Here in Singapore for ASEAN accreditation

Fort Canning Hotel, Singapore — I am here to join HR executives from leading Asian industries like banking, foods, beverage, telecommunications, IT, BPO, and airlines, global shipping lines and other companies. But this piece is not about the convention. This is about our country, as compared to Singapore. This nation, which is among the top five most successful economies in the world is number one among the ASEAN member states. It's smaller than Indonesia but has the speed that rivals Europe. Its population is smaller than the Philippines but it has the multi-competencies of the best in the world.

The Singaporean prime minister is paid four times more than President Trump. A Singaporean policeman is paid five times more than the Governor of Cebu. They believe that government can minimize corruption by paying government officials and personnel beyond what private industry labor markets can afford. In the Philippines, a president who is impeached, a murderer or a child rapist can be pardoned. In Singapore, a murderer is executed. Singapore is a ''fine'' city. If you throw garbage, leave bubblegum under the chair, or spit anywhere, you will be fined. In the Philippines, there is freedom of ''spit'' and nobody gives a damn.

Here, when a policeman, in a legitimate act of selfdefense, shoots an aggressive drug addict, human rights advocates cry hell for violation of human rights. But when a girl is raped and murdered by a drug addict, the human rights people are mysteriously mute. In Singapore, the government executes murderers and rapists not caring about what UN or Amnesty International says. In Singapore, no child beggars or half-clad drunken men roam the streets. In the Philippines, this is normal. Here, public officials bring their issues to the public to outdo and malign each other. In Singapore, they settle disputes inside the session hall without media coverage. In Singapore, local officials are mature and professional, not childish, vindictive or paranoid.

In Singapore, no legislator will ever threaten to abolish their Court of Appeals. No witnesses in legislative investigations are jailed for invoking their right to remain silent. Here, congressmen are fond of posturing for the camera, showing off as if they are angels. There is much self-righteousness and arrogance among wielders of power as if they own the government. In Singapore, politicians have a low profile. They honor the businessmen more and their engineers, bankers, and financial wizards. Here, the congressmen are called honorable when they are the ones bringing dishonor to our country and people. I will be here only for a week but I am very sad for our country. Benchmarking for HR ends up benchmarking our country with a tiny island perhaps twenty times smaller than the Philippines but thirty times stronger. What gives? In Singapore, the government is the solution. Here, the politicians running the government are the problems. And people keep on voting for rotten trapos. Sad, sad, sad.

‘The Singaporean prime minister is paid four times more than President

Trump. A Singaporean policeman is paid five times more than

the Governor of Cebu. They believe that government can minimize corruption by paying government

officials and personnel beyond what private industry labor markets can afford.’