“Politics is dirty. It is a hell on Earth. You don’t belong there. We are not ready to see you destroyed by it. It is a dangerous lions’ den.”
These were the warnings and reactions when I generated my family’s and friends’ response to the invitations for me to join politics. These reactions weakened me. They made me reluctant. But the noise from the outside, both pushing me for and pulling me away from politics, is so loud that all I can hear was the voice from within. I prayerfully allowed the flow of events lead me to His will. Curating the forces around me, I ended up discovering the power within. Unleashing the difficult decision was caused by the discovery of the “big why.” The rest of my life’s history depends on His will expressed through the will of the people whose collective wisdom will choose leaders in our democracy. And the most important sign was permission granted by my family that required me to make them my moral compass.
“Politics must rest on a moral foundation that accords freedom to people for the sake of it.”
In the past, I received pushes for politics during past elections. Recently, I turned down two partylist nominations. But as a “man who is by nature a political animal” as in the words of Aristotle, I unleashed the beast within ready to rumble, anchored on the moral compass that worked for my half-a-century journey of having, being and becoming.
Here are the reasons why I decided to bid for the Senate as whispered by the voice from within.
Leading to change
I was born a leader, wanting and initiating change, always. My college days at the University of Santo Tomas were marked by leadership through my class presidency for four years. Elected as president of the UST College of Nursing Student Council, I was nominated to be the president of the Central Council. Now I am president of the UST Nursing Alumni. And I have always assumed leadership positions in organizations I joined. And the leader in me is always itching for change. Even change is changing in this pandemic, and we need leadership from new leaders with fresh perspectives.
Learned to lead
The lifelong learner in me prepares me for the future. Holding three professional licenses—as a nurse, midwife and professional teacher—grounds me with the two front-liners of this pandemic crisis, namely, health and learning crises. I pursued my Master of Arts in Nursing. For the part 20 years, I was privileged to host a business talk show in DZMM and Teleradyo. It became my “university of life,” interviewing micro and small enterprises and I became a witness to their growth that made me evolve as an advocate for the MSMEs. The best lessons of my entrepreneurial life were derived from the lessons of my guests. My business success is measured not only by how I have expanded nationwide in 120 cities and even in other countries, but also by how I have served hundreds of thousands of aspiring professionals across various disciplines. I have led my business to its meaningful existence beyond profit, probably the explanation why I have been multi-awarded in this line.
I hungered for international education, which prompted me to go to the Stanford University and National University of Singapore for an Executive Program in International Management, where I found myself as the only one from a developing country among 49 executives from 29 countries. With pride, I graduated with the highest honor. This is on top of my Doctor of Education from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and my Doctor of Humanities degree conferred by Lorma Colleges on the authority of the Commission on Higher Education.
Changing change
The pandemic presents various crises, with health, economic and learning being on top of the priority lists. I happen to be grounded on these three crises for being a health professional, for being an entrepreneur and advocate for the MSMEs, and for being an educated educator. The biggest impact of the pandemic is upon the health frontliners, the survival entrepreneurs, and learning frontliners. These crises resonate with my being, my competencies, and my network.
The challenging time presents disruptions in the VUCAH world of the present, immediate, and intermediate future. The volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and hostile world needs a shift with vision, understanding, clarity, agility and humanity. We cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created it. The challenge is greater in the stage of recovery, and unless we are grounded, we are bound to just take the romanticized “new normal” as a forced reality rather than taking the opportunity to proactively co-create a “better normal.” Laws and government policies should be grounded to be more meaningful and adapt to the irreversible disruption of our times and beyond.
Earlier than the pandemic disruption, humanity was bracing for the fourth industrial revolution. The pandemic only accelerated technology’s power to affect how we live. I have always been amazed of technology and made sure that it is integrated in what I do in business, learning and living. The shift to embrace it was easy but the national pivot towards it will become a challenge given the vast resources and expertise needed for it. My education, network, and experience will come handy to contribute as we navigate this technological transformation.
Understanding meanings
The country needs grounded leaders to ensure that the recovery becomes more meaningful to those who suffered most and relevant for those who matter most towards national impact. The 3K slogan that I shall focus on shall be Kalusugan (health), Kabuhayan (livelihood) and Karunungan (education), leading to Kaunlaran (progress) for the Kabataan (young people). The other Ks follow, like Kayamanan (prosperity) Katahimikan (peace), Kalikasan (environment), and, Kasarinlan (independence).
Coming from these three Ks will make me grounded—with ears on the ground to not only listen but understand, heart to empathize to objectively engage, eyes to see their situation to envision the future, and the hand to guide as I belong with them.
The Kalusugan covers not only the positive practice environments of the health workers but the embattled health system which should also be overhauled to be relevant to the time and the recovery era we should start to envision and co-create, now. This includes the health care systems in the promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative levels, including our preparedness for the future health crises.
The Kabuhayan covers not only the MSMEs, which is 99 percent of all registered businesses, but also agriculture and the farmers, which remain to be one of the core strengths of the country. It should also cover economics, both in its macro and micro levels, the jobs and livelihood of the people, including the creation of an enabling environment for entrepreneurs and overseas opportunities for the global Filipinos.
The Karunungan covers not only the teachers and the educators but also most importantly the learners who should be at the core of educational policies, and the entire embattled educational system across the trifocalized system. This also covers the formal, non-formal and informal learning within the Philippine Qualifications Framework and competencies of our people for the future world of work.
Connecting the dots
MY being grounded can simplify consultations and participative governance. The seven months on the campaign trails shall be dedicated to (and I have started to do) consultative webinars to co-create bills that I commit to file as I take the oath, if God permits.
I have been part of various organizations in health, business and education, whose leadership joined me in my nomination with Aksyon Demokratiko and who will join me in my filing of my Certificate of Candidacy along with Presidentiable Isko Moreno and VP aspirant Dr. Willie Ong. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry including the local chamber of Quezon City, and the Philippine Franchise Association, and the Go Negosyo movement will be my most accessible compass for the business sector. Health Consultations will come easy considering the engagements that I have with the Philippine Nurses Association and other nursing sub-groups, the Philippine Medical Association, Philippine Hospital Association, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, the Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives, among others. I take pride in having been part of the PCCI Education Task Force, which gathers 15 educational luminaries who for the past months have been drafting the proposal for Innovations in Philippine Education.
Platforms are good but they are bound only to make promises. My preparedness to perform shall be anchored on a Roadmap that integrates the initial perspectives of the sectors that I wish to represent, the depth of my education and experiences, and the evidences that are available. I shall offer my self to the most powerful element of our democracy— our people, as an alternative to the politics that we have created out of the past choices we have made collectively as a Filipino people.
My name is Carl Balita responding to the call from within to uphold my character and demonstrate my competence to stand for my Conviction as we all have the choice to take this chance for change. And I trust and surrender that “He causes the changes of the times and the season, makes kings and unmakes them,” as indicated in the book of Daniel.
For feedback, please send e-mail to drcarlbalita@yahoo.com.