I'm not thinking of any constitutional coup. If you asked me, dissatisfied that I am about the progress of progress in the Philippines, I was going to recommend the US meddling, because I was thinking the US Congress would teach the President and Congress some much-needed management lessons in government!
Now, if Mr Duterte doesn't want that, he has to practice being a good Archipelagic Manager. And that is why I like the title of the news item better: "Arnold Schwarzenegger: Only The Filipinos Have Power Over Their President." That's where I'd like to wage my coup.
We Filipinos have power over our President! A lesson in management, or lack of it. On one hand, unconstitutional; on the other hand, constitutional. Presidential Power vs People Power. Only that the Filipinos have not found that they have power over their President!
Now, I am People, so now I assert my Power – Intellectual Power. In other words, I'm entertaining an Intellectual Coup of something or other. If the leaders who have the intellect are not using theirs, I'd like to use mine over their non-existent ideas! So here it is.
I did not watch or listen to Mr Duterte's State of the Nation Address, SoNA. Before I heard, I already knew Mr Duterte's:
SoNA: So Nice Accomplishments.
SoNA: So Neat Achievements.
SoNA: So Nifty Attainments.
SoNA: So Noteworthy Availments.
SoNA: So Nice Accomplishments.
SoNA: So Neat Achievements.
SoNA: So Nifty Attainments.
SoNA: So Noteworthy Availments.
My SoNA. So, Nothing to Applaud – I'm speaking in the case of Management. Mr Duterte is not known for his genius in Management, so it remains for his Cabinet to show theirs. I have yet to see signs that they have such genius.
So, what is Management?
Henri Fayol: According to this French expert, there are 6 functions of Management: Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Controlling, Coordinating, and Forecasting. I say you have to be an inborn genius to be a good manager, and genius has nothing to do with degree or school where that degree came from.
Peter Drucker: According to this Austrian-American guru, the job of Manager can be divided into 5 basic tasks (Alan Murray, no date given, guides.wsj.com): (1) Sets objectives. (2) Organizes. (3) Motivates and Communicates. (4) Measures. (5) Develops People. I say the President of the Philippines, or of the United States of America, is not exempted from following the basic roles of corporate managers.
Academe, Agriculture: I say the academe of agriculture will have to work out its use of the word management, as it has a plethora of it: watershed management, integrated pest management, nutrient management, integrated nutrient management, irrigation management, weed management etc. That explains why you can count on the fingers of one hand the agriculturists who are very good corporate managers – the rest are confused!
Corporate management should be part of the genius of the management of government, national and local.
I'm not saying there is the patent lack of management genius in the Rodrigo Duterte administration, but I have yet to see a rainbow of genius, not even a lightning streak of it anywhere I look in the Cabinet. Of course, anyone can point to examples of Henri Fayol's Leading, Organizing and Controlling – but show me Planning!
That should come from the Cabinet. Never mind NEDA, where Mr Duterte is the Chair. Where are we in AmBisyon Natin 2040 now?
You should read my 2 pertinent essays, "AmBisyon Natin 2040? Needs Improvement" (06 December 2016, iAlternative Journalism, blogspot.com), and "Mayor Duterte, AmBisyon nation 2020! Waging War on Poverty (WarP)" (08 December 2016, iAlternative Journalism, blogspot.com) – the point of those essays is that in the matter of the poor, WarP must be waged relentlessly immediately so that by 2020, the Vision is fulfilled: No More Poor.
Now, under Mr Duterte's AmBisyon 2040 or my more ambitious AmBisyon 2020, I ask the Department of Agriculture, DA, where is the written Action Plan? In the first place, what is the Vision of the DA when it comes to the poor farmers? You cannot achieve anything if you don't have the Vision and you cannot reach that Vision if you don't have an Action Plan that spells also the Mission and the Strategy. Some people call it The Roadmap.
I'm reading the Facebook post that links to the BusinessWorld news item that says, "Philippines buys 250,000 tons of rice to boost stockpiles" (26 July 2017, Janina C Lim, bworldonline.com). That's called Rice Security. It is the National Food Authority, NFA importing.
Is that part of AmBisyon Natin 2040?
Ms Janina further says that the NFA said it will allow local private traders to bring in up to 805,200 tons "under an annual quota scheme." Private sector importing.
Why did Ms Janina not report the total amount involved? She must have been staggered by it. If we value those 250,000 tons at a low price of $400/ton or P20,000/ton, that's a total of P5,000,000,000 (P5 Billion)! That's what will be spent by government for importing rice alone.
What will the private traders bring in? P16,104,000,000 (P16.1 Billion)!
Are those staggering amounts all part of AmBisyon Natin 2040?
I'll tell you my AmBisyon Natin 2020. I'm dreaming now, thinking as a manager, granting that rice importation is wise:
Instead of favoring the private traders, the Duterte government allots P16 Billion for the poor farmers via their multipurpose cooperatives. If you fund one thousand (1,000) such coops all over the country to do the importing of rice so that the coops can then resell to their members, they will be sharing an import cost of P16 million each. There is a sure market for the rice at affordable price, because affordable is what the coops exist for. How many thousands of farm families will benefit from the government-subsidized price of rice? You are distributing the goods; you are distributing the goodness.
That's AmBisyon Natin 2020!
Change is Coming? I'm for Primate Change. I'm the son of a farmer, not poor and not rich, a writer and advocate of People Change – where is the roadmap of Philippine Agriculture that people might examine if it is passable? What about roadblocks? That's why we need Management.
It should not take much management genius if you are really for the poor.
Can Mr Duterte manage change for better for more for faster, between 2017 and 2020? It takes a Manager! @
26 July 2017. Total word count excluding this line: 1111