In other words, we have a structural problem. Worse, because we have fires to fight incessantly, we are reduced to “Pinoy abilidad,” aka as knee-jerks. In the vernacular, “isang kahig, isang tuka.”
Sadly, we’ve turned oblivious to our plight that it is no longer laughable. And it explains why we’re in a downward spiral, especially with the pandemic. Translation: The pandemic added fuel to the fire, but we’ve lit the fire long before.
“We need a network of solutions to build back better our economy.” [“Closer public-private collaboration,” Senator Sonny Angara, BETTER DAYS, Manila Bulletin, 7th Mar 2021]
“If we can immunize our people expediently and prevent any more COVID-19 infections, then we will survive this pandemic. To emerge more robust and more resilient, we need to think ahead and plant the seeds of our future growth and prosperity today. One of those seeds, I believe, should have economic self-reliance as its fruit.
"If anything, the pandemic has shown us that our consumption-driven, import-heavy economy is not very resilient, especially when faced with a public emergency that restricts our people from roaming freely and spending their money around the country. We need to build up our local capacities to produce more of the things we need and use and an eye on exporting these once we can do so. Not one government agency or private sector initiative can address this issue by itself."
To build on that premise, here’s another quote: “How else could we have ended up trailing far behind our neighbors whose pioneer agricultural scientists trained and studied with us at UPLB?
“And this is where I began to see Doctor Javier’s point in saying that ‘we (at UPLB) were part of the problem.’ As he listed six areas of reform UPLB must pursue, his first item immediately resonated with me: UPLB must build strength in the long-undervalued social sciences — economics, sociology, psychology, and anthropology included — and their crucial application to agricultural policy and governance.
“He recalled how the late great Dr. Gelia Castillo, National Scientist in Sociology, had once lamented that social scientists were ‘second-class citizens’ in a world-class university that UPLB is — and he noted that they appear to remain so today. ‘It is about time to recognize [that] the more significant challenges in our agriculture are not so much the agri part but the culture dimension.
“The bigger and more problematic part of our challenges in agriculture had to do with governance and social conflict.” [“Great man, great ideas;” Cielito F. Habito, NO FREE LUNCH, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9th Mar 2021]
Indeed, “the bigger and more problematic part of our challenges in agriculture had to do with governance and social conflict.”
In other words, we “must build strength in the long-undervalued social sciences — economics, sociology, psychology, and anthropology included — and their crucial application to agricultural policy and governance.”
"If anything, the pandemic has shown us that our consumption-driven, import-heavy economy is not very resilient, especially when faced with a public emergency that restricts our people from roaming freely and spending their money around the country. We need to build up our local capacities to produce more of the things we need and use and an eye on exporting these once we can do so. Not one government agency or private sector initiative can address this issue by itself."
There are three elements we can highlight from the above quotes: (1) our governance (and social conflict) problems; (2) our consumption-driven, import-heavy economy is not very resilient; (3) we must build on the strength of the social sciences.
Recall the blog hasn’t failed to raise our instincts: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.
If we can’t distill why ours is a culture of impunity, then a “barong-barong” is all we deserve. We cannot take our instincts as givens and then rely on “Pinoy abilidad” or knee-jerks.
We are deep in the abyss because of our paradigm.
Many of us are familiar with “Ignatian discernment.” And here’s a broad stroke explanation: (a) Use your head, and trust your heart; (b) Choices are not mere rational exercises; (c) Choices come out of who we are – and out of what we think: (d) It is not about what to be, but about who to be.
Recall the blog asserts that democracy is a mirror image of Christianity, i.e., the imperative of personal responsibility to pursue the common good.
The common good is beyond the war on poverty or the reliance on political patronage and oligarchy. The common good is to traverse poverty to prosperity.
“To emerge stronger and more resilient, we need to think ahead and plant the seeds of our future growth and prosperity today.”
Consider: We continue to struggle to open our economy, and it has nothing to do with our Constitution. The Constitution is a product of “who we are and what we think.” In other words, unless we embrace a new paradigm or mindset, we will continue to keep our economy restricted.
How come our neighbors learned from each other while we refuse even to look outward? “Beg for Western money and technology,” said Lee and Mahathir to Deng.
These neighbors’ outward-orientation paved the way for them to forward-think. And they became first-world nations while we’re stuck with our “barong-barong.”
If we can’t forward-think, we cannot have a vision of a prosperous Philippines. But we will never learn to forward-think if we can’t toss the crab mentality. It is the antithesis of the common good.
For example, our neighbors recognized they need Western money and technology to leapfrog prosperity.
And not only Singapore demonstrated the attribute. The rest of the Asian Tigers and then China and most recently Vietnam did.
Consider: “Moody’s Analytics, a subsidiary of Moody’s Corp. that focuses on non-rating activities such as economic research, recently said the Philippines is among the countries in the region well-positioned to benefit from the surge in global consumer electronics demand in the short term, and also from the potential longer-term effects of the ongoing global tech battle and concerns regarding intellectual property theft, particularly in China.” [“Potential growth driver,” EDITORIAL, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8th Mar 2021]
Why do we have to wait for Moody’s Analytics to tell us what will drive economic growth?
Here’s a quote from an earlier posting: “Over 64% of Philippine exports comes from (a) electrical machinery, equipment, and (b) machinery, including computers. In the next category are fruits and nuts at 3.7%.”
“Even if we double our investment behind fruits and nuts, think coconut, banana, and mango will contribute less than 8% of GDP against the over 64% of our two top exports.
“Tax revenues that we all want to disburse via the LGUs, for example, equitably, will not be boosted by doubling our investment in fruits and nuts.
“Can we pause right there and ask ourselves if we’re coming or going?
“Consider: We will have a windfall if we win over Apple AirPods.”
We need more than a “barong-barong.” And it is no longer a mystery that our neighbors – one after another – figured out how to traverse poverty to prosperity.
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. All we need is to look outward and benchmark against these neighbors.
Consider: “Agriculture Secretary William Dar had been posting stories from abroad about urban farming. But I wish he will go beyond Facebook and talk to some of our business leaders to invest time and money to try this scheme out.
“Start with property developers like Ayala, SMDC, Megaworld, and the Manny Villar companies. They are known to be furiously land-banking and buying properties for future development. In the meantime, the properties are idle.
“I recently e-mailed Tessie Sy Coson about the Pimeco property that they bought from GSIS. It is 10 hectares and idle. I understand PCGG still has a claim on it as part of Marcos’s ill-gotten wealth. But SMDC or one of its subsidiaries now holds the title.
“There are abandoned buildings there that used to house the manufacturing facilities of Pimeco, a meatpacking plant. And can be converted to urban farms to grow vegetables using the hydroponic method.
“Perhaps my suggestion is not worth the investment from the perspective of a property developer. But it delivers a strong message about utilizing every inch of land we have for food production. It also creates jobs for those who lost jobs during the lockdowns.
“San Miguel Corporation, as always, is ahead of the pack. They just announced they would turn portions of their head office in Mandaluyong City into small urban farms for support staff to grow their food and earn more. They can bring home their harvest or sell the produce at the Malasakit Garden Farmers stall at the complex.
“Converting the grounds now planted to grass to grow lettuce and other vegetables delivers a strong social message about being concerned with having sufficient food supply. Indeed, with recent supply glitches for Baguio vegetables, chicken, and pork, every Filipino must take to heart the importance of food security and learn how to grow their food.
“I don't think Ramon Ang has any illusions about making money on this project, but the social messaging is essential.
“Urban farming is a growing trend abroad. I have read of vertical farms cultivating all sorts of salad vegetables in old warehouses, former steel mills, or other sites in cities abroad.
“An article in Fastcompany.com reports they are now starting to build multistory greenhouses directly inside affordable housing developments.
“They plan to integrate a vertical farm into an existing affordable housing development in Chicago. Inside each building, the ground level will offer community access, while the greenhouse fills the second, third, and fourth floors, covering 70,000 square feet and growing around a million pounds of produce a year.” [“Think new (!),” Boo Chanco, DEMAND AND SUPPLY, The Philippine Star, 8th Mar 2021]
What has the blog raised when it comes to our top companies? Our eight top companies — combined — cannot even match one Vietnam enterprise’s economic contribution, i.e., Samsung Vietnam.
Let’s pause right there. Does that come from our instincts? How much more resounding do we expect to sink as a nation?
Nation-building is beyond the present and noticeable.
“To emerge stronger and more resilient, we need to think ahead and plant the seeds of our future growth and prosperity today.” [Angara, op. cit.]
We have a structural problem. Worse, because we have fires to fight incessantly, we are reduced to “Pinoy abilidad,” aka as knee-jerks. In the vernacular, “isang kahig, isang tuka.”
Sadly, we’ve turned oblivious to our plight that it is no longer laughable. And it explains why we’re in a downward spiral, especially with the pandemic. Translation: The pandemic added fuel to the fire, but we’ve lit the fire long before.
Gising bayan!
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