Being 'locked on target'

“Pick up lines” are amusing but I would rather pick up lines and terms from the movies particularly combat or military films. So today I used the term that many combat pilots use when they have pursued an enemy aircraft or target and have “Locked on Target” electronically.

At this stage of the chase, the pilot has confirmed that he has the enemy on sight, that the target is hot or confirmed as the enemy, and all he now has to do is press the trigger and destroy the enemy. While all this jargon may sound military, such a scenario can teach you a lesson about conflict management, leadership and operational strategic thinking.

As an example I will use the conflict of opinion between Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon and members of the Hog Raisers Federation. At the moment, the federation members have declared a pork holiday for one week, during this one week period, hog raisers will reduce the volume of pork deliveries to Metro Manila anywhere from 30% to 50%. This is intended to dramatize or emphasize the fact that hog raisers are fed up with illegal importation and over importation of pork based products which has pushed down the prices of pork and its by-products.

Since importers don’t have to pay for permits, slaughtering charges, transportation and middlemen, and because importers are buying government subsidized pork from other countries there is really no way our local hog raisers can compete. As a result of the unprofitable market situation, the pork holiday will in effect create an artificial shortage to push prices up and only then can local raisers at an advantage because it takes time for importers to order and deliver.

For sometime now, the Hog raisers have primarily focused on the Bureau of Customs as the primary solution (or target) for their problem. This is because the BOC is the gatekeeper and the first to decide who can import and gets to bring imported pork out of BOC facilities. It did not take long however for the Hog raisers to realize that they were not going to get “speedy results” because the BOC is a government agency that operates based on rules and procedures.

The Hog raisers made a mistake in expecting to get the same “action agad” response from Commissioner Ruffy Biazon as they did from former BOC Lito Alvarez. These are two officials representing and working under two different administrations with two different management styles and political realities. Lito Alvarez worked under a “hands on” president operating during a period of extreme unpopularity. Under such conditions, problems were immediately dealt with if there was a potential for escalation and the media feeding on the problem.

In the case of Ruffy Biazon, the current administration is highly sensitive about going by the book in line with its “Matuwid na Daan” philosophy. As a consequence it requires facts and figures resulting in “bureaucratic” delays. Because it remains a popular administration, there is less paranoia and sense of urgency to be politically correct or sensitive. If the President can tell Mindanao to “Bite the bullet” and pay higher prices if they want electricity, I suppose it would not be far fetched to think that Malacanang might tell Metro Manilans to eat less pork for better health instead of fast tracking an anti-smuggling campaign.

But the truth for the matter, or at least judging from his reactions, Commissioner Ruffy Biazon gives a damn and wants to do something about the illegal or excessive importation of pork products. In fact he was noticeably upset when the Hog raisers accused him of inaction or being slow on the job.

As natural as that may all seem, both sides need to step back and reassess the scenario because they are chasing or targeting the wrong target. Both sides want to solve the same problem and are frustrated by their respective limitations, but all that is causing them to face off instead of working side by side to go after smugglers.

As much as Biazon may want to solve the importation problem, the members of the Hog Federation needs to go public with a list of suspects or leads. Publish it as an open letter to PNoy or Biazon. Put it out in newspaper ads or call for a press conference where all of you stand together. Hire a spokesperson if you don’t want to be targetted, but be willing to join the fight not just talk about it.

Don’t expect Biazon to do all the dirty work for your profit. In battle there no civilians, and this is a very common problem of business people as well as civilians. We complain so much about politicians, criminals, dirty cops, drug dealers, but we are never willing to stand side by side with the media to do the exposé or with government to go after the criminals.

In the case of Commissioner Biazon, government office has no place for sentiments or hurt feelings. Don’t take it against the federation if they compare you with your predecessor and you fall short in comparison. You yourself have said you’re new in the job. But after a while even that becomes old and people simply expect results. If you can’t get results from the people within your office or the commission, perhaps it is time to “call the Marines”.

Better yet copy successful business models from Australia, the US and elsewhere. Work with a combined team focused on BIO Security in light of health threats, standardized units and processes and set up one single port of entry and a processing center. Don’t tell me it can’t be done because it was done at the height of a campaign against car smuggling.

Yes the BOC wants facts and figures but if “operators” and corrupt officials are running circles around you, it is time to end the criminal circus through containment, systematic protocol and locking in on target! For all that is said and done, Commissioner Biazon is still the best man for the job as long as he remains “Faithful Always”.