7.467 B / $ 23.06 B x 100 = 32%
As seen here, the Philippines, even though a third world country, has managed to get very close to the ideal balance of trade and GDP. The Philippines gets a perfect score for this policy.
Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/
28. Protection of foreign currency earning enterprises: 4.5
The world is turning to a very globalized world where export and import are becoming a very powerful tool for generating profit. Thus, the Philippines has also taken measure into insuring and propagating the export of its products through a company called the PhilEXIM. This government controlled company’s objective is to encourage, insure and protect the companies that wish to export their product. They provide insurance cover, credit and other services to licensed businesses. They also give technical assistance in the preparation and execution of development or expansion programs. This, along with many more functions, therefore gives the Philippines very high marks for this policy.
Source: http://zeus.philexim.gov.ph/index.php
29. Management of foreign currency budget: 2.0
The Philippines has always been an Americanized country ever since its independence on July 4th, 1946. Of course, there are many advantages of keeping close such a close contact with a country. However, there are some big disadvantages to being “too” Americanized.
Statistics as accurate as June/July 2005: Exports: $3.462 B
Imports: $4.005 B
Balance of Trade: -$653 M
As shown here, the Philippines has been importing too much goods into its economy. Moreover, most of it are American or Japanese products. Because both major sources of import have a higher economy than the Philippines, the local economy suffers because it is paying more for a big amount of imports and receiving less for small amount of exported products. The Philippines receive low scores for this policy.
Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/ and Personal
30. Layers of Collective Action: 4.5
At first glance, the Philippine Government may seem hierarichal in terms of its form. But, each city in the Philippines has its own local government. These local governments generate their own funds from taxes from private businesses or other financial institutions. In addition, the officials in these local governments get elected by the people in that city, and these elections are separate from that of the central government. One election in a city could be different from the other, from the day its run to the rules of election. In short, each city’s local government can stand on its own. The Philippines get high marks if not a perfect score for this policy.
Source: http://www.gov.ph/govlinks/localgov.asp and http://www.makati.gov.ph/default.php
31. Pro Business Climate: 4.5
The Philippines, being a third-world country, has only a handful of people belonging to the “elite” society. These elites are of course rich, but more importantly, they started a business that grew and grew. Therefore, these people are placed in a high social status because of the simple fact that they live a very good life in a poor country. When a person makes his first million, especially if he or she is young, they are featured on either the television or the newspaper. These people are then looked up to by the citizens of the country, not only because of the money they made, but their rags-to-riches success stories as well. One such story is that of a man who started a humble shoe store and years later, he now owns the biggest line of malls in the country, SM. Another story is that of someone who started out with no capital whatsoever, but by using his talents, got his first million at the age of 26. These kinds of people are revered by the rest of the country, who in turn start their own businesses in hope that they too will end up with their own success story. The Philippines receive high marks for this policy.
Source:http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2005&mon=09&dd=11&file=2 and Personal
32. Government enterprises: 1.0
Government owned businesses and enterprises in the Philippines are plenty. The majority of these businesses attend to the everyday needs of the Filipino, which should be good. However, only a handful of these businesses are felt by the citizens. For example, the social security system in the Philippines is very different form that of the US. There are virtually no benefits to be had from the Philippine SSS, not even monetary aid for the unemployed and aged. Surprisingly, the businesses that generate the most impact in the Philippines are that outside the necessities of the citizens. The Light Rail Transit Company does provide transportation, but they have very poor maintenance. Also, most of the government owned businesses are agricultural-based, but farmers and the like have always been known to be poor because they have no one to turn to sell their products. Thus, these agricultural businesses are clearly only for aesthetic value and nothing more. From businesses that are not felt by its citizens, to enterprises which clearly can’t run on its own, its safe to say that these government enterprises get their money elsewhere, just not themselves. The Philippines earns low marks for this policy.
Source: Personal and http://www.gov.ph/govlinks/gocc.asp
33. International Security Agreements: 4.0
The Philippines, for at least the past 50 years, has been no stranger in the eyes of the American Government. They have enjoyed close ties with each other, especially now between Mr. George W. Bush and Miss Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Philippine president. As a result, the US – Philippine mutual defense treaty has been strenghthened quite recently because of the similarity of both president’s views, especially on terrorism. Because of this treaty, the US has been sending its troops to Philippine soil to help stop the terrorist attacks done by the Al-Queda group, the Abu Sayyaf. In turn, during the war on Iraq, the Philippines was one of the first to send its troops to the Middle East to help fight the war. There are many more examples of mutual defense between the two countries. Therefore, the Philippines gets high marks for its unity for security measures with the United States.
Source: http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/rp1/wwwhr005.html
34. Protection of domestic enterprises from government mandated costs: 4.5
The Philippine government does not usually intervene with the policies of private businesses. Of course, the government has asked for a required level of cleanliness and security in businesses, but they don’t go any further than that. Restaurants for example always have to provide clean water and surroundings, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary, practical needs of the consumers. There are also no conditions, be it environmental or social, that would warrant the need of new and unheard of policies in domestic enterprises. The Philippines receive high marks for this policy.
Source: Personal
DISCLAIMER
All the information and conclusions in each country analysis are solely the responsibility of the individual student and have not been verified, corrected, checked for copyright infringement or evaluated in any way by MIEPA or Mike P. McKeever. You are solely responsible for the results of any use you make of the information and conclusions in these studies. Use them at your own risk as interesting supplemental information only instead of seasoned judgements about the policy factors contained herein. Each student has granted permission for his or her work to be displayed here under his or her own name or wishes to remain anonymous and have either created a pen name or used no name at all; if you wish to contact them for any reason, forward your request to MIEPA and the student will be notified of your interest.To learn more about other countries, click to other files here:
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