Because in our heart of hearts we believe we are “Seraphim, the highest order or choir of angels … who are attendants or guardians before God's throne … one of them touched Isaiah's lips with a live coal from the altar, cleansing him from sin”? [catholic.org]
And it explains why we aren’t predisposed to reforms? And it starts from the top? “’A fish rots from the head down’ means that leadership is the root cause of an organization's failure and demise. This is true whether that organization is a country, a company, or a sales force. How could it be otherwise?” [thesalesblog.com]
“I do not doubt Mr. Duterte’s capacity to install himself as the nation’s ruler in a revolutionary government.” [The romanticism of a ‘revolutionary’ government, Randy David, Public Lives, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22nd Oct 2017]
“It isn’t a president’s most responsible statement. DU30 won 38 percent of all the votes in the last election and is now in charge of our constitutional government.” [Threatening a civil war, Francisco Tatad, The Manila Times, 18th Oct 2017]
Hindi nag-iisa si Du30? And Cayetano is one of them? “Alan has the right ingredients to be a respectable, awe-inspiring statesman. But these things—educational attainment, intelligence, eloquence, and even bearing—all come to waste when the person’s moral compass is askew.
“He defended the Philippine National Police’s ruthlessly unjust antidrug operations, maintaining that all their targets were— “YES!”—involved in drugs, and that for pointing a gun at the police during their arrest, they had their deaths coming. Really, seeing him dodge the rebuttals of the host [in a TV interview], he was also being heartless and insensitive toward the kin of those suspects who have been gunned down.
“Now strangely devoted to Marcos-loving President Duterte, this present-day Alan is hard to reconcile with the Alan we all saw at last year’s vice-presidential debate, where he really went after Bongbong Marcos on live television, lambasting him and his family (deservedly so) for the many human rights abuses during his late father Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship, among other sins.” [Alan breaks my heart, ELLEN P. ABESAMIS, Letters to the Editor, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 21st Oct 2017]
In the meantime, “[W]e … appear to be stuck in place, held back by deep divisions and endless political bickering, and seemingly condemned to watching our neighbors pass us by, one by one.” [Falling behind, again (?), Cielito F. Habito, No Free Lunch, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10th Oct 2017]
Is PH a ship adrift? “Main business chamber identifies issues holding back progress,” Victor V. Saulon, BusinessWorld, 20th Oct 2017. “THE PHILIPPINE CHAMBER of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has identified issues encompassing a number of sectors including agriculture, energy and power that it wants the government to resolve through a list of initiatives that range from investment promotion to the passage of key legislative measures.”
And to add insult to injury, “PHL’s natural resources near brink of depletion,” Jonathan L. Mayuga, The Broader Look, BusinessMirror, 18th Oct 2017. “The Philippines is the richest in the world in terms of biodiversity on a per unit basis. Yet poor appreciation of biodiversity, lack of investment, is resulting in a natural-resources depletion that leads to biodiversity loss faster than the discovery of their potential contribution to the economy.”
But let’s get back to Du30. “First, he has threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Europe and give the European diplomats in the country 24 hours to pack up and leave.
“Just when and how did Europe become our enemy? As a Filipino, I would like to know; I am sure the Europeans, who must have thought they had a stable working relationship with the Philippines all these years, would also like to know.
“If Europe had become our enemy, shouldn’t DU30 order his diplomats and all Filipinos living and working there to come home, and his minions in Congress to declare war? Wouldn’t this be a wonderful way of putting to use the firearms shipment we have just received and will probably be receiving still from China?
“Second, DU30 has threatened to install a revolutionary government if he sees the ‘Yellows,’ the ‘Reds,’ or any other group ‘destabilizing’ his dysfunctional government … DU30 tends to regard mere ‘dissent’ as ‘dissidence’ and therefore ‘destabilizing.’ His attack dogs tend to denounce honest and constructive criticism as ‘detraction,’ which, correctly understood, means exposing somebody’s private fault for no legitimate and sufficient public motive.” [Tatad, op. cit.]
How deep down the abyss are we? “Today, 30 years after the promulgation of the 1987 Constitution, a number of our people who thirst for comprehensive change are again drawn to the romanticism of revolutionary rule — this time for the purpose of putting an end to the political order established at Edsa.
“It’s not going to be easy, and I doubt if the majority of our people will allow it. It will usher in another period of instability from which we may not recover for a long time. Ironically, the one state institution that perhaps separates us today from the imposition of dictatorial rule is the Philippine military. Martial law nearly destroyed the professionalism of the armed forces.
“The Edsa uprising and the failed coup attempts that followed turned brother officers against each other, narrowly avoiding a slaughter in their ranks. It is a lesson they will not forget — that partisan politics is not a game in which the man in uniform must ever get involved.” [David, op. cit.]
What are we up to?
If the administration is a management team, have we heard of IBM and P&G? These two once venerated enterprises would prove themselves excellent organizations yet had to fall from their thrones. We have long fallen from ours yet we behave as though we are Seraphim?
Until we acknowledge and recognize and understand and accept that we have lots to learn from others, we would always invoke sovereignty and nationalism. Sadly, it is misplaced. And it brings France’s Marcon to mind. Nationalism is war; 80 years ago, we saw that in Europe, he says.
The writer is in his client’s office in Sofia as he writes. And he can only recall that he has been amid regional cum global challenges and initiatives. And surprisingly, we are among those that have not truly learned – from AEC to NAFTA to EU to globalization. And so recently we invited Mahathir to once again speak to us.
But we never truly want to learn from others. On the other hand, the writer’s Eastern European friends can’t seem to curb their desire to learn from others including competition – that they are a greater and greater threat to their bigger Western competition.
To kick-off the planning and budget process for 2018, the writer challenged them to consider four growth hypotheses: (a) grow at a minimum 11% or (b) 14% or at a mind-boggling (c) 20% or (d) 27%. As he explained, your task over the next 4 weeks is to experiment and come up with the most optimum scenario. There are 6 ways to Sunday, so you have a couple more to explore. Remember the story of creation. The first supposedly great idea will be the Monday version. You need to come up with the Saturday version.
In the case of PH, we are good at embracing our ideas even when they have not worked, for decades. Take land reform or the war on poverty or the war on drugs. We have another bright idea, federalism. Yet each one was just the Monday version – aka as flavor-of-the-month if not populism. And worse, a continuing demonstration of our lack of foresight.
For example, how could Lee, Mahathir and Deng embrace a common idea, i.e., to beg for Western money and technology? They’re ahead in moving civilization forward. That is why. Of course, the West isn’t perfect but look at Singapore, Malaysia and China. In the meantime, the world must evolve to the next level of development. It cannot standstill which we Pinoys have yet to internalize. It is called dynamic as opposed to static. Because perfection is not of this world; impermanence is what it is about. And why we believe in the afterlife.
But we know better because we’re Seraphim? Consider: “God comes into the world in always-surprising ways so that sincere seeker will always find … Most scientists are willing to move forward with some degree of not-knowing; in fact, this is what calls them forward and motivates them. As new discoveries are affirmed, they remain open to new evidence that would tweak or even change the previous ‘belief.’ Many religious folks insist upon complete ‘knowing’ at the very beginning and then being certain every step of the way, which actually keeps them more ‘rational’ and controlling than most scientists. This is the dead end of most fundamentalist religion, and why it cannot deal with thorny issues in any creative or compassionate way. 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]
“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]
“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]
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