AS 2005 draws to a close, we look back to see how good the year has been. We get a mixed picture, with the pluses clashing with the minuses.
Auspicious developments have taken place amid the disruptive politics and controversies.
The economic news was basically good during the year. The peso breached the P53 level against the US dollar, its strongest showing since March. This was brought about by the surge in the inflow of remittances, which are expected to exceed $10 billion by year-end, from overseas Filipino workers.
Other happy economic developments are the passage and implementation of the expanded value-added tax, the growth of the call-center business, the rise in overseas employment and a healthier industrial climate, all contributing to the improved economic outlook in 2006.
Overseas employment grew. The recent signing of a labor agreement between the Department of Labor and Employment and South Korea opens new job opportunities for Filipino workers. There were fewer strikes. Industrial peace generally characterized labor-management relations in 2005.
The administration has reported that 2 million jobs were created in the first 10 months of the year. Underemployment was another story.
In foreign relations, the Philippines showed diplomatic leadership when President Arroyo presided over the United Nations Security Council in September in New York. As the first Asian head of state—and woman—to chair the UN’s most powerful body, the President rallied other nations in the war on terrorism and strengthened the council’s role in preventing armed conflicts.
The President also chaired the historic interfaith summit, giving a major boost to efforts at building global peace and fostering greater understanding through interfaith dialogue.
The President’s inclusion on Time’s list of “people who mattered” in 2005 was a recognition of her leadership in the face of great odds. Her vow to end her differences with the media and shed off her mataray image is a positive move.
A good number of Filipinos excelled in a variety of individual and group competitions to do their country proud. The achievers have proved that there is no limit to the potential of the Filipino.
In sports, the Philippines won the overall championship of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, which were held in the country, for the first time in 28 years—thanks to the Filipino athletes who won 113 golds in a grand display of will and skill.
In early September Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines’ boxing icon, reaffirmed his supremacy in his class with his explosive sixth-round technical knockout of Mexico’s Hector Velasquez.
In other fields, a Filipina, Precious Lara Quigaman, was crowned in September as the 2005 Miss International in Tokyo. Her victory over a field of 52 other candidates showed that Filipinas can hold their own against other women from other countries in a contest of talent and beauty.
Filipinos also proved their mastery of mathematics with the triumph of a crack squad of young trained “mathletes” who in August won in the Primary and Junior High School Mathematical Olympiads in Shandong, China. A team of three Filipinos bagged the championship award in the calculation skill contest, besides winning first place in the individual category.
The downsides of 2005 are a different story. Today, we see the bottle as half-full.
Struggling and achieving, the Philippines survived the year with a quiver of achievements. Financial markets ended the year on a positive note. Prospects for an early resolution of the Muslim secessionist problem in the South are greater than ever.
The latest Social Weather Stations survey said that four out of five, or 85 percent, of adult Filipinos are optimistic that 2006 will be a better year. On that note, we wish our readers self-fulfilling New Year.
