A Reflection by Richwynn Ong
I am not a San Juaneño. I live 5 miles away southwest. Yet my heart belongs to this city where I spend 200 days of my time in a year. Never have I seen the city so up close until the day of our fieldwork in Barangay Sta. Lucia. I found squatter settlements tucked sporadically in the most obscure places, parked residents’ vehicles occupying half the eskinita, witnessed a momentous tree-cutting, green spaces sparingly squeezed in cluttered housing configurations – illustrative of the fruits of rapid urbanization.
In the course of documenting my observations, disillusionment soon surpassed my initial feeling of zeal for I unearthed the realism behind the tinsel town of Greenhills that I once mistook as San Juan’s synecdoche. I even think that the barangay is a microcosm of the prevalent situation of the country. While many argue that urbanization creates necessary evils, want of prudential judgement in governance and loose discipline are believed to be compelling reasons explaining the exorbitant price that comes with indiscriminate decision-making.
Nonetheless, disillusionment is neutralized by the passion to be challenged. The preliminary feeling of anxiety over time constraint in data-gathering and weight of grade component is deluded by the resolve to be proponent/s of change at the grassroots.
Such embroiled emotions form the basis of discerning the goods that were considered in shaping the barangay’s present state. These include worldly goals for economic growth from urbanization and commensurate increase in government revenues from economic boom. Using discernment by meaning, there was an utter deprioritization by authorities on environmental and social impact translating to failure in applying moral principles to achieve a wholistically better-off barangay – one which rewards trickle down and are not merely enjoyed by the few. The map on the right exhibits the clutter as an outcome of poor urban zoning.
Cognizant of the purposive nature of the cross-subject PBL, discernment enabled us to manage our differing emotions and overwhelmingness by sifting through the tasks and focusing on SSS (safe, sustainable, strong) objectives to effectively plan and set priorities. On a personal level, dealing with these feelings allowed me to discern God’s will as to which direction He points me to. Moreso, collaborating with groupmates added clarity to the PBL’s purpose and meaning. I drew inspiration from their wisdom which in effect deepened my insights and elevated the project to what characterizes team effort and not a one-man act.
Prudence stepped in when we finalized the relevant interview questions. From our interviews with the Kagawad and a resident whom we addressed as Kuya Jun (docility), we learned that the barangay gives due importance to lowering crime rates and is taking steps to address waste management, health issues and illegal parking situations (circumspection). Meanwhile, we noted that issues on congestion and air pollution were not mentioned (insight). We also gathered that updated statistical data are unavailable prompting us to utilize other methodologies in data collection and measurement (foresight) while safeguarding the integrity of data findings (caution). It was clear to the group from the very beginning that truthful reporting can only be attained with untampered data. An example was the luminosity reading where one out of eleven readings showed a significant deviation. We decided to report as is while noting the discrepancy in our analysis. Finally, we used Pareto 80/20 Rule in ensuring that we completed the important tasks despite the sudden announcement that experimentation time was cut to 1.5 hours (akumen).
San Juan’s SSS objective is for a good cause because it serves the best interests of citizens at all levels. The fulfillment of said objective is measurable through safety (crime/air quality index), sustainability (carbon/ecological footprints) and strength (GDP) indicators. Data should be measured and reported honestly so that they correspond to reality and are not misleading fabricated “truths.” Understanding the essence of this objective and analyzing the experimentation results, I arrived at a shortlist of three goods, namely: (1) installing solar panels as a renewable energy source replacing fossil fuels, (2) procuring parking permits as prerequisites to purchasing of vehicles, and (3) transforming Barangay Sta. Lucia into a biodiverse “Garden Barangay” comprising self-sufficient garden-growing residents. I discerned the meaning and key realities of the first good, then realized the massive budget requirement. Then I discerned God’s will in the second good and realized the political influence needed to pass a city ordinance or national law to regulate the number of vehicles purchased based on available parking spaces. Finally, I discovered God’s presence in the third good, and moved from spiritual blindness to sight finding God in the urban landscape. I further aligned my thoughts, words and actions to the actual i-Tree results showing poor green canopy cover lending credibility to this third concept. Prudence enabled me to make sound judgement by deliberating on the pros and cons (insight) and feasibility of each good (foresight). At first glance, these goods somehow seem equally important, but through caution, I was saved from making uninformed and regrettable decisions. Thus, substantiating that my final advocacy is a fruit of prudential decision-making.
KalikaSAN JUAN 