MANILA – The Filipinos’ crab mentality has gained the attention of a foreign ambassador who says this trait was hindering Philippines progress.
The criticism was hurled by Canadian Ambassador Peter Sutherland who was winding up his stint in the Philippines. Ambassadors sometimes criticize the host country only when they are about to leave lest they be considered persona non grata.
In a recent speech in Davao city, Sutherland described the Filipino people as “resilient.” But he said they should conquer their “crab mentality” to attain real development.
“Some people do have the tendency to practice crab mentality,” he said, adding this could be one of the reasons why the Philippines has lagged behind other nations economically and socially.
He acknowledged some progress in the
country’s economic conditions but he said ordinary people had yet to feel this.
“The economy can only be great if men on
the street can actually benefit from it," Sutherland, who will end his
three-year stint this month, said.
During his years of stay in the country,
he said he learned to love Filipinos for being “incredibly happy people.”
“I am impressed by the Filipino people because
of their being resilient and too forgiving," he said, adding that “despite
great depredation, Filipinos are incredibly friendly."
Sutherland said he was happy that
Filipinos have managed to address some issues such as politics and peace and
order.
He said during the May 14 elections, he
observed that “there was a measurable progress" in voters’ sense of
political maturity.
He said unlike previous elections where
many “face politicians” or the more popular candidates won, the results of the
May elections proved that Filipinos did not care about personalities anymore.
“Before, popularity was [the] ticket to
winning an election, but this was not the case in the recent polls," he
said.
On the rebellion, Sutherland acknowledged
continuing efforts between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) to move the peace process forward.
He said despite some setbacks, the
Canadian government continued to be confident about the peace process.
“If we thought this [peace talks] has
gone nowhere, then we wouldn’t be involved," he said.
Canada has been funding peace support
projects in Mindanao through the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA).
“I would encourage Filipinos to think out
of the box. Don’t be afraid to be ambitious," he said.
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