This is the easy story that sells airtime that attracts advertising money that eventually earns profit that sustains a lifestyle that enslaves... that promotes the status quo:
"Globally there is a rice shortage.
Someone is hoarding our rice inventories
to increase price.
The people that hoards our rice inventories
are the people that are friends to the powers-that-be
for there are the people that can really get away with it.
And the reason these people can get away with this
is because the government are in cahoots with them
they make money out of it, too
And why do the government people need to make money out of it?
It is because, they are greedy people!"
That's a nice story. But that's not the whole truth.
And if it is not the whole truth, then it is lie.
There's a silver lining for this sudden interest in rice production
I hope the media really tells the whole story.
Because, they are not still telling the whole story.
And I hope the people that can effect change
can see the whole and true situation
Consider this related events
We increase rice production...
By developing locale-based rice seedling
By developing irrigation
By developing organic fertilizers or even the chemical ones
Be developing farm to market roads
But if we do not fix the next link,
The middle man LIKE the threshers and the millers
All is lost.
We get the rice we eat not from the farms
but from the middle man.
And the middle men are not "scientists"
The middle men are business people
whose objective is to make a profit
And they make a profit because they understand
... Negotiations and the law of demand and supply.
Why do you think the farmers are still poor?
Is because the lack of hard work?
Or is the lack of knowing the value chain?
The issue on the farm is one of technology
The issue on the farm is one of science
And science do not lie
It follows the law of nature
But the issue on the middle man is different
It is a battle between good and evil.
A battle that has been waged since the Garden of Eden.
Ask these questions?
What process does the NFA go thru to know how much rice to import?
What are the variables involved in it?
What is the formula they use?
And who gave them the raw data they use in computing for the unknown in the formula?
And how did they get this data?
Are the sources of these data reliable?
The light comes from knowing the central issue of - who really benefits from the status quo?
The situation will only change if the party that is being hurt by the status quo will reach millions, like the whole Philippines = )
The status quo will learn to adapt but the status quo will not be sustainable because our realities are different to the reality that birthed the current system.
We need a new system and a new heart in bringing rice from the farm to our dining tables. This trying moment could be the Filipino's finest moment, yet.
Lord, thy will be done!
Friday
handsome and beautiful
Just overheard
"On those days
when they had young people's praise
and old people's blame..."
"On those days
when they had young people's praise
and old people's blame..."
Monday
Good Friday wisdom
When my high school friends, the Kaka, meet - the conversation that unfolds is part nostalgia and part transcendental in a funny way.
Every moment is a special moment. We affirm one another. We strengthen one another. We make one another young. We make one another seasoned with wisdom the next.
A part of the conversation this Friday past that's worth mentioning is the treatise between two opposing thoughts: [1] Life is short, let's be happy (happy in a sense of threading on irresponsibility) and [2] Life is short, so why make it shorter?
The conversation landed on this topic because we are all in our mid-30s. I am the youngest in this group. Some are turning 36 this year. Some are turning 35. And I am (I think Gary, too) turning 34. Aside from this biological fact, Edward, our sports science expert, is working on his graduate thesis that has something to do with the dynamics of exercise and nutrition.
One or two of the Kaka are Edward's lab rats = )
So, they were sharing the journey and the experience of being Anakin to Master Edward. From the smile-filled exchange, it seems that Edward's hypothesis is being proven right. (I'll let Edward publish his results in academic journal.)
And since, some of our are actually family men - health is paramount. As they say, one of the ways for a man to show his love to his family is to love the wife and to stay healthy.
I saw the "life is short, so why make it shorter..." with fresh eyes.
I know I will feel guilty if ever my life will become shorter because of my habits. I will feel guilty because I won't be able to finish what I am suppose to finish on this earth.
When I was 28, I had this breakthrough (to borrow from Jerry Maguire) about the "why" question I have been asking since college.
I felt small when I found out what was my calling. But as I followed the calling, I never felt more alive in my life. I honestly leave everything in the classroom. I love the feeling of being exhausted at the end of the day. I feel good that I did not shortchange the class, the school and above all, the Audience of One.
Well, life is short, so, why make it shorter?
Let's add - live strong!
Every moment is a special moment. We affirm one another. We strengthen one another. We make one another young. We make one another seasoned with wisdom the next.
A part of the conversation this Friday past that's worth mentioning is the treatise between two opposing thoughts: [1] Life is short, let's be happy (happy in a sense of threading on irresponsibility) and [2] Life is short, so why make it shorter?
The conversation landed on this topic because we are all in our mid-30s. I am the youngest in this group. Some are turning 36 this year. Some are turning 35. And I am (I think Gary, too) turning 34. Aside from this biological fact, Edward, our sports science expert, is working on his graduate thesis that has something to do with the dynamics of exercise and nutrition.
One or two of the Kaka are Edward's lab rats = )
So, they were sharing the journey and the experience of being Anakin to Master Edward. From the smile-filled exchange, it seems that Edward's hypothesis is being proven right. (I'll let Edward publish his results in academic journal.)
And since, some of our are actually family men - health is paramount. As they say, one of the ways for a man to show his love to his family is to love the wife and to stay healthy.
I saw the "life is short, so why make it shorter..." with fresh eyes.
I know I will feel guilty if ever my life will become shorter because of my habits. I will feel guilty because I won't be able to finish what I am suppose to finish on this earth.
When I was 28, I had this breakthrough (to borrow from Jerry Maguire) about the "why" question I have been asking since college.
I felt small when I found out what was my calling. But as I followed the calling, I never felt more alive in my life. I honestly leave everything in the classroom. I love the feeling of being exhausted at the end of the day. I feel good that I did not shortchange the class, the school and above all, the Audience of One.
Well, life is short, so, why make it shorter?
Let's add - live strong!
Saturday
It was a GOOD Friday! ver 2.0
It was fun. It was reflective.
Levi arrived around 8pm and shared his story as he covered and took pictures of re-enactment of crucifixion in Pampanga.
We were boys for a moment. And then men in a heartbeat. And then, fathers and boyfriends the next.
It was a Good Friday!
Levi arrived around 8pm and shared his story as he covered and took pictures of re-enactment of crucifixion in Pampanga.
We were boys for a moment. And then men in a heartbeat. And then, fathers and boyfriends the next.
It was a Good Friday!
It was a GOOD Friday!
I really think that if you really want to have a reflective Holy Week, it is best to stay in the Metro. Promise.
Yesterday was Good Friday.
I got friends way back from High School that has this penchant for doing a Visita Iglesia. So, when the annual invite arrived, I said, "Yes!" (The invite also helped to brighten the mood for the past days were really serious for me.)
I am blessed to have this privilege of spending time with high school buddies. It was over 21 years ago when I met most of them. Yes. I am that old. God willingly, I will be 34 this 25th of September.
As we journeyed through our 14 selected churches in a AUV driven by Gary and then by Normand, Jojit described the whole experience as something akin to an episode of an Amazing Race. And I guess with that you will have this idea that this Visita Iglesia is different and right in a lot of levels.
As we enter each of the churches, we reflect and said our prayers led by Gary's wife Cecil. I felt something particular, a peace, as we enter a church ran by the Pink Sisters in New Manila. I went down on my knees and communed with God Almighty as I did that morning.
After the 3rd church, someone suggested lunch so we had one. By past twelve, we were off again. Jojit was taking his pictures for documentation. And as we reached Sto. Domingo, we fetched our birhday boy Edward that enlightened us about the story behind the two intertwined churches in Legarda. We finished our 13th and 14th station in historic Intramuros where Caucasian tourists abound.
After that we went to Alvin's place on Quezon City and drove to Jojit's pad where we renewed and strengthen the bond that started more than two decades ago.
The conversation was fluid. From health, to getting old, to the environment, to business, to movies, to God, to marriage, and to whatever...
It was a Good Friday!
Yesterday was Good Friday.
I got friends way back from High School that has this penchant for doing a Visita Iglesia. So, when the annual invite arrived, I said, "Yes!" (The invite also helped to brighten the mood for the past days were really serious for me.)
I am blessed to have this privilege of spending time with high school buddies. It was over 21 years ago when I met most of them. Yes. I am that old. God willingly, I will be 34 this 25th of September.
As we journeyed through our 14 selected churches in a AUV driven by Gary and then by Normand, Jojit described the whole experience as something akin to an episode of an Amazing Race. And I guess with that you will have this idea that this Visita Iglesia is different and right in a lot of levels.
As we enter each of the churches, we reflect and said our prayers led by Gary's wife Cecil. I felt something particular, a peace, as we enter a church ran by the Pink Sisters in New Manila. I went down on my knees and communed with God Almighty as I did that morning.
After the 3rd church, someone suggested lunch so we had one. By past twelve, we were off again. Jojit was taking his pictures for documentation. And as we reached Sto. Domingo, we fetched our birhday boy Edward that enlightened us about the story behind the two intertwined churches in Legarda. We finished our 13th and 14th station in historic Intramuros where Caucasian tourists abound.
After that we went to Alvin's place on Quezon City and drove to Jojit's pad where we renewed and strengthen the bond that started more than two decades ago.
The conversation was fluid. From health, to getting old, to the environment, to business, to movies, to God, to marriage, and to whatever...
It was a Good Friday!
11 out of 34
That's the number of people that did not make the cut.
I know they tried. I know they gave the effort. I know. And my heart truly breaks when I see someone who tries and struggles but in the end, it was not meant to be this time.
Maybe the next.
I believe that there are no unintelligent people on earth. I think everybody is intelligent.
We do not perform "as expected" because we are not yet fully aware of what it means to be in a moment. A moment that will be gone forever. It could also be because we do not have a burning question that we really want to answer. (And by "a burning question" I meant something like being in a situation wherein you are head over heels over someone and even if your pride and your vanity won't allow you to admit it, you want to know if that someone feels the same way as you do. As in you really want to know!)
I am curious to know what will be the answer if I ask the class why they go to school. Would they say the usual answer like duty to parents and for a brighter future? Or would they truly surprise me with their honest, naked, raw and vulnerable replies?
I am hoping to be surprise but their answers. Lord, please surprise me = )
Lord, I raise everybody who were once my student. Thank You for the privilege. I hope I did more good than harm = )
Father, please make them realize the truth that the college diploma that they receive in school is just a start. That it is not an entitlement for a bright future but simply a chance to make a wonderful future.
Father, help them also see that they can be their own university. Father, give them a burning question. Please.
And Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be of service to You. Thank you for the mercy You have shown my inconsistent me.
I know they tried. I know they gave the effort. I know. And my heart truly breaks when I see someone who tries and struggles but in the end, it was not meant to be this time.
Maybe the next.
I believe that there are no unintelligent people on earth. I think everybody is intelligent.
We do not perform "as expected" because we are not yet fully aware of what it means to be in a moment. A moment that will be gone forever. It could also be because we do not have a burning question that we really want to answer. (And by "a burning question" I meant something like being in a situation wherein you are head over heels over someone and even if your pride and your vanity won't allow you to admit it, you want to know if that someone feels the same way as you do. As in you really want to know!)
I am curious to know what will be the answer if I ask the class why they go to school. Would they say the usual answer like duty to parents and for a brighter future? Or would they truly surprise me with their honest, naked, raw and vulnerable replies?
I am hoping to be surprise but their answers. Lord, please surprise me = )
Lord, I raise everybody who were once my student. Thank You for the privilege. I hope I did more good than harm = )
Father, please make them realize the truth that the college diploma that they receive in school is just a start. That it is not an entitlement for a bright future but simply a chance to make a wonderful future.
Father, help them also see that they can be their own university. Father, give them a burning question. Please.
And Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be of service to You. Thank you for the mercy You have shown my inconsistent me.
Thursday
there are only a few days more "life-heigthened" than today
It's so serious is funny.
Here's the thing, no matter how our lives turn out - we ALL end up the same way... dead. I won't be the first one to say that. King Solomon was right when he wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes with an epic proportion statement of - "Everything is meaningless."
A comedian also once that we should not take life so serious because we will not come out of it alive = )
But please do not get me wrong. I do not intend to advocate that we should all be merry and party because that is simply stupidity. And that will ruin the environment even further.
You know what, I also happen to realize that Jesus Christ, aside from the usual role we give Him as our Lord and Saviour, that He is also an economist.
I mean, He was the first one who told that we should not store up riches that gather moths. He said that we should instead gather riches in heaven.
That thought makes economic sense now that we are in this midst of "green revolution". All the economic growth that we had over the past century and all the riches and wealth we created have decayed our environment. Just a thought.
Well, for those who mean well for me and those who I love, please pray for us. Pray for healing and for God to show mercy.
And pray for the leaders of the world, that includes our GMA, that they move the way He wants them to move.
Life has more meaning when one knows that it is finite.
We will all go back home... someday.
Here's the thing, no matter how our lives turn out - we ALL end up the same way... dead. I won't be the first one to say that. King Solomon was right when he wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes with an epic proportion statement of - "Everything is meaningless."
A comedian also once that we should not take life so serious because we will not come out of it alive = )
But please do not get me wrong. I do not intend to advocate that we should all be merry and party because that is simply stupidity. And that will ruin the environment even further.
You know what, I also happen to realize that Jesus Christ, aside from the usual role we give Him as our Lord and Saviour, that He is also an economist.
I mean, He was the first one who told that we should not store up riches that gather moths. He said that we should instead gather riches in heaven.
That thought makes economic sense now that we are in this midst of "green revolution". All the economic growth that we had over the past century and all the riches and wealth we created have decayed our environment. Just a thought.
Well, for those who mean well for me and those who I love, please pray for us. Pray for healing and for God to show mercy.
And pray for the leaders of the world, that includes our GMA, that they move the way He wants them to move.
Life has more meaning when one knows that it is finite.
We will all go back home... someday.
Tuesday
64.56 ver 2.0
Why so "high" a standard?
First, this is a perception.
Second, it is not a "high" standard because this is the the generation that will have to solve problems such as global warming... such as, how do proceed when rice prices increases because our lands will be used to produce corn which is an additive for ethanol?... such as, how do we handle a reality where the prices of oil is over $110/barrel?
If our minds are not used to "thinking", then we will always be slaves to those who talks the loudest. We will always be victims.
I firmly believe that we are all intelligent. It is the ability to think that I usually question. But this is not a put down. Because "to think" is a verb. It's an act. It's a decision like a decision to stand up and walk. It's like a decision to see someone... to woo someone... to love someone.
I've known people who have average intelligence but are relentless thinkers. And these people will "defeat" highly intelligent people who are lazy thinkers.
Here's the thing, I know for certain that all of you study. That all of you listen. That all of you read. That all of you put an effort. I know that for certain.
But I am only hoping when it comes to the thinking part.
First, this is a perception.
Second, it is not a "high" standard because this is the the generation that will have to solve problems such as global warming... such as, how do proceed when rice prices increases because our lands will be used to produce corn which is an additive for ethanol?... such as, how do we handle a reality where the prices of oil is over $110/barrel?
If our minds are not used to "thinking", then we will always be slaves to those who talks the loudest. We will always be victims.
I firmly believe that we are all intelligent. It is the ability to think that I usually question. But this is not a put down. Because "to think" is a verb. It's an act. It's a decision like a decision to stand up and walk. It's like a decision to see someone... to woo someone... to love someone.
I've known people who have average intelligence but are relentless thinkers. And these people will "defeat" highly intelligent people who are lazy thinkers.
Here's the thing, I know for certain that all of you study. That all of you listen. That all of you read. That all of you put an effort. I know that for certain.
But I am only hoping when it comes to the thinking part.
Sunday
64.56
64.56
That's the passing mark for IE423 course or what is called as Strategic Planning and Management for those who are under the Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management program at Mapua Institute of Technology.
I've heard the remarks that it is hard. Sometimes it is coupled with "'di naman kasama sa Applied IE, pero mahirap." Sometimes, it also coupled with "Sige na Sir. Next term kasi, kung uulitin namin, 'yan? 'yan lang ang kukunin namin." The worst plea is this - "Sige na Sir, pasa na ninyo kami. Engineering Management naman 'yung course namin, eh."
These are snapshots comments I've heard over the past eight years I've been teaching and everytime I hear it, my heart breaks over these comments.
For one, the students really does not get it yet. That life is not an entitlement but hard work. That life is about cause and effect. That "we reap what we sow.."
Someone said, "If we think education is expensive and hard, why don't we try ignorance for a change? Let's see where that leads us to..."
My dear students, over the past days, my awareness of the finiteness of life is heigthened - do hear me out...
I am this way because of these following beliefs:
1. You will do a Practicum Research soon. If you can not see and understand the holistic view of things, you will have a difficult time trying to justify why you have to do this particular research.
2. If you pass because "napakiusapan si Sir, eh!" then, why go to school and pay the expensive tuition fees. Go to Recto and get yourself a Transcript of Records and a freshly minted Diploma. This alternative will save your parents time, effort and money. Plus, this alternative will also save you the effort of "requesting".
I know your struggles for I also was once a student. I came from Tundo, the meanest streets there is in Manila. I saw poverty.
I saw, lived and triumphed over the process of overcoming. I know what it means and I know the value of that.
When I was your age, my parents did provide for me but I have to work and act in theater to support what I think I need to learn, to get ahead. With the help of our Almighty Lord, the poverty around me helped me see what I want.
The questions now for you is this, "What do you do with the hardships thrown at you?"
That's the passing mark for IE423 course or what is called as Strategic Planning and Management for those who are under the Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management program at Mapua Institute of Technology.
I've heard the remarks that it is hard. Sometimes it is coupled with "'di naman kasama sa Applied IE, pero mahirap." Sometimes, it also coupled with "Sige na Sir. Next term kasi, kung uulitin namin, 'yan? 'yan lang ang kukunin namin." The worst plea is this - "Sige na Sir, pasa na ninyo kami. Engineering Management naman 'yung course namin, eh."
These are snapshots comments I've heard over the past eight years I've been teaching and everytime I hear it, my heart breaks over these comments.
For one, the students really does not get it yet. That life is not an entitlement but hard work. That life is about cause and effect. That "we reap what we sow.."
Someone said, "If we think education is expensive and hard, why don't we try ignorance for a change? Let's see where that leads us to..."
My dear students, over the past days, my awareness of the finiteness of life is heigthened - do hear me out...
I am this way because of these following beliefs:
1. You will do a Practicum Research soon. If you can not see and understand the holistic view of things, you will have a difficult time trying to justify why you have to do this particular research.
2. If you pass because "napakiusapan si Sir, eh!" then, why go to school and pay the expensive tuition fees. Go to Recto and get yourself a Transcript of Records and a freshly minted Diploma. This alternative will save your parents time, effort and money. Plus, this alternative will also save you the effort of "requesting".
I know your struggles for I also was once a student. I came from Tundo, the meanest streets there is in Manila. I saw poverty.
I saw, lived and triumphed over the process of overcoming. I know what it means and I know the value of that.
When I was your age, my parents did provide for me but I have to work and act in theater to support what I think I need to learn, to get ahead. With the help of our Almighty Lord, the poverty around me helped me see what I want.
The questions now for you is this, "What do you do with the hardships thrown at you?"
Thursday
from the depths of my soul
Lord,
I did my part.
I took care of myself.
I ate the right food almost always if we consider red meat as bad.
I drank the healthy drink almost always if we consider soft drinks as bad.
I exercised.
For over three years...
Ran for more than 45 minutes twice a week.
Raised my heart beat to almost 80% of my maximum
(220-my age)*.80
To bring down my cholosterol levels.
To increased my HDL.
I do not know why.
But my heart is filled with something.
And my eyes can only show the overflow of tears...
But YOU brought me here.
Then, YOU brought me here.
That's all I need to know.
I did my part.
I took care of myself.
I ate the right food almost always if we consider red meat as bad.
I drank the healthy drink almost always if we consider soft drinks as bad.
I exercised.
For over three years...
Ran for more than 45 minutes twice a week.
Raised my heart beat to almost 80% of my maximum
(220-my age)*.80
Even walked for almost an hour everyday.
That's what the doctor said to make the heart healthy.To bring down my cholosterol levels.
To increased my HDL.
I do not know why.
But my heart is filled with something.
And my eyes can only show the overflow of tears...
But YOU brought me here.
Then, YOU brought me here.
That's all I need to know.
Tuesday
i am dust
Today, I am reminded that I am just a blip in eternity.
... a dust.
That at the end of the day,
I have no power to hold back the will of the Lord.
That at the end of the day,
I really do not have anything.
I came into this world with nothing,
and that all I "have" now was simply given, loaned to me.
Lord, prepare me.
Lord, prepare those who I love.
And thank You, Lord.
You have been good to me...
Help me see what You want me to see.
... a dust.
That at the end of the day,
I have no power to hold back the will of the Lord.
That at the end of the day,
I really do not have anything.
I came into this world with nothing,
and that all I "have" now was simply given, loaned to me.
Lord, prepare me.
Lord, prepare those who I love.
And thank You, Lord.
You have been good to me...
Help me see what You want me to see.
Monday
Mister Wolfhenson ver 2.0
Bankers are usually measured on wealth creation metrics. So I thought, it is appropriate to ask this question, "... what is your personal framework when it comes to making investments?"
His answer was an apt one, too. "Since you asked me a personal question, I'll give you a personal answer - 20% to charity and the rest to whatever is to one's self interest."
Off the bat. I think he said the "20% to charity" part because we were in the presence of the La Sallian Brothers for the lecture was hosted by the Archers = )
(By the way, kudos to DLSU for tastefully hosting the event.)
On the second part of the answer, well, it is a classic reply taken from the Book of Adam Smith, the Father of Economics as we know it. Maybe I was being naive, hopeful to a fault. This is after all - a banker. Maybe the grandfatherly look did me in. Or maybe I was hoping to hear something transcendental. Mister Wolfhenson after all has seen it from the top and from over 180 countries.
I was hoping... Oh, well. But I am not disappointed.
But I got worried when he said that he was surprised to see our poverty statistics. He thought that it would be better, smaller. He held this view because our economic growth, GDP, from his eyes, is one of the better ones in South East Asia.
I am worried because it only means that there is a huge possibility that the "Man in the ivory tower in World Bank" does not get the logic of Philippine numbers.
Can you imagine the impact of a "distorted" view of our situation? Think about policies and decisions derived from this distorted view?
What if the numbers and metrics they use to measure a country's created wealth is already off? Way off?
What if they do not see the expanded truth anymore?
Oh, God - the system will painfully kick us back to reality! And this time, the system will kick us in a GLOBAL scale!
... and a new adventure begins... = )
His answer was an apt one, too. "Since you asked me a personal question, I'll give you a personal answer - 20% to charity and the rest to whatever is to one's self interest."
Off the bat. I think he said the "20% to charity" part because we were in the presence of the La Sallian Brothers for the lecture was hosted by the Archers = )
(By the way, kudos to DLSU for tastefully hosting the event.)
On the second part of the answer, well, it is a classic reply taken from the Book of Adam Smith, the Father of Economics as we know it. Maybe I was being naive, hopeful to a fault. This is after all - a banker. Maybe the grandfatherly look did me in. Or maybe I was hoping to hear something transcendental. Mister Wolfhenson after all has seen it from the top and from over 180 countries.
I was hoping... Oh, well. But I am not disappointed.
But I got worried when he said that he was surprised to see our poverty statistics. He thought that it would be better, smaller. He held this view because our economic growth, GDP, from his eyes, is one of the better ones in South East Asia.
I am worried because it only means that there is a huge possibility that the "Man in the ivory tower in World Bank" does not get the logic of Philippine numbers.
Can you imagine the impact of a "distorted" view of our situation? Think about policies and decisions derived from this distorted view?
What if the numbers and metrics they use to measure a country's created wealth is already off? Way off?
What if they do not see the expanded truth anymore?
Oh, God - the system will painfully kick us back to reality! And this time, the system will kick us in a GLOBAL scale!
... and a new adventure begins... = )
Friday
Mister Wolfhenson
I read his thoughts first before I had the chance to post a question directly at him.
When I was finishing my Paper in my Graduate studies, I had to read about the World Bank and their publicized policy on the banking system and during that time, it was him who sat as its President. If I remember correctly, the steep learning curve of the Bank back then was the lesson-filled Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.
For a banker, he is grandfatherly. Maybe time has already done its beautiful work on him. I can only see a Monet-shade of a man driven by wealth-creation.
What struck me most was the off-the-cuff remark when he tried to put into context the perceived emergence of The Dragon (China) and of The Elephant (India) unto the global economic stage. He said that it was nothing new. What we are seeing now is a world liked the one we all had back in the 15th to 16th century when most of the world GDP could be directly traced back to this two very old civilizations.
It was a surprise to hear it because you will not hear those insights or facts from the current broadcast media.
I also was surprised when he agreed to the evolving notion that the world is not anymore a cut and dry "developed countries and developing countries". He agreed to the framework that we now live in a 4-wheeled global economy: the developed, the globalizers, the developing and the poor.
Coming from someone who saw the world a lot better than most of us would in our lifetime, due to the fact that in the the ten years he held the office as The President of the World Bank, he has visited around 180 countries, the 4-wheeled world hypothesis have a credible witness.
And from those visits, he saw the relationship of poverty to environmental abuse.
When I asked about what are the top 3 environmental issues that we all face, he pointed to: [1] Energy, [2] Water and [3] Making the next generation feel that they are custodians of Mother Earth.
Upon reflecting, those three carried a lot of weight.
The lifestyle we embrace depends so much on energy. Think "malling". How much energy does it take to airconditioned such a huge space for free? If we are to green-up energy, we will "touch or change" the very lifestyle we all like and embrace.
The battle of the early recorded history was always about who really "owned" the resources. Think Nile River and the wars waged by Ancient Egypt against its neighbours. And the fact that we won't survive without potable water, puts water, a resource we currently hold lightly, to a dramatic spotlight = )
The last, really embraces the truth that we are really connected. The past to the present and to the future. The old to the young and to the hope of the next generation.
Serious, I did not expect those insights from a banker. Maybe it's just a fitting reminder to the jaded part of me that, at the onset, the World Bank (and the IMF) had noble ambitions. They were created after the World War II to help the devasted countries rise up from the evils of war.
When I was finishing my Paper in my Graduate studies, I had to read about the World Bank and their publicized policy on the banking system and during that time, it was him who sat as its President. If I remember correctly, the steep learning curve of the Bank back then was the lesson-filled Asian Financial Crisis of 1997.
For a banker, he is grandfatherly. Maybe time has already done its beautiful work on him. I can only see a Monet-shade of a man driven by wealth-creation.
What struck me most was the off-the-cuff remark when he tried to put into context the perceived emergence of The Dragon (China) and of The Elephant (India) unto the global economic stage. He said that it was nothing new. What we are seeing now is a world liked the one we all had back in the 15th to 16th century when most of the world GDP could be directly traced back to this two very old civilizations.
It was a surprise to hear it because you will not hear those insights or facts from the current broadcast media.
I also was surprised when he agreed to the evolving notion that the world is not anymore a cut and dry "developed countries and developing countries". He agreed to the framework that we now live in a 4-wheeled global economy: the developed, the globalizers, the developing and the poor.
Coming from someone who saw the world a lot better than most of us would in our lifetime, due to the fact that in the the ten years he held the office as The President of the World Bank, he has visited around 180 countries, the 4-wheeled world hypothesis have a credible witness.
And from those visits, he saw the relationship of poverty to environmental abuse.
When I asked about what are the top 3 environmental issues that we all face, he pointed to: [1] Energy, [2] Water and [3] Making the next generation feel that they are custodians of Mother Earth.
Upon reflecting, those three carried a lot of weight.
The lifestyle we embrace depends so much on energy. Think "malling". How much energy does it take to airconditioned such a huge space for free? If we are to green-up energy, we will "touch or change" the very lifestyle we all like and embrace.
The battle of the early recorded history was always about who really "owned" the resources. Think Nile River and the wars waged by Ancient Egypt against its neighbours. And the fact that we won't survive without potable water, puts water, a resource we currently hold lightly, to a dramatic spotlight = )
The last, really embraces the truth that we are really connected. The past to the present and to the future. The old to the young and to the hope of the next generation.
Serious, I did not expect those insights from a banker. Maybe it's just a fitting reminder to the jaded part of me that, at the onset, the World Bank (and the IMF) had noble ambitions. They were created after the World War II to help the devasted countries rise up from the evils of war.
Saturday
29 Feb 2008 Scene in Makati
Passionate.
It really feels like the good old days of the Street Activist is back. What I saw seems like the truth. Politicians from both camps came and expressed their piece. The people who went is a cut across the social classes. The "religious" is also present, too.
But I think we missed something.
Drowned out from all the fiery political speeches and the first quater storm-feel rock and roll acts is the fact that source of all this airwave hog, ZTE fiasco, is the point that we, as a nation, are in the path of infrastructure rebuilding.
Why is this an important point?
It means that whoever sits in The Palace, YES "WHOEVER", will always be vulnerable to the next political scandal. It's just a matter how fast or how power driven the "Whoever will be the Opposition by then" can create discontent, hog the limelight and mobilize the masses.
The next few years will be about infrastructure building for us, Filipinos.
This will be a time to build a communication network to link all government offices for better services to the Filipinos. This will be time to build a transportation network to link our rich agricultural lands to the markets of old cosmopolitan and the evolving ones thus uplifting the economic lives of our farmer brothers.
It means that if we do not fix the system in qualifying our suppliers we will always have the next ZTE scandal. And by then the supposed current Opposition will be in power and they will face the same crap that they are throwing at the Palace now.
...and history will repeat itself. Sad. Cynically funny.
Could we change the subject?
It really feels like the good old days of the Street Activist is back. What I saw seems like the truth. Politicians from both camps came and expressed their piece. The people who went is a cut across the social classes. The "religious" is also present, too.
But I think we missed something.
Drowned out from all the fiery political speeches and the first quater storm-feel rock and roll acts is the fact that source of all this airwave hog, ZTE fiasco, is the point that we, as a nation, are in the path of infrastructure rebuilding.
Why is this an important point?
It means that whoever sits in The Palace, YES "WHOEVER", will always be vulnerable to the next political scandal. It's just a matter how fast or how power driven the "Whoever will be the Opposition by then" can create discontent, hog the limelight and mobilize the masses.
The next few years will be about infrastructure building for us, Filipinos.
This will be a time to build a communication network to link all government offices for better services to the Filipinos. This will be time to build a transportation network to link our rich agricultural lands to the markets of old cosmopolitan and the evolving ones thus uplifting the economic lives of our farmer brothers.
It means that if we do not fix the system in qualifying our suppliers we will always have the next ZTE scandal. And by then the supposed current Opposition will be in power and they will face the same crap that they are throwing at the Palace now.
...and history will repeat itself. Sad. Cynically funny.
Could we change the subject?
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