Let’s save our hearts

Saving the Earth: The Philippine Experience, 4^th edition (ISBN 971-868-6134), edited by Cecile C.A. Balgos, published by PCIJ, available at the Filipinas Heritage Library’s bookshop Libros Filipinos for P170.

At the heart of the Philippines is Marinduque. This heart-shaped island located in the MIMAROPA region, famous for its Moriones Festival, made international news when 1.5 million cubic meters of toxic mine tailings spilled out of Marcopper’s Tapian Pit down to the rivers and into Laylay Bay. It was the worst mining disaster in the country. The toxic sludge brought flash floods smothering villages and killing livestock. It contaminated drinking water and caused long term environmental damage. The 27-kilometer Boac River, choked with mine tailings, ceased to give shelter to marine life and was eventually declared dead.

This is just one of the many environment reports published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and compiled in the book Saving the Earth: The Philippine Experience. For the ancient Greeks, Gaia is Mother Earth, the goddess who gives and nurtures life. In this issue, we feature Filipino women climbers who are also ardent environmentalists; top women illustrators whose gentle hands breathes life to children’s books; and Get Caught Reading campaign endorser Miriam Quiambao.

We are honored to have penman Butch Dalisay encouraging young writers to see the fantastic in the ordinary; and science fiction and fantasy writer Neil Gaiman writing on the importance of imagination and creativity.

Indeed it will take a lot of creativity and imagination to attain development while maintaining environmental health. Let us do our part in saving Mother Earth for saving her means saving our hearts and, ultimately, our lives.

(First published in BOOKWATCH, January - March 2008.)

Frontline Leadership

Frontline Leadership: Stories of 5 Local Chief Executives

By the Ateneo School of Government and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Quezon City: ASoG and KAS, 2007. Php 250. ISBN 978-971-92495-2-8

Government is best seen and experienced at the local level. Local government is the front line in the battle to serve the people. Before citizens give their assessment of the national leadership, they first look at how each local chief executive performs and delivers the goods to their constituents.

“Frontline Leadership” features the stories and best practices of local leaders in the real-time management of the local government. Written by several authors, the local executives were presented with their achievements, idiosyncrasies, mistakes, and difficulties to serve the common good. The book painted realistic pictures of Naga City Mayor Jesse M. Robredo, San Fernando City Mayor Mary Jane C. Ortega, Bulacan Governor Josie M. de la Cruz, Surigao del Norte Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers, and an anonymous lady governor in the Visayas.

Ateneo School of Government associate dean and the book’s project director Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez states in the book’s Afterword, “Our country needs more members of the political and economic elite who will exercise ethical and effective leadership, even at the expense of their family interests, to enable the many families mired in poverty to lift themselves, to equalize opportunity to political and economic advancement, and to strengthen democratic institutions and the political party system.”

Current and future local chief executives can learn much from the hands-on experiences of these leaders. The examples of these fellow Filipinos show that hope for a better Philippines is alive. We should all work hand in hand and pray for more leaders like them in the frontlines of service.

Frontline Leadership is available at both the Rockwell and Loyola Heights offices of the Ateneo School of Government. For inquiries please call 899-7691 loc. 2401/2 or 426-5998, 426-6001 local 4643.

(First published in BOOKWATCH, January - March 2008.)

The National Book Awards

(Source: Souvenir Program for the 27^th NBA)

Every year since 1982, the Circle has given the National Book Awards to the best books written, designed and published in the Philippines. In addition, the Circle also gives Special Awards to outstanding publishers or publishing projects and Citations for outstanding achievement in special categories. In 1995 and 1996, the awarding ceremonies were telecast over PTV-4. No book written or edited by a member is eligible to win a National Book Award; instead, the Circle gives Members’ Awards to its members who publish books. Trophies for past awards have been designed and donated by Eduardo Castrillo (1981-83), Agnes Arellano (1984-87), Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco (1989-91), Edgar Doctor (1992), Gino Gonzalez (1993-95), National Artist Napoleon Abueva (1996-99), and Tito Sanchez (2006). This year, the trophies are by young sculptor Glenn Cagandahan.

Early in 2008, the Manila Critics Circle entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the National Book Development Board (NBDB) to institutionalize the National Book Awards to better honor Philippine publishers and authors.

The move ensures that the yearly awards will continue to recognize the creative works of our talented authors and publishers for many years to come. Beginning with this year’s National Book Awards, both the NBDB and MCC hope to organize more prestigious yearly tributes to those who dedicate their lives to producing quality books that Filipinos could all be proud of.

Kuwentong Kutsero, Kuwentong Pilipino

Kuwentong Kutsero ni Epifanio G. Matute.

Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1995. ISBN 971-542-141-5

Mabibili sa Powerbooks at sa Libros Filipinos Bookshop sa halagang Php300. Kahapon (5 Disyembre) bumisita ako sa UP Press Bookstore, Balay Kalinaw, Dagohoy St., UP Diliman, merong book sale at mabibili ang Kuwentong Kutsero sa halagang Php100! Bili na!

(Winner, 1996 National Book Award for Drama.)

Nagiging ganap lamang ang aking gabi matapos akong mapahalakhak habang nagbabasa ng Kuwentong Kutsero. Ibang aliw ang dulot ng mga kabalbalan ni Teban, ang kutsero sa himpapawid at ng maingay na pamilya Doblecarrera.

Isinulat ni Epifanio G. Matute para sa radyo, tanghalan, telebisyon, at pelikula, satirikal na inilalarawan ng Kuwentong Kutsero ang buhay Pinoy noong mga taon makalipas ang ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig. Kabit-kabit ang patutsada sa mga usapin noon tulad ng buhul-buhol na trapik, lubak-lubak na kalye, magastos at palpak na pamahalaan, mga kandidatong puno ng matatamis na pangako, at relihiyong payat sa gawa.

Malaon ng nawala sa ating mga lansangan ang mga kutsero subalit nananatili ang mga kuwento ng buhay, mga kuwento ng Pilipino. Ang bawat aklat ay kuwento ayon sa mga mata ng may-akda. Sa isyung ito, bisitahin ang mga aklat na nagwagi sa ika-26 National Book Awards. Narito ang kuwento ng mga hinaharap ng sector ng Academic Publishing. Mababasa rin ang kuwento ni Karylle, ang bagong tagapagtaguyod ng Get Caught Reading Campaign.

Halina’t magbasa at nang maaliw ng mga aklat na naglalaman ng mga kuwentong Pilipino!

(First published in BOOKWATCH, October-December 2007.)

A Book Review of Setting Frameworks: Family Business and Strategic Management

Setting Frameworks: Family Business and Strategic Management by Elfren Sicangco Cruz. Manila: Anvil Publishing, 2005. Php 395. ISBN 971-271-699-6

(Winner, Best Book for Business and Economics, Manila Critics Circle's National Book Awards 2006)

The good news about businesses in the Philippines is that 98% are family-owned, family-controlled, or family-managed. The bad news is that close to 75% of family businesses don’t survive after the second generation takes over the business reins.

Setting Frameworks provides business owners with prescriptions on addressing the business performance of the family business using the strategic management perspective. Family business is defined as a business governed and/or managed on a sustainable, potentially cross-generational basis, to shape and pursue objectives set by members of the same family or a small number of families. Majority of the current literature on family business is descriptive, which focuses on the life of the founders and on how to improve family relationships.

Elfren Sicangco Cruz, a professor at the De La Salle University Professional Schools, says the book originated from columns he wrote for BusinessWorld. He wrote the book mainly to help Filipino entrepreneurs now faced with two major developments: globalization and rapid technological change.

Cruz, also board chairman of Alexander Forbes Risk Services Philippines, Inc., aims to make Filipino family enterprises “become efficient by world-class standards and manage to compete in the global market.” He provides theoretical concepts and illustrates them using real-life entrepreneurial stories. The concepts provide the reader with the framework which anchors the stories presented to reinforce the lessons.

To address the dilemma of overlapping two subsystems namely, “the Family” and “the Business,” Cruz challenges family firms to implement these steps: acknowledge and accept the difference between corporate ownership and professional management; establish separate processes and structures for dealing with purely family issues and purely business issues; professionalize the business by delegating management tasks to qualified family and non-family professional managers who can make logical and unbiased decisions; and introduce Strategic Management as the process for managing the organization.

For those who need more materials on family business, management, and strategic management, Cruz provides a comprehensive list of references. Both seasoned players and rookies in the entrepreneurial arena will reap lessons, insights, and tips from the book enough to make the family business survive for generations to come.

(First published in BOOKWATCH, July-September 2007)

SATANAS: kalaban o kabisig?

Pagsubok sa Ilang: Ikaapat na Mukha ni Satanas
ni Tony Perez
Anvil Publishing, Inc., Manila: 2005
ISBN 971-27-1657-0 Php 350.00
(Winner, Best Book for Theology & Religion, Manila Critics Circle’s National Book Awards 2006 )

Ahriman. Satanas. Satan. Lucifer. Matandang Ahas. Diablo. Devil. Evil. Demonyo. Demon. Mapulang Dragon. Shaitan. Iblis. Prinsipe ng Kadiliman. Beelzebub. Nasirang Anghel. Ilan lamang sa mga pangalang ibinigay sa nakagisnang pinagbubukalan ng kasamaan at kabuktutan sa sanlibutan. Iba’t ibang pangalan na naglalawaran ng iba’t ibang mukha. Subalit sino ba si, o ano ba ang, Satanas?

Sa Pagsubok sa Ilang: Ikaapat na Mukha ni Satanas inilahad ni Tony Perez (Eros Thanatos Cubao: Mga Piling Katha, National Book Awards 1994 Fiction) ang panibagong pananaw at pag-unawa sa apatnapung araw ng pag-aayuno at pananalangin ni Kristo sa ilang. Ang pagsasaliksik kay Satanas bilang kontrapunto ang magbibigay liwanag kung bakit mag-isang nagtungo si Kristo sa ilang.

Malalim ang pagtalakay ni Perez sa naunang tatlong mukha ni Satanas, mga pagtalakay na nagmula sa kasaysayan, mitolohiya, sosyolohiya, sosyosikolohiya, at teolohiya. Sa ikaapat na mukha ginamit ni Perez ang antipara ng depth psychology na siyang maglalapit kay Satanas sa mambabasa.

Kalaban

Satanas ang nakagawiang tawag sa mga taong kaaway o kakaiba. Noong panahon ng Inkwisisyon sa Europa, maraming tao ang sinunog ng buhay sa paniniwalang taga-sunod sila o sumasamba sa Diablo. Isa sa mga sinunog noong 1431 ang dalagang 19 na taong gulang na si Joan ng Arc. Makalipas ang halos limandaang taon, idineklara siyang isang banal na babae ni Papa Benedicto XV noong 16 Mayo 1920.

Sa kasalukuyang panahon, ilang araw makalipas ang 9/11 o ang pag-atake ng mga terorista sa Amerika, agad tinawag ni Pangulong George W. Bush ang mga bansang Iraq, Iran, at Hilagang Korea bilang Axis of Evil o Samahan ng Kasamaan. Kamakailan lamang sa kanyang talumpati sa mga Nagkakaisang Bansa tinawag naman ni Hugo Chavez, pangulo ng Venezuela, si Pangulong Bush na "Diablo."

Kabisig

Satanas at mga kampon ng Kadiliman, Diablo at mga kapanig nito ang tema ng mga makabagong pandaigdigang negosyo. Pinagkakakitaan ng bilyong dolyar ng Hollywood ang takot ng mga manood. Sapat ng gamitin ang mga pangalang kakabit sa Satanas upang ibenta ang mga pelikula tulad ng Evil Dead, Prince of Darkness, Dracula, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Damien at iba pa. Diablo, Resident Evil, Lords of Destruction, ay ilan lamang sa mga pinakasikat na computer at video game. Ang ilang manunulat ay gumagamit rin sa mga temang nakakatakot o paglaban sa Kasamaan sa pagsusulat ng mga aklat tulad ng The House of Evil, Lord of the Rings (sa pamamagitan ng karakter na si Dark Lord Sauron), Harry Potter (sa pamamagitan ng karakter ni Lord Voldemort), at iba pa.

Maraming negosyo ang umusbong sa pagdiriwang ng Halloween lalo pa’t maraming bansa na ang nagdiriwang nito. Dumarami ang bumibili ng nakakatakot na maskara at damit; mga kendi at kagamitan; mga meyk ap at mga palamuting kakaiba.

Kalaban o Kabisig

Kalaban ba si Satanas o kabisig? Ayon kay Perez, “sa pamamagitan ng mukhang ito, naitatangi si Satanas bilang kabisig ng Diyos sa pagpapatibay ng katotohanan, sa halip na ‘kalaban’ o ‘kaaway’.”

Dalawang ulit kong binasa ang Ikaapat na Mukha ni Satanas upang maunawaan ko, katulong ang aking pagkamalay patungo ng silong ng pagkamalay, ang mga mukha ni Satanas. Inaanyahan kitang maglakbay kasama si Perez at basahin ang aklat ng mga mukha ni Satanas. Ikaw na ang magpasya kung kalaban o kabisig nga ba si Satanas.

(First published in BOOKWATCH, October-December 2006)