Ethics: The Japanese way October 11, 2011

The tragedy that ravaged some province of Japan and affected its overall economy has traumatized its people in ways one could just ask “how to start again?

It's a one great blow

Despite this, they remained in touch with the discipline needed to rebuild their shattered towns. If we Filipinos whine and blame the government during typhoons, the Japanese faced earthquake and tsunamis simultaneously – and still maintain their cool.

Their disaster survival kit is not just based on government initiatives. It is bounded on their principle of tranquillity – something that most Filipinos are deprived of. We have to pick some grains of values to what have happened to them. I’m sure it will make us better citizens of our nation.

Integrity. During calamities and disasters where shelters are left open, looting seems to be a usual scenario. However, the Japanese just made themselves an exception to such reality through an almost 2.3 billion dollars of cash returned to owners via safe boxes and wallets. In situations where survival instinct could be at its peak, it is admirable how they are still able to maintain their integrity. It’s hard to deliberately compare cultures but you know what I mean. Y’ know.

Nationalism. Japanese people think about the present as much as they think about the future of their people and nation. There is a group of almost 200 retirees who volunteered to help clean the nuclear power plant and thus be exposed to high dose of radiation.

One retiree said “I am 72 and on average I probably have 13 to 15 years left to live. Even if I were exposed to radiation, cancer could take 20 or 30 years or longer to develop. Therefore us older ones have less chance of getting cancer.”

This is such a noble act of showing how they value their race and its future – an ultimate sacrifice to protect the lives of their children, and their children’s children.

Order. One would think that aside from the actual disaster, the second most chaotic scene would involve the evacuation centre and food supply distribution. But, no – they don’t take the word “order”  for granted. They mean it in every single way. Unlike others, they do not scourge on food supplies. They don’t need to be savages to immediately get their food. They wait because they know that they will have their turn. And when they wait, they do not whine or rant. Can we do that? The Ondoy experience just flashbacked and made me realize how much we, Filipinos, like it noisy and chaotic.

An Orcom thought: A national crisis tests not only the government’s immediacy  and efficacy but also the people’s resiliency and ethical principles.

DPWH needs an F5 October 9, 2011

After typhoon Pedring rammed most parts of Manila, a photo of three DPWH men standing and meeting at the shattered walls of Roxas Boulevard was posted online.

A civil engineer noticed something suspicious in the photo and blogged about it. The allegation on the photo being notoriously edited spread online.

Obviously, it's a "pa-pogi" shot.

The site administrator acknowledge the accusation and released a statement. They apologized for the release of the photo because according to them “it was not cleared yet ….before some staff posted it”. Does it mean that it was not yet the right time to release it because post-processing is still not over? So do they have DPWH staffs that do all the fabrication? They hire staff to intentionally deceive people? This is not acceptable. This apology does not help lessen the impact of such stupid act. They should have apologized for what this crisis has caused their reputation and not why the photo was uploaded on the wrong time.

An apology addressed to those men in the photo was also released.

“We would like to apologize to Undersecretary Romeo Momo, Director Rey Tagudando and District Engineer Mikunug Macud for whatever inconvenience that may have caused them regarding the photo earlier posted. Rest assured that we shall exert more diligence and prudence in the execution of our mandate to inform the public of our plans, programs, projects and official activities”

This is a better apology, indeed. However by “more diligence and prudence”, I hope they do not mean “extra carefulness in editing and fabricating” but rather extra carefulness in deciding how to genuinely establish their identity in the minds of the Filipinos.

Now, DPWH, please consider taking your online presence seriously.

a. Craft your messages well because you do not know how powerful the “print     screen” button is. Review your public relations plan (if you have any) because this controversy has caused you a lot of your reputation.

b. Hire competent administrators who have an eye in the digital arena. Remember that government agencies are forever vulnerable to criticism.

c. Consider your key stakeholders – the Filipinos. In this online generation, news can spread in minutes or even less. The youth and young working class are not passive and they know the term “blogging” and “photoshop”.

d. Lastly, wake-up and F5 your minds. The world is now flat. Adapt. Technologies have destroyed  continental barriers. Let’s not make Filipinos ashamed of their race.

An OrCom thought: Handle your online platforms well or it will be your greatest regret.