Social change

“True social reform has little to do with politics, for genuine cultural change operates on cycles far longer and more invisible than the perpetual churning of immediacies that occupy the political state and the political conscience.”  [David Henry Thoreau; American essayist, poet, and philosopher; 1817-1862; Social change, Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, 20th Feb 2020]

Let’s pause and recall the day Marcos fled to Hawaii, and then the day ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) was declared by Duterte because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s counting 34 years, a generation. In a prior posting, the blog discussed “teachable moments.”

Those are two completely different circumstances, yet both should have presented Juan de la Cruz a lesson or two. Weren’t they a watershed, a turning point, or historic moment for the Philippines? Because despite being one of the fastest-growing economies, poverty remains our scourge. And too weak in the face of a pandemic and, more fundamentally, too weak to thrive in the 21st century.

We’ve had six presidents since Marcos. What did Duterte promise, again, that we elected him? See above; “true social reform” has little to do with politics.

Those familiar with the blog will remember that the writer, a Fil-Am, hasn’t voted in the US elections. On the other hand, he responded to the call for volunteerism after 9/11 and has been a volunteer development worker in Eastern Europe, going 17 years and counting. Consider: Their country was under Soviet rule for four decades. Minimally, he represents American exceptionalism, as in its unique mission to transform the world.

Says Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO, amid the pandemic, “America was an idea borne on principles, not based upon historical relationships and tribal politics.”

But let’s get back to Thoreau. “To unmoor ourselves from the burdens of the past, we must be engaged in the act of continual and conscious self-renewal:

“All men are partially buried in the grave of custom. Even virtue is no longer such if it is stagnant. A man’s life should continuously be as fresh as this river. It should be the same channel, but a new water every instant.

“Change begins when we finally choose to examine critically and then recalibrate the ill-serving codes and conventions handed down to us, often unquestioned, by the past and its power structures. It is essentially an act of imagination first.”

In other words, can we imagine something more virtuous than the power structures in the Philippines that we credit for being one of the fastest-growing economies – yet have failed to overcome poverty, unlike our neighbors?

Consider the comparison: “Directly or indirectly, the economies of all 13 British colonies in North America depended on slavery. By the 1620s, Virginia established the labor-intensive cultivation of tobacco for European markets, with white indentured servants performing most of the heavy labor. Before 1660 only a fraction of Virginia planters held slaves. By 1675 slavery was in place, and by 1700 slaves had almost entirely replaced indentured servants. With plentiful land and slave labor available to grow a lucrative crop, southern planters prospered, and family-based tobacco plantations became the economic and social norm.” [https://www.monticello.org/slavery-at-monticello/jsam-main-nav]

We may claim that slavery is not in the Philippines, yet OFWs primarily drive our economy, with over 10 million of them paying the social costs. And here we are, the elite class, enjoying the vibrant consumption economy served us as though on a silver platter.

What happened to political patronage, oligarchy, and the top eight enterprises that are in the Forbes list, beyond the OFW phenomenon and the BPO industry? Within the Philippine economy’s ecosystem, there are 775,000 MSMEs and 3,000 large enterprises. Yet, we remain a service-consumption economy.

Since the time of the PNoy administration, we understand that we need incremental export revenues of $100 billion to move us closer to the performance of our neighbors and overcome poverty. But our enterprises – big and small – haven’t been able to get us there for the longest time. Still, we keep foreign direct investment at bay instead of begging for Western money and technology, as demonstrated by Lee, Mahathir, and Deng.

There lies the imperative of social change. For example, until we follow the footsteps of our neighbors that have moved up to an industrial-investment economy, our per capita income will ensure that we remain the regional laggard.

What are our chances to pursue social change? Consider our instincts: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism that we rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.

Who will go up against the Philippine power structures to deliver the message? “Change begins when we finally choose to examine critically and then recalibrate the ill-serving codes and conventions handed down to us, often unquestioned, by the past and its power structures. It is essentially an act of imagination first.”

But parochialism and insularity undermine forward-thinking. Because as the writer’s Eastern European friends repeatedly shared with him, you don’t think of tomorrow, i.e., tyranny rules. You take it one day at a time.

Isn’t that what we went through and are still going through given our value of hierarchy and paternalism? That is why the blog has discussed the distinction between analysis and analytics.

Consider: We saw and still see the Americans as colonizers and thus superior to us when “America was an idea borne on principles, not based upon historical relationships and tribal politics.” Ergo: We better kick out the US military; otherwise, we shall never be free people.

How come, as we know from recent, if not current events, Ukraine is begging for the US military to protect them – as well as other former Soviet satellite states?

Or why did Lee, Mahathir, and Deng beg for Western money and technology?

We can analyze our situations, but absent forward-thinking, we will miss the analytics. Recall that analytics demand forward-thinking. To foresee, to be ahead of the curve, and distinguish the vital few from the trivial many.

That explains why more impoverished Vietnam was able to attract Samsung to make Vietnam the hub of Samsung’s electronic manufacturing. And that one single entity can generate more revenues than our top eight enterprises combined.

Because we assume analytics is technology, it sounds highfalutin. Like all disciplines, there is an art to it. It presupposes looking forward beyond the obvious and logical. Which, as the blog has raised, characterizes “Pinoy abilidad.”

On the other hand, we know the Tatang Sy story. He knew America had developed ahead of other markets that he kept watch of their progress. He was outward-looking. But the only technology he tapped was the helicopter. And presto, with that helicopter-view, he saw the future SM City North Edsa and SM Mega Mall. He had imagination, an art, not a science.

But Juan de la Cruz insists on quick fixes. Try that with Metro Manila traffic or rural poverty. Or MSMEs or POGOs. Insane? But hasn’t insanity been our brand? How do we overcome it? 

The blog has raised the story of creation as a very fundamental model, and it is dynamic, not static. That the universe is an ecosystem, for example, photosynthesis – that we teach kids and its elements: sunlight, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water. The ecosystem allows organisms to thrive, including humankind. That is us, and we have our hierarchy of needs.

If we translate that to an undertaking, big and small, we must imagine the elements of an ecosystem, assemble and pull them together. And given that the humankind has its hierarchy of needs, that is what the undertaking must address, including innovation. The object is to create a sustainable enterprise, a virtuous circle to mirror the ecosystem that makes humankind thrive.

“Social change is essentially an act of imagination first.”

The COVID-19 pandemic will take its toll on our weaknesses as a nation and as an economy. But there is always tomorrow.

How many more watershed moments will it take before we “finally choose to examine critically and then recalibrate the ill-serving codes and conventions handed down to us”?

Gising bayan!

“Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? Moreover, 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]

“You have to have a dream, whether big or small. Then plan, focus, work hard, and be very determined to achieve your goals.” [Henry Sy Sr., Chairman Emeritus and Founder, SM Group (1924 - 2019)]

“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]