Gratefulness and hope

Celebrating the new year, to me, is all about being thankful for the positive developments in the year that passed and hoping for better outcomes in the year ahead.

Just this once, allow me to put my filters down and express my thoughts with candor. My ultimate aspiration, after all, is to build a better country where the fruits of progress are enjoyed by all and not just a select few.

Many of my hopes may be impossible, given our present political structure and how it benefits those in power. Still, we can all use a dose of raw honesty to wake us up from our stupor. Our economic and political system is flawed and reforms are needed to fix them. Only then can the country live up to its potentials. So here it goes.

I am grateful… That the macabre drug war is finally behind us and government has agreed to adopt some 200 recommendations from the UN Commission on Human Rights to improve our human rights record.

That the Marcos administration has re-affirmed its commitment to democracy, to rule-based order and to free market capitalism.

That President Marcos is proactive and outward looking in his foreign policy. That our leadership is no longer reverent to China, but actively engages with nations in whom we share common values. Such is the true essence of an independent foreign policy.

That the First Couple represents the country with dignity and poise in foreign missions.

That the First Lady has added gravitas to the presidency through her brilliance and pragmatism.

That NEDA and BSP, under the leadership of Sec. Arsi Balisacan and Gov. Felipe Medalla, respectively, have remained focused on their mandates and remained independent despite political pressure.

That the Department of Budget and Management, under Sec. Mina Pangandaman, is managed professionally and that transparency is aggressively pursued through digitization.

That the Board of Investment managing head, Perry Rodolfo, continues to hustle to secure our share of foreign direct investments despite seeming complacency from the top.

That the amendments to the Trade Liberalization Act, the Public Service Act and the Foreign Investment Act were finally enacted.

That government’s commitment to infrastructure development is sustained with a renewed openness to public private partnerships.

That the economy withstood global headwinds, thanks to strong consumption, and is poised to expand by well over 7 percent in 2022.

I hope… That President Marcos initiates political reform towards three fronts, all of which are crucial to strengthen our political system. First, to eliminate political dynasties and the concentration of power among a narrow elite. Second, to restore the check and balances between the executive, legislative and judicial branches where neither branch bends to the will of the other. Third, to impose academic and experiential qualifications for elected positions so that only those academically or experientially qualified become eligible to run for office. The inept, the corrupt, the previously convicted and the dubious must be purged from the political system.

That a legitimate opposition be formed so that Congress ceases to be a rubber stamping machine for the President’s agenda and that of political patrons.

That pork barrel funds be drastically minimized and cease to be clandestinely inserted in the bicameral conference. Our scarce resources are better utilized for other priorities.

That those who head the Commission on Audit, Sandiganbayan and Supreme Court cease to be presidential appointees but rather, appointed by a joint committee involving the legislature and civil society.

That plunder be treated as the grievous crime that it is and not normalized. Because whether our leaders admit it or not, they have made plunder acceptable. That said, we hope that a stricter code of conduct be imposed among political leaders.

That a strategic, comprehensive and forward looking defense strategy be established and pursued with vigor.

That government make a budgetary commitment towards modernizing the navy since our battles in the future will be fought at sea. A submarine squadron is crucial to our survival.

That our cities be saved from urban blight. Billboards exacerbate the degradation of public spaces. Tragically, LGUs and the DPWH have proven incompetent in as far as imposing the building code is concerned. This has resulted to thousands of billboards operating in blatant violation of the building code, thereby putting the public at risk of electrical and/or structural disasters. We entreat President Marcos to heed our call for strict billboard control.

That the Marcos administration realize the perils of our import dependency. That the economy needs to be re-calibrated with a stronger manufacturing bias.

That impeding laws to the development of the agricultural sector be amended. That government lean-in on technology as the way forward to agricultural development rather than bombard the sector with subsidies (which is unsustainable).

That our leaders act with urgency to attract our share of foreign investments. Droves of companies are leaving China and going to Indonesia, India and Vietnam. The Philippines is not doing enough. Securing our fair share of FDIs is a matter of long-term survival.

That our leaders aim higher to break the country’s perennial underachievement in development. As it stands, the Philippines is now dead last in most development indices, relative to ASEAN-6. We are the last in per capita income; technical advancement; food security; sustainable development; peace and security; adherence to rule of law; manufacturing output; export revenues and foreign tourist arrivals, among many others.

These hopes, if implemented, will forever set the country on the right path toward stronger institutions and the equitable distribution of economic gains. We hope that President Marcos makes himself THE transformative president we need and long pined for. In the final reckoning, his legacy will be his positive impact on nation building and how much he improved the lives of future Filipinos.

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Email: [email protected]om. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan