How Filipinos Cope with the Worldwide Economic Crisis
By now everyone in the world has felt the effect of the economic slowdown. Companies are closing or downsizing, employee are being layed off in increasing numbers, and mortgage dependent homes are being foreclosed. Lives are literally being ruined by this ongoing world economic crisis. No one is certain when this crisis is going to end. Most countries are not prepared, and it’s causing major concern throughout the world, that could turn into a panic if the situation doesn’t improve.
I’m currently in the Philippines and, in spite of all the bad news about the state of the world’s economy, the people here seem to be taking everything in stride. The Philippine economy is also feeling the brunt of the economic slowdown but, according to a few Filipinos I’ve talked to in the last couple of months, ”the daily life in the Philippines is a recession. We’re so used to the hard life, that we just shrug our shoulders at what’s going on. This recession doesn’t affect us like it does other parts of the world.” These Filipinos are making these comments with the quiet confidence of knowing what they are talking about.
And these Filipinos are right. Life in the Philippines is an everyday challenge, and the current economic situation doesn’t make that much of difference in the way they live. Most Filipinos have no monthly mortgage on a house, car loans, and credit bills to worry about paying each month. Their main concern is how to get through the day by putting food on the table, living a simple life, and staying happy. People from other countries might be inclined to think that life in the Philippines may be too rudiment for their taste, but sometimes I wonder that is still the case with the worldwide economy the way it is. Nothing is guaranteed anymore–including our source of livelihood and lifestyle. Sometimes fortune change–or change hands–but one thing is for sure, living a simple life is still the best way to go. Maybe we can learn some valuable life lesson from Filipinos–and people from poorer countries–on how to live our lives. [Written by Julius P. Bantigue]
