Corruption will kill thousands here

If a big enough earthquake happens here, thousands will die as a result of corruption. Architect Jun Palafox observed that in major calamities, we use public schools and other public buildings as evacuation centers. To Jun, these are structures least worthy of our trust because corruption in their construction means corners had to be cut, substandard materials had to be used to enable the contractors to give the tongpats and still make money.

This is why Jun is appealing to contractors of substandard public buildings and other infrastructure facilities like bridges and dams to come clean before some big human tragedy happens. The same appeal goes to private sector constructors of tall condominium buildings and malls who may have also cut corners to increase profit margins. No human being really wants to have thousands of lost lives on his conscience unless his moral compass is really out of whack.

That was also the gist of an observation made by a guest interviewed on BBC on the Japanese calamity. Natural calamities like earthquakes, the guest said, test the morality of a nation. Do they prepare the people how to respond? Do they build according to strict building code standards? On these, he said the Japanese pass with flying colors. I don’t think we can say the same of us.

An article in the New York Times reports that Japan’s strict building code saved lives. “Hidden inside the skeletons of high-rise towers, extra steel bracing, giant rubber pads and embedded hydraulic shock absorbers make modern Japanese buildings among the sturdiest in the world during a major earthquake. And all along the Japanese coast, tsunami warning signs, towering seawalls and well-marked escape routes offer some protection from walls of water.

“These precautions, along with earthquake and tsunami drills that are routine for every Japanese citizen, show why Japan is the best-prepared country in the world for the twin disasters of earthquake and tsunami — practices that undoubtedly saved lives...” But even all that were not good enough as the final death toll will undoubtedly show. How about us with our bahala na attitude to things like these?

It is good that DPWH Secretary Babes Singson ordered an audit of the earthquake worthiness of our public buildings and other infrastructure facilities. But the order was given to DPWH officials who will audit themselves. Since most of them are the very people who connived with contractors to short sell the taxpayers on quality, they have the biggest motivation to cover up.

On the assumption that there are still plenty of honest building professionals around, it might have been better for the DPWH to ask the help of private sector professionals to do the audit on important public buildings, to include materials testing. It would be very sad for our nation to have thousands of our school children perish in collapsed school buildings should we be unlucky enough to have a powerful quake strike during class hours.

Because the Batasan is so close to the Marikina fault, it would also be a good idea to check its structural soundness. Other than the congressmen, hundreds of ordinary citizens flock to its gallery specially when important measures are being tackled. We shouldn’t have to lose all those citizens who are concerned enough to monitor the work of our legislators.

At this time, we can only pray for Japan and for our fellow citizens who are there. But for ourselves, we can all do ourselves a favor and learn from what we are seeing on our television screens. Those who have something to confess should do so now before a major calamity kills tens of thousands because corruption led to substandard building construction.

P-Noy’s getting it

Readers of this column will remember that shortly after P-Noy took office, I suggested that he take a tour around key Asean capitals… Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. He had not traveled abroad for at least a decade. When he was elected President, he had an expired passport. We cannot afford to have a leader who does not have an informed world view.

Last week, he visited Jakarta and Singapore. Based on what he is now saying, I think the trips to these bustling Asean capitals are well worth our investment. He saw their progress and P-Noy is starting to get it.

One of the things we were hoping to hear from P-Noy nine months ago is his vision for the country. He opened a speech before Singapore businessmen with this statement: “The first question any government asks itself is ‘What would we like to achieve?’ Vision is a prerequisite for good leadership…”

At least now we know he knows. He said so himself.

Moving on, he talked about Fullerton Hotel, an old building in Singapore that used to be a post office building. It had been transformed it into one of Singapore’s prime hotels.

Here is what he said: “Seeing what was done with the Fullerton inspired me; it made me realize what my job entails. I see myself as a sort of building administrator, tasked to look after a building in a state of disrepair. I lead a nation that has for so long been neglected. My job is to fix the things that need fixing, so that the building—my nation—may perform to its fullest capacity, and my people may live better lives.”

His next few paragraphs are just as quotable: “The challenge is to find the things that need to be fixed; the need to redesign, retrofit, and enhance the building while the occupants continue to use it, while at the same time making their occupancy more comfortable while reconstruction is ongoing.

“Simply put, this means making sure that no one goes hungry; that the welfare of the people is treated as a priority; that each citizen is granted the opportunity to fulfill his potential and no one gets left behind.

“This is not an impossible feat. Your nation has shown the world that good leadership translates into progress. We intend to join your ranks among developed nations; the next question, then, is how?”

How indeed? P-Noy has some idea: “Growth rates are a clear indication of how far into the path of progress a nation is. My nation has been held back in this path due to wrong governance. I am committed to addressing the challenges that have hampered our growth for quite some time now…

“To extend my metaphor, redesigning the building of state means redesigning the culture of governance. I was elected President based on a platform of alleviating poverty by curbing corruption; and I intend to abide by this principle…

“We are likewise addressing the challenges rooted upon a lack of infrastructure that will make the Philippines a more attractive investment destination. In other words, this means retrofitting efforts to existing challenges in order to come up with solutions.”

As Professor Higgins delightfully declared in “My Fair Lady”… I think he’s got it… I think he’s finally got it.

P-Noy still has to flesh things out with real things going on the ground but it was good to hear directly from him that he has an idea of what he is supposed to do… what is expected of him.

Let us hope he was really inspired by the progress he saw in Indonesia and Singapore so that he will be challenged to get this country going at last.

PPP

 A reader sent this comment to a previous column and in reaction to recent developments.

P-Noy announced that MRT 3 and LRT 1 maintenance will be bided out this March, during the inauguration of the PPP Center at the DBP Building.

Compare the speech with the facts on the ground:

LRT 1 has an existing maintenance contract - with CPG consortium, expiring in 2012.

MRT 3 has an existing maintenance contract, since the line begun in 2002, with Sumitomo Corporation. This is up for renewal or re-bidding.

In these two projects, no investments for new infrastructure will be generated. Therefore, no boost at all to the low infra-to-GDP ratio. The real game plan of some group is to preserve these two projects for ODA funding by JICA (and of course, Japan Inc. companies).

 Golden years

This is from Norbert Goldie.

Two little old ladies were attending a rather long church service.

One leaned over and whispered, ’’my butt has gone to sleep.’’

’’I know,’’ replied her companion, ‘’ I heard it snore three times already.’’

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. He is also on Twitter @boochanco