Prioritize what helps, not what divides

The front pages of the past few days have been peppered with articles about the “agad-agad” impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Unbeknownst to many, the silent, apolitical majority have slowly but surely been getting turned off by the “rabid” desire to politically “lynch” the Vice President. The people are simply tired and frustrated that their needs come last.

Unfortunately, this preoccupation with politics, vendettas and ideology has distracted many individuals, leaders and professionals from using their God-given talents and resources to address the plight and blight being experienced by Filipinos.

In the pursuit of prosecuting one person, millions of individuals have lost sight of their capacity for compassion and to make a real difference in their community as well as to those in need.

Remember what Christ said: “Every Kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25).

Since losing the midterm elections, President Bongbong Marcos has made efforts to recognize the mistakes and correct them. The problem is, the rest of the team, leaders in society and public personalities are not on board.

They continue to be myopic and “lock on target” on politics while Filipino problems dangerously rise to the surface via social media and word of mouth. I have tried to bring attention to our deplorable state of public and private health services.

Hospitalization is so expensive, medicine unaffordable and legislated discounts for seniors and PWD made by complicated requiring prescriptions, booklets and the ID. Lack one and you don’t get the discount.

Pharmacies limit the number of medicines to 30 pieces for 30 days even if your doctor wrote 90 or more because you need to take the medicine two to three times a day! DOH, Congress and PBBM have the power to correct this.

Speaking of IDs, many of us still use paper IDs that we each need to have laminated instead of the digitalized ID consolidating prescriptions, ID and booklets. Even the identity card is not all plastic digitized cards.

I also called attention to the “wildfire” of real estate developments on agricultural land. How did the DENR and DA allow such illegal conversions? These will strain natural resources, particularly water supply, while nearby barangays don’t have running water and depend on “igib” or collecting water with plastic jugs.

Over the weekend, the topic was the uncontrolled hikes in rent and tuition fees. Even expats find the annual increases ridiculous and unbelievable, considering employees don’t get annual salary increase!

Fellow columnist Ariel Nepomuceno wrote about the lack of housing. I add to that the increasing number of people living on sidewalks. In a time where “container housing” and tiny homes is fashionable, why not for mass housing?

Yesterday, a Facebook post shared the experience of singer/artist Celeste Legaspi and friends who got sick from drinking contaminated water.

Many tourist destinations in the Philippines have no reliable, affordable electricity, no telecoms or cell sites, most have no medical facility to address trauma and poisoning or emergency transport for islands resorts.

Local water is generally drawn from deep wells in populated area or springs from hilltops. Many brands of bottled water sold are “filtered” but rarely tested by the LGU. I know, because we’ve had to change suppliers twice.

Many populated barangays don’t have proper sewage facilities, thereby draining septic tanks into the ground resulting in dangerous levels of E-coli bacteria, which is a suspect in the El Nido incident. Why not barangay clustered septic tank-sewage treatment?

The only way to solve the problem is for the national government to “do it yourself.” The national government always tells provincial small town LGUs what to do but more often than not, LGUs are left to their own resources.

The national government benefits from tourism investments and arrivals, but rarely reinvest in the needed tourism infrastructure of destination LGUs. PBBM gave orders to improve all airports nationwide to ensure the comfort and convenience of tourists. But what happens after they get out of the airport?

We don’t have an organized, modernized transport system in and outside Metro Manila, much worse in the provinces. How can tourists make bookings or orders if they can’t even get decent signal strength in many places? Many destinations don’t have adequate, secured, working ATM machines.

Social media has become the “Tourist Bureau of the Philippines,” where even I have discovered more places than anything the DOT rolls out or promotes. Why? Because the DOT prioritizes the rich and ritzy and easy to sell destinations for moneyed tourists.

PBBM has “appointees” in the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), “the government agency responsible for promoting, developing and financing local water utilities outside Metro Manila.”

The question is, does the President have qualified people in the agency and do they have the needed funds to fulfill their mandate? From what’s on the ground, I think not!

Sorry, but in all the years I spent in the islands of Palawan and barangays in Batangas, I have never seen a LWUA water impounding project.

Given the vast knowledge and expertise at the Department of Science and Technology, many of the problems confronting Filipinos could be addressed if PBBM lets them. Solar technology will solve half the problems, but DOST does not want to trespass on DOE territory.

If the government and LWUA wants to provide water in every barangay, it can be done with the help of the DILG if only they focused on needs, not politics. Whether it’s health related, housing, transport or tourism, the solutions abound if PBBM wants them.

There are solutions, but everybody has to prioritize what helps and not on what divides.

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