Mere acknowledgment fails

The quality of life of Filipinos has gone down. That is the public sentiment. Corruption persists even under the P-Noy administration. That is a fact and government officials can’t or don’t deny it. When you add the two situations the combination basically tells us that the P-Noy administration has failed.

To be fair, the talking heads in Malacañang have actually been honest enough to acknowledge the fact, and intelligent enough not to argue or counter the conclusions. But should it end there? Does the mere act of acknowledging the problem actually explain where, how and why our quality of life has gone down? Does admitting the resurgence of corruption end the matter? If the President has nothing to hide or say about a privilege speech, then why devote more time addressing questions on the matter instead of discussing our lower quality of life and the higher incidence of corruption?

This government owes us an explanation and real solutions because what is at stake is the quality of how we live our lives from day to day. In the same breath what is at stake here is the platform of governance, the single cause for which Noynoy Aquino was voted into office: to eradicate corruption within the government.

Statistics that reflect the rich getting richer is no comfort to people exposed daily to poverty and unemployment. The many travels of P-Noy abroad that produce vague or empty promises from polite investors give no hope to daily commuters stuck and wasting hours in traffic, bruised in jammed packed conditions or constantly at risk of being robbed, raped, or abandoned in the middle of nowhere by cab drivers. Mr. President, in case you didn’t notice it from your secure premises surrounded by the PSG and the AFP, there is a serious problem with our law and order.

The “Bawal Ang Wang-Wang” and “Daang Matuwid” are meaningless to people who are constantly victimized by petty crooks within LGUs, constantly victimized by an array of extortionists fully dressed as cops, traffic enforcers and environmental enforcers. The tough as nails sharp shooting Commissioner at the BIR merely adds salt to the wounds of businessmen already caught in the stranglehold and head lock of corrupt extortionists in the BIR who know the sins of businessmen because they were the ones who convinced or pressured businessmen to cheat on their taxes. The “tax cheats” can’t get away from the crooks that operate like the mob, and in the end, it’s cheaper!

There was no need to do a survey on corruption because many businessmen have been very open about choosing “the lesser of two evils.” They hate doing it, but survival instincts dictate that they don’t slit their own throats or be sitting ducks for Kim Henares to shoot at.

Unfortunately, I am not writing anything new because the P-Noy administration is not doing anything new.

Someone suggested that I could achieve more if I gave suggestions and solutions instead of criticizing the government. I tried that along with many members of media and the private sector, but experience has shown that this administration is not keen on “unsolicited advice.” It either runs in the family or a fact of life in Malacañang. For a bunch of guys who were average Joes or garden variety executives from the private sector, the people in this administration suddenly act as if they are all world renown experts who don’t need outside opinion.

You can’t tell them how to better fix problems at the DOTC, or how to build better airports. They can’t be bothered to listen to motoring journalists discuss traffic management in Metro Manila and EDSA, they have lead ears regarding clamping down on buses, jeepneys, even tricycles that now ply C-5 and EDSA. They have not entrapped or caught the handful of corrupt BIR or customs officials or publicly embarrass them as the BIR does to businesses in its paid advertisements. They refused to believe both local and international media regarding the destruction wrought by Typhoon Yolanda. The President dismisses many of us as members of  “a cottage industry of critics.” How grown up is that?

Imagine if the P-Noy administration had actually done the reverse? What if they had actually listened, considered or consulted with those in the cottage industry of critics, the business sector or the public in general? Chances are there would be fewer critics because critics are actually the victims or well-meaning individuals who want to take part in the process of problem solving. Critics in media have ideas and solutions that have filtered through from their readers and audience. Readers and audiences are constituents who directly experience or encounter the problems on the ground.

If government officials tried out the “unsolicited advice,” the “critics” won’t have a bone to pick because their suggestions and solutions were actually applied. If they work, the critics can’t go around taking credit for it because they are not the implementing body or authority. What if President Noynoy actually conducted FGDs or Focus Group Discussions with “critics” or members of media who give out “unsolicited advise,” chances are people would commend him for being open minded and having the “wisdom to seek the counsel of many.”

Imagine if P-Noy hosted such events and asked the participants to present a serious concern, explanation of the problem and practical solutions to the problem as well as a person or persons best suited to address the problem, P-Noy would have an instant “improvement program” directly generated from the people most affected or concerned.

The problem I think is that the President is too busy to read or simply tunes out the media. Unfortunately this is why his ratings have been falling, he has not been listening or engaging the very people who directly influence the public, their perception and ultimately his ratings. And even if he says “I don’t care,” we all know he does and that’s why he gets hurt and gets mad.

Yikes! I’ve done it again! I actually gave unsolicited advice and set myself up for disappointment!

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