ellobofilipino:

So CNN has decided to feature the country. And this infographic caught my eye. The sources by the way are the World Bank and the CIA World Factbook.

I never thought our GDP per capita was that big (ah kids, that’s the amount of money which estimates the standard of living of the average Filipino).

And I also didn’t expect that the percentage living below the poverty line has decreased. That used to be more than half of our population in my younger years. Still, we have to admit though that 33 million Filipinos living on less than a dollar a day, is a huge number.

But these figures show some improvement.

In my childhood days, we were always told apocalyptic tales about the country; about the national debt which we (and our future sons) owe to the IMF-World Bank even before we were born; about the systemic flaws in our political system, economy and even people; about how the country was a lost cause.

This time, it seems there’s a bit of a turn-around.

I was never into Pinoy pride things. And this does not also make me feel that. There’s still a long way to go and much still needs to be done in this country. And we still need to help out the 33%. But for now, this is a sign that we are bouncing back.

Bangon Pilipinas! Sulong! 

It’s more fun in the Philippines!