Benchmark and industrialize

How is that as the subtext of AmBisyon Natin 2040?

In other words, AmBisyon Natin 2040’s guardrail must be to “benchmark and industrialize.”

The model of AmBisyon, as it stands, jumps to “where we want to be” without acknowledging and recognizing “where we are.”

We have a “fixed mindset” that won’t allow us to move to a “growth mindset.” And that barrier explains why we failed with Arangkada, an attempt to industrialize. And we are yet to succeed in economic development and nation-building.

Should we hold it right there?

When are we going to right the ship we call the Philippines?

Do we need a different national conversation beyond what the media addresses? 

As a little boy, I remember every time I went for a haircut in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc. The conversations I heard were no different. If you ever try browsing the owner’s manual of a car, it will overwhelm you. And the index is like a dictionary. 

I called it our “kuro-kuro” culture. 

We’ve been in a maze for decades. Yet, we like to congratulate ourselves for doing our “day job.” 

Over more than a dozen years, the blog has built on the challenge we face. And that is to reinvent Juan de la Cruz.

And it is not the debate between democracy and autocracy. See below; for why the Soviet empire collapsed.

And if Rizal was correct, given our love of tyranny, we have no chance to move this nation forward.

Consider: Two young Filipino men – from very prominent families the wife and I met – attended graduate school, and chose to pursue careers in America. “We see no future for the Philippines,” was their identical perspectives. And a young Filipino woman – also from a prominent family – who has taken US citizenship spoke to us about the “Golden visa” program in Spain and Portugal. Well-to-do families are looking at options – and jump ship if they have to.

Recall the “force field theory.” When we are on a “journey” or undertaking, there will be forces that (a) will drive us forward and (b) those that will restrain us. And “Pinoy kasi” is the best way to explain our self-imposed barrier.

And it comes from the instincts that reflect a caste system: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy; ours is a culture of impunity.

Is there anything in our instincts that we don’t recognize? Or do we see them as positive values that we must embrace?

Recall why the blog often speaks to the scribes and the Pharisees and how Christ battled them.

Perfection is not of this world. The universe is not one of permanence but in constant motion and expansion.

And its subsets – take living things, human and otherwise – are one and interdependent. And why the blog references the photosynthesis phenomenon continually.

Conversely, there were – and still are – attempts to stop the universe from being dynamic and interdependent. They come in various sizes, shapes, and hues: aristocracy, nobility, despots, tsars, kings, lords, and caste.

In other words, they explain why we have North Korea, Syria, Russia, and China. And even theocracy: Yemen, the Vatican, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Iran, and Afghanistan.

Then look at the Philippines. Between Marcos, Duterte, and BBM, aren’t we extremely low on the scale – of freedom, democracy, and the free market?

That’s why we can’t come to grips – and acknowledge and recognize – “where we are.” We like to believe that the “glass is already half full.” And that blinds us, unable to proceed in the journey from poverty to prosperity.

Do we even want to benchmark and aspire to industrialize?

Is our confusion about freedom, democracy, the free market, and the abject poverty Juan de la Cruz suffers standing in the way for us to forward-think?

Consider: We have hundreds of export processing zones. That is unsurprising given our misunderstanding of “economic inclusion.” It fits our LGU mantra to a T.

On the other hand, why is smuggling a decades-old challenge for the Philippines? Or think of how LGUs drive investments away by raising local barriers. Either way, we keep shooting ourselves in the foot.

The bottom line: Our efforts to attain economic inclusion are a dismal failure.

It’s our crab mentality against Pareto. And why the blog raised the global benchmark, the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone. And of more recent vintage, Apple just announced moving Apple Watch and Macs production to Vietnam.

What about our assumptions, biases, and comfort zones? For example, nation-building is beyond economics. 

We are yet to internalize what Lee and Mahathir said to Deng: Beg for Western money and technology to lift Chinese people from poverty. 

They did not spell out the ideal fiscal and monetary policies, yet over a billion Chinese overcame poverty.

Similarly, freedom, democracy, and the free market aren’t anti-poor. It is the Philippine caste system that is the root of Philippine poverty. 

Consider: A former Soviet satellite state – the poorest country in Europe – has been a second home to us (the wife and me) for almost 20 years. Why? These friends want more, not less, freedom, democracy, and the free market.

But how come far-right populism has emerged?

Why did the Soviet empire collapse in the first place? People realized that its system was not synonymous with prosperity. And so, globalization flourished.

But why has that sense gone out the window? Because wealthy nations and people decided to go against the grain. Take the financial crisis or great recession of 2008-2009.

If the bankers displayed unmitigated greed, the average person was at the center of it. Americans, for example, kept raising their standard of living beyond their means. But that is not unique. The Greeks and Hungarians, too, chose to live beyond their means per the testimonies of MIT experts during US Congressional hearings.

And the consequences are apparent in the emergence of far-right populism. Think also of Brexit. And MAGA.

Recall how the blog explains the challenge inherent in freedom, democracy, and the free market; it is self-government, i.e., the imperative of personal responsibility to pursue the common good. But how do we translate that to real-world terms? 

It demands leadership that can leverage the best in people and demonstrates the distinctions of (a) logical yet linear and incremental thinking and (b) forward, lateral, and creative thinking.

And the “acid test” is the people’s embrace of self-government, not the love of tyranny. 

What about the Philippines? We higher up in the Philippine hierarchy wittingly or not rely on the shoulders of Juan de la Cruz, celebrating an economy driven by OFW remittances and call centers. See above; attempts to stop the universe from being dynamic and interdependent. For example, the 21st century demands innovation and global competitiveness. 

“We must be able to reach the height of wellbeing, relieving us of headaches, illness, and heartaches. Therefore, we must learn to fly to get the crowns. We choose to fly high like the Philippine Eagle or remain a chicken just pecking the ground.

“We used to boast that the Filipino family was the “social security” of the country: whatever went wrong, the family was always there to help us. We never seem to learn to stand on our own feet because we are confident that the family will always be behind us to prop us up.

“We have been conditioned by our family experience to expect somebody to pick us up when we fail. But the boss is not our “itay” or “inay.” We are no longer children.” [AN EDUCATOR’S REACTION TO ‘AMBISYON NATIN 2040’ – A WAKE-UP CALL TO THE TROUBLED SOUL OF OUR NATION (PART 1), Preciosa S. Soliven, The Philippine Star. 7th Sep 2017]

Consider: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy; ours is a culture of impunity.

Are we too full of ourselves – too self-absorbed – to benchmark against our neighbors?

Consider: The blog is over a dozen years old. And we’ve had three administrations during that span — from PNoy to BBM.

On the other hand, it took less than a dozen years for two countries to offer me citizenship – without me asking.

That is not to brag but to contrast how people from other countries aren’t predisposed to parochialism and insularity. 

Consider: An expatriate family lives on a property we own in the Philippines. And no one would believe the hoops they have to jump every time they need to renew their residency.

Benchmark and industrialize.

Should that be the subtext of AmBisyon Natin 2040?

In other words, AmBisyon Natin 2040’s guardrail must be to “benchmark and industrialize.”

The model of AmBisyon, as it stands, jumps to “where we want to be” without acknowledging and recognizing “where we are.”

We have a “fixed mindset” that won’t allow us to move to a “growth mindset.” And that barrier explains why we failed with Arangkada, an attempt to industrialize. And we are yet to succeed in economic development and nation-building.

Gising bayan!