People’s wish list

There is wisdom in directly listening to the public and experts on what they truly believe must be pursued and delivered by the country’s new president after the national elections on May 9, 2022.

I received many reactions on my previous column. They were sent through my email, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. I decided to write most of these valid points that our netizens, readers and political observers expressed. I agree with most of them. Though some were not necessarily strategic, they are equally vital to the survival and progress of our country.

Values and foresight. First in the list of reactions came from Mr. Godofredo Bamba. Accurately, he added integrity and honesty to be an essential requirement for the new officials that will join the team of the next chief executive of the land. Political patronage and blood relations must not be an excuse to exempt anyone from possessing these two basic values that seemed to have been neglected in our bureaucracy.

Furthermore, he conjectured an out-of-the-box deterrent against the tendency of many public officials to illegally amass wealth by requiring them to allow scrutiny of their bank accounts. They must not hide under the cloak of bank secrecy laws here and abroad. This idea will definitely be confronted with stiff resistance. But this, in essence, will uncover wrongdoings and discourage those with ill intentions from joining government.

On the economic front, he mentioned foresight as a game-changing acumen that our leaders must have. For example, instead of perpetually importing train cars, we must explore and systematically assemble and manufacture their parts or components here. I agree.

If I may elaborate, this is what Thailand similarly did in the late 80’s. They granted incentives to car manufacturers who agreed to initially assemble their vehicles in Bangkok and nearby cities. Planning long-term, they required them to locally source the rubber for their tires. Eventually, manufacturing of internationally branded tires was successfully developed. The tire industry bloomed, the livelihood of the rubber tree farmers flourished and the car sector experienced unprecedented growth.

Other car parts were then competitively produced and, as they say, the rest is history. Today, Thailand manufactures Toyota, Honda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Ford. They are extremely successful that around 85 percent of Japanese cars worldwide are made in Thailand.

Legal and financial actions. I also received inputs from my former UP Law professor.  My law mentor argued for a balanced national budget. The government must trim down on spending, reduce borrowings and improve tax collections by ending the leakages. Technology-based reforms must be adopted such as digitalization of processes and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in evaluating, predicting and recommending decisions and actions.

Regarding crafting of new laws, the Bill of Rights must be superior to any proposed regulation. This will institutionalize the permanent respect for human lives and dignity. Stop the overdose of needless and antiquated laws that flood our statutes.  Privatize more government corporations and assets, especially those that are not performing well.

Longer wish list

There were other comments, but I will no longer mention the sources individually for lack of space and reasons of privacy. Most of these were reflective of a deeply embedded frustration such as the endemic breakdown of basic values in many levels of our government bureaucracy. Some readers proposed the revival of the traditional teaching of GMRC (Good Manner and Right Conduct) during the formative years of our students. They cherish the good old days when our youth displayed utmost respect to their elders. And at the same time, the senior members of our society served as the role model for the young.

The creation of an effective mass-transport system was identified many times along with the implementation of a more stringent road discipline indoctrination. Indeed, the present jeepneys, buses and trains are not enough to serve a growing number of commuters. The problem is aggravated by the lack of discipline in our roads.

On the more strategic bucket list is the upgrading of our tourism infrastructure, facilities and accommodations. The cleaning up of Intramuros in Manila was emotionally listed with a bold question on why the informal settlers are allowed by all succeeding Intramuros Administrations. According to the readers, they feel embarrassed when they see tourists traversing inside this historic site, which is included in our “must see” destinations for international visitors. Related to these, a message recommended that the City of Manila, or the Department of Tourism, can hire at least 1,000 blue guards to regularly provide security along the Cultural Center area, Roxas Boulevard, up to the National Post Office complex. Aside from the 1,000 jobs created, the tourists will appreciate a higher level of caring from the so-called world’s most hospitable people.

Based on the reactions to my column, there are more expectations from the incoming new administration, ranging from achieving food security, securing back the islands in the West Philippine Sea, up to providing more job opportunities.

At least, these clearly prove that elections still bring a strong sense of hope amongst the electorate who look forward to being saved from their economic and social hardships.

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