Our reactive posture

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought ... The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist." [ Ike's Warning Of Military Expansion, 50 Years Later, NPR Staff,  npr.org , 17th Jan 2011]

Eisenhower came to mind after the writer read the following: "With DA incompetence, more private involvement needed," Rudy Romero, Business Class,  manilastandard.net , 31st Jan 2019.

"This state of affairs can not be allowed to continue. The growth of this country's economy, the welfare of the rural communities and the nation's food and fiber can not continue being held to ransom by an entity called the Department of Agriculture.

"The time has come for the private sector to give serious consideration to increasing the extent of its involvement in Philippine agriculture. More specifically, the time has come for the zaibatsus of the Philippine economy to make greater investments in this country's agricultural industries. "

Indeed it makes sense. But it must be clarified. Recall how we assumed OFW remittances made sense, ie, employment is key and alleviates poverty. Ditto for the BPO industry. Yet, after the dust settled, beyond the Asian Tigers, even Vietnam drastically reduced poverty and left us the regional laggard.

Consider: We are two generations behind our neighbors: (a) the first can be attributed to our failure in infrastructure development and industrialization; and (b) the second is the outcome of the first, ie, innovation and global competitiveness.

And it boils down to our restrictive economy and why we lag in FDI. And while our local economy is larger than those of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, for example, we lag in exports by a mile, eg, Vietnam's exports are 4.5 times ours: PHL = US $ 48.2-B; Vietnam = $ 214.1-B.

In other words, despite the size of our local economy and the Forbes billionaires it created, the multiplier effect of our economic output pales in comparison with the export advantage that Vietnam has. It explains why poverty continues to haunt us.

And it exposes "Pinoy abilities," a product of our reactive posture and manifested in a knee-jerk and / or a stop-gap.

How else to explain why we're at least 50 years behind in infrastructure development and why EDSA is a continuing nightmare, for example, despite a supposed fix called the PITX. "Policymakers and the public had such high hopes when the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) started operations in November 2018. Due to poor planning, lack of foresight, and perhaps even corruption, the P2.5-billion multimodal terminal risks becoming another white elephant. "[Editorial, The Manila Times, 3rd Feb 2019]

And why despite two administrations since Arangkada, we are yet to demonstrate a dogged commitment to the JFC's seven big industry winners - and tossing our restrictive economy. And are still to recognize that the war on poverty, and more recently, the war on drugs, reveals our lack of foresight and why we constantly fall into the trap of a knee-jerk or a stop-gap.

Let's get back to Eisenhower, an ex-military, who knows what he's talking about. And his message is something we Pinoys know by heart: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely ... And even our beloved Church is not exempt.

"Vatican magazine denounces sexual abuse of nuns by priests,"  Associated Press ,  inquirer.net , 1st Feb 2019. "If you point to power, to clericalism, the abuse against religious sisters takes on another aspect and can finally be recognized for what it is: that is an act of power in which touch becomes a violation of one's personal intimacy ... "

Absolute power as in tyranny explains our backwardness as an economy, nation and people. But we take it for granted being embedded in our instincts. That despite Rizal our paradigm is set in stone. Recall Padre Damaso.

Consider: " Now I know why Paul dared to speak of 'the curse of the law' (Galatians 3:13). Law reigns and discernment is unnecessary, which means there is little growth or change in such people. When you do not grow, you remain an infant. "[Faith and Science, Open to Change, Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, 23rd Oct 2017]

The concept of growth mindset versus fixed mindset goes beyond the secular - with Christ being the exemplar, ie, he who upended orthodoxy. 

Consider too: "St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (1217-1274) took Francis and Clare's practical lifestyle to the level of theology, philosophy, and worldview. Unlike many theologians of his time, Bonaventure paid little attention to fire and brimstone, sin, merit, justification, or atonement. His vision is positive, mystic, cosmic, intimately relational, and largely concerned with cleaning the lens of our perception and our intention so we can see and enjoy fully! "[The Franciscan Vision, Richard Rohr Daily Meditation, 26th Nov 2018]

If that is beyond our comfort zone, it should not be a surprise. Because Franciscan theology is not mainstream, and why there was no pope named Francis until Pope Francis. While 16 were named Benedict - it reinforces "the  unity of Europe and a powerful call to the irrefutable Christian roots of European culture and civilization."  [ Catholicnewsagency.com ]

The first seven ecumenical councils were convoked by emperors, the polar opposite of St. Francis, the first (AD 325) being Emperor Constantine I in Nicaea (in today's Turkey;  an applicant to accede to the EU since 1987, but since 2016 accession negotiations have stalled.)

Our history, given how it is intertwined with the Church, informs our instincts of hierarchy ... and paternalism, including giving a wink and a nod to malfeasance especially by the powerful. 

Of course we need the country's corporate giants to drive the Philippine economy. But we must move away from our reactive posture.

What we must consider is to challenge ourselves, including our corporate giants, to develop our sense of foresight. Our challenge goes beyond agriculture: We must imagine and visualize PHL beyond simply addressing poverty ... and in fact rapidly attaining economic development. It is beyond incremental and linear thinking ... and in fact attaining a wealthy nation status. 

And, of course, we must learn to walk before we run. And must not conflate the problems of the world - and be frozen into inaction. We must instead guard against analysis-paralysis. Our underdevelopment, which is our own doing, is not equal to the problems of the West as in Brexit, for instance.

If the Brits are in mourning the Vietnamese are in celebration. Think of the laws of big and small numbers. Vietnam's $ 200-B exports drastically reduced poverty, but big Western countries need more.

Vietnam will continue to get better like China did in producing goods that will find a bigger market. It's called experience which PHL does not have given our inability to industrialize - and why we're reduced to "kuro-kuro." What to do? It's not in our instincts to look outward and forward.

Kuro-kuro is another expression of denial and why we have not leveraged the value of benchmarking. Recall how we focused on Lee Kuan Yew being an autocrat while ours is a democracy to crow about. Neither is insightful - which is what benchmarking is - and why we do not learn from others. We would rather talk about their shortcomings and mirror Juan Tamad - wait for the spoils to be served on a silver platter.

It also explains our pitiful innovation quotient. We can not leapfrog innovation efforts if we continue to reinvent the wheel. The key is to quickly learn from others and build upon established knowledge. [Think how the Chinoys were able to dominate the Philippine economy.] It will not happen if we continue to reinvent the wheel. But it will guarantee PHL falling behind our neighbors, generation after generation.

But let's get back to the problems of the world which we alike to opine about: Brexit remains in limbo with its nightmarish potential conclusion that even right-leaning Hungary had to accept EU's supervision of their judicial system. It is very easy to be enamored by the new buzzword of "slowbalisation."

In other words, right-wing nationalism is not a panacea.

Water seeks its own level. Hitler, the right-wing nationalist and poster boy of fascism, found his match in Roosevelt and the Allied Forces ... The universe is a dynamic 24/7 phenomenon ... And man has demonstrated his divinity to respond to the cycle of global upheavals. Think Franciscan theology, and its emphasis on man being created in the image and likeness of the Creator, human and divine.

If we want to be secular, we can go back to growth mindset versus fixed mindset. And our DOST, as it gains more experience in the pursuit of innovation, will recognize its multi-faceted approaches ... and infinite facets.

Innovation is not necessarily homegrown. Parochialism and insularity in fact undermines innovation. Today's major car manufacturers as friendly competitors, for example, are partnering to discover tomorrow's technology. And given man's needs are infinite - as in ever-changing - innovation, being their mirror image, is likewise infinite.

Try to keep track of the number of apps you can download from the Apple Store, for example. Necessity is the mother of invention. In the meantime there is fear of the unknown. See above re Roosevelt: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

And there is a more recent history the writer witnessed 16 years ago when he first met his then new Eastern European friends - from the poorest country in Europe, born and raised under Soviet rule and as socialists and deemed in dire need of development assistance by the West as their nation prepared for accession into the EU. 

Today they are no longer foreign to innovation ... and development. [See below re Laloux, Reinventing organizations.] In fact they've thrived through such global upheavals as the 2008/9 Great Recession and the current wave of right-wing nationalism, ie, their overseas business keeps getting bigger and bigger and continues to dwarf the local counterpart.

Because they have a dozen brands that they are constantly upgrading to win in the global arena while relentlessly developing new products. What's driving their product ideas? Human needs; not rocket science but day-to-day needs! The fear they once had 16 years ago has turned into a celebration no different from our neighbors', the Vietnamese. 

Of course it is easier said than done. Think foresight. And their mantra is simply, "to be the best in business." They had to overcome old instincts developed over decades being the poorest nation in Europe; and where tyranny ruled courtesy of the Soviet empire.

Earlier the writer saw a similar challenge in China. They were a more purposeful people and demonstrated Deng's mantra: Beg for Western money and technology. They appeared at the doorstep of the writer's old MNC-company and offered to a potential partnership the only thing they can offer. "All we are able to offer is this business, this old factory and very tiny brand." 

This scenario was like a template as Chinese small enterprises in countless numbers opened the country to Western money and technology. Today they are poised to overtake the US and be the largest economy. Does it mean the world is coming to a screeching halt? See above re water seeks its own level. 

But what about us Pinoys? We must be thankful we have a Rizal, who was prescient to admonish us ... Although we can always choose to be the present-day Padre Damaso - and be the laughingstock of the region if not the world.

"Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And that they will be such is not to be doubted, for he who submits to tyranny loves it. "[We are ruled by Rizal's 'tyrants of tomorrow,' Editorial, The Manila Times, 29th Dec 2015]

" Now I know why Paul dared to speak of 'the curse of the law' (Galatians 3:13). Law reigns and discernment is unnecessary, which means there is little growth or change in such people. When you do not grow, you remain an infant. "[Faith and Science, Open to Change, Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, 23rd Oct 2017]

"As a major component for the education and reorientation of our people, mainstream media - their reporters, writers, photographers, columnists and editors - have an obligation to this country. . . "[Era of documented irrelevance: Mainstream media, critics and protesters, Homobono A. Adaza, The Manila Times, 25th Nov 2015]

"National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country's natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency's value, as classical economics insists. . . A nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. "[The Competitive Advantage of Nations,  Michael E. Porter , Harvard Business Review, March-April 1990]

"You have to have a dream, whether big or small. Then plan, focus, work hard and be very determined to achieve your goals. "[Henry Sy Sr., Chairman Emeritus and Founder, SM Group (1924 - 2019)]

"Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow. "[William Pollard, 1911-1989, physicist-priest, Manhattan Project]

"Development [is informed by a people's] worldview, cognitive capacity, values, moral development, self-identity, spirituality, and leadership. . . "[Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations, Nelson Parker, 2014]