Dr. Conchita L. Manabat l April 3, 2024 l Business Mirror
“IT is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change” -Charles Darwin
MORE than ever, we live in interesting times. The impact of pockets of “wars” and threats of “attaching countries” have far-reaching consequences. Some socio-political analysts had predicted that there would be global troubles at the outset of the Ukraine “appendage” complicated by the Gaza “war” and geo-politics. The emerging consequences of the concerning developments have escalated with ripples affecting even the small countries.
In the context of the entire world, the Philippines is a small aggrupation of islands in Southeast Asia. Certain areas within the Philippine sovereignty are being claimed by a country representing the second biggest world economy allegedly based on a “historical map”. Skirmishes between claimant’s forces and Philippine civilians/authorities on affected waters resulting to injuries to the latter have been reported. It is important to note that the Philippines and the claimant are bound by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It was signed in 1982 and came into effect in 1994. The UNCLOS provides a constitution for the oceans that forms the framework and substance of the rules-based order of maritime governance, including the allocation of maritime zones to coastal states, as well as archipelagic states.
The Philippines has more than 110 million human beings with a total area of about 300,000 sq. kilometers representing more than 7,000 islands. It has millions of overseas workers spread all over the world making it one of the world’s major net remittance recipient countries. It is the only predominantly Catholic country in the region with a high population growth rate and a much-claimed democracy.
The claimant country has a population exceeding 1.4 billion and reported as the world’s second most populous country. Its geography spans the equivalent of five time zones bordering 14 countries by land, ranked as third largest country by land area (9.6 million sq. kilometers). Wikipedia describes its government as unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic.
Given the general attributes, one can speculate how the ensuing developments on claims would unfold.
An organizational development consultant says, “The winds of change are life generating opportunities but the waves of development invariably require order and stability. There is always a paradox in every change. As a law of life, out of order comes the need for change, but out of change comes the need for order. The order and norms of things require the system to take stock of breath to settle down for stability and sustainability.”
Large-scale change programs are successful only when they are led from the “top” by committed and honest change agent leaders. They are implemented with purpose and passion anchored on discipline and reality.
Peter Senge describes a leader with ‘personal mastery’ as someone who constantly strives to see current reality clearly and understands that there may be differences between her/his perceptions, mental models and true reality.
Is the claimant to the areas within the Philippine sovereignty driven by well-founded purpose/s and honesty, anchored on reality? One can only raise the question and more.
Can the Philippines overcome the threats and risks?
Reality check on all aspects and consequences of any encounter or action to be taken is an imperative. For our own sake, we should pull our act together and care for ourselves. In the midst of the concerning developments, let our love of country and our people prevail for nobody else will care for us. This is the only country we have, the Philippines.
*** Conchita L. Manabat is the President of the Development Center for Finance and a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Council of the International Auditing & Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA). A past Chair of the International Association of Financial Executives Institutes, she now chairs the IAFEI Advisory Council. Her views in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror’s.