allison and i visited singapore last november, where i was determined to be more than your usual tourist. coming into the lion city, world renowned for intelligent infrastructure and a myriad of leisurely distractions, i somehow had it in my head to prove that we filipinos still have it best where we are - intangibly speaking. nine-hour traffic jams? the gates of hell, you say? i say we have color, culture, and character - in spades. call it a stubborn patriotic streak; a hopeful compassion born from my college days studying one of the world's most corrupt governments. i was prepared to champion our resilient, streetwise spunk against what i was sure would be singapore's bland modernity, its urbane glamour, painstakingly built and branded to compensate for its lack of natural beauty, at every turn.
i failed. oh i was floored, spectacularly so.
singapore had me at first sight of its trees, lush and vibrant as they lived and breathed in their own carefully manicured spaces. what it lacks in resources it more than makes up for in love of earth, brilliant foresight, and its progressive ideas of environment and community.
in one of our random trips to a local gallery, i saw how the city's future infrastructure plans were showcased through detailed storyboards, infographics, and interactive screens for citizen feedback. it had rationale, a plan of action, a timeline, even scheduled assemblies for government and public discussion. i was amazed, if not downright envious, to find that such transparency and collaboration was indeed possible outside of rhetoric - could actually work.
a big part of singapore's success is due to the deceptively simple ways it communicates its message to its people. everywhere you look you see signs of a city speaking as though alive: color-coded lines pointing directions, pleasant overhead speaker voice giving instructions, posters bewaring would-be transgressors. the river safari and the singapore zoo were great places to experience not only for the biodiversity they had on display (most of which were hardly indigenous to this small island nation), but because of the plethora of information they offered about things you didn't think you needed to know but would be pleasantly surprised to learn - the kinds of bamboo pandas eat, what goes on in live feeding stations, the cooking preparations - all rendered in professional copy and an abundance of style.
yes, the devil is in the details, and in singapore i can see how such conscientiousness has paid off in hefty economic dividends. universal studios had a lot of exciting rides made memorable because of how they were presented long before you even get to ride - through queue areas that built up anticipation with interesting backstories to get you in the mood.
what is singapore's message, then? it's basically ingraining a culture of excellence, one that insists on going the extra mile, eschewing afterthoughts and choosing to leave little to chance.
now i come to the people aspect, the card without which all destinations would be soulless locations. contrary to what i was expecting from a bustling cosmopolitan, singaporeans are rather nice. they may come off as no-nonsense and less polite than what you'd expect from filipinos who would bend over backwards rather than say an outright no. but many times during our trip, singaporeans helped and showed us kindness without us asking - and how could i not be won over by that?
the singaporean population is made up of three distinct ethnicities: chinese, indians, and malays. we'd been to each of their districts and seen less than appealing streets and business customs. but there's a feeling of safety and security there that could only be called alien and naive here in manila.
somehow, three races have found a way to live together, despite differences, in safe and mutually beneficial harmony. and the singapore secret lies as much in its rich and diverse population as it does in its iron implementation of rules that apply to all. it attracts global business precisely because it means business both with its people and investors.
do i sound like a pining lover now, smitten and swept off her feet by a foreign suitor? but it is for my country that i pine for, sad for what it can be if only filipinos had more of what singapore seems to have aplenty: vision, discipline, will. it should behoove us to have so much and not know what to do with it, to treat it so carelessly that we only prove ourselves unworthy.
i failed. oh i was floored, spectacularly so.
singapore had me at first sight of its trees, lush and vibrant as they lived and breathed in their own carefully manicured spaces. what it lacks in resources it more than makes up for in love of earth, brilliant foresight, and its progressive ideas of environment and community.
in one of our random trips to a local gallery, i saw how the city's future infrastructure plans were showcased through detailed storyboards, infographics, and interactive screens for citizen feedback. it had rationale, a plan of action, a timeline, even scheduled assemblies for government and public discussion. i was amazed, if not downright envious, to find that such transparency and collaboration was indeed possible outside of rhetoric - could actually work.
a big part of singapore's success is due to the deceptively simple ways it communicates its message to its people. everywhere you look you see signs of a city speaking as though alive: color-coded lines pointing directions, pleasant overhead speaker voice giving instructions, posters bewaring would-be transgressors. the river safari and the singapore zoo were great places to experience not only for the biodiversity they had on display (most of which were hardly indigenous to this small island nation), but because of the plethora of information they offered about things you didn't think you needed to know but would be pleasantly surprised to learn - the kinds of bamboo pandas eat, what goes on in live feeding stations, the cooking preparations - all rendered in professional copy and an abundance of style.
yes, the devil is in the details, and in singapore i can see how such conscientiousness has paid off in hefty economic dividends. universal studios had a lot of exciting rides made memorable because of how they were presented long before you even get to ride - through queue areas that built up anticipation with interesting backstories to get you in the mood.
what is singapore's message, then? it's basically ingraining a culture of excellence, one that insists on going the extra mile, eschewing afterthoughts and choosing to leave little to chance.
now i come to the people aspect, the card without which all destinations would be soulless locations. contrary to what i was expecting from a bustling cosmopolitan, singaporeans are rather nice. they may come off as no-nonsense and less polite than what you'd expect from filipinos who would bend over backwards rather than say an outright no. but many times during our trip, singaporeans helped and showed us kindness without us asking - and how could i not be won over by that?
the singaporean population is made up of three distinct ethnicities: chinese, indians, and malays. we'd been to each of their districts and seen less than appealing streets and business customs. but there's a feeling of safety and security there that could only be called alien and naive here in manila.
somehow, three races have found a way to live together, despite differences, in safe and mutually beneficial harmony. and the singapore secret lies as much in its rich and diverse population as it does in its iron implementation of rules that apply to all. it attracts global business precisely because it means business both with its people and investors.
do i sound like a pining lover now, smitten and swept off her feet by a foreign suitor? but it is for my country that i pine for, sad for what it can be if only filipinos had more of what singapore seems to have aplenty: vision, discipline, will. it should behoove us to have so much and not know what to do with it, to treat it so carelessly that we only prove ourselves unworthy.
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