Being Overly Closed Minded Won't Help The Philippines!

AREN'T WE OVERDOING THIS?

Now I don't say being close-minded is entirely bad, sometimes you need to be close-minded over the wrong but not when you are overly close-minded just as you need to open your mind but you also need to close your mind.  What I am trying to address is the reality that too much close-mindedness isn't helping the Philippines.  Sad to say, most Filipinos do not know when it's time to be open and when it's time to be close, perhaps as a result of their high amount of self-worth but ironically, they enjoy some of the benefits that come with an open mind.

If you think about science, it's a field where you need to be open minded to certain ideas and close minded to certain ideas.  For example, genetic manipulation is a dangerous idea because it can cause severe imbalances to nature so you should be close minded to it while you need to be open minded to accept replacing typewriters with printers and PCs to greatly lessen the use of paper.  It's a case to case basis really to when you should be open minded and when to be close minded.

Likewise, that is what is going on with how the Philippines is with free trade and protectionism.  Now after I got to research more on what protectionism means, it simply means to restrict free trade so the local businesses can be protected.  The problem with the Philippines is that it fails to restrict competition at a healthy level which instead, through the use of the 60/40 has greatly lessened competition out of their stupid FLIPFAG economics.  Just think, if you want to protect the local businesses without otherwise harming competition or at least, KEEPING IT HEALTHY, foreign firms should at least get the privilege of 50/50 and higher ownership BUT they must comply with stuff like SSS, Philhealth, Pag-IBIG, BIR, DTI and DFA papers... and be taxed at the SAME LEVEL with local business.  That is, no special treatment - pay taxes as you earn, give benefits as you should, pay rent to your landlord/landlady if you should, obey Philippine laws... and if you do the crime, you do the time.  Both foreign and local businesses must be more or less put on the same even plane and either one of them who breaks the law can suffer consequences.  A foreign investor who breaks the law will be treated in the same manner as the local investor who breaks the law - jail time if need be though deportation can be an option if they violate their VISAs.

Do you even bother to remember on how the Philippines even came to be in the first place?  Just think the modern Pinoy setting (both good and bad) DID NOT develop overnight.  Pinoys before they were colonized by the Spaniards already did trading with the Chinese, Arabs and Indians to name a few.  Then the Philippines was named after King Philip I of Spain.  The Spaniards had a near 300 year old rule, Imperial Japan took over it and later the Philippines became allies with Modern Japan and the ten year American commonwealth all influenced the Philippines.  It's really stupid to act like as if you don't use anything imported or of foreign influence.  If you think of it every part of Filipino life is a modification of something imported.  Even those die-hard people who watch telebasuras are watching it on an IMPORTED TV SET, people are using cellphones of imported origin... nothing today is completely Filipino.  I mean, you may want to think that for example, dried mangoes are exported around the world then at the same time, we are enjoying crackers from Japan which are also exported around the world.

Do you know why colonial mentality is hard to beat?  Sorry to offend anyone but one can take a look at how mediocrity has become the culture of today's Philippines.  Just think of how the local TV stations will air all their mind-destroying telebasuras using IMPORTED equipment.  You may also think of some locally made products don't even pass export quality.  Worse, a lot of people in the Philippines won't make good soulmates for decent-minded Pinoys and Pinays who want to find a good partner.  Any Pinoy/Pinay who refuses to become a Failipino would be more concerned about finding a good partner than their Pinoy Pride.  You might find a decent Pinay who ends up marrying a non-Pinoy who is hardworking and a breadwinner over a Pinoy who does nothing but sleep all day.  Sad to say but the reality makes it very hard to see the good in the Philippines and it continues to foster colonial mentality.

If more and more Filipinos develop the right kind of open-mindedness and close-mindedness, just think of the following examples.  Would it be right for the Philippines to engage in a Communist style regime?  No.  Would it be right for the Philippines to relax protectionism and be more friendly to investors abroad?  Yes.  Would it be right to let investors do what they want without following the rules?  No.  As said, we are to set our limits but make sure, you also give just the right amount of space.  Too much of anything will destroy the Philippines.