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A10 COMMENTARY Wednesday, 24 July 2019 Daily Tribune “Rody previously said he is working to strengthen the friendship with China to build enough trust to withstand the backlash from the contentious issue. Daily Tribune WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR Chito Lozada Aldrin Cardona Dinah Ventura John Henry Dodson Roy Pelovello Larry Payawal Komfie Manalo Geraldine Datoy Tough act In one hour and 22 minutes, President Rody Duterte talked to Filipinos in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SoNA), which in gist stated the difficult balancing steps he had taken as leader of the nation. The millions who listened to Rody held to each word he said, knowing that this leader will never sell the nation’s interest and put the lives of its citizens at risk. His thinning line of critics who are as noisy as ever centers their attacks on two topics which they see Rody as being vulnerable, which are the deaths in the war on drugs that they claim have reached 27,000 and the maritime conflict. The extrajudicial killings (EJK) allegations are now the political opponents’ ammunition against Rody in the United Nations and, lately, the US Congress. Nothing has changed since the time when Rody assumed the presidency or even way before when he was Davao City Mayor, as the allegations remain largely as conjectures culled from the black operations factory of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. The unceasing efforts to pin Rody on the West Philippine Sea conflict take the same line, in which he is blamed for a problem that he did not create but on which he is applying a solution. When he took the reins of government, China was already in possession of the disputed maritime features, mainly the Spratly Islands where structures had been set up. “That’s the problem. They’re the ones in possession and claiming all the resources there as an owner. We are claiming the same, but we are not in the position because of that fiasco during the term of my predecessor and that of (former Foreign Affairs Secretary) Albert (del Rosario),” he said. The situation then, thus, placed Rody in a catch-22 situation where every chess piece showed a checkmate of an escalation of conflict. China had then started putting up permanent infrastructure on the reclaimed islands even before the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against its nine-dash line territorial claim. Rody, in his address, said the situation was precipitated by a wrong move from the previous administration. “We withdrew. That was a kind of a compromise. When we backed off, they entered the waters. They’re already too many,” he narrated. Rody was talking about the time when the apparently indecisive government of former President Noynoy Aquino complied with an American directive for both the Philippines and China to pull out their vessels from a then maritime standoff. China stayed and since then has not left the area. The obvious choices for Rody were to risk war by pursuing the claim or to deescalate and negotiate. He chose the latter, which he said would be for the best interest of the nation. “The avoidance of conflict — armed conflict and protection of our territorial waters and natural resources — compel us to perform a delicate balancing act,” he said. “A shooting war is grief and misery multiplier. War leaves widows and orphans in its wake. I am not ready or inclined to accept the occurrence of more destruction, more widows and more orphans, should war, even on a limited scale, breaks out,” he added. On those vociferous rabble-rousers, Duterte said he will raise the claim of the country with China “in due time.” Rody previously said he is working to strengthen the friendship with China to build enough trust to withstand the backlash from the contentious issue. The country had, for instance, approached “Unceasing efforts to pin Rody on the West Philippine Sea conflict take the same line, in which he is blamed for a problem that he did not create. Patricia Ramos Board Chair Willie Fernandez Publisher and President Executive Editor Managing Editor Associate Editor Digital Editor Central Desk Editor Central Desk Advertising and Marketing China as its partner for development and security in the region on the concept of sharing responsibilities among Asians for progress. Rody recounted, in his first few months as president, the rifle sale between the Philippines and the United States was cancelled, a deal which was supposed to be critical on law enforcement, especially with the then developing terror threat in Marawi City at that time. “When I became President and when the M16 rifles were cancelled by America upon the prodding of the US Congress, I found myself in a quandary because reports were already very ripe then that there was the passing of arms in Marawi,” he said. He reviewed the armaments of the security forces and said those mostly in the hands of the police were hand-me-downs from the Army. “So, I was forced to go to China,” he said. “We have been acting along that legal truth and line. But we have to temper it with the times and the realities that we face today,” Rody said of his policy towards China. It’s a complicated problem inflicted on him by past incompetence, but Rody wanted the maritime conflict solved in favor of Filipinos’ interest and not those of other foreign nations. “Saddled with such a law, management would not be able to kick out workers, some of whom are really very unproductive and a drag to the company. “He said that he is against the term-sharing agreement, but if after 15 months the speaker resigns, then the House will elect a new speaker. Missing from President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA), which lasted an hour more than what was claimed by Palace aides, were two of his campaign promises: the shift to Federalism and the security of tenure bill. Frankly, it should be said, it was a good presidential decision. Federalism, if pressed, certainly would not have passed Congress, no matter who the Philippine President is, mainly because the Filipino people have shown their resistance to this shift in government system too many times in as many years. Besides, the truth is, the country cannot afford — tax-wise — to shift to Federalism, especially since too many local government executives and regional leaders are not ready to independently rule in any planned state under a federal system, as regional leaders — from councilors to mayors to governors — have always relied on the central government and can hardly govern without the central government or federal government’s interference and aid. As the President himself Good moves FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares The busiest day of the year at the Batasang Pambansa complex is most definitely the third Monday of July every year, the constitutionally mandated date for the president’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA). Classes are suspended in the entire of Quezon City and the roads leading to Barangay Constitution Hills are shut down to give way for rallies and VIP. For those who watch “Designated Survivor” on Netflix, this is precisely the target area. The day started very early in the morning with two breakfast meetings set to finalize what seemed to be a turbulent race to the speakership. The first meeting was called by the President’s son, Rep. Paolo Duterte, scheduled at 8 a.m. at the South Lounge, the adjacent room to the Plenary Hall, where congressmen have their snacks and coffee during session days. Congressmen crowded the area as early as 7:30 a.m. in eager anticipation of any surprise announcement despite everyone knowing that the day before, Sunday, the three contenders for the speakership already met and agreed to “behave” on SoNA day. Notably, Rep. Martin Romualdez was the only contender present in the South Lounge. However, Rep. Duterte was a noshow, and it was Rep. Isidro Ungab who took the microphone at around 8:15 a.m. We all knew that Rep. Ungab was the bet of the Davao Coalition formed by Rep. Duterte, and it was appropriate for him to speak before the bustling crown of House members. Rep. Ungab didn’t noted during his speech, he said, “Federalism devolves a lot of authority to local governments,” adding that the federal system has to have a strong president to put together the country. “With regard to federal, it’s a very loose structure. One has a lot of power locally. So, the President will have to have to structure it until such time that we have perfected it. There has to be a strong President with the same powers now,” he stressed, while getting himself out of the Federalism equation. As he put it: “As for me, I’m out of it because I think that it will pass beyond my time.” There is, however, one that got away with Federalism in the country — state-wise: the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its autonomous state within a federal system in the country, which is contrary to a presidential system. The MILF succeeded in getting the current administration — supposedly in exchange for peace, which we still don’t enjoy, despite the MILF now having its own government and territory. However, this claimed autonomous MILF government may still be declared unconstitutional by the High Court, given that the republic continues to operate under a presidential system, and with the Constitution and all its provisos and laws continuing to prevail. However, this anomaly may yet be resolved by the Supreme Court after the term of President Duterte, which ends in mid-2022. Another good move made by Duterte in his fourth SoNA was his seeming reluctance to sign into law the security of tenure bill, which would have been welcomed by dwell into the specifics, and instead said that they shall abide by the endorsement of the President. This calmed everyone down and people started filing out of the South Lounge for the next breakfast meeting set by Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano at Nograles Hall in the South Wing Annex, a five-minute walk away. But before everyone got to leave South Lounge, Rep. Cayetano arrived at the South Lounge and everyone ganged up for a picture with the presumptive speaker, with Rep. LRay Villafuerte assisting to gather the crowd. Soon, former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco arrived to join the herd of House members walking to Nograles Hall in what seemed to take forever with all the media reporters hounding them. By the time the House members got inside, it was already past 9 a.m. and the microphone was later handed to Rep. Cayetano. He masterfully gave the outline as to who will address the House members – namely himself, Rep. Velasco for a short message, then Rep. Romualdez on the scenario of the opening of session. This was an excellent strategy to avoid surprises later on. Rep. Cayetano even joked that he spoke for only 15 minutes, and Rep. Velasco will speak for 22 minutes, just like the “Magellan formula.” After Rep. Romualdez articulately detailed the scenario of the Morning Session, Rep. Cayetano thanked everyone to close the meeting. Then, as if right on cue, the doors of Nograles Hall swung open and workers, but would be bad for any business existing and being put up in this country, both foreign or local. The fact is that, saddled with such a law, management would not be able to kick out workers, some of whom are really very unproductive and a drag to the company and should have been fired easily. But for their being protected by the security of tenure — in the event Duterte does sign the bill — they can, instead of working hard, loaf the whole day or even feign sick days, and management will have no option but to keep such abusive and unproductive workers in its payroll, which would be bloated. True, management “Regional leaders… have always relied on the central government and can hardly govern without the central government or federal government’s interference and aid. SoNA behind the scenes QUO VADIS Darren M. de Jesus still has the option to fire such employees for cause, but think of how much more they have to shell out by way of legal fees, as well as paying such workers a lot of money, by firing them and for justifiable cause. The real problem’s roots can probably be traced to congressmen, who come up with laws that would be popular to the employees, which then translate to votes for them. These lawmakers really don’t bother to study the problems the law could bring to business, which can even cause a business to close shop. The problem is that some, if not many of these members of Congress, don’t bother about future problems that would, in the end, impact negatively on the country’s economic growth and attract future foreign investments. It is mainly because many of these lawmakers don’t have big, medium and even small businesses to run, as they have no problems paying their staff, since the taxpayers pay for their salaries, and are moreover protected as civil service employees — except for the members of Congress’ confidential aides, whose salaries are also paid for by the taxpayers anyway, as the congressmen and senators salaries are also paid by the taxpayers, including their rental fees for their offices. Business groups know this only too well, which is the reason they have been urging the President to use his veto power, saying it would go against the businesses’ constitutional right to contract labor as part of management prerogative. Duterte seems to agree. As he put it: “It (the security of tenure bill) would be chaotic. One provision draws a lot of complaints. A lot of pros and cons. You will get dizzy. So, it’s better if you just talk about it among yourselves and present it to the public. Once there is a package, it has been completed.” That’s a well-studied decision and wise. Rep. Duterte entered together with his crew of congressmen. The microphone was handed to Rep. Duterte for a short message, which turned out to be, perhaps, the biggest surprise of the morning. He said that he is against the term-sharing agreement, but if after 15 months the speaker resigns, then the House will elect a new speaker. After speaking, Rep. Duterte joked to Rep. Romualdez that the latter was orchestrating a supposed coup, which of course was not true. The second “The day before, Sunday, the three contenders for the speakership already met and agreed to “behave” on SoNA day. breakfast meeting concluded around 9:40 a.m. and the congressmen shuffled into the Session Hall for the opening of the 18th Congress set at 10 a.m. Right on the dot, Acting Secretary General Bobby Maling opened the session, as well as the nomination for the Speaker of the House — the rest was history. The election of the speaker, deputy speakers, majority leader and the chairpersons of the House Committee on Accounts and Appropriation was done quickly. Session was suspended at around 1:30 p.m., to resume at 3 p.m. the following day. In the afternoon, the joint session for the SoNA was scheduled at 4 p.m., but didn’t start until 5 p.m. The President arrived late, perhaps due to the inclement weather that troubled his helicopter from arriving. His whole speech lasted for around two hours in what was said by some to be his best SoNA thus far. More on this in my next column. Email: darren.dejesus@gmail.com or tweet: @darrendejesus. Published daily by the Daily Tribune Publishing Co., with offices at 3450 Concept Bldg., Florida Street, Makati City • Editorial: (02) 831-0496 • Administration: dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To advertise and subscribe: ads@tribune.net.ph, dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To submit an opinion article, email opinion@tribune.net.ph. To submit a letter to the editor, email: letters@tribune.net.ph • News: news@tribune.net.ph • Metro: metro@tribune.net.ph • Lifestyle: lifestyle@tribune.net.ph • Business: biz@tribune.net.ph • Sports: sports@tribune.net.ph • PR: pr@tribune.net.ph.
A11 COMMENTARY Wednesday, 24 July 2019 Daily Tribune JV and Rody’s address He may have lost his senatorial reelection bid last May, but Joseph Victor Estrada should be all smiles now after hearing President Rodrigo Duterte speak about a future that was anchored on Ejercito’s very recent lawmaking past during his fourth and most recent State of the Nation Address (SoNA). Saying he will end his presidency fighting, President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated that three of his administration’s main thrusts to alleviate the plight of the poor — education, health care and housing — will be among the focus of the last three of his six-year term. All these were JV’s advocacies “If you invest on infrastructure, we will able to spread the development to the countryside. We will be able to decongest Metro Manila. When one wishes upon a star, one should not make the mistake of wishing to visit Gasconland. For starters, Gasconland is an unusual political amusement “He called park in the northern part of the attention of Quezon City, known for its comical this newspaper press conferences, fantastic to the failure of exhibits and fictional stories. It Gasconland’s is managed by a bearded, bald management man who badly longs for the to produce any recent past, who adores the color evidence to the yellow, and who, because of his Senate to prove fear of facing the public himself, the extent of the speaks to the park’s clientele only alleged EJK. through a spokesman specializing in political doubletalk and ambiguity. The real world does not exist in Gasconland. Everything in the park and about the park is either imagined or surreal. It is a place where fiction prevails over fact. Gasconland used to operate under its old name, the Commission on Human Rights. The public prefers to call it Gasconland because the name is easier to associate with the park’s exaggerated figures and sweeping public statements. Visitors to Gasconland are taken for a ride, and there are many rides in Gasconland. Thanks to the publicity generated by the park’s management, Gasconland’s biggest attraction is a litany of false accusations that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings (EJK) in its war against the drug trade in the Philippines. Because Gasconland is a relatively old amusement park, many of the park’s visitors who are not very fond of President Duterte believe the park’s accusations. Nobody asks for proof of the EJK because they probably found it awkward to publicly doubt the park’s management. No proof is offered, either. “He traveled to Saudi Arabia and warned service providers he would hail them to court if they violate terms of the agreement… on the accommodation of pilgrims. during the six years he served as a senator. Ejercito said he felt elated by the President’s continued support to his landmark laws — the Universal Health Care Law and the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Developments — which he said will drive the President’s programs on these three thrusts. A citizenry that is somehow assured of its health concerns and is guaranteed of movement to work, school and everywhere the people would like to go was how Ejercito envisioned the masses to be. He spent his last weeks and months in the Senate working on these bills. They became landmark laws that validated their importance to President’s Duterte’s legislative agenda, but they also took precious time from Ejercito in ensuring himself of a Senate return. Ejercito, who placed 11th in a field of 12 in the 2013 senatorial elections, was outside of the winners’ circle in the previous polls. Political observers blame his brother Jinggoy Estrada’s entry into the mix. The Ejercito family was wiped out of the polls, with JV as its biggest victim. Jinggoy was no longer as hot as he was before. Their father, Joseph Estrada, was booted out of Manila City Hall and denied a third term as mayor. But JV is not hurting. He said the pain is not one to be nursed, especially after he received a validation from no less than Mr. Duterte. The President said he would hinge the delivery of these three priority services to the masses through his “Build, Build, Build” program, which JV supported. Mr. Duterte wants his program to spread outside of Metro Manila. “To do this, I ordered Sec. (Carlos) Dominguez (Department of Finance), Sec. (Arthur) Tugade (Department of Transportation) to link our land, sea and air. Make Davao the last, but connect our land, sea and air.” “I will end my term fighting. But we in government, My niece Jannisah, at this very moment, is immersed in performing haj rituals in holy Mecca. She took time out to post in our family Messenger chat group that their accommodation at the city of Madinah was excellent and they are proximate to Al-Masjid an-Nabawī (Prophet’s Mosque). However, in Mecca it was a big letdown. While their hotel could pass as near their expectation, it is too far from Al-Masjid al-Harām and they have to jostle for a seat in public transport for a 30-minute ride and walk to reach the mosque. She claimed likewise the flu and meningococcemia vaccines, which they paid for, was not administered to them. The haj pilgrimage has not always been free from manipulation, corruption and exploitation, never mind that it is a religious obligation, and the Holy Koran and the law of “morka” or karma could have provided a deterrence. The prohibitive cost of travel has driven many first-time pilgrims to sell their farm animals and prized possessions, only to be victimized by scammers who mislead them and take advantage of their ignorance. The scam comes in many forms, but principally by Aldrin Cardona He said talk too much and do little,” the President said. “We are long in rhetoric, but short in accomplishments. I am here to rectify my errors, too.” The Chief Executive said he would not end his six-year term without seeing the masses enjoying the results of his programs. “I want them to enjoy our labor. Give them what they need in hospitalization, education and relocation or housing,” the President said. Ejercito knows where the President is coming from. JV was a mayor once; he’s been there, too. “If you invest on infrastructure, we will able to spread the development to the countryside. We will be able to decongest Metro Manila. We will also give a chance to other areas or provinces to develop by investing on infra,” Ejercito said. “(During budget deliberations) I defended a lot of the agencies, the “He spent his departments, DoH (Health), DoTr last weeks and (Transportation), DILG (Local months in the Government), housing, PCSO Senate working (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes on these bills. Office). I took up their causes,” They became he said. landmark “For housing, we have laws that a backlog of 1.2 million. validated their Government has to work to importance meet that. It will balloon if we wait several years more,” JV to President’s added. “We have to do something Duterte’s drastic.” legislative JV is confident his advocacies agenda. were not stalled even when he is no longer in the Senate. The government, he said, would push the programs he championed as a lawmaker. Reminded that three years are short to slacken in making another shot at a senatorial post, JV seems still hopeful of making a rebound. But he was more concerned about following the President’s SoNA on Monday. He kept looking back at the past weeks that closed. He didn’t show care about his political future. Maybe for now. She said Dinah S. Ventura Somebody once gave me a framed message that goes, “Dream big. Set goals. Take action.” It sits at a place of honor on my desk at home, where I can always see it — a reminder and a push on days when I feel like giving up. I am wondering what “Other past Presidents had said something in a similar vein, but the continued spread of corruption throughout the years just goes to show that they were all talk. someone like President Rodrigo Duterte uses to give himself that much-needed boost on days when he probably just wants to up and leave, most likely cursing like a sailor, and be rid of all the burdens he has to carry for three more years. I was listening back to his speech yesterday — the much awaited State of the Nation Address (SoNA), his fourth since 2016 and the first for the second half of his term — and could not help but notice a tone of discouragement when he spoke of corruption. He said, “Corruption continues and emasculates the courage we need to sustain our moral recovery initiatives.” Well, it takes a combination of guts and humility to admit the presence of something that so many others had tried to keep under wraps or pretend is less serious than it truly is. And one cannot solve a problem that one does not admit exists. Out of all the SoNA speeches I have heard from different Presidents, I must say Duterte has been the only one who tackled the distasteful subject head on. He spoke about it for some minutes, admitting its shadowy clutches on almost everything in government, showing his disgust and disappointment and vowing to keep cleaning up the system. He did not gloss over it or make it appear as if things are A-OK when people on the ground know that they are not. I know the SoNA 2019 tackled many other serious issues, including the West Philippine Sea (another Once upon a time in Gasconland One will be surprised to learn the names of political celebrities mesmerized by the false accusations peddled in Gasconland. That list includes a non-practicing lawyer named Leni Robredo, who claims to be the Vice President of the Philippines and who lives in a sprawling mansion at public expense; Maria Lourdes Sereno, the erstwhile Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who was removed from office by her fellow justices because she tricked her way to her judicial appointment; and Antonio Trillanes IV, an ex-soldier cashiered for violating his soldier’s oath not to destabilize the government. Others in the list are Leila de Lima, a detained senator facing criminal raps for acts attributed to her when she was Secretary of Justice; Luis Tagle, a highly politicized friar who badly wants to be Pope someday, but who has no idea of what the constitutionally mandated separation of Church and State actually means; and Patricia Fox, a meddlesome Australian nun deported from the Philippines for violating the conditions of her stay in the country. When the management of Gasconland realized the park’s ability to make anybody believe anything, it was decided that the park’s biggest attraction, namely, its false accusations against President Duterte, be made a road show, first outside of Quezon City, and then to the world. First, the Gasconland road show was brought to a local online news forum whose operator dislikes President Duterte. Later, the news forum became a local and international outlet for the road show itself. It was later discovered that the online news forum was receiving investments from foreigners, in violation of the Constitution. After that, the road show was brought SOUTHERN VOICES Macabangkit B. Lanto Not all talk to the Senate. To the unpleasant surprise of Gasconland’s management, not everyone in the Senate fell for the road show hook, line and sinker. Senator Richard Gordon demanded evidence of the alleged EJK Gasconland was attributing to the Duterte administration. The Gasconland management did not have any evidence. Despite that deception, Gasconland’s management brought the road show to United Nations theaters in New York City and in Iceland. The foreign Addressing pilgrims’ woes shortchanging. The pilgrims pay for a five-star hotel accommodation only to find out when they arrive in Mecca that they are booked in a substandard hotel. They pay high for a place proximate to the Al-Masjid al-Harām or House of God, where rituals are performed, only to find out they are kilometers away. This deception can only be perpetrated through the conspiracy of the government regulator, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), and the service providers in Mecca and Madinah. A friend from the travel industry told me that for every 10 international passengers, one is granted free airfare as a standard come on. This is not revealed to the pilgrims. Who gets the rebate for the thousands of pilgrims? One of the raison d’etre of the NCMF is the regulation and supervision of the haj pilgrimage. And yet past administrations of the NCMF have not been guiltless in the conning of pilgrims. The anomaly has revived talks about deregulating the pilgrimage and allowing pilgrims to deal directly with the airlines and the service providers sans “Nobody asks for proof of the EJK because they probably found it awkward to publicly doubt the park’s management. No proof is offered, either. government intervention. In the latest 2017 scam, which involved officials and employees of the NCFM and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Malaysian and Indonesians were made to appear as Filipinos and issued Philippine passports to facilitate their pilgrimage. Foreigners resorted to this illegal scheme because, in their country, tens of thousands apply every year, and the queue for the haj is too long that they have to wait years before being allowed to go on pilgrimage. Money changed hand and criminal cases were filed against suspects. NCMF should explore other reform strategies to ease the hardships of pilgrims. In Malaysia, its government has this so-called “Tabung Haji” project. It is a government-initiated investment scheme where would-be pilgrims make regular deposits to a bank, and when their deposit reaches a “Yet past administrations of the NCMF have not been guiltless in the conning of pilgrims. target amount, it subsidizes the fare and expenses of first-time pilgrims. NCMF should commission a group to study the mechanism, identify hurdles and adjust it according to the peculiar conditions uncomfortable topic that he went on and tackled anyway), but I thought it was a stroke of genius to report about the state of corruption in our beloved nation and urge Congress to pass the laws needed to curb it, if not cut it at the roots. Duterte mentioned “unscrupulous persons manning our ports and scalawags in uniform,” as well as red tape in many agencies that he said revealed the presence of corruption. He once again reiterated his intent to remove the corrupt, saying, “I have fired or caused the resignation of more than a hundred officials and appointees of government without regard to relationship, friendship and alliance. There is no sacred cow, as the saying goes, in my administration.” Other past Presidents had said something in a similar vein, but the continued spread of corruption throughout the years just goes to show that they were all talk. Either that, or they had no plan — no goals set — to keep the most basic and probably most gargantuan promise any President could ever make. You see, corruption is the disease that affects everything and affects us all. It is the virus that had led to millions more of Filipinos who have yet to be lifted from poverty; to agricultural lands and other lands that were either misused, abused or disused; to natural resources that were desecrated or destroyed, leading to worsened conditions during calamities or shortages in water and food; to our own people losing opportunities or leaving for greener pastures and risking their own safety and their family structure in the process. Almost all of the things we “I thought it was a stroke of genius to report about the state of corruption in our beloved nation and urge Congress to pass the laws needed to curb it. complain about today — the traffic in Metro Manila, the water shortage, rice shortage, difficulty in engaging in your own business, the garbage problem — stem from a system ridden with corruption. The President talked about how some of the agencies notorious for this rot managed to collect billions of pesos more than before, then said something like, “Imagine the benefits such funds would have given the people had it not been dispersed among a few pockets.” That is a sentiment that most Filipinos often say but feel helpless about solving. To hear the Chief Executive rant about it, too, and moreover challenge all leaders in the hall to do their part or else — well, that was just so reassuring. It made it somehow easier — as a nation still beset with many challenges — to “dream big” once more because someone has “set goals” and apparently still is determined to “take action.” audiences fell for the road show and demanded an investigation on the alleged EJK. When Senator Gordon learned of what happened abroad, he called the attention of this newspaper to the failure of Gasconland’s management to produce any evidence to the Senate to prove the extent of the alleged EJK being attributed to President Duterte. That revelation from Gordon should be enough for the public to demand a change in the management of Gasconland, and for the park itself to revert to its original avowed purpose. of Filipino Muslims. Past administrations of NCMF have attempted adopting it, but it hit a wall for reasons not explained to the public. Can the present leadership of the NCMF measure up to these problems? Compared with past pilgrimages, the NCMF today has made visible reforms, although observers claim that the administration of former Secretary Yasmin Busran is the one to beat in terms of the accommodation of pilgrims. When lawyer Saidamen Pangarungan was appointed Secretary of NCMF, one of his first official acts was to look into pilgrimage problems. Even before warming up his chair, he traveled to Saudi Arabia and warned service providers he would hail them to court if they violate terms of the agreement between them and the NCMF on the accommodation of pilgrims. The present pilgrimage is the first in the administration of Pangarungan, a test of his mettle. Going however by the performance of Pangarungan during his stint as Lanao del Sur Governor and later Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary, there is reason to hope that reform is underway. Email: amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com
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