Truck ban: Gov’t sponsored economic sabotage

Last week, the country was again in the international map and was talked about for the now seemingly recurring development.  This time with the water cannon incident aimed at our countrymen, the Filipino fishermen, in the same West Philippine Sea territory, again, by the same mighty Chinese Coast Guard.  Desperately, in all these instances, we can only shiver in fear.  For one, China’s military might is just so overpowering.  They can just smother us into as tiny as the desert’s dusts with even less than 1% of its full strength.  On the other hand, while other countries like Japan and South Korea have always asserted their nations’ sovereignty when provoked, our government leaders just helplessly advised our fishermen to stay calm.   

Endlessly, most of us may argue for or against our government’s reactions toward these incidents.  That these reactions are the most appropriate given our inadequacies.  While this may not be resolved intelligently at this point in time, what is truly apparent (in these incidents) is our irrefutable image of helplessness. 

This is not surprising though.  For one, in addressing our common and nagging fuel, power and food problems, we usually treat them (based on the way we address them) with kid gloves.  Well, through very temporary solutions.  To recall, 2008 marked a severe rice shortage in the country.  Then, the long queues on National Food Authority (NFA) retailers, labor sector’s demand for wage increases, cause-oriented groups’ rhetoric and oppositionists’ tirades were the order of the day.  The main reason – soaring prices of rice remained unabated.  Moreover, on the same year, we were also in the receiving end of  the utility operators’ and drivers’ shenanigans because of soaring oil prices.  Obviously infiltrated with ideologues, these bunch of bullies were harassing sensible drivers who continued to ply their routes.  Feeling ignored, these thugs resorted to throwing metal spikes in the middle of the road to incapacitate the non-striking drivers’ units.   Consequently, classes were suspended.  Some workers arrived late and others went on leave.  As the day ended, long queues in several intersections were ordinary sights. Public markets’ crowds were relatively scarce as most diehard patrons were immobilized.

Undeniably, the oil, power and food shortages are the more telling in all our woes.  However, all these years, these concerns have been provided with temporary solutions.   For food, the temporary solutions are a combination of rice importation and government subsidy through the National Food Authority (NFA).  For the oil crisis, it is so far limited to subsidies.  For power shortages, the rotating brownouts.    

Today, another problem has reached crisis level in Metro Manila. The worsening traffic congestion.  Soon, if left uncheck, Metro Cebu will simply follow.  Consequently, both metropolises came up with another temporary solution, extended (stretching to as far as the entire daytime in Metro Manila) truck ban.  As a result, the movement of goods (both raw materials and finished goods) was curtailed.  Thus, production activities were disrupted and deliveries of  finished products have to come to a screeching halt at some point in time.  Manufacturing firms that operate 24/7 are to suffer the most.  Obviously, therefore, the country’s already known low productivity shall go further down.  Thus, as productivity slows down, the economy shall simply go in the same direction. 

Obviously, the most dominating and most debilitating word the country has known today is crisis. Be it in food, fuel, power or traffic congestion, this is the most famous word every tongue speaks.  These crises are prevalent, felt and withstood until near submission by every citizen.  Quite frankly, unless we become masochists, we will never get the feeling of contentment from the consequences of these menaces.

Again, so far, what we’ve done are so temporary.  These initiatives as solutions are mere perceptions.  It is just like a painkiller prescribed for a cancer patient.  It might take out the pain momentarily but not cure it.  Precariously, these temporarily solutions are disguising as permanent.  Worst, our government executives are embracing it as such.

Admittedly, therefore, these crises are long and flatly permanent and shall need permanent solutions.  Thus, once and for all, let us seriously look into the crisis besetting the country today.  Then, we shall see if we do or don’t have programs that are supposedly designed to address them permanently.   If  there is none, then all these temporary solutions will tantamount to government sponsored economic sabotage.

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