Inclusive losses

The PNoy Misadministration is clearly adopting a more inclusive approach concerning the economy. After being told off that only the rich are getting richer and that economic growth is not inclusive, I’ve learned from people that they now feel the government is being more inclusive in its impact. I recently spoke with professionals who operate between Quezon City and Makati. They all swear that they have all experience Inclusive losses. Yes they are all affected by the incompetence and mismanagement of the PNoy administration and officials beginning from the Pier, the MRT, the LRT, EDSA, NLEX and SLEX.

The veteran Lawyer explained to me that before PNoy’s time, lawyers could appear in 3 to 4 hearings in court in one working day. My friend said he usually goes to Makati City hall for morning appearances and then drive back at lunch to Quezon City for one or two more hearings. But with the way traffic has practically collapsed along with the MRT, it would be too risky to take more than two hearings for one day. As a result his income has been cut in half. But that is not half as bad as the fact that the speed of expediting cases have slowed down or now takes much longer because of travel and traffic related delays. Litigants not only lose money from the traffic but they could lose their patience and cases in court.

Doctor Mike used to have 3 clinics, one in Quezon City, and another in Pasig and the third at the Fort in Taguig. Being young and agile, he had no problem driving to the 3 locations and he always filled his quota with happy patients. In fact “business” was good for Doctor Mike that the Pasig clinic was more like a “giving back” to others. But now, I wonder how charitable Doc Mike feels considering he had to shut down his QC clinic because it is next to impossible to go from QC to Pasig to the Fort and still have enough time to fill a whole day’s load of patients. The traffic problem literally cut Doc Mike’s income by half.

Others have told me how their kids simply order in because Mom can’t make it home in time to cook dinner. Employees go back home if they see traffic will make them late for work because they will get half a day’s pay deducted for being late, while others have opted to move out of Metro Manila for their sanity and financial safety. Clearly we all got our wish for the PNoy Misadministration to be more inclusive, they’ve included as in their misery.

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Blame is good. Yes blame is good if it ultimately results in making the wrong doers responsible for their mistake. For months if not more than a year, the Philippine Port Authority has gotten away with “frustrated homicide” of the Philippine economy through reckless imprudence resulting in massive traffic jams. But when traffic snarls shut down their southbound lanes, NLEX officials mistakenly presumed that the Monster traffic jams was the fault of the MMDA and quickly pointed the blame their way. Chairman Francis Tolentino rightly rejected the blame stating that the buck ends at the PPA particularly at the Port of Manila. In addition, Tolentino once again raised the fact that while everybody wants to think that the MMDA is omnipresent and omnipotent, it is not. It has no power over many local governments as well as the streets under their jurisdiction.

I’m glad that the blame game erupted last week because maybe now our representatives in the Senate and Congress might haul the ass of the PPA officials to congress and give the PPA the disciplinary action if not the tongue lashing they richly deserve from the Filipino people. While congress is at it, perhaps last week’s monster traffic jam will finally make members of the legislature listen to the gripes of the MMDA in terms of their limited authority not to mention their limited budget and personnel. Like they say: You get what you pay for.

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If the current Senate investigations on Vice President Binay fail, the Senate “investigators” have only themselves to blame. People are either suffering from “Investigation Fatigue” or it is clear that the Senators leading the charge against Vice President Jojo Binay are smeared with the odor of bias and the stain of political ambition that people are not as enthusiastic or as interested to listen in or take part in the current investigations on Makati projects and corrupt practices.

I for one have noticed that the Senators conducting the investigation particularly Senator Trillanes has given up any pretense of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism and has forgotten that the Senate investigates primarily “IN AID OF LEGISLATION.” Conducting an inquiry is not the equivalent of doing a criminal investigation or cross-examination as in a criminal case. Believe it or not, Mr. Senator your conduct is not inspiring but off-putting.

Senator Koko Pimentel on the other hand said in a radio interview that they will do more work in determining the reliability and integrity of the witnesses who testified against VP Binay in the next hearing. Can some lawyer please remind Senator Pimentel they should have done that day 1. As for Senator Allan Peter Cayetano, no matter how objective and fair he can try to be the two facts that will always discredit his actions are his known political ambitions for higher office and the fact there is no love lost between the City of Taguig and the city of Makati because of their dispute over “The Fort” development.

The three Musketeers ought to remember: If you have body odor, pouring cologne simply makes you smell like a tramp.

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