Presidential indigestion

The last thing the Office of the President (OP) needs is another government office under its wing that simply adds to their inefficiency. The OP has recently announced that the Philippine Reclamation Authority will now be directly under the Office of the President reportedly in reaction to “congressional claims that the rehabilitation of Manila Bay would pave the way for reclamation projects that will displace thousands.” The President’s intention may be to ensure and show the public that no such nonsense will be allowed, and that is sincerely admirable.

However, I have to point out that the Office of the President is currently experiencing serious “presidential indigestion” in terms of getting things done, laws signed, positions filled and needed officials appointed. Ever since the start of the Duterte administration, the one persistent comment or criticism against the Office of the President is their inability to fast track business that undergoes review and approval of the President. According to pro-Duterte sources in the Judiciary there is a serious backlog or shortage of courts and judges in the country but the need remains unmet because the presidential seal of approval has not touched the papers of approval or appointment. The bad part of it all is that no one even gives a feedback, update or explanation why the vacancies and shortage are not being met.

In terms of legislation, I just read that several bills remain unsigned resulting in non-implementation of important government programs and projects. Even civil servants hoping to be promoted have repeatedly seen their hopes perish at the gates of Malacañang all because of the inability of the OP to digest, process and act on papers that enter their labyrinth. The irony really is that while President Duterte is the loudest voice against red tape and bureaucratic inefficiency, his office probably stands to be in the top 5 slowest as far as documents processing and action is concerned. Yes the Philippine Reclamation Authority should be placed under guard based on past sins of collusion and corruption, but it might be best to place it under the control of some other department that can actually do something productive and not the Office of the President that has more than it can chew!

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A retired aviation official called my attention to the news that the NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) has once again reeled in the unsolicited proposal of San Miguel Corp. to build a new international airport in Bulacan. The official vented his exasperation at the never-ending “review” being conducted by the NEDA board. His impression which is undoubtedly shared by many, is that specific members of the board are simply trying to wear out San Miguel Corp. or piss off Ramon Ang and make him abandon the much needed project. The other suspicion is that some people in the board are delaying the SMC proposal just long enough to give the NAIA Conglomerate enough head start and secure their operational footing before Ramon Ang’s SMC Bulacan Airport manages to obliterate the competition with a genuine world class airport complex, and not just a bunch of renovated terminals that are neither truly modern nor world-class.

I have in the past expressed my suspicions that certain officials who have past or present links in aviation are actively displaying their conflict of interest and are protecting potential competitors of SMC as well as other airport developers. In as much as President Duterte sits as the big boss of the NEDA board, it is only fair to point out that the SMC Bulacan International Airport proposal has been on the table for two years, far longer than the deadlines President Duterte laid down for complex businesses. If President Duterte truly supports corruption free infrastructure development, then it’s about time he sat down with his board members at NEDA and implemented his policy against red tape and insider protectionist activities.

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I once again dodged the bullet that came in the form of a 90 percent clogged artery.  This time it was a close call when I experienced severe chest pains that had me fully convinced that I was having a heart attack all the way out in Lipa City! Fortunately I had a box full of medicines with me and my very accessible cardiologist Dr. Marlou Mendoza who managed me through the ordeal until we reached the emergency room of my beloved Heart Center!

Long story short we opted for an angiogram even though I only had my procedure six months ago. As it turned out I had a blockage that they suspect may have happened when I stupidly stopped taking my blood thinners for 10 days due to a scheduling mess with the dentist. You’re not suppose to get off the thinners for more than four days so bingo!  Don’t waste time and take risks with conservative protocols because that is what my friend did and he is now resting in peace! After the angiogram, we immediately did the angioplasty for one stent and I was home right after lunch yesterday.

Unlike past episodes, this one landed me in the emergency room and I really felt so bad for so many patients lined up, as well as the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who were not enough and working in such cramp space. If the government and Congress can’t give the Philippine Heart Center wide open land for development, can we at least get the best architects and space planners to redesign and rebuild the emergency room?!  No offense meant but I find it ironic that the Central Bank Mint has a fortress to make money but we can’t provide space for people fighting for or saving lives everyday! We spend billions of pesos re-blocking roads designed to crack apart or drainage canals where it never floods but we won’t spend more money on the Heart Center!  If anyone wants to do something about it, PLEASE COUNT ME IN!!!

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