Days ago, the time capsule for the “Museum for Liberty and Prosperity” was laid at a 3,350-square-meter commercial lot at the Alabang Global City (AGC) donated by the State Properties Corp. (SPC). This milestone marked the birth of my long-held dream of a futuristic, immersive, interactive, artificial intelligence-powered and tech-driven museum embodying the philosophy of safeguarding liberty and nurturing prosperity under the rule of law. This museum is not a memorial of the past, but a forebearer of the future.
THE SPECIAL GUESTS WERE Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo (with several justices), former finance secretary and now Monetary Board member Benjamin E. Diokno representing Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona (with other BSP officials), SPC chair and president Allen Roxas (with SPC directors and officers), and yours truly (with officers of the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity or FLP).
Since my school days when I founded and headed the National Union of Students of the Philippines, I have always battled for liberty of the mind and for the ability to conquer poverty and enjoy prosperity. Hence, my mantra was and still is: Justice and jobs, freedom and food, ethics and economics, liberty and prosperity must always go together. One is useless without the other.
I expanded these ideals when I practiced and taught law, dabbled in business, grew in Catholic faith, engaged in socio-civic-philanthropic work and authored judicial decisions. The phrase “under the rule of law” was implied in my mantra but Canadian Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin—during the Global Forum on Liberty and Prosperity held here in October 2006 during my term as CJ—advised, and I agreed, that the phrase must be expressed, not implied.
These ideals and dreams remain abstractions unless they mature into actions and multidimensional paradigms. Philosophies grow and take root when institutions give them life and vigor. In this endeavor, FLP has found steadfast partners in two of our country’s foremost independent institutions: the Supreme Court to safeguard liberty, and the BSP to nurture prosperity.
I believe that these independent institutions are the bedrocks of our philosophy because as technology surges and casts unprecedented shadows over liberty, FLP’s sanctuary shall be the sacred halls of justice. While the museum explores new digital frontiers, the Court remains the most vigilant guardian of emerging rights against the state powers amplified by technology.
In turn, the BSP helps nurture prosperity through its prudent stewardship of financial stability. Truly, the BSP fosters conditions in which enterprises can prosper, people’s entrepreneurial genius can flourish, and jobs can spring up.
Of course, to be effective and efficient in our work, we need the cooperation and assistance of the presidency and of Congress. FLP will always turn to these political branches to complete its work.
NOTABLY, BOTH THE COURT AND THE BSP HAVE INSTITUTIONAL CONTINUITY. In time, political leaders may be replaced and their programs altered, but the nonpartisan leadership in these two nonpolitical institutions endures and their legacies last ad infinitum. For example, a rare breed of justices may also pass in time, but their thoughts and decisions live on.
The same is true for FLP. Since its inception in 2011, it has been sustained by three generations of distinguished jurists, business titans, and professionals. Its founding board was dominated by leaders from divergent fields: retired Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., the late management guru Washington SyCip, education icon Edilberto C. de Jesus, retired Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, my late wife, Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Prof. Elenita C. Panganiban, and yours truly. Today, from this first generation of leaders, only Dr. De Jesus and I remain as FLP trustees.
Gradually taking over are the second-generation FLP leaders led by former BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., retired Senior Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe, Baron Travel Corp. Chief executive officer Maria Elena P. S. Yaptangco, AIM Prof. Maria Theresa P. Mañalac, and FLP’s executive director Susan Gavino.
Comes now the third-generation leaders like British-educated Joel Emerson Gregorio, young, brilliant lawyer Arvin Paolo Cortez (who represents the FLP Scholars Society), Miguel P. Sandejas (fresh from his MBA at Babson College in Boston and Master of Science in Law at Northwestern University in Chicago), Jacob Barbosa (an Esmel fellow from AIM) and lawyer Rachel Lois Gella (2024 first placer in the FLP dissertation writing contest).
THIS GENERATIONAL RELAY IS CARRIED IN THE CAPSULE WE LAID. By filling it with the museum’s blueprints, the AGC masterplan, newspapers of the day and the BSP banknote and coin commemorating the Court’s 125th anniversary, we practice the very continuity we preach and the ideals we cherish.
The capsule is a seed planted on fertile soil. Though small now, with time and care, it would grow into a giant Narra rooted firmly in the rule of law. By inspiring a deeper appreciation of liberty and prosperity, the seed will grow into a living monument for generations yet unborn.
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