No thanks

“Please tell them. I will never run for public office, and I have no interest in politics. I will continue helping our country in my private capacity, but nothing more.”

This was the unambiguous response of tycoon Ramon S. Ang or RSA when I sent him a message asking for comment Thursday afternoon on an online story alleging that “influential business circles” are floating his name as a “stabilizing force” to lead a transition government, should the BBM administration falter.

According to a report by Bilyonaryo, RSA “is emerging as a ‘consensus caretaker’ in influential business circles should the country’s political paralysis from the flood control corruption scandal deepen and drag the economy into further uncertainty.”

The report said that several frustrated tycoons, alarmed by factional infighting in Malacañang, collapsing investor confidence and the peso-PSE meltdown, have begun whispering that the SMC boss could serve as a consensus stabilizer if the situation deteriorates.

The same report also quoted RSA as saying that “most people know me as someone who works quietly in business – building projects, fixing what I can and supporting the government and communities. That is where I believe I can contribute the most. I will be a dependable partner in building our country, nothing more.”

“Our country is facing many challenges, and it is understandable that people want things resolved quickly. But moving forward will never depend on one individual. It will take the government, private sector and the public all moving in the same direction. My focus is to support that effort,” RSA added.

It’s not the first time RSA’s name has been thrown into the national political arena. If I’m not mistaken, even before the 2016 elections, many had floated his name as an alternative presidential candidate. He has also rejected calls for him to run for president in the 2022 elections.

In both instances, RSA made it clear he wasn’t interested, insisting he is in a better position to help the country through SMC, via its major infrastructure investments and corporate social responsibility efforts.

And that’s exactly what he’s done. In the years since, he has cleaned up major river systems all over Metro Manila and Luzon, through SMC’s Better Rivers Ph initiative. So much so that mayors and governors regard him as an expert in the subject and come to him both for advice and assistance on declogging and rehabilitating their rivers.

He has also since led the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), introducing many improvements in just a span of a year, while boosting government coffers with an upfront payment of P30 billion, government’s share in revenues of P57 billion, not to mention billions more spent on the ongoing upgrade.

There are so many other major projects critical to the future growth of the Philippines that SMC, under RSA, is undertaking — development of the New Manila International Airport, completion of SLEX-TR4 from Batangas to Quezon; the MRT-7 which is nearing completion and is expected to start operations next year, solar and battery projects to improve power stability and many more. All these projects will be gamechangers for the country and its vital industries, creating jobs and growth opportunities throughout the regions.

The ironic thing here is: The busier he is in SMC, the better for the Philippines, but the more he works and achieves, the more attractive he becomes as a national leader. Unfortunately, he knows firmly well where his place and true value lie — in the private sector. But still, we can dream, can’t we?

We need private sector leaders like RSA in business.

According to the International Finance Corp., the private sector is an indispensable force for sustainable development — it sparks innovation, improves productivity and economic efficiency and creates jobs and growth needed to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, meanwhile, emphasized that the private sector is the primary driver of economic growth and job creation and thus plays a central role in reducing poverty.

For its part, the World Economic Forum noted that the private sector’s role in encouraging a country’s growth and economic development cannot be overstated. Private enterprises are the chief agents in creating employment, providing funds, building competitiveness and driving innovation — all essential instruments for growth.

Government cannot do the job alone.

Majority of the country’s expressway network had been developed, is maintained and is operated by the private sector. SMC built or improved and operates the Skyway system, the South Luzon Expressway, the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road and the NAIA Expressway while Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. manages and/or built the North Luzon Expressway, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the Manila-Cavite Expressway, the Cavite-Laguna Expressway and the NLEX Connector Road.

Hundreds of billions of pesos were spent by these two alone using their own funds. Imagine what travelling would be like without all these expressways that they built. And more are in their respective pipelines.

Even power generation is basically private-sector led.

Just recently, RSA, and Manuel V. Pangilinan, who heads the MVP Group of Companies which includes the Metro Pacific group, met to join forces in helping solve Metro Manila’s perennial flooding woes together with the local governments and other corporates.

This is not of course a money-making venture but something to give back to the country. RSA earlier offered to help address flooding through cleanups of rivers and other waterways at no cost to the government and MVP has said that he is joining the former in his quest.

The President last week even thanked RSA and MVP for their future contribution to the ongoing project Oplan Kontra Baha, a large-scale flood mitigation program that aims to reduce flooding in Metro Manila by as much as 60 percent through continuous dredging, desiltation and clearing of major waterways.

The project will also be implemented in other flood-prone areas in the country like Cebu, Bacolod, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cagayan de Oro, among others. Both RSA and MVP were at the program’s launch.

Government should instead work on making it easier for the private sector to do business. Take the case of right-of-way issues that have frequently caused significant delays in infrastructure projects. Addressing ROW issues is a must if we want to improve the business environment.

There are things that only the private sector can do or can do better. There are those that can be accomplished by the government alone or in partnership with private entities. But government should always be there to remove stumbling blocks to development.

For comments, email at [email protected]