Resolution seeks to measure Pinoys' happiness Yahoo! Southeast Asia NewsroomBy Shielo Mendoza | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom

A family share stories as they take shelter in City Central School, one of the identified six evacuation centers in Cagayan de Oro City, 900 Kilometers South of Manila. Last December 17, Tropical Storm Sendong roared through Northern Mindanao, leaving at least 650 killed in Cagayan de Oro city alone, with more than 600 missing and displacing at least 40-thousand people. (Bobby Lagsa/NPPA IMAGES)
Is it high time to measure Pinoys' happiness?

For Senator Loren Legarda, the government must now develop a new growth indicator which will measure the general well-being of Filipinos.

In her Senate Resolution No. 672, Legarda urged the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to adopt the gross national happiness (GNH) concept of the Royal Government of Bhutan.

GNH aims to pursue the holistic development of the country beyond the traditional economic yardsticks that only emphasize economic progress, Legarda said.

"Statistics such as gross domestic product and gross national product, which only indicate the value of goods and services turned out by our market economy, are not designed to measure the quality of life of Filipinos," she noted.

The Royal Government of Bhutan's GNH measures progress by giving equal importance to non-economic aspects of well-being including sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, environmental conservation, promotion and preservation of cultural values, and good governance.

The senator noted that the quality of life of Filipinos remains poorly understood due to the absence of measures that will reflect people's happiness and well-being.

"To ensure an improved quality of life for our people, it is imperative for the government to measure and pursue the kind of progress that is founded on good governance, equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, ecosystems protection, cultural preservation and disaster resilience," Legarda said.

Various countries have adopted the Bhutanese concept. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has launched a happiness index that seeks to complement the GDP and other indicators, while the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution encouraging member states to implement such concept.

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