Attend to governance

Even as the administration tries to wriggle out of its worst crisis, there are basic services that can’t be neglected, and day-to-day affairs of government that demand attention. With the shutdown of the sanitary landfill in San Mateo, Rizal just eight weeks away, garbage is piling up in many parts of Metro Manila. That could mean a garbage crisis to greet the new year. The weapons of street protest may quickly change from stinking shrimp paste or bagoong to stinking garbage. What’s the government – at least the local governments – doing to address this looming crisis?

Apart from the garbage problem, pavements have again disintegrated after a few days of heavy rains, further messing up traffic. With another typhoon hitting the country, don’t expect relief from potholes and traffic anytime soon. Does anyone still bother with traffic management? The number of traffic enforcers seems to keep dwindling. All over Metro Manila, road signs and traffic lights are blithely ignored, especially by dri-vers of cargo trucks, buses and jeepneys. Some truck drivers even ignore traffic aides who try to pull them over. Instead of warning against anarchy inspired by politics, police officers should attend to this daily anarchy in the streets.

With the typhoons still blowing in November, should we expect more blackouts? In recent days we’ve had blackouts of up to 12 hours in parts of Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. What’s happening to power services? With no jellyfish to pinpoint as the culprit, Malacañang may find itself being blamed for every power outage.

Then there are laws to enforce. The Seat Belt Law went into effect the other day with no one around to enforce it. The cops were busy keeping order in the cemeteries, and these coming days they may be busy looking out for persons or groups out to "walk over" the Constitution. We all know we have too many laws and too little enforcement in this country, but authorities should at least try to put up a show of making citizens comply with a new law. Then again, no one enforces the Clean Air Act either.

There’s garbage to collect, traffic to direct, roads to maintain, telecommunications lines to keep open, electricity and water to provide to households. There are schools and health centers to run and taxes to collect. Even with the political and economic crisis gripping the nation, there should be no paralysis in government.