Let’s get rid of the pwede na, okay na attitude

The article we wrote about the Laguindingan Airport caused a stir gauging from the numerous texts and emails that I got, and many agree that the Aquino regime could have used that poorly designed airport terminal to lambast former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for approving that stupid design where its pre-departure area doesn’t even have room for an x-ray machine! This design was for “normal” flight operations. But today, the new “normal” is flight delays and cancellations and that’s where all the troubles in Laguindingan Airport begin.

But then, this is the Philippines, were we Filipinos embrace that old “pwede na, okay na” attitude. So a year ago, when the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) effected this transfer even with the vehement protests coming from the Cagayan de Oro business groups, including CDO Mayor Oscar Moreno who is a staunch supporter of President Aquino, CAAP gave them their usual “damn the torpedoes” attitude and moved the airport even without navigational aids and runway lights, thus flying to CDO is limited to day flights only. But CAAP is in no hurry to correct things because of the “pwede na, okay na” attitude of the Filipino people. These so-called “public servants” owe to turn in their respective resignations for failing their mandate to the Filipino people.

Last week, the big news splashed in the headlines of our national dailies was about the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for constructing substandard homes, that my good friend, architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. said “I’m reminded of the saying, ‘We build monuments for the dead but we can’t even provide decent housing for the living.”

I have no doubt that the problem stems upon the fact that our poor Filipinos are so used to living in shabbily-built, sub-human living quarters or shanties that they call homes, which are easily blown away by ordinary storms, so the international relief agencies decided that the international aid money they are giving would be spent for the typhoon victims would be used to construct sturdy homes for those who lost them during the typhoon.

The report caused a furor with DPWH Secretary Babes Singson who denied that the homes that they constructed were substandard or at least that was what his people informed him and he even said that he would resign if these reports were found to be true. And, as if on cue, of course Malacañang was quick to give their support to their loyal DPWH Secretary. But in the end, it seems that the DPWH Secretary did not know that these homes were substandard from the eyes of the international relief agencies. Shame on Sec. Singson for being so ill-informed!

But I got a clarification email from architect Palafox who said, “In the light of some news that may make it appear I’m accusing DPWH of corruption in the building of bunkhouses, I’d like to clarify that I didn’t make such accusations. I only commented on the shelters for survivors being undersized and substandard based on our international experience and standards. Sec. Babes Singson has my trust and confidence. I admire his professionalism when he called me yesterday and admitted he was not made aware of the international standards and he himself went to the disaster area to check and initiated to improve the designs and specifications based on international standards. I hope he will not resign.”

This letter from my good friend archt. Palafox is clear proof that the DPWH Secretary was not aware of the international standards, which he should have followed. While it is true that Palafox did not make such an accusation specifically against the DPWH Secretary, however, this news report wasn’t false at all… those homes were found to be undersized and substandard or failed to follow international standards.

Then here comes Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda making things worse for the Aquino regime stating that “We have our own Philippine standards like Sri Lanka.” Say what Mr. Lacierda? Are you expecting the officials of those international relief agencies to follow your Philippine standards and reconstruct the shanties of those typhoon victims that lost their homes from Typhoon “Yolanda”? I dare say that it is this wrong and stupid attitude of people in the government that has allowed the Philippines to remain as a 3rd world nation.

For decades, poor Filipino have embraced that dictum of “pwede na, okay na” and lived in homes that are not even fit for pigs because our political leaders never cared to uplift our living standards. All they care about is making the poor, poorer so that every three years, they can sing and dance their way to the polling centers with their P100 or P500 on hand, ready to buy their votes so that they can stay in power for as long as they like. I dare say we should change this stupid “pwede na, okay na” attitude so together we can truly change this nation into a better nation for all Filipinos!

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