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]
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