No statistics, no readings, no written basis, plain observation. This is what I am writing now. I am currently in a European country and I have been why this country is so much rich and Philippines is so poor? You can tell I am a little crazy comparing the two despite the obvious. But we should also know what is benchmarking and standard. If your benchmark in determining the poorness or betterness of a country is compared to a worse one, naturally this poor country will be full of exhilirating success over the other. But compoare it with the better one and we will see. The model or benchmark must be "better" so that improvements will be achieved.



I see how people work in the Philippines: like carabaos tilling the soil under the sun. I have experienced the same and even my previous boss earning millions in a year, i know how he have sacrificed the time with the family to have this success. Here, I have went to the police office to get my permit to stay and I just got lucky to have it for two visits while others wait months, if not years to have it. Why? Because the office opens during Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only. One more cache: They open from ten to one only. One more thing: They value themselves much more than the foreigners or immigrants.

Why di I think us Filipinos are considered as slaves? Ayala Avenue is the richest of all the streets in the Philippines. But try asking the rank and file employees of how they work, how they are valued at work and how satisfied they are. I have an idea what the answer is. But why is this so? Why is this seem to be the culture and the imposed rule though this is not right? Why do Filipinos have to work at least ten hours a day, sacrifice the families, be tired like carabaos under the sun, be opressed and still be very poor? Is the Labor Code functional in this country?

Is it correct to reason out that the boss has gone through the same process? That the boss has been enslaved before he or she reached the position? But how can the country go in progress if this is the case? Work and work without value? How people be efficient if overworked? How can be efficient if have problems with family since most of his or her time is concentrated at work? It makes me remember what a special woman has told me upon seeing calamities in poor countries flashed over the news here in Italy: "Where there is already wet, the rain continues to fall"... She was referring that the poor countrys have difficulties getting better for the fact that poverty causes crime, which causes another crime and so on.

I see here how Italians value themselves. They have the most varied and abundant of food supply in the table but still want to improve their lives. The establishments are closed at lunchtime, locked and no workers are allowed inside because this is considered as the important time to replenish the energy, to have relaxing lunch. The same is so on sundays and also during the night. Work unions are strong.

I am aware that it is still very far to reach the status of being rich in Philippines. It is not correct that the country be rich to the extent that it will be a communist country simply to achieve this goal. It is also important that people are satisfied and happy and with freedom and exercise their rights without inhibition. I am having big hopes for this to happen in the Philippines, when Filipinos be free but I do not really know when will it happen.