5 THINGS I WISH EXISTED (IN HINDSIGHT) THAT COULD’VE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN 2020
By Jan Agulto, Associate Creative Director
2020 was a wild year for everyone. Definitely, a metal rat on the loose. No one probably expected how the year would unfold — surprise after surprise tested not only our nation, but the world at large, as we struggled to make sense of everything that has happened.
Sure, we can probably say that not all that has happened was bad. There were redeeming events sprinkled throughout the year. But those were not enough to cover the void created by the streak of what seemed like a train wreck of a year. Let's call it: 2020 was a disappointment. I dare say it could have been improved with a little creativity and imagination.
Years ago, I was a typical art school student trying to break through in the professional world of graphic design. I faced the existential question of my purpose. The idea of “What good can I contribute to the world?” weighed heavily on my mind.
As I went through a number of lectures that taught me how to advertise, market, or sell an idea, I chanced upon a workshop about creative thinking that I felt was different and special. That day, I realized what creativity is all about — how much power it has to influence the world around us.
Now we’re here at the beginning of a new year, at the cusp of repeating what transpired last year. So I ask you for a moment to put your creative hats on (yes, all of us have one) — suspend your beliefs for a second, and think of equally wild ideas to punctuate the events of a wild year.
I'll start this exercise with ideas of my own. And maybe, just maybe, we can salvage the memories of the year that was.
1. PNP Drone Rover
2020 wasn’t off to a good start. On January 16, The Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause to charge a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and a dozen officers over an allegedly anomalous anti-drug operation a few years ago.
That got me thinking: if only there was an independent device that can accompany our police force in their operations, it’ll be easier for us to establish what really happened in cases like this. Enter the PNP Drone Rover. These flying drones will be equipped with cameras that will follow police operations, recording every move they make and uploading these footage on a central server in real-time.
In an ideal world, the police force would not require such an Orwellian solution, but sadly we are currently far from ideal. Since this event, there have been countless more anomalous incidents our police have been involved in. To this day, most are still under investigation, or worse, completely let off the hook with impunity.
With this device, we can help our police to be accountable for their actions. In the best case scenario, they can uphold their integrity amidst many damaging allegations they face today, so that they may continue to enjoy the trust of the people they supposedly are serving.
2. Block-Chain Broadcasting Network
In the last week of February 2020, the Senate public services committee began its hearing on the issues surrounding the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. This sparked what will turn out to be a struggle for the channel to stay on air, that ended in defeat later in the year.
Accused of political bias by the government itself, ABS-CBN was slowly dismantled through a number of hearings and court orders, ending in a vote which just seems to be along party lines in favor of the President. This was a big blow to independent journalism in the country. ABS-CBN became an example to other media outfits of what can happen if they don’t fall in line.
In the aftermath of ABS-CBN coming off the air, we saw the importance of having free and truthful broadcasters. Later in the year, the Philippines was ravaged by typhoons that proved to be disastrous. Without access to information that ABS-CBN used to provide to communities that only their channel can reach, people were caught off guard and unable to prepare ahead.
To help prevent these situations from happening in the future, why not create a joint broadcasting network by the people, and for the people? Block-chain technology relies on decentralizing a system, so no one entity can be the sole owner of it. In that way, we can make our telecommunications airwaves a truly democratic space, where independent journalists can broadcast valuable information without censorship or fear of vindictive backlash. When our representatives no longer have our interests in mind, it is time that we look for solutions that rely on us.
3. Personal Bubble Suit
On March 17, Luzon entered an enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country. This event marked the start of the greatest challenge we faced in 2020, and for the most part, something we are still facing to this day. Life around the world came to a standstill as we fought back against the effects of the pandemic.
Many have already lost the fight, while many more are still battling for their lives. As I look back at the start of this pandemic, I can’t help but remember how naive I was back then. I was one of those people who thought that this whole ordeal will be over in just a few months. I didn’t fully grasp the extent of the problem until it has fully consumed our lives.
A year on, the lasting effects of this pandemic is evident. At the moment, the nation still continues to reel from the setbacks caused by the coronavirus. Faced without real solutions from the powers that be, I’d like to float this idea out there in the hopes that it will resonate with someone that can bring it to life. If only there is such a thing as a Personal Bubble Suit — a self ventilating enclosed garment that limits people from contact with the outside world, but still allows them to be mobile, so we can start to live our lives again in this new normal.
With the help of this suit, how nice would it be to be able to see each other again outside of the screens we have gotten used to. To be out of our houses and socialize without the feeling of anxiety. As we wait for such a suit to be invented, or when this government gets its act together, social distancing is still the most effective way we have to combat its spread. Don’t forget to mask up, shield on, and wash your hands in the meantime. See you out there when this is over.
4. Fleet of Autonomous Cleaning Robots
A few months after, on September 3, The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) began its dumping of powdery-white sand on the baywalk of Manila Bay as part of its rehabilitation program. This was one of those ideas our government had last year that seems too careless to have been conceived.
At the time, I thought there was no way anyone would think this is a good idea. Surely, covering up the waste doesn’t really solve the problem — right? I was wrong. As always, they didn’t fail to surprise. In a feat of determination, DENR crushed dolomites from the Visayas region, and shipped it to Manila in the efforts of literally sweeping off the problem under a rug.
With the purported PHP 389 million budget for its rehabilitation, I couldn’t help but think of other ways that could’ve been a more useful solution. As I spent days gobsmacked over this whole episode, an idea came to mind in the form of a fleet of self autonomous cleaning robots. Imagine, instead of hiding trash underneath the sand, we can have a group of robots sailing across the bay, cleaning up the area instead to actually have a lasting effect in the rehabilitation. With that kind of money, even robots don't seem too far fetched.
5. RFID Carousel System
As 2020 drew to a close, on December 17, the President blamed the transportation department's Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) for the messy implementation of the cashless tollway transaction system, slamming its officials for "incompetence" while sparing its Transportation Secretary.
On paper, this idea would have been a game changer for travellers along our expressways. It could've greatly helped not only by curbing the spread of COVID-19 within the country, but also by easing traffic along these thoroughfares. But with poor implementation, the initiative resulted in longer lines and confusion, where people had to queue up and gather in mass to get these RFID stickers.
To add insult to injury, not all RFIDs are accepted on every tollgate. It depends on your RFID provider, and which expressway you are using. In essence, you’ll have to have two RFID stickers so you can pass freely through the north and south expressways as intended.
With an assortment of RFID systems in our expressways, why not have a carousel device that switches from one to the other in an instant? A universal RFID would have been nice, but again, no one at the Toll Regulatory Board seemed to have planned this in advance. It was as if after the idea was suggested, everyone called it a day, and left the people to figure it out for themselves. I digress. Short of an actual functioning RFID that works for everyone in the first place, I’ll settle for an RFID Carousel System for now, so I can switch from one sticker to another as I travel from north to south.
I know, I know, these ideas seem to be too far fetched to happen. But don’t let a small thing called “practicality” stop you from pursuing an idea. Let me remind you that no one thought these situations we are facing now will happen in 2020 — and yet, here we are. So don’t be afraid to shower your ideas with a little bit of faith and imagination. Because you will never really know what is possible until you try it.
With all the challenges we faced last year, it is important now more than ever to use the power of creativity to influence the world around us. Hopefully, for good. Because we can no longer afford to tolerate the destructive and divisive ideas of some. Creativity can go both ways, and it’s high time we use it to do something worthwhile. You are probably asking now what good these ideas will bring, if they are just that — ideas. Sure, this whole thing has been a fun exercise in creativity, but how will they actually help us?
With creativity, there is no such thing as impossible. You can conjure anything without respect for the laws of feasibility, and at times even reality itself. But more often, the more you think about it, the more it makes sense — the more you can find ways to refine it, and eventually will that idea to life. After all, as you look through history, you start to realize that most of the daring and life-changing innovations that we have now once came from a place of impossibility.
Ai Wei Wei once said, “Creativity is the power to act” — and I couldn’t agree more. We have to start somewhere. Creativity provides that kick of imagination and excitement, so that we may be bold enough to find the solutions, and pursue them until they all become real. Creativity is our stage. How the next story will be told depends on how we act today.
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