Has our day of reckoning come and gone?

“Philippines slumps to lowest competitiveness ranking in 5 years,” Jenina P. Ibañez, BusinessWorld, 18th Jun 2021.

“Switzerland-based business school International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) 2021 World Competitiveness Report ranked the Philippines 52nd out of 64 countries, down seven spots from 45th last year. This year’s ranking is the Philippines’ lowest in five years.

“The country still lags in the region, as it ranked 13th out of 14 Asia-Pacific economies. At the 60th spot, Mongolia was the only Asia-Pacific economy behind the Philippines.”

After being overtaken by Vietnam, Mongolia is the only country left to leave us in the dust.

Has our day of reckoning come and gone? Where to the Philippines?

“However much the Palace and its minions wish to dismiss and disparage outgoing International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s announcement, the news represented an electrifying development.

“For relatives of thousands of drug suspects ‘neutralized’ without due process, the ICC prosecutor’s announcement is a significant step toward long-overdue accountability. Others may call it karma, the slow mills of the gods grinding exceedingly fine, or the coming reckoning for the regime of violence and abuse that had unleashed on the land in the last five years.

“Should the PTC give the ICC its go signal for the investigation, Mr. Duterte may end up becoming the first Asian leader to be hauled before an international court for ‘crimes against humanity.’

“While Malacañang has made much of the country’s withdrawal from the ICC in March 2018, the fact is, the Court retains jurisdiction over crimes alleged to have taken place while the state was still a member of the Rome Statute that established the ICC. ‘Moreover, these crimes are not subject to any statute of limitation,’ the ICC prosecutor pointed out.” [“The coming reckoning,” EDITORIAL, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 18th Jun 2021]

Did Juan de la Cruz enable Duterte to drag the nation down the abyss?

Consider: “In our predominantly Christian society, we must constantly relate this challenge of redesigning the workplace to meet the so-called age of accelerations to what we may call the Theology of Work.

"Here I quote St. Josemaria Escriva, who, together with St. John Paul II, can be considered a leading theologian of Work during the 20th century. In a homily on St. Joseph the Worker (let us remember that we are still celebrating the Year of St. Joseph till 8th Dec 2021), St. Josemaria said: 'Work is part and parcel of man's life on earth. It involves effort, weariness, exhaustion: signs of the suffering and struggle which accompany human existence and which point to the reality of sin and the need for redemption.

“But in itself, ‘work’ is not a penalty or a curse or a punishment: those who speak of it that way have not understood sacred Scripture properly. It is time for us Christians to shout from the rooftops that work is a gift from God and that it makes no sense to classify men differently, according to their occupation, as if some jobs were nobler than others. Work, ‘all work,’ bears witness to the dignity of man, to his dominion over creation. 

“It is an opportunity to develop one’s personality. It is a bond of union with others, the way to support one’s family, a means to aiding in the improvement of the society in which we live and in the progress of all humanity.’” [“The enduring humanity of work,” Bernardo M. Villegas, Human Side Of Economics, BusinessWorld, 15th Jun 2021]

Has our day of reckoning come and gone?

We’re supposed to be hard-working Christians, and why we celebrated the over 10 million OFWs. Beyond supporting their families, they also became the drivers of the Philippine economy.

The acid test: Did we aid in the improvement of society and the progress of all humanity?

Recall that the blog never fails to raise that democracy is the mirror image of Christianity, i.e., the imperative of personal responsibility for the common good.

How come we can’t meet the acid test?

Consider our instincts: We are parochial and insular. So, we value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.

Did we not, including us in the Philippine elite class, applaud the war on drugs because it will make our neighborhoods safe?

Many postings ago, the blog challenged us to look for a benchmark in dealing with the drug menace. And it is not the US.

“In much of the country, disillusionment with the drug war has already led to the repeal of some of the most punitive policies, including mandatory lengthy prison sentences for nonviolent drug users.

“In recent years, voters and politicians in 17 states — including red-leaning Alaska and Montana — and the District of Columbia have backed the legalization of recreational marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, a trend that once seemed impossible. Last November, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize small quantities of all medications, including heroin and methamphetamines.

“Many critics say the course correction is too modest and too slow.

‘The war on drugs was an absolute miscalculation of human behavior,’ said Kassandra Frederique, head of the Drug Policy Alliance. She said the criminal justice model failed to address the underlying need for jobs, health care, and safe housing that spur addiction.

“Indeed, much of the drug war’s architecture remains intact. Federal spending on drugs — much of it devoted to interdiction — is expected to top $37 billion this year.” [“After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'” Brian Mann, NPR, 17th Jun 2021]

Consider: "Portugal has set a positive example, i.e., what to seek when drug policies prioritize health rather than criminalization. At the turn of the century, Portugal was facing a crisis, including high levels of HIV infection among people who use drugs. Many reform impacts resounded immediately: new HIV infections, drug deaths, and the prison population fell sharply within the first decade. The second decade saw slower improvement in key measures, as well as an upturn in drug deaths.

“However, many of these factors need to be put into context. Drug policy is still only one variable interacting with a complex mix of social, economic, cultural, and political factors, and cuts to more comprehensive health provision in that period will have played a part in this. Nevertheless, Portugal is in a much better position than in 2001, and recorded drug use and drug deaths as a proportion of the general population are well below the European average.

“Portugal’s experience is a lesson, i.e., what to seek when policy innovation and political will aligned in response to a crisis, and hopefully, it will continue to evolve and lead on this issue. However, while ending the criminalization of people who use drugs is hugely important both in its own right and reducing stigma — and as an enabler of any effective public health response — it only addresses part of the harms caused by prohibition.

“With innovation taking place elsewhere, including regulated cannabis sales in North America and safe supply of opioids and other drugs in Canada, there is also room for Portuguese drug policy to learn from and build upon other reform efforts and continue in its global leadership role.” [“Drug decriminalization in Portugal: setting the record straight,” Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 13th May 2021]

We’re way down the abyss, yet we remain blind?

Because our instincts nourish and perpetuate our caste system?

Consider: “Although I may not be a representative knowledge worker, I have gotten more of working time daily because of the many hours of travel time I have been able to save during those lockdowns – that our government excelled in implementing.” [Villegas, op. cit.]

Let’s hold it right there.

“IMF cuts PHL growth projection to 5.4%,” Bianca Cuaresma, BusinessMirror, 17th Jun 2021.

“What pulled the economy down in the first half of the year is essentially the second wave of Covid-19 cases in the country, which likely peaked in April, IMF Article IV Consultation Mission Head Thomas Helbling told reporters in a virtual briefing.

“The resurgence of cases during the period necessitated stricter quarantine measures which disrupted economic activity and has ‘weighed’ on market confidence.

“While the IMF said the economy should start its path to recovery toward the third quarter of the year, Helbling warned of pockets of uncertainty in the near-term recovery. ‘Uncertainty around the pace of the economic recovery is high, and the balance of risks to economic activity tilts toward the downside.

“Supply constraints could lead to delays in vaccinations, which in turn would increase the risk of virus resurgence after the recent second wave and tightening quarantine measures.

“Also, it could amplify the effect of external shocks, such as rising global interest rates and inflation, that would constrain the monetary policy response and raise financing costs for the public and private sector.”

Has our day of reckoning come and gone? We’re way down the abyss.

Here’s a quote from a recent posting. Consider: “We are not the homeless boy who seeks to sniff epoxy — at the risk of being the target of EJK — to bring him to sleep and not face the reality of hunger. 

“Moreover, the Philippine pie is so tiny that raising the shares of the LGUs of the national tax revenues will undermine the efforts of the nation to provide Juan de la Cruz with his basic physiological needs. It is pure unadulterated crab mentality, the consequence of Pinoy abilidad.

“Let’s pause right there. How come we in the Philippine elite class can’t keep our eyes on the ball? The reality is only Juan de la Cruz is impacted by our meager GDP per capita ($8,908) because we make even more than the average Malaysian’s $28,364. 

“Denial is how we perpetuate our caste system – and preserve our rank and privileges.

“Over decades, we kept managing our economy via logical and incremental thinking – instead of lateral or creative and forward-thinking – and proudly celebrated a GDP growth rate of 6%-7%. Yet, we remained the regional laggard – and must borrow tons of money for the 4Ps so that Juan de la Cruz can put body and soul together.

“Sadly, that paradigm is not the answer. Why? Because as our neighbors demonstrated, it is about traversing poverty to prosperity. It is not charity per se. Charity is not what ‘inclusive’ means. ‘Inclusive’ means to become prosperous as an economy and nation.

“But we want to keep to our puny minds – aka binary or dualistic thinking – even when our neighbors already scaled the cognitive development ladder. So, they embraced dynamism and interdependence that wealthy nations opted to partner with them – pouring loads of money and technology.

Should we stop and ponder? 

Binary thinking reflects a fixed mindset and our lack of experience in development. And that explains why we can’t move across the spectrum of dualism and relativism. Yet, relativism isn’t evil if we recognize Franciscan theology. And they are joined by the Jesuits in acknowledging that even spiritual development is a work in progress.

To be sure, even at the Vatican, there are the conservative and the progressive wing. And the recent decision by the US bishops regarding the one-to-one relationship between support for abortion and holy communion says the US Catholic church hues the conservative, despite the admonition from the Vatican. Which is not surprising given Pope Francis being a Jesuit? 

Still, the US bishops will add fuel to the political divide in the country. On the other hand, within the US Episcopal church, they are going through a self-examination precisely because of the shortcomings of American politics. For example, recall how the primacy of the nation ruled the GOP that Nixon resigned in acknowledgment of Watergate. Today, GOP leadership lies through its teeth despite continuous TV coverage during and after the infamous 6th January insurrection.

Recall I saw through the US culture wars over the more than three decades as a resident and why I have no respect for US politics — and chose not to exercise the right to vote. I’m the least surprised by the insurrection, having witnessed how tyranny brought chaos to nations.

Beyond the Philippine People Power, I hosted a regional meeting in Bangkok and witnessed a coup. And in the Ivory Coast, the French military attaché accompanied me while on a business trip and ensured that I safely got through military checkpoints. And I have been a card-bearing resident in Eastern Europe just shy of 20 years — and traveled around former Soviet satellite states.

The bottom line: The difference between democracy and tyranny is like night and day, yet we can distinguish between dusk and dawn.

And as the blog often raises, democracy is the mirror image of Christianity, i.e., the imperative of personal responsibility for the common good.

But let’s get back to the Philippines.

“How do we shift paradigms?

“One of our most significant shortcomings is our inability to think forward and prioritize courtesy of our crab mentality. And it is complicated by our binary thinking, i.e., we don’t distinguish charity from the common good. Put on top of that our caste system.

“It explains why we see virtue in hierarchy and paternalism – that only Rizal saw otherwise.

“In other words, until we can own up to our instincts, we will constantly be blindsided.

“Let’s test the assertion that we can’t think forward and prioritize – compared to our neighbors.

“Our top two exports account for over 64 percent of export revenues. They are (1) Electrical machinery, equipment, and (2) Machinery, including computers.

“On the other hand, fruits and nuts are less than 4 percent.

“And our top eight companies, combined, can’t match the revenues of Samsung Vietnam, the latest of the neighbors that overcame poverty – while we haven’t.

“Let’s pause right there.

“To be dynamic is not in our bag of tricks — and we can’t keep ignoring it. 

“We must embrace a growth mindset — and get ahead of the curve. 

“We must satisfy the 21st century — i.e., innovation and global competitiveness.

“We must attain state-of-the-art and be the leading edge.

“Yet, we don’t have to go it alone.

“We must lure foreign money and technology. 

“Pinoy abilidad” and an inward-looking bias turned us into the regional laggard.

“Juan de la Cruz cannot personify Bondying — as in an underdeveloped economy and nation.”

Gising bayan!