Why changing “Philippines” to “Filipinas” is silly waste of time & resources!

Why changing “Philippines” to “Filipinas” is silly waste of time & resources!

What's in a name?  That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.

---William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things.         --- Confucius

            Holy carabao! Have you read the news that a resolution dated April 12 by the government’s Komisyong ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) or the Commission for the Filipino Language urging the use of “Filipinas” instead of “Philippines” or “Pilipinas” as the country’s official name?

I highly respect the KWF officials and concede that they have sincere intentions, but I oppose this idea which I think is a silly waste of time, energy and resources!

Image above sourced from wika.pbworks.com

            Why do many of our politicos and bureaucrats have this penchant for the useless exercise of changing historic and also culturally important names, often with no strongly logical and overwhelmingly advantageous reasons? Are they too just so bored with their lives, or lacking more important tasks to do?

Manila street used to honor Spain’s only Prime Minister of Filipino descent

            Not all name changes are bad, but I wish to cite some which I disagree with and lament. One example was our politicos’ changing of Manila’s Azcarraga Street to Claro M. Recto Avenue in the 1960s. By the way, hope Manila Mayor Joseph "Erap" Estrada and Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno will clean and decongest this thoroughfare.

First of all, let me clarify that I admire the anti-colonial Senator Recto as a courageous nationalist and he surely more than deserves a major street to be named after him. In fact, I believe he was worthy to be president, similar to other nationalists like ex-Senate President Jovito Salonga, Senator Jose W. Diokno and Senator Lorenzo Tañada, Sr. 

The nationalist Senator Claro M. Reto, image above sourced from hitoriles.com

However, Azcarraga Avenue used to honor a unique leader too which reflected the colorful Philippine past, and I believe it was unnecessary to change that name especially since there are many other new boulevards or streets.

Image of Marcelo de Azcarraga y Palmero, sourced from latinamericanstudies.org

Once known in the Spanish and American colonial eras as Calle Azcarragaza, this street traverses historic Binondo, Santa Cruz and Quiapo districts. In the 1990 book by the late National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin entitled Manila, My Manila, he wrote about the very important person the street was named after---the soldier and political leader Marcelo Azcárraga y Palmero, 3-term prime minister of Spain (1897-1900) and the only Spanish prime minister of Filipino descent. He was once field marshal.

            Azcárraga was born in 1832, in Manila in the what was then called the “Spanish East Indies” (modern-day Philippines plus other Spanish colonies in the east like Guam and the Marianas), to Basque Spanish former general José de Azcárraga y Ugarte and to María Palmero Versosa.

Azcarraga’s father Jose was a bookshop owner in Manila’s Escolta (which has luckily survived the name-changing habit of our politicos) and the mother Maria was a mestiza from Albay province.

            Marcelo Palmero Azcarraga also studied law in the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He became multi-awarded for government service and served as prime minister three times. On his mother's side, Azcárraga was descendant of the Filipino mestizo Lizarragas, heirs of the fallen Conde de Lizarraga. His maternal Palmero uncles were also active in pre-war Philippine politics. Prime Minister Azcarraga was an uncle to the self-styled Conde de Albay, also known as Señor Pedro Govantes.

Not all name changes by our politicos were inane. One name change by politicos which I agree with was that of Plaza Leon XIII (Trece) in front of the Tondo church of Manila. It was renamed as Plaza Hernandez in honor of the writer, labor leader, anti-Japanese guerrilla during World War II and the country’s first National Artist for Literature Amado V. Hernandez.           

Writer and labor leader Amado V. Hernandez image above, sourced from voiceseducation.org

Why not the Philippine Islands for automatic tourism promotion?

           

            If our government leaders really feel the itch to change the name of the Philippines, why not revert back to the pre-war American colonial era’s use of the more exotic-sounding “Philippine Islands” which shall definitely be advantageous for tourism promotion?

I am serious, if we only just continued using the Philippine Islands, that name could automatically evoke images of tropical isles similar to the Carribean, Hawaii, Bali, etc. and subliminally tell the rest of the world that “It’s more fun in the Philippines”.  By the way, “It’s more fun in Filipinas” would sound awkward too?

Apart from the huge economic resources needed to change every government or private sector electronic, metal and other signages as well as numerous printed materials, or my not liking the idea of the country’s premier state university being called University of Filipinas (UF), I believe the world is already so used to calling our archipelago “The Philippines” so there’s no need to confuse them. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

There are 1,001 more important things in the Philippines which we should expend  energies on to change, such as the mismanagement of Metro Manila’s traffic flow, the wide chasm between the few who are well-off vis-à-vis the small middle-class and majority the poor masses, our colonial mindset or mentality, the still continuing corruption in lower-ranking government leaders and the need for structural reforms, etc. Another thing we need to change? Please change the irritating, epal and seemingly useless name-changing habit of our politicos!

Congratulations to former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza for the successful launching of his memoirs tonight 6 pm upwards at the Maynila Ballroom of the Manila Hotel in Manila City, the Philippines tonight with guests led by former Philippine President Joseph "Erap" Estrada (now running for mayor of Manila) and Philippine Vice-President Jejomar "Jojo" Binay.

It was also the birthday celebration of the ex-mayor's son and ABS-CBN 2 television host Kim Atienza.

Mayor Lito Atienza is now a congressional candidate of the Buhay partylist in the May election.

I believe Lito Atienza is a good man, a dynamic and decisive leader whom we should vote for.



Congratulations, best wishes!

More political leaders should write their memoirs in order to give historians and students of politics more reference materials, as well as to promote publishing and reading of books in the Philippines!

P.S. Thanks very much to Manila Hotel doorman Steven (I forgot to get his surname), who surprisingly greeted me by my full name "Good evening Mr. Wilson Lee Flores" because he reads my columns in the Philippine Star. Thanks, best regards Steven!

The late civil rights activist, defender of minorities and Christian minister Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was not only a courageous and inspiring leader, he was also remarkably eloquent.

He not only fought for minority rights, equality, social justice and the realization of true democracy in his country America, but his non-violent struggle will forever be an inspiration for all peoples worldwide.

Below is information I received yesterday from the USA Embassy in Manila about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day which is a public holiday in America and all American embassies.


(Image below sourced from htu.edu)





(Image below sourced from time.com)





(This image below sourced from allposters.com)


(Image below sourced from chicago.cbslocal.com)

***

Here is information I received yesterday from the United States of America (U.S.A.) Embassy in Manila, the Philippines regarding the holiday in honor of this people's hero:

U.S. EMBASSY TO CLOSE ON JANUARY 21

　
The Embassy of the United States in Manila and its affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Monday, January 21, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American holiday.

The Embassy will resume its services on Tuesday, January 22.

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), who is remembered in the United States on the third Monday of January each year, is perhaps best known as America’s chief spokesman for nonviolent activism as a result of his leadership role in the U.S. civil rights movement.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation into law making King’s birthday a federal holiday.

In 1994, the U.S. Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr.holiday as a national day of service, calling on Americans from every walk of life to volunteer their time and effort on that day to help realize King’s vision of a "beloved community."

Ticking timebomb on Philippine tourism? Outflow of talents to overseas jobs a threat to our tourism? POLITICOS, WAKE UP!

(Image above from Mami and Family blog)


One of the negative as well as unexamined aspects of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) phenomenon is the huge drain of talents, valuable human resources out of the Philippines.

This latest news report of Bloomberg highlights this potential problem even more, especially for our potential sunrise industry of tourism. What about the OFW phenomenon's dire effects on the Philippine medical care industry, our hospitals and medical centers?

What are our politicians doing or going to do to address these serious challenges, if any?

The OFW phenomenon also has its many other huge and often unquantified social costs.

I am not against the OFW phenomenon per se, for it liberates many of the hardworking people in the Philippines from the bad working conditions and lack of economic opportunities here. However, my question is this---when shall our political leaders really plan for developing more of our local industries with our human resources and talents, by wooing in more investors?



(Image above from the Definitely Filipino blog)



Read the news report below, in order to be more disturbed, if not alarmed:


(Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., owner of the luxury St. Regis and W brands, will open a new hotel once every two weeks in China this year and next, CEO Frits van Paasschen said in a Bloomberg Television interview in September 2012. Picture below is by photographer: Kevin Lee/Bloomberg)

 

Pan Pacific CEO Says Staff Shortage Threat to Asia Hotels

By Sharon Chen - Oct 22, 2012

Pan Pacific Hotels Group Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Patrick Imbardelli said retaining employees in markets including Bali, Myanmar and Manila is the Asian hospitality industry’s greatest challenge.

Competition among hotel operators, workers choosing to seek jobs overseas and a lack of suitably trained employees have contributed to the shortage, Imbardelli said. The industry also loses workers to banks, insurance companies and airlines, which are focusing more on service and presentation, he said.

“The single biggest challenge we have is the talent crunch,” Imbardelli said in an interview in Singapore on Oct. 19. The shortage is across the board, from front-office managers to top management, he said.

(Photo of the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore)



Pan Pacific, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Marriott International Inc. are among chains building more hotels in Asia as travel to the region increases. More hotels and a lack of experienced workers for the industry is “a big squeeze on profitability,” said Robert Hecker, Singapore-based managing director of Horwath HTL Asia Pacific.

Hotels in Asia will have to spend more money on marketing to attract new workers and take on the costs of training them, Hecker said.

“There is a huge pipeline of new hotels,” Hecker said. “It probably means that market occupancies are going to be coming down because supply is increasing faster than demand, so that puts a crunch on the revenue side, combined with increasing costs to staff.”

(Photo of Singapore Marriott Hotel)

‘Huge Outflux’

Pan Pacific, controlled by Singapore billionaire Wee Cho Yaw’s UOL Group Ltd., was unchanged at S$2.26 at the close in Singapore. The stock has advanced 22 percent this year and the parent company has gained 45 percent, surpassing the 15 percent increase in Singapore’s Straits Times Index.

Manila sees a “huge outflux of people” for jobs overseas, Imbardelli said. In Bali, independent hotels and villas compete with established chains for workers, while Myanmar’s nascent travel market lacks experienced employees, he said.

(Photo of Pan Pacific Hotel Manila in the Malate district, Manila City, the Philippines)



Pan Pacific owns about 30 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments globally. In Singapore, where the group has eight properties including those under its Park Royal brand, the government’s tightening of rules on foreign workers has hurt the industry’s ability to hire more workers, Imbardelli said.

More Expensive

The island city has made it more expensive for companies to hire overseas workers by raising levies, and in the past year it has increased salary thresholds and required better educational qualifications for some categories of foreigners.

After a recent S$100 million refurbishment, Pan Pacific Singapore had to open restaurants and bars in stages due to a lack of staff, Imbardelli said.

Pan Pacific is conducting more training to retain workers, “creating roles around people for them to learn,” Imbardelli said. There is “a lot more focus on succession planning, a lot more focus on developing the people,” he said.

(Photo of the Hai Tien Lo Chinese Restaurant of Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore)




Pan Pacific is focusing its expansion in Asia, he said. The region’s carriers flew 7.9 percent more passengers on international flights in the first eight months of this year, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. Growth in Asian economies is still encouraging both business and leisure travel in the region, the association said last month.

“Asia’s travel is growing at a faster rate than ever before, the one region that grew so much over the past 10 years and continues to grow,” Imbardelli said.

Starwood, Marriott

Starwood, owner of the luxury St. Regis and W brands, will open a new hotel once every two weeks in China this year and next, CEO Frits van Paasschen said in a Bloomberg Television interview in September. Starwood will have 320 hotels in Asia by 2014, according to a Sept. 20 statement.

(Photo of interior of St. Regis Hotel Beijing in China)




(Picture of W Hotel Hong Kong)




Marriott, the largest publicly traded U.S. hotel chain, plans to add about 110 hotels in the region, which Chairman Bill Marriott said in a June interview is a bright spot that “continues to boom.”

Half of Pan Pacific’s properties in Asia are owned by the hotel. The company plans to cut the proportion and manage more hotels than it owns in future, Imbardelli said, without giving a timeframe. “There are people who like our brands and want to invest behind the brands,” he said.

(Photo inside Pan Pacific Hotel Bangkok in Thailand)



Pan Pacific added an average of four to six hotels a year and would like to continue at the same rate globally in the “mid-term,” Imbardelli said. The chain runs a Park Royal hotel in Yangon and Pan Pacific properties in Manila and Bali.

The group has two hotels under construction in Singapore and three in China, he said, which will be completed in the next six months.

“The hotels will proceed because the labor staffing is not a consideration at that point and they will find a way, effectively, to deal with that crunch,” Hecker said. “I don’t think labor will slow down hotel growth.”

(Photo of Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar)

My Analysis and EXCLUSIVE NEWS! USA Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington to visit Manila in the Philippines on October 24, 2012



My views on this naval visit?

I share the views of Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew and his son Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that the United States of America (USA) can play a constructive and positive role in international affairs such as in the Asia Pacific region, as long as the goals are focused on such challenges as anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, anti-narcotics, peace-keeping, and other problems.

It is my hope that USA naval and military presence in Asia will not be mis-used by misguided politicians and also not be misconstrued by Asian nations as some sort of a strategic challenge to or rivalry with other countries in our region.

Our region Asia needs continued unimpeded regional peace and stability to continue being the most dynamic engine and catalyst of world economic growth. There can be no true economic progress without at atmosphere of peace and stability.

I got this information earlier tonight from the United States Embassy: "The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington will arrive in Manila on Wednesday, October 24, for a goodwill visit that will further enhance the strong historic ties between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines through community relations projects and professional exchanges between U.S. and Philippine Navy counterparts."




Based on my research, this ship is  "an American nuclear-powered suppercarrier, the sixth ship in the Nimitz class and the fourth United States Navy ship to be named after George Washington, the first President of the United States. It was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and was commissioned 4 July 1992."

EXCLUSIVE! GOOD NEWS! Unofficial China travel ban lifted... China Deputy Foreign Minister Madame Fu Ying visits Philippine President Noynoy Aquino on Oct. 19 to promote warming diplomatic ties



On the day China Deputy Foreign Minister (and former China ambassador to Manila) Madame Fu Ying visited the Philippines on October 19, 2012 for high-level talks with Philippine leaders, my friends in the Philippine tourism industry shared good news that the unofficial China travel ban on their tourists coming to our shores had been lifted. I foresee strengthening of win-win economic and other exchanges.

Even old friends and relatives have some disagreements, this is but natural & should not cause conflicts

It is my opinion that decades-old territorial disagreements should not be an impediment to larger goals of strengthening win-win or mutually beneficial diplomatic, economic, cultural and other relations between the Philippines and China.

Examples: Historic wars as well as bitter political disagreements between China and South Korea, the Communist government in China and the now Kuomintang-administered government in Taiwan have not impeded cordial and strong economic and other ties.

As the late China leader Deng Xiaoping had said before during the state visit of then Philippine President Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino in Beijing, let us allow minor territorial disagreements in the backburner for future generations to settle, but continue the over 1,000 years friendship between the Philippines and China.

Pragmatism: No need arguments on sovereignty, let future generations settle, pursue joint developments?

Deng Xiaoping also proposed to President Cory Aquino common or joint exploration and development of disputed areas based on pragmatism and win-win scenario for both countries.

The late Deng Xiaoping was the same great leader who had proposed the unprecedented unique "One Country, Two Systems" for the reunification of capitalist Hong Kong with the socialist country of China.

Deng is also the visionary who espoused the revolutionary idea of "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" for China by combining bold market-oriented capitalistic reforms with a socialist socio-political order.






Note: The informations here were sent to me by China diplomats, who told me they are "optimistic about the future of Philippine-China diplomatic, economic and people-to-people relations".

Vice Foreign Minister (and former China Ambassador to Manila years ago) Madame Fu Ying of China calls on President Benigno S. Aquino III

On October 19th, Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying called on President Aquino at Malacañang Palace. Fu Ying conveyed to him greetings and message from Chinese leaders.

China places priority on the development of good-neighborly friendship and cooperation with the Philippines and values the traditional friendship between the two peoples. The two sides should properly handle relevant issues and work towards healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, for the benefit of the two peoples.

Fu Ying noted the positive outcome reached at the 18th Foreign Ministry Consultations and expressed the Chinese side’s commitment to strengthen communication with the Philippine side to implement the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries to increase exchanges and cooperation, with a view to bringing bilateral relations back to the normal track.

President Aquino welcomed Fu Ying’s visit. He conveyed his greetings to Chinese leaders and recognized the positive outcome of the Foreign Ministry Consultations. The President commented that both the Philippines and China are developing countries. As such both are duty-bound to develop their economies and improve people’s living standards, which requires a stable internal and external environment.

The Philippine President recalled his successful visit to China last year and how he was impressed by the enormous progress China has made. He further raised the hope that the two sides will, in a forward-looking spirit, strengthen communication and increase mutual understanding and trust and promote sound development of Philippines-China relations.