The D Spot

Who is Nicanor Perlas?

After reading up on him and watching the Probe candidate profile of the man I found that he gave up a potential career as a soccer player and in nuclear physics to take up agriculture. He was a key member of KOMPIL II, a civil society group which helped remove corrupt President Estrada from office.

No stranger to politics

Although Nicanor Perlas has held no direct leadership position in any political party or government agency, he is no stranger to the world of politics. Our own government and the international community relied upon his expertise.

As co-chair of the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) he co-wrote the Philippine Agenda 21 which is the official government blueprint for sustainable development and adopted by no less than the UN as a preferred approach to solving world problems. He worked as a consultant for international bodies and the local government as the country’s representative to the UN and the APEC.

Though not a public official, his work led to concrete policies today such as the laws which involved a multi-sectoral approach to solving poverty and introducing sustainable development, a buzz word during Ramos’ time. An active member of the civil society, he is a co-founder or key member in many civic organizations. Among his many successful civil society activities led to the mothballing of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, the banning of 32 pesticide formulations, and the regulation of genetic engineering products and processes. His role in uncovering the anomalies in the BNPP led him to go in hiding due to threats on his life.

Other achievements

As a writer and author of the international best-selling book, Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding and as a tireless resource person and keynote speaker in over 90 global conferences and 140 national conferences on a range of topics including culture and societal transformation, integral sustainable development, globalization, technology, corporate social responsibility, science and spirituality, second scientific revolution, multiple intelligence, safe energy, good governance, global warming, social threefolding, strategic microfinance, direct democracy and many other topics he shares his expertise in these subjects online and to grassroots communities, particularly Mindanao.

In recognition of his work, he received the Right Livelihood Award or Alternative Nobel Prize; Global 500 Award or Earth Warrior Award given by the UN Environmental Program; the Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) among others.

An alternative to traditional “winnability”

Perlas offers himself as an alternative to traditional “winnability” based on popularity, guns and goods. Walking in the corridors of politics but not of it, he is not politically indebted to traditional power players. He seeks to win strictly on the basis of his track record, proven integrity and most importantly, his advocacy. To his credit, of all candidates in the electoral market today, he probably has the most extensive approach to governance—no doubt gained from 40 years of grassroots experience, which cannot be said of many a candidate.

A change of mindset for the Pinoy

Stripped to its essentials, Perlas explains that everyone must have a change of mindsets, not just leaders, and that the multitude of problems we have today are very inter-related, thus calling for a multi-sectoral approach. Unfortunately, this platform is not getting much airplay, though easily accessible online through his website.

Pitted against popular candidates and those with political machinery, his campaign is of David vs. Goliath proportions. Voters should not be quick to dismiss Nicanor, but they are most likely to. Perlas himself acknowledges that the chances of unpopular candidates are slim but not impossible, citing the case of Trillanes and Obama, among others. Whether their success will be duplicated by Perlas is another story still in the making, hopefully, one with the happy ending where David wins.

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