The magic of APEC

If this administration can turn the Mall of Asia arena into a paradise in a snap of a finger, then why can’t they have the same determination to do the same magic for the country? Didn’t you notice how delightful the airport was? How well-groomed all the personnel were with bright and colorful uniforms, all groomed up to meet the guests? How the policemen and other security forces didn’t use their cellphones nor smoke a cigarette while at work? How attentive they were to every moving object?

I was amazed at how the roads leading to the hotels and conference sites were handsomely landscaped with trees and patches of garden all around. How Roxas Boulevard suddenly was able to restore its splendor, how good Manila Bay smelled and how most if not all street children along with their parents have vanished into thin air? We should congratulate this Administration for a job well done! They were able to realize that dream that Filipinos all long for. But we know that they did this only for the coming heads of states and dignitaries. Why can’t they do it for us?

I bet if the APEC guests had to ride the MRT, this Administration would right away have flown in all those new trains and would have made sure everyone would ride them safely and soundly.

I always knew the Filipinos have the will and the zest to get things done if they really put their heart and mind into it. It is just a matter of conviction and decisiveness. The problem is that we seem to be driven by an outside force every time we want to do things. We can’t seem to be consistent in our ways. Our purpose is weak and instead of wanting to improve the Philippines for our people, we are only driven by that inherent trait of ‘showing off’.

The Filipino has a bad trait of pakitang tao. We make a show to attract attention even in superficial ways. We love to entertain guests specially foreigners. In our homes, we bring out the best silver and cutleries. Everything is spic and span. We decorate our homes elaborately. We even borrow money to roast a pig and prepare a sumptuous meal. We just want to show off. We wear beautifully adorned clothes and use the most expensive watches. We entertain our guests with a bang. We are so conscious of making everything perfect to a tee. What a spectacle!

After the guests have left, everything goes back to normal. The magnificence soon deteriorates and over time will once again return to its ‘real’ condition. The true colors will appear, the hidden cracks will surface and the cockroaches, mites and rats will come out.

If only our government can sustain all its services in a more professional way, then we wouldn’t have to spend billions to create such a fantasy. Look at the difference then and now after the guests have left. It’s business as usual!

Don’t get me wrong. I know we should showcase the country to the rest of the world. We should be proud. But isn’t it difficult to have that feeling of pride with the way this was done for APEC? How can you be proud when you know this is surreal?

I couldn’t actually look straight in the eyes of the President as he was reading the opening remarks narrating the agenda and objectives of the summit. He was rumbling big ideas, so big I couldn’t reach them. The different leaders were looking down seemingly embarrassed or maybe they too couldn’t believe a word he was saying knowing the absolute and evident condition of his administration. How can a leader speak of something so high on the agenda without credibility? As P-Noy spoke it was difficult to listen and believe the words coming out of his mouth. By their fruits you shall know them. We know what the president has achieved in the past 6 years. What was he trying to articulate? Was he able to lead the APEC group to the best of his ability? Was he successful? Was this worth all the trouble for the Filipinos? The expenses (this is probably one of the reasons why P-Noy doesn’t want to reform our taxes, he saw the expenses coming), the traffic, the lockdown and a week that put a halt to our economy? Let’s wait and see.

This showcase reminded me of what Imelda did in the early 1980s for the first Manila International Film Festival. She wanted Manila to rival Cannes as a world film capital. At the cost of $25 million, the infamous Manila Film Center designed to look like the Parthenon was built to host the festival. Mrs. Marcos even created a beach resort near the film center where the starlets can lounge in the sun. Look at what happened to the film center now.

P-Noy did the same at the MOA Arena. Wow! If he can achieve that why can’t he do the same for the airports? I hope all those furniture and fixtures made by our Filipino talents can be transferred to the airports instead of selling them for a price to the public.

So what happened during the APEC Summit? Several bilateral talks were held on the sidelines between the Philippines and other APEC economies. These resulted in agreements, reaffirmed commitments and the exploration of new areas for cooperation: US – President Barack Obama pledged an ‘ironclad’ commitment to defend the Philippines and the transfer of two additional ships to the Philippine Navy; Canada – the Philippines is on the priority list for official development assistance and supports the inclusion of the country in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); Chile – agreement on disaster risk reduction and management and study of free trade; Mexico – agreements on avoidance of double taxation, cooperation on tourism, and fight against illegal drugs; Papua New Guinea – agreement to strengthen ties, improve trade and cooperation on climate change; Russia – agreement to enhance trade and economic cooperation, strengthen fight against illegal drug trafficking; Vietnam – established strategic defense and maritime partnership and support for the Philippine’s inclusion in the TPP.; Colombia – talks to increase trade relations; Australia – signed the Joint Declaration on Philippine-Australia Comprehensive partnership and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Technical Vocational Education and Training between the Philippines TESDA and Australia’s Department of Education and Training; South Korea – vowed to improve the social security agreement, and donate defense and disaster response equipment to Manila; Japan – started talks to finalize a deal that would allow Tokyo to transfer military equipment to Manila; New Zealand – sought to expand cooperation in the areas of electronics and electrical equipment, automotive, information technology, business process management, engineering services, infrastructure and public-private partnership projects; and Taiwan – agreement pledging non-violence in disputed fishing zones.

The magic spell of the APEC is fading out. Who or what will cast the spell again? Can our leaders find a potion to keep the magic alive? If the government can do it for the pope’s visit and APEC, why can’t our leaders do it for the country and the Filipino people?