The welcome news is that people now seem willing to question assumptions that we’ve held dearly for so long – and are we also developing a new hypothesis? The writer breaks into a grin when couples argue that being self-critical of the country wins enemies not friends. Yet, lately, there is a growing sense of self-criticism. It takes maturity to look at our balance sheet, take a seriously look at our liabilities beyond our assets and figure out what our net worth is – and take action to elevate our standard of living.
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? A respected journalist speaking to a group in the private sector says that our culture of corruption has become so insidious we can’t figure out which comes first. The bottom line: the courage to arrest corruption has to come from each of us; and saying ‘no’ and taking that courageous first step is crucial.
The wheel-of-fortune keeps turning. Those at the bottom of the fortune wheel seek to destroy? And those at the top seek to dominate? We can’t claim patriotism absent sense of country, when we are committed to the personal (including President Aquino) that trumps principle? It’s too much to ask because we’ve lost the sense of synergy, of equilibrium and of the greater good for the greater number? Marketers know that the marketing mix – product, price, placement, promotion and people – seeks synergy; manufacturers know that the factors of production – men, machine, materials, money and method – seek synergy; and globally competitive economies know that the imperatives of competitiveness – investment, technology, innovation, talent, product and market – seek synergy.
It is encouraging that San Miguel is tapping two other entities to partner with them in pursuing their interest in infrastructure. It would be ideal if they bring not just capital but as importantly, technology and innovation and talent into the mix. San Miguel must seek to elevate the playing field to the level of global competitiveness – it goes beyond the buzzword ‘globalization’. ’To those much is given much is expected’ – i.e., our major players have to take the country to the next level. To say their strength is limited to the local market is to undersell their efforts. In a globalized world, their reason for being can’t be to simply dominate the local economy. Of course nations go through periods or eras like ‘robber barons’ in their time dominating America’s economic life. And why the Rockefellers’ Standard Oil had to be subjected to antitrust. The economy – global or local – can’t be skewed one way or the other. Nature is God-given and the sun can’t shine only on wealthy and/or robust economies thus the world is talking climate change and sustainability.
Those at the bottom of the barrel can’t be committed to crab mentality – or why some friends believe we’re in fact a banana republic, i.e., the personal rules. Those in the media and in politics can’t abdicate their roles – to ensure civilian authority is above the military. It’s a big responsibility that is easily subverted by a culture of corruption. Those in the church or in education or even in business can’t simply preach and/or espouse Corporal Works of Mercy. When the pie is too small, that is like promoting la-la land. Charity can’t be the opium of the poor.
Charity efforts must seek relevance and sustainability. Industry through the PBSP wanting to raise charity money to Ps5 billion is a great example – yet we have to be focused on enlarging the pie. And thankfully the Aquino Administration is seriously reconciling the economic roadmap from the private sector with its agenda – to raise our GDP by an incremental $100 billion. That will only bring us to the level of Thailand’s economy and still way below Singapore’s – but indeed a promising intermediate goal.
The Aquino Administration appears committed to doing the right thing. But does it go against our grain – of inclusion? Successful human endeavors are single-minded. It is what Lee Kuan Yew means when he says we need discipline, not democracy? The devil is in the details – but we have to move beyond intellectual discourse. Our endpoint is to be a developed economy in order to raise our standard of living. What is the endpoint for the energy industry or mining or agribusiness or whatever we’ve identified as strategic industries? Defining the endpoint in crystal clear terms and being single-minded would help simplify the complex Filipino mindset? And would make us seek synergy – the greater good for the greater number?
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