Societies and economies regardless of size are all affected by the growing interconnectivity the world is experiencing now.

We have no control over the direction, extent and impact of the emergence of a global village. The breaking down of trade barriers has ushered in a new economic order which is presently dominated by the big players. We cannot keep on bewailing this disturbing fact. Instead of cursing the darkness that we see, we must light our own candle.

National survival demands that we should not simply stand and wait and allow events to overwhelm us. We must with firm resolve take full advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization. There is such a huge market we can tap for our products and services.

However, the existence of a borderless global marketplace does not necessarily guarantee access to it. We need to be competitive in quality, price, availability and reliability.

Competition, therefore, is the name of the game. We know from experience that only the best win.

To see the full impact of global competition, we do not have to go far. As tariff walls get dismantled one by one, all sorts of products from other countries easily enter our ports. Shoes, garments, electric products, processed foods and vegetables from China. Rice from Thailand. Coffee from Vietnam. Computers from Taiwan. Software from Singapore. Crop protection products from India. Elevator systems from South Korea. Cattle from Australia. Forest products from New Zealand. Detergents from Indonesia. Kitchenware from Mexico.

To have a fighting chance in the global market, we need a paradigm shift. We must adjust to the demands and standards of the new trading order. What worked well in the past may not be effective now. Our own yardstick of what is marketable may not be at par with the measure of excellence of countries riding on the crest of the globalization wave.

How then do we extricate ourselves from the pit of complacency that has characterized our contemporary history? Where to we begin?

First, let us make an assessment of our strengths and capabilities so that we can draw a roadmap on the basis of what we can effectively do.

We are a very young nation. Our demographic profile shows the predominance of youth. This definitely is a plus factor. A young population suggests dynamism.

That we are a blend of the East and the West with our Spanish heritage and American tutelage equips us with the right perspective for living in and dealing with an interconnected world.

The level of our proficiency in English which is the language of the world is the envy of some countries that have much stronger economies. We need only to sustain and improve it some more.

Our democracy is vibrant. Our political institutions are stable. World class business entrepreneurs are not alien to us. Long before the process of globalization began, such icons of the Philippine business and industry as San Miguel, SGV and United Laboratories had already established a respectable presence overseas.

The momentum created by a few towards global competitiveness is not sufficient to enable us to attain competitive status in a vast playing field. We do not move as fast on the track as some of our neighbors do. There are restraining forces whose pull must be neutralized. We still think small. We react rather than respond. We are contented with less. We do not aim for more. We do not look far enough. We make quick starts but we do not persist.

In our haste to become competitive as a nation, we seem to forget one important lesson. There are no shortcuts to victory. We cannot leapfrog from where we are now to where want to be.

All the budgetary outlays for the enhancement of competitiveness and the modernization of agriculture overlook one crucial factor. There should be a national psychological underpinning. We need to develop and promote a culture of competitiveness.

A competitive mindset has a passion for quality. It is focused on results. It has a sense of urgency. It attends to details. And it is driven by a unifying vision.

In line with undertaking a value reorientation program towards competitiveness, we must likewise fast track the implementation of a nationwide entrepreneurial development program so that eventually we will have a critical mass of entrepreneurs. Surely, there are a number of successful entrepreneurs across a broad spectrum of enterprises. But their number has not reached that magnitude that will trigger a chain reaction of daring innovation.

No less than a nation of entrepreneurs will have a winning chance in the economic arena of the world. We need an entrepreneurial revolution.

Government can provide the policy environment and the support services that are conducive for the start of this revolution. But as a bureaucracy it lacks the heart to ignite it.

Only a competition-driven business community with a track record of getting things done can spearhead a revolution that makes a winner of everybody.