(Perspective
on the 2008 Global Financial Crisis)
When
it broke out, the 2008 global financial crisis was big news. But my attitude
was: Who cares? Economists are saying
that the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930‘s will
not adversely affect the economy of our country. They were right. I didn’t bat
an eyelash.
Fast-forward
few years later, with a growing sense of concern and vigilance over societal
and economic woes and I realized that complacency is not rational in critical
times like this. The rippling effect of the crisis may have been minimized by
the rather conservative economic policy of the country but still, the domino
effect made itself felt among the business community. Unquestionably, undue
stress was placed in the country’s equity market, with heightened risk aversion
and uncertainty. Stocks were placed in the sidelines, waiting for an organic
environment where they can thrive again. As a result, the capacity to raise
capital was dampened.
The
anticipatory measures the country’s premier bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,
undertook is a justification of the point. First, their cutting down on
interest rates lowered the rate of slowdown in lending and borrowing
activities. It maintained consumer confidence and generated a positive feedback
cycle between the wary financial sector and the strained economy. Second, their
liquidity enhancing measures kept the economy moving forward through trimmed
reserve requirements, liberalized rediscounting measures, etc. An example would
be the increased maximum deposit insurance coverage, from P250,000 to P500,
000.
Whatever
the effects of the global financial crisis on the economy was, it is heartening
to know that our country was not complacent enough to rest on the rather
positive outlooks of economists on our country’s economic standing vis-à-vis
those of the directly affected. Had they assumed the same stance I had and
shrugged their shoulders, there’s no telling what would have happened with our
economy that time, considering that the administration the crisis came to be
was riddled with accusations of graft and corruption. Negative speculations
might have increased and we might have gone down the brink, too. Bank
bail-outs? I’m afraid it could have been a possibility.
Well,
those are now the imaginary what ifs of the past. What we have now is a
plethora of information that we can use
to guide us in the next economic years. And though we are not wishing for it to
happen, the possibility of another financial crisis lurks in the corners. We
just have to be cautious and be vigilant. Complacent? Big No. As they say,
let’s learn from our history. So be it.
