Is Ping the Man?

During one of my frequent business trips to Asia, I've met Ping in one of the dinners I attended at Makati Shangrila.  I was seated next him for more than an hour and I didn't know him well at that time.  We discussed a myriad of different topics from political economy, banking, governance, education, corruption, law enforcement, science and technology, filipino food, etc. and often times driving the topic of discussion at the table.  Sometimes, depending on the subject, the discussion became a healthy exchange of opinion and ideas on how to lead the country forward.  On most topics Ping seems to have a cerebral view on how to approach a problem and render a possible solution by knowing the history, the current process and plotting a possible solution.  He was a good listener - even if interrupted while driving a point.  At that meeting he made mention the astounding amount of revenue that we don't collect through the BIR and Customs and that made me realize that if we can devise and organize an incorruptible cadre of professionals to run these agencies, the Philippines could be a good business enterprise indeed.  He has a clear vision of governance and where corruption gets into play.  When the subject turned into banking and the political economy, Ping seems to have grasped the concept of the central bank's function, the differentiation of fiscal and monetary policy, and some knowledge of derivative concepts.  I'm not sure if he is a globalist or a nationalist, but he was sensitive to the idea that Philippine industries were untimely and/or unfairly degraded with weaker investments since the advent of globalization and subscribe to the notion that even though prices are more competitive abroad, the Philippine government must continue to drive the implementation of industries inimical to our growth as a nation.  He had clear opinions about our anti trust laws and government agencies that inadvertently promote cartel practices from agriculture to industrial and consumer products.  He made mention that these agencies had become an unwitting mechanism for unfair wealth distribution.  From what I gathered and experienced, he is very technologically informed and keeps up to date with the latest technology and gadgets.  He is fond of Filipino dishes and taught me to eat puto-maya with mango.  Needless to say, after the dinner I was impressed with his leadership credentials and intellectual capacity.  I was even more impressed when we walked out of the lobby and there were some people outside who recognized him and wanted to have pictures taken with him, but he seemed not wanting the attention.  It strikes me as odd since most traditional politician will savor the opportunity of photo ops.  I later realized that Ping is not your traditional politician but more of a technocrat who knows and has the character to get things done!  

N.B. Before one can govern, one needs to get elected!