*** The Philippines may have finally found that freedom is not a deterrent to development. Johanna Son of Inter Press Service reports from Manila ***

F\ OR a long time, the Philippines has stood ipan from lu auihomari 4J< iietghbouix dLujiiuscd as a country where rowdy dctiMa cracy sapped economic health.

Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew tn 1993 made the famous pronouncement tha« DS style ikinc* r.wy in the Philippines had created "undisciplined and disorderly, conditions' to block development

Many agreed The Philippines regained its freedom in a 19H6 popular uprising but what good was this, they asked because hungry Filipinos cannot eat freedom In contrast East Asia s newly industrialising coutlines that put economx progress ahead of political rights have surged ahead

But as the Sick Man of Asia starts rebuilding its economic muacle. Filipinos are finding a sympathetic audience tuned to their assertion that democracy and developnwnt do mix

Filipino officials have been repeating this thesis like a mantra in promotion trips abroad determined to turn what has often been called a burden into an achantage

This I have alwati bebexed we can develop as a working democracy — and rxX in spite of It says President Fidel Ramos, who pul the Philippines democratic foot forward when he went on a five-country swing through western Europe In September

At the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank lit Madrid last year Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo noted that it had become fash lonablc in Asia "to think that the only key to economic sue cess Is strong and authorltar tan government rather than an elected one" But he added "We are determined to prove that there is yet another way that miracles in Asia can happen Keep watch '

Ilir Philippines assertion that democracy can be the takeoff point for economic giowth is not entirely new. the

country being one fa Asia s oldest democracies that had its political culture shaped by colonisation by Spain and tliei't the United Stales.

But the theme has become more compelling al a time when the once-moribund economy is projected to grow by 4 5 to fixe per cent this year Renewed international confidence has also fueled for elgn investments and the stock market

Analysts maintain that democracy was never really in danger fa losing out u> amhcri tanantsm. though its concrete benefits may take time to emerge Building a country that is democratic and growing may be harder but its benefits are also much greater

Julius Caesar Parrenas fa the Manila based Center for Research and Communication (CRC) says the much vaunted stability of authoritarian regimes tends to be tempo rary South-east Asia s strong man governments also find their lack fa democratic sys terns a weakness that Western goiernments constantly harp on be adds

Nobody worried about succession in Indonesia In the

1980, But today uncertainly is rife about what happens when the 73-year-oid presl dent bows out when his sixth five year term ends in 1998 Says Farreilas "You don I know wtielher the one who will sue ceed Suharto can coutiol more than 100 million people as well '

He says this can be bad for business since sudden political upheavals or unrest in a labour sector lightly reined in by Jakarta could wipe out millions of ttollars in investments

The economist notes that while the Philippine political process may be slower, people are now willing to play according to the rules of the game Once the rules are ac cepted. things become more stable '

Democratic set-ups are also bound to be more stable in the long term because authorltar lan ones are open to pressure on Issues such as human rights

and labour rights.

Trading partner* cannot

crane countne*. say analysis A choice between democratic and authoritarian systems may no longer really exist anyway. Spill-second communication and satellite systems mean

that sirMigman governments that try to keep information out of national borders are fighting a foMng battle

De Ocampo says the Philippines aims to 'make basic slowly" in its fad to become a liger etonomy by the year 2000 hoping to achieve growth that addresses equity and sustains the environment as well He observes: Tigers may use their strength to prey on the weak and dragons may breathe fire that can burn forests.'

Parrena* i* likewise upbeat over the economic potential that a democratic PlillipfHne* hotda When Hong Kong baaed tirma think about where to go after the terntory reverts to China in 1997. they may just consider the Philippine*, he suggests

Hong Kong bubincssiiieti should logically prefer Singapore. but find the regimented life there "not conducive to creativity, he adds A few years ago the Philippines was not an option for these businessmen. If we do our homework and nurture our r< onomy. we could be a viable .illemaiive"