Why are the odds of PH moving forward slim?

The question came to me reading Boo Chanco’s column, 4th Nov, “A detached presidency?”

“We, in all honesty, should have shallow expectations of Junior regarding his management style. He has never managed anything in his life.

“We love to put down our own country by voting the wrong person for president. And this is probably one of the reasons why we were left behind by other countries here in Southeast Asia when we used to be at the top of the heap in this region.

“We elect presidents without understanding that the presidency is a MANAGEMENT POSITION and we should elect a president with a long track record of managing large enterprises if we want to progress.

“Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world based on per capita income because of good management by their government. They get the best and the brightest from the private sector and pay them higher salaries than they will get in the private sector.

“Lee Kwan Yu told N.R. Murthy, the founder of Infosys, one of the biggest IT companies in India, that he should have been the prime minister of India and that India would probably progress rapidly under Murthy. Murthy, one of the richest men in India, is also the father-in-law of Rishi Sunak, the newly elected prime minister of Great Britain.”

Leadership. Leadership. Leadership.

Given our instincts and the Philippine caste system, we don’t appreciate “leadership.”

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

In other words, we elect those who pander to our instincts as president. In today’s world, it’s called populism.

Sadly, even within the Philippine elite and chattering classes, we can’t get a handle on the Pinoy instincts. And it comes down to the premise of self-government.

Let’s hold it right there.

What is self-government? It is about the common good. In other words, people will not embrace self-government if they can’t figure out the common good. 

Enter: The two great commandments. Or in popular culture, the Golden Rule.

Self-government does not stop at loving the self. Why can’t we get over our “crab mentality”?

Those familiar with the blog may recall the modern math concept of sets and subsets.

And it relates to the elements of cognitive development: dualism or binary thinking, multiplicity, and relativism.

Relativism presupposes “context.” But which “context” – and why the concept of sets and subsets is not limited to modern math?

Recall that the blog speaks to humankind being a subset of the universe in constant motion and expansion. Unless we are scientists, we can’t see the universe. But we can bring it down to earth via the photosynthesis phenomenon. It is 24/7; otherwise, humankind won’t survive, much less thrive.

And two outstanding individuals would speak to the universe, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs.

What have they got to do with the chances of PH moving forward?

Take the photosynthesis phenomenon. It is about an ecosystem; it is dynamic and multi-dimensional.

And why the blog often asks, can Juan de la Cruz embrace dynamism — given our instincts and the Philippine caste system?

Moreover, development isn’t a one-dimensional challenge. See above; dualism or binary thinking is but one element of cognitive development.

Successful leadership would be familiar with “multiplicity” – and why to pursue major undertakings, there is such a thing as Plan B – and beyond. Still, options alone may not deliver the task given the reality of “context.”

The blog has criticized our mantra of 6%-7% GDP growth. It falls short as a “context” — despite the World Bank endorsement — as far as the Philippines is concerned.

Even focusing on “inclusiveness” misses the “bigger picture” or context. The bigger picture is the challenge of creating an ecosystem that will approximate the photosynthesis phenomenon.

Still, the big picture can’t come together in one fell swoop. That is why there is the Pareto principle, i.e., the imperative to prioritize.

The story of creation comes in handy. Before the sixth day, the Creator worked on the different dimensions or elements of the photosynthesis phenomenon.

Let’s get back to the character of the universe, that it is in constant motion and expansion.

Consider: We won’t appreciate the light if we don’t know darkness. Or after winter comes spring. Or how many ice ages has the world witnessed?

The intelligent Chinese know “yin and yang.” And the Greek philosopher Heraclitus preached the constancy of change – and that the relation of opposites equates to coherence.

As we speak, I am in the courtyard of the villa in Megalochori, a traditional village, relaxing and awaiting our departure from Santorini to Athens. Readers of the blog may recall that the wife planned a holiday with friends from the Philippines to Tuscany, Athens, and Santorini.

And today is the tail end of the holiday.

Yesterday, at Akrotiri, we had a historian-archeologist tell us the story of Santorini, confirming the entry in Wikipedia: “The Minoan eruption was a catastrophic volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) circa 1600 BCE. It destroyed the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri and communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and the coast of Crete, with subsequent earthquakes and tsunamis. The eruption was one of the largest volcanic events on earth in human history.”

Both Italy and Greece are proud of their tourism industry. Yet, people are familiar with the economic challenges of these two lovely countries. 

The Greek economy, for instance, relies on “services” to the tune of 79%, with “industry” at a measly 17%; while in Italy, “services” contribute 74% and “industry” 24%.

And in the Philippines, we have “services” at 60% and “industry” is 31%, while our Asian neighbors rely much less on “services” than we do.

In other words, nations can’t be confined to tourism or services, no matter how much they have to offer.

Can we hold it right there again?

OFW remittances and call centers are the pillars of the Philippine economy. Beyond our inability to industrialize, we have even put ourselves in a corner and jeopardized seafarers’ jobs: “The frantic race to save our seafarers’ jobs,” Randy David, PUBLIC LIVES, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6th Nov 2022.

Can we still be outraged?

“The globalization of educational standards has finally caught up with us in a painful and jarring way. Filipino seafarers, particularly at the officer level, may soon be banned from working aboard European ships because their training does not meet the global standards set in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW).”

Why are the odds of PH moving forward slim?

Let’s get back to our ecosystem.

What kind of an ecosystem do we need in the Philippines? See above; why our neighbors awed the world as economic miracles.

But we can’t answer that if we first don’t acknowledge what self-government entails.

What is self-government? It is about the common good. In other words, people will not embrace self-government if they can’t figure out the common good. 

Enter: The two great commandments. Or in popular culture, the Golden Rule.

Self-government does not stop at loving the self. Why can’t we get over our “crab mentality”?

Leadership. Leadership. Leadership.

Given our instincts and the Philippine caste system, we don’t appreciate “leadership.”

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

In other words, we elect those who pander to our instincts as president. In today’s world, it’s called populism.

Sadly, even within the Philippine elite and chattering classes, we can’t get a handle on the Pinoy instincts. And it comes down to the premise of self-government.

Why are the odds of PH moving forward slim?

Gising bayan!

[Correction: The following, from the last posting, should read: Why does the blog often distinguish the “real world” from the academic world? The latter assumes a constant notion when the real world is 24/7.]