Pe: YES to a visionary

Getting the country through the recovery period after the pandemic will take a leader who is both a visionary and a builder. We need a leader who can bring our people together so we can overcome the difficulties set before us. We therefore need someone who can see us through the after-effects of this pandemic and take the hard-won lessons we’ve learned and apply them to further strengthen government’s frameworks.

Our next leader should be able to envision where he or she wants the country to go. He or she must be able to communicate this vision to the people well, with clarity and purpose. The next President should also have a concrete plan for achieving the goals he or she envisions for the Philippines. It would be good to have a leader who is both able and determined to build on the gains of the previous administrations, and open up new avenues of growth on which the succeeding generations can build. I’m looking for a leader who can inspire the people to participate fully in nation-building, especially post-pandemic.

What I seek in a President is strength of character tempered with compassion, and a work ethic that is equal to the demands of that very tough and challenging job. Our future leader should be someone who will listen to the people and create policies that deliver what the people need from government—with both efficiency and timeliness. The best political savvy is the ability to lead and inspire people to work together toward the common good we all desire and seek.

In my current role as a confectionery senior scientist in the manufacturing side of our food business, Universal Robina Corp. (URC), we always encounter problems related to transport and logistical issues, and this is something that we have to contend with.

'I’m looking for a leader who can inspire the people to participate fully in nation-building, especially post-pandemic.'

My specific task for the incoming leader is to address the problem of the need for an efficient transport and logistics systems to be in place because for me, if the next set of leaders will be able to come up with concrete and doable solutions in this area, this will translate to great improvements and increased productivity.

I would say na easier use of a transportation infrastructure in place can certainly help us when it comes to our R&D work because faster transportation, in terms of raw materials, packaging materials, and equipment delivery, will lead to faster logistics of goods to aid us in the work that we do at the Global Innovation Center—from our lab experimentation and eventually to commercial scale production.

I believe that the country’s next leadership should continue to advance its mission to make further inroads in opening up global market opportunities and further market integration into the global economy for more Philippine companies.

With our mandate to oversee product development, commercialization and packaging in order to provide our customers with consistent, delicious and affordable snacks and beverages, I would say improvements in this area will definitely have a significant impact not just for the work that we do at URC but also to the overall efficiency and productivity of the manufacturing sector of our economy in general.

Sixty-five years after being established by my late grandfather, Mr. John Gokongwei Jr., URC today has grown to become one of the largest branded consumer food and beverage product manufacturing companies in the Philippines and in Asia, with market leadership in categories like biscuits in Thailand and beverages in Vietnam. We are present in nine countries in the ASEAN and in Oceania region, generating over $1 billion in annual sales. In 2020, DTI has recognized us as one of the country’s top exporters for the processed food and beverage sector.

Hopefully, we will be able to carry on this momentum that has placed us where we are today, and be able to continue introducing more URC food and beverage products to the rest of the world.

In order to be able to do this, I believe that the country’s next leadership should continue to advance its mission to make further inroads in opening up global market opportunities and further market integration into the global economy for more Philippine companies. Crucial here is a key understanding on how the global value chain (GVC) framework is essential for a country such as ours as it seeks to use increased integration in the global economy to promote inclusive development, increase employment, add value to its domestic industries, and further diversify its export basket.

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Feliciano: YES to a leader with a master plan

I come from a family of farmers. Where I was born, the only structures that I used to see growing up were the mahogany and bamboo trees. My view outside the window was exactly as beautiful as how the kids from the city used to draw the mountains, the sun, and the farm, with some flying birds they have never really actually seen.

Everywhere you looked was the scenic horizon view of the green rice fields and the blue sky. The roads were rough and bumpy (literally), and life was slow and laid-back. I never learned the agricultural works. I was a good student when I was younger, so my parents thought they’d set me up for some future that required stepping inside the university, far better than what they’ve known.

Fast forward to 2021, I realized that I have resided in Manila longer than in the province. Heading the Construction Engineering Technology and Innovation team in one of the leading construction companies in the Philippines, implementing technology-based solutions for construction—I’ve been busy (together with my colleagues from the Business Transformation Department-Information Technology, Project Planning, Corporate Development and Computer Aided Design) coping with the many projects the Build Build Build Program of the government has put on my plate.

Not that I’m complaining. The Philippines has been so far left behind by our neighbors when it comes to infrastructure. I’m glad we’re stepping up the game by building more roads, bridges, airports and railways, that the Philippines has long been lacking.

A leader should not care who gets the credit or who gets honored. Egotism being set aside, acknowledging the previous administration’s achievements, and carrying on with it are some notable qualities I’d very much like our next leader to have.

These projects, which of course have been pre-planned, undergone conceptualization and rigorous feasibility studies, are also built, and are being built with the latest construction technology. Building Information Modeling and Virtual Design and Construction play a vital role in ensuring these projects are fast paced with less rework and are meeting the standards and requirements that the government has set with integrity. These technologies also pave way for better value engineering, cost analysis, design collaboration and even facility management.

While many are appreciative, there are also cynics who refuse to recognize the value of these projects, asking the million-dollar question, “Makakain ba yan?” Infrastructure development is vital for the growth and competitiveness of an emerging economy. At the end of the day, these initiatives from the government will bring food to our table. So yes, makakain yan.

Ronald Feliciano conducts 3D modeling training for teachers from Bulacan State University.

These infrastructure facilities improve our quality of life. Take for example the job opportunities and the businesses created by the Clark International Airport Expansion project. Thousands of jobs created from the bridges, bypass roads, expressways, ports, airports, terminals, and railways from the Build Build Build Program. The erection of the Skyway Stage 3 has reduced the travel time from Buendia to Balintawak from two hours to 20 minutes.

'Kalsada ang daan sa kaunlaran,' I do hope and I want to see the Philippines with concrete highways and roads up to the smallest and remotest barangay, islands connected by bridges and trains connecting distant cities as if they are neighbors.

I’m not one to meddle with political issues but I sure hope that these infrastructure projects, which are supposedly the centerpiece of the Duterte administration, withstand the next administrations to come. This golden age of infrastructure has to continue no matter who sits as president next.

Come the 2022 election, I do believe that the leader we need should be a visionary. He needs to have a long-term vision for the country, which isn’t limited only to his and his political allies’ term. One who can lead in creating a long-term plan for this country that will extend beyond the six-year term of a President. One who can set aside political issues to continue projects planned by previous administrations as long as it is beneficial to the Filipino people.

A leader should not care who gets the credit or who gets honored. Egotism being set aside, acknowledging the previous administration’s achievements, and carrying on with it are some notable qualities I’d very much like our next leader to have.

Our country needs a leader who has a clear idea of how the future should look for the Philippines. Planning not just for today or tomorrow but for the years and generations to come.

Borrowing and believing the lines from my professor in college in our highway engineering subject, “Kalsada ang daan sa kaunlaran,” I do hope and I want to see the Philippines with concrete highways and roads up to the smallest and remotest barangay, islands connected by bridges and trains connecting distant cities as if they are neighbors.

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