Get Real
Reality check
By Solita Collas-Monsod
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:38:00 10/09/2010
MANILA, Philippines—In his “Report sa Boss” marking his first 100 days in office, P-Noy was not shy about giving his administration very high marks on the economy, on the alleviation of poverty in all its dimensions, and on governance. All accomplishments, no acknowledgement of any we-may-have-been-wrong, or maybe-we-could-have-done-better. The only failure he actually acknowledged was that it is not in his nature (kaugalian) to trumpet his triumphs. Did he mean he wasn’t boasting when he gave that long list of accomplishments? Well, he could have fooled me.
A reality check, however, does reveal a mixed bag of solid accomplishments, exaggerations and downright baseless claims. Let’s take a closer look at his report.
Claim 1: We now have a government that can be talked to, that tells the truth and that listens.
Reality check (RC): True and false. He certainly listened to the people’s desire for family planning information and services, so he gets a thumbs up for that. But he hasn’t released to us the full report on the hostage crisis, and neither has he told us what he will do with it, so that’s a thumbs down.
Claim 2: Confidence in our country has been regained, our economy is getting stronger.
RC: The strong economic growth was not a product of his administration; there is no basis as yet until the end of November, when GDP estimates for the third quarter are released.
Claim 3: We are closely scrutinizing our expenditures. No peso is wasted, to wit: (a) Executive Order No. 7 which suspends bonuses and allowances of government corporations; (b) the Naia 3 contract, where government (through retired Supreme Court Justice Florentino Feliciano and current Justice Lourdes Sereno) won the cases filed against it by Fraport of Germany; (c) DPWH negotiated contracts that were suspended and rebidded; (d) suspending the Laguna de Bay dredging and deepening project (where do we put the silt? he asked).
RC: (a) suspending allowances and bonuses is great, but appointing managers and directors for what they know rather than who they know is even better, so why was Macra Cruz of MWSS retained and promoted to acting administrator when she was part of the problem? (b) the Naia 3 case was fought before P-Noy’s time, the decision was handed down only during his time; he had nothing to do with it; (c) Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson is doing a good job; thumbs up on the rebidding requirements; (d) the Laguna Lake project was thoroughly studied, it is a foreign-assisted project, it is on the up-and-up (no hint of corruption), it has been vetted by P-Noy’s own justice secretary, there is absolutely no problem about what to do with the dredged silt. Was P-Noy misled here?
Claim 4: Weather forecasting has improved, the equipment lack has been addressed. He has fixed in 100 days what could not be done in 3,448 by his predecessor.
RC: Equipment does not appear out of thin air, it must have been ordered earlier; the weather forecasting may have improved, but it must be noted that it hasn’t been really tested since Typhoon “Basyang.” But P-Noy should also explain why Prisco Nilo was summarily removed from Pagasa (no “due process” there) for his forecasting mistake, while Rico Puno is retained even as not only his competence has been called into question, but his integrity as well—and not by opposition groups but by his own committee and by an archbishop (unless Oscar Cruz is considered a political enemy).
Claim 5: He has focused on education, health and poverty reduction, using the funds saved through more efficient use.
RC: He must be given full marks for this—his budget does reflect base priorities on the whole. The reductions in agriculture and family planning budgets, he claims, are removal of fat and waste—and should be taken at face value, unless otherwise shown. Agrarian reform is clearly short of money for support services.
Claim 6: More than $2 billion of investments are coming in from foreign investors; we have set up a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) Center; the strength of the peso is recognized in the international market; the PSE index is at an all-time high; the Millennium Challenge Fund grant, which the previous administration had been trying twice to qualify for, has been awarded to us.
RC: As I have earlier pointed out, $1 billion for power generation of those funds is not new—it was announced in 2007; the PPP Center is the BOT Center renamed; the inflow of portfolio investments is not necessarily because the Philippine economy is strong, but because the developed economies are weak; the Millennium Development grant would have been awarded to the Philippines whether it was Aquino or another candidate who won.
Claim 7: If we have shown any failing, it is in the fact that it is not in our nature to boast about our triumphs.
RC: Really? (didn’t he just BOASTED a lot?)
Bottom line: All things considered, the Aquino administration can be given a passing mark; it does not need to exaggerate its accomplishments or try to gloss over (or ignore) its failures. Neither should it continue trying to use Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a scapegoat—that tact is wearing thin. Finally, it should stop accusing anyone who finds fault with it as merely wanting to revive the old order.
P-Noy got high satisfaction ratings—that is the nature of the beast. All his predecessors got high ratings at the beginning of their term. That is the people’s way of encouraging them. His challenge is to make sure he lives up to those expectations and continues to be true to his constituents.
For a Canadian teen drama television series it has really gone world wide. On its tenth season, Degrassi features Canadian teens coping with the 21st century specifically 2010. Anyone who knows Luke Bilyk would know what the show is all about. Most of the teen actors are good, some are better and some are really eye candy like the afore mentioned member of the cast. The following paragraphs have some spoilers in it so don’t read on if you don’t like spoilers. The recent episodes Degrassi Still Fighting It 1 & 2 are set to make waves on the internet as fans get to see their favorites struggle with their life as Canadian teens.
er alerts.
Barely days before his Inauguration, Noynoy makes another blunder. This time by virtually bitch slapping Former President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR)! FVR has been an ally to Cory Aquino since the EDSA 1 days and pretty much won due to excessive endorsement by Cory.
