In her 2009 press statement in the Philippine Daily Inquirer , Teresita Peralta, then chief of the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics, said that more than half of our country’s 33-million-stong-workforce is self-employed. Since then, the number of self-employed in the country has actually grown. This has prompted some analysts to say that Filipinos are “natural entrepreneurs.” I disagree.Though it is true that more Filipinos engage in some sort of “business” rather than work a 9 to 5 job, it is not true that most of us are entrepreneurs. A large percentage of those who have engaged in “business” do so more out of necessity than out of an entrepreneurial spirit. Statistics have included the sidewalk vendors, drivers of public utility vehicles and junk collectors (bote-dyariyo) in our list of “businessmen.” Though some of them actually have this entrepreneu BEST PROTEIN POWDER rial spirit, most do not. In fact, even some medium sized business owners fail to show any real entrepreneurial spirit.Our so-called “business acumen” has actually been forced upon us because of poverty. The fact that our business-mindedness is brought about by our will to survive isn’t necessarily a “bad thing;” however, the sad truth is that, for the most part, it ends there. Most Filipinos can’t seem to go beyond their day-to-day struggles. They can’t seem to make their “business” venture profitable. Why? Because of lack of education! What kind of education?Well, let me tell you a story about a taxi cab driver I met recently:In my travels around Metro Manila, I have met a taxi driver who, through perseverance and a clear goal, now owns 3 apartment houses and an internet shop. He drove his taxi, and told me that driving a cab is his way of getting an education.