Requirement: Sealed with a kiss

When things border on the ridiculous, they earn the right to be ridiculed.

From time to time some ridiculous news items make me wonder.

Last week, I heard that bidders for the construction of CALEX, or the Cavite-Laguna Expressway, were pressuring the bids and awards committee to exclude one bidder based on a couple of technicalities. From what I heard, representatives of ORION – an Ayala subsidiary, Metro Pacific of the MVP group, Aboitiz, and a company listed as MTD Philippines all wanted Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc. excluded because Optimal failed  “by not properly sealing and boxing bid documents.”

 To be fair, I don’t know how serious an infraction that maybe, but if sealed and padlocked metal ballot boxes can be tampered with, one has to wonder what the real concern is all about. The issue of sealing and boxing bid documents is generally intended to insure against “dagdag-bawas” or unlawful alterations in bids. But if all bids are submitted within the same deadline, what’s the big deal?

I suppose the real big deal is not about documents being sealed and boxed, but the fact that the company that other participants want excluded is actually San Miguel Corp. which has systematically whipped their asses and consistently made bid offers far and beyond what the other companies have been willing to offer. If memory serves me correctly, in the last bidding battle for that expressway to NAIA, San Miguel Corp. out-priced everyone by over P5 billion. I even commented then that San Miguel’s “reputedly insane bid” was actually a reflection of true worth or value and not a price intended to “nickel and dime” the government and the taxpayers.

Apparently, the competition will use anything and everything to block San Miguel and anyone else willing to challenge them, and that’s their right. I am reminded of how even the DOTC issued an edict banning and eventually severely limiting airline participation in such projects and biddings forcing PAL, another San Miguel company, to limit its participation for the Cebu-Mactan Airport development.

At the end of the day, we can only hope that the people in charge of the CALEX project stay focused on getting the best price and the best possible service from the most worthy bidder because if not, then we might ultimately hear of bid requirements that demand all documents be “sealed with a kiss.”

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Good people, good products and good companies must be shared and supported.

For me one of those “good” brands and organizations is a company many people above 50 years of age may be familiar with but is lost on the younger ones. As they celebrate 66 years of service, I sincerely believe that those of us who benefitted from the good music and good news of the Far East Broadcasting Corp. owe FEBC, DZFE and DZAS a debt of gratitude for introducing us to classical music, Christian values and good English. It was through DZFE that I got a mother lode of exposure to classical music and in more recent times I have been selectively listening to DZAS for “straight and sober” newscasting without commentaries, sarcasm or sound effects in bad taste. In the evenings DZAS features a string of Christian programs hosted by well- known and respected pastors from here and abroad.

Some might say DZAS is “holy, holy” or too biblical, but as I listen to their many programs, they actually grow on you, except maybe for one or two fire and brimstone type. Your kids might even learn some proper Tagalog and not street jargon. But what I’ve come to learn lately is that if you want to live a particular lifestyle or practice a belief, you must do so in as many ways as possible. They call it immersion, or living the life.

Congratulations FEBC!

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Many people still have not heard of the recommendation or endorsement allegedly made by Secretary Ping Lacson to build a totally new airport in the historical town of Palo, Leyte where the MacArthur monument is located. If so, this means that the Daniel Romualdez Airport a.k.a Tacloban City Airport will presumably be abandoned eventually. Instead of rebuilding the terminal, the PAR recommends construction of a Tacloban City harbor/pier.

Few details have come out of the last two meetings except that the recommendations never passed through, or approved by the Tacloban City Council, which is a requirement under the local government code. The PAR has apparently been severely under pressure because of a rumored reshuffle that they may have overlooked the potential controversy that will hound their recommendation. Why should public funds badly needed to build safe and permanent housing for thousands of Yolanda victims be used to construct a new airport in the tiny town of Palo? After Typhoon Yolanda, several of the world’s Air Force planes landed, operated and safely used the Tacloban airport. Even Cebu Pacific reportedly offered to rebuild or build a new terminal for the sake of passenger safety and comfort but was rejected by the DOTC.

It’s usually a good sign to be forward thinking especially in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, but failing to consult the stakeholders and dismissing the need for their support is not forward looking, it’s one step forward – two steps back.

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I had a bit of a shock when one councilor from Pasig City unguardedly verbalized that they were not very informed on the brewing opposition to the DPWH proposed project to build the “Lawton” bridge between the Fort going to the Ortigas Center. The only possible explanation was that the proposal was presented to the previous administration or past Pasig City Council.

For the councilor’s honesty, I chose to politely point out the fact that their failure to at least “react” will surely label them as “walang paki,” “Donker Brigade” (don’t care) or utterly ignorant and useless. If the project pushes through and causes the irreversible destruction of the environment and the community in the district known as Barrio Kapitolyo, I am certain that it would redefine the politics and politicians in the City of Pasig. This would be ironic since the cause of the problem is a national agency and not Pasigueños!