A crisis-making government

It has long been said that the Arroyo administration is often responsible for making its own problems, imagining its own ghosts and creating its own crisis.

I certainly sympathize with President Arroyo with the realization that more than half of the problems or crises faced by her government were man-made, often by retired politicians or ex-military officials who use power and position in the absence of competence or intelligence.

At the moment we are facing a double crisis of serious consequence, yet the Cabinet Secretaries directly responsible for these concerns have tried to dismiss the concerns with nonchalance and a measure of arrogance.

During the holidays, TV viewers got a sampling of the Angelo Reyes style of problem solving by berating businessmen who belong to the association of LPG re-fillers and dealers. The businessmen caused the annoyance of Secretary Reyes when they started giving interviews about a developing shortage of liquefied petroleum gas.

Reyes unabashedly castigated them for going to media and giving a press conference and presumably creating a non-existent problem. Needless to say, the businessmen chose to shut up instead of engaging a government official who was totally clueless.

Now the tables are turned. Now every household in Metro Manila and south of Manila have been experiencing the developing shortage and the consequent rise in prices of LPG. Friends have been texting to ask where there may be available supplies? In Lipa, people are asking if they should buy, wait or start shifting to firewood.   

In the hands of a competent and humble government official, this problem may have been avoided, in the hands of a well-informed manager this problem will easily be solved without doubt and without impartiality. That person unfortunately is no longer Secretary Angelo Reyes.

For all his commitment as a soldier and his training as a career officer, even his real contributions as a member of the Arroyo cabinet, Secretary Reyes must admit and the President also must realize that the “Peter Principle” has come into effect for Secretary Reyes at the Department of Energy.

From the very start, Angelo Reyes was a technical misfit in an office and a position that requires technical training, expertise and network. It is not a generic office that can be filled by an ex something or another. The DOE has multiple concerns in the short term and long term, which are so crucial and sensitive that it is a national security concern, but not on the military level.

Reyes with or without cause no longer has the trust or confidence of stakeholders in the Energy sector. When people constantly view his statements, policies or decisions with suspicion as biased or in favor of big business, it is clear that Reyes has a double dose of credibility problems.   

The fuel crisis will come and go, the LPG has come and God willing will also go, perhaps in like manner it is also time for Secretary Angelo Reyes to go.

Crisis # 2

Alluding to allegations of bribery and case fixing, Secretary Raul Gonzalez is quoted as saying that, “No one can fix me”.

Judging from the many divisive, combative and offensive statements that have come from the Secretary’s mouth, it is clear that reprimands and orders from President Arroyo has not “fixed” the Secretary’s mouth. Even after the President declared herself as the temporary Czarina against drugs, The DOJ Secretary could not help firing a verbal scud missile.

Recently, the Secretary of Justice practically threw the PDEA case against the Alabang boys overboard by questioning the constitutionality of active military officers serving as government agents in the arrest of the Alabang Boys who by the way are not boys! They are grown men!

In effect Secretary Gonzalez stood up against government and the Office of the President by verbally attempting to demolish the legality of the PDEA structure and providing the lawyer of the Alabang Boys the option to raise a constitutional issue with the Supreme Court, an issue that will certainly impact recruitment and assignment of military personnel to government offices.

By saying no one can fix him, Secretary Gonzalez has also shown that he is not a team player, he has shown that he does not study the consequences of his musing, and cares not if government collapses all around him as long as he does things his way. The problem is that in doing things his way, Gonzalez is now a threat to the system and the people who work in it.

The Justice system now looks like a wall full of bullet holes in Iraq. It is dirty and in disarray, it causes dismay and discouragement. In the center of this war zone is the Secretary of Justice comfortably sitting in his armchair dispensing his legal musings like a Recoilless Rifle firing well-aimed rounds. Our nightmare is that he has been shooting at allies and friendly targets instead of the real enemies.

If no one can “fix” Secretary Raul Gonzalez, then the President should fire him.

First rice, now corn…

After surviving the “false alarm” about a rice shortage, and once we survive the LPG shortage, the next developing crisis is a potential corn shortage that is being experienced by poultry and hog raisers.

Reports have it that the prices of corn have seriously gone up which if you know the food chain, means that the prices of chicken and pork will certainly go up as well. Our only hope is that the developing “shortage” will be avoided by the big pork and poultry producers such as San Miguel because they stocked up on feeds particularly corn.

This is certainly one legitimate reason to allow companies to import feeds TAX FREE. They can insure their supplies and even bring down prices of food. The locally produced corn won’t really be affected because there is a greater demand than can be supplied.

At the moment, small volume buyers have to compete with the commercial pig and poultry raisers, which creates shortages, which raise prices. So the small farmers, sabungeros and dog breeders end up last on the line paying the highest prices.