TWO of the most globally competitive countries in the world are Switzerland and Singapore. Switzerland has a population of 8,776,126, Singapore has 5,938,796, and the Philippines has 112,376,976. (Source: Worldometer, March 7, 1:15AM)

The Philippines is one of the world's 'richly endowed countries in terms of mineral resources — at least 7 billion metric tons of metallic and 50 billion metric tons of non-metallic mineral reserves. It is also 'the fifth most mineral-rich country in the world for gold, nickel, copper, and chromite. It is home to the largest copper-gold deposit in the world.' (Mines and Geosciences Bureau)