Talk is cheap

Some people have started to dismiss the proposal of San Miguel Corp. CEO Ramon Ang to build a 10 lane overhead expressway on top of EDSA built out of steel for speed and economy. According to them, the better solution would be more trains. Yes, trains are more efficient in terms of capacity and space, but who’s going to build them? Dreams come free but actually building and running the systems costs a lot of money and only countries where jobs are plenty and have a bigger and committed tax base can sustain or subsidize trains. The fact is trains abroad are already considered expensive by people who live in Europe, the US and Japan.

Here in the Philippines, train rides are heavily subsidized and the passengers fight tooth and nail against the smallest price increase regardless of the fact that it is absolutely necessary. Just look at what’s happening at the LRT and the MRT, maintenance is a nightmare because the systems are so cash strapped. There is also the fact that only 30% of Filipinos are registered taxpayers. On top of all that, every administration in recent history have relied on “unsolicited bids” or private sector funded construction for infrastructure. We also have a historical nightmare regarding the construction, development, ownership etc. of the MRT. The only reason the LRT was not as controversial was because it was constructed during the Martial law era but even that did not prevent the system from experiencing premature dilapidation due to use and abuse of having too many passengers.

Critics of the 10-lane overhead expressway mistakenly treat the proposal as an isolated project dedicated for cars and conveniently forgetting or excluding the fact that San Miguel Corp. has long been batting for their BRT or Bus Rapid Transit system that works much like trains but on wheels. Unlike trains that are fixed on rails and a platform, the multi-compartment BRT can change lanes, are not tied to power lines like the MRT and LRT. They operate on hybrid engines making them flexi-fuel and environmentally friendly. They are also much cheaper to maintain and expand. The 10-lane proposal combined with the SMC BRT system and looped with their Skyway loop undoubtedly provides Metro Manila residents a more realistic solution that can be done in 4 years max. San Miguel Corp. and Ramon Ang have consistently delivered on plans and projects that many naysayers have tried to discredit or shoot down out of envy or just for the heck of it. Yet they continue to come up with solutions while others just talk. Talk is cheap but gets us nothing.

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Senator Francis Pangilinan was recently quoted as saying that the African Swine Fever outbreak in the Philippines is a failure of government. He allegedly said that if the government had put in place effective quarantine controls and restrictions on meat importations, we would not be having this problem. If I were a Senator,  I would investigate who exactly should be held accountable for the unrestrained or massive importation of pork products into the Philippines. It is certainly NOT Secretary William Dar and the problem has long been talked about by local hog raisers as well as in media. The problem is our Senators only pick up issues when we in Media have turned them into controversies or major headlines!

I fully agree with Kiko Pangilinan on the need for a stronger quarantine system. But once again that’s old news, I actually even suggested to Secretary Dar last month when he guested on AGENDA that he should sit down with Customs Commissioner Rey Guererro to put up a single entry and quarantine unit for Agricultural imports, invest on modern equipment as well as K9 sniffers, and invest on developing a tough as nails unit who are well versed and well trained on tracing, intervention etc. If you go to Australia or UK or Japan chances are you’ll spot some cute beagle or small dog sniffing around at baggage carousels. They are there to find imported/smuggled agricultural products and foods that are on the banned list. In fact some friends in media have been subjected to baggage check just because they had snacks in their baggage.

Senator Pangilinan should investigate all of his agriculture related concerns but do so with the sincere desire to help the department out of the battlefield they’re in. Labeling the ASF and related matters as government failure doesn’t help especially given the fact that so many bigger, well-organized and well-funded governments and countries have been hit by ASF. A virus such as ASF is no easy target. But what makes it worse is the human emotion of fear, greed, ignorance and self-preservation. Being a weekend-farmer, Kiko Pangilinan’s heart is that of a farmer, but being a Senator gives him the power and responsibility to do more than to point out the obvious. Farmers need better compensation, the DA needs more help in information dissemination, the DILG needs to step in with the PNP to do monitoring and intervention at the Barangay level, the BOC needs to step up its performance on quarantine, the Senate needs to facilitate the development of Hog raising in order to end the need and purchase of cheap, subsidized imports.

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Here’s a belated congratulations to the Privacy Commission and the PNP that took action against an on-line money lending company that illegally accessed and used personal contact details of borrowers to use these to harass and embarrass them into paying loans. Congratulations also to the DOE for investigating the oil companies and challenging their price increases and reductions that did not tally to the studies and numbers of the DOE. These seemingly small victories tell the people that government is taking action!