AS a graduate student at Harvard, one of the closest friends I had was the family of my Singaporean classmate, Chung Han Lai, a Singaporean Navy officer. We were both Edward S. Mason Fellows and classmates on a number of courses. Our families were neighbors in Peabody Terrace, a Harvard housing facility, where our children became playmates and close friends too.
I had fond memories of every classmate I have had. For Chung Han, my most memorable recollection of him was not his indisputably beautiful mind and warm smile. I remembered him best for his sense of patriotism and identity as a Singaporean. In one of our classes, our professor identified him as Chinese — in reference to his ethnicity and name. To the professor’s surprise, Chun Han did not let it pass and immediately corrected the professor for everyone in the big class to hear — “I am not Chinese. I am Singaporean.” His words were clear. His tone was firm with a smile. As I was seated next to him, he made an impression of a man who has never doubted who he was and where his loyalty lies. My impression was driven by my own experience in the Philippines where Filipinos of Chinese ethnicity could never be expected to react that way. I had yet to see a Filipino of Chinese ethnicity to publicly overlook his ethnicity and simply call himself — Filipino. Worse, it was not confined to ethnicity but also to regional identity. Hence, Filipinos would mostly identify based on region (Cebuano, Ilocano, Tagalog, Kapampangan, etc.) but not as one Filipino nation. While it might be attributed to Chung Han’s military background, the clear identification as a Singaporean, in my mind, reflected the success of Lee Kuan Yew’s policies in social integration of an island-nation of immigrants from all over the world.
Upon graduation, Chung Han and I went back to serve our respective countries. It was no surprise to me that Chung Han inevitably rose to become the chief of the Singaporean Navy with the rank of rear admiral and now the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance who is the highest Singaporean civil servant in the ministry. By the time he became rear admiral serving directly under PM Lee Hsien Loong, I was serving as BCDA president and CEO directly under the late president Noynoy Aquino.
In a little bit more than half a decade, how did Singapore build the national identity of their nation to foster such fierce yet loyalty beyond suspicion and fidelity beyond reproach, not to their ethnicity but, to their flag?
As a city builder, I researched this topic deeper over the number of years since I graduated. What featured more into my research, inquiry and interaction with Singaporean public officials was public housing.
In his writings and publications, the late Lee Kuan Yew put public housing as one of his top priorities upon the birth of Singapore. By treating public housing as a strategic nation-building instrument — not a mere welfare program, he used it as a tool to foster public order through ethnic integration and social cohesion (multiracial communities); set the political commitment, long-term planning and centralized implementation (Housing Development Board was created); built town ecosystems not just housing blocks with schools, transport connectivity, parks and other institutions to ensure quality of life. As a result, public housing became the strongest source of government credibility. At present, 80 percent of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. Singapore has one of the highest homeownership rates at 90 percent. In sum, public housing invests upon every Singaporean the dignity and pride of living in their country, no matter how small it is.
The recent SWS national survey results on the satisfaction with the Marcos administration indicate the administration’s public housing as one of the best performing government programs. Under the able leadership of Secretary Ping Aliling, the housing projects accelerated at its top speed to thousands of housing units completed and delivered. Secretary Aliling is one of the best recruits of the Marcos administration in his Cabinet. Prior to joining government, he was one of the best construction managers in the country. His integrity and openness to novel approaches such as adoption of public rental housing and his respected leadership in the construction industry brought all stakeholders together to deliver the much needed housing units that our people need. He walks the talk.
The administration is on the right track in pursuing public housing as a top priority and appointing a respected leader to steer the program. From what used to be a lip service welfare program, Philippine public housing is pivoting to a strategic one with long-term vision but shorter delivery. By building inclusive communities across the country, Secretary Aliling brings with him the realization of the much desired bonding of our diverse cultures into one nation where neighbors care and stand up for each other.
The day will come that each one of us can say with unshakeable conviction that despite our ethnic diversity, we all belong to just one true nation — the Filipino nation.