Moving the Country Forward

The country indeed is in trouble. It may not be that we are in fiscal crisis, it is more of that government is in crisis. Under the same president, we are facing the same problems, most of which, it seems, have gotten worse.

Still, life goes on. And we see hope in the horizon when we read about government officials working to move the country forward under the weight of perceived hopelessness.

Take the case of Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima. Plucked from a much coveted private sector post, he heads one of the most strategic government offices in terms of its potential to improve the lives of Filipinos -- from big businessmen down to street peddlers.

The vision of the man who shares the optimism of those not yet giving up on this strange Republic is the main theme of two of the stories in this issue. In our cover story, Purisima talks about leveraging the country's demographic talent and nature’s gifts such as Palawan - which, incidentally, is featured in our lifestyle section – to keep pace with our Asian neighbors.

In our policy section, Purisima also talks about the potential of small and medium enterprises in providing jobs and the urgent need to address the country's poor infrastructure.

He says that the power of entrepreneurship is going to be the solution to the country’s jobs and economic problem. To reach the target of ten million jobs over six years, all the government has to do is boost by at least two persons annually the employment capabilities of more than 800,000 registered SMEs in the country. That seems doable.

The Trade Chief also talked about the newly established Philippine Infrastructure Corporation which will further promote overall economic development by serving as the government’s key vehicle in delivering vital infrastructure projects in a timely, focused, and sustainable manner. He elaborates on what economists will tell us that infrastructure spending can be a big help in pump-priming the economy as every peso of infrastructure spending creates a multiplier effect of between ten and twenty times.

We have many good men like Purisima in government. But their stories and mission have to be told if only to guide and inspire the rest of us to help in the cause.