Memo to Ate Glue: Just do it, quickly!

I must say I agree with Mike Defensor when he told ANC’s Ces Drilon that the administration will just have to earn the people’s trust by moving quickly on visible projects. They just have to show, Mike said, that the political turbulence is not slowing them down in terms of vital projects. They hope, he said, to render the opposition irrelevant by delivering like government hasn’t delivered in a long time… or words to that effect. Mike has discovered confidence building. He’s on the right track… but it is now still all talk.

The big reason why I think Ate Glue should quit is not because she called up Garci but because I haven’t seen enough political will on her part to deliver on difficult but vital public projects. Everything’s a press release and a photo op so far. And we are losing precious time. Instead, I note high priority being given to projects of the pork barrel variety that only protects her political hold on the nation, enriches a few close friends and nothing much more.

To Ate Glue’s credit, she has shown a lot more support to the project assigned to Obet Pagdanganan designed to make the cost of vital prescription drugs within reach of the ordinary citizen. I still want to see more solid support being given to MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando in the thankless task of instilling discipline in our main streets, notably EDSA and C-5. The President should issue strong support to Bayani every time some Metro Manila mayors try to undermine the already difficult task of making traffic flow better in the metropolis.

I also know the limits of what Ate Glue can do within the framework of our laws and institutions. But I want to present a short list of "must accomplishments" between now and May 2007. Failure to achieve any of these should make Ate Glue, on her own, give up the Presidency so that someone else can try to make things happen.

Here’s my short list.

1) Open NAIA 3. I know this is tied up in litigation but nothing should stop her from making representations in the courts, the arbitration panels to speed resolution of the legal issues. Nothing should also stop her from entering into a compromise agreement with the different parties involved. She is President of the Republic… surely she must have some influence on the Cheng Yongs of this world somehow.

2) Get the modernization of SLEX at least half way done by May 2007, notably the two most important components – the Alabang viaduct and the connection to the STAR expressway leading to the Batangas city port.

3) Privatize at least three major Napocor power plants. Napocor insiders are apparently taking their sweet time fulfilling the mandate of the Epira law. And they are doing that not because they want to protect the public from high power rates, as they claim. They just have so much to lose, personally, if you get the drift. They can’t even get the papers of the plants in order, among other things.

4) Get the Northrail project half way done by May 2007.

5) Get the EDSA MRT and the LRT connected at Monumento. The negotiations for the extension project have been stuck too long at the DOTC level. It has to be concluded quickly and construction at least half way done by May 2007.

6) Build that traffic overpass at the C5-Kalayaan corner.

So, there you have it… my six-item short wish list. I don’t think I am asking too much. If she gets these done, what the heck, let her stay until 2010. That means, she would have the momentum to get other things going. I am afraid she will hang on to power by a thread, held hostage by the generals, all the way to 2010 and by the time she leaves office, we would be a Myanmar and ripe for the taking by the communists waiting in the wings.

I didn’t include other must things like more classrooms and better teachers or an end to smuggling because these are things that should be daily concerns anyway. But we need a few highly visible projects to demonstrate Ate Glue’s leadership being used for the good of the people.

Hopefully, Mike presents this to Ate Glue and they take this challenge to produce visibly measurable results. These are all long overdue projects anyway, so a nudge and some nagging on her part should get things going.

Economic growth

I got this e-mail from Brian Lewis, a PhilStar reader.

I was interested in your article on Jan. 27. It is perfectly clear that economic growth comes from good governance, particularly related to education, infrastructure development and an attitude to foreigners that does not see them as a continual threat. Why anyone should think that FDI is an indicator of success I would not know. It is surely a lagging indicator — anything less is putting the cart before the horse.

I do not agree with you that your resources are extremely scarce. My Filipino acquaintances, whether judges, generals or politicians, appear very well off, even compared to Americans and Europeans. The Filipino economy also puts great stress on consumption rather than saving. But saving is where capital comes from. I have been coming to the Philippines for 35 years, and over all that time my impression has been is that capital is indeed available.

I agree you do have a problem, and it is one of time. It will take 20 years for children today to be educated to become fruitful members of that successful society of the future we all desire. Major infrastructures take at least five years. I am not sure most Filipinos generally think six months ahead, let alone 20 years.

For infrastructure, there is always capital available to make a start. You cannot do everything at once, but you could start by selective development of derelict buildings — one by one if capital is short. Initially it is a public relations gesture, but as confidence grows over that 20 years useful investment can be accelerated.

I have my eye on the burnt-out archive building opposite Immigration near Intramuros ( a crazy place to leave a burnt-out building in sight of foreign visa seekers!), and then the building that stands by the Magallanes MRT Station, which has been there to my knowledge for 20 years.

One notes from reading the Manila press that large loans are given by Japan, the EU and the USA to help the Philippines economy. I see no sign that this really helps at all. It is feeding fish to the fishermen when they ought to be told how to use a net. All this money may keep the political and diplomatic classes happy and busy cutting ribbons, but I do not see a grateful nation rising up thank the donors.

The situation is not hopeless. I meet many excellent young Filipinos in their 20’s who if encouraged to work towards that end could see a nation blossom — but it will now take 20 years of sound thinking and hard work.

My response to Mr. Lewis.

You are right. I remember writing some months back about a Russian cell phone company that did a road show here for a bond issue and did pretty well. I guess local capital is there, but like foreign capital, is driven less by nationalism but more in terms of making the most returns safely.

I guess when I was talking more in terms of government resources. Then again, if they collected taxes properly both at customs and the internal revenue service, we would have a lot more available for use in education and infrastructure.

I suppose we all know what we are supposed to do and if we marshal our resources well, should be able to carry out programs we now think are beyond our reach.

Ireland column

I wondered in my column on Ireland last Monday if the name on top of the article was the author or just one of the many who forwarded it on the net. Reader Mark Joaquin Ruiz of Customer Marketing Manager & CMD Academy Head of Unilever Philippines, Inc. wrote to identify the real author of that article now going onss around the Internet about Ireland, which I commented on last Monday.

Came across your column in The Star today (Jan. 30, Monday) and I’d just like to clarify the source on the Ireland article. It actually came from Crickette Yu-Tantoco’s column "From the Hip" in Business Mirror, dated Nov. 21, 2005.

Thanks for pushing for the development of our country. We need more people like you.

Honeymoon

Here’s Dr. Ernie E.

On the night of their wedding, after making her preparations, the bride came out of the bathroom to find her groom on his knees in front of the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I’m praying for guidance," answered the young man.

"I’ll take care of that," she replied. "You pray for endurance."

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