It’s time to change … course

That’s lifted from the article, “Time to change course,” Jesusa C. Francisco, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4th Feb 2018. “The time has come to embrace the change posed to educators about teaching and learning in the 21st century, characterized as technology-driven, learner-centered, information-laden, diverse and participative.

“The advent of technology has dramatically and remarkably transformed the pedagogical landscape in the Philippine educational system. There’s no way one can turn back time and go back to the old-school classroom pedagogy. Teachers may sink or swim, fight or flee, succumb to obsolescence or face the challenge head-on.”

Simply, we must recognize that dynamism is the enemy of parochialism and insularity. Recall the British Isles. “Islands don’t lend themselves to grand plans and big theories …

“Britain’s understanding of itself – its identity and its place in the world – is deeply rooted in being an island. Yet Great Britain … is made up of at least 5,000 islands, around 130 of which are inhabited. But this geographical reality has often been ignored, because island, in the singular, brings with it the attractive characteristics of inviolability, steadfastness and detachment.

“British culture has a long-standing love affair with islands … Britain’s detachment from continental Europe brought a degree of protection from invasion, and was God’s … blessing for a chosen … people.

“But there has also been an English ambivalence about islands … John Donne warned of the dangers of separation … ‘No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’

“Islands can throw you off course; they are places of the unexpected, and that is part of their appeal. This is particularly true of the Hebrides. They disrupt the best laid plans, sabotage the most cherished fantasies and offer the most startling – and seductive – surprises. They demand pragmatism and cheerful adaptability … Islands don’t lend themselves to grand plans and big theories …” [Island mentality: how the Hebrides shaped British culture, Madeleine Bunting, 8th Oct 2016]

Time to change course for the Philippines? Unfortunately, “Islands don’t lend themselves to grand plans and big theories.” Think of where Brexit is today. Islanders don’t think outside the box. It takes an unpatriotic Pinoy like the writer to challenge why we kicked out the US military. Why we don’t embrace Western money and technology. It is better for the Philippines to be run like hell by Filipinos. And our prescription? Federalism? Recall the native rice cake – “sapin-sapin.” Our challenge is multi-layered.

And why the blog has discussed big data and analytics. Sadly, we’re still about standalone expertise and have yet to embrace cross-functional dynamic tension – e.g., model thinking. Specifically, economic development is beyond TRAIN … Build, Build, Build … and the safety net the poor deserve. [See below re The Competitive Advantage of Nations.]

For example, how the Asian Tigers traversed the journey from poverty to prosperity is captured in a body of knowledge that we can use. While the UN in its latest SDGs (sustainable development goals) pinpointed the common denominator of development – that mirrors big data and analytics: (a) rapid infrastructure development; (b) industrialization; and (c) innovation and competitiveness. Imagine connecting the dots like playing solitaire where the deck of 52 cards equals big data; while the analytics exercise must yield the four suits – of Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs.

But let’s get back to island mentality. Things are getting better. Really? Here is the gist of a conversation the wife and writer were in one dinner time: “Do you know there is a brisk business in home rentals especially in the gated communities; we have more expatriates today. Palm-greasing is down to 10% again – it went up to 30% even more before?” The writer and wife practically fell from their chairs to hear it matter-of-factly.

Hope against hope? “Roads that become riddled with potholes at the slightest rain, public school buildings torn down by the weakest storm, medicines in government hospitals with little or no efficacy … These are some of the results of a corruption-laden public bidding system that needs to be overhauled — or replaced entirely.

“President Duterte was correct in observing that the bidding process for public works projects had delayed the completion of vital infrastructure and bred corruption, and that syndicates were rigging the bidding for government projects and bribing officials.

“Most Filipinos have known this all along, but, as Sen. Panfilo Lacson pointed out, they seem to have grown accustomed to such malpractice and are no longer outraged by it.

“As for smaller government projects, Sen. Francis Escudero has promised to review the absence or lack of sufficient specifications and accurate terms of reference, which he believes is the real reason public bidding has become so rotten … There is hope in correcting the country’s failed bidding process.” [Taking up the Swiss challenge, EDITORIAL, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5th Feb 2018]

What about the war on drugs? Here’s the rest of the conversation referenced above: “And you know, even the poor barangays feel safer today because of the war on drugs. We must be engaged in this war despite the collateral damage. We must do something about the drug menace.”

Who can say when the war will be won and how? It reflects our inability to distinguish “activity” from “outcome.” If it isn’t obvious yet, the blog constantly speaks to foresight and the GPS model. That we must look beyond the horizon, i.e., have a developed foresight. And its absence is why the world, including the Asian Tigers, has left us behind.

And we’ve stooped so low. Consider: “Resist injustice with every bone in your body,” preached Christ; while Martin Luther King, Jr. admonished, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Why would 39 nations condemn Du30’s EJKs? To islanders it’s about sovereignty?

Chatting with an expatriate family, the wife and writer could only grin when the husband kept saying, “You know, the challenge is to constantly remind and engage the team on the imperative of dynamism. It’s not easy but running a business is about communication. We expats must keep that in mind.” Dynamism and Juan de la Cruz don’t come together in the same sentence to us Pinoys?

It won’t be easy given we’re talking over a hundred years since Rizal called out our love for tyranny. Is Sen. Francis Escudero the hope we need? Consider: “Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God. —Matthew 5:8. When the heart is right, Jesus says, seeing will be right. He ties together heart and sight. Consider the saying, ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.’ So is God. All we need to do is keep the lens clean, the heart pure.” [Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, 5th Feb 2018.] In other words, it’s about community and the common good. 

“Most Filipinos have known this [corruption] all along, but, as Sen. Panfilo Lacson pointed out, they seem to have grown accustomed to such malpractice and are no longer outraged by it.” It’s time to change course.

It brings the writer back 15 years when his then newfound Eastern European friends asked him to extend his one-month commitment. “I will be out that door once you take transparency for granted. I represent the American ideals. And you made that commitment when you requested USAID to bring me over.”

And these people grew up witness to the tyranny of Soviet rule. History is not an excuse nor a barrier to change. And we Pinoys better stop looking around to pin the blame on another. [In the case of the US, the American experiment is bigger than Trump.] We must grow up ... And educators aren’t a bad starting point. And PH economic development must likewise change course. With due respect to our economists.

“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]

“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]

Why we are foresight-challenged

If it isn’t obvious yet, the blog has been knocking out our self-righteousness – especially us in the elite class and chattering classes. That we must toss our static and ideological instincts and embrace dynamism and a forward-thinking mindset.

But is our fixed mindset a function of the PH caste system aka “destiny”? If we can’t overcome this trait, should we expect the succeeding generations of Filipinos to live through the ignominy of underdevelopment? Because social mobility is not in their future?

Bondying once personified underdevelopment. But in the 21st century, is it the turn of Juan de la Cruz? That we’re in the 21st century yet we still restrict foreign investments … Because we own this land we call PH.

“Chamber cites DTI restrictions on gov’t projects,” Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz, BusinessWorld, 31st Jan 2018.  

“THE European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said foreign contractors remain barred from government projects by guidelines set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“The chamber said the Philippine Construction Accreditation Board (PCAB) on the other hand licenses foreign contractors to participate in privately funded projects.”

Cardinal Tagle preaches the Eight Beatitudes, like the true biblical scholar he is, but reduced to the basics for mortals like the writer to comprehend … We own nothing and are only shepherds. And we have been delinquent.

That is the starting point of our underdevelopment. The blog has pointed out our narrow-mindedness which can’t be said of Lee, Mahathir and Deng. China and the Asia Tigers didn’t just wake up one morning under the showers, of manna from heaven.

These once poor Asian countries were no industrial and export powerhouses but embracing Western money and technology made them so. For example, GE Appliances today are owned by Haier of China and the IBM ThinkPad is now owned by Lenovo, also of China, just to name two. But we can’t comprehend that?

And something else the writer knows firsthand: an American-owned brand was offered to his Eastern European friends. But he vetoed it. Their local brand is superior and dominant in the market, with a credible marketing campaign. Yet just 15 years ago they didn’t know the ropes of a market economy.

They keep learning – because today’s excellence is tomorrow’s commonplace. [See below re William Pollard.] But we Pinoys can’t imagine and visualize that? [See above re PH caste system – i.e., our biggest enterprises are rent-seeking not innovation-driven.]

But let’s get back to the Chinese. They are tough negotiators yet are guided by the Deng mantra: It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white so long as it catches mice. And why the top technology companies are investing in China, i.e., to leapfrog their AI technology.

And we’re debating poverty, food security, Metro Manila traffic, EJKs, etc., etc. The difference is like night and day. Yet we can tap into 21st century knowledge, e.g., big data and analytics, and pursue development by adopting a forward-thinking posture. And one approach is to employ the GPS model described below.

It is true that the writer’s generation as students – yes, including him – protested against MNCs. Sadly, history is not on their side. Our shortsightedness is beyond the pale ... because we love tyranny. We value and rely on political patronage and dynasties and oligarchy. Unsurprisingly, we have been running around like a headless chicken for over a hundred years if we go by Rizal’s reckoning.

Think of the 21st century GPS. Yet its beginning goes way back. The magi could visit the Messiah because they had the benefit of the first GPS. For PH, a GPS simply means that we must figure out where we are and where we want to be as a nation so that we are informed of how we will get there. We can’t be “sabog” as a given. Which explains our “crab mentality” and our inability to think beyond our parochial and insular interests.

But we are self-esteem challenged too that we can’t look in the mirror to recognize where we are. For example, a government system to function and meet the needs of the nation must be characterized by good governance. We can’t hide from personal responsibility and accountability. It’s called a government of the people, by the people and for the people. 

And a system of government isn’t about a classroom exercise. Creating a bigger bureaucracy when we can’t manage the current one is a recipe for disaster. The human brain is great but it can only tackle what it can truly focus on.

Problem solving is to simplify not to complicate. As kids we learned to figure out the least common denominator to simplify a set of complex facts.  It’s how to employ big data and analytics in the 21st century. If that sounds complex, try playing solitaire.

Nor is the system of government a whim of an autocrat. Putin can get away with murder because they have a long history of authoritarianism. While we have a long history of impunity that can’t make a government system function.

We know ours is a culture of impunity. Recall “weather-weather.” And why previous administrations are the subject of corruption probes – and it’s like clockwork. But that is par for the course, “family” comes first before community and the common good. And integrity and the rule of law be damned. 

What about TRAIN? Before we ask, what is the foresight behind it? Or what was the foresight behind land reform and CCT? Or OFW remittances? We must distinguish between an activity and an outcome. And why the blog keeps raising the pillars of development courtesy of the U.N. Development is the outcome we seek beyond jobs or the war on poverty. It is beyond TRAIN too.

It is about generating an abundance of income streams that Arangkada is meant to deliver. Our economists must educate Juan de la Cruz that the GDP is the aggregate of the goods and services that PH produces. And that demands: (a) rapid infrastructure development, (b) industrialization and (c) innovation and competitiveness.

Should we still be surprised by news reports like this? “World Bank wealth estimates place PHL near bottom of ASEAN,” Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan, BusinessWorld, 1st Feb 2018.

And that has become our home as the cellar-dweller. And as losers we don’t hone the skills that will lift our performance. Recall where we are with the rice industry. And how about energy? “ERC paralysis and implications for consumers,” Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr., My Cup Of Liberty, BusinessWorld, 1st Feb 2018.

“Despite a significant increase in the Philippines’ power generation capacity in recent years, the country’s installed capacity and electricity production remains small compared to the ASEAN-6 and North East Asian neighbors.

“For instance, its installed capacity of 21.2 gigawatt (GW) in 2016 was what Vietnam has about 10 years before. Vietnam now has twice the Philippines’ installed capacity …”

What about Build, Build, Build? “But my actual concern is the current process of selecting, evaluating, and approving projects. The problem with most mega projects or big-ticket items is that no full and detailed feasibility studies were made before being rushed for ICC Board approval for public relations purposes. That explains the continuing delay in implementation…” [Labor gap, Boo Chanco, DEMAND AND SUPPLY, The Philippine Star, 29th Jan 2018]

Ours is a perfect storm … From the simplest (e.g., getting a passport or a car license plate) to the biggest (i.e., infrastructure) undertakings – and everything in between, including the MRT – incompetence if not impunity is the rule. And replacing imperial Manila with imperial Davao or Mindanao – or adopting a different system of government – is not how to address incompetence and impunity. Juan de la Cruz is underdeveloped because we are incompetent and brazenly corrupt.

Soon Cambodia will be a Vietnam, and will leave us in the dust.

Until we develop foresight, we are but running around like a headless chicken. Foresight makes man superior over the rest of creation. Conversely, its absence explains why the world has left us behind.

“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]

“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]

A system can’t make up for the absence of ... good governance ...

And the rule of law … And why the blog introduced quantum logic as opposed to binary. The essence of life – or an organism – is dynamism. To live and breathe by its very nature can’t be static. It is why Einstein believed in a creator. That outside the seeming orderliness of the universe there is something beyond the horizon. 

Dynamism is a fundamental given that our instincts take for granted. And why we don’t demonstrate foresight but mirror an ideologue. And why Rizal failed to explain tyranny to us.

And why a functioning bureaucracy – and community and the common good – is beyond our imagination. We see bureaucracy as a hierarchy and one of permanence as the self-righteousness of Padre Damaso. And why we don’t understand accountability. 

We can push the envelope and it will explain why we are underdeveloped and the regional laggard.

Let’s start with kicking out the US military. Europe gave the world two WWs; and needed the Americans to guide them back – with guns and gold – to civilization. [And Lee, Mahathir and Deng weren’t stupid. They begged for Western money and technology.] Because the Europeans couldn’t get over aristocracy and parochialism and insularity. And why the blog keeps knocking out our hierarchical and paternalistic instincts.

And Kennedy likewise demonstrated it in the Cuban Missile Crisis – and preempted WWIII. He was surrounded by the best and the brightest yet he didn’t succumb to logical yet linear and incremental thinking. He demonstrated how to dismantle groupthink – even from very smart people.

From military power to MNC power. We shunt military power and MNC power. [To add insult to injury, Du30 isn’t fully acknowledging foreign intervention in winning back Marawi. So, let’s reject EU aid. But of course, he is crediting China. It reflects our narrow-mindedness. We forget China and the Asians Tigers relied on MNC power that turned them into economic powers.] Because we can’t see beyond the horizon.

With due respect to the BusinessMirror Editorial [As important: Economic Freedom, 29th Jan 2018], its efforts to compare press freedom in Singapore and the Philippines is classic binary logic. To be sure, there are clear restrictions in the case of Singapore. Press freedom is indeed essential to good governance as articulated by UNESCO. Yet the absence of restrictions does not guarantee freedom. Consider: How many journalists have been murdered in the Philippines?

On the other hand, Lee did not kill like Marcos did or Du30’s war on drugs. And people don’t write about Lee like they do about Marcos or Du30 for obvious reasons – as in respect begets respect. While Lee begged for Western money and technology, he demonstrated good governance. He and his family didn’t claim wealth a la Imelda and children. And did the latter flaunt the Marcos kleptocracy and spurn the judgments against them?

Every foreigner that has dealt with Singapore’s bureaucracy versus PH knows the difference. And why they attract more FDIs. The writer covered the region for a decade – and, surprise-surprise, his old MNC company invested more with our neighbors. Whether it is Singapore or China and the other Asian Tigers, good governance Philippine-style pales in comparison. And why we’re the regional laggard.

Of course, perfection is not of this world. And why the blog constantly talks of net worth as opposed to assets or liabilities alone.

But let’s get back to our lack of foresight which explains the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution. The Constitution is the symptom not the cause of our underdevelopment. And two wasted generations don’t seem enough for us to learn our lesson.

Do we get the drift? It is not jobs … it is income streams. And why it was insane of us to celebrate OFW remittances – and rejoiced the advent of a boom economy.

For a people that have yet to demonstrate foresight, where is the hubris coming from – that federalism is the savior of Juan de la Cruz? We must first learn to embrace personal responsibility and accountability. It is the foundation of good governance and the rule of law – and the imperative of progress and development. 

Indeed, we need Build, Build, Build. But not our continued inability to look beyond the horizon; and must figure out the difference between an “activity” and an “outcome.” Which goes back to our underdeveloped sense of foresight. And why there are winners and losers – and prosperity and poverty.

Think of Arangkada Philippines which has not truly progressed. Arangkada is meant to accelerate industrialization – and generate an abundance of income streams. And why it is a pillar of the latest UN SDGs (sustainable development goals): (a) rapid infrastructure development; (b) industrialization; and (c) innovation and competitiveness.

It is not about jobs and poverty. Think development. We have been talking jobs and the war on poverty for the longest time. Talk is cheap and it explains why the world has left us behind.

And Du30 must get off his high horse on the war on drugs, which replicates the reign of terror he imposed on Davao. He is not the anointed. It is delusional for us to view Davao [proud as the writer is to have lived and worked in Davao] as the model for this global menace – and economic development to boot. We must benchmark against the best ... and beyond our shores ... not perpetuate parochialism and insularity, and worse, tyranny.

It is uncivilized. Friends of the writer who lived through the Soviet gulag system wonder how a Christian nation could indulge in EJKs, that their countries were among the 39 nations that condemned the killings. [And BusinessMirror may wish to note.]

Consider: “The Failed War on Drugs,” George P. Shultz and Pedro Aspe, The New York Times, 31st Dec 2017. [Shultz is a former secretary of the Treasury and secretary of state, is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford; Aspe is a former secretary of finance in Mexico.]

“With such a complicated problem, we should be willing to experiment with solutions. Which advertising messages are most effective? How can treatment be made effective for different kinds of drugs and different degrees of addiction? We should have the patience to evaluate what works and what doesn’t. But we must get started now.

“As these efforts progress, profits from the drug trade will diminish greatly even as the dangers of engaging in it will remain high. The result will be a gradual lessening of violence in Mexico and Central American countries.

“We have a crisis on our hands — and for the past half-century, we have been failing to solve it. But there are alternatives. Both the United States and Mexico need to look beyond the idea that drug abuse is simply a law-enforcement problem, solvable through arrests, prosecution and restrictions on supply. We must together attack it with public health policies and education.”

But let’s get back to PH. The homily in last Sunday’s mass spoke to Christ and the essence of his teachings: (a) courage; (b) consistency and (c) compassion. But we have always misunderstood compassion [which is meant for the infirm and the handicapped] in the same manner that we have misunderstood jobs for income streams and fascism for nationalism.

Even before that, we have misunderstood the theology of creation. Padre Damaso has no place in our psyche. That hierarchy and paternalism isn’t what Eden is about. It is about the good life and about self-reliance. We were driven out of Eden given we are as good as the next guy – in the image and likeness of the creator.

US military power and MNC power don’t make the Americans better than Juan de la Cruz. It is about community and the common good. But we can’t figure out community and the common good within the community of nations if we don’t first decipher it within PH?

And it gets worse because we in the elite class and the chattering classes sincerely believe we have the goods. We can never have the answer if we are the present-day Padre Damaso.

“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]

“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]