Enough of running after GMA!

Our editor captured, in his column yesterday, a very accurate collective sentiment of many Filipinos, not excluding me, definitely. He was commenting on the wayward speech (my own description) given by His Excellency, President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, during the Summit on Criminal Justice. I would have groped around endlessly for a stinging criticism, because I wanted to, but still be unable to approximate the exactitude of the editor’s prose. The president, according to Sir Jerry Tundag, was simply “unpresidential”. Amen.

 Filing as many criminal cases against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as we saw she might have committed during her administration is a thing in the right direction. The sitting president, for all his unrelenting passion, should be lauded for that. After all, many of us thought that Arroyo raided our treasury in a thousand more ingenious ways than the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos did in his lamentable reign such that locking her up in jail, in a conviction of guilt beyond reasonable doubt, if ever, can help us move on even if it may not fully pacify our national indignation.

 But, GMA, the former president, is not everything this administration has. To be sure, she is the big fish whose eventual incarceration for graft and corruption may set a chilling example for similarly minded government officials, but there are many other matters that demand the attention of the president. PNoy has already unequivocably established how he wants to deal with Arroyo. “Let justice be done though the heavens fall” may be his battle cry, yet, he can and must now leave the spade work to his prosecutors and we hope that our justice system truly works.

 There are no verifiable indicators that investments have been ploughed into our economy. Fresh capital is what we badly need. Domestic businessmen are hardly seen expanding their present ventures, let alone, putting up new industries. They are waiting and seeing. For what? That is for the president to address very clearly sooner than later. So far, he has not said anything substantial that may encourage our business leaders to open up their portfolio.

 Beyond the announcement of few large multi nationals that they intend to increase their exposure here, we have not witnessed the kind of attitude they have shown in regards to their fund commitments in other foreign markets. Oh yes, we have our increased share of BPOs, but funds of call center companies are placed in our shores more because of the competitive skills and capabilities of our workers rather than of attractive investment environment.

 Yes, improving our economy is among the most important items our president should focus on. If only Pres Aquino breathes the same fire into making our country as investment destination as he pursues the former Malacañang tenant, we would have turned around already.

 Another area that cries out for attention is agriculture. Considering that we are an agricultural country, this may even be the top agenda of the president. Doubtless, our lands are fertile and arable and our farmers capable. If only Pres. Aquino’s policy direction makes our farmlands reachable by all-weather road networks, brings desirable inputs to our farmers under pay-back schemes that are manageable, and puts up needed post harvest facilities, we might just stop being importers of rice and other farm products.

 Thirdly, the president has to remember that Manila is not the Philippines. He should be different from many past administrations who spent the largest shares of budgets for infrastructure projects in Manila and practically zero for other parts of the country. For example, how much have we, in Cebu City, received in terms of funds for roads? Our congressmen would point to their pet fly-over projects in retort, but gosh, even assuming that these are beneficial, their combined length does not even reach one third of those strung in Metro Manila.

I am sure there are matters for the president to work more pressing than the few I have enumerated. My point is that Pres. Aquino should now leave the efforts to jail GMA to his men and focus on many other important issues. Or I can just say that we are sorry for electing a president who does not know anything much.