First 50 days

TAIPEI – From our office in Port Area last Friday, it took me nearly two hours to reach the NAIA Terminal 3 for a flight to Taipei. Traffic was at a standstill and I would have walked from the rotunda leading to the airport except it was raining.

I made it to the Cebu Pacific web check-in counter with time to spare – only to wait for an eternity as air traffic congestion was even worse than the one on the ground. Our departure, set for 10 p.m., finally pushed through at 1 a.m. It couldn’t have been because of the rain – it wasn’t that heavy and had stopped at past 9 p.m. It had to be due to the sheer inadequacy of our international airport.

At least Taipei was my final destination. Many of those taking connecting flights in Taipei must have had to readjust their schedules.

President Duterte may want to remember that the sorry state of the country’s airports, starting with the NAIA, as well as other mass transportation infrastructure was one of the reasons for the repudiation of “continuity” in the May elections.

In his first 50 days, the frequent breakdowns of the Metro Rail Transit have continued, with occasional glitches in the Light Rail Transit. Metro Manila traffic remains horrid. The other Friday, people took to social media to lament that they had been stuck for up to six hours in traffic. I left our office at 5:30 p.m., hoping to reach Makati at 7 p.m. for an event, and never made it. I couldn’t even return to the office; Roxas Boulevard was jammed. I finally arrived home after three hours on the road.

People understand that the traffic mess and inadequate mass transport infrastructure cannot be remedied overnight. At least the bullet planting or tanim-bala at the NAIA is over. And President Rody is attending to a lot of stuff. But because he is seen as an action man, people are hoping for some quick improvement in the traffic woes.

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Being in a high-tech hub like Taiwan (high-speed, cheap or free Internet everywhere!) always reminds me of the inadequacy of our infrastructure. Even if Congress refuses to give him emergency powers, President Rody should quickly address this inadequacy, including expanding our railway network to decongest Metro Manila, improve logistics and promote economic activities outside the big cities.

Japan had its first high-speed bullet train way back in October 1964. Traveling at 210 kilometers per hour, the shinkansen service was launched a few days ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Today the bullet train travels at speeds of up to 320 kph and remains popular despite rates that rival airfare. I’ve taken the bullet train and enjoyed the smooth and comfortable ride. It has more legroom than aircraft. Ticketing is quicker and simpler and so the wait before departure is shorter, with the schedules more reliable.

I’m increasingly hearing government officials discussing the possibility of installing a subway system in Metro Manila. Those who worry that this is impossible in an area that is prone to massive flooding and powerful earthquakes should look at Japan, which has similar natural problems. Japan has an extensive subway system and is planning to upgrade to maglev or magnetic levitation railways, mostly subterranean, whose trains can travel at speeds of more than 600 kph. Despite regular earthquakes, Japan’s bullet trains reportedly have a near-perfect record in keeping trip schedules.

The predictability of departure and arrival times is just among the attractions of trains. The affordable fare and the lack of trip disruptions from traffic add to the appeal. President Rody should inspect the commuter train service in Metro Manila during working days. The trains are slow and look crummy, but even when it’s not rush hour, the coaches are packed.

At the MRT and LRT stations, the long lines for a ride and the packed coaches despite regular glitches should compel the President to speed up the expansion of train capacity. If we had an efficient subway like Taiwan, more people would be willing to leave cars at home.

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We don’t know how much attention traffic, mass transportation and infrastructure are getting from the new administration. Although his day starts at 1 p.m., President Duterte looks like a workaholic, and he seems to know what common people need. But everything is being overshadowed by his brutal war on drugs. Now he has added a sideshow with his war on Sen. Leila de Lima.

The one-stop shop for Filipinos who want to work overseas is a clear accomplishment in his first 50 days. So are the peace initiatives with all rebel groups, even if the hand of peace proffered to the Abu Sayyaf was immediately rejected (no surprise there). 

Then there’s the order for Freedom of Information in the executive branch, even if its implementing rules (including exemptions) have yet to be released.

There’s a casual, down-home style of governance that is appreciated by the masses – racy presidential jokes and cussing included. People also like the end to appending the pompous “excellency” to official titles.

It’s also good that the President has made the Vice President part of his official family.

Seeking rapprochement with Beijing, but without disregarding the ruling of the UN-backed arbitral tribunal on the South China Sea dispute, and sending Fidel Ramos as special envoy for thawing icy relations are also positive steps.

Naturally, taxpayers are cheering President Duterte’s commitment to cut personal income taxes, and his marching order to drastically cut red tape and make doing business easier.

As for the rest of the policies announced and measures implemented in the first 50 days of the Duterte administration, they are good or bad depending on where you’re coming from.

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Big mining companies are probably glad, like environmental advocates, that small-scale mining operations have been suspended indefinitely, but the fate of mining in this administration is uncertain. An official appointed recently to the department is seen to counter-balance Secretary Gina Lopez’s bias against mining, although those who know her wonder if she will allow herself to be counter-balanced.

Labor contracting or “endo” has been suspended for a month. This is good for workers in establishments that have abused the system, but it also throws production schedules awry in several industries where contractual jobs are unavoidable.

As the President marked his first 50 days in office, Newsweek magazine’s story on the new administration was not about the accomplishments, but about “Blood in the streets of the Philippines.”

This kind of narrative is unhealthy for any nation. The President can’t allow the many other problems of this country to be overwhelmingly eclipsed by his bloody war.