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CAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING TRANSFORM THE PHILIPPINES?

CAN CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING TRANSFORM THE PHILIPPINES? For full disclosure, I am a Roman Catholic, born and raised. This column is intended primarily for fellow Catholics, although Christians from other traditions and even people of other faiths are welcome to read it and decide for themselves whether faith can become a force for national transformation. I often ask myself a disturbing question. How can a country like the Philippines, which proudly calls itself one of the largest Christian nations in Asia, continue to suffer from so much corruption, poverty, injustice, and violence? Since the majority of Filipinos are Christians, is it not fair to say that many of the corrupt people among us are also Christians? How can people hear the Ten Commandments on Sunday and then steal public funds on Monday? How can people profess their faith inside churches and then engage in bribery, cheating, and dishonesty in their workplaces? Could it be that many of us are Christians only inside our chu...
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GRANTS TO FOUNDATIONS AS A FORM OF OUTSOURCING

GRANTS TO FOUNDATIONS AS A FORM OF OUTSOURCING There is an unspoken truth in governance that deserves more public discussion: many nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and foundations are already doing the work that national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs) either cannot do, do not have the expertise to do, or simply do not have the manpower to accomplish. Sometimes, these NGOs spend their own money. Sometimes, they receive partial support from government agencies. In many instances, they are even requested by government offices to implement programs on behalf of the government. If that is already happening, then I have a simple question: Why not officially recognize this arrangement and provide grants to qualified foundations and NGOs as a form of outsourcing? After all, not every government office can be a jack of all trades. Unfortunately, many agencies try to be exactly that and end up becoming masters of none. On the other hand, many foundations and NGOs ...
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LET’S INSTITUTIONALIZE GOVERNMENT GRANTS TO COOPERATIVES

LET’S INSTITUTIONALIZE GOVERNMENT GRANTS TO COOPERATIVES Correct me if I am wrong, but there appears to be no formal and institutionalized system in the Philippines for government grants to cooperatives. Yes, government agencies and local government units (LGUs) have been providing assistance to cooperatives for many years. However, these often come in the form of donations in cash or in kind, distributed on an ad hoc basis and sometimes dependent on available funds or changing priorities. To me, there is a difference between a donation and a grant. A donation is a simple transfer of resources. A grant, on the other hand, operates within a formal regulatory framework, with clear objectives, application procedures, eligibility criteria, monitoring systems, and measurable outcomes. That is exactly what I am proposing: let us institutionalize government grants for cooperatives. Why is this important? First, a competitive grant system promotes transparency. If cooperatives can systematical...
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HOW COULD WE CAPTURE THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR UBE PRODUCTS?

HOW COULD WE CAPTURE THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR UBE PRODUCTS? For many years, the Philippines has been recognized as the home of ube, the purple yam that has become a global sensation in ice cream, pastries, beverages, confectioneries, and other food products. The world associates ube with Filipino culture and cuisine. Yet today, a serious question confronts us: will we remain the undisputed leader in the global ube market, or will we once again lose our advantage to a more aggressive competitor? We have seen this story before. We once dominated products such as coconut oil and cane sugar, only to see other countries capture larger shares of the global market. Now, according to Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Bryan Ang, Vietnam is rapidly increasing its purple yam production and positioning itself to challenge our leadership. The warning should not be taken lightly. The global market does not reward tradition alone. It rewards volume, consistency, quality, brandin...
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IS IT POSSIBLE TO RUN A CORPORATION LIKE A COOPERATIVE?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO RUN A CORPORATION LIKE A COOPERATIVE? For many years, I have observed an interesting contrast between corporations and cooperatives. Corporations are generally admired for their efficiency, professionalism, access to capital, and strong management culture. However, they are often criticized for focusing too much on profits and shareholder value, sometimes at the expense of broader social objectives. Cooperatives, on the other hand, are admired for their social purpose. They exist primarily to serve the needs of their members rather than outside investors. Yet many cooperatives struggle with professional management, capital generation, and long-term sustainability. This raises an intriguing question: Is it possible to run a corporation like a cooperative? At first glance, the answer appears to be no. After all, corporations operate on the principle that voting power is linked to capital investment, while cooperatives follow the principle of one member, one vote. But pe...
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PANDAYAN NG BAYAN SHOULD BECOME THE CENTERPIECE AGRICULTURE PROGRAM OF THE PHILIPPINES

PANDAYAN NG BAYAN SHOULD BECOME THE CENTERPIECE AGRICULTURE PROGRAM OF THE PHILIPPINES For decades, the Philippines has spent billions of pesos on agricultural modernization. Tractors were distributed. Harvesters were turned over. Dryers, irrigation pumps, and farm equipment were delivered to cooperatives and farmers' groups nationwide. Yet despite these investments, we continue to hear the same complaints: lack of machinery, low productivity, poor post-harvest facilities, and high production costs. What went wrong? The answer is simple. We focused on distributing machines but neglected the systems needed to repair, maintain, and eventually manufacture them locally. Across the country, many government-donated farm machines now sit idle and rusting. When a tractor breaks down, farmers often cannot afford the spare parts or technical services needed for repairs. The result is predictable: expensive equipment becomes useless long before its intended lifespan. This is precisely why I b...
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USING TECHNOLOGY FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE AND DATA-DRIVEN AGRICULTURE GOVERNANCE

USING TECHNOLOGY FOR PRECISION AGRICULTURE AND DATA-DRIVEN AGRICULTURE GOVERNANCE For many years, the Philippines has been reacting to agricultural problems instead of anticipating them. When drought comes, we scramble. When typhoons strike, we rush for relief. When rice prices rise, we import more rice. But is that really the best we can do? As climate change intensifies, I believe the time has come for the government to embrace precision agriculture and data-driven governance on a national scale. The question is no longer whether technology is available. The question is whether we have the political will to use it effectively. Consider what other countries are doing. Indonesia, for example, has been encouraging farmers to adjust planting schedules, optimize irrigation systems, and use drought-resistant seeds in anticipation of severe El Niño conditions. Their government is actively using weather forecasts and agricultural data to guide decision-making. Are we doing the same in the Ph...
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