#apec2015

APEC is the largest regional economic group in the world. It is constituted by countries circling the Pacific Rim composed of 21 member-economies. With the theme “Building inclusive economies, building a better world”, the 10 Billion Peso APEC 2015 summit was considered a success. Security was tightened for the summit in the Philippine capital following attacks in Paris that left at least 128 dead. The country’s 120,000-strong national police was put on “full alert”, more than a thousand flights cancelled, APEC lanes were created, roads were closed and a week-long public holiday was declared in Manila to ensure a safe and efficient summit.

After all the glitz and glam, the traffic and all the inconvenience afforded to the inhabitants of Metro Manila, the question is: What is in return for Juan De la Cruz?

For starters, Philippine economy’s biggest partners are the member economies of APEC making up 80% percent of the entire country’s total trade. World leaders also discuss the concerns of small and medium enterprises and how to increase regional economic cooperation to overcome trade difficulties. President Aquino and the other world leaders signed agreements regarding disaster risk reduction and management, avoidance of double taxation, cooperation on tourism, fight against transnational crimes, drug and human trafficking and the reassurance and the “Ironclad” commitment of the US to defend the Philippines. President Obama even announced the transfer of two more US navy ship to the Philippine navy to further bolster the country’s capability In protecting its sovereignty.

Although the APEC Summit’s focus for this year was more on enhancing trade and investment in the Asia Pacific region. The organization’s 21 member economies began their annual joint declaration post-Economic Leaders’ meeting with a strong condemnation of terrorism. The declaration addressed the alleged terror attacks conducted by the Daesh or ISIS. It mentioned the Paris and Beirut terrorist attacks and the downing of a Russian aircraft over the Sinai Peninsula. World leaders point out that the factor increasing radicalization among the youth was marginalization, lack of economic opportunity and economic instability. They pointed out that economic growth and human security are not mutually exclusive.

The Philippines did not only welcome world leaders. 7,000 delegates came to Manila and most of them were businessmen with the likes of Jack Ma, the richest man in China also the founder of Alibaba. The success of the summit highlighted the fact that our country is capable of having such a prestigious event peacefully. Although the gains that the Philippines will get from the summit cannot be quantified instantly, the promise of more investments and jobs for the Filipinos is what the country really needs to continue its robust growth. The APEC summit allowed the Philippines to put itself on the global highlight and to be recognized in the world stage, hopefully the gains from the all promises and the agreements during the APEC will materialize to sustain growth that will affect our nation from the highest and the richest, down to the grassroots of the society. 

APEC was held in the Philippines last 2015. A lot of delegates joined the conference coming from different countries resulting to a lot of bodyguards and convoys being around them, occupying the streets going to the location of the event, of course, for security reasons. These people are economic leaders who are apparently important people too. There were complaints about it adding hassle to the very busy streets of Manila.

 So to speak about the social relevance of APEC in the Philippines, why people and the media talked about it, adding big buzz to it and all, I guess it’s because as it was taking place, majority of the people in Manila, were directly affected. 1st is the traffic then goes the added hassle to an already busy environment, and lastly, the canceled trips, classes, and meetings. We also have to put it mind that Manila is a very urban society among other cities and it is where bigtime tv companies are located, that’s why APEC was all over the news that time.

Marami ang nangyari noong 2015, may masasaya, mayroong malulungkot, may mga nauso at may mga gumawa din ng ingay sa bansa. At narito ang ilan.

• ALDUB 💏 - sino ba naman ang hindi makakakilala sa phenomenal loveteam ng 2015 na kinatatampukan nina Alden Richards at Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza. Take note, ang love team na minahal ng sambayanan ay isang accidental loveteam na nabuo sa Kalyeserye ng Eat Bulaga. Dito rin umusbong ang ALDUB Nation na siyang nasa likod kung bakit laging trending ang loveteam sa mga social networking sites.

• PABEBE 👋💁 - mula sa salitang pa-baby na ang ibig sabihin ay pagpapacute. Sa Pabebe din hinango ang salitang “Pabebe Wave” 👋 ng ALDUB. At sa Pabebe din umusbong ang Babaeng Walang Kilay, Babaeng Utal at ang Babaeng Multo o mas kilala sa tawag na Pabebe Warriors o Pabebe Girls.

• BEAUTY PAGEANTS 👸👑🌍🌏🌎 - Noong 2015, nangibabaw ang gandang Pilipina sa buong mundo. Nandyan si Trixie Maristela na kinoronahang Ms. International Queen, Ms. Globe na si Ann Lorraine Colis, Angelina Ong bilang Ms. Earth at si Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach bilang Ms. Universe.

• MAY-PAC FIGHT - 2015 din naganap ang sinasabing fight of the century nina Manny Pacquiao at Floyd Mayweather. Madaming proseso ang pinagdaanan bago natuloy ang Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.

• APEC 2015 🌎🌏🌍 - Noong November 2015, sa Pilipinas idinaos ang APEC 2015. Nabalot din ng isyu ang nasabing summit. Naging trending din ang #APECHotties tampok sina President Enrique Pea Nieto ng Brazil at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ng Canada.

• DUBSMASH 🎤📹🎥🎭 - ang Dubsmash ay isang mobile app kung saan idu-dub mo ang boses either ng artista o ibang karakter habanh bini-video mo ang iyong sarili. Gamit na gamit ang dubsmash nitong 2015 bilang pampa-aliw sa mga Pilipino. Ito din ang nagbunsod upang makilala si Maine Mendoza o Yaya Dub na tinaguriang “Dubsmash Queen of the Philippines”.

• PAPAL VISIT 2015 🙏 - Enero 2015 nang bumisita sa Pilipinas ang pinakamamahal na si Pope Francis, na nagbigay ng ngiti at pag-asa sa ating mga kababayan. Ang pagdalaw niya ay may temang “ Mercy and Compassion” (Habag at Malasakit). Hindi ako Katoliko, pero naramdaman ko yung gustong iparating ng santo papa sa atin na mahal tayo ng Diyos, hindi niya tayo pababayaan, at walang unos na di natin kayang lagpasan basta kasama natin ang Diyos.

• MAKE UP TRANSFORMATION 🙈👦 - ang Pinoy talaga hindi mauubusan ng paglilibangan at isa na dito ang nausong make up transformation kung saan kukunan mo ang iyong sarili ng video habang marami kang anek-anek sa mukha, tapos kung ano-ano gagawin mo, merong umiinom ng zonrox, joy, rugby, atbp. Tapos bigla na lang magbabago ang iyong itsura.

Last November 20, I decided to go for a Back Massage (worth Php 280.00) since it’s the last day of #APEC2015 (yay!) and it’s Friday (finally!)

There are two branches available in Glorietta; this one is located near Gold’s Gym and TGI Fridays.

  At the heart of this war is a sense of community – the lack of it, the desire for it

 Manila, 14 November. I needed to wake up early for the opening plenary of the fourth Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council Meeting. I reached for my phone and found a flood of alerts. Paris, the city of lights had come under attack.  In those early hours, there was not yet confirmation that the shootings, suicide bombs and hostage taking were coordinated – but it seemed likely. As the hours passed, the death toll rose frighteningly quickly.

Over 135 people were killed in the Paris attacks, a scant day after suicide bombers in Beirut killed over 35 people. Just one week after, 21 people were killed in Mali.

These attacks bracketed the APEC economic leaders meeting held November 18 to 19 in Manila. Both fittingly and ironically, the APEC meetings that focused on inclusion and resilience for a better world were held against a backdrop of violence and division.  

Blindsided

Following the attacks in Beirut and Paris, CNN ran a documentary on the rise of ISIS with the hashtag #blindsided. The documentary echoed what many analysts had been saying about the modern war ISIS is fighting.

Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam. “Today is a good day to die.” In the Star Trek universe, that one phrase explained why the Klingon warrior is so formidable. Perhaps the most dangerous fighter is the one who is unafraid to die. That is the fighter that will take risks that are incomprehensible to the rest of us. Because we cannot imagine this, we cannot anticipate it. If we cannot anticipate it, then we cannot defend against it. Then we are blindsided.

And that, in fact, is what most analysts say is particularly worrying about ISIS -- its ability to attract this kind of recruits. These recruits are not soldiers trained to fight a war of logic and calculated risks. These are believers who are in a crusade, one which they believe is righteous. This is a war with reason and economics on one side, and emotion and conviction on the other.

The CNN documentary echoed a Washington Post piece by Greg Miller and Souad Mekhennet on the ISIS propaganda machinery. ISIS, they say is essentially a messaging machine. This war is not being fought only with guns. It is fought with cameras, and photographs. The battleground is the twenty-four hour news cycle and the lightning quick mobile platforms of social media.

Battlegrounds

The same posts and reports that create fear and outrage among those attacked feed pride and a hunger for meaning in the ISIS target audience. Like many other terror organizations, ISIS recruits the disaffected, the marginalized. Imagine you are young and strong, and angry because society has no place for you. Imagine you have been told you have no value. Then imagine someone telling you that you can be a hero, that you can make a difference. Imagine them telling you that you will have a chance to strike against the most powerful nations on the planet. What would you do?

What makes the ISIS recruitment videos so effective, analysts say, is that they intersperse the images of strength and force with images of happiness and camaraderie. It should come as no surprise to anyone with military training that this is an extremely effective mix of emotional themes. War, after all, is about getting soldiers to endure and sometimes, perpetrate, what would normally be considered atrocities. These extreme circumstances are borne through a potent mix of courage and fraternity. There is a reason boot camps are severe. Boot camp teaches laser focus. Boot camp teaches soldiers to be strong, to endure, to rely on each other – often to the exclusion of everything else. That is the attitude needed in battle.

This is clearly a mix of emotions that is hardwired into the human psyche. ISIS, apparently, has managed to use it to great effect.

And that is the reality of this situation. As long as the recruits willing to die for the cause stream into the territories controlled by ISIS, ISIS can continue to throw soldiers into this war of terror.

A security strategy is critical, of course. And so is a military strategy. But what seems clear about this rise of ISIS is that Iraq lost territories because soldiers decided not to fight for their government. A military strategy that presumes all soldiers will fight for the government they belong to will not work in countries where a sense of community and loyalty is fractured. In the broken nations ISIS could target, the real vulnerability does not lie only in the lack of training or firepower, it lies truly in the absence of community. In the many nations from which the ISIS recruits come, the real concern is not about physical restrictions, it is about the fragility of emotional links to their own nations.

At the heart of this war is a sense of community – the lack of it, the desire for it.

Community

This, in fact, is what a large part of leadership is about. Whether in politics or in business, what has always been clear is that while explicit rewards have a place, the strongest bonds and the best coordinated performance comes from teams that have a deep commitment to their cause and to each other.

This amorphous thing that we call by different names – culture, shared values, and alignment – is, at its heart, a sense of community. Man is a social being. When managers forget this, organizations falter. When leaders of nations forget it, the social fabric frays. That the APEC theme is about inclusion is encouraging. These leaders, if they are true to their word, might actually lay the foundation for a wider and lasting peace.

First published 27 November 2015 by The Standard  in the column Integrations by Maria Elena “Maya” Baltazar Herrera.