June 15, 2003

The Philippine STAR, Opinion Page

From State Visits to 

Surprise Visits 

By Babe Romualdez

GMA must continue to put her well-known temper to good use.

Her unannounced visits to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Caloocan and Tondo police precincts are very good ways to see for herself – firsthand – the problems without relying on third-hand information. Whenever she has the time, it’s good for her to make these surprise visits to government offices and see if they are really doing their jobs. It’s no doubt front-page material, and it reminds the public that we do have very serious problems to address. Like the issue of government employees, as in the case of the LTO, leaving their posts and going home at four o’clock in the afternoon, about an hour earlier than the prescribed time. Somehow, the LTO must realize that these people are not only shortchanging the taxpayers, they are technically “stealing” their salaries from the country’s budget because they are not logging in the correct man hours required from them. Not only that, but for many years, the LTO has been the subject of criticism from both the media and the public because of alleged inefficiency in service and bureaucratic “red tape.” Just the other day, the daughter of a close friend of mine told me that she spent a little over six hours, running from one building and window to the other just to have her student license made into a formal driver’s license. And we are aware that “red tape” is just a mere excuse to practice bribery. 

I suppose both Caloocan and Tondo policemen – those in Moriones, in particular -- will now work round-the-clock to bring down the crime rate in their area. These areas have the highest incidences of crime in the city with serious problems ranging from drug trafficking, proliferation of loose firearms, gang wars to possible terrorist infiltration.

I have known GMA for a long time, and her impatience and temper are characteristics that have their pluses. Whatever her critics have to say about her, she is a hard worker. I was told she begins her day with an early morning Mass at the Malacañang Chapel, perhaps even before her staff is clear out of bed. She likes to work long hours. It’s that same impatient attitude, coupled with foresight that made her respond immediately to the threat of SARS even while the virus has not reached Philippine shores.

This issue of efficient service, I believe, is important because not too many people know that the bureaucracy in this country is so top-heavy. A typical government position nowadays has an average of four employees for just one task. In the corporate world, it’s a losing proposition, and it will never earn enough money except, perhaps, for a few people. A huge 65- to 70-percent of the national budget goes to wages and salaries of government employees, while a meager 30- or so percent goes to the actual implementation of basic services and other projects. Some analysts believe that only 10-percent actually goes to basic services. What can the government accomplish with 10-percent? No wonder some public school teachers conduct their classes under the shade of a mango tree than inside a classroom. 

To add insult to injury, our yearly tax collection always falls short of the expected target, thus we suffer a huge annual budget deficit. To make it even more difficult, some government agencies it seems are some of the worse violators of collection and reimbursement procedures. The Committee on Ways and Means recently blew the lid off of some government agencies that have inconsistencies in their collection and reimbursements. A study done by the Department of Finance pegs a difference of a little over PhP 9 billion between actual stated collections to their reimbursements. The top two agencies (there are many listed in the study) that seem to be guilty of this anomaly are the Air Transport Office and the Land Transportation Office. According to the study, the PhP 9 billion difference includes payments made by the people for driver’s licenses, car registrations and other necessary documents. The obvious question now is: where did the PhP 9 billion go? Or even worse, to whom did the money go to? That is why the government, even though it is the biggest employer in the country, is always cash-strapped.

GMA should continue these surprise visits. Who knows, she might pull a surprise in 2004…

I absolutely agree that we should not prejudge Bishop Bacani. In this country, when a controversy hits the papers, more often than not, it is taken as Gospel truth. As long as the issue is unsettled, the public must learn how to wait before making their conclusions. Sad to say, there are malicious, evil-minded people who make a living by destroying other people’s reputation. These people should be hanged by their you-know-what (that is, if they have any to begin with). Scandals in the Church are not new; they have been going on for centuries. As a matter of fact, my great great grandfather was a Spanish friar. During those days, things like these were never openly discussed. Now it is an open secret, and people must realize that the Church is not infallible. While the Church has the moral authority, it should keep its hands off politics and government. It’s about time we draw a clear line between the Church and the State. The Church must take care of the morals, and the State must take care of what is good for the people, especially in the area of population control.

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