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... = )
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