Cesar Polvorosa, Jr.

 

Professor

Humber School of Business, Ontario, Canada

Public Policy Program (’86)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduating with a BA as cum laude and college valedictorian from the University of the Philippines in 1982, Cesar Polvorosa, Jr. joined the Central Bank of the Philippines (the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) as an Economist. He garnered his Master of Policy Science in 1986 from GRIPS’ predecessor GSPS on a Monbusho/Central Bank scholarship grant. He was ranked #2 in academic standing in his GSPS graduating class and was the first editor of the School’s student paper Saidai Hikari. When he left the Central Bank in 1990 he was the Economist of the Corporate Affairs Office while also teaching economics at St. Scholastica’s College and De La Salle University of Manila. He worked in the Philippine private sector for the next decade and became Asst. Vice President of Corporate Planning and head of economic research of a local bank by 2001. He settled in Canada in 2004 and did doctoral studies in geography at York University likewise on scholarship. In Toronto, he shifted full time to the academe and consulting work. He is a consultant on business plans, publications, immigration and strategic planning. Over the years, he published several business and economics articles including book chapters.
 
Cesar is also a creative writer. His essays, poems and/or short stories, some of which are award winners, had been published in the Philippines, U.S.A., Canada, Japan and Thailand. He had been profiled and interviewed by the Eastlit literary journal and his fiction featured in the Philippine Likhaan anthology. He was a Writing Fellow at the University of the Philippines National Writers’ Workshop and chosen as a 2008 Emerging Writer of Diaspora Dialogues of Toronto as well as a Board Director of Story Telling Toronto (2009-11).
 
In his academic career he is a Post Graduate Professor of the Humber School of Business and is adjunct faculty as well of Algoma University, Ontario. He has several research papers and a textbook project in the pipeline. He is an occasional columnist for Interaksyon, the popular news website of Philippine TV channel TV5 writing on economic issues and developments relevant to the Philippines.

 

What are your areas of specialization and how did you come to work in this areas?

My major areas of concern are economic geography and economic development,  international business management and cultures, globalization, ethnic entrepreneurship and their intersections as well as strategic planning. I had long been fascinated by these fields and I realized that a thorough analyses and appreciation of their convergence can contribute to a keener understanding of world socioeconomic development issues that would lead to incisive policy solutions for the common good. True to the spirit of GSPS my major professional and academic areas are interdisciplinary in nature. Since these were really my interests I planned carefully over a period of decades that I gain the necessary academic training and the appropriate industry experience so I am able to build up and enhance my core competencies in these fields.  For instance, my BA in economics and political science led to my career at the Central Bank which in turn led to GSPS and so on. It had been a steady progression over the years which ultimately resulted to both greater responsibilities and a broadening and deepening of my skills in my areas of specialization.   

 

You are currently Professor at the Business School at Humber. Have you always wanted to pursue a career in academia? What attracts you most about it? And what have been the most interesting or rewarding aspects of your career thus far?

I had been teaching part time during the early years of my career and found that the work of shaping the minds of the next generation is indeed inspiring and a noble profession. It is truly rewarding to get positive feedback from the students because it is the validation of my effectiveness as a teacher. It’s so gratifying to see many of my former students graduate and become professionals. Even here in Toronto where my teaching had been relatively recent I had one student becoming also an instructor and he made sure to inform me about it. Another former student is already a well established professional and he invited me twice to give talks on personal strategic planning to his community group.

 

Probably just as significant is that there are policy and research issues that have intrigued me. Are we at the cusp of a new economic order? What are the repercussions of the demographic transformation and rising inequality worldwide? Why are Filipino rates of entrepreneurship so low? I appreciate the flexibility of time and the freedom afforded to me in the context of the academe to conduct independent research which may never be available to me under the standard institutional arrangements of companies and bureaucracies.

 

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your work?

It’s the formidable intellectual challenges confronting both academics and policy makers in the present era of uncertainty. The traditional expansionary Keynesian and monetary policies had been agonizingly slow in demonstrating their efficacy in engendering sustainable global economic recovery. One only needs to look at the lost two decades of the Japanese economy to appreciate the policy futility. There is a perception that the global economic order is at a critical juncture and structural reforms are essential to revitalize the system. There is intellectual ferment but the new Order is still inchoate. It is this sense of a bankruptcy of mainstream ideas that makes this period a highly challenging time for scholarship and governance. In my case, there is also the imperative to be analytical and insightful in both micro and macro perspectives as my work is multiscalar involving both interrogations at the firm and global socio economy levels.

 

My academic fields of economics, international business management and regional geography are very broad and dynamic so it’s extremely important to be current. I have to be sure that I do an extensive reading of current affairs and the noteworthy articles in The Economist, New York Times, Project Syndicate etc. on a daily basis. Then there are the journal articles in the academic literature. I get the sense that time is never enough to be informed about all these current developments in my fields of specialization so I just prioritize.

 

On surface it seems minor but it is also important for me to maintain my good health as a professor. If I am under the weather in a typical office setting I can just work in front of the computer and let the physical malaise pass but not when I am a teacher. As a professor I must always be in top physical condition because giving a lecture is a performance. A hoarse voice from colds and fever can be taxing while degrading the delivery of my lecture. Teaching demands full engagement of physical and mental faculties. What I do is adjust the class activity to lessen the lecture time if I am ill such as having group activities which are actually part of the syllabus. It’s not easy to get a substitute professor at short notice especially for specialized courses. Thankfully, during the past several years in Toronto I was forced to be absent only twice.

 

What led you to GRIPS/GSPS? What are the most important things you got out of your studies here, and how has your experience at GRIPS/GSPS prepared you for future endeavours?

I responded to the Japanese Embassy announcement about a competition for M.A. scholarships. I had been working for about 2 years and I thought that the opportunity to study in Japan was the best of all possible worlds. For years I had been impressed by Japan’s economic achievements and its magnificent culture and here was the golden chance to stay there for 2 years while studying for a prestigious M.A. degree on a generous full scholarship and at the perfect time in my career. When I was awarded the scholarship and acceptance to GSPS I informed my employer, the Central Bank. My superiors were quite pleased because I actually introduced the GSPS Program and the Japanese government scholarships to the Bank. Subsequently, the Bank agreed to continue giving my salaries for 2 years while I was in Japan and I got the salaries as a lump sum when I returned to the Philippines.

 

The rigorous academic training in Policy Science served me well in the succeeding years as a government economist, as a professor of economics and well into my current specific areas of specialization. I became always conscious of the policy implications of economic and socio-political developments brought about by my GSPS experience. Another aspect had been the insights gained about Japan from a critical policy perspective. Even now in my lectures such as about deflation, demographics and economic development I often discuss these topics significantly and cite the experience of Japan. For example, during my recent macroeconomics course the topic was on lags in monetary policy and I was able to discuss extensively the specific country case of Japan because that was my GSPS MA thesis. It’s the same for Japanese industrial and agricultural policy and business cultures as inputs to my geography and international business management courses.

 

What are your fondest memories of your time spent at GRIPS/GSPS?

It’s really the totality of the numerous and interesting experiences at the GSPS. It’s the intellectual excitement in exploring the Policy Sciences for the first time and as the in-depth explanations for the economic success of Japan became clearer from the class lectures, discussions and voluminous readings. It’s the productive educational trips to the government ministries such as DOF and the BOJ and huge businesses such as the Sayama plant of Honda. It’s the burning of the midnight oil to finish the reports and preparations for presentations. I still remember during Finals week that I ate nothing but KFC because that was the nearest to the dorm and I literally cannot spare time to cook or go somewhere else. It’s making friends with classmates from different countries, attending parties and taking trips with them to Tokyo, Nikko, Hakuba ski resort and playing soccer, basketball and tennis etc. It’s the writing and editing of the student publication, SaiDai Hikari and the first experience with the fax machine in the publication work.

 

What do you miss about Japan?

I miss my Japanese friends, the hospitality, discipline and work ethic of the Japanese people and the incredible scenery, cleanliness, peace and prosperity of the country. I had been to all the four main islands- from Fukagawa in Hokkaido to Kagoshima in Kyushu so each one has printed varied and indelible images in my mind- the Ainu village in the north, the ski resort in Gunma to the subtropical beaches in the south. Japan, in fact became a mother lode of inspiration for my creative writing. My short story in the prestigious Likhaan anthology and a number of my published haiku and mainstream poems were based on my experiences in Japan. One published poem was inspired by my actual climb to the summit of Mt. Fuji. My most recent published poem was the well received “Ishinomaki.”I stayed in that city for about a week with a family under the Jaycees home stay program in the mid 1980s so its devastation in the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami profoundly affected me. What happened to that family I stayed with and the people I have seen and met? It inspired me to write the poem that was intended to be poignant and a tribute to the people adversely affected by the tragedy.

 

You have been living outside your home country for quite some time now. What do you miss about The Philippines and what do you like about living in Canada?

The essence of any place is really its people. Thus, most importantly I really missed my relatives and friends in the Philippines. I missed the sights, sounds and smells of my homeland- the swaying coconut trees, the honking jeepneys, panoramic view of Laguna de Bay, the laughing children in the streets, the delicious native delicacies, the lively music lounges, the crowded giant malls and the humid feel of the tropical air- and yes, even the warm monsoon rain. The Philippines is a country pulsating with vibrant energy.

 

In the case of Canada I admire the rule of law and good governance, the high standards of living, relatively egalitarian society, the well developed infrastructure and efficient mass transportation system, clean environment and abundance of space, the professionalism of the work force, the general politeness and good manners, the prosperity and the activist role of the government in promoting economic and social development.

 

What are your favorite activities when you are not working?

I write poems including haiku and short stories though honestly, the line for me is blurred between work and leisure in the case of creative writing. It has been said that writers don’t really have a vacation because if they are not actually writing they are thinking about their creative subjects. I enjoy the so called “sweet torture” of creative writing. It’s a form of relaxation for me, a catharsis, even though arguably it’s also work because it’s another dimension of my career. I also push myself to pursue an independent research program which is not really my teaching per se. I read a lot- Economist magazine, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs and books like Piketty’s Capital. I enjoy watching movies from historical to Sci-Fi. I follow the Game of Thrones. I am a fan of Marvel movies since I sketched and like comics in my younger years. I enjoy listening to music and going to the mall with my family or by myself.

 

How do you maintain a balance between your work and the rest of your life?

It’s really a matter of scheduling and prioritization. I have a weekly and monthly agenda- but of course it’s much easier said than done! As I am also a strategic planner I try to apply the principles of planning in my own personal activities. However, so many things happen which disrupts the schedule so I make sure to monitor them so I am always aware of what’s pending and where I am falling behind. My daughter may sometimes ask me to accompany her to the library so I make adjustments to my original schedule. I occasionally meet with friends. The creative process is also unpredictable and I may have writers’ block. Because my time is divided between writing both technical and creative pieces something has to give- thus, I may not be as prolific as a creative writer as I want to be. On the other hand, I cannot research and write full time on my economic and business areas because I have to make progress on my creative writing projects or there’s a germ of an idea for a short story or a poem that I cannot ignore. I accept these constraints. The weekends are for family and for domestic concerns.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to anyone considering studying at GRIPS what would it be?

GRIPS offers great programs while being located in an amazing country so make the best of it. Study well because your academic record in GRIPS will give you a significant advantage in your career, make friends and form your network and you will have contacts throughout the world which is now so critical in the Age of Globalization. Have fun and understand the culture as it will deepen your appreciation of the host country.

 

How would you like to maintain your involvement with the School? What do you expect from GRIPS as an alumnus?

The alumni network of GRIPS is spread out over various countries representing diverse disciplines, persuasions and generations- this is an intellectual powerhouse that GRIPS can potentially utilize. GRIPS can first organize in a systematic manner an alumni directory that lists areas of specializations and professional affiliation with links to personal websites or submitted CVs that are provided by the alumni and actively disseminated. GRIPS can organize activities or projects that can potentially involve the alumni network and involves collaboration with existing faculty and stakeholders. There can be research projects where the participation of qualified alumni can be solicited or GRIPS sponsored essay writing contests on policies, national economy issues and international affairs. GRIPS can publish papers written by the alumni. There are now especially more opportunities because of the internet. The fact that there is an Alumnus of the Month project is indicative of the progress being made in involving the GRIPS alumni.