I was always a fan of the late national artist F. Sionil Jose. In my college days three decades ago I collected his books and eventually managed to have him autograph one of them.
Yet it is not merely the content, writing style and the depth of the characters that enthralled me.
Of course it must be said many of the people in his novels and short stories are interesting persons, many of whom were ordinary Filipinos, many “provincianos” even that took on the complexities of world and the changing culture of their time.
His skill in deeply exposing the dimensions of these simple Filipino characters, and the colorful milieu made me see my country as a truly interesting land worth knowing, exploring and understanding in perhaps others are “taken to distant lands” by the foreign literature they read. It also helped me see its potential, and what can be done to build on it and achieve it.
There are two other things that impressed me.
One, his ability to think and engage outside of his writing, beyond the circles of the Manila literati.
In recent years in particular, it was his ability to share his ideas honed from his experience and his witness to history that attracted many people for various reasons.
Little wonder why many beyond the usual literary circles appreciate him.
Fellow columnist Julie Yap Daza talks of how these engagements were special.
Likewise, it were these reflections on Sionil Jose which formed my commentary on today's Philippines.
My own ideas on the need to boost our manufacturing sector were inspired by his own encouragement for us to imagine a strong Philippines taking its place among the family of nations. A few years ago, pushing ideas such as these were obscured by the preoccupation with raw distractions such as sensationalized entertainment news, among other things.
Nowadays, I guess social media has unleashed a new wave of thinking that hopes to build the country further on the back of recent economic reforms that capitalize our economic advantages, including present programs to use more technology to make our agriculture competitive and efficient, and adding value to our mineral resources by processing these materials.
These create even more employment and opportunities for income in the process.
I retain the hope that as economic reforms were passed in the last years, and liberalizing foreign investment in the country will bring more manufacturing and other investments.
I still emphasize that these are what will make us more resilient in the future. Thus, I look forward to the timely release of the 2022 Investment priorities plan that can identify areas where investments are encouraged in light of recent reforms such as the CREATE law. On our end, we will need to all work together to promote investments in our regions.
Doc Bo and the rare trait
Many in Mindanao like me are still missing the indefatigable veterinarian Roberto “Doc Bo” Puentespina, environmentalist and entrepreneur.
What I will personally miss about him is not that he was one who stood up for what he believed in, but more importantly, that he put his ideas to work in the form of sustainability driven enterprises such as waste treatment plant that has also manufactures organic fertilizer for a new breed of plantitos, plantitas and young agripreneurs.
Such inspired drive to conceptualize, execute and deliver results is needed right now to imagine a better normal.
Such capability is a rare trait nowadays.
Many like to post their ideas online, few will have the guts to see through their execution.