THE Philippine government has proven its inability to deal with the problems that are at the core of its responsibility. As the Aquino presidency enters its waning months, no amount of begging for the benefit of the doubt can now disguise the fact that it has failed the public.
The biblical book of Proverbs says that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” In the original Hebrew, the word vision means to look into and anticipate the future. While no one expects the government to be prophetic, the people have the right to expect that their leaders will see the potential problems of public interest and offer reasonable and practical solutions.
We wrote last month that succeeding administrations did not make any viable preparations for the inevitable severe El Niño weather conditions that the nation is facing. We were assured by Malacañang that, in fact, the government was on top of the problem. Now we are being warned about the possibility of 12-hour water interruptions.
Before we are accused of expecting the government to be able to change the weather, let us mention that the main source of water supply for Metro Manila is the Angat Dam reservoir, built in 1967. It does not take much vision to know that the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system has been overstretched and outdated for many years. But we have come to a point where the best that the government can offer for a solution is no solution at all.
Apparently, the traffic congestion in Metro Manila is another situation that could not have possibly been foreseen. We have been told that it is a result of great economic growth in the past few years. This means that the growth of the economy was anticipated but the growth of traffic congestion was not. The President ordered the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group to take charge directing the traffic and clearing major intersections that are identified as “choke points” along Edsa. If this is a solution, why was it not implemented years ago?
If lack of planning causes a water shortage, then the solution is a 12-hour ban on water. If there are too many cars causing congestion, ban half the cars, this time with an “odd-even scheme.” Do we notice a pattern here?
Perhaps the next “radical solution” to the transportation disaster known as “Metro Rail Transit 3” will be another odd-even scheme based on the first letter of a passenger’s family name. We do not want to even speculate the solution that will be offered for airport congestion.
From the BusinessMirror: “One year has passed since the government launched the auction for the long-term maintenance contractor of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, yet, it has only achieved one thing: surpass a key hurdle for an emergency procurement.” Government leaders and politicians can plan a year or two in advance for the next election. But when it comes to public services, it takes a year to declare a problem an “emergency.”
This kind of governing has gone on far too long. When the people decide that they cannot stand this abuse any longer, then it will be a real emergency for the ruling class.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano