Never too far away

With the Internet, you are never really away from home. Wherever I am, whenever I browse the Internet and open the Philippine Star website, I get the usual dosage of stories: the jueteng scandal that is haunting the First Family; the alleged corruption permeating the entire bureaucracy starting at the highest levels; the killings of media personalities; the Fil-sham scandals; the conflicting egos and intrigues that are creating havoc in the preparations of our hosting of the South East Asian games and sports development in general; and other stories that give foreigners and even Filipinos living abroad an overall negative perspective of our country.

Well, I’m back and it’s not really as bad as one would feel when away from home. Somehow, the warm smiles of friends and acquaintances in your homeland have a soothing and calming effect.

The Internet also enabled me to stay in touch with readers who have something to say about the previous columns, and I’m giving way to some of these comments.

Here’s one from Sir Romulus P. Guangco of Pasig City, who is suggesting on ways to optimize the value of our nurses and doctors who are being engaged by other countries.

Optimizing Value Of Resources

"I just want to give my two cents worth re: your column on ‘The Doctors are out’ published in the Philippine Star (05/16/2005).

"I think we should elevate the stature of Filipino physicians and nurses up an ante. Instead of just sending them as employees working on some foreign owned hospital, be it on a contractual or immigrant basis, why not create a strong and definite foothold on the health service requirements of these host countries? As I recall, nurses were very much in demand almost a decade ago. I almost took it as my college course if not for a sudden oversupply of nursing graduates that slackened local and international demand.

"I think that it is about time to have a control on both the demand and supply of healthcare services. I suggest that we should build/create our own community hospital or clinic in the host country. Chinese General Hospital is a great example. It was established by Chinese immigrants here in the Philippines (around the 1900s) to serve primarily the medical needs of the Chinese community. Today, it serves both the Chinoys‚ and Pinoys‚ healthcare needs, and as a training venue for practicing medicine. If one compares the medical services of CGH with Makati Medical City, St. Luke’s General Hospital or Cardinal Santos General Hospital, one will notice one glaring difference. It is the bill, medical bill to be precise. It’s like buying from SM versus Rustans. I think we should learn from their success and apply it to our advantage.

"Bottom line is, our people and the people in government should not be content with the trickles brought in by OFW remittances but take the money bucket. Filipinos have the innate competency and character for this job. It’s time to compete in this steady growing market and cut out the middlemen (the foreign-owned and controlled employer, hospital, and recruitment agencies both here and its partners abroad).

"A Filipino-owned and controlled hospital in a foreign land creates an undisputed impression that we are not just timeserving for every given opportunity but as an invaluable institutional asset to the host country."

Departing Doctors

We have another reader who wishes to share his views about the same subject. Here is Mike Bolos’s letter: "I would like to comment that we do not have a problem as far as the nurses are concerned because we have enough graduates every year to take the place of those leaving for abroad. As a matter of fact, it is a blessing in disguise in the whole context of things because we would have ended up with a big unemployment problem if the nurses did not go abroad.

"Another consideration is that it allows for new graduates an opportunity to get employed easily as those higher up in the totem pole move up or ship out. Perhaps the phenomenon will even force local pay for nurses to be hiked up a bit because even with the big numbers of nurses going abroad, the local pay is still miniscule which only means that there is still more supply locally than demand.

"It is altogether a different situation for doctors. The numbers graduating every year is quite small because of the length of time and the great amount of expense it takes to get one through medical school. It is not to our advantage to have a big number of them going abroad as doctors or nurses, and permanently settling overseas.

"Much as they would want to stay in the country for whatever reason like those volunteers for Doctors to the Barrios, there is however the economic and the political reason that frustrates them. On the economic side, they cannot earn enough to provide their families a decent life in line with their status in society and politics because most of them who opted to serve in the barrios are being frustrated every turn of the way by local government officials. Invariably, they head out the door once they’ve had it no matter how patriotic they wanted to be.

"We used to recruit topnotch nurses from the most prestigious hospitals in the Philippines during the 80s and early part of the 90s for Saudi Arabia. Now, any qualified Filipino nurse willing to come to Saudi Arabia will do because most of the better-qualified ones are going to the western world for understandable reasons."

Meralco’s View Of Open Access

And finally, we get a reaction from Meralco on the complaint of manufacturing firms looking for ways and means to reduce their high electricity bills. Here is the letter of Elpi Cuna, Meralco’s vice president and director for corporate communications.

"We read with concern your referring to Meralco’s standing in the way of what you termed as ‘industries seeking to access power generators that can sell at lower cost.’ As the country’s biggest power distribution franchise holder, Meralco has communicated to government that it is fully supportive of the ‘open access’ scheme, which is among the reforms ushered in by the EPIRA. In fact, we are now in the process of removing cross-subsidies as ordered by ERC and are hoping that the unbundling of our charges will not be reversed as ruled by the Court of Appeals. We are also currently participating in the trial operations of the Wholesale Electric Spot Market (WESM).

"The ERC has targeted the start of open access in Luzon for July 2006. We are fully aware of that timetable and are eagerly anticipating the draft rules that will provide for a smooth transition to retail competition starting with customers with demand of at least one megawatt which will initially comprise the ‘contestable market.’ Two years after the start of open access, ‘aggregators’ can also contract with suppliers provided their aggregated load meets the threshold demand level of 750 kilowatts, turning them into a ‘contestable market.’

"We are cognizant that under the EPIRA, our obligation as a franchise holder is now limited to providing adequate and reliable connection to the grid and least cost supply to our captive customers. Once retail competition starts, Meralco is no longer under any obligation to supply the customers in the contestable market which are already free to choose their supplier. May I assure you and your readers that Meralco will not stand in the way of retail competition at the timing and pace deemed appropriate by the ERC."

My thanks to Meralco for its reply. However, I wish to reiterate my concern that the pace and timing that Meralco is willing to adopt may be too slow and too late. We could lose too many industries and the benefits they provide the local economy if we don’t act fast. As the local saying goes, "aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo."Can’t Meralco join forces with these industries and push government, i.e., the Energy Regulatory Commission, to accelerate open access and allow large users of electricity to get their power requirements from lower cost sources? Or, is this asking too much from Meralco?

"Breaking Barriers" with Customs Commissioner Bert Lina

"Breaking Barriers" on IBC-TV13 (11 p.m. every Wednesday) will feature Customs Commissioner Bert Lina on Wednesday, 8th June 2005. Join us break barriers with Commissioner Lina as we discuss the major challenges he is facing other than the cleansing of Custom’s tarnished public image. For instance, will the attrition policy work to upgrade the quality and integrity of Customs personnel? Watch it.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://www.bizlinks.linkedge.biz.