Ormocanons’ Lack Of Insight: The Lost Business Prerogative

Here comes one information known to all Ormocanons: the undeniable fact that the old Executive and Legislative (Sanggunian) twin buildings in the heart of the city were left abandoned for years. It, being a government asset reminds us of another simple fact coupled with the information that the government’s step to monetize this asset is simply plausible. It is in this economic concept that we weigh the chances of success and prepare for the possible losses that comes with the fluctuating economic possibilities.

At the time where the twin buildings were left abandoned, for the sake of argument, both were up for bidding for ‘three’ times to allow potential investors –local or otherwise– to open up a business by leasing the old Sanggunian buildings. Reminding us that a new revolutionary economic civilization was emerging and the political atmosphere of Ormoc was careening towards a new level of polarization to gain favors for self-interests, only to be made worse by Ormocanons’ political delusions. What could go wrong?

The thought however may seem otherwise foreign to someone who has unnecessarily locked herself into the narrative that only people who have foreign names would be able to establish a successful business in the city. She made it seem obvious in Ormoc that there’s always that malignant fear that prevents people from investing in something they don’t automatically see working. But what really drives a business to succeed? In a culturally stagnant society surrounded by local media persons who shames the city for utter incompetence and hypocrisy, one would assume that the common denominator of the local media and Ormoc City’s ‘business enthusiasts’ boils down to one thinking they have latched themselves onto: crab mentality.

What has driven the owners of Sutuwaki and Lorenzo’s Cafe to grapple the risks of leasing the old Sanggunian buildings and start their businesses? Insight.

Jealousy of Success

To prove Ormocanons that in the world of business one has to have the intuition and insight, which are the distinctive features of successful business enthusiasts, take a look at the success of (this does not endorse these two establishments) Lorenzo’s Cafe and Sutuwaki. One wouldn’t believe that both business establishments right now were once the abandoned old Executive and Legislative buildings.

See, the success of these businesses is unprecedented and the local media is jealous. These businesses are something people may have had anticipated in consideration with the risks that comes with investing on the old abandoned buildings even though these people lacks the thought of a systematic framework for understanding the clash of forces saturating the economic atmosphere of the city. On the other hand, the success of these businesses is most likely attributed towards the function of self-interest, wielded to assuage the feelings of personal culpability for economic perspectives and reinforce a business owners’ status for self-entitlement.

Lack of Business Insight

What has driven the owners of Sutuwaki and Lorenzo’s Cafe to grapple the risks of leasing the old Sanggunian buildings and start their businesses? Insight. The proof is obvious enough to prove the argument that most Ormocanon ‘businessmen’ lacks the insight to even think about immersing themselves to the seemingly foreign concept of ‘risk-taking‘, again, left the local media harping at the success of these businesses. The city has cultured itself in warring specialisms and has successfully drowned with fragmented political ideologies stuck in the very core of fine reasoning.

This ‘lack of business insight’ in leasing the old Sanggunian buildings is just a microcosm of the premise anchored on how much work the city has to do to encourage locals to invest. Moreover, this also adds up to the fact that the city is still latching itself to its inherently Filipino crab mentality. Ormocanons had, assuming that the inclusive dates written by Jimenea on her post were right, three years to snag the leasing deal of the old Sanggunian buildings, but what did they do? The fascination of how these propagating Chinese investors reaps the success of their businesses in Ormoc City right now could not abate the frustrating reality how their Ormocanon ‘competitors‘ are left with nothing but the remnants of a vision they have been dreaming of.

On the bases of simple observations, what could be inferred while looking at the two business establishments above are its (1) success in being good businesses and its (2) impact to other business owners. For one, as I’ve reiterated above, the establishments are both situated at the heart of the city –all thanks to the abandoned old Sanggunian building– which could automatically be associated with more costumers. Now thissuccess doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a happy business for its competitors which drives us to item (2), the impact. Since the notion of risk-taking seems to be a foreign concept for Ormocanons, then the success of the above businesses will serve as an obvious reminder for them to start contemplating on their next business plans if they want to have the same success of the above businesses. It’s simple, really.

See, we don’t even have to have to acquaint ourselves with a deeper sense of logic here, just plain common sense is enough to make one take a step back and gather in contemplation to reconsider their options if they’re still busy building the foundations of their own success. We simply cannot cram the embryonic world of tomorrow into yesterday’s conventional economic cubbyholes because it just doesn’t work, at all.

Local Media

Why am I not surprised to see Lalaine Jimenea’s post on her social media account last month again with her seemingly nonexistent gray matter? Power –salable and self-indulgent– has dominated her so much it affects her sense of reasoning which led to her posting her ‘thoughts’ into three seemingly scathing parts:

Exhibit A:

*”All improvements/renovations have been done by the lessees even without the consent of the City, in violation to the conditions of the lease contract. They have a paper trail asking for permission, but none that would show it was approved by the CMO. This happened in the years 2012 up to 2015.”

Assuming she understood the contract, isn’t there something that seems obvious with her statement? How is it possible that one could (a) violate the leasing contract when it talks about millions of money and (b) the nature of the type of transactions the leasing contract underwent? This is just to question how familiar Jimenea is with the regulatory and statutory agreements common to businesses, after all, she owns EV Mail.

Exhibit B on her ‘Thoughts on committee meeting on the Twin buildings’

*My thoughts: They don’t even let non-costumers park, what more of that?

Jimenea’s ‘thoughts’ are really flawed one has to doubt if they came from a sound mind. Remember, since the lessees have agreed to the terms stipulated in the contract that would also entail that the lessees have understood the necessary undertakings and requirements as a de facto evidence proving the lessees have understood the contract. Of course, in the world of business, you couldn’t really act complacent and blissfully ignorant when you deal with millions of money, could you?

Exhibit C of her ‘Thoughts on committee meeting on the Twin buildings’

*My thoughts: Dokie and Lito were shooed away even without finishing their coffees, what more of that?

Why does Jimenea’s post matter so much? Simple, she epitomizes the traditional subjective ‘journalist’ who banks into the one-sided rationality and forsaking the adherence of facts as bases of her ‘thoughts‘. She really doesn’t see reason enough to let her unprejudiced judgement take over and write something of more sense.

Her exhibit C is, obviously, a product of the emotional desire to assuage the burden felt by ‘Dokie and Lito’, not that I care who these people are, has largely overstepped her virtue as a writer.

It’s really bad to know that Jimenea’s use of her power as a writer and ownership of EV Mail is condescending, obviously caused by her own actions. She could have been more influential if she makes it a habit to detach herself with her perversion with the Gomezes and should start writing objective articles from both political spectra. See, Brave Ormocanon may not be mainstream but we sure as hell made it our goal to deliver unprejudiced articles for our international readers. 

Comparison

The success of Lorenzo’s Cafe and Sutuwaki is something one would have had anticipated. Imagine it being abandoned for, according to the ‘thoughts’ of Jimenea as I’ve stated above, three years –which should have been enough of a time to let insightful people think about investing in the buildings leased by the owners of the two establishments right now.

How convenient really it is for Ormocanons to harp about the success of the lessees of Lorenzo’s Cafe and Sutuwaki now that the “improvements/renovations” have been done. It’s really their fault for lacking the insight and intuition for not considering investing in the old Sanggunian building when they had the chance to snag it during one of the biddings. They only have themselves to blame for their own failure and their demise right now that they have wasted that chance. Even Lalaine Jimenea couldn’t deny the fact that it took efforts for the lessees of the buildings to renovate the buildings according to its purpose.

Lastly, as we see the emerging economic demands of this ever evolving city that promises an escape to an American style capitalism, Ormocanons are ought to accustom themselves in ideas that are capable of specifying multiple goals, weighting them, correlating them, and finding synergic policies that fosters sharp-edged accomplishments at a single strike. For as long as people let themselves succumb to the lack of insight despite how simple it sounds, they will always harp at the success of those who made it to the top, and it isn’t going to be a first time in Ormoc.

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