10 Real Reasons Why There is Hope for the Philippines

By Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan

1. We are strategically located at the heart of East Asia.

Northeast Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) and Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos) combined makes East Asia. We are only at most four hours away from every major city in East Asia. If the Philippines were a real estate venture in a commercial area, ours is a location to die for. We can be the shipping and air transport hub of East Asia. We can be the top tourist destination of the region. We can be the cultural center of the region for performing arts.

2. We are No. 1 in aquamarine resources worldwide.

“We have the most diverse aquamarine ecosystem in the entire world which, if managed properly, will feed not only our hungry people but will be a source of huge revenue coming from a world in dire need of aquamarine resources such as fish, seaweed, and other similar products. We can be the seafood basket and aquamarine resource center of the world, the aquamarine resource powerhouse of the world.

3. We have a huge tourism industry potential.

Our people are by nature extremely friendly and hospitable. We only have some 3 million tourist visits every year, while our neighbors are doing 4 or 5 times more with 12 to 15 million tourist visits annually. It has been said that other countries in the ASEAN are doing so much more with so little in terms of natural wonders and beautiful sites while we are doing so little with so much. With the right infrastructure such as highways and airports and seaports in place, we can be the number one tourist destination in ASEAN if not Asia.

4. We are now No. 2 in the BPO industry worldwide and can become No. 1.

We are, I am told, currently second to India in the business process outsourcing industry. I am told as well that this industry expects 30 percent growth this year despite the worldwide recession as foreign companies look aggressively to lowering costs of doing business and therefore look to business outsourcing.

5. We are extremely creative and artistic people.

We have been called the songbirds of Asia. Our reputation as performers is legendary throughout the world (although we have never been boastful about it). We can be the center of performing arts in Asia wherein millions would visit the country annually to marvel at our cultural performances and our artistic productions.

6. We have the emergence of a new generation of progressive and results-oriented public sector leaders.

Since the restoration of democracy in 1986 and the passage of the Local Government Code in 1991 (or some 20 years now), public officials have began to work with new resources (40 percent of national taxes are now plowed back to local government units compared to less than 10 percent in 1986) made available by decentralization. Today a new generation of public sector leaders is emerging, one that is empowered, that is vision driven and results-oriented. This explains why we have successful local government initiatives in Marikina, Makati, Naga City, Davao City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Calbayog City, and General Santos City, among others. Hence from a generation of public sector leaders that by and large was corrupt, lacking in vision, creativity, and innovation, we now have the emergence of a new generation of public sector leaders with integrity, with proactive leadership, and with a commitment to reform and genuine change. New governance models and templates that are solving age-old problems in the field are being forged, being tempered as we speak. A new brand of political leadership is emerging focused on solving age old problems in governance. The old, failed methods utilized by the trapos will soon be crushed and defeated.

7. Information and communication technology advancement is enhancing our sense of nationhood.

Rather than a country of many languages and many islands, we are fast becoming one nation, connected by information and communication technology. The ethno-linguistic barriers that used to keep us divided are being shattered by the interconnectivity of information technology. Today an entire generation of Filipinos fully understands, and can connect with, the Filipino language because of two decades of television news in Filipino (all TV news used to be English until 1986). The three elements of nationhood are: common language, common territory and common economy. We are now becoming a nation because information technology is breaking the barriers that have prevented us from becoming united as a people. It is also now reconnecting some 10 million Filipinos overseas to the motherland. We are becoming one nation and one people.

8. We have a re-emerging middle class mindset.

After over three decades of the OFW boom, we now have a new generation of citizens steeped with modern ideas coming from the highly successful host nations like Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Sates. Europe too has become host to hundreds of thousands of OFWs. The OFWs who have experienced life in these highly developed nations can now compare and contrast these experiences with the experiences in the motherland. In highly developed nations there is, to a greater extent, a greater sense of accountability and a greater sense of justice and fair play. Our OFWs bring all that back home and having been enlightened by the experience will demand greater of their leaders back home. People are beginning to say enough is enough and are actually doing something about it.

9. We are a young nation.

Close to 30 million of our 45 million voters are 18 to 35 years old. Very young. If harnessed effectively, these young voters can usher in the political and electoral change that we need to happen for genuine political and economic reforms to take place.

10. We are a people who love to laugh, who love our families.

We are a resilient people. We can draw unimaginable strength and fortitude in times of difficulty in order to move ahead. We know how to survive despite so much pain and suffering. We know how to cope. We are willing to sacrifice so much of ourselves in order to provide for our family, our loved ones. This strength will not only bring us out of the mess we are in but will ensure that we are able to reach greater heights in our collective desire as a people to have a better life for those we truly care for, for those who mean the world to us. Our resilience in the long run will not only make us survive but will also ensure that we will triumph in the end.

We have enough reason to hope. We have, as a people, enough reason to act on these hopes and when we do, the genuine change we all seek will finally see the light of day and yes, by all means, in our lifetime.

Source: Being Filipino

Barack Obama’s World View

Michael Scherer of TIME caught it very well. In a press conference, Obama delivers an intelligent, thoughtful response that gives us a general view of his approach to foreign policy.

[T]here are a couple of principles that I’ve tried to apply across the board: Number one, that the United States remains the most powerful, wealthiest nation on Earth, but we’re only one nation, and that the problems that we confront, whether it’s drug cartels, climate change, terrorism, you name it, can’t be solved just by one country. And I think if you start with that approach, then you are inclined to listen and not just talk.

And so in all these meetings what I’ve said is, we have some very clear ideas in terms of where the international community should be moving; we have some very specific national interests, starting with safety and security that we have to attend to; but we recognize that other countries have good ideas, too, and we want to hear them. And the fact that a good idea comes from a small country like a Costa Rica should not somehow diminish the fact that it’s a good idea. I think people appreciate that. So that’s number one.

Number two, I think that — I feel very strongly that when we are at our best, the United States represents a set of universal values and ideals — the idea of democratic practices, the idea of freedom of speech and religion, the idea of a civil society where people are free to pursue their dreams and not be imposed upon constantly by their government. So we’ve got a set of ideas that I think have broad applicability. But what I also believe is that other countries have different cultures, different perspectives, and are coming out of different histories, and that we do our best to promote our ideals and our values by our example.

More at The Swampland.

It’s All About Character

I’ve been catching up on so many shows and movies since the break began and I noticed that my taste has changed lately.

I’m not a big movie goer. I watch in the theaters mostly as a social activity and there aren’t many films I would go out of my own way for, save for a wuxia epic or a political thriller — films I can potentially use in class.

Yet I couldn’t forget three of the latest films I caught — Gran Torino, The Wrestler, and Doubt. I realize now that the films that captivate me are all character-driven.

There are too many movies that make us think of what we would do if we were in that character’s place. Just think back to all those disaster movies in the late 90′s — Who would you run to if the Earth ends tomorrow? Or all those superhero movies (which I enjoy too, by the way) — What would you do if you had those powers too? These big, epic movies are often plot-driven: Something happens, then people react.

On the contrary, I define character-driven as this: people are who they are, so things happen. I like films where I can have a conversation with myself. And when we talk, it’s not about what ifs but whens and whys. When did I feel like I have nothing else to live for? What did I do to get to back from that edge? Why (From Gran Torino and The Wrestler)? When did I allow my belief in virtue trump my sense of compassion (a major thinking point in Doubt).

Moreover, I love it that when these movies end, I am forced to be honest with myself. I appreciate looking into the arc of my own life, but not to see how it will end but how each moment is a possible beginning. I suppose that this reflects my general attitude towards people and society: we are who we are, so things happen. These character-driven films are also studies and metaphors into the human condition. I like ending a film taking away a sense that there are other ways to be human.

Perhaps this is why — if I may deviate a bit — I am fascinated by one of my new favorite heroes, Jack Bauer. I am aware that 24 is hardly character-driven, and yet the format of the show allows us to know Jack so well. I confess: my favorite moments of a season of 24 are not when Jack is in action against the bad guys, but when he has a quiet moment alone, pondering the events of the day. I thought that him breaking down in his car in the final minutes of season 3 was the only way to end it.

It’s all about character for me. Now I realize that this extends into everything else: the books I read, the comics I collect, the shows I watch; case in point: Heroes is terrible because of poor character development in the 2nd and 3rd volumes; Lost is awesome because despite the rich science fiction tapestry, the characters are strong.

So how about you? Character or plot?

And if character, any you can recommend?

P.S. I can consider Slumdog Millionaire a character piece, though if it is then it isn’t a really good one. I find the character distant — somehow I can’t relate — and him winning that contest makes the film feel more plot-driven than anything else.

Do What You Have To Do

In the most recent episode of 30 Rock, Liz Lemon goes on a long extended leave from work. Being the showrunner of a Friday night sketch comedy show, this break really leaves her at a loss. With no show to write, no sketches to rehearse, no cast and crew to keep in line, minutes feel like hours and days like years. She thinks that she needs the stress, then realizes that stress only gives the illusion of purpose. And when you strip everything away, you realize that there are so many other ways to be happy.

I’m pretty much in the same spot right now.

This entry is pretty much a “I’m still alive” post. I don’t feel compelled to write about my vacation so far because I’m pretty sure that most are having a bigger blast than I. All I can say is that Jack Bauer is awesome, and I love tennis now even more than I did last summer.

Everything else is just rest. I need it. Last school year was incredibly fulfilling — and I am aware that I have yet to write about that — but also very tiring. There are also so many things about my work that I could live without, and I’m being brutally honest in saying that I’m enjoying every second I am far and away from Pisay.

I started last school year thinking “I shouldn’t be here.” I somehow made peace with it, but I realize now that I may have been mistaken in doing so.