Ensuring Filipinos’ happiness gets push with GNH talks revival

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Latest attempts to put the spotlight on prioritizing Filipinos’ happiness may gain more ground with the government tapping an executive from Bhutan—a country known for striking a balance between economic growth and the well-being of its people.

A dialogue on Thursday between stakeholders, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr. Lhatu, executive director of Gross National Happiness (GNH) Centre Bhutan, highlighted the need to promote the welfare of Filipino workers.

The Gross National Happiness Index measures the overall happiness of a population beyond economic achievements.

READ: PH a less happy country at 76th place in the world – report

While Bhutan, with its GNH concept traced back decades ago, has a solid framework focused on socio-economic development, environment, culture, and good governance to achieve “societal happiness,” Lhatu said it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. However, he stressed that it is the government’s duty.

“If the government cannot make people happy, the government cannot exist…” Lhatu said during the discussion.

Asking communities on what makes them unhappy, Lhatu said, can help influence how the government or organization craft policy decisions and programs.

On what factors the Philippine government must consider in pursuing national happiness, Lhatu told the Inquirer that addressing traffic congestion as well as providing people with better and wider sidewalks should come first.

Traffic jams in Metro Manila, particularly on the major highway EDSA, have been an unending problem for Filipinos. Based on the 2023 Tomtom Traffic Index, the capital region emerged as the top metro area in the world with the worst traffic. Driving for 10 kilometers may take an average of 25 minutes and 30 seconds. But regular commuters have long cried about hours-long trips to their working places, resulting in burnout.

Lhatu also said that the government should have taken advantage of the COVID-19 period when it could recalculate its approaches.

“It provides a unique opportunity for the government to refocus and rethink their development approach… come out with people-centric programs,” he said in an interview.

In Bhutan, he shared that they take surveys every five years to know if the programs they deployed have made an impact on the community, allowing them to hold public discussions and policy corrections.

As of writing, the Philippine Statistics Authority has yet to provide a copy of the latest result on the local GNH.