If I Were A Developer

There's another subdivision project being developed along Quimpo Boulevard. They've started the landfill about early last year and cutting down a few trees to make way. It's going to be another exclusive subdivision, which is quite ironic since along its supposed boundaries is a barangay full of squatters.

But, I digress. The question for me, this morning, is: what if I were a developer? What would be the defining characteristics of any project I would choose to develop?

So, let's dream, shall we?

If I were a developer, I want to be known, top of mind, as the greenest developer there is. It is a generally accepted fact that the construction industry is among the greatest polluters of all time and I want to change that image. How do I do that? I can start by changing the way subdivision projects are developed.

First stop, location. If I were a developer, I would choose areas which are more or less developed already. These maybe abandoned warehouse grounds, former quarry sites or garages. I would specialize in converting industrial zones into potential residential sites. Definitely, I would lower my costs in development especially if I'm good at lobbying the government to re-zone unused sites. Not only that, I don't have to deal with filling the land anymore or clearing it of vegetation or otherwise solving drainage issues along the way. 

But if I were not so lucky, I would choose sites which will put the least amount of stress on the surrounding environment, such as those near urbanized areas already. That way, I can minimize urban sprawl and habitat loss. I would also make sure that I preserve the majority of trees that are already there, even go as far as adapt my subdivision plan to not disturb their root beds. I would make trees a focal point in my project and will go to lengths to ensure that the roads and the lots do not go through them but instead showcase them as they appear.

Second stop, ceaseless adoption of green technologies. My roads will be made of permeable concrete, which will preserve water quality and reduce water runoff from precipitation. Other than that, my roads will be part of a greater infrastructure to generate clean energy. They will house underground pipes housing fluids, which will absorb the heat taken in by the roads, and, in turn, transfer the collected heat to exchangers which will, in turn again, power turbines to generate electricity.

I'll also make it a point to put in place stricter waste segregation policies and adopt more green technologies as they go, from replacing concrete pavement with greener alternatives or implanting foliage specially know for reducing air pollution and sustaining endemic species.

Third stop, market introduction of green building standards. I'll mainly be catering to high-end clients who put exclusivity and security at the top of their priorities. Why is this important? That's because they'll be more amenable to adopting building codes which, although sustainable, are also expensive. I'll be offering them the opportunity of residing in one of the country's premier subdivision estates in exchange for making their homes more environment-friendly. That means subjecting their building plans to LEED standards and, as a corollary, challenging the local community of architects and engineers to think greener.

Hopefully, this conscious program to raise awareness for green building will have a trickle-down effect, summarily encouraging other local developers to adopt the same standards.

If I were a developer, these will be the things that I will do.Unfortunately, the current developers that we have aren't gifted with the same degree of imagination.

The Ideal Girl

We were on our way home to Davao City after visiting Santa Maria for Weng's wedding. We were on board Ma'am Alav's car. I was with Jonna, Henry, Arnold, and, of course, Ma'am Alav.

Ma'am Alav asked each of us if we were admiring a girl in the office and why. It was katuwaan, a way to while away the time and, pretty soon, everyone was grinning. Then, it was my turn.

Going back, I mumbled something about liking a girl because of her work ethic. Definitely, I was lying through my teeth with that absurd answer (It only showed how uncomfortable I was with the question. Actually, a good work ethic is an admirable quality but it's not something you fall head over heels for).

What should my answer have been, really? If I were to paraphrase Ma'am Alav's question slightly, what is it that gets my attention first? What is it in a girl that will literally tug at my heart?

Unfortunately, that's something I haven't pondered about yet. Let me think about that for a second...

Biking Lanes

How about biking lanes in Davao City?

That's the idea behind the Cycle For Life initiative by MISSION. Aimed at increasing awareness for a more sustainable lifestyle among the citizens of Davao City, it also strives to promote the development of biking lanes in the city's major thoroughfares.

Why biking lanes, you might ask? That's because we are getting there anyway. The transportation system that we have right now is not sustainable in the long run. There's the issue of oil price instability which will only worsen as supply dwindles. Then, there's the huge dilemma of how to fit millions of vehicles in Davao City's already congested streets. In addition, there is the ongoing fight to lessen vehicle emissions and reduce pollution. 

For the rest of us, deciding to traverse the city through bicycles is one of the better options for transportation. Promoting the use of bicycles not only addresses the congestion problem, the obesity problem, the pollution problem, or even our increasing dependence on oil. It also sends a clear image of what this city stands for in terms of priorities; promoting the humble bicycle is our statement that we, Dabawenyos, value sustainable living above all else.

Hence, designating bicycle lanes is the next step in the process. Through bicycle lanes, riders are more protected against vehicles and, with this incentive, more people will be compelled to ride in two wheels.

I don't really know the status of the ordinance seeking the creation of bicycle lanes in Davao City. But for now, bicycle lanes remain a vision, a fantasy, in the city. But if it can help make the vision clearer, here's a New York post about a citizen who has made this vision a reality. 

If she can do it, why not us?

Rethinking The Scholar

I shouldn't be writing this post. Maybe, I'm just pretentious, assuming even. I'm not a scholar. My parents were and my friends shared a bit about their lives as scholars for the country. But that in no way make me an expert in these things.

So, now that I've let that out, let me talk about scholarship grants. The process itself is first an objective then a subjective one. After the preliminary tests to gauge academic ability, the selection process then involves real people, this time, through the form of interviews and/or essay writing marathons. Candidates are assessed by how they conduct themselves during the interview, by their answers obviously, and by the values that they presumably hold. 

For me, I feel uncomfortable with the subjective side of the process. All of us, even expert interviewers, are not exempt from biases and even veteran school administrators hold a certain preference for those candidates who embody the qualities of what they think the ideal scholar should have. The concern here would be the introduction of scholars into the student body who, although brilliant, are quite homogeneous with each other.

I would rather prefer that psychological tests determine the right candidates for the scholarship and that interviews and essays be a mere formality, a method of confirming what the tests have revealed about the candidate. It may seem robotic and straightforward (yes, it is) but this way, I believe, provides a clearer picture of the candidates that a one-on-one or even a panel interview might distort. 

Tests can measure an individual's self-motivation, his or her will to succeed. Tests can measure what values do each one hold and if one has the moral ascendancy to merit a scholarship grant. Interviews on the other hand may be skewed by a candidate's eloquence and charisma, qualities that, although important, should be secondary to a person's attitude towards life and his internal environment (Besides, eloquence and charisma can always be taught. Attitude is another matter altogether).

I may be wrong though. Like I've said, I'm not a scholar. But I hope some would consider my view as something worthy of merit.

A Twisted Sense of Beauty

We are funny. I mean...we men are. When it comes to physical beauty, we are quite infatuated by women who have the wrong characteristics.

For instance, most of us like boobs, big boobs. Some would point to leftover evolutionary instincts which equate cleavage size with reproductive capacity as the reason for this (but I don't buy that reasoning). But big breasts are actually potential health hazards for women. Being heavier, they exert more stress on the muscles, causing occasional shoulder and back pain, not to mention affecting a woman's mobility when she's on the move.

We also like women with fair complexion, often bordering on the anemic.But a light complexion is most often synonymous with low levels of vitamin D, since most women who sport light complexions don't get under the sun often enough.

We love women who are thin, sometimes dangerously thin. But these women are most often anorexics, bulimics, or victims of some other anxiety disorder.

Truly, our standard for beauty is not healthy. The sad thing is some women seem to agree that our standard is just right.

My Take On A Moro-Islamic State

I remember a class I had with Dr. Macario Tiu (T-Mac) back in college. We were discussing Mindanao and the need, or rather, the want for a Moro-Islamic state surfaced in the lecture. He asked me what my opinion was about this burning question: should the Philippine government concede to the wishes of the Muslim secessionists and carve out an Islamic state out of Mindanao? My answer was a firm no, citing that the Muslims weren't ready for self-government.

Ever the sage, T-Mac asked me why and what criteria was I applying. That's when I realized I was seeing the issue from an unacceptable perspective, my perspective. I was speaking as I was, a Filipino citizen on Mindanao's soil. Although my assumption was correct, that Muslims weren't politically fit for self-rule (as evidenced by their leaders' increasing arrogance, corruption, and apathy), I also summarily dismissed their case because they didn't meet the benchmarks that I've arbitrarily set upon them.

Looking back, I think the question is best answered by those who will actually carry the burden of self-rule: the Moro people. They should be the ones who should answer because they are the ones who can assess, for themselves, if they are up to the challenge. They alone can assess their strengths, their weaknesses. In short, they should be the ones setting the criteria, the ones who should be answering the question: Are we ready? Are we ready for a separate state?

The problem nowadays is that the voice of the Moro majority is muffled, distorted. The people who do the talking are the ones who hold the guns, who hold the power. MNLF and MILF rebels push for separatism. Some political warlords push for the same thing. Both claim they represent their constituents but you can never know. The Moro people want peace but, somehow, that message is seemingly lost among their leaders. The Moro people clamor for development and security but, again, that need never comes across.

I cannot speak for the Moro people no more can my fellow Dabawenyo speak for them. But, if there should be any talk about a Moro-Islamic State, I believe the Moro people should be the ones on the negotiation table, not the rebels nor the politicos who claim they know who they stand for.

Taxes And Citizenship

I have a story. 

Ma'am Nora, an activist, approached a lawyer for some advice. Her organization was working on a deal, trying to negotiate the purchase of a property. Some associates had advised her earlier that she should execute two sets of the Deed of Absolute Sale, one for BIR purposes and one for the actual transaction. This was to minimize the tax payments since the Deed of Absolute Sale for the BIR would show a lower selling price than the actual, thus leading to a lower computation of the taxes involved. This was a common practice, they said. 

However, the lawyer Ma'am Norma approached would have none of it. They shouldn't be cheating, he asserted. Embarrassed and impressed at the same time, Ma'am Norma marveled at the lawyer's integrity. 

I cannot remember the name of that lawyer but Atty. Alex Lacson, the author of the yellow little book "12 little things you can do for your country" is espousing the same ideal: Pay your taxes. It's a very Filipino thing to do. 

Never mind the corruption or the fact that the government misuses its funds most of the time. What matters is that you're doing your civic duty. You're doing the right thing and that alone gives you all the moral ascendancy to demand the same from your government.

For me, if you're screwing the government by cheating on your taxes, then you don't have any right to complain when your government screws you back.

Dark Night Of The Soul

 In a TIME article by David Biema, he wrote about Mother Teresa and the inner spiritual life of the saint as written in the book, Come Be My Light.  Contrary to the public image that Mother Teresa and her community had cultivated over the years, the woman herself had persevered through an emotionally depressing period, punctuated by extended bouts of spiritual 'dryness'.

 The book discusses the saint's struggle with a God who seemingly had left her for good, a God who, at the start of her ministry, was omnipresent but was now absent even as she lived through the pinnacle of her ministry's success.

David Biema, in due course, discusses how certain groups, from the atheists, to the psychologists, then to the religious scholars, have explained this paradox. He also mentions St. John of the Cross, the influential Carmelite who wrote in great detail about the stages that one had to go through towards a spiritual union with God.

St. John was the first to coin the phrase, "the Dark Night of the Soul", an intense period where, as per Wikipedia (because it defines it better), "spiritual disciplines (such as prayer and consistent devotion to God) suddenly seem to lose all their experiential value; traditional prayer is extremely difficult and unrewarding for an extended period of time during this "dark night." The individual may feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them or that his or her prayer life has collapsed. It is important to note however that the presence of doubt is not tantamount to abandonment—as there is a strong Biblical tradition of authentic confusion before God. Psalms 13, 22, and 44 display King David, the 'man after God's own heart' undergoing serious confusion before and anguish with God, yet this is not condemned or mentioned as being unfaithful, but rather as the only measure of faith that David could have in the face of such withering apparent abandonment."

Such was, according to some leading theologians, the case with Mother Teresa (although hers was a rarer variety since it went beyond several years).

In Conti's Holistic Christianity, he discusses the stages leading to and from The Dark Night of the Soul:

Active Night of the Senses: God reveals to us Himself through our senses, a period characterized by euphoria and spiritual ecstasy.

Passive Night of the Senses: God withdraws the sensible spiritual delights He had lavished on us during our earliest days of growth, to test our mettle, to attune us to subtler perception of His presence.

Illuminative Way: The ego is now well-oriented to God's will and has constructed a kind of self-made union with God - a good union, but not as deep or abiding a union as God would have us finally know.

Dark Night of the Soul: God dissolves the ego, undoing our self-constructed union with Him to make way for a perfect union.

Unitive Revelation: Peace at last, union with God, as God draws together the elements of our being around Himself who is our new non-egoic center.

Going back, Mother Teresa persevered in her works despite the all-encompassing feeling of abandonment, a fact that, among anything else, highlights her as a true saint. As Kolodiejchuk, a priest and the editor of Come Be My Light, would say, "The tendency in our spiritual life but also in our more general attitude toward love is that our feelings are all that is going on," he says. "And so to us the totality of love is what we feel. But to really love someone requires commitment, fidelity and vulnerability. Mother Teresa wasn't 'feeling' Christ's love, and she could have shut down. But she was up at 4:30 every morning for Jesus, and still writing to him, 'Your happiness is all I want.' That's a powerful example even if you are not talking in exclusively religious terms." 

Why am I writing this post anyway? That's probably because I'm one of the many who are left in the dark, looking for a God who is nowhere to be found. 

Another Encounter To Talk About

Mama calls it self-imposed equality. I call it self-imposed inequality.

I happened to drop by a Minute Burger stall on a Tuesday night. I figured out I should munch some dinner before going home. So I ordered two double burgers with coleslaw and eggs.

When the burgers were halfway done, the attendant checked her freezer to get some eggs. There were none. She could have checked beforehand but she opted to check it when the burgers were almost ready. I thought, 'No problem'. There was a convenience store nearby and I could buy some eggs there. So I told her I'll be back for the burgers.

When I came back with eggs, she told me she couldn't cook them. Her employer was nearby and it was bawal. I would have loved to check her rulebook for that rule but I didn't take my burgers when she asked if I was still buying them.

What's my point? Well, the employee could have seen this encounter as a sales opportunity. Here she had a customer willing to go the extra mile by buying his own eggs (that sounded funny). She could have accepted my offer to have the eggs cooked, charged me P5.00 for the 'use' of the grill, and I would have just shrugged my shoulders. At least, I had my burgers with coleslaw and eggs. Instead, she lost a sale because she couldn't, wouldn't accommodate my request.

She could also have provided me with advance notice that eggs were out. She was in charge of inventory after all and it was so easy to check her freezer before cooking those burgers.

Mama and I discussed about this the following morning and she concluded that, perhaps, what accounts for the great divide between the rich and the poor is purely a difference in mindsets. It boils down to a person's mentality. The opportunities are every present; it's simply a matter of recognizing these and utilizing these opportunities. 

In the case above, the employee never had a chance. She wasn't thinking like her amo would, who would probably be happy if she converted one cooking effort into a sale despite missing some eggs. It also probably explains why some employees do remain employees and some persons go out to becoming successful businesspeople.

Something About Aging And Man's Propensity For Good

Just want to share something from what I read.

In an essay by Gay Luce, she mentioned an inevitable transformation among people as lifespans become longer and longer thanks to medical advances:

We will be too long on Earth to embrace our old character deficiencies, like characters in a sitcom, pretending to be what we are not or grasping and competing for material accumulations. We will outlive the naivete that allowed us to believe cultural promises about the way life should be. Upon reaching age 120, the strident clamor of passionate selfishness simply may not be worth the effort...

Eventually, the sheer accumulation of experience will begin to wear out our demands. The nature of the prize will change. The inevitable next step, I believe, will be a default process of spiritual realization. Rogues and wastrels, over time, can become saints. We may not set out to embody goodness, but with the years, goodness becomes of us.

If only this were true, right? You're probably recalling all those grumpy elderly people in your childhood years.

But I do believe in what Gay Luce has said and, harking back to this post's title, this excerpt definitely points back to our basic nature; that we are essentially good and predisposed to doing good. As we age, all the corruption, the bad habits, the wrong assumptions, the self-defeating exercises of the mind, will simply be swept away as the years provide us with enlightenment and ultimately self-awareness and self-mastery.

Even then, the prospect of death will provide us focus on what is essential to our life's meaning and purpose. From striving for success, we now strive for significance as what Lloyd Reebe would say.

Friday Night

This has happened to me twice already.

Downtown is always a bad place to be when you want to go home on a rainy Friday night. Earlier this year, I was waiting for a jeep along Quimpo Boulevard. After several minutes trying to hail a jeep, I figured that I'd just ride a taxi. So off I walked to Bolton, amidst the pouring rain, mind you, since there are probably taxis waiting outside Jollibee Bolton. To my dismay, no taxis were in sight. So I walked the length of Rizal Street to stop at Quirino fronting Davao Doctors Hospital. I presumed again that there may be taxis in the vicinity of Gaisano South Mall or along Quirino. Fortunately, there was a taxi, perhaps fresh from unloading a passenger, and I went home after one and a half hour of trying in vain.

Yesterday, the same thing happened. I got dropped off at Quirino by a colleague and the same dilemma surfaced. Just like before, hundreds of people thronged the sidewalks of Davao City, waiting for that elusive jeep or taxi to emerge from the downpour. But the jeeps were packed and taxis were rare. As for me, I've learned my lesson. If I wanted to have a chance at getting home before 10 PM, I had to go back to where the jeeps were about to turn around and resume their routes after dropping off most of their passengers along the way. I had to go back to the source, so to speak. So off I went to Roxas Boulevard. But jeeps were still rare even there that I had to walk almost the entire length before a jeep mercifully unloaded a passenger to accommodate me. 

Someday, I'm going to own a car.

Slightly Depressed

It's unfair.

An account turns sour and the client complains and the boss hears of it. An account goes well and the client earnestly begins to thank and praise you in private. Truly, a case of  a single bad apple making the entire fruit basket suspect.

It's unfair. But then, so is life.