A nation run like heaven by Filipinos

 My recommendation is to put a spin on the late great Manuel L. Quezon’s  line to turn it into a more positive one, and adopt it as our Vision and Mission or our Cause – to aspire for a Nation Run Like Heaven by Filipinos.  I  am quite sure the late President Manuel L. Quezon would not mind this “re-phrasing” or “re-editing” of his words as  I am certain that deep in his heart, this is what he really meant for the country.

If we all agree this is a noble cause to adopt for our country and our countrymen, then what would it take for a nation to be run like heaven by Filipinos?  Let me offer 20 ideas:

Lead by example.  Practice what you preach and walk the talk.  Lead yourself then others will follow, whether you’re the head of state or the head of a family.

Keep your promises.  To your children, your spouse, your parents, relatives and friends.  To your workers and colleagues, peers and students. To your customers and suppliers.  To shareholders and partners.  Most of all, to yourself and to God.

Promote a culture of excellence and not excuses across all sectors of society.  Drive revenues to grow the total pie, whether it’s the GNP, your company sales or HH income.  Cut costs. Conserve cash.  Be innovative.  Competitive. World-class. 

Work harder, faster and smarter.  Live the Olympic spirit of “Faster, Higher, Stronger” in whatever you do.  Speed is the essence of war.  Cut the bureaucracy in government and the private sector, manifested in inertia, resistance to change, lack of inventiveness and a Not Invented Here syndrome.  Practice self-discipline.

Live for others.  Love others as you love yourself.  The key to your personal success is in helping others attain success.   Don’t be obsessed with leaving a legacy for yourself whether you’re in public office or the private sector.  Think of your constituents, co-workers, family and they will remember you for all eternity.    Let the proverbial 100 richest families who own 80% of the country’s wealth and income share like Matthew the tax collector.  Neither you nor your descendants can take your riches to heaven, but you can USE your riches to take yourself, your family and the whole nation to heaven.  Be saviors of the country.  Zero to Hero.

Live a work-life balance.  Live healthy active lifestyles.  Eat a balanced diet.  Quit smoking.  Drink moderately.  Exercise regularly.  Men sana en corpore sano.  (A sound mind in a sound body).  All work and no play makes Juan a dull boy. 

Raise educational standards.  Pay schoolteachers more for their heroism.  Master Math & Science.  Study Engineering & Technology.  Read.  Raise English proficiency.  Learn Mandarin.  Teach the right values at home and at school; at work and at play.  What value is an education without an education in values?

Fight Filipino countervalues. Ningas Cogon. Bahala Na. Pwede Na Yan. Bukas Na Lang.Chismis.Anti-Filipino Crab Mentality.Pro-Foreigner Colonial Mentality.

Be tidy and orderly.  Cleanliness is godliness.  Don’t litter.  CLAYGO – Clean as you go.  Dispose your garbage properly.  Practice good hygiene and sanitation. 

Preserve the environment.  Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Use 2 sides of a sheet of paper. Save our trees. Plant more trees. Save our seas. Clean our rivers. Protect our endangered fauna.  Use less of all 3 utilities – electricity, fuel and water.

Stop graft & corruption.  Both in the public and private sectors.  Do not bribe, steal, cheat or lie, nor tolerate anyone who does.  Return what you have taken illegally or “by mistake”.  There is no forgiveness without restitution.  Then go to confession.  Children must admonish their own parents who commit wrongdoing. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his soul?

Be thrifty.  Delay Gratification.  Spend less.  Save more.  Invest.  Waste nothing.  Be frugal with yourself – but not with the poor, your employees or househelp.

Fight poverty.  Raise wages and salaries. Poor workers are poor consumers.  Share your profits.  Workers who are part-owners are more productive.  They wll drive revenues & cut costs.  Pay the right taxes.  Share your wealth.  Less for self.  More for others.  Enough for all. Count your blessings – Share your blessings.  BOGO – not Buy One, Get One, but Buy One, Give One – on Food, Clothing, Education and Shelter.  If you buy lunch, give 1 happy meal to a streetchild.  If you buy 1 apartment, give 1 GK home.  If you send your own child to school, sponsor the education of a poor child via World Vision (1 child for P450 per mo).  Jesus Christ said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me”. 

Vanquish the vices.  Alcoholism, Smoking, Drug Abuse, Gambling, Prostitution.

Stop violence.  Ban guns. Ban weapons.  Ban fighting – both physical & verbal.  Starting with government leaders’ politicking, mudslinging and internal strife.  An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth leaves a blind and toothless nation.  Put an end to the extrajudicial killings, the NPA insurgency and Muslim secessionist movement.  If Jesus Christ forgave his persecutors, how can we not do the same?

Stop sexual immorality.  Indecency and Nudity, Licentiousness and Salacious Behavior, Flirtatiousness and Promiscuity, Fornication and Adultery, Infidelity & yes, even Homosexuality.  It’s against natural and divine law and it’s contagious.

Promote responsible parenthood.  Help mend broken families.  Scorn annulments and separations.  If you think you can’t pay for a child’s education, delay marriage.  Use natural family planning only.  Abstain.  Take cold showers.

Overcome Pride.  The original sin of Adam and Eve and the cause of Lucifer’s downfall.  Manifested in selfishness and self-interest, greed and avarice. Swallow your pride, it’s non-fattening anyway.  Our Lord said, He who is first shall be last.

Be Pro-Filipino.  Be pro-Administration & pro-Opposition.  Pro-poor & Pro-rich.  Pro-Catholic & pro-Protestant.  Pro-Christian & Pro-Muslim because we are one nation indivisible – one team with one dream – prosperity and peace for Pinoys.

Stay Cheerful. Not pretentiously happy, but anchored on a deep personal relationship with God and a strong faith in His power that we will overcome.

Of course, all this is idealistic, but it cannot be unrealistic nor impossible.  If we think it is unrealistic or impossible, then our Lord Jesus Christ would have failed in his mission, and God the Holy Spirit as well.  Let us therefore ask from the Holy Spirit the 7 Gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear.  Cherish the 12 Fruits including Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-Suffering, and Kindness.  Abhor the 7 Capital Sins of Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy and Sloth.  Practice the 4 Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance.  Adopt the Moral virtues of Filial Piety, Obedience, Faith, Modesty, Continence, Chastity, Veracity & Liberality. 

It goes without saying that a nation run like heaven will be populated only by passionate, positive and  prayerful Pinoys who can serve as a beacon for the whole world as we undertake our God-given mission -- to help renew the face of the earth – via the heroism and evangelical work of our 8 million OFWs and 2.5 million immigrants.

Now, shall we all try and make our Lord Jesus Christ smile?  Today and everyday.

You may ask for soft copies from or send comments to [email protected].

[The author recently returned to the Philippines after a career spanning 22 years of working around the Asia-Pacific region for various multinationals and Philippine firms engaged in the FMCG industry.  He is an alumnus of La Salle Green Hills Class 1977 when he served as Editor-in-Chief of SCOPE Yearbook and finished #15 of the Senior Class.  He holds a B.S. Business Administration degree from the U.P. in  Diliman and an M.S. Industrial Economics degree from the University of Asia-Pacific.  He was a recipient of the PMA Agora Award for Marketing Excellence in Asia-Pacific in 2000].