Business Mentor Notes: Huffington Post blogger Shirley Maya Tan is a Malaysian single mother who resides mostly in the Philippines. Through her personal blog, The Art of Fearless Living, she writes about societal challenges, identity and much more. Currently, she is a social impact investor at the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm and is co-partner of five social enterprises. She lives on the farm with her daughter and 10 adopted Spartan sons.
I have always believed that the greatest treasure of the Philippines is her people. However, the most undiscovered gem out there is the “Lost Filipino” – the untapped human capital of “the last, the least and the lost” – those who are barely surviving at the bottom of the pyramid. They are the abject poor who have been denied of social justice and basic decent amenities. Most people do not even see them as human but as scavengers or pests of society. Hence, “the last, the least and the lost” would not have a real chance to prove that they are not a liability to society; but have every potential to be an invaluable asset to humanity.
When we do not have enough money to feed ourselves, or our starving families; helplessness and hopelessness become our constant companions. When there is no sustainable eco-system that would help, guide and mentor the so-called “rejects of society”, homelessness and urban squatting become a desperate way of life.
Malaysia is similar to the Philippines in many ways. Our countries were both previously colonized by “white masters” – Malaysia by the British and Philippines by the Spaniards. We suffer from the same colonial mentality – whereby everything foreign is better than anything local. It is hard to value our land, people and heritage when we have been so whitewashed. In this respect, physical poverty is not the only thing both our countries are experiencing. It is also the poverty of the heart and spirit.
I was not brave enough to venture into the complex world of the destitute with an understanding heart until Tony Meloto paved the way for me through Gawad Kalinga. On 30th April 2009, I took my first flight out to the Philippines. We visited many slums as well as transformed communities throughout Philippines – from Bagong Silang in Manila to the Visayas. We even went to the conflict zones in Mindanao in July 2009. A month later in that same year, the Maguindanao massacre occurred on that very same road which we had travelled upon.
My world was a stark contrast to the realm of the last, least and lost. I could always return to my comfortable living spaces with heavenly amenities, whereas theirs was a daily living hell. It took me a while to realize that I could never go back to the person I was.
Today, I work and live at the Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan. The farm is a dynamic eco-system that combines humanitarian work with a sustainable business platform. It is the world’s first farm village university where the transformed community, students and social entrepreneurs become stakeholders of the entire value chain. It is an agricultural-based platform, because there is nothing more rewarding than working with the land to feed the people of the land. As we nurture nature, we nourish our individual nature. As we restore the potential of the land, we recover our own greatest potential.
Here, we do not just talk about the values we want to cultivate in ourselves, or dream about our own individual happiness. We develop the goodness in ourselves by helping others discover theirs. Our business model is anchored on the love of country, humanity and honour. It is about building a “walang iwanan” economy where everyone wins.
I hold various roles at the farm. It ranges from being a “Social Impact Investor” to being the “Business Partner” of several social enterprises, and above all, being the “Spartan Mother” to 10 adopted young men. We call them, the Spartans. These fearless Filipino Spartans are the result of the “Spartan Experiment” curated by Tony Meloto.
In the world of the last, least and lost Filipinos, it is mostly the men who are the cause of the problems. They have lost their dignity, manhood and even their ability to dream. They’ve become wife-abusers, cheaters and liars. At their worst; they are the criminals, murderers and rapists. This is why we would focus on working with the men first and foremost. If men are the cause of the problems, then they must be part of the solution. With the “Spartan Experiment”, we help the Lost Filipinos define their own worth through the Spartan Code of 5Hs – Honesty, Hard Work, Humility, Heroism, Honor.
Bayani challenge is a daily committed exercise of the 5Hs at the farm. We eat frustrations and fears for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For merienda, we recycle painful mistakes into valuable lessons. In the restoration of their dignity, authenticity and beauty; the Lost Filipinos unearth their own genius.
This is not a project to appease my conscience. This is a lifetime investment to transform generations of Lost Filipinos for a glorious Philippines. I may never reap the ROI (Return On Investment) today. The real ROI is reserved for the children of all the tomorrows. This investment of time and presence on the ground has never been about me. It is, and will always be about them, the Lost Filipinos. Tony Meloto has said numerous times, “The heroic Filipino has no term of office. His love for family, country and humanity has no expiry date.”
The truth is, I have been a beneficiary of the Filipino hospitality, warmth and generosity all my life. My Yayas and Domestic Helpers were all Filipinos. They had to leave their own families and children behind to work aboard. This was, and remains the only way for many Filipinos who want to provide better prospects for their children. Hence, there is no greater contribution for me to give back to the Philippines than to ensure that her children will never have to leave their country in order to have a brighter future.
Without Tony Meloto and Gawad Kalinga, I would not have been able to discover the crown jewel of the Philippines – her unpolished discarded gems.
YES, a more humane way of doing business is possible. A kinder way of relating to one another, and to the planet are all possible. Doing good is not only good business sense, it is ESSENTIAL – as greed, self-serving agendas and corruption will only plunder our planet further into irreversible damage. Not to mention, the negative social and economic consequences that every one of us has to endure in the process. We do not have to maximize profit, but optimize where everyone wins, including our motherland.
The brave new world needs a more socially accountable formula for success and that is,
SHARED VISION + SHARED VALUES + SHARED ACTIONS = SHARED PROFIT (OF BOTH FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL). This leads to our SHARED PROSPERITY where our collective humanity thrives.
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You may contact Armando “Butz” Bartolome for questions and more information.
By email: [email protected]
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