A call for cultural renaissance

Of Trees and Forest

By SENATOR MANNY B. VILLAR

January 10, 2012, 10:57pm

MANILA, Philippines — Culture  is one term that cannot be defined and understood in just a few words.

Culture, according to the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, is a collection of traits that differentiate humans from animals, including the following: language, arts and sciences, thought, social activity or shared pursuits, and interaction or the social aspects of human contact.

The United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that culture is the "set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional features of society or a social group and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs."

By any definition, the Philippines is rich in culture not only because of our varied ethnic origins but also because of our long history of contacts with other people. For example, the traditional Philippine dances, like the “tinikling” and “pandanggo sa ilaw,” are a unique mix of Spanish, Malay, and Muslim influences. There are also local variations of the Spanish “habanera,” “jota,” and the fan dance.

The Philippines is an Asian country, but our culture reflects the influences from European, American, and Latin American countries. Even our language has been enriched by words from other languages, primarily Spanish, Chinese and English.

In my previous column, I discussed our inherent artistic talents as a rich resource and an inherent advantage that we could, and should, tap for economic benefits.

Considering that art is among the traits that make up culture, it can also be part of a wider and more ambitious campaign: A cultural renaissance.

I also noted the lack of coordinated effort to promote the Philippines as a design hub. Similarly, I believe we are not promoting Philippine culture enough to enhance our country’s image and boost our attractiveness in the tourism industry.

We have a problem with attitude. A lot of people see spending for cultural promotion as a waste of resources, which they say should be channeled to poverty-alleviation measures.

Previous administrations had tolerated such attitude, and endeavors to promote Philippine culture suffered from lack of funding and other support. It has been a heroic effort for the few private organizations that continue to launch cultural performances in other countries using their own resources.

Some people dismiss cultural activities as only for the rich, but for me, culture is the soul of our country. Culture is what makes us Filipino, and we should be proud of our own culture.

And yet, promoting culture does not require massive resources. The first step, in my view, is for the government to declare as a national priority the promotion of Philippine culture. I would suggest the adoption of “cultural renaissance” as the working title for such a program.

We have numerous museums, both private and public (sadly, public museums need more support), which can be marketed to local and foreign visitors.

Schools are a rich ground for promoting culture and enriching our youth’s cultural awareness, without spending a lot. For instance, if schools find it difficult to teach English poetry, why not poetry in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, or in any of our native languages?

Most schools already have programs that promote Philippine culture, like our native dances and songs. Many of our towns, cities, and provinces already benefit from promoting their indigenous culture like folk dances during their annual fiestas, which attract tourists – who stimulate local businesses.

All this, in my view, is what will make cultural renaissance a rewarding program for our economy, which should in turn correct some people’s wrong attitude toward culture.

Cultural festivals are among the most attractive events for visitors from other countries because these events give them better perspective and appreciation for their host countries.

Thus, cultural renaissance can be an important part of our tourism promotion program. If we can be a global design capital, we can also be world-famous for our unique and colorful culture.

It may take us some time to move up in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ladder in terms of growth. If we wait until we get rich before we pay attention to our culture, we may be too late: we may have lost our soul as a nation.

(Please send comments to: mbv_secretariat@yahoo.com)

Christmas Lights

Senator Manny Villar, chair of the Senate committee on trade and commerce, inspects Christmas lights to be sold in the market during a public hearing, Tuesday, November 29, 2011. Villar filed Senate Resolution no. 208 urging the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to implement an effective mechanism to control the sale of defective Christmas lights. (PRIB Photo by ROMY BUGANTE)

The 50-Million O.F.W. Community

The latest report on remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) reflects one of the strongest fundamentals of the Philippine economy, especially amid the global crisis, which has largely been responsible for the double-digit fall in export earnings.

The OFWs' remittances, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), increased by 8.4 percent in September 2011 to $1.74 billion from $1.6 billion in the same month last year on continued strong demand for Filipino workers in various countries.

This brought the total remittances in the first nine months of 2011 to $14.76 billion, up 7.1 percent from $13.78 billion in the same period last year.

The BSP said the remittances in September indicated that the total for the year could even surpass the monetary authority’s projection of $20.1 billion, a growth of 7 percent from last year’s $18.8 billion.

Remittances are a closely watched economic indicator as these help fuel household consumption, which has remained the key driver of growth for the Philippines.

The increase in remittances gives our economy a chance to sustain growth despite the challenges from the euro crisis and the weakness of the US economy.

The slowdown in our economic growth to 4.0 percent in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP for the first semester of this year has already compelled the government to lower its growth target for the whole year to between 4.5 and 5.5 percent from the initial target of 7 to 8 percent.

Citing data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the BSP said 223,172 overseas job orders were processed for Filipino workers from January to October. The job orders came mostly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.

The BSP said this indicated that remittances would continue to be strong in the remaining months of the year, as well as into 2012.

Those remittances in September came mostly from Filipinos based in the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Italy, Germany, and Norway. The remittances from these countries accounted for about 85 percent, or $12.5 billion, of money sent in the first nine months.

I totally agree with the statement of the Bangko Sentral, which acknowledges that remittances continue to be an important contributor in strengthening our economic fundamentals amid the persistent global economic uncertainties.

Clearly, I say again, right now the single biggest thing going for our country is the presence of those OFWs remittances.

The OFWs saved our economy from collapse during global and regional crises, from the oil crisis in the early seventies to the US-led recession in 2008, and will keep us afloat amid the current turmoil emanating from Europe, as well as the impact from the March, 2011, disasters in Japan.

Precisely, because of OFWs, 10 million Filipinos have jobs. The unemployment rate would easily have been twice the official 7 percent plus if the OFWs suddenly lost all their jobs.

Because of OFWs, malls are enjoying brisk sales and banks are posting double-digit revenue and profit growth. Because of OFWs, and together with the business process outsourcing industry, the Philippines is experiencing what may be its longest real estate boom.

I may be accused of being repetitive, but some people need more than a nudge to wake them up. We have to wake up and pay attention to our OFWs, their welfare, their needs, and their (and their families’) future.

Most of them will come home after some time. They deserve to be assured a stable future for themselves and their families when that time comes.

Even now, many of them work in strange countries where they are treated as second-class citizens or lower, exposed to abuses, far from their own government.

I have made suggestions on what to do to improve the conditions of our countrymen abroad, including a department-level government agency to protect and promote their interests.

Ten million OFWs are not just ten million people. With an average five members per family, the OFW community is composed of 50 million Filipinos, more than half the Philippines’ population of 94 million as of 2010.

Let’s wake up – for the sake of our country and our modern heroes!

(Please send comments, feedback to: mbv_secretariat@yahoo.com)