Together with Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) EVP/COO Alexander Cauguiran, Undersecretary Danilo de Austria Consumido and Director Leonardo Kirk Galanza of the Office of External Affairs, Office of the President, I embarked on a mission to the U. S. of A last 25 February to meet with leaders of the Filipino-American communities in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles with a mission to bring the good news that the Philippine economy remains resilient amid the global economic slowdown and to brief them on the country’s economic performance in the face of the global crisis, on the on-going development of key infrastructure projects and on the conversion of Clark and Subic from military to civilian uses for sustainable economic development, and ultimately, to obtain their understanding and continuing support for the government’s social and economic program.
Una naming binisita ang mga kababayan natin sa east coast (New York at Chicago), at ngayon naman ay sa west coast (San Francisco at Los Angeles). Ang balik namin sa Pinas ay sa a-quince nitong Marso.
In all our meetings, we tell our kababayans one simple story. The Philippines is no longer the “sick man” of Asia. It used to be that when America sneezes, the Philippines suffers pneumonia. But now, as the US, Japan and many other countries slide deeper into recession, the Philippines is still registering respectable economic growth. And this is all because of the sound economic policy decisions and economic fundamentals that were wisely made by the present Arroyo administration coupled with full-blast development of key infrastructure projects all over the country’s various super regions, particularly in the Luzon Urban Beltway Super Region, to implement the important economic policy decisions made.
We made powerpoint presentations of the infrastructure projects consisting of road and highway networks, rail systems, airports and seaports connecting and interconnecting, as a long thread of ribbons, the production and industrial enclaves of Southern Luzon to the commercial and consumption centers of Metro-Manila, and to the rest of the world through the freeports of Clark and Subic, which are presently being developed as an International Mega Logistics Hub Project to serve as the country’s main gateway to the Asia Pacific Region.
In the course of our presentation, our kababayans frankly asked questions and we answered just as frankly. Face-to-face discussions and free exchanges of information, opinions and suggestions interspaced our presentation—all this done in the spirit of open-mindedness, of wanting to clarify issues and concerns, of honest and sincere sharing of information and ideas, for a better understanding of the true social and economic conditions obtaining in our country today.
And do you know what? Our kababayans here enjoyed the frank and open exchanges. They were very much pleased to know na ok naman pala ang kalagayan sa ating bansa at ok din naman pala ang pagpapalakad ng gobyerno sa ilalim ng administrasyong Arroyo. I will quote here the full text of a letter we received from Romy Sager, who writes a regular column in the Philippine Weekly here, as a sample of how our mission was received by our kababayans in the US:
Dear Mr. Cauguiran,
Below is part of the weekly column I am contributing to Philippine Weekly for March 6, 2009. This is part of personal observation during last Monday’s (March 2, 2009) conference with Filipino community media hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.
If you have reaction or further comment, please let me know so I can include it in next week’s issue.
More power to Sec. Pamintuan and your group for the candid and honest presentation of your side of the story.
p.s. took a chance of sending this via the email in your business card.
Sincerely,
Romy Sager
Romy475@comcast.net
It was a healthy departure from the usual and predictable counter-propaganda from Malacanang’s emissaries when they openly and candidly admit right at the outset that they are not going to counter or negate the “barrage” of vicious and negative media against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The idea is not to be confrontational but to soften the impact by showcasing the positive, the economic and infrastructure projects, the partnership with the Filipino people to collectively keep the country afloat and competitive.
From literature, PowerPoint presentation, newspaper and broadcast stories, there are genuine and tangible reasons to be confident and optimistic against the deluge of biased stories on corruption, violence and other political garbage.
Purely from patriotism and a hint of emotion, this space shares the view that PGMA’s governance has made a tremendous dent in our country’s economic and political landscape. The positive dwarfs the negative but the political opposition peddles the reverse scenario.
Hail to the Chief is Hell to Chief or Failed Chief in the eyes of anti-Gloria.
Our readers have probably noted long before that this space has been critical of Pres. Gloria’s administration. That is from an outsider, way outside and way too distant, looking in. Our criticism was mostly based on what we read and believe to know from the Internet. Rarely have we been personally enhanced and informed by a group the likes of a roadshow entourage headed by Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan of the Office of the President/External Affairs and Chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council.
There is no substitute for personal and interactive. The internet does not offer and one cannot read sincerity from body language. There is no measure of sincerity and conviction by looking directly at the eyes of Sec. Pamintuan. None of that on the Internet and the global TV feed from ABS-CBN and the GMA TV network. Simply, overseas Filipinos are deprived of sincerity and credibility of the news gathered from the luxury of technology.
This space is not yet completely convinced but sincerely applaud Sec. Pamintuan and his team’s effort to give us importance, come to us and tell us in no sugar-coated terms … “here … take it or leave it but this is what we have done, what we are doing and promise to do in the remaining months of Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidency!” It is an “in-your-face” campaign to offer Malacanang’s side of the story, a “mano-a’mano” approach to information dissemination.
Cheers to Sec. Pamintuan, Alexander Cauguiran, Director/Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Clark International Airport Corporation and Undersecretary Danilo de Austria Consumido of the Office of the President External Affairs and the other members of the “road show” for braving the frigid weather of New York and Chicago to tell us the unappreciated and misinterpreted side of the story.
Come back soon and more often!
What we initially thought was a mission impossible was NOT that pala. Nang sinubukan namin, AGYU TAMU pala talaga.
Una naming binisita ang mga kababayan natin sa east coast (New York at Chicago), at ngayon naman ay sa west coast (San Francisco at Los Angeles). Ang balik namin sa Pinas ay sa a-quince nitong Marso.
In all our meetings, we tell our kababayans one simple story. The Philippines is no longer the “sick man” of Asia. It used to be that when America sneezes, the Philippines suffers pneumonia. But now, as the US, Japan and many other countries slide deeper into recession, the Philippines is still registering respectable economic growth. And this is all because of the sound economic policy decisions and economic fundamentals that were wisely made by the present Arroyo administration coupled with full-blast development of key infrastructure projects all over the country’s various super regions, particularly in the Luzon Urban Beltway Super Region, to implement the important economic policy decisions made.
We made powerpoint presentations of the infrastructure projects consisting of road and highway networks, rail systems, airports and seaports connecting and interconnecting, as a long thread of ribbons, the production and industrial enclaves of Southern Luzon to the commercial and consumption centers of Metro-Manila, and to the rest of the world through the freeports of Clark and Subic, which are presently being developed as an International Mega Logistics Hub Project to serve as the country’s main gateway to the Asia Pacific Region.
In the course of our presentation, our kababayans frankly asked questions and we answered just as frankly. Face-to-face discussions and free exchanges of information, opinions and suggestions interspaced our presentation—all this done in the spirit of open-mindedness, of wanting to clarify issues and concerns, of honest and sincere sharing of information and ideas, for a better understanding of the true social and economic conditions obtaining in our country today.
And do you know what? Our kababayans here enjoyed the frank and open exchanges. They were very much pleased to know na ok naman pala ang kalagayan sa ating bansa at ok din naman pala ang pagpapalakad ng gobyerno sa ilalim ng administrasyong Arroyo. I will quote here the full text of a letter we received from Romy Sager, who writes a regular column in the Philippine Weekly here, as a sample of how our mission was received by our kababayans in the US:
Dear Mr. Cauguiran,
Below is part of the weekly column I am contributing to Philippine Weekly for March 6, 2009. This is part of personal observation during last Monday’s (March 2, 2009) conference with Filipino community media hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.
If you have reaction or further comment, please let me know so I can include it in next week’s issue.
More power to Sec. Pamintuan and your group for the candid and honest presentation of your side of the story.
p.s. took a chance of sending this via the email in your business card.
Sincerely,
Romy Sager
Romy475@comcast.net
It was a healthy departure from the usual and predictable counter-propaganda from Malacanang’s emissaries when they openly and candidly admit right at the outset that they are not going to counter or negate the “barrage” of vicious and negative media against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The idea is not to be confrontational but to soften the impact by showcasing the positive, the economic and infrastructure projects, the partnership with the Filipino people to collectively keep the country afloat and competitive.
From literature, PowerPoint presentation, newspaper and broadcast stories, there are genuine and tangible reasons to be confident and optimistic against the deluge of biased stories on corruption, violence and other political garbage.
Purely from patriotism and a hint of emotion, this space shares the view that PGMA’s governance has made a tremendous dent in our country’s economic and political landscape. The positive dwarfs the negative but the political opposition peddles the reverse scenario.
Hail to the Chief is Hell to Chief or Failed Chief in the eyes of anti-Gloria.
Our readers have probably noted long before that this space has been critical of Pres. Gloria’s administration. That is from an outsider, way outside and way too distant, looking in. Our criticism was mostly based on what we read and believe to know from the Internet. Rarely have we been personally enhanced and informed by a group the likes of a roadshow entourage headed by Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan of the Office of the President/External Affairs and Chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council.
There is no substitute for personal and interactive. The internet does not offer and one cannot read sincerity from body language. There is no measure of sincerity and conviction by looking directly at the eyes of Sec. Pamintuan. None of that on the Internet and the global TV feed from ABS-CBN and the GMA TV network. Simply, overseas Filipinos are deprived of sincerity and credibility of the news gathered from the luxury of technology.
This space is not yet completely convinced but sincerely applaud Sec. Pamintuan and his team’s effort to give us importance, come to us and tell us in no sugar-coated terms … “here … take it or leave it but this is what we have done, what we are doing and promise to do in the remaining months of Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidency!” It is an “in-your-face” campaign to offer Malacanang’s side of the story, a “mano-a’mano” approach to information dissemination.
Cheers to Sec. Pamintuan, Alexander Cauguiran, Director/Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Clark International Airport Corporation and Undersecretary Danilo de Austria Consumido of the Office of the President External Affairs and the other members of the “road show” for braving the frigid weather of New York and Chicago to tell us the unappreciated and misinterpreted side of the story.
Come back soon and more often!
What we initially thought was a mission impossible was NOT that pala. Nang sinubukan namin, AGYU TAMU pala talaga.
