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Dream a little
Michael Alan Hamlin
With an approval rating of 85%, President Benigno C. Aquino III enjoyed a historic level of goodwill as he approached the rostrum Monday afternoon to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) as the 15th president of the Philippines. His speechwriters and handlers must have agonized over the approach the much-anticipated address should take. Yet the choice had to have been clear: Manage the high expectations of an adoring nation; or, inspire the nation.
In the end, the decision was to manage expectations, despite the president’s assertion that, “We can dream again.” Mr. Aquino bared a litany of anomalies to illustrate why government coffers are empty, suggesting that scarce financial resources limit his administration’s options for improving long-neglected education, infrastructure, and social services. Then Mr. Aquino deftly transferred the burden of filling the financial gap to the private sector, along with a large measure of accountability for the nation’s future.
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Posted
7/28/2010 5:41:42 PM | |
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Timing is everything
Michael Alan Hamlin
Six days before the 90-day constitutional ban on appointments leading up to national elections, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed a nine-member board to oversee the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), including its chairman, Mr. Deogracias Custodio. The Freeport was created with the passage of Republic Act 9721. The bill that led to the new law was principally authored by Congressman Albert S. Garcia, who represents the 2nd District of Bataan.
Cong. Albert Garcia is the son of former congressman and current Bataan governor Enrique “Tet” Garcia, Jr. The governor was reelected to a second term in May. Gov. Garcia’s family is closely identified with the former president, and like other political dynasties across this archipelago, maintains a strong grip on its sphere of influence. Jose Enrique S. Garcia III was elected mayor of Balanga City, the capital, in May. A close associate of the Garcia clan, Jesse I. Concepcion, was elected mayor of Mariveles where the Freeport is situated.
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Posted
7/22/2010 11:38:16 AM | |
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Return on CSR
Michael Alan Hamlin
A client recently told me that two things stood out to him in talks with employees at the large outsourcing firm where he is an executive, and with prospective employees interviewing for jobs. First, he said, the agents and applicants he talked to said they were impressed with the firm because it offered a real career path for employees. That’s an important competitive advantage to have associated with an outsourcing brand.
The industry is perceived to suffer from a high rate of churn-not nearly as high as urban myth suggests, though-as a result of burnout and the difficult working hours. Credibly communicating that his firm offers real upward mobility can help attract applicants that might not otherwise consider working in the outsourcing industry. It can also reduce turnover, and contribute to a motivated workforce.
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Posted
7/14/2010 12:04:01 PM | |
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That's cool, Jay!
Michael Alan Hamlin
Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu), a highly visible and outspoken journalism professor at New York University, recently spoke to World Bank communications officers. They had gathered from around the world to listen to Mr. Rosen speak about impression management-trying to control what others think of your brand-transparency, and “secrecy via complexity.” I think that means purposeful obfuscation (Mr. Rosen would argue with that assumption.). Continue reading here.
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Posted
7/1/2010 11:37:03 PM | |
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Tempting
Michael Alan Hamlin
To commemorate today’s inauguration of President-elect Benigno (Noynoy) S. Aquino III as the 15th president of the Philippines, I’m tempted to reveal partial results of a survey commissioned by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and Outsource2Philippines. Much of the survey is designed to gather baseline data about the status and development of the business process outsourcing industry, but it is also designed to elicit perspective on the relationship of the industry with government.
You’ll recall that in her farewell address to the nation, among the accomplishments enumerated by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the stunningly fast growth of the BPO industry, and the creation of close to half a million jobs. The BPAP-O2P survey will reveal whether the perspective of industry executives is aligned with that of Ms. Arroyo in terms of her government’s contribution to the industry’s development. (Disclosure: BPAP is a client of my firm, TeamAsia-which is conducting the survey-and I am an officer of O2P.)
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Posted
6/30/2010 12:28:29 PM | |
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Not so Smartmatic
Michael Alan Hamlin
“I wanna know his family, I wanna know what he’s been working, you know, for the country, stuff like that,” 2008 Miss Universe and Smartmatic “Ambassador for Transparency” Dayana Mendoza responded to reporters last week when asked why she wanted to meet with President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III. According to reports, Ms. Mendoza was invited to the Philippines to congratulate Filipinos on the successful conduct of the first nationwide automated elections in May.
Smartmatic provided approximately 76,000 vote-counting machines used in the election, which it hopes to now sell to the Philippine government following the successful election for the fire-sale price of P2 billion. The company is headquartered in Venezuela, where Ms. Mendoza was born and lives when she is not traveling the world as an ambassador and model. According to Smartmatic president for Asia Pacific Cesar Flores, the company invited Ms. Mendoza to the Philippines “as a gesture of appreciation to the people of the Philippines.
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Posted
6/23/2010 9:45:53 PM | |
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What aren't up next for the Philippines?
Michael Alan Hamlin
Last week was punctuated by the proclamation of a new president who wasn’t considered presidential material a year ago. President-elect Benigo S. Aquino III followed in the footsteps of his mother, who established a precedent for unintended but successful presidential candidates. The president-elect is replacing a president who wasn’t in the view of many, since she assumed the presidency following the extra-constitutional overthrow of her predecessor.
That view was strengthened when out-going president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly cheated to win a subsequent election in which she had vowed not to run. Whether these events are viewed as predictable or unpredictable in the Philippine context, they demonstrate an amazing propensity for situations that “aren’t” anticipated to rapidly evolve into situations that “are” reality. Since the Philippines will inaugurate Mr. Aquino in two weeks, this is a good time to ask, “What aren’t supposed to happen with this administration, and what are likely to occur.
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Posted
6/18/2010 11:05:13 AM | |
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