17th happiest people

Manila Times, Philippines - Jul 14, 2006

editorial

17th happiest people

THE news that a survey shows the Philippines being the 17th happiest country on Earth is worth a smile.

The study was done by the British think tank New Economics Foundation whose Happy Planet Index covered 178 countries.

To rank 17th happiest among 178 jubilant, sad, ecstatic and nail-biting countries isn’t bad at all.

Guess which country is the happiest in the world? It’s the tiny South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, followed by Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama.

The unhappiest country is Zimbabwe in Africa, topped only by Swaziland, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.

The Happy Planet Index combines life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental footprint—the amount of land required to sustain the population and absorb its energy consumption.

Life satisfaction must be high in the Philippines. According to a survey, Filipinos are among the world’s top shoppers. They are the most patriotic in the world, according to another study. A survey done by Reader’s Digest reveals we are the most courteous in Asia.

Filipinos are living longer, too. Women tend to outlive the men, though.

We don’t have much land but we are geniuses at reclaiming land from the sea. Squatters are experts at taking over public and private property. The homeless will sleep anywhere sunset finds them.

Professional syndicates are able to manufacture ownership titles to grab the lot you spent your life’s savings on. Many houses contain multitudes of families. Hovels are rising over Manila Bay, riverbanks and along esteros. The population grows exponentially as land shrinks. We have to build upward.

Filipinos are not difficult to please. A bowl of instant noodles sustains most poor families. Sidewalk food is a 24-hour business. Movies and TV help us pass the time with ease. Prayers and humor make Pinoys resilient. Disasters, tragedies and epidemics are an occasion for jokes. The extended family provides a safety net for the jobless. If the fates are unkind, it is God’s will.

Seriously, many good things are going for us. We are the 14th most populous country in the world. We hold elections regularly. The media cover and interpret the news courageously. Scientists have declared the Philippines the world center of marine biodiversity. Manila is the cheapest city for expatriates. The market economy is buoyed by sound fundamentals. Our more than seven million overseas workers make us world citizens. We have produced world champions.

Our democracy is flawed but it is working. We are assured the economy is on the takeoff stage. Peace is upon us because the talks in Mindanao are moving and the government will crush the communist insurgency in two years. The Catholic Church regularly advises the President on the affairs of state. The political opposition, fractured and leaderless, keeps the administration honest.

Next year, we beat Vanuatu.

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