the philippine pre-colonial past i know is already history :)

The journey that is QMS.

For the uninitiated QMS stands for Quality Management Systems. It is business speak, Industrial Engineering speak :)

I was given the privilege by Mapua to design and develop a learning session content on the aforementioned. I've been at it for a little over two months now. I'm on the "coding" side of it already. Putting on the complementary powerpoint presentation. And from this, the accompanying handout.

To add to my practical knowledge on the topic, I challenged myself to dig a bit. The plan was to present the topic in a fresh way. Ironically, to do that, my journey brought me back in time :)

In my research on QMS, the Japanese keep on popping up. Their influence can not be ignored. It's like the Beatles or U2. Their imprints are everywhere if you wanted to form your own rock band :)

The Japanese spirit is right in the middle of it. And it is in this fork that my shock began :)

Following the practice of doctors, in finding out why we are where we are, I asked questions. This is where my time traveling began and I was re-acquainted with the fact that, in Asia, the Philippines was only 2nd to Japan after the World War II. But right around the time of the Korean War, the Japanese economic climb accelerated and they have not looked back ever since. We currently hear about the emergence of China and of India. Japan was on this economic pace in the early to mid-50s.

It was always during this time when the economic divide between Philippines and Japan widened.

I caught myself asking, why? How come?

I mean, Japan and the Philippines belonged to the top 3 most devastated countries after World War II. The third one being Germany.

But how come, we were left behind when we were neck in neck, economically, in the 50s?

What gives? What changed?

The usual media friendly, or should I say spin doctor written answer, is the quality of leadership since the 50s to the 80s. I know that that fact has its own contribution. It definitely did not help but is that it?

So, I went back further in time. As in further back in time like pre-colonial Philippines. Like, even before Lapu-Lapu was born. No. This is even before the great, great, great, great, great grandfather of Lapu-Lapu was born :)

Wikipedia told me the following facts:

Before Magellan arrived, Negrito tribes roamed the isles, but they were later supplanted by Austronesians. These groups then stratified into: hunter-gatherer tribes, warrior-societies, petty plutocracies and maritime oriented harbor principalities which eventually grew into kingdoms, rajahnates, principalities, confederations and sultanates. States such as the Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan and Cebu, the dynasty of Tondo, the august kingdoms of Maysapan and Maynila, the Confederation of Madyaas, the sinified Country of Mai, as well as the Muslim Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao. These small states flourished from as early as the 10th century AD, Despite these kingdoms attaining complex political and social orders, as well as enjoying trade with areas now called China, India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, none encompassed the whole archipelago which was to become the unified Philippines of the twentieth century. The remainder of the settlements were independent Barangays allied with one of the larger nations.

And I was surprised. Shocked.

One must really update oneself with his country's history :)

The pre-colonial history I know when I was in Grade 6 in the 80s was not like that. Or maybe I was really a bad student of Philippine history :)

From the context I have while my eyes was gliding over those written words, I was surprised to know that before the Europeans came, nine (9) as in NINE political autonomous governments lived side by side with one another and shared the geographic space we now call the Philippines.

Wow! While the Europeans was busy outdoing one another with colonizing the world and going to war with one another, the "Indios" had the sophistication to live in peace with nine different cultures. Fascinating :)

Do not get me wrong if you sense a bit of anger. There was a time my response was tinged with anger. But I have moved beyond that. I realize everything happens for a reason. And who in the world was not colonized, except maybe for Japan and Thailand? :)

This QMS journey is something else.

This preparation is taking me longer than planned but it is fascinating. I hope the participants, if the QMS learning session would push through as scheduled, can catch the fire that was further inflamed while I was preparing :)

"... why think like mere men?"