Proud to be Filipino

As this newspaper reported on Oct. 4 (“Peter Wallace now a full-fledged Filipino”), Congress has granted me Filipino citizenship and President Aquino has signed into law Republic Act No. 10685 that legalizes it. I will make my oath of allegiance in mid-October (or 15 days after RA 10685’s publication in at least two newspapers of general circulation) before my friend and supporter, House Speaker Sonny Belmonte. As a former general said, “As a Filipino you may now drive wrecklessly (sic).”

I join Farrell Eldrian Wu, who has also recently been granted citizenship. He thoroughly deserves it. He’s 15 years old, born in Manila of Chinese parents, so per the Constitution that defines nationality by parentage, not location, he was not a Filipino.

Why did Farrell want Filipino citizenship? This young man is one of the top mathematical geniuses in the world and he wants to represent the Philippines, not China, in international competitions. I wish him great success in his quest and in his career. I hope the Philippine government will fully and financially support him and not ignore him, as it did Wesley So, a Filipino chess grandmaster, No. 7 in the world, who chose to represent the US chess federation because the Philippine government didn’t support him. Wesley does not come from a wealthy family, and neither does Farrell. If, again, the Philippine government doesn’t have the sense to support him, perhaps one of my readers may wish to take him under their wing. Let me know.

I’ve always been fascinated by genius. My love is science and the wondrous discoveries of the past few centuries that have brought us to the incredible world of today. We are the first generations that are not slaves living a short and brutal life serving a few tyrants (forget the glamorization of them in movies). Just think for a moment how the pyramids were built, or all the great temples of which some still exist today. Moving and installing the huge blocks to build them was done by hand—hundreds, nay thousands, of hands. There were no cranes or bulldozers then, just the shoulders of men, destroyed by the toil.

It was geniuses who brought us to the wondrous world we live in today. My dad, with an IQ somewhere over 140, was one of them. He was a world bridge champion and a scientist. I didn’t quite reach that level.

I’ve been here for 40 years (longer than about 70 percent of Filipinos), having come here to build a factory for a multinational corporation in 1975. I’ve been married to Estee, a wonderful Filipino woman from Baguio, for 36 years, and we have two great kids. Well, not actually kids: Struan is 33 and Nikki turns 32 two weeks from now. Both live here; they, too, chose the Philippines as their home.

I started my own business, the Wallace Business Forum, in 1982 to help busy executives understand what is going on around them and what to expect in a concise and independent manner. As my column title says, “I tell it Like It Is.”

And this brings me to a key point. In gratitude, I should now talk nicely about the President and Congress. But, no, I shouldn’t. I strongly believe you do your best by knowing what you are doing wrong, or not well enough, so you can fix it. I believe constructive criticism makes you a better leader, and I do try to offer suggestions allied to that criticism. So I’ll continue to criticize in the hope that it helps make for a better Philippines. I’ll also offer suggestions for where I think improvement can be done.

In that regard, if the President truly wants to leave a lasting legacy that will reverberate positively throughout the future, he’ll change his mind and support Congress in passing into law about a dozen pending bills that can revolutionize the Philippines and boost it onto the world stage—and create many, many jobs. Some of these bills are: the Speaker’s bill to allow Congress to open up the Constitution to increase foreign direct investments; the creation of a Department of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) to give the necessary support to propel the Philippines to the top tier in the world, where it can be; and the reduction of taxes on Filipino workers and companies struggling to compete in an increasingly competitive world (quite frankly, let the next administration worry where the lost revenues will come from).

Modernizing customs is essential, too, as is the enactment of an antismuggling bill. The Philippines needs more infrastructure projects, and the passage of measures amending the existing Build-Operate-Transfer Law and the Acquisition of Right-of-Way Act would help do that. Then there’s the measure amending the restrictive sections of the antiquated Labor Code and the proposed pro-transparency Freedom of Information Act. The enactment of the latter would further improve the country’s anticorruption ranking, a key prerequisite in attracting job- and livelihood-generating foreign investments.  I’d implore the President to meet his campaign commitment and agree to the passage of the FOI.

I ask the majority of lawmakers to agree to put in the time to pass these laws. It will be good for their constituents, and even help get votes. Sadly, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law will just have to be endorsed to the next administration to finalize. Sen. Bongbong Marcos has ensured this. The myriad items under scrutiny can no longer be resolved in the present Congress.

I’d like to thank the senators and congressmen who granted me this honor, and all my business friends for their active support toward my citizenship. To my staff I say: Thank you for your loyalty and support these past 33 years. You’re a great team.

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Comments: [email protected]. Read my previous columns: www.wallacebusinessforum.com.