From Sunshine to Sunset

Obama is now president of the United States.

This election was not all about choosing the right leader for America's future. It was about ending the wrong leadership of the past. The Republican leadership, at the helm of the outgoing president George Bush, perhaps deserved to lose this election. But it does not necessarily mean the Democrats deserved to win. They have yet to prove they do.

But congratulations to Obama and the Democratic Party. They have successfully wrested the White House and established a monopoly of power in the US Senate and House of Representatives. While it can be dangerous, America needs that. There can be no divisiveness among the leaders. The United States is facing the most challenging decades ahead since the Great Depression. Bills must be passed with haste to execute the necessary reforms in foreign relations, national security and economy. There can be no grandstanding.

What would it mean to us though?

One thing that came to mind is our BPO sector. One of the Sunshine Industries. A significant fraction of the total outsourcing companies based here are US companies. This sector generates billions of dollars of revenue for the country. Second only to India, we are the premier BPO hub in Southeast Asia. The sector employs hundreds of thousands of Filipinos from Makati, Ortigas down to Cebu and farther.

I am sure everyone who reads this knows at least one person who works for an outsourcing firm. I can name ten at least. And of these persons, many perhaps are breadwinners of their families. Many have established promising career paths in an industry that was largely underestimated by most. But the reality is, they are no different from our valiant OFWs who earn dollars abroad to support their families. The only difference is the location and the currency of their pay.

All of that may change. With Obama's leadership, he hopes to "keep the jobs back home". He may push for regulation of outsourcing to other countries, cutting back the number the US companies may employ. This would translate to thousands of layoffs. Or if not, may make the prospect of bigger revenues in the future only a remote possibility, worse, just a prospect. The BPO industry contributes a sizeable fraction to our GDP. If the above scenario happens, that sizeable fraction would be lost.

The sunshine industry may be headed for a premature sunset.

Those are close friends of mine. My fear is their fear. If they lose their jobs, there may not be enough available jobs here at home. But we must be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. I am confident that Obama would consider, or risk tarnishing bilateral relations with the Philippines who is now warming up more to China.

For the meantime, i guess it wouldn't hurt to learn Chinese.


PS: He said it himself. For more information on Obama's policy on jobs creation, visit the following links.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/27bpo.htm

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Jobs.htm

The Prisoner of War

There is a looming danger that is faced by the biggest economy and (used to be?) most powerful nation of the world.

The United States is about to elect a next president ill-prepared for the job at hand.

Barack Obama may be the next president of the United States at a time when the best and unquestionably most qualified must be seated in the Oval Office. Unfortunately, there are only 5 choices (3 independents), and of the five choices, only two are really in a position to capture the presidency. Of the two, only one has been tested.

Better McCain than risk America’s and other nations’ future with Obama.

I was a democrat and a Hillary supporter during the democratic primaries. At least had I been born an American. However, as the recent events unfolded, I saw myself lean towards the Republican ticket. Which is to say, I am for the experience they bring. And Obama, a first-term Senator, lacks significant exposure. Think foreign policy, national security and economy. Experience in these three critical aspects must be taken into account in electing the next president.

Barack Obama has yet to prove himself as senator and yet he aspires to be president. His track record is alarmingly insufficient.

Unfortunately, it is charisma, collected demeanor and oratory that have given Obama the lead in the recent polls. Yes, he is intelligent being Harvard Law educated. But intelligence does not necessarily translate to capacity. Whether Obama has the capacity or not, is yet to be known. But do they really want to know only when it’s too late? Too risky.

Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden himself acknowledges…no…ascertains that Obama lacks experience in a frighteningly manner.

“Mark my words it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” Joe Biden said during one of his fundraisers.

This should scare the hell out of those voting for the “brilliant 47-year-old senator”.

Brilliance is just not enough. Remember the Berlin Wall and the Cuban missile crisis during Kennedy? They just can not risk anything of the sort, when, consider this fact, the number of nations capable of manufacturing weapons-grade plutonium has increased. The United States has long been an advocate of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, what with the financial crisis proving that the US is not as mighty as it used to be, the US’ role and global clout has significantly shrunk. A nuclear war is very possible and an arms race is already happening.

Now, the world is already on the verge of a financial meltdown. Trillions of dollars in shareholders’ wealth have been wiped out in the recent weeks. The US is likely in a recession. Japan already is. The United Nations projected 20 million job losses in 2009. These are difficult times. To elaborate further is no longer necessary.

And the United States seems to want a guy, who promises “change” through rhetoric, to handle these problems whose repercussions resonate across the entire globe.

It is important that the voting population must realize that the alternative, Sen. John McCain is not President George W. Bush. The incumbent had mistakes, and McCain, I believe, intends to correct them.

His experience as a war veteran, having been a POW, mentally and physically tortured, does not automatically qualify him for the presidency. However, this adds up to his character and sense of duty.

Therefore, I am endorsing Senator John McCain for president of the United States…

Only, I wish it matters.