Pax Universalis

Photo Credit: Nikater

I’ve always loved Ancient Greece more than Ancient Rome because of Greek philosophy.  But when I think of all the bridges, roads, and aqueducts that the Romans built and are still in use today, I come to love them just as much.

A famous passage from Virgil‘s Aeneid draws another comparison between them:

The Greeks shape bronze statues so real they they seem to breathe,

And craft cold marble until it almost comes to life,

The Greeks compose great orations, and measure

The heavens so well they can predict the rising of the stars.

But you, Romans, remember your great arts:

To govern the peoples with authority,

To establish peace under the rule of law,

To conquer the mighty, and show them mercy once they are conquered.

“To establish peace under the rule of law.”  The Roman Peace or Pax Romana was established under the reign of Caesar Augustus, who “cut back on imperial expansion and focused on civic improvement  — roads and bridges, aqueducts, protective walls, and new temples everywhere to remind the Romans that they were a moral people.” (Reid 35)

Also practical.

But I want to focus on the Roman bridge as the ultimate symbol of peace.  Bridges connect two areas divided by water or by a gorge, and it is by connecting to overcome divisions, that leads to peace.  And in my previous post, I discussed that the European Union cooperates economically to overcome their divisions.

Photo Credit: Centrum Dialogu

The EU is the closest example to a Foedus Pacificum (Pacific Federation), which is explained in philosopher Immanuel Kant‘s Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch.  I have underlined the parts I am focusing on:

SECOND DEFINITIVE ARTICLE FOR A PERPETUAL PEACE

 “The Law of Nations Shall be Founded on a Federation of Free States”

…States do not plead their cause before a tribunal; war alone is their way of bringing suit. But by war and its favorable issue, in victory, right is not decided, and though by a treaty of peace this particular war is brought to an end, the state of war, of always finding a new pretext to hostilities, is not terminated. Nor can this be declared wrong, considering the fact that in this state each is the judge of his own case. Notwithstanding, the obligation which men in a lawless condition have under the natural law, and which requires them to abandon the state of nature, does not quite apply to states under the law of nations, for as states they already have an internal juridical constitution and have thus outgrown compulsion from others to submit to a more extended lawful constitution according to their ideas of right. This is true in spite of the fact that reason, from its throne of supreme moral legislating authority, absolutely condemns war as a legal recourse and makes a state of peace a direct duty, even though peace cannot be established or secured except by a compact among nations.For these reasons there must be a league of a particular kind, which can be called a league of peace (foedus pacificum), and which would be distinguished from a treaty of peace (pactum pacis) by the fact that the latter terminates only one war, while the former seeks to make an end of all wars forever. This league does not tend to any dominion over the power of the state but only to the maintenance and security of the freedom of the state itself and of other states in league with it, without there being any need for them to submit to civil laws and their compulsion, as men in a state of nature must submit.

The practicability (objective reality) of this idea of federation, which should gradually spread to all states and thus lead to perpetual peace, can be proved. For if fortune directs that a powerful and enlightened people can make itself a republic, which by its nature must be inclined to perpetual peace, this gives a fulcrum to the federation with other states so that they may adhere to it and thus secure freedom under the idea of the law of nations. By more and more such associations, the federation may be gradually extended.

Photol Credit: Grant Hamilton (1862–1926)

The United States is the perfect candidate for this, but is it “inclined to perpetual peace”?

We may readily conceive that a people should say, “There ought to be no war among us, for we want to make ourselves into a state; that is, we want to establish a supreme legislative, executive, and judiciary power which will reconcile our differences peaceably.” But when this state says, “There ought to be no war between myself and other states, even though I acknowledge no supreme legislative power by which our rights are mutually guaranteed,” it is not at all clear on what I can base my confidence in my own rights unless it is the free federation, the surrogate of the civil social order, which reason necessarily associates with the concept of the law of nations–assuming that something is really meant by the latter.

The concept of a law of nations as a right to make war does not really mean anything, because it is then a law of deciding what is right by unilateral maxims through force and not by universally valid public laws which restrict the freedom of each one. The only conceivable meaning of such a law of nations might be that it serves men right who are so inclined that they should destroy each other and thus find perpetual peace in the vast grave that swallows both the atrocities and their perpetrators.

For states in their relation to each other, there cannot be any reasonable way out of the lawless condition which entails only war except that they, like individual men, should give up their savage (lawless) freedom, adjust themselves to the constraints of public law, and thus establish a continuously growing state consisting of various nations (civitas gentium), which will ultimately include all the nations of the world. But under the idea of the law of nations they do not wish this, and reject in practice what is correct in theory. If all is not to be lost, there can be, then, in place of the positive idea of a world republic, only the negative surrogate of an alliance which averts war, endures, spreads, and holds back the stream of those hostile passions which fear the law, though such an alliance is in constant peril of their breaking loose again.8 Furor impius intus . . . fremit horridus ore cruento (Virgil). 

That’s “Wicked Frenzy ravages savagely with blood-stained mouth”.

Now, despite my comment about the United States, would the federation of Europe even be possible without the Marshall Plan?

Photo Credit: E. Spreckmeester, published Economic Cooperation Administration

Shouldn’t there be another “Marshall Plan” of at least the same magnitude for the Middle East?

This time, the United States wouldn’t need to be the sole contributor.  Any country with the means can chip in.

Sources:

Reid, T.R. “Roman Empire”. National Geographic. July 1997, pp. 2-41.

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kant/kant1.htm

The Common Market

Photo Credit: Torstein Frogner

When the EU was bestowed the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, I couldn’t really feel the impact because of the financial crisis.  But after reviewing my World History high school textbook, I realized just how profound, the reality of the European Union really is.

From page 745 of A History of the World by Houghton-Mifflin:

To stretch their limited resources of money, raw materials, and people, some Western European nations decided to work together in certain economic areas.

The idea of an economic union was first suggested by French planner Jean Monnet, who is often called the “Architect of United Europe.”  Acting on Monnet’s idea, Robert Schuman, France’s foreign minister, proposed in 1950 that six countries — France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands — pool their supplies of important resources.

Share resources?  What a crazy idea.

Tariffs were to be eliminated on coal, iron, and steel — all essential goods for industrial development, construction, and transportation.  The Schuman plan was adopted in 1951 as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

The ECSC also made it possible for workers from one country in the group to take jobs in any other member nation.  This helped make efficient use of the labor forces of six nations.

The Common Market is formed.  Iron and steel production rose rapidly under the ECSC, and ECSC members soon planned organizations with wider goals.  In 1957, under the Treaty of Rome, these nations formed the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC).

Euratom was setup to coordinate development of nuclear power for economic growth.  The European Economic Community, usually called the Common Market, had broader goals.  It sought to encourage the flow of goods within Europe by eliminating tariffs on all products traded between member nations.  The Common Market countries also agreed to charge the same import duties on goods bought from other countries, and they worked toward a common agricultural policy.  Transportation agreements helped people and goods move easily between member nations, and the free flow of technology and capital promoted growth.

The Common Market brought an economic boom in Europe in the 1960’s.  Laborers and farm worker, known as “guestworkers,” migrated from less developed countries in southern and southeastern Europe and from the former French and Italian colonies in North Africa.  An estimated 30 million guestworkers traveled to the industrial heartland of Europe, contributing to its economic growth and to their nations prosperity.

Of course the Eurozone has been affected by the financial crisis since late 2009, but it still serves as the example for promoting world peace and economic cooperation.

Photo Credit: Rama

I named this post “The Common Market” because I want to emphasize free trade.  Yes there are advantages and disadvantages in having a single market, but I believe that removing trade barriers allows commerce to thrive.

Photo Credit: troye owens

Knowledge Society

This post was inspired by the Royal Society of London of which Isaac Newton was a member.  Their achievements show what effect state-sponsorship can have on the pursuit of knowledge.

What would happen if all governments joined together to patronize learning?

Art Credit: Pelagio Palagi

In El Filibusterismo, the second novel of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, the characters of Basilio and Simoun have this lively discussion:

“Hindi ang karunungan ang pinakaimportante sa tao,” sabi ni Simoun.

“Ang pagdunong ang numero unong hangad ng bansang maunlad,” giit ni Basilio.

“Totoo, pero para gamitin lang sa paghahanap ng kaligayahan ang karunungan ay hindi nauubos.  Ito ang pinakamabuting maaaring ariin ng tao,” sagot ni Basilio na nagkaroon ng sigla.  “Pagdumating ang panahong wala ng gulo, wala ng pagbubukod-bukod, ‘pag malaya na ang lahat ng bayan, ‘pag ang katarungan ay siya nang namamayani, ‘pag wala nang amo at wala ng alipin, ‘pag ang tao ay tinatawag nang mamamayan ng daigdig, ang matitira na lamang ay ang karunungan.  Wala nang halaga ang pamamahala sa bayan.  At marahil, sa panahong iyon, ang sino mang magsasabing mahal niya ang sariling bayan ay maaaring ikulong.”

English translation from Project Gutenberg with a little tweaking by me:

“Science is not the end of man,” declared Simoun.

“The most civilized nations are tending toward it.”

“Yes, but as a way of pursuing happiness.”

“Knowledge is more eternal, it’s more human, it’s more universal!” exclaimed the youth in a transport of enthusiasm. “Within a few centuries, when humanity has become redeemed and enlightened, when there are no races, when all peoples are free, when there are neither tyrants nor slaves, colonies nor mother countries, when justice rules and man is a citizen of the world, the pursuit of knowledge alone will remain, the word patriotism will be equivalent to fanaticism, and he who prides himself on patriotic ideas will doubtless be isolated as a dangerous disease, as a menace to the social order.”

Wouldn’t the world be able to achieve happiness if all states came together to lead the advancement of education and humanity?

Photo Credit: National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center

Sources:

Espino, Vivencio O. El Filibusterismo ni Dr. Jose Rizal. Philippines: Flo-Vi Enterprises, 1995

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/30903/pg30903.txt

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10676/10676-h/10676-h.htm

Practical Will

Photo Credit: Gisling

In one of my previous posts “Count-reh”, I discussed the necessity for industrialization in the countryside.  It would relieve congestion in Metro Manila by providing employment in the provinces as well as much-needed industrial goods.

I would also like to point out that Phase Two of China’s Economic Reform under Deng Xiaoping is Rural Industrialization and Enterprise Reform.  But why aren’t all developing countries doing this?  Is it because we are not being practical like Deng Xiaoping?

And then when we are dissatisfied with our leader we’ll have another revolution or coup or whatever.

Do emotions solve our problems?

We have to accept that in solving problems, we need REASON.  We can also be practical.

Photo Credit: Brücke-Osteuropa

In China’s case, the leader was pragmatic.  And because of that, China progressed.  As philosopher Immanuel Kant puts it: progress can be expected to follow from the top downwards.

But if we are not from the “top,” what can we do?

Now that technology allows us to spread information instantly, we can use social media to discuss solutions and create awareness to voice out our ideas to the government.  The more the people that share in the same desire, the bigger the voice.

I have also discussed my desires for the government in these previous posts:

Mistakes II

Leadership

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping

The Notebook

I want to discuss note-taking because it is a valuable learning tool.  But different teachers have different chalkboard skills.  Based on my experience, my high school World History teacher had the most effective board presentation skills.  The notes we copied from the board were perfectly outlined and kept in perfect pace with her discussion.  Most importantly, her notes were not voluminous in the least.

I feel like that is the biggest turn-off for most people.  Superfluous notes.

But the truth is, if we really want to learn, we can still make up for a teacher’s chalkboard skills, or lack thereof.

I realized I could create my own notes when I decided to continue studying Italian after dropping out of college.  I had just bought this metal notebook from a store called Anonymous.  My uncle gave me a thicker-than-usual personalized name-engraved Scheaffer pen for Christmas, which slowed my writing speed down and made my handwriting cooler.  I don’t know…I was just inspired to make my notebook stylish.

When I realized I didn’t need a teacher to write effective notes, I also realized that I could start learning anything I wanted and designing notes myself.  I continue to study history by myself and make my own outlines.  Anyone can start learning material which isn’t provided in school.

Learning is the aim of note-taking, so we should have that in mind before copying anything down.

Learning, not memorization.

“If you study to remember, you will forget, but, If you study to understand, you will remember.”

                                                                                          — Unknown

Yes, notes help us remember visually.  But the point is not merely to remember.  We must want to learn first.

And that is exactly what Leonardo Da Vinci‘s notebooks reveal.

Island Life

My Photo: Island Life lotion on my shells from Capul Island

During summer break between junior and senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to go on an ‘adventure camp’ with other high schoolers to an island in Samar province called Capul.  The adventure camp would involve hanging out at the beach, spelunking, hiking and exploring the island.  But most of the time we were there to do volunteer work for the subsistence community.  Some would paint the community center and some would teach in the school.

That was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  That was my first time to ride an outrigger boat through clear tropical waters amongst scattered green islands.

Photo Credit: chjab

But the reason this trip amazed me is that I got to see how beautiful my country really was.  This island had all the coastal ecosystems a kid could ask for: sandy beaches, rocky shores, tide pools, etc.

Photo Credit: yarnpunk

I wanted to share my experience because we don’t get to live this “island life” in Metro Manila and I wish I did.  And only a few countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste) are part of the Coral Triangle, so we are lucky to have such beauty in our midst.

Which is why I also want to share the development of Apo Island:

Apo Island is one of the world’s best known community-organized marine sanctuaries,and as such it has been well documented by the global science community.  The project was started when Dr. Angel Alcala, a marine scientist from the Silliman University Marine Laboratory explained to the local fishermen the importance of creating a marine sanctuary in the area.  Initially, there was hesitation on the part of the locals; but after a 3-year dialogue, Dr. Alcala was able to convince the island community to establish the sanctuary. Assisted by the staff of the SU Marine Laboratory in 1982, the local fishermen selected an area along 450 meters of shoreline and extending 500 meters from shore as the sanctuary site.  Since then, the project initiated on the island led to the creation of hundreds of other marine sanctuaries in the Philippines.

At present, the island is home to over 650 documented species of fish and estimated to have over 400 species of corals.  Most of the Philippines’ 450 species of coral can be found here, from tiny bubble corals to huge gorgonian sea fans and brain corals.  Visitors and tourists pay a fee to enter Apo Island and to snorkel or dive in the marine sanctuary there, these fees are used to keep the sanctuary clean and in good condition.

In 2003, Chicago‘s Shedd Aquarium opened a Wild Reef exhibit based on Apo Island’s surrounding reef and marine sanctuary.  In 2008, Sport Diver Magazine listed Apo Island as one of the top 100 diving spots in the world.

Photo Credit: DaneinPI

Although Apo Island has its troubles, it is still something to be proud of.  And so is Silliman University, “the first American university in the Philippines and in Asia.”  It was “established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions”, making it the first Protestant university in the Philippines.

Photo Credit: Aclarado

Concurrent with its academic undertakings, the University is engaged in collaborative research and community extension programs.  From 2000 to 2011, it has been designated as a CHED Zonal Research Center for Region VII, and in 2011, was chosen by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as one of few academic institutions to comprise a national research network which entitles the University to receive an annual allocation of P10 million for a three-year period.

Selected researches are published in the Silliman Journal, the university’s research publication.  Foremost among the university’s research outputs are those that have been undertaken in the field of Environmental and Marine Sciences, historically spearheaded by the Silliman University Marine Laboratory (SUML) now the Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (IEMS).  IEMS is a research institute in the field of marine sciences located at Silliman Beach, two kilometers north of the main campus.  Established in 1974 through a modest grant from the United Church of Canada, it has produced notable research that are presently being applied in various cooperative projects in different local communities, such as the conservation programs in Sumilon and Apo Islands.  This research institute also led in the establishment of 20 marine protected areas (MPAs) and has provided assistance to 61 others in the Visayas and Mindanao.  For its research and biodiversity conservation efforts, it was recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as the best in research program in the country.  On July of 2013, Greenpeace an international environmental organization partnered with Silliman University in conducting a reef check at Apo Island to determine the damage on the reef caused by climate change.

Photo Credit: Aclarado

Not all countries are blessed with a paradise setting and we didn’t have to work for it.

But now, we do.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apo_Island

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silliman_University

http://wikimapia.org/5253922/Silliman-University

KIMCHI

Photo Credit: by LWY

In the past, I didn’t really think much about Korean culture, other than that I like the taste of kimchi.  I didn’t really find Korean products attractive because of a bad experience with an LG TV.  Yes, I broke it watching too much TV.  But it could no longer be repaired because some parts were phased out.

On the other hand, my family had an old Sony TV which needed to be repaired.  And it was restored perfectly.

But I did also enjoy watching a Korean quiz show called The Contenders on Arirang channel because the hosts were appealing and the show had a relaxed format.  From watching the channel, I was getting this sense of how proud Koreans were of their culture.  But I still couldn’t understand why because at that time I wasn’t so fond of Korean culture.  That was before.

Before South Koreans found B-boying.

From: allthatbreak

It was in 2002 that “Korea’s Expression Crew won the prestigious international b-boying competition Battle of the Year, exposing the skill of the country’s b-boys to the rest of the world.  Since then, the Korean government has capitalized on the popularity of the dance and has promoted it alongside Korean culture.”

Wow.  The South Korean government itself promotes b-boying.

When I started working in the call center industry, I had the opportunity to receive sales training.  And one of the best things I learned is to highlight a product’s best qualities/advantages.  This is exactly what the South Korean government has done.  It has highlighted the country’s strength in b-boying.

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also has a separate department dedicated to promoting South Korean culture overseas—KOCIS, just like Spain’s Instituto Cervantes, Italy’s Società Dante Alighieri, Germany’s Goethe-Institut , and France’s Alliance Française.

When I started to like Korean culture, I had no idea about the Korean Culture and Information Service.  But aha, now I know there was someone in charge.

Lastly, I would also like to mention Samsung.  I started noticing that they were using fashion models for their ads and again, this shows how South Koreans are taking their marketing seriously.  And model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley gives us a kiss.

From: malaysiasaya

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-boying

on Foreign Investors

Photo Credit: Idobi

In high school, I remember my friend mentioning foreign investors in a cautious tone.  Because of him, I’ve learned to view them in the same light.  But let’s qualify that.

Foreign investment has benefited many nations with a scarcity of natural resources.  So of course, those investments would not be in the primary sector, but the secondary or even tertiary sectors.

Investments in the primary sector are what we have to be careful of.  I don’t believe that foreign investors in the primary sector have evil intentions.  But when the people of the country are unfairly limited in using their own natural resources for their own economic well-being, there’s definitely going to be some problems.

Let’s take Cuba for example:

The growth of American sugar estates was so quick that in 1905 nearly 10% of Cuba’s total land area belonged to American citizens. By 1902, American companies controlled 80% of Cuba’s ore exports and owned most of the sugar and cigarette factories.

Hence the huge sign above.

Another glaring example would be Iran’s petroleum industry:

“Grievances included the small fraction of revenues Iran received.  In 1947, for example, AIOC reported after-tax profits of £40 million ($112 million) – and the contractual agreement entitled Iran to just £7 million or 17.5% of profits from Iranian oil.  In addition, conditions for Iranian oil workers and their families were very bad.  The director of Iran’s Petroleum Institute wrote that:

Wages were 50 cents a day.  There was no vacation pay, no sick leave, no disability compensation.  The workers lived in a shanty town called Kaghazabad, or Paper City, without running water or electricity, … In winter the earth flooded and became a flat, perspiring lake.  The mud in town was knee-deep, and … when the rains subsided, clouds of nipping, small-winged flies rose from the stagnant water to fill the nostrils …. Summer was worse. … The heat was torrid … sticky and unrelenting – while the wind and sandstorms shipped off the desert hot as a blower. The dwellings of Kaghazabad, cobbled from rusted oil drums hammered flat, turned into sweltering ovens. … In every crevice hung the foul, sulfurous stench of burning oil …. in Kaghazad there was nothing – not a tea shop, not a bath, not a single tree. The tiled reflecting pool and shaded central square that were part of every Iranian town, … were missing here.  The unpaved alleyways were emporiums for rats.”

Why would primary sector investors be interested in the economic welfare of the people whose country they are extracting resources from, especially since they might be kicked out once that country becomes more advanced?  What we can do from now on is to always protect national interests.  And that includes eventually focusing on the secondary sector.

Photo Credit: Axe

But with regard to investment, I want to remind people of Côte d’Ivoire‘s first president Félix Houphouët-Boigny.  Although…

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew twelvefold between 1960 and 1978, from 145 to 1,750 billion CFA francs, while the trade balance continued to record a surplus.

…and…

The origin of this economic success stemmed from the president’s decision to focus on the primary sector of the economy, rather than the secondary sector.

“The economic system developed in cooperation with France was far from perfect.  As Houphouët-Boigny described it, the economy of Côte d’Ivoire experienced “growth without development”.  The growth of the economy depended on capital, initiatives and a financial framework from investors abroad; it had not become independent or self-sustaining.”

Since Ivory Coast has focused on the primary sector already, isn’t it time for the secondary sector?

If there’s no corruption, and if the quality of education improves, maybe we can achieve what South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore have done as well.

Photo Credit: William Cho

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cuba

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Persian_Oil_Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9lix_Houphou%C3%ABt-Boigny

Leadership

I wanted to write a post on Leadership after reading about Jim Skinner of McDonald’s, from Fortune magazine.  It’s uncanny that I read about him in May and then he just resigned last month.

Photo Credit: Giorgio Martini

Anyway, Jim Skinner became CEO when Charlie Bell, who was just named CEO of the company, stepped aside to recover from colorectal cancer.  Skinner was previously vice chairman when the McDonald’s executive team decided to implement a “back-to-basics turnaround strategy–the Plan to Win–with a focus on growth through increasing sales at existing stores rather than opening new locations.”  This is because in the early 2000s, the quality of the food and service had deteriorated as a result of expansion.

When Jim Skinner became CEO:

rather than shake up the already unsettled company by implementing a new approach, the no-drama Skinner came in on a platform of continuity, stressing that leadership change doesn’t mean strategy change.  “He understood that he didn’t need to rebrand the company in his own image,” says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management. “He didn’t need to imprint his persona.”

That really struck a chord with me.  My previous post was about Mistakes of my country’s government regarding Development, and I took a picture from a 6th grade Social Studies textbook that shows my country’s past presidents and their respective programs, all rebranded in their own image.

Photo Credit: brucetct

I believe in Jim Skinner’s leadership style because it can even be applied to developing countries.  It has been already, in some ways like with Malaysia under the leadership of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.  Mahathir inherited the New Economic Policy from his predecessors, but this New Economic Policy was already long-term to begin with, starting in 1971 and ending in 1990.

When Mahathir became prime minister of Malaysia in 1981, did he try to “rebrand” the country’s economic policy in his own image?  Of course it was going to end automatically in 1990, but he had 10 years of continuing that policy.  10 years.

What was one of the goals of that policy?

In 1975 the government created incentives to expand large-scale manufacturing industries and energy-intensive industries, targeting these industries and building policies around them. The Heavy Industries Corporation of Malaysia (HICOM), for example, was formed in order to assist in the manufacture of pig-iron, aluminum die casting, pulp and paper, steel, cement, motorcycle and heavy engineering. At the same time, export incentives were initiated.

That was actually spearheaded by Mahathir Mohamad when he implemented a “heavy industries policy” as Minister for Trade and Industry (1978–1981).

Photo Credit: Junta Iemura

Perhaps, Mahathir’s success was aided by the parliamentary system.  And this is what some in the Philippines have been calling for.  And those against it point to India as to why it shouldn’t be done.  Well, all of India’s development plans have been 5-year plans.  All.

Why is there a need for a new approach when the current strategy must be continued?  Does it really matter whether a developing country has a presidential or parliamentary system, when there’s isn’t even a long-term development plan to begin with?

New Economic Policy was Malaysia’s development strategy, and Mahathir Mohamad continued it because it needed to be.  Plan-to-Win became McDonald’s strategy, and Jim Skinner continued it as well, because it needed to be.

Because leadership change doesn’t mean strategy change.  Not bad for a former fry cook from Iowa.

Sources:

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/23/why-mcdonalds-wins-in-any-economy/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_New_Economic_Policy

http://www.planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/welcome.html

Mistakes II

I participated in the EDSA II Revolution.

It was an incredible, unforgettable experience.  It became one big street party that lasted for days.

Photo Credit: http://starbulletin.com/2001/02/10/editorial/special.html

I was making myself heard and collectively, those of us there had the power to direct the course of the country.

But the truth is, we probably did it just because it was Erap.  The fact that there are jokes named after him speaks volumes.

And then the one who took over was an ally of the Ampatuans of the Maguindanao Massacre.

If I could undo EDSA DOS to prevent the massacre I would.  But unless we learn from our mistakes, the same thing will happen over and over again.

Do I believe that ousted president Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada would have succeeded in leading the country towards prosperity?  No and neither have the other presidents.

In senior year of high school, I realized I wanted to become a writer to change the world.  But as time passed and after many experiences, I qualified it to be the end of poverty and educational reform.

Photo Credit: Tenzintrepp

However, philosopher Immanuel Kant stated in his Political Writings: progress can be expected to follow from the top downwards.

I agree because the state has the power to direct economic development and general educational policy.

I am communicating my ideas to as many people as possible in the hope that it may reach the top somehow.  So it’s kind of like bottom-up then top-to-bottom.

In my previous post, I mentioned the need for a decades-long Development Plan for the Philippines.  I cannot find a long-term development plan on the National Economic Development Authority website.

My Photo: Ad from the 1968 Philippine Mining Yearbook.

I also previously pointed out the need for industrialization.  To get an idea of how industrialized the Philippines is, here is a 2011 article from The Philippine Star by Ma. Elisa P. Osorio:

MANILA, Philippines – The Board of Investments (BOI) warned Global Steel Philippines Inc. (GSPI) of cancellation of registration if the steel firm fails to respond to its letter asking for a detailed report on the company’s operations.

Global Steel is the only manufacturer of hot rolled coils (HRC) and cold rolled coils (CRC) in the country. After closing down its Iligan plant last year, the Philippines has resorted to importing its steel requirements.

BOI Managing Head Cristino L. Panlilio said the agency has already sent a letter to Global Steel asking them to detail their program and how they can resume their operations. Panlilio said they have until the end of the month to respond to the letters.

The cancellation of a BOI registration would mean that Global Steel will no longer enjoy income tax holidays (ITH) and other benefits accorded to BOI-registered firms. However, Panlilio stressed that Global Steel can still operate even without BOI registration. “We will not cancel their business permits. We don’t have the authority to do that.”

At the same time, Panlilio said he will speak with one of the creditor bank of Global Steel. Panlilio said he will talk to Lucio Tan owned Philippine National Bank (PNB) to check the status of the loan.

It is important for the Iligan plant to operate because steel is a major industry and is important especially now that the country is trying to implement infrastructure projects.

We are worried that our steel industry is being left behind,” Panlilio said in an earlier interview. “We are very concerned.”

“With the construction boom, we are not even able to supply our own requirement of steel billets,” Panlilio, who is also an undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) added.

Panlilio has formed a BOI task force to investigate Global Steel. Raul V. Angeles was tasked to head the task force.

“They told us they can operate in July. They said they will be restructuring their payables,” Angeles said in a separate interview.

I am not the only one saying this.  Writer F. Sionil José mentioned this in his article “Again, why we are poor“.   Representative Teddy Casiño vowed to “work for an industrialized Philippines if” he succeeded in his senatorial run.  And Ateneo de Manila University associate professor of economics Edsel L. Beja Jr., Ph.D.  also echoes our sentiments.

My Photos: 6th grade Social Studies teacher’s manual by IBON Books with the topic of Development.

It’s great that 6th graders can be taught Development and Industrialization.  But honestly, I can feel the slowness in the Philippines without any instruction.  Roads not wide enough.  Slow road repair.  Traffic.  It all contributes to backward culture.

How can we move forward without industrialization?