If you are working with ducklings
How can you soar like an eagle, if you are working with ducklings? Even if you are among the best of the presidents, but if you have a Cabinet who are largely a group of political animals, incompetent ideologues, trying-hard kabakayans and party mates, ageing military retirees, and inept politically accommodated cronies, then you will be judged according to the incompetence, the ineptitude and the plain stupidity of the people around you.
How can you have a Martin Andanar whose editors in the Philippine News Agency do not even know the difference between, on the one hand, the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment), and on the other hand, the DOLE Philippines, the grower and exporter of bananas and pineapples? Why not fire Andanar who keeps on pointing fingers? If he inherited ducklings from Secretary Sonny Coloma, after more than one year, he should have already taught them how to fly. Fire Andanar upang umandar ang government media systems.
How can you have a Secretary Art Tugade whose promises are "Kapantay ay Langit" and whose performance is "Bato Sa Buhangin"? He cannot even make a little improvement in all our transport systems (land, sea, and air). They all stink. The communications portfolio had been removed from the old DOTC or Department of Transportation and Communications so that this loquacious-talking Tugade could focus on transportation alone. He cannot remain like NATO (No Action, Talk Only) bureaucrat. But he could not make even the minutest improvement of the horrendous, terrible, and despicable traffic malady, oftentimes called already a national crisis. He cannot go on a rampage of "Build, Build, Build," if he does not pause for a moment to Think, Think, Think. He cannot even fix the airport mess and the sickening seaport tupsyturvy chaos and curse. Why not fire Tugade and replace him with a low-profile action man who talks less and do much.
How can you have combat officials in Marawi who bomb their own comrade-in-arms? How many of our fine officers and men have perished hit by a not-so-friendly fire emanating from our own people and war machines? Incompetence in battle should be tried by military tribunals considering that there is still Martial Law in Mindanao.
The officers who were directly liable and those who participated by indispensable cooperation should be court-martialed. Yes, it might not have been done with willful intent. But the gross incompetence and notorious negligence of their commanders should not be allowed to pass. Above all, this rebellion in Marawi had been planned for eight years reportedly. How could the intelligence operations of the AFP be so inept and incompetent not to have unearthed it? The commanders should resign, and let the more competent men and women take over. Or else, the commander-in-chief himself would lose credibility.
Incompetence sometimes is worse than corruption. Incompetence, at times, inflict more damage than dishonesty. No, we should not condone graft. But also, we should not allow ourselves to be ruined by the stupidity of our underlings. We should not tolerate laziness and ineptitude. We should not allow negligence to derail the timetables of government operations. As passionately as we fight corruptions and drugs, we should also embark on a crusade to rid our bureacucracies of the cancer of indolence and neglect. No leader can excel, no government can become effective, no organization can achieve its goals if the people running it remains inept and lazy. Yes, no one can rise like an eagle, if he is working with ducklings.
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