KatipunanForum©
Building a Culture of Innovation through a Philippine Technology Diaspora
Opinion
KatipunanForum@MIT
by Richard
Dimagiba, PhD (Chairman, UP Mechanical Engineering Department)
“A talk by Dr. Richard Dimagiba on the concept of a Technological Revolution in
the Philippines, MIT room
4-231, 14
November 2002, 6pm”
Seeing this announcement plastered
all over bulletin boards as I walked the hallowed halls of the Infinite
Corridor at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts admittedly
filled me with a bit of pride but mostly just made me feel extremely jittery
and uncomfortable. The MIT Filipino
Students’ Association was to hold its general assembly on that day and I was
supposed to manage a dialogue with this dynamic group of students on developing
a culture of technology innovation in the Philippines. It was quite a daunting task to try to
convince these young intellectuals to take up arms and help us in our efforts
for a more technologically competent economy.
What was additionally troubling
was that I was quite unsure whether this group of students, who really have no
direct links to the Philippines any
longer, would be truly receptive to such discussions. Whether they were just being cordial on their
invitation or they had sincere concern for our country’s situation was still to
be determined. My apprehensions slowly
diminished shortly after I started to engage in informal discussions with these
young adults even before we officially started the caucus. A group of them was so anxious to start
discussing the Philippine situation that they quietly approached the slowly
growing circle and quickly introduced themselves.
They were interested on what the
situation is in the Philippines and
somewhat doubtful about how an initiative such as ours could promulgate or even
survive in such an uninspiring climate.
They had such strong opinions for such a group of young people. My uneasiness gradually turned into
disheartened stupor even if I half-expected them to harbor these apprehensions. However, I was comforted when I sensed that
their skepticism was mixed with a bit of pride and a gleam of hope. At the same time, I do not blame them for
having such a bleak perception of the Philippine situation. Even with such an assessment of the
Philippine predicament and their uncertainty about the KatipunanForum,
this group of MIT students wanted to do something for our country. I suppose all they need is for someone to
show them the way.
So much zeal was evident during
the short informal group gathering.
Hence, I knew I was up for extremely passionate discussions as I
officially started the dialogue with a quick presentation/introduction of the Katipunan Forum. I
remember us spending almost an hour during the last KF meeting discussing
changes and amendments to the presentation.
If we only knew that the MIT folks would really not mind how we word our
mission and vision statements then we wouldn’t have wasted our time on such
trivial discussions. What was important
to them is that there exists dedicated people in the Philippines who feel
deeply about rejuvenating our country’s situation. What was additionally impressive to them was
the fact that our initiative started from the grassroots. I trust that I did not misrepresent our efforts
with such a remarkable description of our objectives.
As I leafed through the slides, I
noticed that almost everyone was anxiously waiting for me to finish the
presentation, not because they were uninterested but because they had a
multitude of questions for me. From the
comments and questions, the general sentiment expressed was of apprehension
regarding the peace and order situation in the Philippines. How corruption and how Filipinos tend to
nonchalantly accept this blatant disregard for moral uprightness and public
trust was also raised. How it would
become more attractive for Filipinos and foreigners to dedicate time, resources
and most importantly much needed money into the Philippine economy seemed to be
of prime importance. Discussions quickly
turned to political issues rather than technical issues, hopefully because they
had enough faith in Filipino technical talent and competence. However, I felt that they were just so much
more wary of our political climate – a climate that has seemingly been drowned
by so much greed and moral decay. These
issues were identified as the cause of investor apprehension and more
importantly as the underlying reason for the mass exodus of Filipino talent –
much needed talent to rebuild a shattered economy.
So do we expect them to pack up
their bags and immediately head back home to the Philippines? Even if I felt that they would be of
significant help in our efforts here in the frontline, I promptly denied that I
was there to convince them to come home to the Philippines. It may seem ironic, but for me to openly
persuade them to start flocking back to the Philippines would be
one sure way to dissuade them. Instead,
my mission at MIT was to simply be evidence that there are efforts in the Philippines and there
are those who have the courage to make a change. If I convinced a single soul at that forum
that such change is realizable then I would have accomplished my job. I believe that such idealism and desire for
change is extremely contagious and that it induces a messianic sense of
responsibility.
During the discussions, there was
one question/comment that really struck me.
I was asked what final end result we expect to achieve in relation to
the peace and order situation, since this was identified as probably the root
of all our woes in terms of attracting and maintaining businesses in the Philippines. A logical answer using simple principles of
cause and effect prompted me to answer that our efforts would hopefully create
more jobs and opportunities and, in effect, help alleviate poverty in the Philippines. This would in turn help decrease crime. I garnered a quick reaction with this
seemingly logical and unfaultable statement.
I was taken aback when someone pointed out that major crimes in the
Philippines are committed not by those who are impoverished and desperately
need the quick cash but by those who are simply greedy and have more than
enough. I was put on the spot and had to
agree but I also had to point out that this reality should not stop us from
striving for the betterment of the country in ways and means we know how. I refuse to be held hostage by the whims and
selfishness of a few of our countrymen who have apparently decided to
prioritize personal material wealth over simple decency and honor. Strong words? Indeed, but this type of discussion is
indicative of the heightened passions I sensed in that dialogue.
I was not surprised to find
idealistic young minds in this group of people.
I’m going out on a limb here but I have to say that people who have
experienced life in first-world countries tend to be more idealistic and
optimistic. Those who remain and have to
continually live through all the drudgery seem to be
more cynical and pessimistic. This may
be because those who have seen progressiveness and equality being practiced can
compare how life is in the Philippines and how
it can possibly and should be. Or it
might simply be because those who are extremely burdened with the pressures of
providing for their families tend to have less time to bother themselves with
idealistic pursuits. In any case, I
couldn’t help think about how the KatipunanForum
seems to be an aberration of sorts, taking into consideration that it has
sprung from the grassroots level. I wish
that it does not continue to be the exception.
I anxiously await the day that hope can be
re-instilled in the hearts and minds of each of our countrymen, especially
those who lead seemingly despondent lives.
All in all, I think my visit can
be considered a success. We’ve
established a link with the MIT folks.
They’ve even requested regular face-to-face dialogues. We can probably achieve this via a
videoconference link. I believe they’ve
started a group amongst themselves to start discussing concrete plans to
achieve our common goals. Whether they
establish it under the umbrella of the KatipunanForum,
the MIT Filipino Students’ Association, or any other group for that matter, it
would really not matter as long as we strive for the same goals and
ideals.
It may seem that only criticisms
and grievances were put forward, without any solutions and resolutions, but the
sheer fact that relentless fervor exists within the hearts of a few of our
countrymen abroad gives me great courage to continue what we’ve been striving
for. I hope I’ve elicited similar
emotions by sharing my experiences at MIT.
However, we’ve had enough of all the talk and I hate to be branded as
just a bunch of whiners and cry babies.
Hence, it’s about time to strengthen commitments and to take those small
yet concrete and directed steps.
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