We continue to plunge into the abyss.

Thankfully, we are “the happiest people on earth” – we can still take it with a grin.

“I will not attempt to read the president’s mind. He is a more astute politician than many may think and is adept at the magician’s misdirection tactic. One draws the audience’s attention in one direction with something noisy or spectacular. At the same time, the actual moves are out of sight. I’ll leave the reader and political pundits to mull over that.

“Meanwhile, time to grin and ‘-ber’ it all.” [“Running ‘-ber,’” Roberto F. de Ocampo, BUSINESS MATTERS, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10th Jul 2021]

Seriously now: “This push for Duterte to join the vice-presidential race, according to Monsod, can serve as a ‘backdoor’ for the incumbent Chief Executive to serve another term as president, which goes against the intent of the Constitution.

“This seems like an excuse, a backdoor. Because that vacancy can be created by the president simply resigning, that’s not the intent of the Constitution. Especially if his daughter will become president, then told to ‘Resign, I’ll take over the presidency.’

“Under the Constitution, a President can only serve one six-year term and is no longer eligible for any reelection. ‘That provision is to prohibit a president occupying the office for more than six years,’ Monsod pointed out.

“It’s clear that the plan is to enter the backdoor to the presidency. If this happens, the constitutional provisions on social justice and anti-political dynasties are ‘meaningless.’

“The purpose of social justice is to defuse wealth and political power for the common good equitably.” [“No to the backdoor presidency: Monsod willing to file complaint vs. Duterte’s VP run,” Christia Marie Ramos, INQUIRER.net, 8th Jul 2021]

Indeed, we continue to plunge into the abyss.

Let’s pause right there – and ponder.

I am not surprised if we have taken the blog’s continual reference to our instincts with a grain of salt. Sadly, what it has said repeatedly for over a dozen years has been with us, except that denial – if not ignorance – is bliss: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.

Sadly, this culture of impunity no longer shocks. If you can’t fight tyranny, submit to it.

And that explains why we can’t figure out “our place in the sun.” 

How many ever speaks to Rizal’s admonition? Let’s submit to tyranny — because, in our value system, hierarchy and paternalism are primordial?

How do we define our national interest, for example? It must be principled — beyond transactional.

Sadly, we can’t see beyond our poverty that “our reason for being” deserts us — i.e., Juan de la Cruz must attain prosperity. That is way beyond the 4Ps. The 4Ps are a tangible expression of paternalism — given our failure to “traverse poverty to prosperity.”

That is not a western concept because even our neighbors sought and successfully attained it. It is our reason for being. Organisms, including humankind, develop. 

How does that apply to foreign relations? Again, our neighbors demonstrated how. We don’t have to go very far. Beg for foreign money and technology. And why? Because we must traverse poverty to prosperity. Sadly, parochialism and insularity took us down the abyss.

How can we then value the efforts of freedom-loving nations to come together and commit personal responsibility for the common good when we don’t own up to our predicament: the regional laggard — and the pariah, the price we pay for EJKs? 

How can we define the common good in the first place when a culture of impunity consumes us? 

How can we recognize that to thrive in this universe demands a multifaceted response? Take dynamism and interdependence.

Gising bayan!

“So much remains to be done to address the crisis that young Filipinos, the much-vaunted future of this country, face.

“What the country could do without are officials quick to tend to their feelings over the hard facts and urgent problems faced by the next generation.

“More than 80 percent of students in the Philippines ‘do not meet the standards expected for their grade level.’ That, the WB said, constituted a ‘crisis in the country’s educational system ‘which started pre-COVID but will have been made worse’ by the pandemic. That is nothing new. The data released were gleaned from previously released international assessments in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Old, yes, but not ancient or obsolete, and still relevant today. Filipino students, these studies found, performed poorly in the essential elements of learning: reading, writing, comprehension, and ability to understand and do even the most basic math functions.” [“Feelings over facts,” EDITORIAL, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10th Jul 2021]

In other words, “pwede na ‘yan” will not cut it. And that goes for what the private sector is proud to trumpet. “In the Philippines, the private sector is frequently obliged to provide by default. An outstanding example in education is the non-profit organization founded in 2006 by top CEOs, the Philippine Business for Education (PBS). This NGO is the business community’s response to the need for greater education and economic alignment. Its advocacies include teacher quality and workforce development.” [“Human Side Of Economics,” Bernardo M. Villegas, BusinessWorld, 6th Jul 2021]

The good news, as the blog has discussed, is that we are not alone. When my old MNC-company relocated the family to New York, corporate America also had to step in to deal with the shortcomings of US higher education. And I was involved in the efforts. And the biggest takeaway is that learning is experiential.

Fast-forward to my efforts to assist my Eastern European friends. These people had zero experience in the free-market system. Many of them did not even speak English. I had two translators. The deputy to the owner, who happened to be a Mensa member and spent her junior high school year in Atlanta as an exchange student, would translate for me when speaking to the management team. And my assistant cum translator and driver would do it when I lead a workshop for everyone else.

It was more complicated than it sounds because we had to figure out if they were in the right business. And the exercise had to get to the point where we had the confidence to focus on the correct product categories to define the resources we must pull together. And how do we then execute?

Think of Samsung Vietnam. Recall that The Economist raised the issue of not being in the suitable industries to explain the decline of Europe. And we Filipinos must relate to that given our top companies are no match to one Vietnam enterprise.

Today, my Eastern European friends have a full-blown Human Resources function, including an education and training unit. And among the pillars of the curriculum are the three “dynamics” they are managing: (1) the Marketing mix, to reinforce the product categories that define their business, from product development and innovation up to successfully ensure that they get them to retailers and homes of people; (2) the resource mix that they must assemble, from developing budgets, finding financing to building state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities up to the profile of the people they will hire; (3) the execution mix to ensure that the enterprise is globally competitive, i.e., who will do what, when, where, and how.

For example, they have lots of meeting rooms, especially for small cross-functional teams, so that collaboration is built-in to the way they do things. And the biggest thrill I get is walking into the meeting rooms and getting the sense that people are passionate about problem-solving. The whole idea started when I did the first workshop, and to their surprise, they were not there to sit and listen to me deliver a lecture.

But that is getting ahead. Back at home in suburban New York, the math teacher requested my daughter to tutor classmates falling behind during her high school years. She had her elementary education up to grade 6 at St. Scholastica’s. She speaks Tagalog, not just English, although she would later be fluent in Italian, having spent a year in Bologna.

In other words, the US has the same problems in education, in higher education, and elementary and high school math.

Yet, they have Silicon Valley. As the blog has discussed, the US takes one misstep after another, yet they keep reinventing themselves.

In an earlier posting, the blog asked, “Why can’t we Filipinos problem-solve?”

We must reinvent ourselves. We must figure out how to overcome our instincts. Recall Einstein’s definition of insanity.

Stop. Look. Listen.

For example, because of our caste system, how do we expect to teach the succeeding generations about the “growth mindset” – its absence compounds the challenge of students? And is a recurring theme of the postings.

Our sense of denial comes from a fixed mindset. See above re our instincts.

The caste system inhibits our ability to collaborate or work across disciplines. Of course, we are all “special.” But we can even be more if we see through the limitations of our instincts.

Recall that “collaboration” is one of the requisite skills – or the 4 C’s – of the 21st century.

“Collaboration is the practice of working together to achieve a common goal. It is important because whether students realize it or not, they’ll probably work with other people for the rest of their lives.

“Virtually every job requires us to work with another – even if it’s for something simple as what to get for lunch. Practicing collaboration and teamwork helps students understand how to address a problem, pitch solutions, and decide the best course.

“It’s also helpful for them to learn that other people don’t always have the same ideas that they do. As students practice collaboration more and more, they’ll know that they have almost none of the same ‘ideas’ that others do.

“This can affect students in one of two ways. First, it could discourage them since nobody seems to agree with them that often. Second, it could embolden them because they realize they’re bringing something unique to every conversation. As a teacher, it’s crucial that you encourage students to look at themselves through that second lens. That way, students learn that they should speak up when they have an idea.

“They may not be on the money 100% of the time — and some of their peers may have strong, opinionated reactions — but it’ll teach them to speak up when they’re working with others.” [“What Are the 4 C's of 21st Century Skills (?),” Bri Stauffer, Applied Educational Systems, 7th May 2020]

Do we wonder why “innovation” isn’t in our quiver? Recall the “Innovator’s DNA.”

“Dyer, of Brigham Young University; Gregersen, of Insead; and Christensen, of Harvard Business School, reveal how innovative entrepreneurs differ from typical executives. Their study demonstrates that five ‘discovery skills’ distinguish the most creative executives: Associating helps them discover new directions by making connections among seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas. Questioning allows innovators to break out of the status quo and consider new ideas through observing; innovators carefully and consistently seek small behavioral details—in the activities of customers, suppliers, and other companies—to gain insights about new ways of doing things. In experimenting, they relentlessly try on new experiences and explore the world. And through networking with diverse individuals from an array of backgrounds, they gain radically different perspectives.” [“The Innovator’s DNA” by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen; Harvard Business Review, December 2009]

We also must move beyond analysis into analytics.

Let’s pause right there.

To be able to move beyond analysis, we must recognize that the real world is not one-dimensional. It is multifaceted and multidisciplinary. Moreover, it demands forward- and lateral thinking.

That explains why despite our confidence in our fiscal and monetary interventions, we still cannot match the success of the Asian Tigers, and more recently, Vietnam.

Let’s push the envelope. 

There are guidelines multilateral lenders follow, yet even “the IMF is urging the Philippines to boost spending capacity during this pandemic crisis, i.e., to strike the appropriate balance between recovery needs and fiscal prudence.”

Put another way, developing countries like the Philippines don’t mirror the economic rebound of a wealthy economy, as the US demonstrates. For example, the vaccination rate is still way too low to tame the pandemic, and thus the Philippines won’t see an economic uptick soon.

Moreover, our challenges are multifaceted. They are beyond education, our response to the pandemic, why we lag in infrastructure development, industrialization, innovation, and global competitiveness.

For example, “The sheer amount and variety of existing and new data generated in the world today are unprecedented. As this growth continues, so do the opportunities for organizations to use their data to create ‘change that matters.’ [Mc Kinsey Analytics]

“Data analytics is a multidisciplinary field. There are extensive computer skills, mathematics, statistics, descriptive techniques, and predictive models to gain valuable knowledge from data through analytics.

“The insights from data are used to recommend action or guide decision-making rooted in the business context. Thus, analytics is not so much concerned with individual analyses or analysis steps, but with the entire methodology.” [Wikipedia]

In other words, analytics is multidisciplinary and rooted in the business context.

Recall that the blog often speaks to the modern math concept of sets and subsets because the character of creation and the universe is one of dynamism and interdependence. Human endeavors aren’t standalone. They are subsets of larger sets.

For example, the debate on climate change is unresolved because humankind takes the universe’s character for granted. Even in the Philippines, we can’t step up to the plate: We denuded our forests. That’s why the blog often references Sweden’s efficient forest industry.

One more time with feeling: Human endeavors are multifaceted and subsumed by a larger context.

And that is a pretty stumbling block we must hurdle. 

For example, we are looking at Central Luzon as an industrial zone, yet we are not meshing it with the challenge we face in agribusiness. We are not tracing the food chain to connect the dots. 

And we look at the economic managers to drive the economy when the challenge is nation-building. Our caste system puts us in pigeon-holes, and we are proud to get our expertise ahead of everyone else.

That is why the blog often raises the GPS model: (1) Where are we; (2) Where do we want to be; (3) How do we get there. It demands forward- and lateral-thinking. It is beyond logical and incremental thinking.

Sadly, neuroscience is not in our comfort zone. But then again, we are not alone. De Bono and Kahneman weren’t household names even when they pioneered the science of “thinking.”

See above re the IMF is urging the Philippines to boost spending capacity during this pandemic crisis. 

Recall that the blog often speaks to the spectrum of binary to relative thinking in cognitive development. And it applies even in theology. Despite the instincts of conservative US bishops, they won’t withhold the Eucharist from abortion rights supporters.

If learning is experiential, my interest in the subject grew from realizing that in the global arena founded on democratic values, rank — including the corporate headquarters — doesn't guarantee privileges. There is always the effort to get buy-in from the worldwide organization.

For example, while plans and budgets are rolled up and approved by the HQ by Thanksgiving, execution is monitored. That is why typically, in the January and February timeframe, corporate folks travel the world. And that allows local units to argue a case if they have one. And course correction follows. It is a case of continual rethinking — and reinvention — if the predicate is fragile.

Recall that the postings have been critical of the 50 or so industry road maps we have been pursuing.

Consider: What is the object of the exercise, the context? We want to leapfrog industrialization, but not only.

We must get the biggest bang for the buck and why we must prioritize our most significant export categories responsible for over 64% of export revenues.

And given that the 21st century demands innovation and global competitiveness, we can’t go it alone. We need foreign money and technology. Think of Samsung Vietnam.

So, how must we write the IRR for CREATE and SIPP? Beyond its generic principles, it must be based on the imperative to rapidly raise our GDP by $200 billion and leapfrog the neighbors’ economic output – which is why they were able to put poverty behind them.

Our challenges are daunting. We cannot stick to our instincts. They have turned us into the laughingstock of the region to the detriment of Juan de la Cruz, i.e., abject poverty.

And we in the Philippine elite class can show the way by reinventing ourselves and toss our value of hierarchy. It is “collaboration” we need – and “critical thinking” too and creativity, as in lateral, beyond logical and linear thinking.

Indeed, we continue to plunge into the abyss.

Let’s pause right there – and ponder.

I am not surprised if we have taken the blog’s continual reference to our instincts with a grain of salt. Sadly, what it has said repeatedly for over a dozen years has been with us, except that denial – if not ignorance – is bliss: We are parochial and insular. We value hierarchy and paternalism and rely on political patronage and oligarchy that ours is a culture of impunity.

Gising bayan!