A TOP Philippine Economic Scholart recognized a Social Research Center (SRC) study on the alleviation of the country’s economy and curtailment of poverty, SRC director Ernesto Gonzales said.
“Sixto Roxas called me up and discussed with me his article One Nation, Three worlds, published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last April 2,” Gonzales said. “He was interested with our research since his research is almost the same ours.” Roxas is behind the creation of Money Market and Maximo T. Kalaw Institute for Sustainable Development, an ecological research center.
In the study, “Asian Perspective Philippine Experience: Piloting a Unified Model of Sustainability, CNE Equation (Cultural, Natural, and Economic Capitalization) in Pateros, Metro Manila & Its Implication to National Progress and Sustainable Development in the Philippines,” the SRC tried to present a more precise estimation of the conditions of sustainable development at the local level and emphasized the relationship of the environment and the economic growth.
Both the SRC’s and Roxas’s studies found that the spread of poverty in the Philippines, as well as the country’s economic status, can be solved through the empowerment of people outside the metropolitan centers, development of the country side, and the conservation and the proper use of the ecology.
“We have to re-engineer our understanding of economics. The economics in our country had destroyed us,” Gonzales said.
He said the University was described by other institutions as “invisible” when it comes to social issues.
“Before, we are being criticized by other universities for not being involved,” Gonzales said. “Now we are being consulted for our studies and researches.”
“Roxas has big consortia in Europe to fund his community-based programs in the Philippines,” he added. “We expect that the donors meeting in Europe will invite the SRC.” Leonard James D. Postrado
