The state of the hairline, the state of the nation

MANILA, Philippines - A receding hairline could be a political statement.

Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said his receding hairline is like the country’s dwindling forest cover, representing the national effort to recover what’s left of dwindling resources wasted by graft and corruption.

“I am not in this (presidential) race because I salivated for the position. There are days when I wake up, and realize my hairline, which is like our forest cover, will not be recovered anymore, especially with the problems that GMA (President Arroyo) will leave behind,” Aquino said.

The 50-year-old bachelor said instead of marrying early and starting his own family, he “opted for the greater benefit of our countrymen even if it caused me harm.”

“Don’t be concerned about my personal interests. At the end of the day, there is the situation of the people (to consider),” he said.

Aquino, the only son of the late former President Corazon Aquino and the martyred former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., vowed to exert all efforts to recover some P150 billion in revenues wasted through graft and corruption.

“Within a year, that is our projected target - we intend to get that P150 billion in tax leakages,” he said.

Aquino said he would apply what he learned in his economics classes at the Ateneo.

He revealed Mrs. Arroyo was his teacher in Ateneo but lamented she didn’t practice what she preached.

“I remember the lessons (in economics) GMA taught me. She was my teacher but apparently she failed to practice what she taught us,” Aquino told the gathering of the People’s Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Makati City yesterday.

With regard to improving the country’s productivity and competence in the age of globalization, Aquino said there has to be a level playing field where each sector has to measure up to international standards.

“First, the example has to be set. If the playing field is level and the determinant of success is purely our skills efficiency, then I will force myself to be that competitive person,” he said.

Aquino said he would raise efficiency standards in government, much like the rigid Japanese standards.

“The Japanese have very rigid systems and their procedures are very efficient. In our case, it is usual that somebody forces his way into the line in order to be ahead of the others. If we open doors to foreign trade, how many firms can withstand this, even in the service sector? Bottom line, with a level playing field, we’ll increase competitiveness,” he said.

Aquino assured the businessmen at the PMAP gathering that he would adopt the carrot-and-stick policy in the strictest interpretation of the phrase. “I will lead by example,” he said.

One example is by increasing the salaries of civil servants.

“You want your men to do this enormous task but then you do not want to increase their salary? Let’s be realistic, you want good people with talent and you want them to have integrity, give them what is due them,” he stressed.

“Raise the bar before they are tempted (to be corrupt),” Aquino said.