Skip to main content

What's the Use of Filipino Athletes Scoring Medals in the 2024 Olympics When Economic Charter Change isn't Prioritized?

Tatler Asia

In elementary, I remember how the Sibika at Kultura (Civics and Culture) subject talked about Filipino achievements abroad. Some great Filipinos mentioned in our classes are the late Lydia De Vega,  Lea Salonga-Chien, the late architect Leandro Locsin, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Raphael "Paeng" Nepomuceno, and Eugene Torre. It's effortless to gloat about Filipinos achieving this and that. One may even notice that these names get mentioned in a Buwan Ng Wika program. By the way, I think Buwan Ng Wika feels more like it should be renamed as Buwan Ng Filipino instead. I mean, the programs tend to raise awareness of one's Filipino heritage and history, more than the Filipino language!

The recent wins of athlete Carlos Yulo should be something to be proud of. I see it on my Facebook feed and I feel happy for Carlos, even if I don't know him personally. These days, I've already accepted that I'm a Filipino. Sadly, some Filipino "natives" still think I'd naturally side with China, all the while they're probably still shouting "Pinoy pride!" for Jollibee. I have nothing against Filipinos winning and I can feel pride for it, even if most of my grandparents were Chinese immigrants. I've been assimilated into the Philippines. Who are those racists to say that I'm not "truly Filipino"? For Carlos himself, it's my first time to hear of him. I'm no sports enthusiast. I prefer to do basic exercises for maintenance. It's not wrong to be happy with Carlos' achievements in sports. After all, the contestants represent their respective countries. Carlos' win is a win for the Philippines in the sports arena. 

However, here's my problem. It's already 2024 and why isn't economic charter change even done yet? It doesn't matter if Filipinos will even win all the gold medals in a sports event. Why am I saying that? This isn't to drag down my fellow Filipinos or say, "Well, you don't deserve it." Instead, what I'm addressing is the uselessness of Filipinos winning gold medals, if the Philippines still suffers from a jobless problem. What's the use of rejoicing at Filipinos winning competitions abroad if these wins don't translate into wins? A Filipino woman can win the Miss Universe but can that crown produce jobs that Filipinos need? Can the medals, trophies, and crowns produce local jobs so more Filipinos don't have to become OFWs? The answer is really no. It can be a source of pride but not a source of job production. 

Several Filipinos still misunderstand what allowing 100% FDI share ownership means (read here). Some people even confuse FDI with borrowing money from abroad (read rebuttal here). Even worse, when I talk about the late Lee Kuan Yew on Facebook, someone is prone to say, "Why don't you follow him to the grave?" or "Never forget Flor Contemplacion." arguments. I bet Joel Torre's business might get boycotted by anti-Singapore Filipinos, for simply opening in Singapore! It's full of logical fallacies such as Ad Hominem, Guilt by Association, Red Herring, and Non-Sequitur arguments just to make a point. They have done it to Senator Robin Padilla more than once. I didn't vote for Senator Padilla but he's doing better in pushing badly-needed reforms. They probably think that Jollibee's opening in other countries means conquering other countries. For the nth time, we seriously need to abandon the concept of FDIs and OFWs as invaders (read here)! Even worse, some even operate with the Filipino vs. foreigner dichotomy or false dilemma (read here). What's more hypocritical is that I read such stupidity on my Facebook feed!

The Philippines has become a venue for foreign events more than once. Did the countries where the foreign events get rid of sovereignty? Why wasn't a 60-40 rule applied in any Miss Universe events held in the Philippines when it came to the judges? When a non-Filipino won in the Philippines, did it shake the national sovereignty? The same goes for FDIs in the Philippines, which aren't restricted by ridiculous equity limits. These foreign businesses are hiring Filipino workers. Grab and FoodPanda in the Philippines, are hiring Filipino drivers. Has the presence of foreign companies stolen jobs away from Filipinos or given them more job opportunities? The Philippines is open to FDI but it's not as open as its other ASEAN countries. 

Filipinos can go ahead and join foreign competitions. They can go ahead and win in these events. However, what must be kept in mind is that, as said earlier, their wins don't translate into badly needed work for Filipinos. What will produce jobs are businesses. It's not enough to rely on Filipino business owners alone. People say that the restrictions are for "security reasons" (read rebuttal here). However, it's not as if the Philippines can legislate or amend the constitution in things like national security, fair competition acts, or any laws to protect institutions doing business in the Philippines. When the Philippines opens more of its doors to FDI like Vietnam did, it can expect to have a huge demand for jobs. In turn, a huge demand for jobs will fill the supply-demand gap, which in turn will cause salaries to increase in the process (read job market discussion here). 

What Filipinos need is real economics, not Pinoy Pride Economics. Pinoy Pride Economics is a term I made to describe viewing economic activities only through the lens of Pinoy Pride. The Filipino First Policy should be viewed as the foundation of Pinoy Pride Economics. In real economics, it doesn't matter if the source is local or foreign, what matters is that it helps build economic foundations. 

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Venezuela as a Cautionary Tale on #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba, Nationalistic Pride, Welfare State Economics

The Sunday Guardian Years ago, I wrote about Venezuela's pride and protectionism , under a more "formal" style of writing compared to my latest posts. I decided to use an even "less formal" and "less academic" tone since I'm not writing a term paper. Instead, it's like how a professor and a student discuss the thesis using first person over third person, using contractions, etc., while the thesis doesn't use such tones. Back on track, I thought about the arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro can spark debate. Was it a violation of sovereignty? I'm no expert on international law. However, Venezuelans can be seen celebrating Maduro's arrest. Right now, I'm using Gemini AI and Google search to help me find some sources for this blog. It's because I don't want my blog to become another gossip central, but a place to discuss facts with my own personal opinions (making sure they don't  derail the facts).  I used Venezuela ...
Read more

Davide vs. Mahathir: Which Lolo Should Filipinos Take Economic Advice From?

The real issue isn't that something is old or new. Instead, if something old or new still works, or doesn't work! Many modern laws are built on some ancient principles, while adjusting to the current times!  The Constitution of Japan is actually older than the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. However, it's more effective for the reasons that (1) their constitution is silent when it comes to regulating economic activities (ex., protectionist measures), and (2) it's a parliamentary system. Honestly, it's a pretty straightforward constitution compared to ours! As Mahatir Mohamad turned 100 today, I would like to raise up Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. once again. The problem isn't Davide's age but his unwillingness to embrace change when needed (read here ). This time, it's time to bring up a contrast between wise old people and unwise old people. A young person can be right where the old person is wrong. A young person can be wiser because he or she lea...
Read more

How Many MORE Unmitigated Typhoon Disasters Before Filipinos Realize That the Filipino First Policy is FAILING Them?!

GMA Network I remember surviving through Typhoon Odette last 2022. Tino happened on November 6, 2025, which also reminds me that Yolanda's anniversary came two days later . Yolanda was even worse than Odette! Thankfully, Cebu City's impact wasn't as bad, and power didn't take too long to return, unlike Yolanda. However, seeing news reports such as an investigation done against Slater Young's project in Monterazzas de Cebu should highlight a bigger problem. Looking at the photos of floods on Facebook makes me think, "How many more unmitigated typhoon disasters until Filipinos realize that the Filipino First Policy is failing them and that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines  badly needs updates?"  For die-hard defenders like Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. (who will turn 90 this December 20) or Atty. Christian Monsod (who's 89 this year), they're prone to saying that it's just a matter of implementation . However, whether we want to admit it...
Read more

When a Merry Christmas Leads to an Unhappy New Year Due to FINANCIAL DEBT

WWD Christmas is near and I could rant about everything I hate about the season. I could think of heavy traffic and overcrowded malls. It's understandable if there are office Christmas parties. The bigger problem lies with people who end up wasting their paychecks all year round (read here ). It's just a few days before Christmas and I can see the excitement. For some, they're all waiting for the gifts people have to give them and what to give to people. In the Philippines, it tends to focus on partying which is somewhat similar to the American view of Christmas.  I could remember living downtown in Cebu City for a good portion of my life. Some neighbors would party until dusk. I could remember huge crowds with their chatter together with loud music. Some people even hire a band to add to the merriment. Granted that some people have very little financial discipline . I'm not surprised that they would celebrate for the sake of celebrating. The mentality that they have lo...
Read more

Buying Lottery Tickets ISN'T Investing

It's fascinating (and annoying) that people want to get rich quick. The bad news is it's easy come and easy go. People do all sorts of crazy stuff trying to get rich quick. Back in 2022 while repairs after the Odette disaster were done, I wrote an article about not investing while having a gambling addiction . Some people may have pulled their money out of the index funds and played Axie Infinity trying to make a quick buck. Some people got into cryptocurrency with the same hopes of getting rich quick fast. Before cryptocurrencies and  Axie Infinity , the lottery ticket was treated like a "golden ticket". When I mention "golden ticket", some people may have seen the classic Willie Wonka movie where each child had a golden ticket. Only one of the children could inherit the main character's candy factory.  It makes me laugh (and cringe) that people waste their money on a lottery ticket. A wife can complain about her husband buying lottery tickets instead o...
Read more