By Digoy Fernandez

If only the process of sweeping out the baggage and detritus of the old year could be so simple. Just get a broom and sweep away! Unfortunately, life in real time suggests that the only way to get rid of old baggage is to sweep clean one’s own psyche, more like an emotional cleansing. At the very least, even if the problems of the old year manage to carry on into the New Year, one would be better conditioned, mentally that is, to tilt with the windmills that 2009 promises to bring to bear on one’s already tired shoulders.

A comment was made to the blog on global warming, insinuating that it is a problem of the elite or those who would raise the specter of rising ocean levels just to obtain paltry grants. Well, speaking for myself, I don’t get paid a single cent to blog, nor do I rely on anyone’s largesse to support this private initiative in favor of the environment (among other concerns, of course!).

It is true that the planet has had to deal with catastrophic events in millennia past. But if we just think of the rough time span that homo sapiens has been on this earth, this would be the equivalent of a hiccup in the face of millions – perhaps billions – of evolutionary years. The great difference is that the recent crisis has been largely man-made, mainly through the rapid use of non-renewable resources, the constant emission of effluents into the air and the world’s water systems, and the creation of incredibly large carbon footprints per capita that the world’s dwindling forests can barely cope up with. (FYI, trees generally are able to process carbon dioxide from the air and convert them into oxygen, etc.)

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By Digoy Fernandez

WITHOUT doubt, we now live in interesting times. In fact, the venerable Chinese — who have seen many civilizations come and go over their long and storied history — sometimes use the term in a euphemistic manner, akin to wishing that someone, perhaps an adversary, live in interesting times.

A relative tells of her own well-to-do siblings taking off for a vacation in the US and then Europe. It seems that, in the case of the former, most stores still open are on Sale Mode, offering up to a solid 70 percent off on all goods. Problem is, there are no takers, leading one to realize that genuine belt-tightening is going on. This is not surprising given the problem of lay-offs and company closures that have been taking place in an accelerated fashion. To make things worse, even companies able to weather the economic storm find themselves with dwindling sales as less and less people commit to purchasing anything unless absolutely necessary. The consumer-led US economy is fast sputtering to a halt, and the new president will have his hands full trying to jumpstart the engine by building up buyer confidence by creating new jobs and opportunities for others who have already been laid off. Despite naysayers who claim that the US is no longer the world’s economic locomotive, it is pretty clear that this malaise has began to seep into the other main economies of the world, from Europe, to the Middle East and its oil riches, to the East with “ChIndia” (China and India) and Japan slowly sliding into the morass.

An interesting footnote to that trip taken by our intrepid band is that they found themselves buying a lot of the bargains being offered, proving once again that Cash is King these days.

It is a well known fact to many local country and corporate planners that the saving grace of the Philippine economy has always been the Value Added Tax and the foreign exchange inflows generated by our army of overseas workers. Unfortunately, the spread of economic gloom and a general decrease in economic activity worldwide will probably result in some diminution of the foreign exchange remittances currently propping up the economy. The government, probably prompted by the need to show some backbone in the current crisis, has mapped out a program for public sector spending meant to inject funds into the economy before it throttles downward. Unfortunately, there is little or no surplus to spend, and any program aimed at propping up the economy may be just a short-lived and expensive exercise as we poach into the largesse generated by VAT.

I know of families that have recently gone through a series of sales of family properties, some through the Voluntary Offer to Sell (VOS) program under land reform (deformed?). Many of these people believe in paying the right taxes and fees. It is interesting to note that they have always had to pay much more just to get proceeds into their hands. What galls one is that the VOS is supposed to generate tax-free revenues for the selling party, and yet, functionaries find ways and means to make the transactions interesting. It is precisely this type of practice so prevalent today that screams for structural reform. A philosophical observer of the scene once said that, to get rid of corruption in this country, one would have to eliminate almost everyone above the age of 30 and start all over again — hopefully in the right direction.

The coming year promises even more of what will really be interesting times. The country will have to come up with creative ways to beat back the economic malaise that threatens to seep into our own fabric. It does not help that the political process is being thwarted yet again by people who hold on to their public offices like leeches. Like the true parasites that they are, they only know how to suck blood and do the country a disservice by coming up with new-fangled ways to cling to power beyond the mandated election year 2010.

During these interesting times, we are tempted to take a page from our Chinese friends and wish the very best of these interesting times on those who seek to thwart the will of the people and the constitution. Perhaps, in the next process of reviewing the constitution — for it does need some tweaking — it may be wise to put in a provision that NO ONE who has ever held the highest position of the land can ever take on a similar top position, e.g., prime minister or chief janitor, even if the constitution were to be changed a thousand times.

By Digoy Fernandez

ONE fine morning, I was rudely awakened from my short morning nap — yes, age requires one to cat nap every now and then — by an obviously disturbed neighbour and fellow tree lover who was distressed by an apparent policy wherein the village officials and staff approved the cutting of any tree within the subdivision for the amount of P2,000. Of course, I was happy that someone else was bothered by this violation of PD 953 that not only mandates the planting of trees along streets and parks in subdivisions, but also exacts a heavy penalty on the unwarranted cutting down of said trees. Over the past two to three years, I saw a group of misguided village officials begin to cut down trees they did not like, whether on empty lots or along sidewalks. These officials earned for themselves the sobriquet “Putol Boys” from others who were bothered by the cutting down of trees but who preferred to remain silent on the issue.

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By Digoy Fernandez

ONE of the things I have to promise myself is never to make promises I can’t very well keep. In my last post, I mentioned the sloppy service of a restaurant in an upscale restaurant in a tony Alabang mall. Well, my dear son who is my veritable shadow when it comes to wonderful shared experiences like watching movies and eating — not expensive meals in posh restaurants, just good food in tried and tested venues — decided that he wanted to try a particular dish that happened to be available in the restaurant I said I would avoid until hell freezes over. Famous last words!

So, we hunkered over to Gerry’s Grill in Alabang Town Center (I mention them now because of subsequent events that happened in this visit) and — Surprise! Surprise! — a waitress saw us right away and proceeded to seat us at a table. This was 100 percent better than my last visit when I basically got ignored after trying twice to get seated or served, and was left to my own devices for about 15 minutes each time. We were seated and handed menus, and then, almost predictably, saw the waiters and waitresses just lolling around avoiding eye contact. Apparently, they want you to stand up and gesticulate wildly before they come over to serve you or take your order. At any rate, I finally had to wave my hand at one of them — not without vigorous encouragement and mild disapproval from my son, though. Our orders were taken and we settled down for what we hoped would be a nice lunch.

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By Digoy Fernandez

IN the typical Western corporate setting, the initial reflex action in severe downturns like what we are beginning to go through is to lay off staff, close down plants, and cut both expenses and benefits in an effort to pare down costs. Of course, if one multiplies this action thousands of times over as companies across the international spectrum tighten their collective belts, the more pernicious effects of a severe recession become like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more people lain off and plants closed result in lower spending power all over the world’s markets, making the downward spiral not only inevitable but also longer lasting. There was a trigger, to be sure, and this was the debacle in the sub-prime housing loans and the discovery of crappy credit swap default loans in the portfolio of many an otherwise respectable financial institution. But the period of fault finding is over. Now is the time to think positive to get ourselves going, even if the economy is headed the opposite direction.

With the loss of jobs coming along like a tidal wave, it boggles one to attempt to visualize the effect this will have on consumer spending, the subsequent decline in production, the ejection of families from their homes, and a general sense of malaise. What is one to do then, when faced with an unpalatable situation such as this one?

In our country where the family system remains alive, it is easy to think of a dispossessed family moving back into the parents’ household, or being given the use of an underutilized asset. Not so in many Western countries where homeless or church shelters often provide the only possible fallback for a family that hits bottom. At the very least, in the more socialized economies, there will always be welfare to lean on…but even this is not a bottomless fund and many governments may prove reluctant to support an army of dispossessed people who will not be able to find work.

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