‘The greatest achievement was first, a dream’

As we march into 2021, allow me to share my hopes for the country.

But first, let me make a confession. I am dreamer and my dreams have not changed since I was a teenager. My dreams are what puts my mind at rest and what inspires me to fight another day. In the wonderland of my mind, I dream of a Philippines that has not dropped the ball since its heyday in the 1960’s and has grown in prosperity in step with Japan. I envisage a Philippines that has spawned world leading brands in the realms of technology, aerospace and pharmaceuticals – Filipino versions of Microsoft, Bombardier and Roche, if you like. Given the archipelagic composition of our islands, I imagine a Philippines that is a maritime superpower and world leader in shipping, ship building, logistics, fisheries and aquaculture. And because we are endowed with the world’s third richest deposits of minerals, I envision a Philippines that is a model of responsible mining, like Canada is, and one that equitably distributes the wealth of our land to our people.

I dream of a country with immense soft power, where every other race views all things of Filipino origin with the highest esteem. I dream that our people are looked upon not as “cheap labor” but as achievers in business, the arts and sciences. I picture Metro Manila and Cebu having the same economic and cultural gravitas as Paris or Tokyo. I visualize our children being among the most adept in math and science. And of course, I dream of a government that is responsible, honorable, competent and devoid of corruption.

Yes, I admit, my private fantasies may seem unrealistic. But are they? Let us not forget that every successful nation started with meager resources and a government steeped in corruption and ineptitude. We have seen fates of nations take a 180-degree turn in just one generation. Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are sterling examples. My dreams, however seemingly unrealistic, is my vision for the country.

As famed writer James Allen said, “The greatest achievement was first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of reality.”

That said, let me share my hopes for 2021.

I wish that a genuine reformist will emerge as a viable presidential candidate for 2022. As I have written before, the problems of our country stem from our laws itself. Many of our laws need to be amended, repealed or augmented for the economy to become truly competitive and for our institutions to become stronger. Our laws need to change to democratize leadership, to criminalize political dynasties and to solve graft and corruption once and for all. Our next Chief Executive must have clarity of vision, an unbendable political will and sense of morality strong enough to resist corruption in its many forms. We need a reformist. A traditional politician will simply not do at this stage of our development.

Fundamental to generating wealth for our people is to develop jobs in the manufacturing sector where those who work in substance farming and low-paying services can migrate to. Unfortunately, our manufacturing sector has not developed as fast as our service sector, which is why the types of services we specialize in are of the most basic and low-yielding kind (call centers, hospitality and tourism). We need to go back and strengthen our manufacturing sector and climb the value chain of technology. Only then can we migrate from being call center specialists to biotechnology specialists.

There is no escaping it. To be a wealthy nation, we must industrialize. This is why I hope the next president will make rapid industrialization a national priority. This entails making the transition from subsistence farming to technology-based agriculture. Diversifying the economy from one that specializes in two industries (electronics and IT-BPO), to one that is competent in an entire basket of trades. Widening our manufacturing base from one comprised mostly of food processing to one that encompasses complex trades such as pharmaceuticals, heavy industries and high technology.

Our next leader must put politics aside and fully implement the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law and adequately fund the National Program on Population and Family Planning.

Our population of 107 million people is growing by 1.37 percent a year. It is simply too large for our economy to support. It is among the reasons why per capita income is low and poverty incidences are high. And because government is unable to provide proper nutrition and infant care, large swath of our newborns are victims of stunted growth. They are destined to be physically and mentally underdeveloped when they enter the work force.

Education and youth development are among our biggest problems today. Paris-based Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) has determined that Filipino children are the least educated among 79 nationalities tested. In reading, or the ability to identify the main idea of a moderately long text, Filipino children were dead last among 79 nationalities. In math, Filipino students were second to the last among all nationalities. In science, Filipino students were at 71th position out of 79 countries. Less than one percent of Filipino students were at the level of their counterparts from Singapore.

My hope is for a government to prioritize education by appropriating more resources to it. I also hope the next secretary of education will be one with more foresight and sophistication than the incumbent.

I wish that government gives our capital city, Metro Manila – and also Cebu and Davao – the attention they deserve. Our cities are a reflection of our values, aspirations and achievements as a nation. The current model of city management has proven ineffective. Mayors looked inward, concerned only with the development of their respective domains. This explains why the growth of our cities has been disorganized, disjointed and bereft of a long-term vision.  Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao deserve governors of their own to synchronize city services, planning and development.

In the 1990’s, South Korea developed a movement called “hallyu” or the Korean cultural wave. The Philippines needs its own version of “hallyu” to dispel ugly stereotypes and to promote Philippine soft power. The Philippines needs to amass soft power to gain a louder voice and gravitas on the world stage.

Fates of nations come down to the quality of its leaders. My dreams can be a reality if we elect the right president in 2022. Happy New Year to all!

Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan