Get Real Post

It pleases me to see a new development in the Philippine blogosphere. Get Real Post is a re-invigorated compilation of blogs by Benigno and fellow contributors. Gone are the acerbic and one-dimensional Anti-Pinoy rants against President Aquino. In its stead are thoughtful blogs dealing with real subjects: economics, technology, show business and Philippine culture.

Beningo has always been one of the deepest thinkers dealing with the Pinoy condition and it is refreshing to see him enlarge his scope and embrace a more constructive effort to pull apart the ways and means of Philippine life and governance, in search of more productive thinking and acts.

Articles by contributors Orion, Ilda and BenK provoke thoughtful reflections, if not harmony. Already vigorous debates on the fringe of hostility have emerged regarding foreign investment and freedom of speech. And, yes, the unmoderated site gets immature outbursts by the occasional name-caller, but the name-callers are automatically diminished when their diatribes appear within reams of thoughtful debate. I am convinced that if such comments are simply ignored, they will find their rightful place in oblivion.

I grew dismayed with the collection of great minds on Anti-Pinoy limiting their scope to a simple grouse agenda about President Aquino and all things Filipino. It mirrored the Ego-based, tear-down culture so prevalent in the Philippines, and so unconstructive.

I have nothing against agendas. Indeed, I hope some specific agendas emerge from Get Real Post that have a chance to revitalize the Philippine way. Articulating a clear position on foreign investment would be wonderful. Also, pointing out ways to get more bang for the economic buck would be valuable. For example, I am convinced that positioning Customs as primarily a taxing agency, operating within the Department of Finance, is counter productive when Customs could be an agent for change, for significantly stepping up Philippine imports, exports . . . and jobs.

I’d simply transfer Customs from the Department of Finance to the Department of Trade and Industry and give them a primary charter of helping importers and exporters compete. Such a simple step. Such a profound change . . . for the better.

It would be nice to see a short checklist of a few positive acts emerge from the dialogue so that participants are not just writing and reading ideas, but working for real change. I suspect they would get to the Aquino administration, as I sense that the President’s motives are good, even if his expertise suffers from lack of experience and “applied vision”.

It would be great to see Get Real Post work on “applied vision”.