A jeepney driver in his sixties once told a passenger, “Ayoko ng matalino, gusto ko ‘yung galit sa mga mayayaman.” That line—raw, defensive, desperate—says everything. Populism didn’t just arrive; it was summoned by fatigue, inequality, and a people aching for someone who punches up.

The Filipino electorate is not drawn to populist leaders merely out of ignorance or whim, as the urban elite often smugly imply. What draws them in is the spectacle of power made human—leaders who speak like them, curse like them, feel their pain, and swear at the same villains they blame for their misery. It is not policy that moves the masses, but personality and proximity—how closely a candidate resembles them, or how powerfully that candidate pretends to. This isn’t stupidity; it is survival politics. When institutions fail, populism feels like the only accessible voice left.

One must also reckon with the failure of traditional governance to deliver basic dignity. The same surnames cycled through power for decades while poverty remained a fixed point in people’s lives. Public trust declined not because of gullibility, but because hope repeatedly decayed under polished campaign slogans and well-dressed thieves. In that vacuum, the populist emerges as a savior—not necessarily with solutions, but with a spectacle that looks like revolt. The louder the populist barks at the status quo, the more validated the electorate feels.

And let us not pretend that the system has ever encouraged critical, independent thinking. The country’s educational gaps are glaring, and media sensationalism thrives. Political maturity does not evolve in an environment where virality shapes information more than truth. Add to this a culture soaked in patronage—from barangay halls to the Senate floor—and what you have is an electorate conditioned to value closeness and charisma over competence and credibility.

Social media, the modern-day arena of gladiators, turbocharges this loyalty. Populists thrive online not only because they entertain, but because they offer catharsis. They meme themselves into relevance. They outshout facts. In a space where attention is currency, they spend outrage lavishly. And people pay attention not because they are misled, but because in a country where daily life is a constant negotiation with hardship, being heard, finally, furiously, feels like power.

But while populism feeds on discontent, it often leads to more control, not empowerment. History has shown us how populist leaders consolidate power by silencing dissent, attacking institutions, and replacing public accountability with blind loyalty. The sad irony is that those who vote for populists in the name of democracy may eventually mourn its loss. By the time that realization sets in, the damage is already institutionalized.

Still, blame alone does not fix this. It is intellectually lazy to laugh at the masses and declare them fools. What must be asked is why, despite years of broken promises and mounting evidence of incompetence, the same patterns repeat. There is a deeper hunger here—not just for food, jobs, or peace, but for dignity. Populist leaders promise, or at least perform, that dignity. Until others do the same—honestly, consistently, and without condescension—the cycle will continue.

To break it, those who aspire to lead must risk being boring, even unpopular, by choosing truth over spectacle. And those who seek to uplift this nation must first listen, not to ridicule, but to understand the pain that populism masks. If no one else is willing to walk through the mud with the people, then the crowd will always choose the loudest voice, no matter how reckless.

In the world of entrepreneurship, fear is often seen as the enemy. It can paralyze us, hold us back, and prevent us from pursuing our dreams. But what if we could utilize that fear and turn it into a driving force for success? In this article, we will explore how to do just that. This is a guide for all those who dream of starting their own business but are held back by fear. It’s a call to action for those who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure. It’s an invitation to step out of your comfort zone, embrace the unknown, and transform your fear into a powerful tool for growth and success. So, let’s embark on this journey together, turning fear into freedom and dreams into reality.

Here are some strategies to help:

1. Acknowledge and Validate Their Fears: It’s essential to acknowledge that starting a business can be daunting and that it’s normal to feel afraid. Validate their concerns and let them know that it’s okay to have doubts or uncertainties.

2. Highlight Potential Benefits: Discuss the potential benefits and rewards of starting a business, such as being your own boss, pursuing your passion, achieving financial independence, and making a positive impact on others. Remind them that taking calculated risks is often necessary for personal and professional growth.

3. Share Success Stories: Share success stories of other entrepreneurs who have overcome similar fears and obstacles to build successful businesses. Hearing about real-life examples of resilience and perseverance can inspire and reassure them that success is possible.

4. Break It Down into Manageable Steps: Starting a business can feel overwhelming if viewed as a single daunting task. Break the process down into smaller, more manageable steps, such as conducting market research, writing a business plan, securing funding, and launching a minimum viable product (MVP). By taking one step at a time, the journey becomes less overwhelming.

5. Offer Support and Encouragement: Be a supportive presence in their life by offering encouragement, listening to their concerns, and providing constructive feedback. It is important that you allow them to feel that you believe in their abilities and that you are giving your 100% support to them every step of the way.

6. Provide Resources and Guidance: Offer resources, such as books, articles, online courses, workshops, or mentorship programs, to help them gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in entrepreneurship. Connecting them with experienced entrepreneurs or business coaches who can offer guidance and advice can also be valuable.

7. Focus on the Learning Experience: Emphasize that starting a business is a learning experience, and it’s okay to make mistakes along the way. Encourage them to adopt a growth mindset, view challenges as opportunities for growth, and learn from both successes and failures.

8. Set Realistic Expectations: Help them set realistic expectations about the challenges and uncertainties of entrepreneurship. While it’s essential to stay optimistic and ambitious, it’s also crucial to be prepared for setbacks and obstacles along the way.

9. Celebrate Progress: Celebrate even small victories and milestones along the entrepreneurial journey. Recognizing and celebrating progress can boost confidence, motivation, and morale.

10. Encourage Action: Ultimately, the best way to overcome fear is to take action. Encourage them to take small, incremental steps towards their goal of starting a business, even if it means stepping out of their comfort zone. Remind them that every step forward, no matter how small, brings them closer to their dreams.

By combining empathy, encouragement, practical guidance, and a focus on personal growth, you can help motivate someone who is afraid of starting a business to take the first steps towards entrepreneurship. The journey will not be as intimidating for them because they’ll know that a with supportive people around them, they can start building a better future for their family
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If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts on the column, feel free to send an email to jca.bblueprint@gmail.com. Looking forward to connecting with you!

While it is morbid and even sad to say that Agriculture may be dying, it is a fact that there is a crisis.

Slow- death refers to the physical wearing out of a population and the deterioration of people in that population. In most people who are dying, the body’s normal systems start to operate more slowly, including the heart beating more slowly and blood moving around the body more slowly. That is the internet induced of slow death a phenomenon, not just a description.

Attending the Population Development Directors Forum last month, I was stunned with the question more of an observation forwarded by Engr. Juancho Tesado, what happens to the Rice and Coco industries, when the one that plants and harvest the two main crops are ageing? Why do young people shy away from farming?

When these happens who would till the land? Will the young be forever consumers not producers? Would we be dependent to imports? Would our land fertile and ready be reduced to be grasslands without grazing animals?

What other realities comes as the diseases of the Agri Industry that we can say, its on the brink of death? Is it on a slow dreadful slow death? Let me count the ways on why it is indeed, problematic.

1. Rice Tariffication: The Rice Tariffication Law, enacted in 2019, replaced import restrictions with tariffs, allowing private entities to import rice freely. While this was intended to stabilize rice prices and benefit consumers, many local farmers have struggled to compete with cheaper imported rice, leading to financial difficulties. Prices of vegetables and fruits from abroad are cheaper.

2. Land Conversion: The conversion of agricultural lands into residential, industrial, and commercial developments has reduced the land available for farming. Policies have been adjusted to speed up land conversion processes, which has raised concerns about food security and the long-term sustainability of agriculture.

3. Declining Interest in Agriculture: Many younger Filipinos are moving away from farming due to economic instability, lack of government support, and the perception that agriculture is not a profitable or sustainable career. This has led to a shrinking workforce in the sector.
While it is morbid and even sad to say that Agriculture may be dying, it is a fact that there is a crisis. The Department of Agriculture even declared that months ago. We need to enact policy shifts and craft laws for the benefit of the agriculture sector. Unless we do, we will not be having food in our tables, soon, and for the foodie in all of us, it is a disaster!

The ongoing high-class entertainment is not funny to well-meaning people who share the common sentiment at how the senate had been downgraded. The senators who refuse to understand the legal issues despite expert explanations by resource persons insist on their own confused misunderstanding. The lack of understanding is not merely out of resistance to learn or refusal to understand but more on the lack of knowledge to really understand the intricacies of the law, rules and procedures. It really is not an easy subject to learn the fundamentals of statutory construction as it is to act on stage or take several shoots for the silver screen. Truly, no aspect of human activity is easy to learn as the jokers in the senate argue. But the senate is not a place to display acting prowess as the seats are for the women and men who are learned in legislation and governance.

It is not a place to learn the rudiments of governance and legislation by humbugging stance reading notes fed by expert staff. The oral reading of one who presumes to know the substance of legislative propositions is insulting to the intelligence of well-meaning people who understand the context of legislative deliberations. People had surely been witnessing how one actor senator Robinhood Ferdinand “Robin” Cariño Padilla would take the senate floor with his proposed legislation to purportedly strengthen the powers and functions of the audit commission. He took time doing oral reading of notes prepared assumably by legal staff of his office. When subjected to interpellation by the minority floor leader in bar topnotcher Aquilino Martin “Koko” de la Llana Pimentel III, the actor was seen on live stream media grinning as if taking everything in jest.

The appalling part was when he tried to cite by reading provisions of the Philippine constitution as if lecturing to the interpellator Atty. Koko who quizzed the proponent on the legal basis of the proposed legislation. The actor mentioned his having a battery of experts from the audit commission who were backing him to answer the queries. Taking time to gather ideas to answer the queries, he appears taking a light moment dealing with serious questions from the minority floor leader. It was disgusting to watch such kind of demeanor from a member of the senate who had the temerity to display his lack of knowledge, experience and behavior worthy of a member of the senate.

It is indeed unfortunate that the senate of our generation is composed of women and men lacking in apt preparation for the task of legislation and good governance. Gone are the days when honorable women and men who had prepared educationally and earned experience for the exacting job of legislation. Senators of old were topnotch lawyers, economists, political scientists and graduates of other disciplines.

There are artists who are well-known and famous as they are watched by patrons on stage, television and the silver screen but are mindful of the tasks in governance that they would not dare run for elective office. In our generation, popularity and money had been the main consideration in running for elective public office. It is high time for voters to be mature in making their choices of candidates for elective public office. Certainly, voters may be the root cause to be blamed if we have in our senate or any elective government position nothing but a mere king koy.

comments to alellema@yahoo.com

THAT toughness comes from the supernatural grace of God. It is not just a human love, based only on natural forces, principles and motives which, given our wounded condition, are always hounded by our infranatural tendencies toward envy, anger, hatred, jealousy and the like.

Christian love does not suppress what is human and natural in us. It simply elevates and purifies it. And as such it can manage to have a universal scope that can include even loving our enemies.

It is this love that, as St. Paul said, would enable us to be all things to all men (cfr. 1 Cor 9,22), allowing us to adapt ourselves to all kinds of people, situations and conditions.

Indeed, St. Paul made this beautiful hymn of Christian love when he said: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor 13,4-7)

Christ, of course, is the very embodiment of this kind of love, and all the saints and the holy men and women through the ages have tried to live by this standard. We too are asked to have this kind of love, since Christ clearly told us to love one another as he himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 13,34)

We need to be strong and tough, first of all, because our life will always involve, if not, require nothing less than continuing effort and struggle. Christ himself said it clearly: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force.” (Mt 11,12)

This is because there are goals and challenges to reach. And they are not merely natural, social or human goals. They are spiritual and supernatural that obviously need both grace and nothing less than our all-out effort.

Besides, given our wounded human condition, there obviously are problems and difficulties to face, temptations and consequences of our sins, mistakes and failures. There will always be issues that we need to resolve.

This is not to mention that each one of us has his own personal weaknesses to tackle. Everyone is prone to laziness and complacency, to narrow-mindedness and shortsightedness, if not blindness to spiritual and supernatural realities, all of which can lead to complications in our life.

We have to deal with the concupiscence of the eyes and the flesh, the pride of life, our tendency to be vain and self-centered, and to be dominated by the urges of lust and sensuality, greed and avarice, gluttony, and the many other disordinate passions we have.
We have to know the peculiarities of our emotional and psychological make-up, so we can be prepared to deal with the ups and downs of our life, twists and turns of life’s drama that can lead us to wild mood swings and to more serious conditions like falling into bipolar and similar mental and emotional illnesses.

This is not to mention that we have to learn how to cope with the consequences of the other extreme of committing mistakes and sins, suffering defeat, being a failure that can plunge us to depression, self-pity and despair. Or the sweet poison of success that can spoil us.

Let’s never forget that we also have to deal with spiritual and supernatural enemies of our soul. We are actually ranged against powerful spiritual enemies. We really need the toughness of Christian love to live our life properly.