Reversing The Flow

If America is was the land of opportunity for the world, then Metro Manila is the land of opportunity for the Philippines. People would go to Metro Manila for the education and work opportunities it presents. This has resulted in a population of 12M, and a daytime population of 14M. This is out of the 97M Philippine population (12.3%!).

Indeed there are lots of opportunities but at the same time there’s a price to pay: high population density, tight living spaces, long commutes, monster malls, high prices, traffic congestion, pollution, … and these often interacting with each other for worse.

It’s way past time for at least some of the 12M to disperse back to the provinces and other cities where there are opportunities thanks to vastly improved trade, commerce, communications, peace, and order. And doing so can create even more opportunities. That is an ingredient for continued and inclusive economic growth.

So as an incentive, maybe the government shouldn’t subsidize MRT fares and just let market forces do their work :P