MANILA STANDARD EDITORIAL: THE LEADER HE COULD BE
MANILA, DECEMBER 31, 2010 (STANDARD) Half a year ago, Benigno Aquino III was sworn in as president of the country, swept into office by a resounding mandate. Despite the relative weakness of his track record in public governance, Filipinos put their trust in him because of his sainted parents and of his promise to bring about genuine change.
Aquino's inaugural address did not disappoint, either. Its down-to-earth, rallying tone persuaded even those who did not vote for him to give the new President the benefit of the doubt. His pronouncements on recognizing the people as his bosses and doing away with the culture of privilege—best illustrated by politicians' use of vehicle sirens to exempt them from traffic rules—were received well by the public, who chose not to make a big deal out of the new President's snub of the Supreme Court Chief Justice that day.
Six months later, Mr. Aquino enjoys nearly the same level of popularity—not because of the stellar way he has conducted his duties, but despite the numerous blunders he and his people have been committing and have been getting away with.
The President, for instance, has failed as a navigator. Filipinos still do not know where he intends to take us by the end of his administration. His first State-of-the-Nation Address was criticized for being glaringly bereft of a blueprint. All we know is that this administration nurses great contempt for the one it replaced. This is not much of a consolation.
And yet, despite the disdain for his immediate predecessor, Mr. Aquino finds himself falling into the same trap. Revenue collection targets remain unmet. The conditional cash transfer or dole program, reviled when it was being implemented by the previous administration, has been doubled in next year's budget. Officials are appointed not so much on their competence but on their affiliation. The President also has no trouble rewarding his allies with more public funds at their disposal. Where is the change?
Mr. Aquino also appears helpless in containing the tension between the warring factions in his camp. The perception is that these groups' demands cloud the President's judgment. His desire to please them, or at least to avoid favoring one over the other, overrides the concern for the good of the nation. Their conflicting agenda have compromised the Chief Executive in several instances.
When officials make a mistake, they find excuses and then offer to resign. The offer is never accepted. Aquino takes the fall and lets the erring officials off with a slap on the wrist.
The President also tends to act like a brat when things do not go his way. Adverse rulings by the Supreme Court embolden him to denigrate this co-equal branch of government. We wonder how he would react to a ruling, adverse or not, on Hacienda Luisita.
Finally, the President says he does not like micro-managing his government. This is good; effective leaders know how to delegate their tasks. What seems to escape Mr. Aquino, however, is that finding the right people to delegate to is crucial to success. By right, we mean those who are competent, independent and honorable —not those who come from the right camp, wherever that may be.
Mr. Aquino's popularity is unsustainable if he does not make sound and firm decisions. He was, first and foremost, a captivator, inspiring the public to care about their country again. If he does not make serious changes to his leadership, however, all that optimism will go unrealized.
Mr. Aquino has five-and-a-half years to get some real work done. He should begin today.
STANDARD OPINION BY 'TO THE POINT' EMIL JURADO
Aquino's challenge are his people
Is anybody really listening to the warning of the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police against the use of firecrackers for the New Year celebrations? Just look at the increasing number of injuries and even the loss of lives. Look at the long line of vehicles going to Bocaue, Bulacan. Don't the authorities realize that only the peddlers of these firecrackers—most of them smuggled from China—seem to be having a grand time?
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The New Year's Eve madness reminds me of my boyhood days in Abra. Yes, we also enjoyed making noises to greet the New Year in those days, but we did not need the deadly toys that young people nowadays think are necessary for the celebration. I remember making canons out of bamboo and buying petroleum for that distinct booming sound. We had fun—no injuries, no deaths. I also remember my toys made of empty cans of condensed milk, with wheels made of bottle crown (tanzan). How enjoyed pulling my toy around! Now I watch my grandson play with his toys and I have to ask him to teach me how to operate them. I do not believe I missed out on anything.
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If credit must be given on the passage of the P1.6-trillion national budget for 2011 in record time, it must be to Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad. He worked hard to have both chambers of Congress pass next year's budget before the end of 2010. Credit must also be given to House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who pushed the budget's approval in record time, together with their respective chairmen on appropriations and finance. President Aquino claims the budget would go a long way in the administration's anti-poverty initiatives, with special mention of the conditional cash transfer program.
Aquino, however, should see to it that the dole program is not abused given its many loopholes. Even former President Gloria Arroyo, who originated the program under her administration, is skeptical. I think the program encourages mendicancy. It originated from the states of Latin America, which are socialists.
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The President considers the Judiciary his greatest challenge to his program to eradicate graft and corruption. He must be referring to the Supreme Court ruling saying that Executive Order No. 1 creating the Truth Commission was unconstitutional. The Court said it was in violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution. The President is barking up the wrong tree. Who crafted the executive order in the first place, anyway? It was not the Supreme Court; it was his own legal team. Senator Joker Arroyo said that these were of "lesser legal minds."
These are you challenges, Mr. President. You have utterly incompetent people who draft questionable documents that have put your credibility on the line. The same goes for the proclamation on the amnesty of the soldiers who mounted mutinies against Mrs. Arroyo. The President should replace his lawyers with more competent ones. Otherwise, his current legal team will create more problems for him.
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Another challenge for the President is maintaining the trust and confidence he now enjoys from the public. Leadership is not like a beauty contest. It is the ability to make decisions for the greater good of the greatest number. By this I mean that a President must show political will by doing what must be done even at the risk of being unpopular. It's lonely up there on the top.
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Philippine Airlines is now paying 50 percent of the first five months of the long-delayed 16 months overtime, meal and transportation charges of over 400 Customs personnel assigned to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Hopefully, foreign airlines will also do the same. PAL has shown that airlines do have to pay in accordance with two specific provisions of Tariff Customs Code of the Philippine.
These provisions specify that when people or agencies require Customs to work overtime, the latter must be paid with rates mutually agreed upon. That's the law, and they must be observed.
However, there's one aspect of this issue that must be looked into by Congress. It's the fact that foreign airlines had earlier joined in the protest against overtime, an issue which has been elevated before the Supreme Court.
We need a law to settle this issue once and for all. That's what congressional investigations "in aid of legislation" are for. When foreign airlines join a protest against a specific law, an investigation is in order. Santa Banana, it's an affront against Philippine laws!
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I think these are the performers in the Cabinet: Foreign Affairs Secretary Bert Romulo, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo, Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro.
The non-performers are Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Undersecretary Rico Puno, presidential legal counsel Ed de Mesa and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman. They will never make it before the Commission on Appointments anyway.
There are also presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, Ricky Carandang and Sonny Coloma of that three-legged hydra called Communications Group.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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