Great Leaders in Our Midst

TOFIL column published in Philippine Star

BEYOND THE TOFIL
by Federico M. Macaranas, Ph.D.
TOFIL Awardee for Economics, 2008
Publication date Jun 01, 2009

    As in all kinds of service that does not beg for recognition, the works of TOFIL awardees do not end with the memorable ceremony that some think cap the lifetime achievement  of the men and women honoured by the JCI Senate Philippines and the Insular Life Assurance Company Ltd.  The drive for continued service echoes what one ordinary mason was asked when interviewed on what he was doing by a curious passerby: he was not just putting brick upon brick, day in day out, to build an edifice; he proudly exclaimed “I am helping build a cathedral!”

    After the 2008 TOFIL Awards ceremony last December, I found myself ever busy in helping key opinion and action leaders of the country understand where the economy was heading in these times that are the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  In all the eight major speeches and presentations I had been asked since then, I noted the fundamental changes required for the country to contribute to a better world for all Filipinos – re-examining the moral foundations of economic systems.

    Before over 700 Rotary leaders from Northern Luzon convened in a District Assembly in Subic, I emphasized the servant leadership aspects called for in these difficult times. Most critical are listening skills, starting from one’s understanding of one’s vision of his/her role in society and extending these to what  the masses of people affected by the crisis are crying for  —job security, markets for small enterprises, security of their savings in financial institutions, personal security as criminality rises in tough times, etc.

    Beyond listening, I stressed that Rotarians should sharpen their  skills and hone their  values of healing and empathy, awareness, conceptualization, stewardship,  and persuasion, building a sense of community, and  commitment to the growth of people.

    I interspersed my presentation with the common theme of all great religions, the Golden Rule, which has its own revered verse version or passage from their great books and minds.  In Islam: No one is a believer until you desire for your neighbour that which you desire for yourself. In Hinduism: Do not do unto others which if done to you would cause you pain.  In Buddhism: Treat all creatures as you would like to be treated. In Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour – that is the basic law and the rest is commentary. Confucianism: What you do now want done to yourself, do not do to others.

    These are quite different from the macroeconomic concerns raised at the whole day forum I facilitated for several government agencies , donors and the Nat’l. Competitiveness Council on the global financial crisis impact on the Philippines  — that our weak economic condition, despite the still positive growth,  is due less to global forces and more to our long standing lack of ability to compete, foster a  robust investment climate, and  generate more employment for our people, based on a commissioned study from the Center for Research and Communications). It is indeed shocking to find out that the growth rates of our major economic sectors declined over the last ten years compared to an earlier period (1975-98): agriculture growth plunged from 1.83% to 0.76; industry fell from 3.42% to 1.20%; and services dipped from 4.28% to 3.38%.

    At the Baguio conference on leadership convened mostly for local government officials numbering over 200, I focused on the communication skills that great leaders  use.  How comforting to find out that the messages of U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression and current Pres. Barack Obama  on the current global economic and financial crisis match – that beyond the failure of markets and institutions, the more fundamental cause for our interconnected problems  is the moral failure of the participants in these systems : sub-prime  consumers  were just too greedy to own homes they could not normally afford, were it not for the equally greedy commission-earning mortgage bankers and financial players who lend them funds based on the promise of  forever-increasing home values which allowed re-mortgaging arrangements.   This short version of the origins of the current crisis returns us to reflect on the moral foundations of the modern capitalist system, something that the founder of modern economics did.  Indeed, Adam Smith wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments  before he penned the more famous The Wealth of Nations.

    Similarly, I reiterated the point before over 100 Religious of the Virgin Mary education leaders (who run nearly 100 schools in the Philippines and abroad) convened in Cagayan de Oro for a planning session, that understanding the job trends for their graduates requires a fresh understanding of the responsibility of teachers vis-a-vis  absentee parents who are mostly abroad for economic reasons, of administrators networking with overseas and local alumni to follow industry needs, etc.   The service orientation, rather than the purely economic motives behind education, should be given empahsis by all.

    The concerns of 50 public school principals in San Fernando, Pampanga’s basic education system, were different.  Faced with the Dept. of Education’s challenge to create more empowered leaders in a school-based management system, these principals are studying hard to learn both the substance and form of the new management requirements.  For five days, I taught them new ways of looking at their work environment.  Once again, they began with an individual assessment of their themselves, and I facilitated their journey into the complex world of responsibility towards their fellow teachers including their concern for their pension funds in a world of financial crisis.

    Before a Makati crowd gathered by the Futuristics Society of the Philippines, I sketched the geo-political realities of the new Obama administration as we explored the implications of Philippines-US relations.  I argued that China enters the picture in our bilateral relations precisely because China’s ascendancy as the major economic power has been hastened by the present global economic crisis.  Moreover, the Philippines really has no alternative but to factor in that aspect in its international relations. Hence, the increased importance of ASEAN and APEC in our foreign economic policy. 

    I was cited as a TOFIL awardee for my work in applied economics that is socially responsible based on a better understanding of the chaotic world rooted in Christian values.  I was quite pleased when the opportunity came to help once again a dear friend from New York City, Fr. Erno Diaz, to help propagate the devotion to San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Philippine saint.  This time around, I encouraged him to form a global ministry to take care of the spiritual needs of  overseas FIlipinos and their families left behind the country.  As the global crisis deepens and as the we get out of it rather weakly for some years to come, the family ties and social bonds of the country are going to weaken the foundation of our economy itself.  We are becoming a consumerist society dependent on the sacrifices of a few who should really be home caring for the overall development of their children.  Thankfully, the Phil. Overseas Employment Administration permitted the San Lorenzo Advisory Council to install a statue of the first Filipino saint in its premises last Holy Week , which we hope would spread around the world through the  goodness of heart and kindness of spirit of the many Filipinos who think of country above self.

Back to 2009 list