Why Nations Fail

In recent months, I’ve been hooked by this book entitled “Why Nations Fail” which has greatly influenced my view on the social project we are leading in the city. It is the great work of two MIT economists named Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson.

As shown by an avalanche of historical evidences, factors such as weather, geography and even culture do not definitively influence growth trajectories of societies overtime. The whole central thesis of the book is that nation’s fail mainly because of man-made political and economic institutions that underline economic success.

Political institutions primarily create economic institutions. People who hold power over a society primarily create political institutions. Looking at who holds the power is the beginning of the development narrative. Is political power held by a small number of land owning barons? Or is it dispersed to an array of diverse interests?

The book dichotomizes these political institutions as either exclusive or inclusive. Exclusive political institutions mean that it is governed by a homogenous group who uses the power of the sate to entrench and enrich their own ruling class at the expense of the broader development of the many. Inclusive political institutions mean that broader, varied and competing interests are able to hold power and use the state to enrich a broader population base.  

Since the entrenched ruling class has the incentive and the means to concentrate power upon themselves, it creates a vicious cycle of corruption and poverty. Taxes and other policies are used to finance private gain at the expense of greater societal development. At the level of the common people, there is no incentive to innovate since at anytime, their innovations might be expropriated or taxed to destruction by the state.

However, in certain convergence of historical events, these closed institutions crack up such as the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 in England where for the first time, a sovereign agreed to limit his power.

This then became a staging point for further political development of England in the next centuries which ushered broader participation by ordinary townsfolk in political affairs. They were able to draw back the power of the ruling elite and establish a system of laws that is tilted in favor the common people. 

An example, which would propel England to the world stage in the 18^th century, is its relatively fair and enforceable patent laws. Due to the demand of the common people to protect their inventions, coupled by a parliament that already has common representation, these laws were passed with little opposition by vested elites fearful of innovation.

This law gives incentives to thinkers such as Sir Isaac Newton to express their scientific discoveries. It also encourages innovators to invent the steam engine that ushered in the Industrial Revolution.

As compared to Czarist Russia at the same time, railroad development was intentionally halted out of fear that railroads would mobilize the masses faster, with the ideals of the enlightenment with it. An anxious elite would use all means and power to stop it from happening but as we later know, their own neglect was their own undoing.

As a closing, it was only when a growing conscious and educated working class who organize themselves politically and assert their power within the state structure did these societies see a dramatic change in policy and direction which ultimately made prosperity a reality for a majority of the people. Giving the middle class sufficient political power creates a virtuous cycle where the decisions produce policies in its favor which in turn would benefit society overall. 

So in the Philippines where the shadow of feudalism cover much of our provinces and cities, when will the middle class grow sufficient in size, knowledge and idealism that will enable it to change the balance of power? I guess, based form the book, it is only then when we can dream of a better Philippines. 

It will never be finished

Thank You Lord. The dedication of volunteers around us inflame our hearts more to give. This kind of work is never easy I suppose. It entails a lot of heart-work and a consistent rechecking of values. You have this set of ideals being constantly tested by an oftentimes uncooperative and unreflective reality. but we continue to move forward and build better because we know its value and its importance in itself. We do it because it is important. And as we immerse in this field, a truth simply reveals itself: that this world is unfinished - and it will never be finished. That is the whole beauty of it i guess. We do not know where our efforts will lead but we are sure that in this moment, we are attempting to live out the fullness of our humanity through service - though private individuals, we labor to build what we believe is an important public good - the common good - be it in the form of advocacy work, care for the sick, or a simple performance survey. There is meaning. There is joy. That is all we ask for in this world.

It is like planting a tree

It has been a year since we started this journey – this peculiar project where we hope to converge our skills and ideals. This project became a vehicle for us to build a grassroots web linking our own network to theirs. When barangays and public schools conduct youth development trainings, we get invited to facilitate and deliver inputs. This has been the consistent pattern, which was well pronounced during the recent months.

The platform we are provided for is an opportunity to frame our narrative as a youth project. In our inputs in the barangays and in the public school, we consistently emphasize the basic question our generation should ask and understand: Why are we poor? What made us poor? And what can we do about it?

These questions strike as the very core of our public mission. It is to reach as many young people as possible and to let them see that their personal growth and success as human beings are inextricably linked to the growth and success of their immediate community. We cannot realize our fullest potential in the absence of a community that nurtures our own development.   

Development therefore is ultimately an issue about power. Young people should understand how power flows, that is – being acted upon or the one who exert it. Considering our sheer size, our energy, our memory, which is unburdened by a past and our hearts that look into the future with brimming hope - we can choose to exert it. That spells the huge difference.

This idealism of owning our development as opposed to a development dictated by entrenched interests can be translated into practical doable things. It is as simple as reporting a broken streetlight or as complex as advocating a progressive policy. The tools are many but the idea is old and the same. We have to continue to work for and demand better public institutions.

Development as history tells us is dependent so much on the quality of our public institutions. Institution building is like planting a tree. Sometimes, we cannot see the fruits of our labor. It takes time to grow. It takes time to take root. It takes generations to fulfill. But in our time, we can say we did our best to bring a better world for the next generation to carry on.

So when asked why are we poor, never accept it as a gift from above. it is a social cancer. But unlike cancer, we have the ability to get rid of it. We have the number, the talent, and the heart to rebuild our institutions from inside and out.

OYDC's 1st Birthday

Today marks the first year anniversary of the constitution of the Oro Youth Development Council. It was exactly a year ago when youth leaders from different sectors in Cagayan de Oro City converged in the 1^st Oro Youth Leaders Convergence, articulated their concerns, planned their actions, and elected their core officers.

This social innovation project came at the most appropriate time. The Sangguniang Kabataan was suspended following years of debate about its relevance and viability. This suspension undoubtedly created a void in youth representation in our local governance processes. This came then as an opportunity for a small group of good governance advocates to propose a participatory mechanism where youth organizations from different sectors and fields can come together and directly exchange views and mobilize action on governance matters important to the youth.  

After a series of meetings with local government officers, the OYDC came to be with the election of the core officers and the issuance of Executive Order 72-2014.

This was the official start of an extra-ordinary journey. This leadership journey has led us to meaningful local policy victories, public recognition, and far-reaching partnerships with national agencies, NGOs and even international organizations. This experience, being also political in nature, became a social laboratory – a sort of on-the-job learning experience, which has allowed us to confront people in power as partner with them in our developmental goals.  

In its 1^st year of existence, these are the major highlights of the Oro Youth Development Council:

Advocacy Forums/ OYDC Youth Speak: Much of the work of the OYDC centers around issue discussion among students and youth leaders. In the past year, we have organized forums which tackled the topics on the Freedom of Information Law, The Bangsamoro Basic Law, The Diversity of Human Rights: the LGBT Perspective, Youth and Leadership, Reproductive Health, Youth Political Education and Solid Waste Management. The OYDC sees that these discussion points are essential in raising the level of awareness among the youth. Actionable information would then lead to social mobilization among the different youth groups. These advocacy forums were made possible by the partnerships with different institutions such as the National Youth Commission, Ayala Foundation, Muslim Youth Council, Xavier University Governance and Leadership Institute, KKP-SIO, The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, the United Nations Development Program, Departmetn of Education, CLENRO, CSWD, City Health, and Office of the City Mayor among others.  

Local Policy Victories:  In this front, the OYDC has tackled 4 major issues.

The first one is the removal of the “physically-fit requirement” clause in the City Scholarship Program. This was removed to erase doubts that persons with disabilities are not eligible for the scholarship program.

Secondly, the OYDC also engaged the City Council in the approval of the Farm-to-Market road subsidy issue, which was marred by political controversy. However, this gave us an opportunity to talk face-to-face with the Councilor tasked for this and both sides were able to layout their cards. The OYDC got media mileage over this engagement, which highlighted its status as a citizen advocacy group. The Farm-to-Market road subsidy was then approved late 2014.

Thirdly, the OYDC also barged into the forefront of the 2015 Budget controversy after the OYDC and PYAP programs were slashed to zero. The youth groups mobilized and protested the cuts early January which has brought resentment from opposing political groups but where joined and praised by community organizations, civil society and much of the organized youth sectors. This youth-led protest literally led the way for a series of protests designed to galvanize the public and pressure the city council to approve the proposed 2015 budget. However, the action in the streets now became a battle in the courts. We have yet to see the resolution of this controversy be it political or legal. At the meantime, OYDC has provided a blog site where the budget is posted and compared. It also published the full budget of the Special Education Fund.

Lastly, the OYDC drafted and championed the adoption of the Barangay Youth Code. This proposed legislation gave legal basis for the different youth barangay federations growing after the suspension of the SK. Major barangays have already adopted the ordinance and others are still in the process. This hopefully would highlight the important role of the youth in not only organizing events but in actual policy-making.

Representation: one of the key features of the OYDC is its participation in the different special bodies of the local government unit. At present, the OYDC is active in the Local School Boar, the Solid Waste Management Council, the Council for the protection of Children, the Search for Child-friendly Barangay, the Search for Best Barangay Lupon, Development and Security Council, the Abot Alam Task Force, Anti-drug Abuse Council, Persons with Disability Council and the Regulatory and Complaints Board.  Through these bodies, the OYDC gets direct access to policy-making and policy-implementation. The individual efforts of different youth organizations get amplified through this body and can also promote coordination of interventions. The OYDC also represented the youth sector in the United Nations Habitat and future cities program and other national conventions. It is also part of the board in the newly constituted People’s Council of Cagayan de Oro.

Services: the OYDC through its community networks also helped in referring out-of-school youth to scholarships and job openings. This is a yearlong activity. The Faith-based sector of the OYDC also integrated its faith formation and life coaching services to the City Scholarship program. During the two summers, the OYDC supervised and managed 125 SPES beneficiaries whose work included a community survey and service. In the community level, OYDC also gives capacity-building trainings as well as basic organizing skills to community-based organizations.

Moving Forward

Seeing the future, the OYDC sees its existence as a transitional body. 

The Local Youth Development and Empowerment Bill is set to replace the SK and once this becomes law, we shall transition to become a youth advocacy NGO. This bill is set to create a Local Youth Development Council which is similar to that of the OYDC. This body is composed of representatives from several youth sectors including the SK.

It removes from the SK the sole power to represent the youth sector in the legislative body. It empowers the body to elect a chairperson among themselves who has a one-year term. This chairperson ipso facto becomes the youth representative in the local legislative council. Therefore, a President of a student government or a leader of the Parish youth can become a local legislator for a year. This is more inclusive and empowering than the SK system we have grown accustomed to.

The OYDC fully supports the passage of this bill. In the meantime, the OYDC in its second year is gearing up to take on legislation lobbying. In the pipelines, the OYDC seeks to propose policies nurtured by the forums it organized during its first year. Among these are the passage of the Students’ Rights and Welfare Ordinance, the Anti-discrimination Ordinance and the Freedom of Information Ordinance.

Synthesis

In its one year, OYDC has somehow laid the impression that the youth, if given the formal opportunity to participate, can concretely contribute to the strengthening of our public institutions.

The unfolding story of the OYDC hopes to serve as an alternative model for youth empowerment where existing organized youth groups, which are more cohesive, grounded and neutral, are given the tools to widen their advocacy and given a seat at the table of policy-making.

In the long run, we hope that this can spur a culture of engaged citizenship among the young and a sense of communal ownership of the solutions as well as the challenges of the community.

This is our attempt to make our public institutions more inclusive by giving a youth leader from a far-flung barangay an equal chance as a student leader from a university to sit at the table of policy-making.

This is our attempt to make real the constitutional declaration that the youth is vital in nation-building.

Let us all start with our local government unit – the closest to the people.

Magis Awards 2015

Just keep silent. Let the feeling sink in until it consumes your heart.

That was what I struggled to do when I unearthed the challenges this young man faced in his life. When his name was called, he covered his face for a second, perhaps grappling with momentary disbelief. He then stood up and as he walked up the stage, I can only imagine how the love of his grandmother and his relatives who took care of him since the time his dreams began to take root became so clear and manifest tonight.

He received a recognition embodied in a trophy. But this trophy embodies the truth and a confirmation that the enduring power of love can allow you to see beyond the limits of your circumstance. Love nurtures an enduring faith in the inherent goodness in all things. This allows us to easily see our own goodness and our own giftedness and ultimately - make it bear good fruits in the world.

That is what I witnessed tonight. Things do fall into its proper place with love. I am so proud to have worked with you. I am so immensely grateful to have known you.

Congratulations! May others find inspiration in you and let your light shine in the world. ‪#‎amdg‬ ‪#‎magisawards2015‬

XUHS Magis Awards 2015

Good morning fellow Ateneans! Good morning Fr. Sympaico and all the faculty, former teachers. It is good to be back to the place where everything began.

First, allow me to congratulate you, the magis awardees. Among your peers, you have personified the “more in your service to the school and to the community. I also would like to congratulate all the teachers, the club moderators who share in the celebration today. But most specially, please allow me to congratulate every single Atenean inside this covered courts (including those who are absent). 

You see, though I understand that today, we award individuals for their service, we should never forget to see that their ability to lead is not just their own doing, it is not just because of their own achievement or hard work. It is not just because of your sense of exceptionalism.

That would be my first point: (You are the sum of all the people you meet.)

The confidence to lead is formed not only through your own self-reassurance and self-realization, but it is always nurtured with and because of others.  You, my dear Ateneans are the sum of all the people you meet. You can never be who you are at this moment without the people you have had made regular contact with from your friends, to your teachers, to your parents, or even to the beggar who smiled because you gave food.  You are the sum of all of these people. You achieved because of their good influence on you in many ways. So please take time to thank your seatmate or whoever you think has influenced you greatly in treading this path of service. you owe it to them.

In a practical note, the action point for this idea is about you analyzing your network and this is an advice to all of you. Take time to also analyze your network, map out those groups of people or individuals that possess a tremendous influence in your life. Try even this, visit www.wolframalpha.com which gives you information about the substance of your facebook network. It is really helpful. The point here is be conscious in building a personal network that is a good influence to you. Find mentors dear friends, you are so blessed to have plenty in campus. Meet like-minded peers and always be conscious of their influence.

As you are unique individuals, so as your leadership story. There is no standard path. There are gazillions of paths towards building good influence in the world. And that would be my second point: Do not compare yourself to others my dear Ateneans, realize that each journey of leadership is unique.  

Know this, journey of leadership is unique because it is about who you are rather than what you do. It is about you and your experiences first.

I realized this because I often share that my leadership journey, as I saw it, really began not with leading groups in the playground, but by playing video games – hear this video games – particularly Age of Empires. Why I say so? Because my sort-of-addiction to this game made me fall in love with history and ancient civilizations.  This was in grade 2! I was a nerd in grade two. I was so in love with it that all my books are all about civilizations and history and as I was introduced, I got the academic excellence award for social studies during my batch because I just love it. History showed me how societies evolve and develop. Because this fascination about societies and its leaders, it guided my choices and made me meet great people in high school and college.  It eventually led me to my present advocacy on citizenship engagement in governance – in how to improve government’s arrangement with its citizens.

Compare my story to my friend whom I met in the Oro youth development council. He lived in a shanty house at a low-cost housing area in Macasandig. He used his meager allowance to play Dota – almost everyday. He drank and smoked. That was his life. then, on December 2011 Sendong came. His house including his family and himself were washed away by the raging flood. Luckily they all survived, but guess what, they were rescued near Camiguin island. He and his family clung to a banana truck and this saved their lives. This close brush with death changed his life forever. After recovering from Sendong, he made his own volunteer group in his relocation site and became an active member of his local parish. Now he is the youth representative in the whole city in disaster preparedness and mitigation under the CDRMC.

See how completely different our stories are. I would even think that mine is nothing close to inspiring. But the point here is this: It is not so much about the positions we took but it is mostly all about the experiences that made us who we are. So never worry that you are not active in your organization or you have not handled any bigger responsibility now. If you just see and understand your consistent patterns, sooner or later your leadership story will begin to unfold in your own way and in your own time. 

In a practical note, my advice to all of you here is please keep a journal. Take time to write your feelings and thoughts down in a span of six months. Record your high moments and low moments, the ideas, things and people that excite you and that desolate you. Record these things and when you review it, you will begin to see decipherable patterns of yourself. Seeing where you gravitate towards, be it science, k-pop, social studies or math, is an empowering feeling that will lead you to make better choices and better investments in your time and involvements. And this will eventually develop into confidence and then influence.

Lastly, my third point: Leadership is action, after seeing the world in a different lens.

Oftentimes, when we reflect about our community outreach or immersion, we say this: “I realized that I am so blessed. - Period”. Good that you felt that but please push that a little bit further. Be reasonably disturbed why others do not have what you have! Think of solutions to that! Then act on it! And if you want to push it a little more, challenge attitudes and mindsets! You, my dear Ateneans, have that power to change things. You have a power now that past generations do not have. You know what it is? It is called social media. You have seen it. It is a double-edged sword. You can use it to do evil or good.  Revolutions against dictators in the Middle East started with 120 characters or less, the million people march against pork barrel started with a Facebook rant, and a student in his room, posting a picture of pupils swimming to get to school, raised thousands of pesos to buy boats.  Social media is your power. In a practical note, since you spend xxxx hours on it a day, why not use it on something meaningful rather than flooding selfies on other people’s feeds. You can mobilize people for a clean-up drive in Facebook; start a scholarship fund, report corruption, and share ideas and opinions worthy of a share. Use your social media influence wisely and strategically. Use if for the good.  

With all these are said and done, Do you now know what is the difference between you – the Atenean and the rest?  An Atenean sees his education not just as a means for him to secure a competitive edge in a globalized economy; he primarily sees his education as a powerful tool that can liberate and empower others, especially those who are voiceless, those who are powerless, those who cannot even think for themselves and even to those who don’t even care. That I believe is an image of uncle iggy’s call on setting the world on fire. We go to where others do not dare of going. We go where the greater need is. We use or giftedness and our talents into a concrete matter that builds people up. We tutor street kids after class, we set up businesses with a social cause, we organize to challenge unjust systems, we do not profit from corruption, we live simply so that others may simply live.

I close with Maya Angelou’s line. An American poet who just passed. She said that in her long life, she realized that people will forget what you did. People will forget what you said. But people will never forget how you made them feel.

THANK YOU!