Short and Grumpy

I'm behind in my writing so no official blog today. In lieu of thinking, I offer up this trash, a concoction of generally grumpy comments.

Two articles have been posted on the Freethinkers web site regarding the PNP threatening those who criticize the PNP on Facebook with action under the latest Sottolaw, the libel provision of the Cybercrime Law. The first article revealed the intimidating language on the PNP Facebook account, the second the PNP denying that that was the "Official" PNP Facebook account.  I opined in response to the second:

• Yes, this proves what a fool's mission the internet libel law is. Any Joe Schmoe can post offensive, "libelous" accusations all over the internet under the name "Joe America" and then the libel cops will unplug my blog and file a summons to report for interrogation or whatever heavy handed methods they will use. Probably put my balls in a vise or yank my fingernails, slowly slowly, to make me admit it was me who did the offensive postings. When it was not. That is the slippery slope this idiotic Sottolaw has us on.

On Angela Stuart Santiago's review of the new Enrile novel, I wrote:

• Perhaps he is a desperate man nearing the end of his life, terribly concerned that his past is a few too many arguments short of significant. It is surreal that he seems determined to exit leaving sourness in our memories when he could have had admiration.

Perhaps you have seen the new Tourism video. It is spectacular. Brilliant. Downright emotional for those of us who see this video in superduper slow motion, in our lifestyle, day by day.

Now we need some creative video wonks to do the match showing the underbelly of the Philippines, you know, the poor, skinny people putting salt on their rice or flopping a dead dog onto the carving table. Rather than the smiles, show the Ampatuan snarls or Sotto dumb looks. Rather than islands of green, those little plastic ones floating down the Pasig, or the mountainous ones of trash with little kids clambering all over them searching for lunch. Or dead motorcyclists without helmets and fat rich oligarchs. The visual opportunities here are endless.

Jun Abaya for President.

Did you know that if you think about ANY Filipino, you find it hard to imagine them as President. They all seem so small and real and human and fallible. Then, you elect one and suddenly, in office, he fits. He's bigger, stronger, more competent, and we grant him our trust.

The office makes the Man* and the  Man* makes the office.

*"Man" is defined in the Humpty Dumpty New World Dictionary to include Woman, as in "mankind", or "one small step for man". You ladies sometimes get real bitchy about these inconsequential word uses. I know, I have to deal with Maude. You don't, and thank your lucky stars. Or your God, whichever you believe in most.

A First Class Philippines: Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr.

The announcement of the Philippine Department of Tourism's new slogan in 2011 received a great deal of attention, not all kind. The most severe criticism was that the slogan had been used by another country back in the 1950's. Therefore, it did not demonstrate originality.

"It's more fun in the Philippines."

The slogan generated a lot of sarcasm, too, about some of the un-fun aspects of Philippine life, mainly poverty and murder.

The crucial question, it seemed to me at the time, is not whether it was original, but whether or not it would work. I wrote at the time that it seemed rich with potential.

The slogan has been brilliantly used and tourism numbers are up already. The slogan is attaching to the Philippines, and for good reason. There are a lot of fun places to visit in the Philippines if you are willing to go to natural places where there are no Disney rides or roller coasters, and in some places no Disney Hotel, either. The Philippines is indeed rich with scenery and the exotic appeal of being real.

The man in the Department of Tourism's driver's seat is Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. He was appointed to his position by President Aquino on September 1, 2011 subsequent to the resignation of Alberto Lim as Secretary. Here's what President Aquino had to say about Mr. Jimenez:

• "He's a marketing, advertising guy and tourism I think is primarily a marketing effort because the product is already there. Merong enhancing the product that we have in the Philippines and at the end of the day, he will be informing a lot of the citizens of the world that there are such and such sites accessible, it should be visited."[ABS-CBN News]

Now this is one of those appointments for which I do not fault President Aquino for hiring someone he knew, and was close to. You see, Mr. Jimenez ran the President's election campaign.  The President could see the character of the man and the quality of his work. The appointment did not shortchange the Philippines in the area of capability. It strengthened it.

Mr. Jimenez had his own words to say in response to the President's announcement of his appointment:

• With its picturesque scenery, the Philippines should be “ . . . as easy to sell as Chickenjoy”.

Ah, a man with confidence. And humor.

He also had this to say:

• We will "galvanize the DoT into an honest to goodness selling unit" and "ensure that the endeavor would be fulfilling and profitable for Filipinos”.

Everything I read and see about the Tourism effort makes sense. Corporate sense. One of the things that clicks is the Tourism web site. It is the opposite of the TESDA web site I panned a couple of articles ago. It is clean, it is meaningful, it works.

Here's an example. I wanted to find a bio of Mr. Jimenez to insert into this write-up. There is NO BIO of Mr. Jimenez on the web site. This is so contrary to normal Filipino thinking that a web site should be ripe with praise for the top man, the important guy. I would guess that Mr. Jimenez figured out the web site was not about him. It was about getting tourists to the Philippines.

On visiting the site, you are not met with Mr. Jimenez's mug shot. You are met with a slide show that splashes pretty scenes of the Philippines across your computer screen. A lead story features an attractive tourist destination, including some jewels we may not know about. And you are met with helpful links to DOT accreditation, investment guidance, tourism training for businesses, sports events in the Philippines, and so forth. It is a slick, first class job built to sell the Philippines.

As you read of the organization and plans of the Department of Tourism, you also get the impression that this program is well organized and results-oriented.

Here's the tourism organization:

• Office of the Secretary: The Office of the Secretary provides leadership, direction, and substance to the overall operations of the Department

• Tourism Promotions Sector: The Tourism Promotion Sector has the primary function of promoting the Philippines as a tourist destination domestically and internationally.

• Tourism Services and Regional Offices Sector: The Tourism Services and Regional Offices Sector is tasked to ensure the pleasant entry, stay, and exit of tourists.

• Planning, Product Development and Coordination: The Tourism Planning, Product Development and Coordination Sector is responsible for the formulation and updating of the Tourism Master Plan

• Internal Services Sector: The Internal Services Sector ensures the smooth and legal functioning of the operations of the Department

One piece of very smart thinking in developing the organization is the recognition that the Philippines is in some respects a land of red tape. Administrative policy barriers could suffocate the best intents of the Tourism people. Mr. Jimenez has an individual assigned specific responsibility for cutting through the red tape.

Here are some key plan elements. Do they make sense to you? They make extraordinary sense to me. The "Destination Strategy" recognizes the Philippines has a lot of jewels that need the polish that only money (investments for the long term) can provide.

• Mission: The Department of Tourism (DOT) shall be the primary government agency charged with the responsibility to encourage, promote, and develop tourism as a major socio-economic activity to generate foreign currency and employment and to spread the benefits of tourism to both the private and public sector.

• Destination Strategy: To achieve the projected growth in tourist numbers and expenditures over the next decade, the Central Philippines will have to move to an investment-driven strategy.

• Tourism National Strategy Objectives:  Formulate an integrated sustainable tourism management plan for Central Philippines, identifying viable critical environmental, infrastructure and community-based projects to link and integrate the tourism development of the area.

The plan is too lengthy to replicate here, but this is a critical excerpt that shows the ordering of priorities:

• 5.5 Product Development Policies: The main thrust of product development policy should be to upgrade and diversify the existing range of products available to the Philippines by:

• *focusing on doing one or two attractions well in each gateway location; creating at least one “must see” attraction close to each cluster/gateway;

• *improving access to, and information on, existing products;

• *improving the standard of existing tour products and programs;

• *encouraging the development of additional day visitor activities at destination areas;

• *improving the reliability of domestic transportation services; and

• *creating new resort, special interest tour products based on the unique competitive features of the Philippines.

The entire plan can be found at this link: Tourism Master Plan.

Who, exactly, is Mr. Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr?

You have probably seen little if him, but you have undoubtedly seen his work. He is 57 years old, a University of the Philippines graduate from the College of Fine Arts.  He has worked in advertising all his life, founding his own agency in the late 1990's (Jimenez & Partners) and building it into the largest agency in the Philippines by the time he left in 2009 to promote the President. His wife Abby is still an executive at the agency, now called JimenezBasic. His client list has included Jollibee, Selecta Ice Cream, Safeguard Soap, San Miguel Beer, Cebu Pacific and Ivory Soap. Oh, and one guy named Aquino.

His daughter is a fashion designer named Sassa.

Make note of that, aspiring young people.

Only one child, not 10.

His father was a noted labor lawyer and an uncle was a general in the Philippine resistance during WW II, and later Ambassador to South Korea.

I like this man. He thinks smart, and corporate. He goes on my "Far Out but Better than Good Old Boys" list of presidential candidates for 2016.

I'm comfortable that tourism is in good hands. First class hands. 

A Kick in the Shorts, July 2012

Here are some shorts for your pondering:

"Afloat Forward Staging Bases"

The U.S. is reconfiguring its war-making capability. It has found that relying on "allies" like Pakistan for land bases can be troublesome, whereas the seas are open to all. So the latest development is to design ships that can serve as floating islands for a variety of purposes. Bunk combat troops. Land helicopters. Send out boats. Sweep for mines. Maybe fly some drones. The ship houses a hospital and water purification system. It's got everything a small army would need to start a war.

The first AFSB is a reconfigured transport ship, now cruising in the waters off the coast of Iran. In the pipeline are three or four specially designed floating bases. You see, the U.S. doesn't really have reliable friends in the Middle East. Every nation is a hotbed of religious and political animosity, so governments don't dare cozy up to the U.S. by offering land bases. A close relationship with the U.S. is bound to be offensive to some powerful group.

The Middle East is the Philippines on steroids.

So while the Philippines may object to a naval base at Subic, it could happily see a floating base on the other side of Scarborough Shoal in international waters (claimed by China).

These boats allow the U.S. to set up camp just about anywhere. I wonder what China thinks about that.

It's a Funny Way to Worship

What version of the Koran do these guys pack, anyway?

Suspected Muslim militants killed six rubber plantation workers and wounded 22 the other day in the Southern Philippines . They ambushed a truckload of unarmed people who did nothing but work for a living.

The company the victims worked for refused to pay extortion demands so the Muslim militants shot the workers. A bunch of innocent people killed in the name of God, I guess. Do you think they shouted "Allah is Great" as they mowed down innocent fathers and sons?

I never hear moderate Muslim leaders pounding a fist in outrage, that such people would so demean their faith. Why don't they disown these extremists? Why don't they demand that reporters call them  "Muslim outcasts" rather than "Muslim militants"? Why do they allow the stain to persist? Why do the Muslim faithful, the moderates, allow the kinder ideals of their faith to be kidnapped by thugs who are mainly extortion gangsters and murderers?

O' stand up, ye of great faith, and serve God better.

What to Do if You Spot an American?

Here are some general guidelines that will help Filipinos deal constructively with Americans they may meet on the street, at a bar, or at the fiesta:

1. Immediately assume that they shit, shower, shave and deal with the rudiments of life just like an ordinary Filipino. So don't stare at them as if they were either God's representative on earth or covered in shit. They aren't.

2. If you have to talk to one, understand that he is likely to be loud and opinionated, rather like a Senator Santiago in fatigue shorts and t-shirt, always having the answer to anything. She means no harm, nor does he. The Americans just have uglier legs.

3. Do your own thing the way you would do it if no Americans were around. You want to burp, scratch, get drunk, dance gaily . . . do it. You see, bottom line, the Americans don't matter. Any larger than life or smaller than life imaginings you have about them is pure fiction. Don't be a lunatic and allow those ridiculous fictions to enter your life.

The Honorable Albert F. del Rosario, Bad Cop

The more I read about this guy, the more I wish he were younger and inclined to run for President. Here's what he had to say about China at the ASEAN powwow in Cambodia:

• “If Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction can be denigrated by a powerful country through pressure, duplicity, intimidation and the threat of the use of force, the international community should be concerned about the behavior.” [Source: The Inquirer]

He called it straight, creating considerable tension amongst participants, and leaving it to "good cop" Hillary Clinton to put the smoothing schmooze on the thuggish Goliath of the east. I find it interesting that some Filipinos cringe about taking a leadership stance. Their tendency is to criticize Del Rosario or President Aquino for being too aggressive. As if China would respect a lamb. As if the proper Filipino place were under the rug or behind the closet door rather than up front.

That Tourism Campaign, haha

Do you remember all the flack the Tourism people took when they announced the new slogan "It's more fun in the Philippines"? I have this nagging sense that the critics will soon be dining on crow, or hat, or whatever one eats in the Philippines when one is proved to be grossly mistaken. (Beef? Ahahahaha. The cows in the Philippines are purportedly made of shoe leather.)

Here's what I see: (1) A Tourism web site that is clean and modern and useful, not a self-praising worship of the people who work there, (2) A multi-billion peso investment in airports and airport access, (3) A Presidential Executive Order that places 78 top tourist draws off limits to mining, (4) An ingenious tourism organization that has a high-level management job assigned to cutting through red tape of other government agencies, (5) A prioritized and realistic tourism plan that identifies several top regional draws for preservation and enhancement, (6) A focus on tourists from Asia rather than the US; in other words real markets, (7) record numbers of tourist visits, and (8) a marketing campaign that is beautifully constructed and applied to sell the Philippines to outsiders.

This Country Is On the Move

I still think President Aquino has a shot at being considered one of the great leaders of the young Philippine democracy. Things are moving, you know? Peace talks with the MILF, tourism, call center growth, new casinos coming to town, a residential market boom in Manila, a real anti-corruption and incompetency push (firing 31 DENR workers in Mindanao for failing to stop illegal logging), a healthy relationship with the US, a focus on cleaning up Customs.  The economy is growing well, the peso has strengthened, and S&P ratings have gone up twice.

Here's a legacy-making idea for you, Mr. Aquino: get behind the HR Bill to prove that you are not locked into backward, dysfunctional social values like certain robed, self-appointed moral anchors hereabouts. Then get a divorce law in place so that we know you REALLY understand women and that it is wrong to hold them in bondage to abusive, deadbeat husbands. And for sure concentrate on Education and the Courts. Start on a long-term program to make them world class. This requires more than budget. More than adding two grades to primary education. More than replacing the Chief Justice.

You'd be a hero in my book.