Jack The Scribbler

[Blogger’s note: Here’s another piece — an editorial — written by Arnold Tenorio, the Manila Times’ business editor, for the paper’s February 21, 2011 issue. The piece may be “dated,” he himself told me in an email message, since “it was written before the BSP raised policy rates.” [See: Manila Times]
“But I believe the value of this piece is that it pointed out the structural impact of OFW [Overseas Filipino Workers’] remittances and to a lesser extent of the BPO [business process outsourcing] sector not only on the [Philippines’] external payments position, but also on GDP [Gross Domestic Product], particularly PCE [personal (or private) consumption expenditure],” his email said. “As always, I appreciate a little space in your precious blog. Thanks.” (Yeah, right.) So here you go, another piece by Arnold.]

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) forecast of a seven to eight percent growth in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) this year is the boldest official pronouncement yet of what’s in store for the domestic economy this year.

Speaking before members of the country’s organization of business journalists, BSP Gov. Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said GDP growth would come in faster than the 34-year record of 7.3 percent last year given the uneven growth trajectories of the advanced economies on the one hand, and their emerging peers on the other.

The BSP chief also pointed to higher interest rate differentials, which have benefited emerging markets in terms of a greater share of capital flows.

In fact, monetary authorities recently raised their forecast for the country’s balance of payments (BOP) to reach $6 billion to $8 billion this year, and our gross international reserves (GIR) to hit a record $70 billion.

Aside from these international developments, Tetangco pointed to the BSP’s macro-prudential measures, which have prevented asset bubbles from emerging in the Philippines.

According to the governor, asset valuations in the country have yet to reach bubble-like proportions because of the strong underlying macro-fundamentals and the BSP’s prudent regulatory framework, which has provided safety valves and has channeled resources to those sectors that most need them.

All these local developments have contributed to the country’s low and stable inflation, in stark contrast to the surge in prices among neighboring emerging markets.

This is why, the BSP insists, they are not behind the curve as far as monetary tightening is concerned.

According to our monetary authorities, the Philippines has been among the few countries that have enjoyed positive real interest rates, thus requiring no policy tightening despite the return of what appears to be the inflation surge of 2008 all over again.

In the Philippines, inflation last year averaged 3.8 percent, at the low end of the central bank’s target of 3.5 to 5.5 percent.

A crucial factor explaining this low inflation environment is the country’s ample GIR, which in turn is a function of the Philippines enjoying BOP surpluses in recent years.

Last year, our GIR grew by 40 percent to $63.608 billion from $45.591 billion in the same period in 2009, reflecting a new record high.

The country also registered a BOP surplus of $14.403 billion, or 124 percent higher than the 2009 surplus of $6.421-billion. The 2010 surplus was more than $6 billion higher than the revised $8.2-billion forecast for the period.

Largely contributing to this whopping performance was the rebound in exports, as global trade flows recovered from the slump of the previous two years.

In the particular case of the Philippines, two other factors that led to the robust external payments position were the resilience of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) remittances and the country’s growing share of the outsourcing and off-shoring market.

Money sent home by OFWs rose to a new record of $18.763 billion, slightly exceeding the BSP’s forecast of $18 billion for 2010.

As for the country’s share in the global outsourcing pie, anecdotal evidence points to the Philippines’ lead as far as employment levels in the call center segment alone are concerned.

What the two phenomena — rising OFW remittances and call center employment — suggest is that the Philippines not only has strong sources of foreign exchange besides the traditional external trade of merchandise goods.

Equally, if not more important, is that the country has a steady and growing source of dispensable income, which fuels personal consumption expenditure (PCE), heretofore the main engine of Philippine economic expansion.

That PCE didn’t contract owed to the steady income of these two demographic groups — OFWs and call center agents.

They are the heroes who helped prop up the Philippine economy amid the worst global financial crisis in decades, and — we suspect — the same groups that would sustain our growth this year and well into the medium term.

Companies are aware of the two groups’ economic influence, and have since deployed their marketing efforts to corner a piece of their incomes.

We hope the government likewise would realize this potent force that has prevented the domestic economy from unraveling during the depths of the recent global crisis.

From where we stand, the OFWs and call-center workers most likely will be responsible for a big chunk of the bold economic growth forecast set by the BSP.

I’m sorry sir, that it had come to this.
If I had any kind of influence, I would gladly use it to have the blacklist against you revoked.
I would have wanted a multi-awarded actor such as yourself to visit our capital and appreciate its charms, which includes the stench of cockroaches.
Or at least that’s according to Claire Danes who made that remarkable, if brave observation fifteen years ago.
Of the world’s many poor, underdeveloped capitals that stank to high heavens, she had to choose to visit Manila, thereby forcing her to take in the powerful scent of the city’s armpit districts.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t pleasant.

However, Manila’s City Council felt differently about the whole matter.
Just days after Ms. Danes reportedly embarrassed the Philippine capital, the body issued a resolution that banned the actress from Manila.
While the move was hailed by all manner of lobbyists, sycophants, and self-proclaimed patriots, the order didn’t do anyone any good. Like most laws in this country, the resolution only showed the public that council members were indeed hard at work, protecting the nation’s pride and integrity at the expense of the truth. After Manila’s supposed assault on her olfactory senses (and her critical faculties), little was heard from Ms. Danes.
I’m sure the actress was hardly interested about ever coming back to the Philippines, a sentiment shared to this day by little brown Americans headed for — or currently living in — North America and various parts of the world.
Thankfully, ever since that incident, progress has arrived in Manila and in the country in general.
Fifteen years after Ms. Danes showed that she was right on the nose, the city and its offended residents have moved on.
No longer does Manila carry the stench that so repelled Ms. Danes, although on hot summer nights, it retains a slight hint of piss and sweat, making beggars and street people long for the good, old days.
Meanwhile, its residents have discovered the wonders of perfume, which many of them use in cloying amounts.
Indeed, many Filipinos may live in hovels, earn starvation wages, encounter regular police harassment, suffer from daily hunger, but we do smell good (and our prepaid cellphones have enough credit to send a text message to say that we’ll be late).
After all, looking and smelling good is a matter of national priority and cultural pride, besides making babies and allowing ourselves to be raped by US servicemen so that we could get US visas.
During the past decade and a half, many Filipinos have also been  introduced to the internet, a vast computer network developed by former US vice president Al Gore.
Faster and easier access to information — false, factual, and trivial — have made many of them more small-minded and parochial, jingoistic and oversensitive.
When you cracked that joke about Filipina mail order brides on US television, the whole country heard it via YouTube and read all about it through their email inboxes.
Naturally, they were appalled and disgusted at your remark, even though they cared little for Filipinas who dreamed of marrying foreign males they hardly ever knew.
In any case, the remark earned you a ban from the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration.
You’re in good company.
After Danes, a Hong Kong-based journalist was also banned for telling the truth.
In his column, Mr. Chip Tsao called the Philippines “a nation of servants,” a piece of information that was factually accurate.
Except that it wasn’t something that enhanced our exalted sense of self.
I guess you very well know by now that Filipinos take everything seriously, save for political and economic reform.
This is the reason why it might take awhile before you can get the ban lifted.
In the meantime, let me just say that as a Filipino who is obviously in the minority, I apologize. I am so sorry that you had to be prompted to say you were sorry.

N. B. Good luck with having kids. And send my regards to Ms. Basinger. That is, if you’re still on good terms.