Most people usually make their New Year’s resolution at this time of the year. Not me. I am going to be like Howard Beale, the news anchor character played by Peter Finch in the 1976 movie “Network”, who venting his frustration at what the world is coming to, said things have got to change, but first they have to get mad to get things going. So he exhorts his audience with the memorable line: “Get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE.” And it works. When people got mad about PDAF and DAP, things started moving. If they had just shrugged their shoulders on just another folly of government, they would have institutionalized patronage as a fact of life.
So here is what is making me mad as hell. They range from the banal to those that strike at the core of our values as Filipinos.
1. Is anybody accountable?– All of us remember the story of the daughter of the Korean Airlines chairman, who forced the Incheon bound flight to return to the gate of JFK because she was mad at the attendant for failing to serve her macadamia nuts on a plate. Admirably, her father, the chairman forced her resignation and apologized publicly for not having raised his child properly. It is my hope that our government officials will similarly hold themselves accountable for his/her failure to do their job properly.
For example, after the recent exposure of the cushy life of privileged inmates who not only lived in luxurious accommodations, but were also allowed to ply their trade with impunity, the head of the Bureau of Corrections professed ignorance of such malfeasance. Hard to believe since this apparently has been going on for so long. Given that he had the mandate and plenty of time to address this situation, the current BUCOR director has even less reason not to resign.
The DOTC is the government agency that perhaps has the most daily interaction with the public because they oversee our land, air and sea travel and our communications infrastructure – the lifeblood of the country. Sadly, it is also the most ineffective. The mismanagement of the MRT/LRT is a continuing saga and now they are even asking for a fare increase, which at the very least, is in the same level of bad timing as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Air and sea travel is at best chaotic. Of course, my personal pet peeve is the inability to secure license plates for a new car in a reasonable period of time as opposed to six months or more. For someone who had excellent credentials, the DOTC chief has mismanaged his department in multiple ways. Delicadeza dictates he resign voluntarily. Obviously, the readership can cite more examples about the lack of accountability among our government officials. Too often, officials pass the buck to others, sometimes even to the President. Instead, they should declare that the “buck stops” with them. This is not helped by the President’s loyalty to his appointees which has forced him to defend misfits in his cabinet including those who are responsible for the creation of the DAP and who turned a blind eye to the abuse of PDAF. Vice President Binay should also look in the mirror and assess his own accountability to his constituents.
2. Does anybody realize we are in the most disaster prone area in the world? We are clearly prone to natural disasters and there is nothing we can do about it unless we somehow are able to move the whole country to a more benign latitude on the earth. But we can certainly do something to be resilient – to minimize the damage and recover quickly. To be resilient, the entire population must be transformed. The government is attempting to do their share, but the private sector must be united into one team not divided by parochial commercial interest. Perhaps what we need is a Chief Resiliency Officer of the country reporting to the President. Looking around for who might be qualified, I think Gov. Joey Salceda has accomplished a lot in preparing his province for resiliency that can be replicated nationwide.
3. What are traffic rules for? True, there are many reasons for the traffic congestion, but bad, undisciplined driving is a huge part of it and it boils down to lax standards for granting driver licenses and poor enforcement. The Land Transportation Office has failed to impose stringent rules on driver education before issuing drivers licenses. Enforcement of the law is equally bad. For example, in EDSA near the Ayala-MRT station, three lanes are reserved for buses, but the bus drivers brazenly drive on the fourth lane meant for other motorists. Many allege that traffic enforcers apply a different set of rules for bus drivers who drive with abandon. You can’t find traffic enforcers when they are most needed. Swerving is probably the most reason for being issued a traffic ticket for drivers of private vehicles. Yet, you will find buses hogging all four lanes in EDSA near the Ayala –MRT, and if you are driving on Ayala Ave. corner EDSA, you will note that drivers who want to turn left go to the rightmost lane. Incidentally, pedestrians cross the streets without looking out for traffic.
4. What happened to civic consciousness? It is what makes democracy work – everyone working together for the common good. In our elementary and intermediate schools, inculcating personal and social responsibility is an important part of the curriculum. They are taught how to be good citizens by paying their taxes, behaving in accordance with the laws of the land, instilling in them good civic consciousness – personal responsibility and social empathy. Sadly, civic consciousness only applies within one’s personal space and home. This is most evident in the way people dispose of their garbage – as long as it’s not within my wall, its ok. And so, one can expect the same disregard for sanitation and cleanliness of public places – bus stops, parks and sidewalks. Perhaps, this most basic of democratic core value is not being given the same kind of importance in the current curriculum and should be revisited.
5. Is there such a thing as being fashionably late? I don’t think it’s fashionable in any sense – particularly if there is no compelling reason behind it. In business or government, it is always difficult to start a meeting on time. At a seated dinner party hosted by foreign embassies or in Malacanang state dinners, it is extremely embarrassing when the guests are not punctual. Worse yet, they accept the invitation but they just fail to arrive. I have seen this on many occasions. If you are sent an invitation, you must respond whether you accept or regret. Cabinet officials and legislators are often guilty of ignoring the basic principles of etiquette. They send regrets and then appear, or they accept and fail to appear at all, or they come very late and then leave the dinner early coming up with some feeble excuse. Perhaps a refresher course on Etiquette 101 is essential for our newly appointed Cabinet officials and legislators. This may be done perhaps simply and without fuss by the Protocol Office in the Palace who can issue a book on etiquette and protocol to newly appointed cabinet officials. The same should be issued by Congress to newly elected legislators.
6. Is it really necessary to have loud music in dining places? People go to restaurants to socialize, but how is that possible when they cannot hear each other with the music blaring? Even without music, the restaurants are built and designed without any priority given to proper acoustics. The most fashionable restaurants in Makati and Global City have noise pollution.
That’s what I have on my list. What’s on yours?
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