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The
Third House has spoken. This is the Bicameral Committee,
the committee of the Senate and the House of
Representatives which is tasked to reconcile their
respective versions of the 2007 budget originally
proposed by the Executive. It is called the Third House
because its decision shapes the final version of the
appropriations bill.
“We have
a achieved a breakthrough,” announced Sen. Frank Drilon,
chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and Rep. Joey
Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on
Appropriations.
The
major bone of contention was the P4.6 billion worth of
rice to be distributed to poor school children. The
budget for this in 2006 was P750 million. The Department
of Education proposed that this be increased to P1.8
billion in 2007. The Executive more than doubled this
and raised it to P4.6 billion.
The
NGO-Legislators Committee which proposed an alternative
budget for MDG goals, points out that there is no
question that poor school children have to be provided
with better nutrition. The debate between the Senate and
the House is on the strategy to achieve
this.
The best
way is to feed the children right in school and not give
them rice to take home. This strategy is fraught with
opportunities to improve the nutrition of people other
than children, as well as line the pockets of middlemen.
There are accounts that even during summer months when
classes are closed, rice contributed to be
“distributed!”
Feeding
the children right in school works better, as shown by
Negros Oriental, the multiawarded province headed by
Gov. George Arnaiz.
A budget
for 2007?
It is
expected that come January 22, the decision of the Third
House will be adopted when both houses resume
deliberations. It is also expected that the President
will approve the “new” 2007 budget. It is no secret that
the House constantly consults with the President.
Among
others, the allocation for debt servicing is reduced by
P10 billion. Historically, the President always vetoes
any reduction in the debt service.
Yes, the
Third House has spoken. It does not mean that the public
can heave a sigh of relief and leave the legislators and
executive alone. Concerned citizens still need to
examine the details of the Appropriations Act, and
monitor actual implementation.
After
all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
It’s
better manual!
During
the late sixties, I used to go to the Bureau of
Quarantine for immunization shots. Even then, bureau
personnel were impressive in the speed and efficiency
with which they “shot” their clients. I don’t recall
staying more than 10 minutes to fill up a form, get
injected, pay charges, and obtain a signed World Health
Organization card. Watching doctors, nurses and
administrative personnel do their routine was a delight
for the expert in time and motion studies.
It is
now 2007. A few days ago, I had to go to the Bureau of
Quarantine for yellow fever shots. Friends told me to be
prepared for long queues composed largely of hundreds of
seamen. One of them quipped, “people might wonder if you
are applying to be a seaman!” Another said that going to
the bureau would be like going to the US Embassy at the
crack of dawn and joining the long lines of hopeful
travelers.
I was in
the bureau by
6:15 a.m. People were already massing in the compound. The guard
distributed numbered forms and gave detailed
instructions. By
7 a.m. a
huge crowd dominated by young men and a few women had
accumulated. At 7:45 a.m. the first-batch applicants
started queuing.
Two
nurses manned the vaccination area, with very precise
and swift movements, they filled individual syringes
with vaccines and prepared cotton balls soaked in
disinfectant. Applicants were quickly vaccinated
assembly-line fashion. Two cashiers rapidly issued
receipts. These were then inserted inside a health card
by another clerk. The names were recorded in a record
book and typed in the cards. The last step was the
signing of the cards by the health officer.
The
wonder of it all was that everything was done manually,
except the typing of the names in the cards!
“It’s
better manual!” This is the reaction of people to
management problems which cannot be solved by computer
systems alone. Not all public offices can afford them or
have the capability to maintain such systems. It does
not mean that they have to be inefficient and
ineffective.
The
Bureau of Quarantine experience proves that services can
still be delivered swiftly even if everything is done
manually. It is all about effective organization systems
which take into consideration financial and space
constraints in the context of huge increases in
clientele. |
