영어신문 사설 1호 The true way to develop country

제가 인턴을 할때 Business week 이라는 지역 신문에서 쓴 칼럼입니다.
한 4개월 전에 쓴 것 같네요 총 5개 제 글이 기사로 나왔는데 칼럼 4개에 feature 1개가 신문에 게재 되었습니다.



 

Jung, Dea-Woung

 

I have a friend. His father is the owner of a restaurant. One day, I heard that his father’s restaurant was prosperous. Thus, I told my friend, "I guess that you are happy now because your father is earning more money than before so you can have more allowance and a gift from your father, right?" And my friend replied to me, "Well, I cannot feel any differences now. I can see that my father business is getting better but it doesn’t affect to me. I have same allowance as before. Actually it is getting worse; my father doesn’t increase my allowance but the price is getting higher so I am suffering by that. I think I should find a part-time job." This story is my friend’s story but it can be a story of the employees of the Philippines.

 

 

"The construction of $2-bliliion shipyard in Mindanao by South Korean investors, Hanjin"

"Texas Instruments will invest around $1 billion in Clark Freeport Zone." These kinds of news are no longer surprised to our readers. Many foreign investors are heading to the Philippines for their new business site. Also the Philippines unemployment rate had been falling in recent years. According to Department of Labor and Employment, it was at 11.7% in 2005, but now, it is just 7.4% (April, 2008).

 

However, for the employees of the Philippines, what I mentioned above is just others’ story. They are hard to feel the effects on the developing of the Philippine economy. In 2003, the average of family income was 148,000 pesos but in 2006, it was 142,000 and inflation rate in 2007 is 2.8% but April 2008, it is already 5.5% (source: Department of Labor and Employment).

 

Moreover the total numbers of overseas Filipinos (OFWs) is increasing. In 2005, there were 7,924,188 OFWs, but in 2007, there are almost 11,000,000 OFWs( Source: Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) It means that, although there are more opportunities to get a job than before, many Filipinos prefer to work abroad. Lots of useful human resources are leaking out abroad.

 

We all know that it is the right time to give changes for solving these problem But simply, how? One of the answers is the bench-marking from the advanced countries.

Undeniably, China is the one of strongest countries in the world. Also China has similar environments as the Philippines like wide lands, useful labors and sufficient resources. Past 3 years, China kept more than10% of the economy growth. But decade ago, China had faced the similar problem the Philippines face now. China government thought that they couldn’t solve their problem on their own. So what china government did is promoting of the foreign investments.

Since early 1990, china government applied only 15% of corporation tax to the companies which invest to China and during two years, there is no corporation tax and for next three years, there are reductions but at the same time, china government strictly applied Labor Contract Law for their labor. For example, company must hire 1.5% of the disables among its employees.  And the standard working hours in China are 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, for a maximum working period of 40 hours, with 2 rest days (typically Saturday and Sunday). Any additional requirements by the employer must be compensated according to the standard set out below:

Working days: 150% standard wages Rest days: 200% standard wages; and Holidays: 300% standard wages.

As a result, this policy brought out the increasing of the wages in China. During past three years, the wages of china employees increased almost 30%.  Not only wages, Company also should offer benefit packages like basic old age insurance; unemployment insurance; medical insurance; maternity insurance; and work-related injury insurance to the employees to guarantee their better life. If company doesn’t keep Labor Contract Law, company should pay heavy fines.

What I mention is just one of the possible answers to release the problems of employees in the Philippines. Now, many capitals are coming to the Philippines. The Philippine government should use this change well. Also there are still lots of ways. However leader of country should remember that the priority of the country is protecting and giving well-being to its public. The famous philosopher of China, Confucius said, “A leader should save properties of country and love his nations; these are the true way to develop the country,”