THE BLOG
This blog might be another voice crying in the wilderness. So what?
If the thoughts expressed here can get to just one person who has the power to make things happen and who can rescue this country from the sorry state it’s in now, all the crying wouldn’t be in vain.
This blog is a call to national leaders to do something about lack of EXCELLENCE in the way the Philippines is managed. It is a call to the citizenry to think EXCELLENT thoughts, to produce EXCELLENT work, to stop being contented with mediocrity, and to be actively involved in pushing our leaders to deliver EXCELLENT results in their areas of responsibility.
Because, perhaps, of hopelessness, if not outright despair, many of the citizens of this country have chosen to migrate to other countries in order to see some improvement in the living condition of their families during their lifetime that they can’t expect to see as long as things remain as they are in this country.
How do the leaders react to the waves of migration? They cheer! They cry out, “The overseas Filipinos are heroes. They bring in dollars — foreign exchange.” The leaders are always looking outside themselves for heroes they can be identified with because they couldn’t be one! They praise Manny Pacquiao to high heavens; they even invite him to become a politician like them! Well, at least Manny Pacquiao is a real champion in the field of boxing. But the leaders also celebrate when a candidate for beauty title makes it to runner-up or special award like Ms. Photogenic, hoping they can be identified with that one person. Isn’t that a sign of desperation, clinging to anything that gets to the spotlight (to share in the exposure) even if it’s not really excellence?
Back to the migration of Filipinos to other lands… Our leaders refuse to see that the migration is actually a living testimony of their failure to provide enough opportunities locally, forcing the workers to sacrifice family togetherness and suffer unbearable homesickness in favor of the elusive chance of decent livelihood that non-excellence in public service has denied them.
This country has plenty of leaders who are not actually leading but instead promoting their self-interest while in office. People observe that all their energy and focus are on private enterprise behind the cloak of officaldom; they relegate public service to the background. That’s why they couldn’t produce EXCELLENCE in public service because their hearts and minds are not really there. When they make official decisions, personal interest comes to the fore, making their decisions faulty and sometimes comical. Remember the decisions of the top brass in NAIA, the police, and other agencies of government at the height of the Jun Lozada affair?
As far as their duty to the public is concerned, a great many of these leaders are out of shape. No wonder why the Philippines is also out of shape.
If no one will prod them to act correctly, the Philippines will forever be behind in performance rating vis-a-vis its neighbors and the world at large.
If no voice will dare to cry in the wilderness and risk not being listened to (or worse, risk getting ridiculed), the Philippines doesn’t stand a chance.
When this blog says, “Shape up, Philippines!”, it’s addressing the people who make the Philippines a country.
THE BLOGGER
Kaguchi, in spite of the Japanese sounding word, is true-brown Filipino. The word is an allusion to the Cebuano expression “kagut ang ngipon” (teeth gnashing) which sometimes results from frustration over certain things.
This used to be a private pseudonym (Kaguchi Ngiponi) used merely for self-amusement. The choice of the Japanese-like spelling and sound was influenced by the blogger’s slight involvement in college judo some time in the past.
Kaguchi is Oliver Nunez Jr. from Cebu, Philippines.
