‘…I have a gut reaction: we are poor because we choose our leaders poorly. And poorly chosen leaders only make the rest of the country even poorer, while they and their class become rich or richer!’
A few days ago, a friend showed me a video clip of another airport X-ray technician who appears to have tried to steal something from the hand-carry of a Japanese tourist. The tourist happened to notice the sleight of hand and was able to alert the rest of the people manning the X-ray machine; the staffer was profuse in his apologies, but I don’t know what happened next.
I had my own issue with X-ray technicians of NAIA 2 last week when someone swiped my Osaka Expo 2025 bag tag.
Then there’s the “tanim-bala” episode also reported on social media.
All of these led a friend to comment that since Filipinos suffer from poverty, they are forced to commit acts just so that they could survive. I’m not very sure I agree with that 100% because sometimes the acts are done not out of sheer need but out of other influences, such as greed, or naughtiness, or even maybe some deeper pathological reason. To ascribe things like theft to poverty is being simple-minded about it. But okay, assuming without agreeing that poverty is the cause, the question that should be asked is, “Why are we poor?”
To this question, I have a gut reaction: we are poor because we choose our leaders poorly. And poorly chosen leaders only make the rest of the country even poorer, while they and their class become rich or richer!
Maybe we can count on the fingers of our hands how many individuals entered public service and left with their net worth not even doubling throughout their public service. As for the rest of them?
You hear it everywhere, reasons why a voter will vote for a candidate that should leave you shaking your head. “Guwapo kasi” and “matulungin” are not uncommon reasons. But what do good looks and being helpful have to do with, say, crafting legislation or implementing laws, policies, and programs?
Imagine if we chose as our family driver or, even more dramatically, as the pilot of the flight we are taking, someone whom we like simply because of looks? Or because he or she was helpful? Maybe they’d be better off as FA on the flight, serving the needs of the passengers rather than flying the aircraft. Imagine a situation where you need emergency attention at a local hospital, and the interns available were chosen simply because they were pretty or helpful. Who cares if they knew how to insert an IV line into your arm?
We are poor because we choose poorly, and if surveys are to be believed, we will once again choose poorly. Which means the cycle of poor choices leading to poor governance leading to poor programs leading to more poverty will continue, while, on the side, the unqualified elected into office help themselves to the coffers of the state while strutting about enjoying the “perks” of being “in power.”.
“Para que estamos en poder” (What are we in power for?) it was once asked. Clearly, the answer these days is not so much to help alleviate the hardships of the people as it is to help alleviate the hardships of the politicians of this nation.
We are poor because we choose poorly.
