Mabato vs Luntian

Isang araw ng hapon sa isa sa mga Emirates ng UAE, lumibot kami ng friend ko sa Fujairah. Maraming magandang mga desert views, at rocky formations ang nadaanan namin na talaga namang breathtaking. Para kang nasa movie in a scene of “The Mummy Returns”. May mga camel sa paligid ka rin na makikita at di alintana ang sobrang init sa labas, kahit up to 45 degree celcius.

I looked at the expanse of the desert, at may mga nadadaanan kami na mga planta or oil rigs ang tawag nila na nagsisipsip ng langis mula ilalim ng lupa.

Na-realize ko, at some point in their history, the Native Emirati local people who most of them were once fishermen o naghahabi ng palm leaves, are now wealthy because they discovered how rich their “golden oil” o langis na kanilang kayamanan sa ilalim ng mainit na core ng kanilang mga disyerto. Natutunan nila ang gumawa ng mga instrumento na madaliang makaka-detect ng mas maraming oil sa ilalim ng lupa at kung paano ito mailabas at ma-collect. Now they export their oil, globally. Lahat ng bansa ay kailangan ng oil for fuel for their cars, electrical plants etc. Kaya sila ngayon ay kumikita ng limpak-limpak na salapi. Eventhough their mountain couldn’t even grow vegetables or fruits. They have found the treasure in their desert, underneath the challenging intense heat, rocks and almost lifeless sandy dunes.

Ilang buwan ang lumipas at umuwi ako ng Pilipinas para mag-bakasyon. Nagpunta kami ng Davao, Mindanao. We also had a long drive and seen the difference from Emirates mountains. The Philippines, especially in the rural, have a lot more trees, green lush mountains and rice fields. And I see how the nature was so generous and blessed us with super rich soil that can grow basically anything. Kaya naman, lahat halos ng klase ng fruits, vegetables at flowers tutubo sa lupain ng Pilipinas. Ika nga ng narinig ko sa DJ sa radyo, mag-ingat sa pagdura kung saan-saan baka magulat ka na lang, makita mo na may tumubo bigla sa pinagduraan mo.

But why most Filipinos are so poor, when Philippines soil and even the sea are very rich?

Tumira at nagtrabaho ako ng apat na taon sa kabilang ibayo ng Middle East, at napakaraming Pilipino kahit saan ka man magpunta. All the other nationalities are basically depending on the skills of every Filipino. Lahat ng makakausap mo na employer na galing sa ibang nasyon, nagsasabi kung gaano kagaling ang mga Pilipino sa trabaho. The best of the best daw. Kahit na halos nagpapaligsahan sa populasyon ng mga manggagawa ang mga Indians at Pilipino, dahil we are paid also for cheap labors, pinagmamalaki ko na mas maabilidad at di hamak na magagaling ang lahi natin kumpara sa ibang lahi.

May nakausap ako na dating Manager sa banko at nagtatrabaho lamang doon bilang cashier sa isang establishment, may isa din akong kakilala na graduated as nurse, at tinanggap na lang ang trabaho as janitor. Sa sobrang galing nga eh, sayang naman ang mga pinag-aralan.

But why do most Filipinos are still living even below the poverty line?

One of the reasons is we have put the 10,000 hours into bad practice. Ang 10,000 Hours ay theory ni Malcolm Gladwell, na in order to be the best in a specialized skill, we have to put in 10,000 hours of repeated practice.

Our ancestors, are mostly farmers and fishermen, who day in and day out use manual labor to plow the ricefields for example.

Don’t get me wrong, we are born by hardworking parents who lean on active income. Kung hindi ka magtatrabaho, hindi ka kakain. So that’s the reason why generations upon generations we are taught only skill-based education. Ang makatapos ng pag-aaral at makapag-trabaho sa malaking kompanya, to be an employee. Then working up the ladder, and depending only on salary, expecting a pension from local government or from the company when it's time to retire. 

Philippines is rich of natural resources, but that’s too obvious. Given na ang ating mother nature ay sobrang mapagbigay. It’s born rich and generous, and we simply put in our best manual skills and depend on the works of our hands. We have yet to discover the real treasure for Philippines to make us a wealthy country.

Alam mo ba kung ano ito? Ang Utak ng mga Pilipino.

Ang mga Emirati people, hindi pa obvious noong unang panahon ang kanilang kayamanan, they have to dig deep their rocky lifeless mountains and desert to find their “oil gold”. And they used that resource and built technology para maka-collect ng mas marami pang oil. At kanilang pera ay patuloy sa paglago through various investments.

Kahit sobrang obvious kung gaano tayo ka-yaman na bansa, tayong mga Pilipino, we are so used to only depend on the works of our hands. Pero kulang sa edukasyon ang ating utak dahil hindi ginagamit ng husto ito para mag- add pa ng income streams, to not stay depending on labor and the works of our hands but to have more passive income. Yun bang kahit hindi ka magtrabaho, alam mo na kahit nasa bakasyon ka, o natutulog ka, ang pera mo ay patuloy na lumalago.

Specifically, we have to increase the Filipinos’ Financial Literacy, which is still yet to achieve.

And I know we are getting there. Very soon.

Every Filipino should discover that they don’t work with their hands alone, but have to use its powerful brain to increase their money mindset. I believe it’s a great fusion. Given na talagang magagaling na workers ang mga Pilipino, pero mas totodo ang pag-angat natin kapag lahat ng Pilipino ay matututong gumamit ng wealth accelerators or investments.

1.      Magkaroon ng Paper assets (Mutual funds, bonds, and equities)

2.      At Physical assets (gold, silver, platinum)

3.      At Properties (real estate, housing or commercial)

4.      Businesses (traditional and online)

5.      Insurance (unit linked)

Again, we have to increase the Filipinos’ Financial Literacy, which is still yet to achieve.

Kung meron kang tanong tungkol sa mga ito, go ahead and ask me.

Because it is my mission to share my experiences and what I know to increase financial literacy for our fellow Filipinos. Email me at payanewor18@gmail.com.
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