@ The Bible Also Mentions
the Philippines
It can be easily
understood that no verse in the Bible carried the term Philippines, since
the Bible was written two thousand years ago or centuries before the Spaniards
came here. However, there are verses in the Bible that prophesy about the
Philippine archipelago and other islands in the Pacific. In the chapter 24 of
the Book of Isaiah, verses 15 to 16 read "Therefore in the east give glory
to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of
the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: 'Glory to the Righteous
One.'" The Philippines is the only Christian archipelago in the
Pacific covering East Asia.
@ Arroyo and Sukarnoputri Share Similarities
Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines and Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia have
remarkable similarities. Both are 54-year-old women who had been
vice-presidents before becoming presidents in place of their predecessors who
were ousted in the year 2001. Both of them were daughters of former presidents
of the world's two largest archipelagos who lost the presidency in 1965 to
dictators. Both women have three children and their husbands were being pursued
by controversy. Both visited Washington in their first year as
presidents and met US President George W. Bush, another offspring of a
former president who also assumed power in 2001. Arroyo and Sukarnoputri are
not entirely similar though. The former is a Catholic Christian from the
world's fifth largest Christian country while the latter is a Muslim from the
country with the world's largest Muslim population.
@ Bulacan Produced Queens
Marcelo del Pilar, the
father of Philippine journalism; Francisco Balagtas, the father of Philippine
literature; Jose Corazon de Jesus, father of balagtasan; Nicanor Abelardo,
father of kundiman; Francisca Reyes-Aquino, mother of Philippine dances; Gerry
de Leon, a father of Philippine movies; Guillermo Tolentino, one of the fathers
of Philippine arts; Jose Reyes, a father of Philippine medicine; and Dely
Magpayo, a mother of Philippine broadcasting, were all born in Bulacan
province. Atang dela Rama, the mother of Philippine theater, lived in Bulacan.
Aside from national fathers and mothers, Bulacan also produced queens, namely:
Lydia de Vega, Asia's former sprint queen; Regine Velasquez, Asia's song
bird; and Michelle Aldana, Miss Asia-Pacific beauty queen.
@ Babe Ruth Scored Homeruns in RP
Babe Ruth, the
American baseball legend who had over 200 homeruns in his professional career,
once played in the baseball field of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. In
1934, Ruth and another baseball great, Lou Gehrig, selected an All-Star team
that toured Asia where they played 18 games. The All-Star selection
stopped in the Philippines and played at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex
from December 2 to December 9. Gehrig beat Ruth when he scored the first
recorded homerun at the Rizal complex on December 2. Ruth scored the 2nd
homerun on the same day and 4th homerun on December 9. The other players of the
same selection who also scored homeruns at the Rizal complex were Earl Averill
and C. Gehringer.
@ 7 Cabinet Officials Were from Harvard
In a speech before an
American delegation early in 2002, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has
claimed that her Cabinet officials include seven Harvard graduates and three
Wharton alumni. The 54-year-old president added that four of her economic
managers had been top executives on Wall Street prior to joining government
service in the Philippines. President Arroyo, herself, has a Ph. D. in
Economics, which she earned from the University of the Philippines (UP). Before
this, she had studied for two years at the Georgetown University where
she had former US President Bill Clinton as a classmate.
@ Manila Played Host To Big Events
Manila served as
a host to some of the world's biggest events in the past several decades. On November
22, 1995, the country hosted 21 world leaders, including former US President
Bill Clinton, during the 4th Economic Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC). In 1974, Former First Lady Imelda Marcos ordered the
construction of the Folk Arts Theater to be the site of the 23rd annual Miss
Universe beauty pageant on July 19. The prestigious beauty contest was held
again in the country in 1994. On October 1, 1975, the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon
City was the venue of the infamous "Thrilla in Manila", the
thrilling boxing match between Heavyweight champions, Muhammad Ali and Joe
Frazier. Manila also hosted other international sports events such as
the Asian Games in 1954 and the Southeast Asian Games in 1981 and 1991. In
1980, the Marcos administration ordered the construction of the grand Coconut Palace to
host John Paul II during his Manila visit. The head of the Vatican
state visited Manila again in January 1995.
@ Sabah Once Belonged to Sultan of Sulu
Sabah, an oil-rich
region forming the northern part the great Borneo Island, used to be
a property of the Sultan of Sulu. Its 73,620-square-kilometer land area is
about twice the size of Switzerland and teems with incomparable
natural resources. The territory is still being claimed by the Sultan of Sulu,
Jamalul Kiram III. The Sulu sultanate was founded by Rajah Baginda in 1430.
According to the present sultan, his claim goes as far back as 1704 when the
Sultan of Brunei ceded part of the North Borneo which now comprises Sabah to
the Sultan of Sulu in the southern Philippines for his help in
suppressing a rebellion. There are about 500,000 Filipinos, most of them
Muslims, living in Sabah. They fled to the territory in the 1970s during
heavy fighting between Muslim rebels and the government troops. Sabah is
only four hours by boat from the southernmost island-province of Tawi-Tawi in
the Philippines.
@ Coconut Workers Own San Miguel Corp.
There are 3 million
hectares planted to coconut trees, the second largest agricultural area after
rice fields (4 million hectares). The coconut industry employs about 3.4
million Filipinos. Some 18 to 20 million more Filipinos depend on the industry
for their livelihood, according to the United Coconut Associations of the
Philippines (UCAP). About 90 percent of those employed in the coconut industry
are small farmers, who earn P10, 000 a year or P25 a day.
Coconut farmers are
among the most exploited segments of Philippine society. Driven to squalor by
Marcos cronies who thrived on the so-called coconut levies, the coconut farmers
represent the oldest sector of the domestic economy. In 1642, the Spanish colonial
government forced each Filipino to plant 200 coconut trees, because Spanish
shipbuilders had a large need for charcoaled coconut shells and coconut husks.
Coconut products have gradually become the country's top export, accounting for
35 percent of all exports in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s, coconut
products were the country's leading exports of raw materials. New economic
policies initiated under the Aquino administration led to a slow-phased shift
to industries, which eventually put the coconut industry at the tail end of
government priorities. In 2001, coconut exports represented only 1.6 percent of
the country's total exports.
@ In 1971, the dictatorial government of the
late President Ferdinand Marcos established the Coconut Investment
Fund (Cocofund) by
imposing a levy of P15 per 100 kilograms of copra for nine years between 1973
and 1982. Supposedly, the fund should serve as subsidy to coconut products for
domestic consumption. However, the cocofund, which amounted to a total of P9.695
billion by August 1982, was turned into a private fund used to finance three
financial institutions, including the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB). The
cocofund was also used to acquire the majority shares of San Miguel
Corporation, the country's largest food and beverage conglomerate. A known
Marcos crony, Danding Cojuangco, still retains the chairmanship of both UCPB
and San Miguel until today. The fund, which is estimated at over P100 billion
today, has yet to be transferred to the accounts of the coconut farmers.
(Source: http://www.virtual-asia.com/ph)
@ A Mayor Held Office for 5 Decades
No other local
official had the distinction of serving an elective post for almost half a
century. Pablo Cuneta, the late mayor of Pasay City and father
of popular actress, Sharon Cuneta, died at 90 on September 27, 2000 after
serving the government for 50 years. In 1947, then President Elpidio Quirino
appointed him vice mayor of PasayCity. In 1955, he was elected mayor, a
post which he held until 1967 when he lost to Jovito Claudio in the mayoralty
election. He emerged victorious in the 1972 elections and served his
constituents in Pasay City until 1986 when he was ordered ousted
by the Aquino administration. Cuneta won in the 1988 mayoralty election and
served his post uninterrupted until 1997 when his health began to fail. He was
awarded a golden trophy for his 50th year in public service in the same year.
@ A Priest Took Up Arms Against Americans
From 1900 to 1902,
Catholic priest Gregorio Labayan Aglipay took up arms against American soldiers
in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Aglipay founded the Liwanag branch of the Katipunan in
Victoria, Tarlac, attended the Malolos Congress and became the ecclesiastical governor
of Nueva Segovia (Ilocos) in 1899. In his religious role, Aglipay is considered
as the Martin Luther of the Philippines for founding the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente or the Philippine Independent Church, which celebrated
its centenary on August 3, 2002. A century earlier, the Union Obrera
Democratica, a confederation of 10 labor organizations headed by Isabelo de los
Reyes, broke ties with the Vatican and designated Aglipay as the
Obispo Maximo (supreme bishop) of their new religion. The Catholic Church then
excommunicated Aglipay. An American general called Aglipay a better soldier
than a bishop. (Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)
@ The Osmena Clan Is the Oldest Political
Dynasty
The Osmena clan is
perhaps the oldest and the most dominant political dynasty in the country. This
political dynasty began when Sergio Osmena Sr. replaced Manuel Quezon as
president of the Commonwealth government during the war. His son, Osmena Jr.
became a senator and his grandson, Osmena III is now an incumbent senator. John
Osmena, a former mayor of Cebu City, is also a senator today. Lito
Osmena, a long-time governor of the province of Cebu, vied for
the presidency in the 1998 presidential election. Tomas Osmena was a mayor of
Davao City.
@ Six Vice-Presidents Became Presidents
Six former
vice-president became presidents, namely: Sergio Osmena, Elpidio Quirino,
Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
@ Three Senate Presidents Became Presidents
Three former senate
presidents became presidents, namely Manuel Quezon, Manuel Roxas, and Ferdinand
Marcos.
@ Two Speakers Became Presidents
Two former House
speakers became presidents, namely: Sergio Osmena Sr. and Manuel Roxas.
@ Three Presidents Died in Office
Three Philippine
presidents were not able to finish their terms of office. They were Manuel
Quezon who died inNew York City on August 1, 1944; Manuel Roxas who
died of a heart attack on April 15, 1948; and Ramon Magsaysay who died in
an air accident on March 17, 1957.
@ First 3 Beauty Queens Married Pinoys
The first Miss
Universe, Armi Kuusela of Finland won the crown in 1952 and married
Virgilio Hilario of Tarlac the following year. The first Miss International
(1961), Maria Stella Marquez Zawadsky of Colombia, married Filipino
millionaire, Jorge Araneta. The first Miss Asia (1965), Angela Filmer of Malaysia,
married Jose Faustino, also a Filipino.
@ A Filipino Spread Love Bug Virus
In May 2000, the
so-called "love bug" computer virus spread worldwide and infected
millions of computer files. The virus, quickly infiltrated government and
corporate computer systems around the world. Described as the worst computer
virus ever created, the "love bug" wrought damages amounting to US$10
billion. It could not have been big news in the Philippines, if not for
the fact that the suspected creator of the virus is a Filipino. He was
identified as Onel de Guzman, a student of AMA Computer College in Quezon
City.
@ Caloocan City Has Two Separate Parts
Caloocan City is the
only city in the Philippines with two areas set apart from each other
by other towns and cities. Its first area, known as the urban portion, covers
Monumento and is bounded on the south by Manila, on the west by Navotas
and Malabon and on the north by Valenzuela City. Its second area,
known as Caloocan II, is a hilly portion between Bulacan province and Quezon
City.
@ Orchids Breeds Were from RP
Waling-waling or Vanda
sanderiana, is described as the "Queen of Philippine Orchids". One of
the largest species in the world, waling-waling was discovered by German
Taxonomist Heinrich Gustav Reicheinback in Mindanao in 1882. Since
then, it has become the most sought-after flower in Mindanao and
helped in the flourishing of the world's multibillion-dollar orchid and cut
flower industry.
The massive
deforestation in Mindanao threatens the region's wildlife, including
waling-waling which used to abound in the tropical forest of Mount Apo and
its surrounding areas. Today, it is believed that Waling-Waling has more
species abroad, particularly in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Hawaii.
Of the 9,000 flowering plants in the world, about 3,500 are endemic to the
Philippines. Human activities, however, pose a great threat to their existence.
@ Romulo Coined "I Shall Return"
It was Carlos P.
Romulo, who coined the famous phrase "I shall return" by General
Douglas MacArthur. Romulo was MacArthur's press officer at that time.
@ Romulo Put RP in UN Map
According to Beth Day
Romulo, Carlos P. Romulo literally put the Philippines on the world
map. "When the UN official seal which depicts the world was being
selected, Romulo asked 'Where is the Philippines?'
The answer came, 'It's
too small to include. If we put the Philippines, it would be no more than
a dot.'
'I want that dot,'
Romulo insisted." The UN seal now has a tiny dot for the Philippines.
@ MacArthur Was Field Marshall of Philippine
Army
Philippine
Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon appointed American four-star Maj. Gen.
Douglas MacArthur as Field Marshall of the Philippine Army in 1935. Attached
with the appointment was MacArthur's extra monthly pay of US$3,980 that made
him the highest paid military officer in the world, according to American
historian Carlos D'Este in his book "Eisenhower, A Soldier's Life".
@ Eisenhower Wrote Quezon's Speeches
In the book
"Eisenhower, A Soldier's Life", American historian Carlos D'Este
claimed that Dwight Eisenhower became an adviser and speechwriter of
Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon in the Philippines. When Quezon
sought an exile in the US, he met Eisenhower in Washington D.C. and
offered him "a lavish stipend of some one hundred thousand dollars for
services rendered the Philippines during his four years there, which
Eisenhower courteously rejected." This was before Eisenhower was appointed
as the supreme commander of all allied forces and planned the now infamous
Normandy Invasion in Europe during World War II. Eisenhower later
became a US president.
@ Filipinos Had Headed International
Organizations
a.
Carlos P. Romulo
became president of the United Nations 4th General Assembly; Cesar Bengzon,
president of the World Court Justice; Blas Ople, president of International
Labor Organization; Jose Aspiras, president of World Tourism Organization;
Jesus Tamesis, president of World Medical Association; Arturo Tanco, president
of World Food Council; Florencio Campomanes, president of International Chess
Federation; Justiniano Montano, president of World Boxing Council; Gonzalo
Puyat II, president of International Amateur Basketball Federation; Ramos del
Rosario, president of World Jaycee International;
b.
Jolly Bugarin,
president of International Criminal Police Organization; Mercedes Concepcion,
president of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population;
Lolita Delgado-Fransler, president of Association of International College of
Women; Modesto Farolan, president of International Union of Official Tourist
Organizations; Florencio Moreno, president of World Highway Engineers
Association; Quintin Gomez, president of the 8th World Congress of
Anaesthesiologists; Cielito del Mundo, president of World Family Institute
Inc.;
c.
Fe del Mundo,
president of International Women's Medical Association; Amelito Mutuc,
president of World Association of Lawyers; John Choa, president of Y's Men
International; Roman Cruz, president of Orient Airlines Association; Manuel
Nieto, president of Oriental Boxing Federation; Rufus Rodriguez, president of
World Association of Law Students; Edward dela Rosa, president of World
Association of Pharmaceutical Distributors; Esther Vibal, president of
International Inner wheel;
d.
Antonio Delgado,
chairman of Boy Scouts World Conference; Marcelo Fernan, secretary general of
the Academy of American and International Law Alumni; Norman Certeza Sr.,
governor of Kiwanis International; Eduardo Chuidian, general manager of
Association of International Shipping Lines; Rafael Salas, executive director
of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities; and Dioscoro Umali,
assistant director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
@ Tolentino and Amorsolo Were Classmates
Guillermo Tolentino
and Fernando Amorsolo, both national artists in arts, were classmates at the UP School of
Fine Arts. Guillermo Tolentino was the one who carved the UP Oblation while
Amorsolo was known for his paintings about barrio life and women.
@ 15 National Artists Were from Manila
Aside from Manila,
there is no other city or province, which owns the distinction of having
produced 15 national artists. Three of these national artists - Levi Celerio,
Cesar Legaspi and Rolando Tinio - were born in Tondo, the same district that
produced Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and yes, Juan Flavier. Other national artists
who were born in Manila include Fernando Amorsolo, Francisco Arcellana, Ishmael
Bernal, Gerardo de Leon, Nick Joaquin, Arturo Luz, Jose Maceda, Antonio Molina,
Juan Nakpil, Andrea Veneracion, Jose Garcia Villa and Honorata
"Atang" dela Rama. Coming far behind Manila in having produced a great
number of national artists is Bulacan province, the birthplace of six national
artists.
@ Bulacan Produced Great Musicians
Aside from producing
heroes and poets, Bulacan is known as the birthplace of great Filipino
composers, singers and dancers. Nicanor Abelardo, who is widely regarded as the
father of kundiman, was born in San Miguel, Bulacan while Francisco Santiago,
another pioneer of kundiman, grew up in Sta. Maria town. Noted composer
Antonino Buenaventura was born in Baliuag town while contemporary composer
Ernani Cuenco was born in the capital town of Malolos. Honorata
"Atang" dela Rama, the great theater actress before the war, made
Bulacan her home and married poet and national artist Amado Hernandez of San
Miguel.
The father of Levi
Celerio, the poet of Philippine music, was from Baliuag. Francisca Reyes
Aquino, the mother of Philippine dances, was born in the town of Bocaue.
Composer and singer Rey Valera was born in Meycauayan town. At present, three
divas from Bulacan - Regine Velasquez, Jaimie Rivera and Claire dela Fuente own
the finest voices that this country has ever heard.
@ A Filipino Supervised a Russian Orchestra
Redentor Romero had
served as the conductor of the 100-member Moscow State Symphony Orchestra,
which received worldwide acclaim.
@ Pasyon Was a Poem
The long poem read and
chanted by Catholic devotees during the Lent first appeared in 1704. Entitled
Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Nation, the poem was written
in octosyllabic verse by Gaspar Aquino de Belen.
@ Balagtas Had Other Works
Francisco dela Cruz
Balagtas, the 19th Century poet from Bulacan, wrote more than 100 plays,
comedies, awits and koridos. Most of these works, however, were burned in a
fire that gutted his house in Udyong, Bataan in 1892. Fortunately,
copies of three of his works were found elsewhere. Aside from the well-known
awit Florante at Laura, other existing works of Balagtas were a short farce
entitled La India Elegante y e! Negrito Amante and a full-length komedya entitled
Orosman at Zafira.
@ A Filipino was Declared Emperor
In 1926, Florencio
Intrencherado was proclaimed emperor of Negros Occidental province. In the
1900's, the people of Negros declared a republic in Panay, which was later
abolished by the US government.
@ A Filipino Refereed Muhammad Ali
In October 1975,
Carlos Padilla Jr. served as the referee in the world-boxing match between Ali
and Frazier in what was dubbed as thrilla in Manila.
@ A Brazilian Became Filipinos' Darling in 2000
Leila Barros, a
fine-looking volleyball player from Brazil, became the Filipino crowd's darling
in the staging of World Women's Volleyball Grand Prix in Manila in 1999 and
2000. Leila, a five-foot-eight player, led her team to the first runner-up
finish in the 1999 event, which was won by Russia. Brazil won the crown in
1994, 1996 and 1998. The Filipino audience used to ignore the game of
volleyball until they saw Leila spike the ball with the elegance and style no
one else could show.
Inside the court, the
28-year-old Brazilian beauty was noted for her intensity and leaping ability,
which enabled her to penetrate the stonewall defense of her six foot rivals.
Behind the pretty face was her seriousness and sheer determination to win each
game. She moves with the agility of Martina Hingis and the form of Anna
Kournikova. Not a few Filipino men fell in love with her flash images on
television. Some of those who were lucky to see her personally waved placards
proposing marriage, not knowing that the young, otherwise innocent looking star
player has been married for four years. How sad! Just the same, Leila moves and
jumps with the charm of any 16-year-old girl "oozing with
sensuality", as one sports columnist put it. At a time the Philippines
was troubled by many problems, all it needed was a little inspiration from
someone like Leila, who reminded the Filipino men of the beauty of life.
@ Intel Chips Were Manufactured in RP
Intel Corp., the
world's largest corporation, has been operating in the Philippines for almost
30 years. Calling itself as the first multinational company that established a
branch in the country, Intel manufactures processors and chips in its
Philippine plant, which is expected to be Intel's biggest assembly and testing
operations worldwide soon. Other foreign electronic and IT firms in the country
are Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Trend Micro, Fujitsu, and America Online (AOL).
@ Marcos Was Last Lawyer President
Eight Filipino
presidents were laywers. All former presidents from Manuel Quezon in 1935 to
Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, except Ramos Magsaysay, had practiced law. Starting
1986, the next four presidents were non-lawyers, namely: Corazon Aquino, a
housewife; Fidel Ramos, a military general; Joseph Estrada, an actor; and
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, an economist.
@ A Filipino Ruled an Island
In 1956, Tomas Cloma,
a Filipino explorer, discovered an island in the South China Sea. Cloma named
the island as "Freedomland" which he tried to rule by establishing
his own government.
@ A Planetoid was Named After a Filipino
The minor planet Biyo,
which has a diameter of four to nine kilometers and was formerly called planet
13241, was named after Dr. Josette Biyo, a teacher at the Philippine Science
High School in Iloilo City who won the International Excellence in Teaching Award
during the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) held
in Louisville, Kentucky in 2002. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) Lincoln Laboratory in the United States game the name.
@ Scientists Endorse Four Medicinal Plants
The country's Bureau
of Food and Drugs (BFAR) has included four medicinal plants - lagundi, sambong,
yerba Buena and tsaang gubat - in its list of drugs. Meanwhile, the Department
of Health (DOH) also endorses the use of the four plants and six others to cure
particular ailments or diseases. The use of lagundi is encouraged to cure
cough; sambong, urinary tract stones; yerba Buena, muscle pains; tsaang gubat,
intestinal colic; niyog niyugan, intestinal worms; bayabas, for wound wash;
akapulko, skin infection; ulasimang bato, uric acid; garlic, high blood
cholesterol; and ampalaya, high blood sugar.
@ There Were Mummies in the Philippines
A tribe in Kabayan
town, Benguet province used to mummify the bodies of their dead. Until now, the
mummified bodies of their ancestors are hung at the burial rocks in the area.
@ Someone Made Magsaysay Famous
The person responsible
for making the late President Ramon Magsaysay famous as the champion of the
masses was Jose V. Cruz, a journalist. At 30 years old, Cruz first served as
the press secretary of Magsaysay.
@ Filipino Doctors Apply as Nurses in the US
So enamored are
Filipinos about working in other countries for higher income that 2,000 doctors
are now taking up nursing examination for the possibility of working in the US.
The Philippine Nurses Association disclosed that in June 2002 alone, at least
100 doctors took the nursing board examinations. A doctor applying for a nurse
in the US said that he would earn in a month as a nurse in the US what he is
earning in a year as a doctor in the Philippines. Some Filipino nurses earn up
to US$5,000 monthly in New York and California. Reports said the US would need
additional 600,000 nurses until 2010 while Japan would require 1.2 million
nurses during the same period. Filipino nurses are also trooping to Europe,
particularly United Kingdom. Ironically, the Philippines has one of
the lowest ratios of doctors and nurses against the population.
@ Salaried Workers Carry Burden of Taxes
Citing data from the
National Tax Research Center (NTRC), Finance Secretary Isidro Camacho said that
in the year 2001, there were 2,605,505 individual taxpayers who filed their
income tax returns and paid a total of P80.42 billion.
About 2,079,745
salaried workers, or 80 percent of the income tax payers, paid a total of P66.3
billion in income taxes, accounting for 82 percent of the total collection.
Professionals or self-employed individuals contributed only P10.75 billion or
only 13 percent of the income taxes while capital gains tax paid by individuals
reached P3.18 billion.
In particular,
self-employed individuals or single-proprietors paid P10.13 billion while
professionals paid only P620 million. Based on these figures in 2001,
professionals paid only P20, 447 in income tax while salaried workers paid P31,
879.
According to the DOF,
this should not be the case since professionals are actually earning much
higher than salaried workers. Citing a 1997 government survey, the DOF said
that salaried workers earned only P582.7 billion while professionals received
P1.159 billion during that year. Measured per capita, salaried workers earned
an average of P223, 642 while professionals earned P2.204 million in 1997.
In the year 2002, for
example, only 2.8 million Filipinos of the total 30 million workers,
businessmen and professionals paid their income taxes. As of October 2002,
there were over 30 million Filipinos in the labor force, about 15 million of
whom were salaried workers, 11 million were self-employed and 4 million were
unpaid family workers.
One government study
showed that over the past 11 years (1991 to 2001), leakage from the individual
income tax amounted to P608 billion. This was on top of the P610 billion that
were lost to leakage in the value added tax (VAT) scheme.
@ Americans Are 25 Times Richer
Equitable distribution
of wealth would hardly resolve the poverty problem in the country. In reality,
the country's per capita income or the imaginary figure referring to every
Filipino's equal share in the country's total wealth, is below US$1,000. In comparison,
countries like the United States, Germany, Japan and even Singapore have a per
capita income of over US$25,000. This means that an ordinary American is 25
times richer than an ordinary Filipino. What would be needed to relieve poverty
is to enlarge the economic pie by drawing more capital and resources into the
country, so every Filipino would get a larger share.