CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 053
By Ike Señeres 01/27/2011

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Years ago, Mr. Arnel Doria, an executive of Honda Philippines told me that his company looks at corporate social responsibility (CSR) not as a responsibility but as an obligation. To add to that, he told me that his company makes sure that their social obligation programs should not benefit them directly; otherwise these will become self- serving. This is also what Mr. Frank Guerra, an executive of S.C. Johnson told me, that they make sure that their CSR programs would not appear to be contrived.

Mr. John Raña, the Director of the public and private partnership (PPP) program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) tells me that there are two kinds of PPP programs that they are working on. The first kind does not benefit the company and the other does. There is actually no moral issue behind these two choices, because PPP investments are all voluntary.

Prof. Tom Lopez, the President of the University of Makati (UMAK) tells me that a real CSR program should “hurt” the company, meaning that it should cost them something, without getting any benefit back. His thinking is consistent with that of Mr. Doria and Mr. Guerra, but we could just say that this view is the norm, because there are now other views that depart from the norm.

Explaining their approach, Mr. Raña tells me further that some companies would prefer to book their CSR programs as PPP programs too, in line with the initiative of President Noynoy Aquino. Again I would say that there is nothing wrong with that, because CSR programs and PPP programs are both voluntary and it is up to the donor or investor company how they would book the use of their money.

Going back a few years, it would appear that PPP is just a new way of looking at the build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme, with some modifications. This is where the view of Mr. Raña would become applicable, because strictly speaking, all BOT programs are money making, always contrived and self-serving so to speak. In both programs however, it is always the investment of the company triggers it.

As I understand it, each government agency is now required to put up their internal PPP program office, but the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) has been designated as the coordinating center. Up to now however, there seems to be no center that would coordinate all the CSR programs of the private sector, and that is the direction that the Corinthian Coffee Clutch (CCC) would like to pursue. Still basically a think tank in the first level, CCC now has ISIP BAYAN, a second level that is now involved in more active engagements such as program coordination and project management.

Call it CSR or call it PPP, there is now a mechanism that would enable private companies to donate anything of value to any government agency, in exchange for tax credits, or even without getting anything back, as the case may be. In the past, it has not been a practice to donate to government agencies, but it is good to note that this is now possible.

Disaster warning is one area where PPP and CSR could be applicable. Towards this end, ISIP BAYAN will be spearheading the creation of the Integrated Warning Alert System (IWAS). The system will monitor weather changes and water levels and will send out warning alerts to mobile phones, primarily to school officials and mass media practitioners.

IWAS is designed to collect data locally but it will integrate data nationally. Any local company could donate the local equipment. Only one company is needed to donate, because the system does not cost much. All donations will be eligible for tax credits. Civic groups may also donate, and individual donors who are members of these groups may also qualify for tax credits.

As an added advantage, IWAS could also provide Internet connectivity to the schools that are enrolled in the system. As a true gesture of private and public partnership, we are also going to share our data with PAG-ASA, so that they could improve their own warning systems. In the spirit of open sharing, we are also going to give the data to the Philippine Red Cross.

There are many other areas of cooperation where PPP and CSR could be applicable. What is important is that all donors should be joining their efforts with others, instead of doing things in many directions on their own. Hopefully, many would accept the offer of ISIP BAYAN to become the coordinator and integrator of donation or investment programs for the public good.

Go for the good life! Tune in to Universal Access 2 to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 KHZ and to KA IKING LIVE! 6 to 7pm Thursdays in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or send text to +639997333011for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com

SAVING THE COOPERATIVES AND THE STATE UNIVERSITIES

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 052
By Ike Señeres 01/21/2011

SAVING THE COOPERATIVES AND THE STATE UNIVERSITIES

We may not see the problem yet, but our cooperatives and state universities are in danger, and they need to be saved. The culprit in the case of the cooperatives is globalization, and in the case of the state universities, the culprit is rationalization, whatever that means. The cooperatives are losing business because of the entry of imported and smuggled goods, as the case may be. The state universities are losing steam because of mandatory budget cuts as decided by our Congress.

These two types of institutions are completely different from each other, but in the bottom line, their problem is money, and that is also the solution, meaning that they need money in order to survive. Given the fact that the government is not likely to give any more subsidies to either of them, there is a challenge now to build new revenue sources for both of them, sources that are not just good for now to solve the present problem, but for good, for their continuing sustainability.

Like two damsels in distress, there is now a way for the cooperatives and state universities to work together in such a way that both of them will make money and survive, with the added advantage of possibly helping the nation not only to survive, but also to grow and expand its economy. This solution is not exactly new, but for it to work, there is a need to modify and improve it to suit the present needs.

As it is now, there are corporate locators already in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, and perhaps in other state university campuses. The deal in Diliman is very simple. The corporate locators construct the buildings, and they turn it over to the university after 25 years. It is a win-win solution for both sides, because the locators get free real estate, plus access to the social capital inside the campuses. On the other hand, the universities get free buildings, and also some rent money in between.

There are about 30,000 cooperatives in the country, and about 30% of them have money to invest on their own, without tapping other sources. The other 70% have some money to invest, and could possibly pool their money with other coops or some other business partners. All told, acting alone or with others, the coops could do the same thing that the corporate locators are doing in the universities now, and that is to build offices or factories inside the campuses, as the case may be.
For all intents and purposes, the legal basis for cooperatives to invest in economic zones inside the state university campuses already exists, and there is hardly any need to pass more laws in support of this idea. As it is usually done in most economic zones, the locators would also build housing for their employees, thus putting in place a two in one strategy of providing employment and shelter at the same time, in a way that is doable and sustainable.

Many years ago, I predicted that programmable logic controllers (PLCs) will cause an industrial revolution that would equal if not surpass the impact of the steam engines. In a manner of speaking, PLCs could become the new “steam engines”, being the little machines that could control the manufacturing process in any factory, big or small. In effect, PLCs function as “industrial computers”, as opposed to the less powerful “personal computers” (PCs).

Since then, the price of PLCs have gone down to a point that these are now as affordable as PCs. The good news is, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has already defined the certification standards for the manpower base that would support both PCs and PLCs, the latter now referred to as the science of “megatronics”. I am proud to have contributed to the definition of these two sets of standards, in cooperation with TESDA.

As it is now, the individual cooperatives are like tribes that exist on their own, hardly minding the business of other cooperatives. The time has come for them to come together and unite, just like the way that the tribes of early England joined together under Oliver Cromwell to form the Commonwealth of England. In my own small way, I am now laying the groundwork for them to unite under an advisory council composed of the eminent leaders of the cooperative movement.

By itself, “cooperative housing” is not a new concept either. The UP Employees Housing Cooperative (UPEHCO) in Diliman under the leadership of Dr. Virginia Teodosio has already built several housing projects by combining the financial capital and the social capital that is available to them. The livelihood component is always present in all the projects, putting in place the two in one solution. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) leave the country to pursue the goal of having their own houses and their own businesses when they come back. Let us make that happen.

Go for the good life! Tune in to Universal Access 2 to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 KHZ and to KA IKING LIVE! 6 to 7pm Thursdays in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or send text to +639997333011for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com

CHARITY AND ADVOCACY

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 051
By Ike Señeres 01/16/2011

CHARITY AND ADVOCACY

I look at charity and advocacy as two sides of the same coin. The bottom line is the same, to help people in need where they are, in whatever possible ways there are. The difference perhaps is the depth and reach of the help given. The effect of charity is apparently short term, to help people for a day perhaps. The effect of advocacy is long term. Taking the case of livelihood, giving people fish to eat is charity, teaching them how to fish is advocacy.

Whatever it is, whether it is charity or advocacy, I have now found a way to help the people who are giving help to others. I now have a donation service that will enable charity and advocacy organizations to promote their cause on one hand, and to collect donations on the other hand. The promotion side will be done through multimedia, and the collection will be done through an online and mobile service.

To be specific, the promotion side will be done through a continuing series of public service announcements that will be aired by participating media outlets. These will be in the form of public service announcements that will run for one minute, and sponsored by corporate responsibility programs. I am happy to announce that Global News Network (GNN) and Rajah Broadcasting System (RBS) have already agreed to join this project.

To be specific as well, the collection side will be done through a website and a mobile gateway. Through these two facilities, anyone can donate anything anytime from anywhere, using either their computer or their cell phone. To make it easy for those who are not electronically connected, we will also set up service booths in the malls and supermarkets.

Many Filipinos here and abroad want to help the country in whatever way they could, either through charity or advocacy means. The problem is, it is not easy for them to do that, not having the convenient means to do it. Until now, there was also no way for them to give small donations in any amount, but that is doable now using this system.

Unknown to most people, it is actually possible to donate anything to any government agency, including the local government units (LGUs). These donations could actually be rewarded with tax credits, in effect turning the whole exercise into a voluntary tax procedure. Of course, this could not be used to cover for all tax dues, but this procedure could be an option for those who want to make sure that part of their tax money would go to a purpose that is in line with their priorities.

In developing the software, I made sure that aside from goods and money, people could also donate their time and talent. With this in mind, I asked the software developers to make the service compatible with the Local Exchange Trading System (LETS) concept, a system that is already popularly used in many countries. LETS is actually a barter system that allows participants to buy and sell goods and services without any money involved.

Public and private partnership (PPP) is a big concept but anyone could actually help in whatever small ways they could, more so now that there is already a donation service in place. The best way to help is to donate to an existing government program that is already up and running. One such program is run by the National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

NADESCOM has already built more than 800 school buildings and health centers all over the country, particularly in depressed and war torn areas. The structures are already built, but these are all lacking in equipment and supplies such as tables and chairs. Fortunately, the PCSO has already committed to equip the health centers. Any individual is welcome to donate anything, in cash or kind.

In cooperation with NADESCOM, the Corinthian Coffee Clutch (ISIP BAYAN) is now helping the Montalban Planters Agro-Development Association (MAPALAD) in Barangay Macabud, Rizal so that they could turn their community into a model village. It is ironic to note that this village is only 45 minutes away from Quezon City, and yet it has no water, no electricity and no health center.

NADESCOM has already pledged to build the water system, the mini power plant, the feeder road and the health center, but donations are still needed to complete everything. This is an ideal site to build a model community, because the people are willing, and the local government is friendly. Fortunately, NADESCOM has approved my proposal to adopt the Integrated Area Development (IAD) approach.

Go for the good life! Tune in to Universal Access 2 to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 KHZ and to KA IKING LIVE! 6 to 7pm Thursdays in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or send text to +639997333011for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com

PARTNERING FOR NATION BUILDING

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 050
By Ike Señeres 01/08/2011

PARTNERING FOR NATION BUILDING

It’s a new year, and it’s time for some changes in my media projects. Starting next month, KA IKING LIVE will be replaced by the television version of Universal Access, my radio program in DZRJ. Both the radio and television versions are about nation building, but you have to tune in to know what that means.

The Corinthian Coffee Clutch is also about nation building, and we have now given it the vernacular name of ISIP BAYAN. If you want to help in nation building, join us every Friday at 3 PM at the seventh floor of the Corinthian Plaza Building in Paseo De Roxas in Makati City, inside the Elks Club.

Starting next week, ISIP BAYAN will be holding weekly meetings hosted by the National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), for the purpose of helping them in their mission of nation building, which they are doing through the construction of classrooms, clinics, feeder roads, power plants and water systems.

ISIP BAYAN is very clear in its position not to directly get involved in the peace process, particularly in the peace talks. However, we believe that by helping in the improvement and enhancement of basic infrastructure in the underdeveloped areas of the country, we are somehow contributing to the attainment of peace, knowing that it is poverty and discontent that breeds wars and rebellions.

Starting next month, ISIP BAYAN will be advocating the use of a water disinfectant in cooperation with the World Health Alliance (WHA). The disinfectant also doubles up as a preservative for fruits and vegetables, in effect extending the shelf life as it disinfects. This would be an ideal enhancement for the water systems projects of NADESCOM.

ISIP BAYAN is also cooperating with NADESCOM in converting an old motor hotel into a charity hospital that will also function as a teaching hospital, to train doctors, nurses and other medical professionals in responsible medicine that is oriented towards nation building. It will also function as a research hospital, for the purpose of developing new cures for old ailments by way of new technologies.

Although ISIP BAYAN functions primarily as a think tank in the first level, it has a second level that promotes the programs and projects of its own members. Last month, we had a breakthrough in arranging the bridge financing for one of our members who has a reforestation project in Mindoro. We also had a breakthrough in releasing the shipment of donated medicines from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) , as requested by one of our members. The disinfectant is also a project of one of our members, and we are hoping that we could help him too.

It is frustrating to think that Filipino organizations abroad always have a hard time getting their donated shipments out of the BOC. These are organizations that want to do good by helping in nation building, but unfortunately they become victims of bad elements at the BOC that are still corrupt up to now. Luckily, that is going to end now, as their shipments will now be consigned to the NADESCOM. It was NADESCOM that got the medicine shipment out of the BOC, through the efforts of its commanding officer, General Carlos Holganza.

Indeed, it is very difficult to define what nation building really is. According to Mr. Tom Lee who is one of the founders of ISIP BAYAN, anything that is good for the nation is considered part of nation building. To that, I will add that anything that translates into bringing the good life to our people is part of nation building. In the vernacular, that means “ang magandang buhay”.

Long before the public and private partnership (PPP) concept became fashionable, ISIP BAYAN was already working towards that direction. Truth to tell, the private sector has resources that the government does not have, and vice versa. As a think tank, ISIP BAYAN wants to assist the national government and the local government units (LGUs) in developing PPP projects, all for nation building.

Housing and urban development are two of the priorities of ISIP BAYAN, with environment always built in. In simple language, our people could not even think of a good life if they do not a place to stay in with a good environment. Of course, they also need access to mobility (roads) health, education, power and water, which are also the priorities of NADESCOM. Next month, ISIP BAYAN will initiate projects that will put to good use the vacant properties of the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and the National Housing Authority (NHA).

Go for the good life! Tune in to Universal Access 2 to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 KHZ and 6 to 7pm Tuesday and Thursdays in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or send text to +639997333011for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com

EDUCATION AS A FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 049
By Ike Señeres 12/30/2010

EDUCATION AS A FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT

Col. Rodolfo “Boy” Santiago, the Deputy Commander of the National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is already implementing the strategy of building classrooms alongside school clinics, so that these clinics could also double as health centers for the local community. This two in one combination makes a lot of sense, because it serves both education and health objectives in one package.

Dr. John “Jancen” Cenica, a cosmetic surgeon wants to turn the proposed charity hospital project in Caloocan City into a teaching hospital. We agreed that the teaching hospital should turn out doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who are more loving and caring and imbued with a deep sense of social concern in the service of the poor.

The Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission, Inc. (FOLPMI) headed by Sister Eva Maamo employs the same approach of healing the poor and teaching them to start their own livelihood projects so that they could become financially independent. Sister Eva is a one of a kind holy person. She is not just a Catholic nun; she is also a doctor and a surgeon at that. If you are already impressed with that, let me tell you that she is also a winner of both the Mother Teresa Award and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Fr. Rocky Evangelista, a Salesian priest who is the founder of the Tuloy Foundation in Alabang has a similar approach. His foundation operates what is practically a boarding school where he houses and teaches former street children, turning them into productive citizens as they become employees or entrepreneurs. Fr. Rocky is a recipient of the Gusi Peace Prize and the Ten Outstanding Filipinos (TOFIL) Award.

The Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco, California owns and operates several residential educational centers where it has successfully turned around the lives of former substance abusers and ex-convicts, thus giving them a last chance to become productive citizens. The centers essentially operate as boarding schools where the students live, work and study until they are ready to return to the mainstream of society. Needless to say, the centers also have their own medical facilities where the health and rehabilitation needs of the students are attended to.
The common denominator of the approaches of Col. Santiago, Dr. Cenica, Sister Eva, Fr. Rocky and the Delancey Street Foundation is education, coupled with another social mission such as health, community development and personal transformation. I believe that there are many more possible interpretations and variations of this approach, and we should go out of our way to find out what these could be.

In theory, prisons are supposed to be rehabilitation centers where inmates are supposed to be reformed before they are released back to society, except those who are serving life terms. In reality however, the inmates turn out to be more hardened criminals more often than not, because of the bad influences inside those walls. By comparison, the Delancey Street Foundation is doing exactly what the prisons here are supposed to be doing.

There are many lessons that the local justice system here could learn from Delancey. First of all, the State of California allocates funds for the judges so that they could transfer these funds to the foundation as they turn over the convicts to them. These funds are used in the training of these ex-convicts, who in effect become resident students of the boarding schools. Secondly, the students are put to work in real employment situations as if they are already out in the open.

Ex-convicts, substance abusers and street children are not the only possible students of boarding schools. Even the children of poor families who could not afford to commute to and from the conventional schools could become residents of these boarding schools were they could have the right environment for learning.

In the experience of Delancey, they found out that the rehabilitation and reform of students could happen more if they are in a farming environment where they are closer to nature. This is the reason why there centers have in effect become farm schools, so to speak. There are many vacant buildings and raw lands that could potentially be turned into boarding schools or farm schools as the case may be. These schools could actually be owned by the local government units (LGUs) but operated by private foundations, within the context of the public and private partnership (PPP) concept.

Go for Complete Convergence! Tune in to Universal Access 2pm to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 khz or log on to www.rjplanet.com/rj-radio/
Watch KA IKING LIVE! Saturdays 8 pm to 9 pm in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639234059174 for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com

WEALTH CREATION VERSUS POVERTY REDUCTION

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 048
By Ike Señeres 12/24/2010

WEALTH CREATION VERSUS POVERTY REDUCTION

The year 2011 is just around the corner, but up to now, the government has yet to understand the difference between poverty alleviation and poverty reduction. For many of us, this is just a matter of semantics in the language of the government, but the fact is, language is the window to the mind; therefore the language used by the government reveals how it understands or interprets the concepts at hand.

Simply put, poverty alleviation means making poverty more bearable, whereas poverty reduction means making poverty less prevalent. By comparison, poverty alleviation is like a pain reliever, whereas poverty reduction is a lasting cure for the pain. Ideally, the government should set actual numerical targets as to how much poverty reduction it will aim for within a given term, for instance within six years.

I am actually not against poverty alleviation per se. I would like the government to do that too, but not as a substitute for poverty reduction. Many administrations have come and go, but none so far have set actual quantifiable and measurable targets in poverty reduction, all of them seemingly just contented with the excuse of delivering poverty alleviation only, and nothing more.

I believe that the best approach is to deliver poverty alleviation as a first aid, but only as a first step towards delivering the more lasting solution of actual poverty reduction. How I wish that now and in the future, politicians will win or lose depending on their actual delivery of set targets for poverty reduction, targets that are monitored and validated by the voting public.

One thing for sure, the incidence of poverty in the Philippines could not possibly be reduced to a less prevalent level if we would depend solely on employment as a means of income for our people. The employment base here is so low, and there is no basis to expect that it could reasonably expand to a point where most people could get jobs in order to get out of poverty.

Instead of going around in circles, the government should now grab the bull by the horn and officially recognize that the only way for the majority of our people to have a sustainable means of income is for them to have a business of our own, or if not that, to have the means to invest in the business of others. Roughly translated, this would mean enabling our people so that they could be self-employed.
Investing in the business of others is actually a figure of speech, because once an investor puts his money into any business, he becomes a part owner of that business. This is true in the case of corporations and cooperatives. In other words, if anyone would invest in either of these two options, he would in effect have a business of his own too, even if only in a figurative sense.

Needless to say, anyone could also invest in single proprietorships or partnerships. It seems however that investing in corporations and cooperatives would be a safer and more practical option for those who have no actual experience in owning or running a business. This would apply also to absentee owners such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

I am now the producer “Universal Access to Business” (UNAXBIZ), a radio program that is aired in DZRJ every Friday from 2 to 3 PM. The purpose of the radio program is to enable every Filipino to have a business, for every home to have an industry. In the vernacular, the slogan of the show is “Bawat Pilipino may negosyo, bawat tahanan may kalakalan”.

Starting next month, UNAXBIZ will reach out to all Filipinos here and abroad (the show is live on the Internet) in order to help anyone who wants to put up or expand his business. Since micro-financing is now available from many sources, the hosts of the show will also help applicants get business loans. On top of that, it will also offer business counseling on the air.

Poverty reduction is a good cause, but the more positive approach I think is to aim for wealth creation. Wealth creation for every home and every family, and wealth creation for every community and every province. That will of course translate into wealth creation for the whole country, for the whole nation. With more wealth created, there will be more families that will be freed from poverty.

Speaking of homes, it is necessary for every family to have a house, regardless of whether they are owners or renters. A house is not a home it is said, but how can Filipino families have a home if they do not have a house to begin with? The bottom line of this is income, and that is why a business is necessary for everyone.

Go for Complete Convergence! Tune in to Universal Access 2pm to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 khz or log on to www.rjplanet.com/rj-radio/
Watch KA IKING LIVE! Saturdays 8 pm to 9 pm in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639234059174 for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com

THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR NATION

BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 047
By Ike Señeres 12/19/2010


THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR NATION

Small is beautiful and big outcomes start from small beginnings. Trees come from seeds, and nations are born out of the union of tribes. Trees form the forests and the forests form the ecosystems that support the sustainability of life. Somewhere, somehow there is a connection between all these and the principle of subsidiarity, and it is up to us to find the connection so that we could learn the lessons that could apply to our own survival as a nation.

There are many ways of defining subsidiarity, but we could simplify the definition by saying that subsidiarity means doing at a smaller or lower level what could be done at a bigger or higher level, so that in the end, in the final reckoning, it is the totality of the actions at the smaller level that add up to the attainment of the goals of the aggregate body or institution.

As we look at the problems that are confronting our nations today, it would seem that our condition is hopeless, because the problems appear to be too big for us to solve, considering the magnitudes that these problems have reached. Perhaps we often wonder how to start or where to start, and to that I say that we should start with small solutions, in a way taking small steps that could lead to big results.

In a trip to Japan many years ago, I saw many groups of programmers in several floors, all working in a big building. I was told that all of them were programming for only one software project. In other words they were all programming small parts of a software product that will eventually be combined into one big program. The program was simply too big for just one programmer to do, and the simple solution was for many programmers to work on the same program, following one design, one master plan.

In that same trip to Japan, I also learned that the big auto makers there are not really making all the parts that go into a car model. They just make the designs of the many small parts that are made by small suppliers in many places all over the country. Eventually, all these parts are assembled in one place to form the one product that is based on one design.

At this point, it should be very clear to us now that subsidiarity could work towards our advantage, but there is a condition, and that condition is that we should have a design, in other words a plan, a master plan to follow, so that those who will be acting and working at a smaller and lower level will be synchronized and in tune with everyone else who is working at all levels, especially those who are at the higher levels, and who will eventually be responsible for putting it together into one big outcome.

The transformation of our nation is the goal of the Corinthian Coffee Clutch, a private volunteer think tank that is now known as ISIP BAYAN. As our name suggests, we think for the nation, having been formed as a group that will contribute to nation building. As a nonprofit think tank, we could do everything that a commercial think tank could do, except that we do it for free.

As a think tank, it is our role to produce plans and designs that lower levels and small organizations could follow. In the process of doing that however, we have to start with pilot projects that could serve as the proofs of concepts and the showcases of our ideas, pilots that could eventually be rolled out nationally by the national government agencies (NGAs) or by the local government units (LGUs).

As part of our work process, we form working committees that are assigned to specific pilot projects. As of now, we have already formed separate committees for Health, Education and Environment. Our Health Committee is now working on the transformation of an old motor hotel into a charity hospital, in cooperation with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Our Environment Committee is working on the transformation of the Pasig tributaries in cooperation with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC). Our Education Committee is working on the transformation of old school buildings in cooperation with the National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

In the past, we have been accused of doing nothing but talking. We might have been guilty of that before, but we found a way out of that accusation. We now invite all those who are still talking but not acting to join us. Have coffee with us!

Go for Complete Convergence! Tune in to Universal Access 2pm to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 khz or log on to www.rjplanet.com/rj-radio/
Watch KA IKING LIVE! Saturdays 8 pm to 9 pm in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639234059174 for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com