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| Perlas Qualifications |
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QUALIFICATIONS OF NICANOR PERLAS OVERVIEW Nicanor Perlas offers us a REAL SUBSTANTIVE CHOICE in the coming presidential elections in 2010. Perlas embodies an unusual combination of expertise and skills, essential to addressing the stark challenges and incredible opportunities facing the Philippines. He has been called a “green warrior”, a “sage” “a true leader”, a “profound thinker”, a “man of action”, and a “practical visionary”. (For more, see “What Others Say of Nicanor Perlas”.) As a “practical visionary”, he has an unusual capacity to bridge the moral and the institutional, secular and the spiritual, the polarity of the Church and the State, the ideal and the physical (which are both real), the short with the long term, the rich and the poor, the urban and the rural, and all that divides us as a people. His method of bridging is not to fuse and confuse polar categories like the ones above but to find the inherent inner logic which connects them in a higher context. As detailed below, Perlas has a very successful track record and experience as a visionary agent of profound societal change in a number of areas. These include safe and renewable energy, restricting and banning the use of hazardous pesticides, sustainable agriculture and agrarian reform, poverty reduction and eradication, biotechnology regulation, national planning and implementation for integral sustainable development, contextualizing trade liberalization in Asia and the Pacific under integral sustainable development, good governance, and anti-corruption. In these efforts, Perlas successfully involved mass media and other resources that then played a pivotal role in educating the general public about the importance of these issues. The public support generated then enabled Perlas to emerge successful in the contest for the best policy outcomes, a process that is similar to an electoral contest. Contextualizing APEC in a Sustainable Development Framework: Exemplar of Strategic Reasoning and Profound Impact An inspiring illustration of how these knowledge, capacities, and skills come together to produce far reaching outcomes and impacts, can be seen in his successful attempt to alter the nature of trade liberalization in Asia and the Pacific to the direct benefit, among others, of three million rice farmers in the Philippines. In 1996, the US government planned to use the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as a vehicle to advance radical liberalization in Asia and the Pacific, unmindful of the severe ecological and societal impacts. The 18 member economies of APEC, at that time, directly contributed to 52% of the worlds GNP. APEC members then included the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Chile, Philippines and others. The US wanted to use APEC as an economic powerhouse to influence radical trade liberalization throughout the world thru the World Trade Organization. Through a strategic understanding of the substance, process, competing paradigms and interests in APEC, Nicanor Perlas convinced, then President Fidel V. Ramos to advance sustainable development as a more appropriate paradigm in APEC. The sustainable development framework, as embodied in Philippine Agenda 21 or PA21 (see below), would allow either liberalization or protection as long as these policies would lead to sustainable development, which was the higher consideration. Perlas also convinced the late Cardinal Jaime Sin to advocate the alignment of Philippine policy in APEC with PA21. Cardinal Sin wrote President Ramos as follows. “ . . . in a recent speech before women leaders of APEC, you emphasized that sustainable development, not profit, is the bottom line in APEC. Earlier you categorically warned Ministers of APEC that you do not want the environment to be sacrificed in the express train of economic growth. . . . . In addition, on 26 September 1996, you have formally inaugurated a new framework for development, the Philippine Agenda 21 or PA21, the country’s framework for sustainable development now and into the 21st century. The principles articulated in PA21 are close to the basic values of the Gospel and social teachings of the Church and herein lies the hope for some understanding and common direction.” Ramos was Chair of APEC in 1996. Ramos, with the indirect help of Perlas, who was then negotiating with several Cabinet members, convinced the 18 Heads of State of APEC, including then US President Bill Clinton, the President of China, the Prime Minister of Japan, to issue an APEC Leaders Declaration that introduced sustainable development as the third paradigm in APEC. Even more important, three million rice farmers were spared from the potentially disastrous consequences of radical liberalization. This happened amidst considerable resistance from the US Ambassador to APEC. Perlas was not only able to do this in APEC. He has similarly succeeded altering and/or creating new national policies that advanced more sustainable forms of developments. • He was key in keeping the Philippines nuclear power and weapons-free, stopping the government from implementing their plan to build 12 nuclear power plants and reprocess nuclear waste to manufacture nuclear bombs. • He spearheaded the national movement that led to the banning of 32 pesticide formulations that were poisoning millions of farmers. He triggered the creation of a national integrated pest management program that had a budget of P750 million and which served over 100,000 farmers. • He mobilized civil society to collectively craft, together with government, Philippine Agenda 21, which became the highest government framework for development under the Ramos administration. Ramos characterized PA21 as the most consultative policy document in Philippine history. The UN also cited PA21 as one of the more promising examples of innovative approaches to sustainable development. Together with government, he succeeded in institutionalizing the societal threefolding approach, inaugurated in the Philippines and picked up by the United Nations, as part of its preferred approach to solving world problems. • As member of the Steering Committee of KOMPIL II, he helped mobilized different sectors to remove Estrada from office. EXPERTISE IN KEY ASPECTS OF A REFORM AGENDA Nicanor Perlas has the necessary understanding, skills, and experience in key development issues in the Philippines. Whether it is anti-corruption work, moral renewal, poverty reduction, participatory governance, globalization, fair trade, environment, safe energy, genetic engineering, multiple-intelligent education, sustainable agriculture, Nicanor Perlas has been deeply involved in creating some of the country’s leading advocacies and initiatives that address these challenges. Nicanor Perlas had the courage to persevere despite the seeming impossibility of the task including personal danger to his life. In short, Nicanor Perlas had been inaugurating significant national policies influencing the lives of millions without being directly involved in politics. Perlas achieved significant results and impacts despite the more difficult path of having to convince those who held political power to take up one’s advocacies. Significantly more will be done if Perlas would be able to directly mobilize government to advance sustainable development policies. Here is a brief snapshot of some of the aspects of Perlas’s experience that prepared him for his decision to run for the presidential elections in 2010. ANTI-CORRUPTION WORK BNPP. As Technical Consultant to the UN Center for Transnational Corporations, the Presidential Committee on the Philippine Nuclear Power Plant and the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), Perlas helped to uncover the massive bribery and fraud surrounding the purchase and construction of the BNPP. This fraudulent act and corruption resulted in massive safety problems of BNPP which forced the Aquino Government to mothball the plant. DA/Pesticide Indusrry Collusion. Nicanor Perlas spearheaded the national effort to break the corrupt cabal involving pesticide companies and senior officials at the Department of Agriculture. At the same time, this effort resulted in the banning of 32 pesticide formulations, reducing the chronic pesticide poisoning of millions of farmers. In addition, the ban led to the creation of a P750 million national program on Integrated Pest Management, that reduced pesticide use nationally and that enrolled over a hundred thousand farmers. Ousting Erap and His Corrupt Government. As leader of three national networks, Nicanor Perlas was present in the meeting of network leaders in Laguna in 1999, a meeting that eventually resulted in the national movement to impeach, oust, or have then President Estrada resign from office. Nicanor Perlas was then Chairperson of the Philippine Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the Green Forum, and the Civil Society Counterpart Council for Sustainable Development. He then became the Environmental Representative in the Steering Committee of KOMPIL II that developed the detailed strategies that eventually succeeded in removing Estrada from office. POVERTY REDUCTION AND ERADICATION Many claim to be pro-poor in words. But what about in action? What many traditional politicians claim, Perlas had done in action for decades. Nicanor Perlas has been involved in poverty reduction work since he was 19. He gave up a potential career in nuclear physics and the celebrity life of a soccer star in favor of agriculture. Perlas knew that gaining expertise in agriculture would eventually enable him to directly help the poor. At that time of his decision, the Philippines was 80% agricultural. Today his decision remains relevant as 70% of all poor people in the Philippines are in rural, agricultural settings. Modernizing agriculture in a sustainable manner would not only help the poor. It would also strengthen the Philippine economy where more than 70% of the GDP of the Philippines is in agriculture and agriculture-related industries. Here are some of the concrete things that Perlas has done to help address the challenge of poverty. Family Food Production Program. Perlas helped UNICEF assess its national Family Food Production Program and make it more effective for the tens of thousands of household involved in the program. Child Development Program. He assisted Plan International assess and refine its national child development program in the Philippines with a focus on sustainable development and sustainable agriculture for rural families. Sustainable Agriculture. Perlas helped thousands of economically poor farmers and their families in over 25 provinces transition from expensive and destructive chemical farming methods to sustainable agriculture. Micro Finance. From 1999-2008, Perlas served as Adviser on Strategy and Integral Sustainable Development and Chairman/Member, Board of Directors, Lifebank, and Member, Board of Trustees of Lifebank Foundation. Today these two institutions help 230,000 economically poor urban and rural families thru microfinance. Social Reform Council and National Anti-Poverty Commission. Perlas was involved in the formation of the Social Reform Council (SRC). The SRC, composed of government and civil society, tackled the challenge of reducing poverty at the national level. For the first time, an integrated and participatory approach to poverty reduction was introduced in an institutional form in the Philippines. This innovation later on lead to the passage of the Social Reform Agenda Law that mandated the creation of the National Anti Poverty Commission (NAPC) where leaders of the basic sectors, together with diverse government agencies, participate in the formulation of anti-poverty policies. Perlas does not have to be convinced about the importance of poverty reduction and eradication work. He has anti-poverty work etched in his character and has been a constant concern for almost 40 years. Poverty reduction and eradication will surely be one of his top priorities should he be elected as President of the Philippines in 2010. PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT Peace and development are critical to poverty reduction work. The war-torn areas of Mindanao remain to be among the poorest regions in the Philippines. Perlas spent four years in Mindanao pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City. In addition, he has been back to Mindanao dozens of times in connection with his work on sustainable agriculture, agrarian reform, environment, sustainable development and related concerns. His constant exposure to Mindanao, speaking with farmer leaders in their own language, has given him the necessary personal understanding to help out with the peace and development challenge in Mindanao. So, when Perlas was offered to write a manual for use by the government and the United Nations Development Program in the implementation of the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Peace Agreement of 1996, he immediately agreed. The early phases of this program with the UN resulted in the formation of Peace and Development Communities (PDCs) organized by Peace and Development Advocates (PDAs) among both Muslims and Christian leaders. The Program and the PDAs wanted a manual to assist them in upgrading these peace zones into peace and development areas. Based on interviews of PDAs, Program officers, and community participants, Perlas wrote a manual called “Sustainable Integrated Area Development (SIAD) for PDCs”. The full-blown manual contains detailed descriptions of state-of-the-art social technologies as ways to advance, among others, new community organizing principles and sustainable livelihood and small business opportunities for former combatants in both Christian and Muslim areas of Mindanao. The Act for Peace Program served over 15 provinces as of 2007. The experience of Perlas in the Project convinced him that authentic peace and sustainable development are truly possible in conflict areas of Mindanao. What is essential is that the highest political leadership of the country needs to address this problem at the structural level (land tenure, agrarian reform, social services, infrastructure, education, etc.) but also at its roots, in an authentic respect for different but potentially converging identities of both Muslims and Christians. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION This manual for PDCs also exemplifies another strong qualification of Nicanor Perlas: the area of national planning and implementation. Earlier, in 1996, Perlas was central to drafting Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21), the country’s highest framework and blueprint for sustainable development. Perlas helped to facilitate the consultation and drafting process that led to the creation of PA21, considered a best practice by UNDP shortly after it was crafted, a best practice in advancing the global Agenda 21 that over 150 countries had approved at the Earth Summit in RIO. He was chair of the Technical Working Group of civil society on PA21 and he became one of two technical writers of Philippine Agenda 21. He gave numerous presentations on PA21 before numerous regional and national conferences. He also then subsequently wrote and published the PA21 Handbook to help explain the negotiating details behind PA21. He advanced the idea of threefolding including tri-sector or threefolding partnerships in PA21. His expertise in this area was recognized when the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development, Office of the President, contracted Nicanor Perlas to develop a localization framework for PA21. In connection with this, Perlas organized nationwide consultations, managed a team of experts and writers, and successfully fulfilled his task to formulate, validate and publish a localization framework for PA21.This was the birth of SIAD or Sustainable Integrated Area Development. Upon the initiative of Nicanor Perlas, and the support of PCSD, then President Fidel V. Ramos issued Memorandum Order 49 directing all local government units to create their local agenda 21 or SIAD plans for implementation. The Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG), mandated by the Office of the President to implement MO 47, has trained over 120 provincial, city, and municipal planning officers in SIAD planning. More than 30 towns and provinces in all island regions of the Philippines undertook SIAD planning and implementation with the support of over P100 million from various donor agencies. Nicanor Perlas provided technical assistance to a number of these efforts, including an attempt by a former Governor to install SIAD in the province of Bohol. He was co-chair for civil society of Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), Office of the President. He also chaired the Civil Society Counterpart Council for Sustainable Development (CSCCSD). Both PCSD and CSCCSD were key institutions in advancing PA21 and SIAD. Another strategic achievement of PA21 where Nicanor Perlas had an important role was at the level of the UNCSD or UN Commission for Sustainable Development. The Philippine Government was chair at the UNCSD 6th Session. As Chair, the Philippines delegation, with the advocacy and support of Nicanor Perlas, who was civil society co-chair of the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) successfully introduced the tri-sector or threefolding dialogue processes as part of the policy deliberations of the UNCSD. This important Philippine innovation has been institutionalized at the 7th and 8th sessions of the UNCSD. And recently, the United Nations, during its Millennium Summit with Heads of State and Governments, declared as official policy a tri-sector approach to policy making. The Philippine innovation derived from PA21 and other UN experiences convinced the UN leadership, including its Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to introduce the tri-sectoral approach to policy making. Nicanor Perlas has been recognized as a national expert on PA21 and SIAD. National and local requests on these topics are often referred to Nicanor Perlas for action. In short, Perlas not only has the skills to deconstruct corrupt governments. He also has the necessary talent to creatively and constructively create new and detailed visions, plans, policies, and programs, projects and activities in pursuit of a better Philippines. So in the event that Nicanor Perlas is called upon to draft a strategic vision and plan for the country as President of the Philippines, then Perlas will be in familiar territory, one where he has been a leader for over 10 years. GOOD GOVERNANCE Good governance is essential if a reform and transformative national societal agenda is to prevail and succeed. Good governance includes participatory, transparent and accountable processes. This is clearly exemplified by the experiences of Nicanor Perlas. PC-PNPP and SAHC-BNPP. Nicanor Perlas served as technical consultant to both the Presidential Committee on the Philippine Nuclear Power Plant (PC-PNPP) and the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (SAHC-BNPP). In this capacity, Perlas assisted in the complex technical and legal processes of instigating a global litigation effort against Westinghouse for bribery and fraud in the supply and construction of BNPP. This effort resulted in the mothballing of the BNPP, thereby removing the massive risk that it would have imposed on the lives of millions of Filipinos. Pesticide Technical Advisory Committee. Perlas served a member of the Pesticide Technical Advisory Committee which advises the Secretary of Department of Agriculture (DA) on pesticide regulatory policies. The presence of Perlas in PTAC resulted in the banning of 32 pesticide formulations and preventing these hazardous pesticides from poisoning millions of farmers. Shortly after the ban, DA unleashed its P750 million program on Integrated Pest Management which promoted the drastic reduction of pesticide use and, where appropriate, zero pesticide use. This program benefited over 100,000 farmers. National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines or NCBP. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) invited Perlas to be a community representative in the NCBP, the government’s regulatory body overseeing genetic engineering research and importation in the country. The presence of Perlas in NCBP triggered a national concern regarding genetically engineered products. The Secretary of DOST subsequently cancelled the membership of Perlas in the NCBP, providing a stark lesson in the failure of good governance. Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PDSD). The key role that Perlas played in PCSD provided the central arena for advancing new concepts of good governance. It was in the PCSD that Perlas introduced the societal threefolding approach to good governance. Societal threefolding stresses the importance of harmonizing the perspectives, interests, and resources of the three key actors of society (civil society, government, and business) in achieving integral sustainable development. The Philippines subsequently introduced this unique Philippine innovation on good governance to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). The experience with tri-sectoral dialogues within the UN was positive, prompting the UN Secretary General to adopt this approach in the setting and pursuit of its UN Millennium Goals. UNDP Democratic Dialogues. The UNDP invited Perlas to Panama to join representatives from 7 other countries in Latin America to share experiences in the role that democratic dialogues play in the process of good governance. The UNDP asked Nicanor Perlas to present the Philippine societal threefolding approach to good governance before an audience of over 50 experts and consultants on and government practitioners of good governance. Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21) and Sustainable Integrated Area Development (SIAD). As mentioned above, Nicanor Perlas was instrumental in shaping and writing PA21 and SIAD. Both these government documents detail the importance of societal threefolding in the pursuit of good governance. Until today, local government executives are encouraged to implement SIAD in the areas of responsibilities. But the prevailing political climate is not conducive to such a practice. Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding. Perlas has written extensively on societal threefolding as an approach to good governance, among others. His book on this subject, Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding, translated into 9 languages, has become an international best seller and is used in many colleges and universities and institutions TruthForce! Nicanor Perlas continues to advocate his ideas on good governance in TruthForce!, an internet-based news and analysis magazine advancing integral sustainable development. (See www.truthforce.info.) Perlas is the publisher and editor-in-chief of TruthForce!. Perlas recently wrote a three part article on “Societal Threefolding and Good Governance” which has been extensively recycled worldwide. As of last count, TruthForce! had over 8000 unique visitors per month and over 200,000 hits per month. In short, good governance is important for the future of the country. It would indeed be a real strategic strength if the Philippine elected a President who not only understands the detailed theoretical nuances of good governance, but also has had wide local, national, and global experience in its practice. As seen above, Perlas has a wealth of knowledge and experience in good governance. In addition, good governance requires a President who has a strong honest and moral character and visionary leadership. Perlas has both traits in abundance. MORAL RENEWAL AND CHARACTER Fighting corruption is one thing. Strengthening the moral intelligence and fiber of individuals in a sea of apathy, is another thing. Training in Moral Renewal and Integrity. Mr. Perlas was the lead designer and training facilitator for over two years in PAGASA’s “Workshops of Hope”. PAGASA stands for Peoples Assembly for Genuine Alternatives to Social Apathy. Perlas and colleagues have now introduced hundreds of professionals from business, government and civil society to rediscover the deep sources not only of their moral integrity, but also the profound source of hope that can creatively face the challenge of moral regeneration and societal renewal. Even more important, Perlas walks his talk in this crucial aspect of the nation’s life and future. In addition to his work against corruption, Perlas has withstood attempts to bribe him as well as threats to his life. Moral Integrity and Zero Tolerance for Corruption. Perlas took the battle against the BNPP to the world stage in 1978. When his battle against the BNPP started to get gain global support and traction, delaying the export of critical nuclear components to the Philippines, he was offered the position of Deputy Minister of Energy. Perlas immediately recognized the offer as a bribe to stop his global advocacy. Instead, he told the messenger to stop his support for Marcos since Marcos will not be able to retain his hold on power. Courage. This integrity and Perlas’s zero tolerance for corruption is the reason why certain segments of the pesticide industry resorted to death threats to stop Perlas from his national campaign to ban their hazardous products. But earlier, in his campaign against BNPP during martial law, Perlas had already decided to die for his principles if necessary. He ignored the bomb threats and successfully convinced the Department of Agriculture to ban 32 pesticide formulations. In a similar manner, Perlas ignored the threat of sniper bullets. After the military defected to the side of the demonstrators asking Estrada to step down in 2001, elements of the PNP, warned civil society leaders against their intended march to Malacanang. They said that several hundred fanatic Estrada supporters, including elements of private armies supporting Estrada, would fire upon demonstrators should their march to Malacanang. Seeing the strategic importance of the march, Perlas, along with many others, decided to risk their lives and continued their planned march to Malacanang. This was the march that finally removed Estrada from office. Perseverance. Recently, Congressman Mark Cojuangco shocked many when he attempted to resurrect BNPP from the dead. He filed a bill mandating the immediate rehabilitation and operation of the BNPP. Perlas rejoined the opposition against the BNPP by testifying in Congress, briefing Congressmen, releasing technical documents, and speaking before the media and rallies on BNPP. Despite the fact that he has been involved in this issue for over 30 years, Perlas has not burned out. He continues to remain committed VISIONARY LEADERSHIP The leadership capabilities of Nicanor Perlas are reflected in the diverse range of leadership position that he has assumed both at the global and national level. Particularly striking is that Nicanor Perlas has had leadership positions in the three key spheres of society: civil society, business, and government. The breadth and depth of his leadership experience will be crucial should he be elected in a position to mainstream the societal threefolding approach to good governance and authentic democracy. In this sense, Perlas’s skill and capacity to mobilize across the divides of civil society, business, and government is rare. Yet this capacity is essential in addressing societal, generative, and dynamic complexity, challenges that faces the Philippines today. The set of skills to advance tri-sectoral processes is so rare that the United Nations had to enter into partnership with Oxford University in England to develop a graduate program on managing cross-sectoral dynamics. This, however, is already a set skill that Perlas has accumulated through years of dealing with societal threefolding processes and substance. The following is a preliminary list of his extensive and diverse leadership experience, placing Perlas in a position to truly understand the perspectives and interests of the different societal actions as they all collectively pursue genuine integral sustainable development. Global Leadership • Steering Committee/Member, Commission on Globalization, set up by Mikhail Gorbachev, former President, USSR Leadership of Philippine Civil Society Meta Networks Meta Networks are integrating networks of different civil society networks. Leadership position in these networks requires skills in honoring and facilitating the very different and often conflicting identities that underlie successful and powerful networks. Leadership also means being able to harness the tremendous power of a unified meta network in a responsible pursuit of the common good. • Steering Committee, Kongresso ng Mamamayang Pilipino or KOMPIL II, the national meta network that removed corrupt President Joseph Estrada from office National Civil Society Networks • Co-Founder and Lead Training Facilitator, Peoples Assembly for Genuine Alternatives to Social Apathy (PAGASA 2.0) (2006-2008) Karangalan. Recently Perlas synthesized his global and national leadership experience in two national conferences called Karangalan: Mobilizing Excellence Towards Creating A Visionary Philippines. Perlas and his colleagues invited a diverse group of Filipinos who had received global awards to present their reflections on how to create a better country. Over two thousand people attended the events. And millions more were inspired by the TV and newspaper reports of the events. Business Leadership • Adviser on Strategy, Integral Sustainable Development and Holistic Human Development, and Chairman/Member Board of Directors, Lifebank, and Member, Board of Trustees of Lifebank Foundation, both of which together help 230,000 economically poor families thru microfinance. (1999-2008) Leadership in Government Affairs Nicanor Perlas has held no direct leadership position in any political party or government agency except at the PCSD. (See below.) In 2003, he was invited to join the Arroyo Cabinet as Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, an offer which he declined due to existing commitments and doubts about Arroyo’s sincerity regarding the importance of the environment in her overall agenda. • Co-Chair for Civil Society, Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), Office of the President. Successfully advocated and crafted Philippine Agenda 21, the official government blueprint for sustainable development. In addition, his leadership in the political realm of society finds expression in three ways: as a leader of civil society advocacies, as member of government regulatory agencies and as a consultant to government. Consultancy is a form of leadership in the realm of vision and ideas. In almost all instances, the active involvement of Nicanor Perlas successfully changed the policies of the executive and legislative branches of government. Civil Society Advocacies • Successful mothballing of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant when Perlas was: Regulatory Agencies • Member, National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology Consultancies • UN and Foreign Government Agencies including: • Official Philippine Delegations to the United Nations and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) including: o 6th Session, UN Commission on Sustainable Development, United Nations, New York City, USA, 1998 • Government Agencies including: Other Leadership Initiatives as Consultant Specifically, in addition to the consultancies detailed above in the realm of government, Nicanor Perlas has also been Consultant, Adviser or Resource Person to development oriented donor agencies, civil society organizations, and businesses seeking to be more ecologically and socially responsible. Nicanor Perlas has been an independent Consultant for almost 30 years. He gives advise in a number of areas including: agribusiness, food systems analysis, nuclear energy policy and safety, energy efficiency and renewable energy, integrated social forestry, sustainable agriculture, food security, globalization, spirituality, strategic micro-finance, holistic human development, organizational transformation, integral sustainable development, sustainable integrated area development (SIAD), democratic governance, cross-sectoral and tri-sectoral dialogues, societal threefolding, appreciative inquiry, business leadership, corporate social responsibility, civil society, multiple and spiritual intelligence, holistic education, self-transformation, and other areas of work. His advisory and consultancy work on Sustainable Agriculture has been particularly extensive and cross-sectoral including UN bodies, government agencies, businesses, donor institutions and civil society organizations and networks. Knowledge Basis for Leadership An important aspect to maintaining leadership skills in civil society, government and business is keeping up with the latest development in the various areas of engagement. In addition to extensive searches in the Internet, Perlas updates his knowledge in many disciplines through his personal library of over 20,000 books, monographs, magazines, newsletters, project files, and other assorted documents. Knowledge cannot remain passive. It has to be digested, integrated and acted upon. In the process of making knowledge essential for action, Perlas has written over 400 articles and monographs including an international best selling book, Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding, translated in over 9 languages. OTHER ACTIVITIES All the above are only aspects of the work of Nicanor Perlas. Nicanor Perlas also has been a 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. AWARDS For all these achievements, Nicanor Perlas has been given the highest awards globally and nationally. He is the recipient of the following awards: Right Livelihood Award or Alternative Nobel Prize. (December 2003) In the Swedish Parliament, Perlas received the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. This award is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving the world. The Right Livelihood Foundation gave the award to Perlas “for his outstanding efforts in educating civil society about the effects of corporate globalisation, and how alternatives to it can be implemented.” In addition, the RLF awarded Perlas for creating the “theoretical and practical basis” for a better world. Global 500 Award or Earth Warrior Award. (June 1994). Perlas was given by the UN Environmental Program its award for International Achievement in Environmental Protection. UNEP specifically gave Perlas this award for public leadership in the banning of more than two dozen hazardous pesticide formulations, on-the-ground installation of large-scale sustainable and bio-dynamic agriculture, and advancing the scientific and philosophical understanding of sustainable and bio-dynamic agriculture. The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award (December 1994) Perlas received TOFIL, the highest civic award in the Philippines, for outstanding contribution to one’s profession (specifically rural development and sustainable, environmentally sound, bio-dynamic agriculture) as well as to national and international development. Rev. William F. Masterson S.J. Award, (March 1995). Xavier University gave its highest award to Perlas for “outstanding service to the community and . . . the development of the country; [specifically] “to acknowledge . . . outstanding work as an agriculturist and . . . invaluable contributions towards sustainable, and environment-friendly agriculture”. While in school, Nicanor Perlas also received a number of awards. • Gold Medal, Highest Academic Excellence, and Valedictorian in the College of Agriculture, Xavier University, 1972 FOR MORE DETAILS ON ALL THE ABOVE, kindly visit the following websites: www.nicanorperlas.com
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