Poachers!!!

You may not have imagined it possible, but even in government, there are poachers who stalk and prey on government officials and positions just like wildlife poachers do. They come in under cover or pretending to be protecting public interest, by building up accusations and alleged complaints against a government office or department or agency. They ally with malcontents and misfits, using their so-called inside info, and then they ramp up the pressure by going to the media or using “media.” The bigger the “game” or the position they are targeting, the bigger the guns they use such as business groups, chambers, associations, members of congress, the senate, some times all the way up to the office of the President.

Yes there is some truth to the term “Demolition job” or “Politically motivated attack”, but what I am writing about is the dirty work of “poachers” who want nothing more than to get the job or position of someone in public office. The shameful part of it all is that these poachers, especially in the Duterte administration are also supposed to be his supporters and part of his team. In recent memory, I can recall the attacks on the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office or the PCSO that ultimately led to the “resignation” of Ret. Gen. Balutan but also led to a backlash against Sandra Cam who was the General’s harshest critic. Then there was the series of intrigues and “Fake News” that Secretary of Finance Sonny Dominguez was supposed to be replaced by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Dominguez stayed cool with a parting shot: “They’re welcome to try.”

I remember when the former president of the PhilHealth Inday Dela Serna was eventually forced to leave office after several aspirants to her job, and groups with vested interest, all ganged up on her. Fortunately none of the poachers got the job, some of her attackers lost jobs while others are now at risk of losing their jobs as they face administrative charges in PhilHealth. But it seems that, the turn of events at PhilHealth has not prevented another ambitious aspirant from gunning for the position of president of PhilHealth, which President Duterte assigned to Dr. Roy Ferrer a respected physician from Davao City.

The supposed would-be poacher is not a physician, has no expertise in the field of public health or insurance and is known to be combative and undiplomatic. To be fair the guy has had a good stint in public service and as a champion of the oppressed, he was a loud and brave voice in the public arena when his heart was in the right place. Unfortunately, success may have affected him and he subsequently turned into a short-lived “politician”, which explains why he might be wanting for a visible public position. It’s probably not for the money, but to remain in the center of public forum. The same people who engineered the ousting of Dela Serna have reportedly fed him negative files or false reports about PhilHealth. 

But in order to do this, it will be at the expense of the institution or its leader. So little by little, we hear dogs barking and snarling at PhilHealth and its president Roy Ferrer. It won’t take long before they bare their fangs unless someone picks up a stone and hurls it at the poachers. I sincerely pray that this individual would have ears to hear and a teachable heart so he can revisit his past true successes, and ask his God to help him grow his own garden or get his old job back where he was better than the current tenant.  If not, then we the members of PhilHealth should make it known that we will no longer tolerate, destabilization and poaching of an institution we are all part of, contribute to and benefit from.

Sir Winston Churchill once said: “You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks.” PhilHealth has incessantly been the target of poachers from outside and askals inside the organization that keep barking and making noise, thereby distracting PhilHealth management from focusing on more important matters. It is time for Secretary Francisco Duque and President Duterte to take out their big sticks to chase away the poachers and askals.

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While writing the article “Presidential recall please” where I suggested that President Duterte should recall the power of local governments to regulate tricycles and conduct Anti Smoke Belching operations because of corruption, I received information that a private institution such as the ADB or the like, had generously offered to give 200 ETrikes or Electric power tricycles for use on the island of Boracay in order to reduce carbon emissions on the island.

To the shock of the generous donors, the offer was “Na dead-ma” or coldly ignored. In a country where we almost never reject anything that’s “FREE”, the donors did not know what to make of the cold shoulder treatment from local officials until a local analyst explained that there was too much to lose on the part of the local officials. For starters, the tricycles all pay a “franchise fee” to operate on the island. The locals reportedly did not want to lose revenues. But the real deal breakers according to the analyst is the fact that at least one local politician’s family is engaged in the business of selling motorcycles and parts, while one or two are in the business of selling gasoline and motor oil. Then there is the possibility that some of those tricycles servicing tourists around the island are owned by other local politicians.

This is just a microscopic representation of how politicians big and small are also businessmen and women who serve an interest and often, it’s their interests that come first!

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