My Ideological Learning

According to Ambeth Ocampo, "Sometimes it pays not to be interested in what happened but in what did not happen." In line with this, we see the Philippines as what we ideally want it to be. We neglect its current situation either positive or negative. Moreover, we always criticize the concept behind its social, economic and political system. We see most of it as failure which causes its downfall. But in spite of the public's view on the Philippines, we, undeniably, still have our personal stands regarding this matter, specifically, on how to obtain the development we're trying to pursue since the beginning. Each one of us is aware that it is difficult to determine one's personal view in the Philippines. Hence, different studies are being established. One of these is the Political Compass test. As I took the test, I found out that I'm situated on -5.62 of the x-axis and on 1.64 of the y-axis as shown in the result. Thus, my position in the political compass exhibited that I'm a socialist and an authoritarian. I am a socialist who advocates and practices the doctrines of socialism which is the common ownership. In its perspective, common ownership means that everybody has the right to participate in decisions on how resources will be used. It means nobody being able to take personal control of resources, beyond their own personal possessions. Hence, my outlook on being attached to the society let me think of the society's advantages first before of my personal interests. Therefore, I'm against of anything or anyone that possesses eminence over the rectitude of the mass. On the other hand, although, being a socialist should prioritize the condition of the public and its goodness, I still believe of having rules by all means of actions in order to acclaim the foundation of our country's progress. Thus, I am an authoritarian who favors complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom. I believe that our developing country can be attained by alleviating the free will system that commonly causes discriminations and injustices. I'm not against of the Philippines as a democratic country, which gives equal opportunity to the public to express their opinions regarding the public policy, laws and actions of the sate. It is just that, as time passes by, the laws that must be followed loosens which leads to the favored position of the abusive people and sectors in our country. Consequently, the Philippines' requisite of acquiring austere legislation is extremely essential.

Through the basic problems of the Philippines come the major struggles that cause the burden of every Filipino especially the economically-deprived people of the society. Some of these problems are as follows: Social problems - Poverty. It is an absolute hindrance to the success of future generation of the Filipino. "It is mainly a rural problem, and tends to be worse in the southern Philippine islands of Visayas and into Mindanao. However, Luzon and the northern islands have a considerable number of Filipino people living below the poverty line.

In fact, almost a third of all of the population of the Philippines lives below the poverty threshold, which is a number inconceivable to most people in America and Western Europe. According to the most recent data collected by international sources concerning poverty in the Philippines, 44% of the population survives on less that $2 US per day." This is quoted in one of the blogs of a missionary of Estados Unidos.

Next in line is Unemployment. According to the trading economics, "The unemployment rate in Philippines was last reported at 6.9 percent in April of 2012. Historically, from 1995 until 2012, Philippines Unemployment Rate averaged 9.1 Percent reaching an all time high of 13.9 Percent in April of 2002 and a record low of 6.3 Percent in October of 2007. The unemployment rate can be defined as the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labor force."

In the aspect of our economy, the common problems are Graft and Corruption and Over-dependence on Global Economy. Stated by Gary Elliot, "Graft and corruption manifests in many various forms including bribery, kickbacks, embezzlement, vote buying, cronyism, and nepotism. Additionally, corruption facilitates criminal enterprises such as black marketing and illegal gambling syndicates, both also prevalent. Corruption has both political and socio-cultural roots: the political system and its institutions allow graft and corruption to flourish, but it is people, not institutions, who are robbing government funds." On the other hand, the over-dependence on global economy by Gaynor Borade says that, "the growth of the Philippines economy drastically slowed to just 3.6% in the first three quarters of 2011, which is significantly less than the 7%-8% growth targeted by administration's Philippine Development Plan (PDP). Though the slowdown may have been due to the ongoing global crisis, it was markedly slower in comparison to other South-East Asian neighbors. Economic performance figures indicated a contraction in exports and a drop in FDI. Though the remittances from overseas Filipinos to the country grew in the first ten months of 2011, however the compensation that overseas Filipinos received actually fell, in peso terms, due to an appreciating peso. In 2011 the Aquino administration sought a FTA (Free Trade Agreement) with the EU and joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The administration further allowed the US to even more directly influence Philippine economic policy making in its self-interest, by entering in a Partnership for Growth (PfG).

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