BULLETIN: FOCUS ON REFORMS
MANILA, OCTOBER 29, 2010 (BULLETIN) Chaff from the Grain, By HECTOR R.R. VILLANUEVA Former Press Secretary - ("My people and I have come to an agreement. They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please." — Frederick the Great)
Overall, the Filipino people are happy with President Benigno S. Aquino III, and understanding of the start-up problems that every new administration encounters as it moves up the learning curve.
What is important for the President is to get his priorities fixed, but not cast in stone, and the roadmap of his administration drawn up soonest for the appreciation of the nation.
Priorities and plans are always subject to change according to political, social, and economic exigencies. As Syrus of Antiquity admonished, "Any plan is bad if it cannot be changed."
Todate, while President Benigno Aquino talks of transformational changes in society which can only be construed as fundamental and radical makeover of attitude, habits, and culture, such as the minimization of graft and corruption, restoration of moral and family values, and the straight path of righteousness, the mechanics and dynamics of these sea changes have yet to be fleshed out and understood.
There's the rub.
On one hand, this administration can be fast on the draw, such as, giving priority to the Truth Commission to go after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – who else?, wholesale abolition of government non-career positions and "midnight appointees," "jueteng," and grandstanding show of going after smugglers, tax evaders, and entertainment personalities which are not really difficult to dig and compile. The files were always there but they were untouchable then.
The excavation of the anomalies and probes of the past are not only welcome and apropos but also hold the key to the pandora's box of reforms.
For these reasons, the trust and satisfaction ratings of President Aquino have remained exceptionally high as the people remain convinced of his sincerity, honesty, and mission. We do not see the popularity trend spiraling downwards anytime soon as long as President Aquino himself is not associated directly or indirectly with corruption or scandal.
On the other hand, the Aquino administration from day one appears accident-prone, tentative, halting, lacking in legal profundity and moral-suasive expertise.
Hence, most of its promulgations and fiats are being challenged before the Supreme Court where, incidentally, there is no love lost between the Aquino administration and the High Court justices.
And, there is the continuing semantics and saga over the landmark Reproductive Health bill (RH) which can be President Benigno Aquino's lasting legacy to future generations by establishing firmly the secularization of the State from the Church.
When all is said and done, President Benigno Aquino should focus on his pet reforms, whether it be the RH bill, or agricultural modernization, graft and corruption, poverty alleviation, or the scalawags embedded in the "midnight appointees."
Since he is averse to any constitutional revision, six years is a short time with which to make a lasting impact.
What is it that the President would like to be remembered for?
The fact is five months have elapsed and no fundamental breakthrough in dramatic reforms have come out.
As George Bernard Shaw so aptly put it, "Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get."
You be the judge. (For comments and views, please e-mail: chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph)
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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