Have you noticed how so many stories in the front pages of newspapers are focused on President Estrada, and on him alone? Have you noticed, too, how so many of his Cabinet members are deafeningly silent on what they are doing, giving the public the impression that their departments do not exist? One glaring example of a government department that seems to be non-existent is the Department of Public Works and Highways. No sound, no fury, nothing, no-nothing -- this is the blinding image of the DPWH.
The stunning silence of the DPWH is one reason why the object of criticism is almost always President Estrada. When people see the poor state of roads and bridges, the uncompleted infra projects, the sluggishness of the road-repair workers, and everything else associated with the DPWH, the people are forced to heap the blame on President Estrada. Which is but natural because the President is the one who is very visible, while the DPWH is invisible. If the DPWH knew how to talk and open its mouth, President Estrada would be left alone to do the talking and rationalizing. Kawawa naman si Pangulong Erap -- at kagaling naman ang DPWH sa buckpassing.
The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company is, indeed, a heavyweight in the Philippine business community. With its recent tieup with NTT of Japan and its acquisition of cellular company Smart, PLDT is now atop the corporate totem pole with a total market cap of about P150 billion.
Observers also noted the emergence of a "new" PLDT, with heft and a deep bench. Aside from acquiring Smart, PLDT also has a cable TV company Home Cable, an Internet service provider Infocom, Piltel, and the only operating satellite company named Mabuhay. Of course, the tieup with NTT enables PLDT to have access to the modern technology of the Japanese giant.
PLDT's competitors might say that the PLDT is trying to go back to its old monopolistic days. No, this is not "old world" but "new economy," PLDT's honchos might very well retort in kind. For look at the mega deals taking place all over the world. Telecoms, cable TV and Internet companies are buying each other up, or combining to produce new media giants. Consider, too, America Online buying Time-Warner. Or British mobile phone giant Vodafone buying up Germany's biggest cellular operator.
"Big is beautiful" is probably Manny Pangilinan's slogan. But so is good service. PLDT has to use its billions to deliver on its promise to provide world-class service to its clients.
PULSEBEAT: Proponents of a Third Force in the political landscape are growing. They feel that a Third Force, especially in the Senate race, can attract voters and financial resources from concerned citizens . . . What does insulin have in common with Vitamin A enriched rice? Both are products of exhaustive biotechnology research. Insulin saves millions of lives each year among the 135 million worldwide sufferers of diabetes. Probably, some 500 million lives will soon be spared from premature death due to iron deficiency anemia or lack of Vitamin A. Enriched rice from biotechnology could be the insulin of the new millennium . . . In a recent remark made by Mr. Haerlin, the Greenpeace spokesman, about biotechnology, he dismissed the importance of saving African or Asian lives at the risk of spreading a new science that he considered untested.
Arturo A. Borjal's e-mail address: jwalker@tri-isys.com