On PNoy's SONA 2012: Speaking Truth to Power

How to evaluate a SONA? In form, it should have SAD - situation, action, and direction. In substance, it should contain nothing but the truth.

As I said earlier, I'm satisfied already with the achievements of the PNoy administration in the last two years. And it will be very satisfactory if the reform promises and development targets that PNoy mentioned today would be realized in the coming years. 

Yet, we can help this government by speaking truth to power - through offering both critique and alternatives. Among many other important and urgent issues, I maintain, urge, and propose: 

• that we still lack a clear-cut development strategy which should not only be reduced to mere 'inclusive growth' rhetoric [to me, this strategy should have a synergistic framework between technology-intensive industrialization, agricultural productivity, and knowledge-based services that would be able to bring about higher incomes for workers, increasing earnings for businesses, and a larger tax base for the government to enable it to support universal social entitlements to health care, education, and other social security services];

• that the increasing GDP we have, the appreciation of the peso, and the rising indices in the stock market are not good indicators of our real economic progress or prospects, and that these figures are only desirable if they would lead to raising the standard of living of the people [hence, redistributive justice through political will and institutional reforms have to done to alter the elitist development structure where workers-led growth is only enjoyed by the privileged few];

• that the environment and ecology should be given utmost priority these days, including methods of adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as the bolder agenda for green technology production; and

• that peace and order and the fight against criminality, especially those brazen street crimes, have to be seriously eliminated.

Nevertheless, kudos to the reform efforts of PNoy and his team and most especially to all the Filipinos' achievements and contributions in the last two years of the incumbent administration. No doubt, this SONA is also a campaign speech with a view to the upcoming elections. With this speech, the reform coalition and allies of PNoy will be the team to beat. 

Now, let's continue doing good, contributing to our country's development in our own little ways, and remaining hopeful that we are on track to reclaiming a nation of peoples with a sense of social justice and a life of dignity and happiness. Right on!

References to PNoy's Third State of the Nation Address (SONA) here: 

- Speech from gov.ph and 2012 SONA Technical Report

- ON AIR: SONA 2012 | Video

The Dolphy Virtue

Watch Dolphy's Rappler profile here:

The only Juan: A Rappler profile

Salamat Mang Dolphy.... :) 

Thank you for the gift of nostalgia. The fun and laughter in your memorable shows, and especially that distinct voice and the sound of your TV sitcoms which had made growing up in the 80s and 90s in a working class, university belt neighborhood in Manila such a fond and inimitable experience. 

Thank you, too, for your unique presence in the life of a hopeful nation. Your attempts at injecting a little cheer into Filipinos' stressful lives and gloomy days are truly well appreciated. 

And most of all, I thank you for the values and simple advices that I have personally noted not only from your TV sitcoms and movies, but also from your interviews and the life that you led. I take inspiration from these ten wisdom:

• Humility. 
• Focus on what you do best.
• Put your heart in your craft. 
• Give happiness to others. 
• Have a heart of gold.
• When the going gets tough, tell yourself 'This too shall pass'. 
• Have a sense of humour. 
• Love. 
• Laugh. 
• Smile.

May we always be reminded of the Dolphy virtue. The Dolphy spirit must live on.

The Importance of Context, History, Learning, Emulation, and Timing in Policy Planning and Implementation

Reference to Mike Luz's article in Rappler here:
The importance of history


Here are some useful and commonsensical policy-making pointers for the Philippine government from Juan Miguel Luz. I particularly like the last section on 'How to ask the right questions'.... 

I agree with Luz's main thesis on the importance of 'history' and 'timing' in policy planning and implementation, but I'm afraid that he has failed to provide an adequate and astute historical perspective on his diagnosis of the problems and challenges specific to the Phillippine political-economic experiences in the intricate issues of land reform, devolution, ARMM, and K-12. 

Luz's institutionalist approach to the analysis and resolution of social and developmental issues reminds me of my short stint as a fresh grad researcher at his current institute, the Center for Development Management (Asian Institute of Management-Makati) exactly ten years ago. I remember the methods of 'organizational diagnosis' and 'lesson-drawing', as well as the related concepts of best practice, learning, emulation, and innovation. However, I think that Luz's institutionalist method has got the better of his intelligent analysis whereby he has ended up misreading the specificities of the complicated issues (especially of land reform, local government devolution, ARMM autonomy, and K-12 basic education reform) and almost reduced the complex and convoluted political-economic-social-cultural-historical problems to a simple question of institutional reform. Here, we are reminded of the Law of Instrument - 'If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail'. 

Nevertheless, this article is a reflective advice for serious consideration of our policy makers and development planners. We ought to remember that the method of best practice lesson-drawing must be examined and/or balanced with context-specific and history-sensitive policy analysis and prescriptions.

Just in time for Filipinos' reflection and for PNoy administration's prompt action....

The Enduring Challenge for PNoy's Legacy

After two years, I also give PNoy's administration a passing mark.... No doubt, some important institutional reforms are under way.... But the greatest challenge for an underdeveloped country remains: instituting fundamental 'economic' reforms, which stays forever in Filipinos' memories and the determinant of a national leader's legacy. As Walden Bello rightly asks, "What does 'inclusive growth' mean?". In our 'elitist' development structure, once the economy gains growth, it is only enjoyed by 'the few'.

The workers, the 'informal' labourers, and the poor are all organically included in the system of production and process of accumulation, but they are systematically excluded from the fruits of their own produce and labour, or simply they are inhumanely dispossessed of their collective rights to wealth, resources, nature, social entitlements, and a life of dignity.

At this time when the advanced capitalist countries of the US and Europe are in crisis - with their neoliberal, market-oriented, growth-obsessed development paradigm losing legitimacy - we should be daring enough to explore alternative futures.

The administration's ADB fanboys of 'inclusive growth' should give way to the wisdom of progressives who drafted the 'Blueprint for a Viable Philippines' for PNoy's legacy, for national development, for the good life of hopeful Filipinos....

Four more years left for PNoy's presidency, but there are only three more years left to attain the Millennium Development Goals!

To be for hope.