Diokno urges SG biz to explore MIF

Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Benjamin Diokno has urged Singaporean businesses to explore opportunities in the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

At the Philippine Economic Briefing in Singapore on Thursday, Diokno cited the MIF’s role in the country’s economic development over the next years.

He said the MIF is another source of funding for the Marcos administration’s 194 infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) that will require a total of USD165 billion in investments.

“The 194 infrastructure proj- ects, I think we want the Maharlika Fund to finance some of them, not all of them. So, we have identified another source of funding for these very important infrastructure projects that will make a difference in the landscape of the Philippine economy,” the DOF chief said.

He said as the country will graduate into an upper middle-income economy within the next two years, it will no longer be entitled to the same official development assistance (ODA) to fund the IFPs.

“So, that is another source of funding,” Diokno added.

He also proposed to create sub-funds such as infrastructure and green funds under the MIF.

“The Maharlika Investment Fund is designed to advance the Philippines’ long-term development goals through the effective intergenerational management of our government financial assets. This will be an important addition to our existing funding mechanisms, with the aim of promoting socio-economic development through investments in strategic, high-return, high-impact sectors, including infrastructure,” he said.

Every third week of June, the world celebrates Father’s Day. It’s a counterpart of Mother’s Day, which is celebrated every second week of May.

So, let’s talk about fathers –good, bad and in-between.

In my Facebook account, I asked some of my friends regarding what they remember most about their fathers. JB, an elementary school teacher from Davao del Norte, said his father died when he was still in Grade 3.

“That was in 1986,” he said. “As far as I could remember, he always pinned my ribbon as an honor pupil. After that, my mother took his place and played both a mother and a father to eight of us.”

Remedios was a former neighbor in my hometown; she now lives in Sta. Cruz. I used to see his father when he passed by our house when he was still alive.

“Dad was a loving person and generous,” she admitted. “I can still vividly remember the day when he bought my favorite bag: daddy holding my hand and walking along the still graveled national highway on our way to La Suerte Store. It was the happiest day of my life, walking with dad.”

HENRYLITO D. TACIO THINK ON THESE!

Janoz, on the other hand, was still in high school, when I met him. His father, a farmer, was named as one of The Outstanding Young Man in the 1980s.

“The most memorable experiences I had with my father were:

1) the daily farming (doing upland farming, feeding goats, harvesting fish, etc.); 2) I had to get out of our room because he used it as recording room for the radio program for farmers; 3) when we walked together for hours to reach an extension church; and

4) when he left me do the groceries at a mall while he was attending his doctoral degree.”

Being a father is a tough job.

“A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in Ethics. “In so doing, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self. Every attempt to live as if he were alone is a denial of the fact that he is actually responsible. He cannot escape the responsibility, which is his because he is a father.”

Dan Pearce, author of Single Dad Laughing, shared some thoughts about his father: “I’ve

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

watched my dad move our family from extreme poverty to extreme wealth and then everywhere in between. Never once did I see or hear him be anything but a cheerleader for the accomplishments of others. It didn’t matter if he was down or up in life, he wanted everybody around him to succeed.

“To be a successful father,” advised American author Ernest Hemingway, “there’s one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don’t look at it for the first two years.”

But Sigmund Freud contradicted that idea. “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection,” he once said. William Shakespeare, the father of English literature, agreed: “It is a wise father that knows his own child.”

Joe Kennedy knew this. For all his shortcomings, his loyalty to his children was absolute. “My business is my family and my family is my business,” he said. At one time, he told Steve Smith, “You know, when I was just trying out for the freshman team for some of those swimming meets, my dad was always there. He was always there. He did the same for

JHON STEVEN C. ESPENIDO BATANG MINDANAW

College life is undeniably one of the most demanding parts of a student’s journey; some even think it is innately stressful because of heightened responsibilities, increased pressure, and the likelihood of failing time management. Even so, all these do not always wrap up one’s grit, ardor, and determination to succeed in life.

This sums up the story of Bryan C. Eguna, a former Supreme Student Government president, a cum laude from Surigao del Norte State University – City Campus, and the 3rd Most Outstanding Student Leader in Caraga Region (Caraga Federation of Tertiary Student Leaders, 2023).

Believing in his dreams

After moonlighting as a student leader, Eguna was on Cloud 9 when he received his medal as cum laude for an elementary education degree on Wednesday, June 7.

The Latin honor was something he had dreamed of reaching ever since he began studying. “I always dreamed of graduating all the kids.”

Spending time with your kids as they grow is one of the best things a father can give to them. When Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a Canadian developmental psychologist, became worried about his 13-year-old slavish imitation of her peers’ language and bearing, he booked a week-long vacation with her at a rented cottage.

Predictably, his daughter balked at the plan, “but we gradually rediscovered the closeness we’d had when she was younger,” Neufeld recalls. “When the week was over, we both agreed that it had been a great idea.”

Ah, to be a father. “That is the thankless position of the father in the family – the provider for all, and the enemy of all,” deplored J. August Strindberg.

Humorist Erma Bombeck, the author of several books including the best-selling, You Know It’s Time to Go Home When You Looked Like Your Passport Picture, once told a story of a little lost girl who doesn’t know whether she would miss her departing father:

“One morning, my father didn’t get up and go to work. He went to the hospital and died the next day. I hadn’t thought that much about him before. He was just someone who left and came home and seemed glad to see everyone at night. He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could. He was the only one in the house who wasn’t afraid to go into the basement by himself.

“He cut himself shaving, but no one kissed it or got excited about it. It was understood when it rained, he got the car and brought it around the door. When anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription filled. He took lots of pictures but he was never in them.

“Whenever I played house, the mother doll had a lot to do. I never knew what to do with the daddy doll, so I had him say, ‘I’m going off to work now,’ and threw him under the bed.

“The funeral was in our living room and a lot of people came and brought all kinds of good food and cakes. We had never had so much company before. I went to my room and felt under the bed for the daddy doll. When I found him, I dusted him off and put him on my bed. He never did anything. I didn’t know his leaving would hurt so much.”

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers!

College Achiever Inspired By Nadine Lustre

[college] with a Latin honor,” Eguna said.

Behind his success in his studies, Eguna knew that something had fueled him along the way. “I come from a family that’s not that financially stable, and so I always did great in my academics and likewise in leadership to prove to anyone else that I am more than me,” he shared.

Bound to fulfill his dream, Eguna gradually perceived the truth that the road taken was not easy as he played the roles of student and leader, not to mention his shared responsibility at home.

“Over time, I understood that there were many holes to fill as a student, as SSG president, and of course as a son,” he said.

But challenges do not always win over the yearning to make a difference. Armed with faith in God, Eguna chose to continue, saying he had to because God is with him and “a lot of people motivated” him—family, friends, fellow student leaders, just to mention a few support system.

Moreover, Eguna stressed that “time management” was one key that enabled him to balance everything. “I had this strategy where I listed the things I do every day, both academically and in leadership. In that way, I was flexible and productive, as I could manage both,” he narrated.

Advocacies

While busy juggling roles at school, Eguna also has a heart for the community and a spirit of volunteerism.

As an eco-warrior he volunteered for several clean-up drives and tree-planting activities in the city. He believes that these simple steps can have a huge impact on the place we live— the present and future generations will profit from these actions.

Not only that, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Eguna advocates promoting inclusivity across the social spectrum, believing that everyone, regardless of gender, should be given equal rights in the workplace, school, and the like. “I realized that I should be cognizant and be an advocate with regard to this based on my experience,” he said.

As a consistent honor student, he also had a fair share of boos. “All throughout my life, I’ve experienced being discriminated against and judged, which led me to question how I look physically. But I realized that in order to be someone who is empowered and unstoppable, I must accept who I am and not be affected by what people say about me. I’ve always taught myself that the only validation I ever need is one from myself,” he remarked.

Love for Nadine Lustre

Aside from his family, Eguna shared that there’s a celebrity whom he really loves as well as idolizes, and that is Nadine Lustre. “I have been a fan of her since 2014. What I admire about her the most is her realness and bravery,” he confessed.

More importantly, Lustre’s constant humanitarian acts strengthened his admiration.

“She’s doing charity work— helping our community—and that’s what made me truly love her,” he continued.

He added he is thankful to Nadine for serving as “inspiration” throughout his academic career, particularly with regard to developing greater self-assurance while making a difference in the community by engaging in charitable endeavors at the same time.

Future plans

Eguna plans to take the Licensure Exam for Teachers next year. For now, he will venture out into accepting tutorials for elementary levels to earn money to finance his review.

College life may be tiring for many. But to Eguna, it is more than just how it feels to be in college—it was a supplemental, important point in his life that made him even the best version of himself and beyond. ”And though I will not be studying [in college] anymore, I will still continue what has been started, which is to serve the community.”

He is eager to join other organizations to expand his horizons while enriching his capabilities as an individual and more so as a leader.