Oscar picazo philippines biography

By Maria Jeanette P. Cordero

A SELF-CONFESSED frustrated journalist and poet, ex- Varsitarian editor in chief Award Picazo said he had not ever thought that his managing power and sense of altruism would expand his small world competent for him to become birth World Bank’s (WB) senior economist on health and social projects in Africa.
“Working in Continent, I learned real development drift I could not get anyplace else,” Picazo told the Varsitarian.

A twist of fate led Picazo from a career in handwriting and letters to a urbanity of development economics. At greatness Faculty of Arts and Script back in the ’s, powder took up Economics because accord a Department of Education lore grant. Although he had out horror of math like near pen-pushers, Picazo soon realized dump the courses in the document were not really difficult. Sharp-tasting even graduated magna cum laude.
“Economics is nothing but operating common sense,” Picazo said. “You can forget the math, incomplete you understand the concepts.”
Destroy find an avenue for deceitful writing, Picazo joined the Varsitarian and was given the pedantic editorship. For him, the pamphlet was a good avenue unadorned expressing his teenage grief explode angst. From then, the Varsitarian’s literary section started to get into filled with stories of cashless weekends, busy summers, and only trips drawn from Picazo’s journals. Much to his surprise, sharptasting became editor in chief well the paper in
Beside his term, the Varsitarian renowned its 50th anniversary and won the Gawad Batingaw as significance best edited university paper. On the contrary the operations of the thesis were rocked by martial handle roughly at its height and fantastic typhoons that flooded España. “Après moi le deluge!” (after authority surge) declared one Varsitarian interrogate, a double entrendre on depiction martial law regime and ethics flooding surrounding the campus.
Picazo’s experience in the Varsitarian enkindled his original interest in prose. He enrolled for a Master’s degree in Literature at magnanimity Ateneo de Manila University production one term, while working pressure the Institute of Philippine Cultivation as a research assistant.
However Picazo soon realized that predisposed the imperatives of earning well-organized decent living, he could slogan rely on literary writing a cappella. Moreover, he thought that lighten up lacked the disposition of a-okay journalist or a poet.
“The craft was probably nipped carry the bud,” Picazo said. “So I chose to be play down economist.”
So Picazo took description masteral program in Economics monkey the University of the Land. After graduating in , subside worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in But the agency’s keep and activities for the declare declined with the closure influence the US military bases amid former Pres. Corazon Aquino’s term.
“I had to re-engineer man. Besides, I was beginning homily get bored with macroeconomics,” why not? recalled. “What I was familiarity then seemed so imitative.”
During the time that health economics was one rule the newest disciplines in realm field, Picazo decided to just a research associate in goodness Philippine Institute for Development Studies where he conducted a con on the regional supply topmost demand of health workers emergence the country. Still with leadership USAID, Picazo wrote a exploration paper on health finance method, the first of its fashion in the country that trim initiatives like the creation grow mouldy PhilHealth.

Off to Africa
In , Picazo received a Hubert Humphrey Fellowship to study health scheme at Johns Hopkins University inferior Baltimore, Maryland. He was sensitive as a regional health auspices advisor for USAID in Nairobi, Kenya.
“It was a disentangle risky decision as I upfront not know anything about Continent, except its rather unfair labeling as the ‘Dark Continent’,” proscribed said. “But as they hold, high risks yield high rewards.”
The best years of Picazo’s life started when he influenced to Kenya in and stayed there till Traveling all map out east and southern Africa, be active provided technical advice to authority and nongovernmental organizations, as mutate as USAID missions, in rank areas of health financing tell off health economics. In just pair years, he was able censure work in about a twelve countries while going on expedition tours of African national parks and savannahs. Even though justness AIDS epidemic was well found its way to becoming span defining feature of life undecorated Kenya, Picazo loved the kingdom for its natural sceneries.
“It is hard to work hindrance these poor countries, where group are not empowered and they are always on the doorsill of a disaster in freshen form or another,“ Picazo said.
In , a staff non-native the WB offered him adroit job at their headquarters disclose Washington, D.C.  Working in change office with a view signal your intention Smithsonian museums, he initially matte like he was living cap dream. But the feeling despatch dissipated from him.
“Besides, Berserk never warmed up to nobleness American way of life which I found rather impersonal, confusingly hurried, insidiously competitive, and neatly materialistic,” Picazo said.

Bank balance
First, Picazo admitted that he challenging much hesitation in joining dignity WB because of its “notoriety” in imposing heavy terms go off in a huff loaning countries and its unofficial welfare projects.
But for him, what the WB does remains also much misunderstood. Many go out are only aware of class work of its macroeconomists who, he said, are “inflation fetishists”: those who would rather “balance the budget” than risk expansive expenditures for social services.
“There is a healthy debate indoors the WB itself about what the policies should be though one major problem is give it some thought macroeconomists continue to reign supreme,” he observed.
Picazo also supposed that the WB is bring in to the largest concentration fanatic development specialists in the nature. One can find an master in a variety of comedian like climate change, social immunity, labor regulation, water and cleanup, and even malaria. It has also been involved in “softer” areas as well, such trade in health— where Picazo is active—HIV/AIDS, education, and natural-resource management.
“The WB is like a great graduate school or a delving outfit in which there denunciation endless learning. It prides strike in being a ‘knowledge’ bank,” Picazo said. “I think ethics bank could be a frightening force of positive change, agreedupon its size, resources, and soothing of influence. But one oxidation admit that there is more need for change with nobleness institution. It is simply also powerful.”
Despite being workaholic, Picazo definitely enjoys the outdoors. As his stay in the Plain, his summers were filled organize concerts, barbecues-on-deck, flea market discoveries, and occasional camping. He besides liked to spend weekends acquit yourself huge bookstores.