The BBM Cabinet is nearly complete.
It is notable that among the last portfolios to be assigned by the incoming president are Energy and Agriculture. These are the two most intractable problem areas. It is understandable that the president-elect takes as much time as necessary to ensure the best possible are found to lead the agencies tackling the challenges in these two areas.
We know about the problems in the energy sector. We do not have enough generating capacity to meet the surge in demand that economic expansion will bring. Consequently, we do not have enough reserve capacity to ensure uninterrupted power supply. That is not reassuring for those thinking of investing in energy-intensive manufacturing ventures.
In addition, our available energy is priced high. It relies heavily on coal and diesel – the dirtiest sources of power in a world more conscious of the perils presented by global warming. We need to transition towards clean energy sources without jacking up prices. Walking the tightrope might be easier.
Then there is the politically sensitive matter about reactivating the mothballed nuclear power plant. We spent billions of dollars for that plant even as we have not generated a single watt of electricity from it. Each day since it was mothballed in 1986, we spent a staggering sum maintaining that unused plant.
Consider, too, that we will need to build up reserves to ensure reliability. Reserve capacity adds to the overall cost of our power supply. But it is a necessary cost. Otherwise we will always be in danger of red and yellow alerts, outages and brownouts when major power plants break down.
If that was not enough, remember that most of our largest plants are old. They have become inefficient and unreliable. We need to attract investments in modern generating capacity.
The problems hounding our energy sector are easy compared to the issues we confront in agriculture.
Even as we talked endlessly about food security, we never addressed the elephant in the room. For decades, in pursuit of a moribund idea of “social justice,” we were busy subdividing our agricultural land. That defies the economies of scale.
It kept our farm systems at subsistence level, producing staple crops at the highest cost and the least yield.
Today, the average rice farmer tills a hectare of rice land. Yet we expect that farmer to feed the nation. Our production cost is double the cost of our neighboring economies from where we import our growing shortfall. Both the farmer and the consumer are made to pay for this inefficiency.
The only sustainable solution is to consolidate production and build agro-industry. We need to capitalize our farm production systems. But this runs against the prevailing orthodoxy.
The Department of Agriculture cannot transform our agriculture. Limited by its bureaucratic mandate, it can only increase subsidies through free fertilizer and irrigation programs. It cannot address the root cause: our medieval farm systems. This requires a revolution in landholding and technology.
Witnesses
Supporters of jailed Sen. Leila de Lima, including foreign politicians pressed to join the chorus, are trying their best to take advantage of the presidential transition to get her out of detention.
De Lima sought reelection, campaigning from jail. She lost miserably – a measure of the public sympathy she enjoys.
The foreign politicians blatantly intervening in our domestic affairs describe her as some sort of “political martyr.” They gloss over the fact that the senator is in jail because our courts found probable cause to put her there.
Over the past few weeks, de Lima supporters tried to make as much media mileage as possible over “recantation” of three supposed witnesses against her. Some of the media coverage did not properly weigh the importance of those recantations.
One of those who retracted his affidavit was not even a witness in the de Lima trial. The former NBI deputy director Ragos who retracted his earlier testimony is a minor witness. At any rate, his original testimony is fully corroborated by his fellow NBI deputy director Reynaldo Esmeralda. The latter is standing by his testimony derogatory to de Lima.
In the face of the current effort of de Lima supporters, the Citizens Crime Watch recently issued a statement reiterating the star witnesses who have actual knowledge of her alleged involvement with illegal drug cartels while she was justice secretary stand by their original testimonies. Citizens Crime Watch is a volunteer group helping out in the prosecution of the outgoing senator.
The anti-crime volunteers are also calling on incoming justice secretary Crispin Remulla to defend the integrity and independence of our judicial system by resisting foreign pressure on the Philippine government to release de Lima. All the standing cases against her are entirely within the domain of our judicial system. The court processes must be allowed to take their course without political intervention.
Some are hoping the incoming administration will be softer on drug-related crimes than the outgoing one. Judging from the president-elect’s personnel choices, the war on drugs will be a strong point of continuity in policy.
President Rodrigo Duterte is ending his term with the highest approval ratings since scientific opinion polls were taken. Much of this is due to the dramatic drop in the crime rate that is a direct outcome of the unrelenting anti-drug effort.
Everyone feels safer in the streets today than before Duterte assumed office. That is undeniable.
The war on drugs, despite the complaints of self-appointed human rights guardians, is salient in the Duterte legacy.