A 2013 study in the Harvard Business Review noted a woman’s willingness to reevaluate or modify her original request could be construed as being fickle-minded. Men tend to end a conversation once they connect with a good idea or solution, while women are inclined to be more inquisitive, wanting to hear everyone’s thoughts before deciding.
Well that might be true. But fickle-mindedness is not a female monopoly. Even machos can exhibit flip-flops on decision-making.
Take that from our President Duterte. After calling it “stupid” and “absurd,” the President made an about-face and will honor the Paris Agreement on climate change after all. This after expressing his fears that international covenant would only stunt the country’s industrialization.
He said not long ago that “we have not reached the age of industrialization. We are going into it. But you are trying to (cite) agreement that will impose limitations on us. We maintain the present emission. That’s stupid.”
Rody had a change of heart on the issue after most of the members of his Cabinet voted to uphold the treaty adopted by the Philippines and nearly 200 other countries during the 21st Conference of Parties held in France last year.
“After so much debate, I will sign the climate change agreement. It was a unanimous vote, except for one or two [who opposed it]. I was one of those… [But] since it’s a Cabinet decision, I would go along with it and sign it,” he said.
The President expressed his skepticism. “As for me, I’m not really comfortable with it,” Duterte said. “Even in the matter of contributing the money to a common fund. Read again because it does not say about payment of damages that you will incur in a storm or a typhoon like [Supertyphoon] ‘Yolanda.’”
Well, industrialized countries—including the world’s factory, China—came in to help us in our hour of need. FAiTh, or the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub, listed as of November 28, 2013 a total of P18.206 billion or US$ 414.625 million in pledged assistance.
Come to think of it, the President isn’t totally fickle-minded. After all, he vowed in his inaugural speech that “on the international front and in the community of nations, let me reiterate that the Republic of the Philippines will honor treaties and international obligations.”
He is still the typical male, as HBR pointed out, that tend to end a conversation once they connect with a good idea or solution. His Cabinet has spoken, and hopefully, their collective views should be the basis for ending the conversation.
Of course, skeptics pointed out that he might change his mind again. As for me, I’ll settle for guarded optimism. I’ll make my congratulations when Rody finally inks the Paris agreement signifying the country’s commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2030, or on a pro rata basis, by half under his term.
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(bqsanc@yahoo.com)
