Out of the bat cave

What I thought to be a Presidential junket to Davos ’09 in Switzerland may actually be an evasive maneuver for the President to avoid the pain of separation from members of her administration who will soon be reassigned, relocated or removed from their posts.

If sources are correct this would not be the first time the President went on an official trip while a cabinet reorganization was taking place. With or without her, “The change we don’t believe in” is scheduled to take place during or after the weekend.

Why is it a change we can’t believe in? Because at the end of the day the changes are not about reform or performance but about political expediency and accommodation. In the Arroyo administration no one really gets fired, not even someone who calls you “evil”. In fact, an accounting of expenses for non-performing, salaried undersecretaries, directors and consultants will probably run into the millions.

Things are so bad that in one major department there are several undersecretaries who have no actual responsibility, no desk, and no shame. But they continue to go to “work”!

People who get fired are those who actually do their jobs and make the mistake of showing the country that government offices can make money if run properly and with integrity. The minute crooks realize there is money that could be stolen, they start moving like termites on soft wood.

If PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago is in hot water, it is simply because he and his boys exposed how much money was being made or paid to corrupt law enforcers and members of the justice system.

If LTO Chief Bert Suansing is now on the hit list of PMA alumni, it is because so many people know that so much money can be made in the various areas and concerns of the LTO. I recently checked with known “corruptors” in the automotive industry and the crooks themselves are rejoicing over how Suansing reduced the level and cost of corruption by removing or replacing notorious extortionists within the LTO.

I remember one time when the President was being convinced to accept the resignation of a Customs official whom the President balled-out. By mere coincidence I happen to be in the same room as the President and she asked my humble opinion about it.

I simply told her; “Mrs. President, if you want to run out of loyal supporters who are still doing their job, go ahead. That official is one of the few independent minded people who still follow you. In case you have forgotten, that man is also a respected member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo”.

I realized that the Malacanang operators led by the local Rasputin were hoping to take out the INC guy so they could control the business in his area. To her credit, President Arroyo chose to have lunch with the Customs official and stroked his ruffled feathers.

Politics they say is about addition. If political expediency forces the President to keep even the undesirables, perhaps she can maintain the status quo and some balance by retaining people who do their jobs and do them well.

A lost cause or lost opportunities

I wonder if Secretary Peter Favila has ever realized that in the middle of impending economic doom, he has the once in a lifetime chance to turn things around for the economy and probably earn the moniker of “Peter the Great”.

Many people in government continue to think inside the box by proposing stimulus packages or soft loans for returning OFWs and in time they will probably start talking about cutting the EVAT etc. Obviously, none of these poor students of History have stopped to consider the true stories and facts about how people’s sense of nationalism can be stirred, directed and used as a power even greater than nuclear power plants to save dying economies.

If Secretary Peter Favila would only assign a few good researchers to dig up the British, Japanese, American, Australian and Chinese experience, the good secretary might realize that many of the great economic powers and emerging markets came as a result of ORGANIZED and DETERMINED campaigns to teach citizens how buying local products create or save jobs.

Such a campaign could help teach Filipinos that by buying Philippine made products, we will be able to keep OFW remittances in the Philippines, which could be used to capitalize more businesses. By doing so, the market and our products eventually improve and qualify in the international market. Right now you have to use a magnifying glass just to know the difference.

Lip service is not good enough Mr. Secretary. You will find many volunteers; you will find a lot of support, because at the end of the day, “Buying Filipino” will benefit all of us. But Only Peter Favila has the political and moral responsibility to undertake what has been put forward.

The choice then is to be Peter the Great or Peter the Flake?

Dancing to a different tune?

DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus recently launched a contest that will chose and reward a school that has the best “Forest Park”. The idea he says is to inculcate or to teach kids about protecting and appreciating the environment.

The reaction to this latest gimmick is: Can you eat a forest?

I don’t know if the DepEd people are paying attention to Malacanang, but last I read, President Gloria Arroyo launched her own version of the “Green Revolution”. Faced with food security issues and increasing poverty, the President obviously realizes the need to prioritize.

We have long suggested the same program to the DepEd Secretary since the same is done in China to augment the food needs of families and to make sure school children eat vegetables. I hope Secretary Lapus can get his people to follow the same script if not the same tune.