Where Do We Go From Here?

It has been a couple of weeks of extremely bad news which all but leaves three options for most Filipinos living in the Philippines today: order a few dozen bottles of Prozac or prepare to be an OCW. The third option, stay here and bitch, is what most of us will likely do. Being depressed is the risk we all take for stubbornly thinking that all the madness around us are like passing storms. Soon, we console ourselves, the blue skies will be out there and the bad times would have made better persons of us all.

I'm outta my mind, huh? Well, it took a lot of effort to think of better times and a brighter future in this country we all love so much. But I managed, despite my training as a journalist. I have just about convinced myself that things won't be this bad in the long run, at least not beyond 2004, the astrological predictions of Zenaida Seva notwithstanding.

I was going through the papers on my desk Monday morning, a place where I least expect to find reason to back up any feeling of optimism about the future. But there it was -- the list of nominees for the first batch of Eugenio Lopez Jr. scholars at the University of the Philippines. It was a list of 18 bright, hardworking and financially hard-up young Filipinos, all taking up some area of computer science or engineering. They will be the first recipients of a scholarship fund put up by Bell Atlantic to honor the late Geny Lopez.

The chart has a column listing the degree programs where the scholars are enrolled. And in another column are the occupations of their fathers and mothers. They are definitely from poor families. Of the 18 fathers, five are either drivers or tricycle drivers; three are government employees, two have no regular jobs; and one each working as electrician, construction worker, farmer, engineer, pastor, factory worker and security guard. One is dead. Of the 18 mothers, 14 had no regular jobs; two are food vendors; one is a pensioner and one is a housekeeper.

I stared at the table showing details of the academic honors earned by the scholars as well as their grades. Now in their junior and senior years, one can assume that all of these young men and women will be worth their weight in gold after they graduate from the State University. Many will likely go abroad, where they will be better compensated. One thing is sure: they will lift their parents and their siblings from poverty. There is hope. What a difference a generation makes!

The information superhighway is, indeed, the way out of poverty for many of our talented young people. It is the means by which people, mired in poverty for many generations, can finally free themselves.

No one has recognized this better than UP President Dodong Nemenzo. Appropriately, the State University this year chose a Filipino engineer who made good in America's Silicon Valley as commencement speaker, instead of some tired old politician with nothing new or constructive to say.

At least, the life of Dado Banatao, who didn't even graduate from the State University, can be the inspiration of our young computer scholars. Dado's life is very much like these scholars. Here is how Dado, the Filipino Silicon Valley whiz described his humble beginnings during his UP address.

I grew up in a small barrio called Malabbac, in Iguig, Cagayan Valley, where my father farmed our land and my mother tended a sari-sari store. At that time, in the 1950s, my barrio must have been like any other barrio in the Philippines -- no electricity, no running water, and little contact with the rest of the world. . . our school -- the Malabbac Elementary School our only window to the outside world. Despite these seeming disadvantages -- we aimed high, to reach beyond what was within our grasps and to follow our dreams. Although my parents never went to college, there was never any question in their minds, and in ours, that my siblings and I were going to college in Manila.

The only question now is, how many of these 18 Lopez scholars will be the new Dado Banataos? I am confident, these computer scholars will more than repair the damage to our national reputation in the computer world caused by the AMA students behind the love bug virus.

The next years may seem hopelessly gloomy but if we have enough oasis of hope such as that which I saw in the first batch of Geny Lopez scholars, we will have enough idea of where we will go from here. Given the nature of things today, that's enough, I guess.

Some months ago, the Boracay Foundation complained about the inadequate power supply in the country's premier tourist destination. I brought it up to the attention of Energy Secretary Mario V. Tiaoqui who even took time to visit Boracay and preside over a meeting with the local electric cooperative. Things improved for a while. Now I get this e-mail from my friends in Boracay and they tell me, things are deteriorating once again.

Here is their e-mail, which is actually a letter they sent to the governor of Aklan province.

We feel strongly that the development of Boracay Island, a prime tourist destination of the Philippines and one of the eight prime destinations, promoted by the Department of Tourism, is seriously hampered by the 'incompetent', insufficient and outright damaging electricity supply on the island. This situation affects all sectors of the island, specially the smaller establishments without financial means to buy generators.

We have heard a lot of promises and commitments. In fact, the last meeting in the last quarter of 1999 was even attended by the Secretary of Energy, the Director of Napocor, Congressman Allen Quimpo, Mayor Jose Yap, yourself and more prominent individuals from all concerned agencies, among them also from Akelco. After that meeting, the electricity supply improved for a while, but in the first quarter of the year 2000 the situation became as bad as ever.

Since the beginning of this year the power fluctuations have appeared constantly, day-in and day-out, culminating shortly before Holy Week in fluctuations between 140 Volts to 250 Volts, sometimes three to four times within an hour. In the same time power outages or brownouts occurred on daily basis. The damage to electrical and electronic equipment by the constant power fluctuations and power outages has resulted in substantial losses and added costs to operations. More and more tourists are complaining about the inconvenience and this has even resulted in cancellations and checkout of guests.

In short, the present situation in our electricity supply hampers tourism developments and all our efforts to keep the island on the international map of tourism.

This looks like a case of sheer incompetence on the part of the local electric cooperative, a situation that is not surprising in the countryside. But national officials must move quickly to correct this, because if we can neglect Boracay, our prime tourist attraction, our tourism promotion will simply lose all credibility with tour operators and tourists alike.

In last Mondays column, as published, Picop's price is P0.125. It should have read P0.215.

This was contributed via e-mail by Rolly Gallardo of Caves Dive Resort.

There was this preacher who decided to sell his horse. A prospective buyer was impressed with the animal, but the preacher warned that horse only responds to 'church talk.' Go is 'Praise the Lord,' and stop is 'Hallelujah.'"

Mounting the horse, the buyer said skeptically, "Praise the Lord." The horse begun to trot, he repeated, "Praise the Lord" and the horse broke into a gallop. Suddenly the buyer saw a cliff dead ahead. Frantic, he yelled "Hallelujah," and they came to a stop a foot from the edge.

He looked down to the canyon way down, he wiped the sweat from his brow, and exclaimed, "Praise the Lord!"

(Boo Chanco's e-mail address is [email protected])