GMA must set nation’s agenda

It bothers people that it is business as usual in this country when the whole world is in crisis. A war has just erupted and economies are falling into a recession that is expected to be severe. Former Finance Secretary Ed Espiritu called for some form of national unity in devising a plan to meet the crisis upon us. My publisher, Max Soliven, just back from the US, was appalled to see how petty concerns continue to dominate our attention.

Last Monday, some bright boy came out with a press release that we are the only country in the region expected to show positive growth or something like that. Big deal. That's what my folks call consuelo de bobo. If news releases like that aren't so stupid, they could be considered insulting. Rejoice! It could be worse! Just like that line during the 1998 economic crisis where we proudly pointed out that we were the least affected in Asia. But of course, since we were but kittens in an arena of tigers. We had the least to lose.

I think our problem today is one of leadership. President GMA must set the nation's agenda. Thus far, it is the news media that performs this function. And I can't think of a more inappropriate institution to do that. The administration (and Congress too) is merely reacting to media. While responsiveness is good, national leaders are expected to lead.

Take the economy, for instance. I am glad that the administration is saying the right things, specially about the need to turn inward in the light of the worldwide crisis. My problem is, there is no follow through and this affects credibility. Trade Secretary Mar Roxas and Agriculture Secretary Montemayor should be all over the place by now executing this strategy. But they have been thus far too invisible for comfort.

Of the two, Mr. Montemayor is the more crucial but he is the most invisible. For a while hopes were raised when the President said she would hold office at the Agriculture department to see to it that her initiatives were followed through. I get the impression she got tired of doing that and we never heard what happened. I also found it odd that Mr. Montemayor didn't resign when the President in an obvious expression of lack of confidence, publicly announced she was holding office at Agriculture.

The problem is, dealing with the problems of the economy isn't a sexy subject matter for media. Not too many media practitioners are literate in economics. So they are not expected to put economics at the top of their agenda. It is easier to cover scandals and criminality and dream of epidemics because these subjects are cut and dried. But the administration must not be waylaid.

I want to believe that in the absence of news, a lot of work is being done to develop the domestic economy – you know, the countryside. But that belief is hard to sustain in the absence of evidence that such work is going on. I want to believe that Mar Roxas is doing a lot of things to cushion the impact of job losses from the virtual collapse of the export sector. But where do I base that belief?

In other words, set the agenda, guys. Don't let a bunch of sensation hungry media guys tell you otherwise. The story that matters now has to do with the livelihood of Filipinos at the mass base. Tell us what you are doing for them in terms of results. Plans are good but we have heard too many plans before.

The administration must not surrender its power to run this country to media. We are not trained to run this country, that is not the role we should play. Media is now setting the national agenda only because no one else is doing it. This is just so wrong.

War on terrorism

There is no doubt that peace loving people must support this war on terrorism. It is also a given that this will involve military action. But it is difficult to shrug off the feeling that the bombing is being carried out to boost domestic morale in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedies.

Trying to bomb Bin Laden out of one of those Afghan caves is one hell of a job. One hopes that the allied forces know what they are doing. So far, it seems that high technology has made it possible to pinpoint targets and from what we are told, the targets are logical and must be destroyed in the initial part of the operation. We have to assume that the Americans had all the relevant intelligence photos and information on the targets before they struck.

Of course the Bin Laden forces are calling this a war between Islam and the West. Every effort must be exerted to assure Muslims that this is not so. The problem whenever religion is invoked is that people get irrational. It must be emphasized that we are dealing with a fringe group who actually go against Islamic teaching against the killing of innocent people as what happened in New York and Washington DC last Sept. 11.

At some point in time, however, the United States must address problems in its Middle East policy that have so inflamed the Muslim community worldwide. It is clear to the unbiased observer that the Palestinians deserve better. The problem is positions have so polarized it is difficult to make any compromise agreement stick. This will be the more important test of the US as the world's only remaining superpower. If it wants to play the role of the good guy, it must play that role to the hilt.

For our part, the best way we can contribute to the worldwide battle against terrorism is to conclude that problem in Basilan and Sulu with the Abu Sayyaf. It has taken long enough, to the point that suspicions were raised about a complicity between officials and the bandits.

Then, there is the terrorism foisted on all of us by kidnap gangs. The police must be able to neutralize if not eradicate these elements as well. Terrorism is not a religion as much as a way of life for anti-social elements. Organized society has the right and the obligation to excise them, forever.

Coexistence

Dr. Ernie Espiritu wonders if it is possible at all in the light of today's events…coexistence.

Zoo visitors were amazed to see a cage, labeled "Coexistence," containing a lion and some lambs.

The zoo director explained there was nothing to it, "Just add a few Fresh lambs every now and then."

(Boo Chanco's e-mail address is [email protected])