Nicanor Perlas Platform

NICANOR PERLAS PLATFORM

SIX PILLARS My platform has six pillars. The first deals with eradicating the massive poverty, inequitable growth, lawlessness, and conflicts that plague our country. Our first pillar aims to Eradicate Poverty and Enhance Quality of Life for all, through, among others, a vibrant broad-based economy, social justice and peace. The second addresses the pervasive corruption that is tearing the social fabric of the nation and rupturing the hearts and minds of Filipinos. Our second pillar therefore seeks to Advance Moral and Effective Governance in all institutions of society and all situations in life. The third concerns itself with stopping the massive destruction of our ecology and our environment. Our third pillar seeks to Uphold the Integrity of Creation and respectfully partner with it as our source of life. Our fourth pillar seeks to Build Partnerships for Social Justice. We want to introduce a new approach to real participatory governance and authentic democracy. No one can solve the problems of the country alone… tayong lahat ang kailangan upang mabago ang ating bansa. This means government working together with civil society and business in the pursuit of social justice and creating a better country. The fifth pillar strives to Promote Creative Education and Inner Change. Better schools, colleges and universities, drawing out the many talents, intelligences, and potentials of students, are crucial. Equally as important is self-directed education and transformation. At the end of the day, it’s important to also address the factor of inner change—taking responsibility for changing our hearts and minds. No one can do our inner work for us. And there can be no genuine change in a system or institution if the people who work there do not change. Depressed, apathetic, and poorly trained people cannot create visionary and high-performance organizations, much less a world-inspiring country. Individual and cultural transformation are the foundations of the other pillars. And then finally, the sixth pillar of the platform aims to Mainstream Visionary Initiatives. There are thousands of promising initiatives throughout the country in

a wide variety of fields that already point the way forward to another, much better Philippines. We will reward innovation. We will systematically discover, magnify and multiply these existing success stories. This platform with its six pillars recognizes that everything is interconnected and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay. Reducing poverty, for example, is not simply about appropriate government policies that strengthen the economy, creates jobs and minimizes the adverse aspects of globalization. Poverty reduction also requires significant advances in peace, culture, including education, health care, sanitation, clean water, housing, micro-finance, nutrition and of course, agriculture and asset reform among others. We are talking about a practical platform of sustainability that recognizes all of these connections. We cannot transform the system if the system is plagued with corruption. But you cannot get rid of corruption if you don’t involve the citizenry in changing behavior. And you cannot change if there’s no inner change. Everything is interrelated and systemic. POLICIES AND PROGRAMS Eradicate Poverty and Enhance Quality of Life Jobs and the Economy Provide meaningful self and/or work employment for the economically poor as outlined in the various policies and programs that follow below.

Increases government resources for the sustainable modernization of agriculture and fisheries and place priority on agricultural policies and programs that will eradicate poverty. Accelerate the passage of a comprehensive land use for the country. Speed up the implementation of the Agrarian Reform Program on private lands. Provide, on a priority basis, agriculture-related support services to Agrarian Reform Communities including, but not limited to, new technologies, roads, credit, post-harvest facilities, and access to

broadband Internet services. Irrigate all rice lands using both large-scale irrigation infrastructure and artesian wells for small farms. Provide branding, packaging, and marketing services to farmers and fisherfolks to enhance their market penetration. Remove local monopolies and oligopolies that suppress the prices of farm and fishery products and which extract usurious lending rates from the poor. Design, together with microfinance NGOs and banks, an agriculture-oriented micro-finance program that would receive the appropriate financial, technical, and guarantee support from the government. Move towards strategic micro-finance where individual micro enterprises (in both rural and urban areas) are interlinked vertically and horizontally into new enterprise networks of larger value added on the basis of mutual solidarity and benefit. Build upon existing micro-finance initiatives and set up new micro or small industries based on strategic partnerships between academic institutions (which have pro-poor mature technologies that harness local resources), socially responsible businesses (which have the capability to move mature technologies from the lab to the market place), government institutions (which can provide the necessary supportive policies and incentives) and NGOs (which can ensure the social and ecologically acceptability of the new micro-industries). Implement special adult education programs for the rural and urban poor that would improve their knowledge, creativity, planning, and entrepreneurial and management skills. (See also policies and programs in the section below on advancing the Integrity of Creation.) Create macro-economic conditions conducive to the appropriate broad-based and inclusive growth and development of the Philippine economy. Renegotiate Philippine commitments in the World Trade Organization and other regional and global trade venues that are antipoor.

Put in place the necessary physical, institutional, and social infrastructure that would encourage both domestic and foreign investment in the country. (See policies and programs below.) Remove distortions arising from market failures including learning, information, and coordination externalities. Diversify the manufacturing and industrial base of the economy by encouraging the entry of new kinds of businesses using innovative technologies that would increase the value-added of enterprises as well as utilize the vast untapped local resources of the country. (See related discussion above on strategic micro-finance and strategic partnerships for new micro and small industries.) Implement new approaches to strategic industry diversification and support including: a) provision of public support and incentives only for specific projects, not entire industrial sectors; b) identification of projects that are new not only to the domestic economy and/or new in terms of technological process used; c) assurance that these specific projects enhance local research and development as well as lead to actual productivity enhancement; and d) stipulation that the government support provided will have a termination period and will not be abused. Ensure that the government implementers of this new industrial policy will be not be corrupted and that outside stakeholders, including appropriate civil society partners, are involved in the monitoring and assessment of the implementation of these new industrial policies. Set up a national multi-department task force for identifying, assessing, incubating, and mainstreaming promising Philippine-based technological breakthroughs that would enhance the total factor productivity of the economy. Improve the access of small and medium enterprises to low cost credit and guarantees. Address other non-economic factors that impact efforts in poverty reduction and the enhancement of the quality of life for all as provided for in the policies and programs below. Social Justice, Peace and Order Improve social justice, peace and order.

Renegotiate the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA AD) with special provisions, among others, for adequate consultation on both Muslim and Christian sides and for clearly defining the relationship between the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) and ARMM and BJE and the national government. Advance Muslim concerns including, among others, the expansion of the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) to other regions and provinces with large Muslim populations; the appointment of non-political or neutral OMA executives and officials; the hiring of more Muslim staff in Muslimdedicated government offices including OMA; the expedited flow of Muslim Official Development Assistance (ODA); and the availability of “hallal” slaughterhouses in cities and towns with large Muslim populations. Reopen negotiations with NDF/NPA communist rebels. Ensure that all peace negotiations with Muslim and NDF/NPA combatants are anchored on the government’s demonstrated political will towards reforming the structural roots of conflict and the pursuit of social justice, including the equitable delivery of government social services, infrastructure, and business incentives. Ensure the meaningful and organized participation of indigenous peoples and communities in all matters of governance affecting their interest and future. Strengthen the capacity and resources of the council for indigenous people and neutralize the heavy interference of traditional politicians in this council. Remove the high-level military and police support for criminal activities and drug trade and clean both the military and police from corrupt elements. (See program details in the Moral and Effective Governance section below.) Expedite the removal from public service of rogue military and police officers and personnel. Reinstate, to full position and honors, any military or police officer unjustly placed in detention or removed from public office. Professionalize the military and police forces by means of adequate incentive systems that reward moral and exemplary conduct and punish violations of law and order.

Provide adequate comprehensive support to civil society efforts towards a holistic and comprehensive approach to peace. Implement and reinforce zoning laws and regulations. Clean and Responsible Fiscal Management Improve Fiscal Position of Government and the allocations in the National Budget to attract both domestic and foreign investments, thereby offering more employment opportunities for the poor and ensuring adequate funding for social services and lesser tax burden for the poor.

Stop, beginning with the first 100 days and beyond, the hemorrhage of the national budget due to corruption. Involve anticorruption focused civil society and business groups in cleaning up the most corrupt government agencies, including but not limited to the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Education, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and others. (See also section on Moral and Effective Governance) Advocate for the removal of pork barrel from the national budget to ensure that tax pesos are used, not to promote transactional politics that worsen the condition of the poor, but to eradicate poverty. Demonstrate political will in stopping the misuse of government funds as efforts are made to improve tax collection and make it more equitable. Involve civil society and business corruption watch groups in procurements and bids of government projects. Increase the economic efficiency of government corporations (example National Food Authority) so that these do not drain the national budget. Improve the transparency, accountability and transparency of tax collection, expenditures and management Assess and improve the effectiveness of performance-based incentive schemes for greater tax collections, for example, the Lateral Attrition Law and

Assess and improve the effectiveness of programs for improving tax collections, for example, RATES (Run After Tax Evaders) Introduce new performance-based incentive packages and better tax collection programs Make the tax rate structure friendly to the poor. Improve tax collections from medium and large corporations and from “sin taxes” by closing legal loopholes and stopping “creative” accounting. Infrastructure Development Intensify infrastructure development especially in the poorest regions of the country. Increase the per capita road length, the road length per area and the presence of bridges especially in economically depressed areas that badly need roads and bridges to increase the agricultural productivity of lower income groups. Increase the budgetary allocation for critical infrastructure as a percentage of total GDP. Create a favorable environment for socially responsible and ecologically sound Build-Operate-Transfer (BOP) projects especially in poorer regions, provinces, municipalities, and barangays. Improve and maintain existing critical roads and bridges using the Motor Vehicle Users’ Charge as appropriate. Ensure that toll rate increases are necessary and are done transparently and equitably. Install, in consultation with civil society and business, toll rates that lower the burden for mass transport and delivery vehicles for the poor and that such transport savings incurred are reflected in the lower price for transportation and food items and higher net margins for agricultural producers. Make transparency, accountability, eradication of corruption, and greater institutional capacity as preconditions for greater national government subsidies and increased official development assistance (ODA) in the road building projects of local government units (LGUs).

Make LGU commitments to the UN Millennium Development Goals a precondition for national government infrastructure subsidies. Upgrade the quality and capacity of the nautical highway system. Decongest the transport system within Metro Manila by improving the quality and quantity of infrastructure and manufacturing projects in surrounding provinces and regions. (For energy and electricity infrastructure, see the section, Integrity of Creation, on green energy.) Social Services Improve the financial allocation for and the targeting, delivery and impact monitoring of comprehensive and holistic social services for the disadvantaged and poorer sectors of Philippine society. Depoliticize the selection of basic sector representatives in the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), increase its membership to include representatives from business, and professionalize the operations of NAPC. Identify the top 100 secondary educational institutions of the country, provide support for their innovative practices, document and disseminate their creative educational practices, and enter into partnerships with them as hubs of educational excellence. Do an in-depth study, involving all stakeholders, as basis for the gradual transfer educational services to the cultural non-profit sector of society especially in partnership with the community. Create the policy environment for strengthening the role of private education in all levels of the school system. Increase the usage of educational vouchers to widen the choices of parents. Increase focus beyond just quantity of education services to quality of education services including more holistic educational approaches that develop multi-talented, creative, critical-thinking, sociallyoriented students and citizens. (For other educational initiatives, see section below on Holistic Education and Inner Change.) Install a nationwide health insurance system, in cooperation with business and civil society, that allows the poor, with a minimal and easily payable premium fee, access to preventive medical approaches as well as

primary, secondary, and tertiary medical treatment. Task the Department of Health to install a nationwide system of holistic and preventive approaches to medicine. Bundle health and nutrition services with educational objectives where appropriate; e.g. breakfast feeding and basic gardening programs in school. Conduct a massive skills-oriented awareness campaign on sanitation, nutrition, and environmental health to lay the foundations of preventive approaches to health. Mobilize development partnerships with indigenous well-drillers, water system engineers, socially responsible businesses, and community organizers from civil society to ensure that every community or family has access to clean sources of water. Partner with civil society and business to provide a holistic approach to meeting the housing needs of economically poor families. Encourage government, business, and peoples organization partnership to transform urban squalor into well-managed and vibrant housing communities for the urban poor. Encourage all barangay councils to convene tri-sectoral consultations with political, business, and civil society leaders/individuals to define their top 6 priority needs/projects for their community. The new government will meet all these needs within its 6-year term with priority financial allocation and technical support given to the poorest communities in the country. Rank LGUs in terms of authentic development accomplishments as the basis for designing and delivering incentive programs including costsharing and counterpart grant mechanisms for use in infrastructure and other projects. Provide strategic investment, trading and human capital formation relationships between growth cities/towns and economically depressed municipalities and barangays. Refine and continue the practice of conditional cash transfers as appropriate but improve the targeting and monitoring mechanisms to ensure optimal support for the poor. Revitalize disaster response planning in vulnerable areas of the

country especially with the acceleration of climate-change related erratic weather patterns, super typhoons, and the increasing possible of increasing sea levels. Consumer Protection Promote the rights of consumers to healthy food and safe products. Ensure that the mandatory labeling laws for food are followed. Remove food products that use deceptive or vague labeling, e.g. “nature-identical” ingredients Re-examine the present policy on genetically engineered food products. Upgrade the capabilities and systems of government regulatory agencies to detect harmful or potentially harmful elements in food products including pesticide residues, presence of genetically engineered segments, radioactive isotopes, and others. Improve the capabilities of the consumer protection unit of the Department of Trade and Industry to respond to consumer complaints about food and other products. Sustainable Population Promote and advance the goal of sustainable population. Anchor the thrust of achieving sustainable population levels in the pursuit of poverty eradication and enhanced quality of life for all. Experience from other countries show that population stabilizes once a country achieves equitable economic, political, and cultural development. Advocate for a balanced approach to the reproductive health bill, balancing the right to life and importance of responsibility vis a vis the right to free choice. Anchor deliberations and debates on scientific conceptions evolutionary biology and embryology. Responsible education is crucial in all phases and stages of reproductive health. The Marangal na Sambayanan is against abortion of fetuses 19 days in age and older. Advance Moral and Effective Governance Eradicate Corruption. Remove corruption in all other government agencies within the first

year of office of a new government under the leadership of the Party. Promote a culture of zero tolerance for corruption in all government agencies. Identify the best (top 100) anti-corruption initiatives and reward these independent efforts with financial and other forms of support as well as mainstream their innovative approaches for others to follow. Make all government budgets, projects, and expenditures, including the Office of the President, public by prominently displaying this information in the website of all government institutions. Open up all government agencies to anti-corruption partnerships with civil society, business and the general public especially in corruptionprone activities including permits, procurement, fees, certificates, and others. Conduct massive public education, including the placement of appropriate posters in highly visible locations in government offices, regarding the salient provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act especially its provisions on expedited action on public service. Create, together with business and civil society, well-defined implementing rules, regulations, and procedures for honest transactions with government including the loss of benefits and retirement plans for public officials guilty of graft and corruption. File administrative and criminal cases on erring public servants and private individuals engaged in graft and corruption. Fire all government employees engaged in graft and corruption and link their Ensure that the legal and judicial system reinforces the political will of the executive branch to wipe out corruption. Stop the practice of placing honest civil servants in the “freezer” for refusing to be party to systemic corruption in the institution. Strengthen the ability of the Civil Service Commission to insulate public servants from political intervention and to protect qualified and honest public servants from political harassment. Reward, generously, those who uphold integrity and decency in public offices beyond the call of duty.

Examine the compensation and incentive structure of all government agencies and link these to exemplary performance and integrity. Clean up the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission and open its membership to civil society and business leaders of known integrity. Create a program in government TV and radio dedicated, 24/7, to the topic of eradicating corruption including highlighting the stories of government officials and agencies, LGUs, civil society organizations, businesses, and individuals who have successfully stopped corruption. Create a 24/7 hotline dedicated to addressing citizens’ complaints regarding any form of corruption in any institution, ensuring an immediate response to these complaints, and reporting to the general public on what action has been taken to stop cases of alleged or actual corruption. Encourage journalists in tri-media, including bloggers in the Internet, to report cases of corruption or stories of successful struggles against corruption. Ensure that anti-corruption initiatives converge with policies and programs aimed at eradicating poverty and enhancing the quality of life for all. (See related initiatives in the section below on normal intelligence under the Holistic Education and Inner Change.) Improve Political Stability Advocate for the passage of a stronger and more sweeping antidynasty law that would open the political system to men and women of integrity, competence, and vision. Appoint men and women of proven integrity in the Commission on Elections. Respect the independence of constitutional bodies while, at the same time, encouraging these bodies to be pro-active in all aspects connected with GINHAWA, integral sustainable development. Support a change in the Constitution through the right means (constitutional convention, not constitutional assembly or Con-ass), the right time (sometime after the 2010 elections) and for the right reasons (not term extension nor dubious attempts to sell out the patrimony of the

Philippines). Uphold the Integrity of Creation Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries Re-organize the Agricultural and Fisheries Councils (AFCs) at all levels (national, provincial and municipal) to advance sustainable agriculture and fisheries (SAF). Mandate NAFC of the Department of Agriculture to conduct trisectoral or threefolding provincial and municipal-based consultations as a basis for developing a framework and blueprint for mainstreaming SAF all over the country. Identify, with the help of AFCs and other partners, successful SAF initiatives in their respective areas of responsibilities, Provide adequate research, technical, training, financial, and social capital formation support for SAF programs and initiatives. Provide financial and other incentives for universities and colleges pursuing SAF especially in the area of ecological pest management and self-contained nutrient recycling systems. Develop SAF partnerships with donor communities interesting in the greening of Philippine agriculture and fisheries. Enhance the forest reserves and cover of the country while providing adequate livelihood for forest-based communities. Permanently stop logging in all remaining primary forests. Allow logging only under conditions of sustainable forestry practices. Accelerate the adoption of assisted natural regeneration (ANR) and the use of indigenous forest species in social forestry programs. Develop fruit-based, no-tillage agro-forest systems in the uplands. Increase the social and ecological performance of the mining industry Support the passage of the Alternative Mining Act as promoted by progressive legislators. Regulate mining operations to make sure that they do not

permanently damage the environment, harm human health, and fragment communities. Ensure compliance of the mining industry with the provisions for obtaining an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), especially the requirement of social acceptability. Broaden the ownership-base of the mining industry to include substantial partnerships with affected communities and their citizens. Give priority to small-scale, community-owned mining operations that are ecological sound and socially responsible. Instruct the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to desist from issuing mining claims in watershed and ancestral domain areas. Promote the expansion of culturally sensitive ecological tourism. Identify, using broad-based consultations, the top 20 additional most promising eco-cultural sites in the country especially those with breath-taking natural features and dramatic historical events important for the promotion of sterling Filipino values. Pour infrastructure and promotional resources to develop these additional Discourage, through regulation, eco-tourism activities that have either commodified a culture or degenerated into a cover for morally questionable activities including prostitution and drug use. Improve air quality of major human settlements in the country. Remove all smoke belching vehicles in Metro Manila within the first 1o0 days of a MASAP government. Remove all smoke belching vehicles in all major cities of the country within the first 6 months of a MASAP government. Work with transport sector to install fuel-efficient engines by providing, among others, technical and seed financial support. Provide incentives for the exploration of transport vehicles based on hydrogen fuels. Develop incentives for the installation of mass transport systems.

Install dedicated human-powered bike lanes in major cities. Ensure that the no-smoking ban in public places is strictly enforced. Improve management, quality and sustainability of the country’s water resources. Conduct, in partnership with the appropriate civil society and business partners, a global conference on the scientific and cultural significance of water resources and their implications for better water quality and supply. Assess the extent of fresh water intrusion in the aquifers of coastal cities and towns. Remove all human activity that hasten the dying of lakes including fishing pens in Laguna de Bay and Taal Lake. Ensure the integrity of the country’s watersheds by, among others, preventing illegal logging, mining, and real estate development. Accelerate the adoption of zero waste management. Restructure the whole garbage disposal system to enable segregation at source, composting of organic wastes, recycling of nonbiodegradable waste, and proper disposal of toxic medical wastes. Establish strategic partnerships with civil society and business in design, implementing, monitoring, and managing the solid waste of the nation. Highlight and reward cities and towns that have exemplary solid waste management systems. Ban the use of specific plastics that tend to, among others, clog up the drainage system of cities and towns. Stop noise pollution Define, using threefolding consultation processes and existing laws, appropriate occasion and hours for public music (karaokes, giant sound systems, etc.). Ensure total compliance with enacted Executive Orders and/or provincial, city, and municipal ordinances that have a bearing on mitigating or stopping noise pollution. Develop a strategic response to the challenge of global climate change.

Advance irrigated sustainable agriculture to mitigate against unpredictable weather patterns. Upgrade the scientific and technological capability of PAGASA to monitor and warn against impending super typhoons. Delineate the topographic contours and coastlines that will be inundated in the event of rising sea levels. Plan, several years in advance, disaster response initiatives against rising sea levels. Ensure that the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change involves all key stakeholders and has constant access to the latest global scientific consensus on the impacts of climate change, especially rising sea level estimates. Advocate new legislation, or even changes in the Constitution, in the area of area governance to enable LGUs to coordinate and converge efforts in address potential long-term disasters arising from climate change. Promote the rapid use of consumer-saving, green technologies in the energy sector. Create the legal, policy and financial environment to deploy the “smart grid” concept that would enable households and buildings to become net energy producers and income earners. Re-negotiate the contracts with Independent Power Producers (IPP) to reduce the cost of electricity for millions of Filipinos. Ensure transparency and accountability for all energy producers and distributors. Accelerate the development of indigenous sources of energy especially environmentally-sound geothermal, solar, wind, hydro and tidal energies. Launch a massive research and development effort on hydrogen fuels. Promote the use of high cellulose biofuels instead of relying on food-based biofuels like sugarcane Dismantle the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which is

highly defective and cannot be fixed. Use the facility as an eco-tourist center for green energy, history, and as a monument to the folly of corruption. Build Partnerships for Social Justice Mainstream societal threefolding partnerships in ALL the policies and programs of ALL pillars of the platform of the Party. Embed threefolding partnerships for social justice at the national, regional, provincial, city/town, and barangay levels. Involve civil society, business, and other appropriate government agencies in the planning, execution, monitoring, and management of consultations, policy formulation, program design and implementation, and evaluation activities. Update, with business and civil society partners, the country’s Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21) and its framework for implementation, the Sustainable Integrated Area Development (SIAD). Contextualize and embed all government policies and programs, including the Medium Term Development Plan of the Philippines, within the framework of PA21 and SIAD. Both emphasize, among others, mobilizing partnerships for social justice. Strengthen the strategic role of civil society in Philippine and global affairs. Provide substantive no-strings-attached financial and other appropriate support for building the infrastructure of civil society networks and meta-networks at the municipal, provincial, regional, and national levels. Civil society organizations (CSOs) build ecological, human, cultural, and societal capital that benefit governments and businesses. These valuable contributions need to be supported because CSOs are non-profit by nature. Create an Office for Civil Society to help facilitate the massive mobilization and involvement of civil society movements, networks, and organizations at all levels of governance throughout the country. Encourage, based on existing sector focus, the formation of CSO clusters/networks around each national government agency. These agency-specific CSO networks will become the respective partners of the different agencies of government.

Channel appropriate segments of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the strengthening of civil society meta-networks and networks, and CSO participation in governance, and the implementation of innovative programs and projects. Support efforts of civil society to create sector and area-based trust funds to ensure their financial sustainability; balance this support with the appropriate regulatory provisions to ensure that these trust funds will be used for the common good. Mainstream innovative CSO programs and projects as official national government policies and programs. Provide counterpart funding for CSO participation in strategic global conferences, with the proviso that such supported CSO participation necessitates the formal sharing of results of and experiences in these global conferences. Issue an Executive Order instructing local government units to create culture and arts councils predominantly involving local artist practitioners and cultural workers. Transfer NCCA governance, while maintaining government oversight, over to civil society especially, but not exclusively, competent cultural workers and artists. For government initiatives appropriate to business concerns, see both the policies and programs on macro-economics and governance above. Promote Holistic Education and Inner Change Host a series of at least 10 global conferences on state-of-the-art frameworks and best practices on multiple-intelligent education, life-long learning, environmental education, appreciative approaches to strategic planning, organizational/societal learning and Theory U, scientific evolutionary spirituality, societal creativity, Lemniscate Approach, and other topics of importance to holistic education and inner change. Mainstream learning from these global conferences into the various government, private, and civil society initiatives in education. Advance multiple-intelligent education (especially existential, moral, and spiritual intelligence) in public education and encourage all nongovernment schools and institutional training and human development programs to do the same. (See also discussion above on human

development in the dimensions and principles of integral sustainable development. Encourage historically relevant and morally uplifting fiestas. Encourage mass media to highlight good news, exemplary initiatives, moral courage against corruption, livelihoods that life people out of poverty, environmental conservation, and other topics that help create a culture conducive to GINHAWA or integral sustainable development. Encourage religious groups to highlight the importance of social engaged spirituality in creating a better country. Upgrade the scientific and technological education and training standards of the country to ensure that the necessary human capacities will be there to support the macro and micro-economic policies and programs envisioned in the section on Eradication of Poverty and Enhanced Quality of Life. Encourage the pursuit of higher education in holistic science, appropriate technology and environmentally sound engineering subjects to provide the human capital necessary to mainstream the green technologies and businesses envisioned in the Party’s anti-poverty and quality of life platform. Restore primary and secondary education back to 12 years. Mainstream Visionary Initiatives Mobilize exemplary and visionary initiatives to support the integral sustainable development of the Philippines. Identify, on the basis of the priorities/pillars of the Party’s Platform, exemplary strategic prototypes and best practices, whether by government, business, or civil society, at different levels of governance throughout the country. This would include best practices in ending poverty, sustainable agriculture, eradicating corruption, environmental restoration, creative education, zero waste, and so on. Stimulate the organization of all these initiatives into clusters of similar initiatives at the provincial, regional, and national levels. Organize these clusters into one national meta-network of promising initiatives that inspire and learn from each other and aspire to share their experiences to society at large.

Provide mainstreaming support for the most vibrant and promising of these initiatives in line with the priorities of the Party Platform. Involve these clusters and networks in the formation of local and national government policies and programs. Provide priority financial and other appropriate support for programs and projects identified in partnership with these visionary initiatives.