Factors that caused our poverty:

Let me share with you this article from Kerygma magazine(Feb,2012 issue)written by Bo Sanchez 

What are the Factors that caused our Poverty?

One major cause is:A WRONG KIND OF RELIGION 

We were taught by our Spanish conquistadores

to be submissive, to obey orders, to bow low, shut our mouth and say amen. That was our model of a true Christian. Any desire to be great was stamped out of us.Instead we were taught to be simply content with our lot and pray for a better life in heaven. This kind of passive religiosity helped the conquering nation crush all rebellion. We were trained to be passive. To be content with the little things.That’s why our most famous folk song is “Bahay Kubo,Kahit Munti”

And our National flower is the tiny sampaguita.

Our national bird (until it was changed recently) was the ordinary maya. But even if the Spaniards have left us over a hundred years ago, we’ve not yet changed our brand of religion. IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON. FIVE CULTURAL ROOTS THAT ROB US OF OUR AGGRESSIVENESS A wealthy foreigner friend once said,”I haven’t seen a more polite,courteous and nicer people than the Filipino. This is indeed our strength. And that’s why we’re the best employees in the world. That’s why our biggest export is the Overseas Filipino Worker.

We export the best nurses, teachers, managers,domestic helpers, engineers and seamen.

 THERE ARE FIVE CULTURAL ROOTS THAT ROB US OF OUR AGGRESSIVENESS: 

 1) Haciendero Complex When we were mostly farmers, we had an haciendero who would take care of all our needs.Food,housing, education of the kids, hospitalization and so on. TO this day, we still want someone to care for us. To many Filipinos, the President of the Republic of the Philippines has become the biggest haciendero.

The governors and mayors and congressmen have become the new hacienderos.People depend on them. We’ve lost our aggressiveness because of the haciendero complex. 

 2) Bahala na! Attitude You ask your son “Did you study for your test today?” He answers,”Bahala na!” You ask your husband,”Did you tune up the car for our trip in Baguio?” He answers,”Bahala na!”

You ask your friend, “Did you go to the doctor for your check up?” He anwers,”Bahala na!” Bahala na means whatever will be , will be. It’s fatalism.Que sera,sera.The phrase originally came from the expression”Bahala na”, which means “as God wills it” Unfortunately through the years we’ve twisted the meaning and made it fatalistic. 

 3) Lotto Culture One day, I was talking to a woman who had large debts. I asked her how she plans to pay her loans. She said,”I’m buying lotto tickets.” I was about to laugh when I realized it wasn’t a joke. This was her only plan. Everywhere I go \, when I ask the poor,”How will you get rich?” they always give the same answer:”I buy lotto tickets”.

Recently another kind of lotto has appeared: noontime TV shows. Poor people pin their hopes on winning these contests to rise above their poverty. For the poor, lotto isn’t a game, it’s their only hope. That’s so sad. By the way, some treat network marketing (or multi-level marketing) like the lotto.It’s a common invitation “join us”,our friend says,”because all you have to do is buy the basic package, ask two friends to join you, and you’ll earn millions.” That’s not true. My close friends who are successful in network marketing work like crazy.Some of them work 10 hours a day.Believe me,it’s not a lotto ticket, it’s something better---hard work that’s fulfilling and helping people at the same time. 

 4) Manyana habit One man said,”I will stop procrastination----starting tomorrow!”. It’s a close cousin of “Bahala na!” You ask your husband, “Have you fixed the roof?” He answers,”I’ll do it next week.It leaks only when it rains anyway.”

You ask your son,”Have you bought a new battery for the car?” He answers,”Next month.It still starts if you give it a little push anyway…” You ask your friend, “Have you started investing?” He answers,” I’ll do that after I pay my bills.

Besides God will provide for my needs…” 

 5) Crab Mentality I’ve met a lot of people who are afraid of what others will say. In our culture some people will look down on you because you’re aggressive. Some won’t like it that you’re aiming too high. Some won’t like you anymore because you’re trying to succeed. Some will criticize you because you’re becoming wealthy. Some will even create dirty gossip about how you got rich.

I urge you:Don’t mind the crabs. Fulfill your dreams anyway. Be aggressive.