Book Series: SENIOR MOMENTS ARE FOREVER

15th MOMENT: Post-SEA Games, Water Issue and Alexander the Great

Arguments on ethics in public administration: The success of the recent SEA Games, and the ongoing programs of the Duterte Administration are not enough to convince his enemies in the political and religious sectors on the need for national reconciliation. The visible reason of the opposition is on the personal style of PRRD in introducing change, not on his achievements as a President. But the President will not change his style, which by his own admission does not follow the traditional norms of Christian religiosity. This situation brings us back to our class in Philosophy and Ethics on a modern case in public administration. Does the end justify the means? Or should the means be shaped by the desired end? ------------------------- Just for the sake of scenario reminder after the euphoria of the SEA games. After PRRD there will be a vacuum of Presidential leadership. The Aquinos and the yellows are decimated. The Marcoses are still reeling from the wounds created by their past enemies. The Duterte siblings are not equal to their father. So, before the next elections there is an urgent need to look at the political horizon for new leaders that can heal the wounds and make us accept or just respect our social differences. Otherwise we might sink faster than we gathered medals in the last SEA games. ------------------------- The beauty of capitalism is the strong participation of the private sector in the economy. The problem is when such participation is abused with the tacit approval of government policies through privatization laws that extend into the rise of monopolies in the production, manufacturing and sale of basic goods and services such as water, power, health and basic food commodities. ------------------------- Federalism simply means self-rule. It is higher than autonomy and lower than independence for the component states of a federal country. But interest groups and intellectuals may make it difficult for ordinary people to understand. So, it will take time, massive education, and popular will before we can change the present structure and system of our government --------------------------- Hybrid vehicle: Before 2016 there was a bus model being manufactured to solve traffic problems. It had two steering wheels, one in front and the other is in the rear. The driver will just have to transfer seat whenever s/he want to change direction. The bus was supposed to come only in one color, yellow. ---------------------------- Testing friends: I remember a story of Mang Severeno, an old man who always regaled our bariomates with never ending stories. One day he went to work early in the field and then started to shout: “HELP I WAS BITEN BY A SNAKE!” Of course, almost everyone went rushing and upending each other to carry him to his hut. Upon reaching his place he stood up and told the crowd: “Thanks guys, there was no snake, I just wanted to know who will be willing to carry my corpse when I die!” I was informed that when he really died, it was a merry happy event. -------------------------- Social marketing: Oh! Aside from writing this book on how to deal with post-trauma experience, I am also doing a social research. I am making a statistical study on how many of my FB Friends like me, how many are just laughing at me, and how many just read my post and doesn’t care. I will use the result to decide on what to do with each of them. But I am planning to block those who are just laughing at me. Joke only! Actually, this is my marketing strategy. --------------------------- Entrepreneurship: In enterprise development training I define entrepreneurship as a state of the mind. But it is not the same as state of the nation nor the same as state of calamity. The first is about how the president will connect with his people, the second is how to make money from emergency budget and donor aids, What I want is entrepreneurship for the socio-economic profits for the people. --------------------------- A question of social value: If you see a boy selling something to finance himself through school will you continue to patronize his entrepreneurial activity, or will you offer to help him as a scholar if he stays with you as a member of your family? Or, just do nothing. ------------------------- Now on the issue of water distribution: It appears that privatization has been abused by oligarch corporations to the detriment of citizen consumers. If not checked the issue might create a renewed hatred against the oligarchy that the left could ride on. Since the masses are on fire the revolutionary sprit might sit in and communal violence could result. We must rely on the power of government to resolve this issue and prevent its escalation. How the President will do it will be a waiting game. But to deal with it any President will be treading on thin lines between socialism and welfare statetism. Do we want to change our capitalist system? --------------------------- So, who would like to be President? Anybody can quarrel with you while you are shielded by constitutional powers. But you cannot quarrel with just anybody without being weighed against domestic and internationally imposed codes of national leadership – which most of the time are against your will. ----------------------------- A rejoinder on the issue of privatized water distribution: Are you aware that the bottled water industry is the BIGGEST SINGLE SCAM OF THE CORPORATE WORLD? And to add insult and tons of profit they make use of a free natural resource and turn it into a commodity while being sinisterly marketed through their own propaganda media companies? -------------------------- Role of physicians: There is a story of Alexander the Great on the role of physicians in our lives. When he was in his death bed he announced to the world, “I AM BEING ASSISTED IN DYING BY 10 PHYSICIANS!” --------------------------