Leadership. Foresight. Values.

Those words came after the wife and writer had an intimate dinner with two other couples from Eastern Europe. Both men can matter-of-factly share leadership insights, one from the public (an ex-president) and the other (a founder and CEO) from the private sector. That they share democratic values, if not Christian values, despite being born and raised under the communist rule is significant.

Foresight is another characteristic they demonstrate and can explain why they are head and shoulders above their peers.

Here’s the ex-president expressing his insights:

(a) A president should look ahead and set the direction. I set national priorities [and] pursued active economic diplomacy that substantially raised bilateral trade with countries as far away as China and Germany to the west as well as our neighbors.

(b) We set modernization and connectivity as our national and regional priorities and stressed that our country is stable only when it is connected and integrated and not isolated.

(c) When I was the minister of local development and public works, I knew to trust in government was nonexistent. The EU had stepped in and withheld funding for highway and road infrastructure projects until transparency became the norm. In short order, we partnered with Transparency International, and the bidding of a significant project became a model: scores of bids were submitted from around the world and made it the least-cost public works ever.

(d) I was the first president to implement strategic planning in the state and to reach full consensus on the National program for development. I knew we could achieve results on the national priorities only if we build on them and seek agreement. A third government in a row is already implementing the National program for development. Things were different in the past when each government called into question the priorities set by the previous one.

(e) We now are boasting of the second-highest growth rate among the EU member-states. The unemployment rate has dropped to a record low. There is no deficit, and we consistently finished the fiscal year with a budget surplus.

(f) Regrettably, the world will continue to be an awkward stage of development. We must demonstrate our commitment to the rule of law. For example, what I sought was not power but meaning. And you find meaning in the simple things.

(g) I remain committed to (1) progress, (2) the education of the youth, (3) the National program for development, (4) ensuring that we develop the industries and technologies of the future, (5) promoting the human capital and talent of the nation.

(h) Let us give way to the right solutions. I will be a patron and leader, mentor and advisor, partner, and teacher. I will be active both in the country and abroad. I will work with the political parties and business, and I will closely monitor politics. I will remain active, yet without party affiliations. I will continue to contribute to the nation's strong position in Europe and the world. I will make sure the country does not deviate from the right path, and if it does, I will be ready to go to the barricade and defend the country’s European and democratic development.

(i) I will continue to dream together with the people and will work to ensure that this dream comes true.

Can we Filipinos, especially in today’s harsher and less forgiving world, so says French President Emmanuel Macron, imagine a president with such qualities as leadership, foresight, and values?

Why are we the regional laggard? We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism, rely on political patronage and oligarchy, that at the end of the day, ours is a culture of impunity.

Should this line give Juan de la Cruz pause? “We set modernization and connectivity as our national and regional priority and stressed that our country is strong only when it is connected and integrated and not isolated.”

Consider: As recently as 25th Sep 2019, the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines released its “Statement Regarding Constitutional Restrictions on Foreign Equity and Related Provisions regarding HCR 1 and RBH 2. They submitted it to the Committee on Constitutional Amendments of the House of Representatives.”

The general reasons the foreign chambers gave are:

(1) To obtain the benefits of increased foreign investment as soon as possible

(2) The restrictions in the Constitution are inflexible

(3) It is one of the most restrictive Constitutions

(4) The limits are outdated

(5) The Philippines is no longer an inward-looking economy

(6) The Philippines has increased its free trade agreements within ASEAN and Asia

(7) New FTAs require treating foreign and domestic investors the same

(8) Foreign Investment Act RA 7042, as amended by RA 8179, removed the 60-40 rule

(9) Restrictions make it harder to create jobs

(10) Removing restrictions increases competitiveness

Recall the blog often speaks to the playbook – i.e., beg for Western money and technology – of the Asian Tigers and, more recently, Vietnam. It propelled these countries forward, including turning them into first-world nations.

Do we see the contrast? It is the foreign chambers that are begging us. See above our instincts.

Ergo: We don’t have the foresight to figure out that begging for Western money and technology is the quickest way to become an industrial economy as our neighbors demonstrated.

If we can’t figure that out, what about this? “I was the first president to implement strategic planning in the state and to reach full consensus on the National program for development. I knew we could achieve results on the national priorities only if we build on them and seek consensus. A third government in a row is already implementing the National program for development. Things were different in the past when each government called into question the priorities set by the previous one.”

In fairness, we now have the “Expanded list of flagship infrastructure projects approved by the Investment Coordinating Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC) and the Cabinet-level Committee on Infrastructure (INFRACOM). It will include private-sector initiative projects while dropping some works due to lack of feasibility.” [Expanded list of flagship infra projects approved, Beatrice M. Laforga, BusinessWorld, 6th Nov 2019]

Sadly, we don’t have a track record in delivering on big-ticket items. Also, we have the challenge of transparency. Should we then partner with Transparency International in the pursuit of these flagship projects?

Leadership. Foresight. Values. What will it take for us to manifest these characteristics? The world will not wait for us.

Gising bayan!

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? Moreover, 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]