PHILIPPI NE INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES Surian sa mga Pag-aaral Pangkaunlaran ng Pilipinas
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH NEWS March - April 2009
Editor's Notes Our main feature in this issue, a paper by Dr. Mary Racelis which was presented in a seminar cosponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, points out the importance of recognizing the right of Filipino indigenous children to be culturally
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Vol. XXVII No.2
ISSN 0115-9097
IP children's right to cultural citizenship
different from the mainstream population. Essentially, we uphold the IP children's rights when we are able to let them freely practice their own religion and speak their language while at the same time, accord them the basic social services that they need to live as productive citizens. In the
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ike children all over the world, indigenous Filipino children are the hope of their parents and communities. As inheritors of rich customs, traditions, language, and knowledge systems, these children bear the responsibility of passing their distinctive heritage to future generations.
same manner, it is equally important that we let them exercise their right to survive, develop their potentials, and participate in decisionmaking. In this paper, Dr. Racelis points to a set of relevant guidelines that provides the necessary approaches in programming for IP children. Likewise, policy and program recommendations that are anchored on the need to preserve the rich heritage of IP's are presented with the hope that when these are effectively implemented, our IP children would be able to carry out their task of passing on the rich cultural heritage to future generations.
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The Philippines in the midst of the global financial crisis
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First Philippine-Latin American studies conference held
To do so not only contributes to their survival as a people but also preserves the welcome diversity of Filipino society. However, their duties and responsibilities as indigenous people often come in conflict with unending discrimination by the majority of the population. Being the minority, they endure displacement, harassment, health and security problems, and lack of education. Thus, at the recently held Seminar in Davao City on “Public Policies and the Rights of Children: Indigenous Children Also Have Rights,” jointly sponsored by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in Region XI, it was emphasized that programming for and with indigenous Filipino children calls for attention to cultural citizenship. The concept reflects the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs), which states “the right of all peoples to be different, to consider themselves different, and to be respected as such.” Present in the seminar were Dr. Mary Racelis, Professor at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines; Mr. Wilfredo Nuqui, Chief – Social Policy and Local Development Section, UNICEF; Dr. Josef T. Yap, PIDS President; Ms. Norma Mapansa Gonos, Executive Director of the Institute for Indigenous Peoples Education (IIPE ); and Dr. Carlos Buasen, Jr., Director of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). In her paper presented during the seminar, “Cultural Citizenship For Indigenous Filipino Children: Emerging Issues for Programs, Policy, Research, and Action,” Dr. Mary Racelis explained that cultural citizenship is the rec-
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Mangyans are settlers in Mindoro, along with the Tadyawan, Alangan, Iraya in the northern part of the island. In the southern part, meanwhile, are the Buhid Hanunuo, Taobuid, and Bangon. The Aetas, also known as Ira, Ati, Dumagat, and Negritos are a distinct IP group characterized by the dark skin, kinky hair, and short stature associated with Australoid physical features. They are found in North, Central, and Southern Luzon.
It is estimated that from the 12 million IPs representing 10 to 15 percent of the country’s population, 5.1 million are 18 years old and below.
ognition and positive acceptance of IPs and their children as different. It enables indigenous Filipino children to practice freely their own religion, speak their language, and be proud of their culture and who and what they are. Dr. Racelis’ explanation diverges from the state’s “inclusive citizenship” principle which requires IPs to adjust, blend in, and change in the direction of the majority in order to belong. Certain values are linked with cultural citizenship, namely: justice, recognition, self determination, and solidarity. Indigenous peoples insist on the idea of justice which says that it is fair to treat people differently, even as it is also considered fair for people to be treated the same. One such example is the Lumad group of Mindanao, who demand their rights to claim ancestral lands they occupy. The Lumads, however, still recognize and support the rights of fellow Cebuano farmers who have long been settlers in their land to remain there. Lumads are situated in Mindanao-Sulu, comprising 15–20 groups of Manobo, Bagobo-Blaan, T’boli-Tiruray/Teduray, Mandaka-Mansaka, Subanen, and Mamanwa. Other IPs such as the Tingguian, Isneg, Ibaloi, Kankanay, and Northern Kalinga inhabit the Cordillera region. The Itawes, Malaweg, Yogad, Gaddang, Kalinga-Isabela, Isinay, and Bugkalot are clustered in Northeast Luzon. The well-known ethnic
The striving of the indigenous people for recognition stems from their need to be accepted on their own terms despite being different from the mainstream Filipino population. This also extends to the acknowledgment of their rights to land and resources that would provide them with basic security for their children. It is estimated that from the 12 million IPs embodying 10 to 15 percent of the country’s population, 5.1 million are 18 years old and below. If given their rightful recognition, these are the IP youth and children who will in due course strengthen their ethnic heritage. IPs also seek the chance to be freely in control of their lives and affirm the value of self-determination. This is manifested in the appreciation and safeguard of indigenous knowledge systems and practices, traditional laws, and the right to free and prior informed consent on decisions affecting them. However, external attacks, such as war or conflicts, often leave IPs with no choice but to transfer to safer places and abandon their lands. Mining activities and illegal logging conducted in their areas affect their water and food supplies, and threaten their everyday subsistence and livelihood. Empathy and acting in unity or solidarity are also important approaches for IPs to avoid exclusion from the main Filipino society. It calls for the non-IP majority to identify and feel for them even if the former do not actually experience the plight of their IP brothers and sisters. Guidelines for successful programming A set of relevant guidelines for the necessary approaches to an enlightened understanding of IP ways of life and their children is basic for the success of programming for and with IP children.
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The first is to honor and respect their culture and rich heritage. This requires the appreciation of their way of life that grants premium to their creation stories, legends, and epics as they recall their glorious past. The second is to respond to their needs and aspirations as they, their families, and communities understand and express them. Indigenous communities’ ways of life involve community decisionmaking, sustainability, and harmony with the environments they live in. In contrast with the mainstream population, owning of lands is on a communal basis with tribal leaders as the custodians. Most hunt, fish, and/or farm for a living. Items for domestic use — basket containers, clothing, musical instruments — are made by the family, especially the women and children. A third guideline guarantees IP children’s access to survival, development, protection, and participation within the bounds of their priorities. One important concern centers on the health of women and children. IP children’s opportunity for education is crucial if they are to endure and succeed in a multifaceted and changing world. The fourth guideline presents to parents and adults in IP communities the opportunity to explore the causes of their difficult conditions, to craft solutions, and take actions that promote effective youth and child participation. Again, as in mainstream Filipino communities, women and children should be supported in the right to participate and voice out their ideas as well as utilize them in making decisions, while exercising continued respect for the authority of their tribal elders. The rights of indigenous Filipino children Achieving cultural citizenship for IP children guarantees their rights in four broad categories: survival, development, protection, and participation, as stated in the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. Right to survival: health and wellbeing Maternal, infant, and child mortality rates are high in IP communities. Many infants die from tetanus and measles, diseases less often seen in the majority populace. According to a study conducted in Davao City, 56 out
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of 189 IP births resulted in deaths from what are normally preventable and curable diseases. IP mothers rarely receive good prenatal care. They experience high risk-pregnancies because of the hard and physical work characterizing their everyday lives almost until they deliver. Their propensity to early marriage and bearing one child after another throughout their long-lasting reproductive age span aggravates the dangers. For them, child bearing comes “too early, too late, too often, too many.” When doctors and nurses are available, they try to help, but can be thwarted by some traditional beliefs of IP communities. A particular issue is their closely associating illness and health with the spiritual world. Dr. Racelis suggests that these distinct worldviews can be addressed if health practitioners learn to coexist with the IP communities. When non-IP health practitioners respect indigenous ways of healing, they will find a greater willingness of IPs to collaborate with the offerings of “modern” health systems. IP children’s wellbeing is also threatened by malnutrition caused by the decreasing annual yield from depleted soils in the kaingin. The progressive encroachment of lowlanders in their area prevents them from undergoing their households' normal cycle where they move to farm more fertile land and leave the current space fallow until it regenerates. IP lands are also usurped for mining, logging, and plantation purposes, thereby worsening their already low food supply. Conflicts brought about by military raids on government enemies hiding in their territory likewise put them in danger of being killed in the crossfire. With no place for refuge except government evacuation centers, IPs constantly experience fear and trauma. This has specially profound effects on children. Dr. Racelis then highlighted the finding that some IP groups are steadily declining to the brink of extinction. The Bataks of Palawan are a case in point. Numbering 600 to 700 people at the beginning of the 20th century, they are now fewer than 300. Their inability to protect and preserve their tradi-
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tional cultural institutions and beliefs after being exposed to the outside world has brought them to this disastrous state. Right to development: education and land Indigenous Filipino children are subjected to discrimination not only by children of their same age but even by adults when they start to attend school. Their being different and derided for it undermines their self–confidence and the desire to continue their studies. IP communities typically live in far-flung areas that would entail long hours of walking to class. Taking into consideration the safety of their children, parents often choose their sons to attend school while their daughters are left at home to help in the house or on the farm. Some IP parents also fear that children engaged in formal education will suffer abuse and in order “to belong,” embrace the conventional life of the majority. Whether or not to send their children to school is also motivated by the educational levels reached by the IP parents themselves. However, the Davao study mentioned earlier contradicts these generalizations. It disclosed that IP mothers in ethnic neighborhoods are keen on sending their children to school. Moreover, indigenous youth (23 answers) in the city mentioned “getting a complete education” in college as their top priority and applying this advanced learning to their community. Apparently, IP exposure to urban life leads to changes in values. On the other hand, the highest aspiration for 10 of them is “acquiring or inheriting our ancestral land, and not selling the land,” pointing to the importance they give to their ancestral domain. IP children interviewed also ranked “a complete education,” with “work as a professional nurse, teacher, or manager” (19 of 24 answers) as highest. Indigenous peoples’ apprehensions about formal schooling change into enthusiasm and awareness when it is seen as positively contributing to their children’s wellbeing and to the community's identity. Thus, IP children’s education is intertwined with their desire to retain their ancestral lands, showing their understanding that keeping their ancestral domain secures their survival as a people.
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For a very long time, IPs have suffered from poverty due to land insecurity. In the early 1990s, they saw a glimmer of hope when they received their Certificates of Ancestral Domain Claims (CADCs) through the help of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and civic groups. However, IP claims could still be contested by any party who wished to do so, leading them to realize that CADCs became insufficient. Thus, RA 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997, was enacted and mandated to guarantee the rights of IPs. The National Commission on Indigenous People was tasked to reinforce the IPs Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs), right to self-governance, social justice, cultural integrity, and human rights. If the household’s and tribal rights to ancestral domain were guaranteed, then children could thrive and face a more secure future. Right to protection Indigenous Filipino children endure wideranging threats and danger from the outside world not only from conflict and warfare but also from trafficking. In the latter case, IP children are victimized and experience exploitation and abuse. In their own ethnic communities, IP children should also be protected from excessive child labor beyond the acceptable norms of society. Right to participation The right to participation poses the greatest challenge to IP children, as it does to their majority counterparts. Living in tribal communities where the council of elders holds the rights, power, and privilege to speak for the clan and/or communities, the children can only actively participate in carrying out farm and household activities. External parties in the form of non-IP barangay officials situated within the IP communities may be adversely affecting the decisions of the tribal elders. These instances occur when local investments take the form of mining, logging, plantations, and other businesses which not only disrespect IP customs and traditions but also displace many residents. The end products of these economic windfalls for outside investors negatively affect not only their heritage but also the lives
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of IP children who are supposed to become future custodians of their land and ways of life. Dr. Racelis concluded her presentation by citing the importance of IPs claiming their cultural citizenship through access to justice, recognition, self-determination, and solidarity. Enabling indigenous children and their families to make their voices heard in the larger society will bring them closer to the norm stated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: “to be different, to consider themselves different, and to be respected as such.” IPs’ views and some others Historically, IP children and women have been the most affected by inequality and prejudice since time immemorial, said Dr. Carlos Buasen, one of the discussants in the workshop and who is also an IP himself. He, however, stressed that human rights must be enjoyed regardless of age and gender. Apart from the IPRA Law, the Free Prior and Informed Consent and Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan are the tools for empowerment for the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/ IPs, the director of the NCIP added. Reacting to the declining population of the Batak in Palawan, Dr. Buasen introduced a better perspective in stressing the need to acknowledge IPs’ and ICCs’ coping ability instead of their inability to cope. He added that there are still 300 remaining Bataks who are able to adapt. Providing them assistance may help reverse their seemingly dim future. Speaking from her more than two decades of experience as a private and government worker, meanwhile, Ms. Norma Gonos, also one of the discussants, said that part of the learning system of the IPs, especially the children, are the day-to-day chores that serve as their actual learning process. This opposed the thinking of some of the majority of population that children and women IPs are undergoing the so-called hard labor. She added that in the context of empowerment and self-governance, education, gender sensitivity and equality, a holistic approach is paramount because these are interconnected with the lives of the IPs and their children.
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Indigeneous Peoples Livelihood Assistance Network, Inc.
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Historically, IP children and women have been the most affected by inequality and prejudice since time immemorial.
Invoking the spirits of the ancestors in order to document indigenous knowledge, systems, and practices is also crucial as transfer of oral tradition at present is being hindered by the invasion of the “culture” of the majority. Getting the involvement of IP women, the youth, and children is then very important, according to Ms. Gonos. Though it would be a difficult task, a policy to build up their involvement in the decisionmaking process could be acknowledged through the development of a consultative body, she said. Prof. Surlita Sumugat, Director of Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Education in Davao, on the other hand, called for advocating higher education for IPs, specifically focusing on programs relevant to them. Some examples of the programs that the Center offers, according to her, are in Education, Agricultural Technology, Anthropology and Peace Education. An appeal was also addressed to the Local Government Units by Ms. Ma. Consolacion Matnao, a representative from the Assisi Development Foundation, to attend to the needs of ICCs and IPs. Policy and program recommendations In her presentation, Dr. Racelis enumerated a number of relevant policies and program recommendations for the government, NGOs, civic groups, and the ICCs and IPs to serve as basis for concrete actions that would be beneficial to IPs and their children.
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in understanding their past and present situation. Moreover, they may be able to present plans and action, especially with regard to the acquisition of CADTs.
The Tugdaan Mangyan Center for Learning and Development is a response to the clamor of the Mangyan people for a kind of education that would equip them to pursue their own development in the context of their culture, dreams, and aspirations in life. It was established in 1989 by the Mangyan-Alangan people in partnership with concerned individuals, institutions, and volunteers (http:// tugdaan.assisi-foundation.org).
One, programs for IP children should integrate their history and culture. The framework should connect children's everyday lives to their : "land and roles as stewards of their environment; modes of production and distribution; origins, indigenous knowledge, world view, artistic and cultural heritage; spiritual and religious orientations for individual and collective wellbeing; family and community interaction and forms of governance; adaptive capacity; and cultural identity.� Indigenous Filipino children’s pride for their own heritage is upheld by the strong ethnic focus of programs. Moreover, exposure of the mainstream population to the culture and traditions of IPs will help create respect and appreciation for IPs. In this endeavor, the best resource persons are the IP men, women, youth, and children themselves. Two, to improve the judgment and empowerment of the IP communities, IPs and partner NGOs, facilitators, and teachers should be ready and equipped with the knowledge of the history of land and other resource struggles of the communities. These information will guide IPs and their children
Household technical skills should be widened to encourage economic productivity, taking into account equitable gender roles to improve their access to food and other resources. Facilitators and teachers should also learn to deal with tribal leaders in a way that would encourage the latter to accept new sets of knowledge presented to them. This will also aid young and better educated IPs to advocate tribal interest and concerns not only in the community but also to the outside world. Teachers and facilitators should also be able to organize local surveillance systems to protect IP children and women from trafficking and other causes of harm. Local IP resource persons such as farmers, hunters, storytellers, oral tradition specialists, musicians, and artists will serve as channels of indigenous knowledge and traditions to the outside world. Three, IP and non-IP children would benefit from developing school systems that are culturally sensitive. These are in the form of: IP teachers’ training in the language of the children; development and use of IP language in school materials; IP mother’s participation in feeding and study programs; and emulation of successful existing IP schools. An excellent example is the Tugdaan Center for Learning and Development in Pauitan, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro for Alangan-Mangyan children. Through the alternative education system, students have been able to gain skills in agriculture and agroforestry, food processing, entrepreneurship, health and hygiene, leadership, and values formation that were all customized to fit Mangyan culture. Graduates have entered high school and college and some are now teachers in the said alternative school. Four, slowly integrate IP children to quality mainstream elementary schools in the absence of a school primarily for IP children. This can be done by grouping to 12
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The Philippines in the midst of the global financial crisis "
W
e are in for a deep and fairly prolonged recession of the type we haven’t experienced in most of our lifetimes." Thus said Professor Andrew Michael Spence, recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics, in his videotaped message presented during the forum entitled “The Impact of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis” held recently at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Romulo Hall. The event was sponsored by the PIDS, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Research Network, and De La Salle University (DLSU).
The global picture Prof. Spence spoke in the context of the global financial crisis hitting both the economies of advanced and developing countries at least up to 2010. “If the interventions in the advanced countries in the financial markets and the fiscal stimulus in the real economy are either not coming or ineffective, then it’s actually going to be worse than that. This is what I call the two scenarios: one is bad and the other one is really, really bad,” he explained. According to Prof. Spence, the crisis originated from the advanced countries, with the United States in the lead where large trade deficit produced imbalances in balance sheets and got out of hand in the financial system with the use of way too much debt, both in the household and financial sectors. He simply summed it into a process of securitization and quite complicated deriva-
tives related to securitized assets which grew very quickly and financed largely with debt. The housing and mortgage markets were among the most affected, with housing prices leveling off starting 2006. The problem became evident in 2007 and finally blew up in September 2008. This also marked the failure of major financial institutions like the Lehman Brothers and the American International Group (AIG), with the European financial institutions being even more vulnerable. Credit lock-up became the primary remedy that prevented immediate disasters in terms of destruction of businesses of all sizes. This period saw the American government taking emergency actions in the form of a $750 million bailout which was initially used to buy up toxic assets and eventually used to inject capital into the banking system. The whole scenario was seen as “doubledownward spiral” mechanism characterized by essentially destroyed or heavily damaged balance sheets of financial institutions caused by falling asset prices combined with high debt levels. The falling asset prices were caused by the deleveraging process–trying to get debt out of the system. Damaged balance sheets with dried up credit were compounded by less household wealth, causing less consumption that heavily affected the real economy. Consumption and investments went down, unem-
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March - April 2009
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due to massive job losses. Moreover, tourism, foreign aid, and knowledge flows declined as a result of the crisis.
Developing countries face more difficulties under the global financial crisis; massive job losses is one of them.
ployment went up, jobs were lost, and profits went down. In effect, credit worthiness went down, went back, and did further damage to the balance sheets. Prof. Spence explained that developing countries entered 2008 with an emergency situation with respect to the poor and with an inflation problem that put them in the midst of a downward spiral on both the asset and real sides. This could translate to two years or more of very substantially diminished economic opportunity in the global economy. Further, all major developed economies are going to have a negative growth while the developing countries would be facing declining asset prices, credit tightening, and depreciation. Transmission channels and impacts Meanwhile, Economic and Social Development Affiliates Director Dr. Randy Spence provided an insight on international and domestic transmission channels through which the impact of the crisis was felt in various parts of the globe, especially developing countries. Globally, as portfolio investments plummeted, Dr. Spence said that bonds and stocks were held while foreign banks provided short term credits to local banks. Almost immediately after the peak of the crisis, western banks experienced deleveraging, most countries suffered large capital outflows, and exchange rates fell. As economies began to contract, exports declined and foreign direct investments (FDIs) and remittances fell
Domestically, Dr. Spence related that credit, investment, remittances, exports, tourism, and aids were immediately affected and caused a large, cumulative effect on exchange rates. There was a critical drop in consumption, equity investment, real investment, sales, production, jobs, and incomes. From the household view, income has significantly decreased together with public and social services, security, health, and education. Coping mechanisms As the crisis became evident, a number of mechanisms have helped populations cope with the situation. Citing a study conducted by the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) group for the food crisis, Dr. Spence shared that the range of coping mechanisms provides a good reference point. This includes reducing food consumption, using cheaper fuels, and withdrawing children or moving them from private to public schools. In terms of health, people reduce seeking services, substitute public and traditional for private hospitals, and shift from branded medicines to traditional and generic medicines, among others. Other coping mechanisms include reducing or drawing from savings; selling and pawning assets; taking in multiple jobs; and substituting necessities for luxuries such as travel, leisure, recreation, etc. For the poorer population, there is often a fine line between coping and simply being poorer as they have fewer coping mechanisms available, or have coping options which undermine their health and well-being more. In this aspect, Dr. Spence emphasized the importance of monitoring strategies that would consider gender and children’s issues in their design. Mitigating risks Dr. Spence said that risk mitigation in times of crisis should focus on the generation of local economic activity and longer-term economic development. It is also timely to accomplish structural changes and reforms. Safety nets can cover general areas like
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health and education as well as location-specific or hard-hit areas. Financing the mitigation measures can come from lower prices as well as secured jobs and incomes for the people. The government must take care of the poor by limiting debts in times of crisis and securing tax efficiency, not tax increases. More importantly, international financing mechanisms from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and other regional development banks remain as significant aid for a country.
85 percent of the total exports, are also projected to worsen in 2009. Under the most optimistic scenario, the ten economies are expected to recover in 2010 but the recovery is expected to be weak.
Impact on the Philippines Meanwhile, Mr. Diwa Guinigundo, deputy governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and Dr. Benjamin E. Diokno, professor of economics at the University of the Philippines, shared their views on the potential impact of the crisis on the Philippines. Mr. Guinigundo presented the financial picture of the country while Dr. Diokno shared his initial macroeconomic examination. Meanwhile, Dr. Stella Go of the De La Salle University College of Behavioral Sciences and Dr. Leonardo Lanzona of the Ateneo de Manila College of Economics shared their views on the implications of the crisis for the overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and on the institution of social safety nets, respectively.
FDIs went down sharply, with net FDIs for January to November 2008 dropping to $1.7 billion, which is 40.9 percent lower relative to the comparative year-ago level due to credit crunch and risk aversion. Slower FDIs mean slower economic growth in the future.
The global economic crisis caused a sharp slowdown in the Philippines, with only 4.6 percent growth in 2008 coming from a robust growth of 7.2 percent in 2007. Dr. Diokno made a projection that economic growth is likely to slow further to less than 3 percent in 2009. He added that the crisis affected the country in three main ways: declined exports, slowed OFW remittances, and declined FDIs. Moreover, consumers are not buying and investors are not investing due to excess capacities and uncertainties. As a result, the government has to stimulate the economy either by spending more or taxing less, or both. However, Dr. Diokno said that higher government spending in the Philippines will be constrained by weak finances and poor governance. Philippine exports are expected to worsen in 2009 because the economies of the top ten destinations of exports, which account for about
The remittances of OFWs account for about 10 to 12 percent of gross national product (GNP). Monetary authorities expect remittances to grow by 6 to 9 percent in 2009 to about $18 billion from the projected $16.6 billion in 2008.
In the meantime, even before the global economic crisis, the employment situation was already in a critical state. In 2007, there was an average of 2.7 million unemployed and 6.8 million underemployed. In addition, 1 to 1.5 million Filipinos joined the labor force. Stimulus package The PhP330 billion fiscal stimulus fund that the government is pushing to mitigate the global economic crisis aims to ensure sustainable growth and attain the 4.7 percent GDP growth projection in 2009. It is also expected to save and create more jobs as well as protect the most vulnerable sectors, namely, the poor, returning OFWs, and workers in export industries. Furthermore, the fund aims to ensure low and stable prices and enhance competitiveness in preparation for the global economic rebound. For the stimulus fund to work, though, Dr. Diokno suggested focusing on projects with high labor content and which are doable in one year. Local governments should likewise be involved in project implementation and monitoring to ensure transparency and fiscal accountability. The stimulus fund, however, faces challenges such as limited fiscal capacity due to low tax collection and poor governance that brings continued doubt on the ability of the bureaucracy to implement projects on a large
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scale. Allegations of corruption persist and poor executive-legislative relationship likewise delays budget approval. Policy responses This crisis situation, according to Prof. Spence, is an opportune time to plan emergency measures. He reiterated that there is virtually nothing that a developing country can do about the declining global demand, but the commitment of advanced countries to provide stimulus and avoid protectionism would certainly be important. A stimulus would work mainly for the domestic economy by introducing “Buy domestic” provisions as substitutes for the lost foreign demands. More importantly, developing countries should provide transfer mechanisms—e.g., food transfer or conditional cash transfer— for the poor to shield them from starvation. In this manner, Prof. Spence put extreme importance on determining where the most vulnerable people are and how adequate the mechanisms are for delivering relief to the most affected. Likewise, it is equally important, according to him, to employ measures to mitigate risks and protect the economy and vulnerable populations from external shocks. Immediate policy responses, according to Prof. Spence, should be done sector by sector and country specific. He said that the retail sector would be the most adversely affected because it tends to be a high employment sector in both the advanced and developing countries. Thus, it needs to be supported especially in protecting and meeting the demands of the employees. With respect to the Philippines, Dr. Diokno emphasized the value of being prudent and strategic as the government’s fiscal space is limited and in the long run, the government has to worry about the effects of higher deficits on the existing high level of public debt. The government needs to strategize its moves because it must try to achieve multiple objectives under a more difficult external environment and serious internal shortcomings. The government should also address the worsening unemployment problem, deepening poverty, and the rising incidence of
March - April 2009 hunger. At the same time, the government must strengthen the political and economic institutions necessary for sustained and robust growth. Lessons and prospects From a developing country point of view, risk mitigation in terms of growth, development, and poverty reduction strategies is an important lesson. Risk mitigation and protecting the economy as well as vulnerable populations from external shocks should be the long-term aim of every country. It is multidimensional, involving both micro and macro levels, and is designed to make the economy more resilient in the face of volatility of shocks and changes in the global or national economy. It has to do with conditional transfer mechanisms to protect the poor sectors of the population and with efficient management of the local currency. As the crisis fundamentally originated from systemic risks in the financial system that allowed, in the absence of regulation, households to become excessively leveraged, another important lesson, according to Prof. Spence, is the need to regulate the financial system more effectively, both domestically and globally. To manage the global economy better, the international financial institutions should play an even more important role in terms of responding to financial instability. The IMF’s credibility and governance will be an extremely important factor in an emergency situation. Likewise, the World Bank and other development banks and other entities have an important role to play in helping the poorer countries. Thus, these institutions need to be structured in such a way that governments accept them and look at their authority and resources. In closing, Prof. Spence said that the hope is that after 2010, economies would start to recover, both in the developing world and in the advanced countries. Excess debts will be cleaned out and balance sheets would look more normal. When this happens, consumers would be less important in driving the global economy than they were in the past five to six years, a situation that we are presently in. APQ
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First Philippine-Latin American studies conference held expanding studies on Philippine-Latin American relations
T
he Philippine Academic Consortium for Latin American Studies (PACLAS) organized and held the first Philippine-Latin American Studies Conference at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman on December 15-17, 2008 with the theme “The Philippines and Latin America: Past, Present, and Future.� PACLAS is a consortium of major Philippine universities and research institutions seeking to promote academic and cultural exchange with Latin American countries and to expand studies on Philippine-Latin American relations in collaboration with Latin American consular offices in Manila and counterpart academic institutions in Latin America. Since the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) initiated the formation of PACLAS in 2002, this is the first time for the consortium to hold an international conference with counterparts from academic institutions in various Latin American countries. According to Dr. Marya Camacho of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) who summarized the discussions of the 3-day conference, this initial conference sets a stable ground for the consortium to establish continuities and discontinuities, parallelisms, and intersections between the Philippines and Latin America. The papers presented during the conference covered diverse topics and approaches on Philippine-Latin American relationship. A historical approach placed
hispanization with its factors of urbanization, social practices, and languages as the common ground on looking back into the past of the relationship. The participants experienced hispanization in the Philippines as they stayed in and visited the walled city of Intramuros in Manila in the first two days of the conference. Dr. Camacho also stated in her summation that the presentations had crisscrossed time and space through discussions of varied social, economic, cultural, and political issues. In this light, the conference gave way to new knowledge and perspective that required a multi– and interdisciplinary approach from the participants. Meanwhile, PACLAS Chair Dr. Ferdinand Llanes of the UP History Department challenged the consortium on what should be done beyond the conference. He said that the first thing that could be done is to sort out impressions and learn from the exchange of ideas and knowledge. Dr. Gary Ngai from the International Federation for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean (FIELC) and Dr. Jose Carlos Brandi Aleixo from the Instituto Brasileiro de Relaçþes Internacionais, meanwhile, made concrete proposals to give structure to the desire of the Philippines and Latin America to learn more about each other. One present issue facing the PhilippineLatin American relationship as presented by Professor Joanne Mancini of the National University of Ireland, is the migration of Hispanic and Filipino populations to the
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Filipino IPs'...from p. 6
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United States of America (USA). This could be an issue to be given more attention in future studies relating to the Philippine-Latin American relations. For the part of the Filipinos, Dr. Fernando Zialcita of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) said that it will be necessary to foster Latin American studies in the country that are grounded on clear reasons to be able to make sense of and promote such endeavor. The papers and ensuing discussions have generated possibilities of inquiry and collaboration among the participants. It is hoped that the conversations initiated will thrive in openness which the conference has sought to generate.APQ
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gether IP children in the first two grade levels, if possible, wherein they are taught by IP teachers to learn their language. For the IP students’ transition to a regular school in Grade Three, NGOs may be encouraged to run separate schools for IP children in Grade One and Grade Two. Providing scholarships for IP students as incentives for them to continue to Grades 4–6 and beyond would also be beneficial. School schedules should also coincide with the daily and seasonal rhythms. Non-IP children should also be exposed to anti-discriminatory and IP culture appreciation programs. Five, education should continue to high school and college levels by continuing to build IP learning into the curriculum; encouraging the organization of and membership in IP student associations; and providing scholarships for IP students to complete high school and college. Six, focus group discussions should be conducted to assess culturally sensitive programs that aim for the preservation of the dignity
and heritage of IPs. This also looks at the condition of IP children in connection with their rights to survival, development, protection, and participation. And seven, assist IPs and their children to exercise their rights as stated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and as IP children through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Said policies and programs, when effectively implemented, will result to IP children experiencing reinforcement and/or restoration of their ethnic heritage as well as their cultural identity. These would also give them the confidence that they and the mainstream population will be ready to know and respect each other as different people. More importantly, rejoicing the diversity of Filipino culture is the essence of cultural citizenship wherein IP children can finally assert their right “to be different, to consider themselves different, and to be respected as such.” CSM