Reconnecting and learning

More than 20 years ago, long before he became Senate President, Senator Frank Drilon was a familiar figure at my father’s house. It would be safe to assume that they were good friends or had a symbiotic relationship that helped each other’s career and professional requirements. It was also their relationship that taught me the value of good PR, media relations and knowing how media works.

Frank Drilon had worked in the corridors of power as Secretary of Justice, Presidential confidant, Executive Secretary and eventually Senator and beyond. Aside from being an able bureaucrat, juggler of political power and influence, Frank Drilon was one of the best at building relationships with members of media, preparing his message and making the media and their audience to take interest in what he had to share and say.

At his peak, Frank Drilon was a regular guest, interviewee, or information source for radio and television. There was never a week when you did not hear Drilon contribute or elaborate on the week’s hottest topic. It was on that basis that my Dad Louie Beltran and Senator Drilon were “friends.”

Twenty years hence, Drilon is now Senate President at a time when noise-makers, rabble rousers even in the Senate, and media driven circuses abound. In that period an independent and different media has evolved: social media, which unfortunately has gone beyond being social or sociable. We now live in an environment where the truth has been mixed with the most wicked of lies, and leaves the public and even decision makers confused and generally laying low rather than becoming the targets of publicity hounds and pseudo activists, seeking to market themselves as the alternative choice for leaders.

As a result, guys like Drilon have limited their media engagements to the sensible and safe individuals who won’t drag them into unsavory issues or political conflicts. The problem with staying out of the kitchen is that the public and writers like myself won’t know about the good news or good things that elected officials are doing. When I mentioned this to a common friend, he suggested lunch at the Marco Polo Hotel. The Senate President instinctively agreed to have lunch and rekindle old ties.

As a result, I actually learned first hand that the Senate President has been busy in helping develop Iloilo City and has enjoyed the experience of doing some “executive” work instead of being engulfed in pointless political debates. Drilon teased us with the joke that whenever he is in Iloilo, he is part time Mayor and acting district engineer. and he strongly adheres to the other “golden rule” which says: He who has the gold rules! Drilon takes pride in having spent a lot of his PDAF and DAP to help develop business and tourism in Iloilo way before the Supreme Court ruled out the legality and continuation of PDAF and DAP.

Senator Drilon’s active involvement and spending in Iloilo started when the government sold the old Iloilo Airport to Andrew Tan who in turn built commercial and residential projects on the 52-hectare property. With Tan showing his commitment, Senator Drilon convinced the Megaworld boss to donate 1.7 hectares of land worth P510 million and in return Senator Drilon would undertake to build the P700 million Iloilo convention center that would boost tourism, business and of course indirectly increase the real estate values of Tan’s developments.

Drilon assembled the funds with P200 million from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) - DOT, P200 million from Drilon’s pork barrel, P200 million from DAP funds and P100 million from regular appropriations of the DPWH. The 3,500 seat Iloilo Convention Center will be finished in time for APEC in October 2015 and the City of Iloilo joined and won two bids to host two ministerial meetings. Consequently major hotel brands such as the Marriott, SEDA and Radison-Park Inn have set up shop and are also preparing for APEC.

To boost further activities Drilon allotted P87 million of PDAF to build a 1.2 kilometer elevated esplanade that has become a high-end public park that has driven land value in the area from P2,000 to P27,000 per square meter. 

Drilon also shared his experience trying to develop the Iloilo River which was the city septic tank, tomb of 10 sunken vessels, clogged by 100+ fish pens, 1,000 informal settler families, drainage of the city slaughter house, and the honky-tonk and beer garden strip.

The city had a plan but there was no money and no political force to go with it. Senator Drilon had his pork barrel and he knew the law. In short he had the gold and he knew the rules. In one case, Drilon asked a City Councilor to relocate his beer garden to an alternative site to give way to the riverside development but the councilor refused and allegedly demanded P10 million in spite of having no title or authority. When “please” failed the “Pulis” were sent in based on the beer garden being a public nuisance, the court refused to issue a TRO for the councilor, and the obstruction was demolished. As Drilon put it “Kung yung mahirap dine demolish natin bakit hindi puede sa mayaman?”

In another case, a businessman from General Santos City set up shop on the Iloilo river,  ran a dry dock ship repair facility with 2 slipways with 12 ships being derusted or serviced at the same time, occupying 8,000 sqm for 20 years. When asked to present an EEC, he argued that he predated the issuance of environmental impact certificates. Drilon’s team discovered “the guy had been squatting on public land, apart from screwing the government and screwing the environment.” The property was turned over to the Philippine Ports Authority in exchange for a passenger terminal that is now operational. To remove 1,000 informal settlers Drilon worked with the NHA (National Housing Authority) giving them P170 million again from PDAF to build 1,000 housing units, managed by Gawad Kalinga for moral values and management, not for sale in order to retain control against sublease or squatter landlords.

Hopefully, Drilon’s good intentions, his political will and all the funds will be a faithful testimony on what can be achieved when we set our mind to it.

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