Political will

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II believed he could ride out the firestorm of the dismissal of charges against two of the most high profile drug suspects remaining alive, Kerwin Espinosa and Peter Lim. The Secretary vowed to hold on to his position as he continued to enjoy the President’s trust and confidence.

He read it wrong. So, as promised, he handed in his resignation faster than 4 o’clock. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s decisive act substantiated the fiction – referred to by Theodore White as the “crowning myth” – of the Presidency. The man who emerges from the pack is presumptively the best man to lead us - as decreed by the people. When he does things like trashing his friend, classmate and fraternity brother, debunking the perception of sacred cows afoot, he towers in the public’s estimation. It reinvigorates the belief that we did right to elevate him. 

Walang kaibi-kaibigan. Of our past leaders, it is PRRD who has walked the talk in keeping Presidential alter egos in check. President Benigno Aquino III stands out at the other end of the spectrum. APAT were untouchable during the Aquino administration (Abad, Puno, Alan and Torres). Sec. Aguirre is the highest ranked member of the Cabinet to be replaced. He is a bosom buddy and is blindly loyal to the President. Friendship and loyalty are prized commodities in this arena of loneliness and doubt. But the Presidency remains the highest fiduciary position in the land. He cannot afford to squander this trust no matter how much cushioning he gets from his high approval ratings. 

Whiffs of political will are also wafting from the abolition of the NFA Council. At the helm of the  Council is Cabinet Secretary and long time PRRD ally Leoncio Evasco Jr. As we know, the NFA Council is the policy making body of the NFA. It was created by law (Presidential Decree 1770) when the National Grains Authority was transformed into the National Food Authority.

Crisis aRices. There has been a long running blame game between the Council and NFA Administrator Jayson Aquino over the question of food and rice security. Their latest cassus belli is the adequacy of the NFA buffer stock. Aquino would address this with an immediate importation of 250,000 metric tons. The NFA council has refused, blaming Aquino for the shortage. It should be solved by buying locally.

PRRD has had enough. Eschewing the watchdog role of a council/policy making board, he has decided to go all in with his administrator. He wants to abolish the NFA Council and be guided by one voice. He chose to proceed with the proposed importation but Sec. Evasco and the Council adamantly resisted. In his now familiar decisive persona, he ends the squabbling and goes with his gut.

This may be another matter for Congress to sort out and for hindsight to second guess. Whether the gamble pays off or not, in the short run we benefit from having peace restored to the NFA.

Bitter pill. Boracay is another theater for the box office showing of the President’s sublime political will. The administration shuts down the island beginning April 26. The grievances of stakeholders are surely valid. It’s a mighty sacrifice required of them. In the end, however, they will be the primary beneficiaries of a more sustainable and profitable Boracay.

Political will now levels up to political skill. The island became a mess because of malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance of these same stakeholders. PRRD’s team should ensure that the responsible are brought to justice, specially the national and local government functionaries who should have done better.

Fifty shades of white. I enjoyed the sangfroid and the marvel-ous production values of the blockbuster hit, Black Panther. His is the latest comic book story to be adapted for the big screen. The film, apart from validating its superhero pedigree, showcases the charisma of the African people and their culture. To have a minority led Hollywood movie resonate with a worldwide audience is enough to make you proud of your own uniqueness. Might this be the magic potion to wean the Filipino from his obsession with fair skin?

We have countrymen tired of being morena. The jury is still out on the notion that science could provide an answer for their fatigue. Nonetheless, even the faintest possibility has fueled a flourishing medical skin whitening industry.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been having a field day running after the purveyors of this whitening alchemy. Targeted are those unscrupulous number who prey on their kababayans’ vulnerability without a matching conscientiousness to comply with regulations, without the conscience to care about the public’s protection. Its not just the counterfeiters and fly by night specialists that have fallen. Some of the nation’s highest profile dermatology practitioners have been caught in the dragnet, selling medicines without a pharmacist’s license under the guise of patient treatment.

A person is free to do what he wills with his own corpus. Professionals are free to practice their profession. But when a profession becomes a trade, then the government should step in under its power to regulate commerce and its duty to provide for the general welfare of the public.

Mayon Damayan. Political Affairs Sec. Francis Tolentino, the President’s overall Mayon Volcano crisis manager, thanked everyone who donated efforts and resources to help in the aftermath of the Mayon explosions. Sec. Tolentino proved to be an inspired choice, what with his expansive crisis management experience at the helm of his previous posting at the MMDA. Under his guard, the task force succeeded in scoring a zero casualty record. He was able to tap a formidable number of sponsors from both public and private sectors to aid in the recovery of his beloved home province. Once again, Secretary Tolentino has demonstrated his appreciation of the high purpose of public service. We look forward to seeing him take on even greater responsibilities for the nation in the years to come.