resolutions

New Year, new resolutions. Here are my main public concerns for 2008:

1. Microfinance-



It was in 1946 when Carlos Bulosan declared that America is in the heart. But up to now the Filipino heart is still ambivalent about- capable of feeling both love and hate for- the US, notwithstanding the amount of aid its government has given through the years. It's a lesson that Maguire's Wicked Witch of the West learned too late: in a relationship that isn't rooted in equality, "no good deed goes unpunished." To change this unhealthy situation, our motto should be: Trade, Not Aid. This begins in the micro level. If there is one word that best describes the American spirit, it is enterprise; to survive and prosper in the era of globalization, we need to assimilate this entrepreneurial spirit into our own. It would be great if everyone, even those who already have jobs, managed a business as this enables us to profit from work that we love and achieve self-sufficiency and security. Microfinance is one tool that has helped thousands of small entrepreneurs and even entire communities achieve these goals. Above is an educational video we produced for Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (Support in Progress) or ASKI, a microfinance non-profit. Find out more about ASKI and microfinance here.

2. Asia-Europe Culture Capsule-

Take a look at this map. See how Europe is actually a peninsula of Asia and understand why, as Seneca said in 1 BC, Asia has been able to claim people in Europe as its own; if we define a continent as a large landmass, Europe and Asia actually constitute just one. The division is a historical accident: the ancient Greeks, viewing their land as the center of the world, named lands to their north Europa and those to their east Asia. It's important then that we seek a better understanding of our neighbors in this exciting geographical area, the birthplace of the modern state system and diplomacy: they are mirrors upon which we can more clearly see ourselves and our culture. While clerking for the Supreme Court, I helped organize a cultural exchange between Manila Science High School and a European school- this has evolved into the Culture Capsule project of the ASEF University Alumni Network. Register a class or school in the Culture Capsule website here.

3. UP Sundial-

This picture is from a pre-loved 1954 book Around the World in 1,000 Pictures. It shows a sundial, the oldest icon of the University of the Philippines (UP), which is set to celebrate its centennial on Tuesday. As my contribution to the celebrations, I joined a group of alumni seeking to transfer the UP Diliman Sundial to a more sunlit location (it is now surrounded by buildings). The Sundial is an example of what French historian Pierre Nora calls a lieu de mémoire or site of memory, an individual, institution, place, or cultural phenomenon on which our historical consciousness as a people has focused and which over time has received incremental incrustations of collective memory. This project paves the way for the consecration of UP as a national heritage site. If you'd like to join this endeavor, write to Engr. Amado San Mateo at asanmateo@i-manila.com.ph.