Growing a Social Conscience

#228: At B-School

Poverty had always been a nebulous issue as far as I was concerned. It was too prevalent, too present to solve in a country where roughly 80% live in or close to poverty. I grew up interacting with kids from a squatter's area behind our village. They called me "Ate" (big sister) and I saw them as fascinating kids who had more smiles than they had resources or opportunities.

Growing up, you become self-absorbed - more conscious about getting the grades to get into the right university, getting the grades to graduate with honours, getting the grades to get the right job, getting the performance ratings to get the promotion and so on. Poverty faded into the background as bigger and bigger paychecks started rolling in, signalling your growing financial freedom. Freedom to eat at fancy schmancy restuarants, go on frequent travels, buy more shoes and bags than an animal with several shoulders and feet would ever need. Poverty became invisible even as you drove through streets and streets of dilapidated shacks and running kids with bulging tummies and without underpants. Poverty became a mere concept.

Very much like the concept of corruption in the government. It's there. Everyone knows it. It's just too prevalent and too present to solve in a country where education has less priority versus entertainment. You see politicians dancing and singing in campaigns but which of these have ever clearly laid out plans for educating the same stupid masses they count on to give inexperienced (even incompetent) characters such as they, the key to the judicial, legislative and executive functions of the country? And so we continue to feed idiots into our government. And these people proceed to make idiots out of everyone of us by robbing us blind while they're in power.

In one of the readings for my International Business Strategy class, I stumbled on this line from World Bank President (1999) James D. Wolfensohn:

"At the core of the incidence of poverty is the issue of equity. And at the core of the issue of equity is the issue of corruption."

Simple, right? Everyone knows that. I thought I knew it as well. But it hit me extra hard today. In the said class, we've been discussing how weak institutions - weak contract enforcement, weak investor protection, weak intellectual property protection, corruption and political instability - deter economic development by discouraging foreign direct investment. Why would richer nations want to invest in our country's development when our own government doesn't seem to be doing its job in developing an environment conducive for free and fair trade? You look at the weak institutions enumerated above and most, if not all of them, can best be addressed by political will to improve the nation's state. We can all self-regulate as individuals and as corporations but when a market entity bigger than us continues to undermine progress by sheer incompetence or greed, how much can we really achieve?

And so, class after class, I watch with dread as the Philippines continually appears at the bottom of each list be it in terms of GDP per capita, Puchasing Power Parity-adjusted income, or economic growth, or corruption perception index and a whole slew of other things.

Isn't it ironic that my awareness of poverty has been re-awakened while living in the richest country in the world? Ironic as well that I'm less apathetic towards the Philippine government and how it's being run as I anticipate living long-term in a country known for having one of the lowest levels of corruption (Australia is at the 98th percentile of the Transparency index, higher than Germany or USA.) Isn't it ironic that while undergoing a masteral degree in managing organizations to maximize profits, I am growing more and more concerned about more equitable ways to distribute wealth?

I guess the next key question I have to grapple with is: So what can be done?