Support Our Own

Babble On for the Sunstar Davao, Friday, Oct. 17. 2008

At a time of worldwide economic turmoil, when even our vaunted OFWs are unable to help our economy with their remittances, it is time for the Filipino people to seriously consider supporting our own. Our own industries, our own products, and even our own country.

Our people have always preferred foreign things. If we could afford it, we would buy Armani instead of Bench, Havaianas instead of Banana Peel, Minute Maid instead of Zesto, Maxim magazine instead of Manual magazine, Starbucks instead of Bo’s coffee club or Brew Crew.

Our choice of food also reflects this mindset. Filipino food is considered simple cooking and no one would go eat at an classy Filipino restaurant like Sentro or Abe, when they could eat instead at Friday’s or Italiani’s, or at fancy and expensive hotels which are owned by foreign conglomerates.

And when money is an issue we Filipinos buy the cheapest product out there instead, which is never the Filipino product, but the Chinese one. Most of the popular commodities which Filipinos purchase now like milk or luncheon meat is from China and is the preferred choice not only because it is foreign but also because it is dirt-cheap.

Even in our choice of travel destinations Filipinos prefer foreign over local. Filipinos often choose to travel abroad and go to exotic locales like Paris or Britain. And yet most of us have not fully explored our own country.

The Filipino loves the foreign over the local.

Some people call this mindset the colonial mentality. I just call it short-sighted thinking. The more we support or love foreign things, the more we buy foreign goods. The more foreign goods we buy, the more Filipino money goes out of our country. The more money that goes out of our country, the less money there is to run our economy.

Yes this is a fairly simplistic characterization, but we must remember that sometimes it is the simple idea that makes the difference. It is sometimes the simple idea that people can grasp. And to clearly spell it out, the simple idea is this: the more money goes out of the Philippines, the less money there is in the Philippines.

It is that simple, and that clear.

Despite this simple idea, our colonial mentality spurs us to keep buying or supporting foreign goods. I say enough. Let’s support our own.

There are countless top-notch Filipino products and places out there. You like nice clothes? Buy Bench or Folded & Hung. You like hamburgers? Eat at Jollibee or Burger Machine. You into beaches? Go to Antulang Beach Resort in Dumaguete or Boracay Island or Pearl Farm.

Let me repeat. It is a simple idea. If we support our own, we put more money into our own economy. With more money in our economy, it is less likely that the Philippines will drown under the tidal wave of economic pain that is engulfing the world.

There is a Chinese saying, “Don’t let fertile water flow into other’s fields.”

Let the Filipino water flow into Filipino fields. Let’s support our own.

***

I was on an early flight to Manila from Davao a few weeks back and was checked in very quickly and efficiently by Mr. Butch Casimiro, a ground manager for Philippine Airlines in the Davao International Airport.

He has a tip for passengers on popular, and consequently very full flights. When you purchase your tickets you can already pre-book your seats on the plane. This way, you are assured of a seat on the plane no matter what.

I hope Mr. Casimiro’s tip can be of help to travelers on very busy flights.