Memo to Kaiku: I told you so!

About a year or so ago, a guest of columnist Carmen Guerrero Nakpil who joined us that afternoon in one of our regular Wednesday lunches at Cafe Havana in Greenbelt, approached me as she prepared to leave. She introduced herself as the mother of Kaiku Licuanan and she said she just wanted to thank me for the kind words I had for her son on his appointment as Subic head.

Kaiku’s mother, however, expressed concern about how public service may hurt her son, pointing out that I said so myself in my column. Trying my best to reassure her, I said her son is in the best position to deliver real public service because he is not in need of a job and, therefore, not afraid to lose it in defense of a principle. Having retired from Ayala Land, he is made for life and can easily quit if politics interfered in getting his job done right.

A week ago, I found out from a mutual friend that Kaiku did just that. I knew there was trouble for a couple of months. But I thought Ate Glo would stand by Kaiku, given how she presented him to the public as a prized catch from the public sector. For indeed, Kaiku was precisely that... he had just retired from Ayala Land after such an illustrious record of performance that it was thought he’d stay on indefinitely.

Ate Glo also gave Kaiku an important mission of shepherding what she called was a centerpiece program of converting the Subic-Clark area into an important regional logistic hub. For a while there, it seemed that Kaiku had all the support he needed from Ate Glo, who was, in turn, proud to show him off as proof that she is still able to attract highly qualified people from the private sector to serve her administration.

In fact, I thought she was so pleased with Kaiku that she considered appointing him as DTI Secretary after the Hyatt Ten episode. As it turned out, she couldn’t even show Kaiku enough support by appointing a person of Kaiku’s choice to serve as his chief operating officer. Because she expected much from him and promised him full support, she owed him that.

I do not personally know Kaiku. I have seen him around in the course of attending business functions, but I don’t remember having a meaningful conversation with him. On the other hand, Sen. Dick Gordon is a dear friend from our UP days. But I have to say that Dick is wrong to claim that there was no politics involved in what happened to Kaiku. Politics was written all over it.

Dick must not insult our intelligence in claiming that he had nothing to do with the appointment of the new Subic Administrator. Actually, his first choice was Inky Reyes who declined. The one who was finally appointed also worked with him in Subic in the past. It doesn’t matter if this new person is eminently qualified for the post. What matters is, he is not Kaiku’s choice and Kaiku is entitled to have a second in command who would in fact work with him as a team. This new guy, because he owes his appointment to people other than Kaiku, is expected to show his loyalty to whoever caused his appointment to the position, whether it is Gordon or Congressman Pichay or both.

When Ate Glo left Kaiku in a lurch to play politics with Gordon and Pichay, she confirmed the assertion of the Hyatt Ten that the politics of survival is topmost in her mind. Not that I doubted that for even a second. But I always hope against my better judgment.

My big problem with Ate Glo is that everything is politics for her and she cannot be expected to make decisions or appointments that go contrary to political demands. One other recent proof of how she thinks has to do with a proposal made by Rep. Joey Salceda to name Obet Pagdanganan the low cost prescription drug czar.

It is really no big thing. It is just a title to demonstrate her commitment to deliver low cost prescription drugs to the masses and does not entail any new powers for Obet. Yet, she nixed it because she was worried that Bulacan politicians may misread it as giving Obet more powers and importance. Obet is at odds with the current Governor and some other local politicians.

When Ate Glo appointed the ageing former Senator Revilla to head the Public Estates Authority, she had politics in mind. When she appointed Garci and another one like him to Comelec against public misgivings and in spite of having been bypassed several times by the Commission on Appointments, she had politics in mind. When she packed the board of the GSIS with lackeys of the First Gentleman, she had politics in mind.

Ate Glo should take a lesson from the Good Book... those who desperately try to save their (political) lives, lose it. And if I can edit the second half of that lesson: those who are ready to lose their (political) lives to do what’s right (for the people), save it.

In comparison, I think people are wrong to think of Joe de V as the ultimate traditional politician. Believe it or not, Joe can surprise you now and then by showing the statesman in him. On the other hand, I have yet to be pleasantly surprised to see the statesman in Ate Glo, even after she claims to have been re-elected for a full term with no more chance for re-election. Ate Glo is the ultimate traditional politician. She isn’t the technocrat that you would suspect on account of her PhD in economics.

That is why it would be difficult for her to regain enough credibility to lead this country out of our current multifaceted crisis. I was hoping that maybe we could just move on and if she just did a lot of high profile right things, then maybe she can save herself and the country. I am no longer as hopeful that’s possible. It is not wrong to be a traditional politician because the trapo has skills needed to get things done. But that’s not enough.

To be the national leader we need today, Trapo Glo must also be a statesman who can act to uphold what’s good for the country with no other ulterior motive to taint her decision. That’s not going to happen with Ate Glo. But I am the incurable optimist in hoping that she would surprise us one day and just go away.

As for Kaiku, he knew what he was getting into… a lot of people told him so. He can at least say, he gave it a shot.

Special Price?

I think Ate Glo should advise her officials to be careful in promising things they cannot deliver because this can only contribute to further erosion of the little she has left in credibility. I found it amusing that they are saying Ate Glo will be able to get a special, presumably lower, price for oil from Saudi Arabia in her forthcoming visit. Based on our experience during the past oil crisis situations, it was made clear to us that will never happen.

At the most, the Arabs can promise to make supply available to us but priced at market value at the time of lifting. What makes us so special to merit a special price, anyway? Our volumes are too small to merit a volume discount. And our government is at odds with a Muslim minority that they support. Besides, if they gave us a special price, how can they refuse other countries who will ask for the same treatment?

Maybe, what they can ask is for Aramco to allow Petron to be the price leader in the domestic market. It does not mean selling below cost but to moderate the rate of increases during this crisis situation, even if it impacts a bit in terms of lower profits.

But a special price? It is not going to happen.

Life

Recently retired Gilbert Jose e-mailed this one.

I recently picked a new primary care physician. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well for my age". A little concerned about that comment, I couldn’t resist asking him, "Do you think I’ll live to be 80?"

He asked, "Well, do you smoke tobacco or drink beer/wine?"

"Oh no," I replied. "I’m not doing either."

Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"

I said, "No, my other Doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!"

"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?" "No, I don’t," I said.

He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?"

"No," I said. "I don’t do any of those things."

He looked at me and said, "Then why do you give a shit if you live to be 80?"

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]