Reimagining the New Filipino
Coming off the heels of our 6th WhyNot?Forum — Why Not Be True? Tribute to Pinoy Subculture Tribes, the WhyNuts thought through the theme for 7.0. Our minds were swimming around science, futurism, and heroism – until we decided to coincide our schedule with the August 21 death anniversary of national hero Ninoy Aquino. That decision settled it. From a back-to-the-roots journey into geek-dom and subculture, we were ready to unashamedly wear our nationalistic hearts on our sleeves again.
Bam melded our thoughts and proposed to talk about ‘the Filipino for the 21st Century’ – a Reimagined Filipino if you will – and it was a theme that the group gravitated towards immediately. To deepen our thinking, we underwent a process to discuss the theme in length, inviting Rapa Lopa (who would eventually be a speaker), Lino Rivera, and former WhyNot? speaker Floy Quintos to brainstorm. The output of that session eventually gave birth to WhyNot?Forum 7.0 :
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Fast forward to August 22 : WhyNot?Forum 7.0 becomes another memorable milestone in the history of WhyNot?Forums.
In true WN?F fashion, we looked for a venue that could be a statement on the theme itself. Thus, we looked for a space that was rich in Filipino heritage and culture, and yet at the same time was progressive and forward-looking. For us, the Ayala Museum was the perfect space. And thankfully, with the help of Bill Luz from the Ayala Foundation, we were able to get it.
WhyNot?Forum 7.0 @ the Ayala Museum Lobby
As early as 2:30pm, people promptly started trickling in. By 3pm, the venue had been filled-up and more seats needed to be provided. The crowd would eventually balloon to more than 200 – composed of young professionals, students, academicians, business leaders, development workers, NGO’s, executives, even children – taking up the entire floor area venue.
Bam Aquino, WhyNut and our in-house host, then introduced WhyNot?Forum 7.0′s theme, explaining how the WhyNuts had decided to coincide this special WN?F with the death anniversary of his uncle, National Hero Ninoy Aquino. He shared that it was our own way to also contribute to the conversation on positive change for the country.
WhyNut Bam Aquino introduces ReimagiNATION to a Jampacked Crowd @ the Ayala Museum
After the snappy introduction, the program immediately dove into action. Paco Sandejas – Stanford PhD holder, Venture Capitalist, and Brain Gain Network founder – took to the stage to give the first talk of the forum. He proceeded to talk about his topic – a question on Why Outbound, Not Homebound; or in his own words, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”.
Paco narrated his experiences of taking higher studies in the US, but eventually deciding to make a bid to go back to the Philippines and set-up shop, despite the unideal local situation. He explains possible reasons for returning – whether it be economics, family, even opportunity (Being a Small Fish in a Big Pond vs Being a Big Fish vs a Small Pond).
He also shares his view that we should understand Filipinos who decide to go abroad and try their luck out in the great blue yonder. Aside from the fact that we don’t understand his or her personal circumstances, it’s also good for the country because Filipinos out there are learning and working at a global level. After all, the reality of the world today is that competition for jobs is across geographies and nationalities, and not just with fellow Filipinos.
He then ends by sharing his online platform for collaboration across all Filipinos — whether they be based in the Philippines or abroad. This is the aptly-named Brain Gain Network which can hopefully be an engine to build, in his own words, Philippines 2.0.
Paco Sandejas, PhD of BrainGain Network of NarraVC
Speaker #2 is a first for WhyNot?Forum. A military officer, Major Dennis Eclarin of the Philippine Army captivated the audience by showing up in full uniform. Armed with the topic Renegades, Not Robots – Major Eclarin debunks all stereotypes and biases we normally have towards military officers. Military should not be a concern at all, he explains; the Philippine Army now simply works behind the scenes – quietly under the radar – in order to serve the general citizenry.
A progressive nationalist, Dennis relayed that his experiences in military service — even in the frontlines of actual battle and conflict — have made him seek better ways to help move the country forward. This better way, he then posits, can be fueled by a new kind of renegade-ism, which he then redefines by contrasting it against robot-ism (Nation-Building vs Managing Systems; Leaders of Characters vs Soul-less Machines; Free Thinkers vs Mindless Followers). For him, renegade-ism is not rebellion; On the contrary, it is nation-building by working with stakeholders and negotiating within the system.
He then gives a twist to Why Not by sharing snippets of a new book that he’s currently authoring, entitled “What If?”. Instead of the usual Why Not? Questions, he asks What If”s? These ‘What If”s would be : fighting for a middle force, championing unity of effort, building a strong (democratic) state, crafting a distinctively pro-business vision (yes, a capitalist-friendly soldier!), tapping Filipinos abroad, and forming a corps of dynamic leaders.
Major Dennis Eclarin of the Philippine Army
After the incendiary talk of Major Eclarin, Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel provides a tangential perspective, asking “Why Not A Nation of Activists and an Activist State?”.
In her calm yet firm manner, Risa shares her thoughts on how a new take on activism (not simply the traditional association of take-to-the-streets rallying) can provide hope in effecting true change in the country. In fact, the moment one wonders if things ‘can be better’, that person becomes what Risa calls “a closet advocate”. If this ‘closet advocacy’ is then taken collectively and acted upon – transitioning from advocacy into activism – then perhaps this can result in a true revolution from below. And as this revolution builds, so too does the empowerment of the citizenry.
But this does not only apply to a revolution from below. Being in government, Risa also shares how activism can play a role from that perspective. For her, activists within government working on empowering policies will lead into societal transformation. The change this effects can be both systemic and institutional.
Ultimately, she shares a vision of a nation of activists, building an activist state.
Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel
Rapa Lopa – Executive Director of the Benigno Aquino Foundation, Chairman of MicroVentures, and Executive Assistant to as well as nephew of President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino – became an emotional high-point for the forum.
With his beloved Auntie Cory’s passing just a few weeks earlier – an event that would dramatically envelop the whole Philippines in mourning, respect, and love – Rapa shared his thoughts and reflections on her life. Rapa talks about his belief that the story of Tita Cory is interwoven with the story of his Tito Ninoy; In fact, it’s not just any story, but rather a very powerful and moving love story. The couple became each other’s pillars of strength, allowing them to endure trials such as Tito Ninoy’s unlawful imprisonment, and eventually his ultimate sacrifice of dying for the country.
But Rapa’s insight is this : LOVE was the central theme that fueled his Tito Ninoy and Tita Cory. It was love for each other. It was love for God. And this love became real – as it translated into love for country, for the Philippines, for the Filipino. As Rapa asked early on in his talk : Is the Filipino Worth Living and Dying For? And the lives of his uncle and his aunt were testaments that the answer is a resounding yes.
He then shares how working with his Tita Cory has moved him into working for a better country, and that has shaped the people he has chosen to work with today; MicroVentures, a microfinancing business development services company working with the poorest of the poor; iamninoy runners; Philippine Stagers Association (for Ako Si Ninoy musical); and his efforts on “giving multiplied” – harnessing the power of the internet to find help for those who need it.
With a solemn silence not heard since Mr. Pagsi’s talk in WhyNot?Forum 3.0, Rapa then ends by asking young children from the audience what their dreams were, what they wanted to be when they grew up. And he parts by saying that these children are the future – they are the Filipinos that are worth living and dying for.
Benigno Aquino Foundation Executive Director, MicroVentures Chairman, and Tita Cory’s Nephew Rapa Lopa
The last speaker for WhyNot?Forum was another new addition to the mix.
Howie Severino – renowned journalist – shared his thoughts not with a prepared speech, but rather with an extemporaneous spiel, as a reactor.
Able to simultaneously juggle insight, humor, and heart, he provided a sharp recap of the key points of each speaker – at times distilling and enriching what each speaker had tackled in his or her respective talk.
It would prove to be a fruitful exercise, as Howie was able to provide a unity of perspective across the different topics tackled, painting a distinct yet unified picture of what had transpired that afternoon. One particular theme that Howie captured is that the speakers provide us a glimpse of who the Filipino can be, not just who he is.
A First for WhyNot : A Reactor c/o Journalist Howie Severino
All-in-all, it was another powerful and moving WhyNot?Forum — filled with several a-ha! ideas, points of laughter, and heart-rending moments.
In a conversation on reimagining the new Filipino, we realized that we may indeed be a ‘work-in-progress’, but a clear vision of who we can still be is what should capture our imagination. To echo Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, “reimagination is the beginning of hope.”
WhyNuts L-R : Timi Gomez, Bam Aquino, Carlo Calimon, Rapa Lopa, Jan Chavez-Arceo, Angeli Ko, Mark Ruiz, Lino Rivera
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As we wait for the official videos to be up in a few weeks, here is a teaser video on some highlights of 7.0 :
To end, WhyNot?Forum would like to give a very special thanks to its partners : OneAsiaTouchpoint, DVTech, and HavocDigital; and special sponsors for WhyNot?Forum 7.0 Ayala Museum, Signum, Yakult, and Rene Barbier.
Think New Thoughts. Share Big Dreams. Do Brave Things
The WhyNot?Forum : Inspiring Filipino Ingenuity
www.whynotforum.com
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