GMA’s strong points? Critics make a list
By Leilani Chavez, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/30/2009 5:55 PM
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19th in a series on GMA's 9th State of the Nation Address
MANILA—When asked what he can consider as President Gloria Arroyo’s achievements throughout her term, former education secretary Butch Abad scratched his head and remarked: “I’m clueless.” After much prodding, urging, and some thorough thinking, he turned helplessly, still shaking his head. Laughter then filled his newly-painted office when he said: “Help me here.”
Such reactions were not new from the president’s critics, as abs-cbnNEWS.com found out. Some, after long moments of silence, will civilly narrate their version of Her Excellency’s strongest points—but with disclaimers, of course. On the other hand, some would quip they’d rather focus on the loopholes, as the president has 6 spokespersons who can list her achievements flawlessly.
Nonetheless, here’s what Arroyo’s staunchest critics consider as the closest to what can be considered as her achievements during her 9-year term:
- Infrastructure…but for tourism
If there’s one bright spot, our critics agreed on the evident flourishing of the tourism industry under the Arroyo administration, particularly, how various infrastructure projects boost local tourism.
One of the priorities of the Arroyo administration, according to Abad, has always been the infrastructure and economic sectors. When he was still with the education department, Abad recalled that the president would constantly meet with the finance and infrastructure secretaries to discuss her projects.
“You cannot fail to notice the improvements in the tourism sector, and it is one evident bright spot,” Abad said.
Political columnist and sociology professor Randy David also attests to this, as he himself saw the improvements in the road conditions during his numerous travels around the country. Arroyo dubbed this infrastructure project as the “Super Regions” and was the key ingredient in her 2006 SONA.
“I think that in fairness to this government, there are visible infrastructure projects in different parts of the country that have made many important tourist sites accessible,” David commented.
- *Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
Economists and professors Arsenio Balisacan and Benjamin Diokno, as well as Abad mentioned, in separate meetings, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (P4) as a very promising program under the Arroyo administration.
Diokno, however, reiterated that the program should be implemented on a national level. “It should be implemented in the national level so you don’t spend a lot of money in selecting the recipients,” he said.
The success of the program, according to Abad, depends on the poverty mapping process of the local government units. He said not all local governments can clearly determine the poor in the society.
Another reason why the P4 can be considered as an achievement is because it is being handled by the department of social welfare and development (DSWD), headed by Esperanza Cabral, one of the few “credible” cabinet secretaries, according to Balisacan.
Highly-debatable achievements
There are also projects and issues that received mixed reactions, having been initially perceived as good and then turning sour along the way. Among these topics are:
Despite the numerous road artilleries, airports, and ro-ro ports being constructed and improved around the country, and its obvious impact in the tourism sector, David pointed out that majority of these infrastructure projects were overpriced.
“There is hardly any big ticket infrastructure project that is not tainted by charges of corruption,” David stressed out. He explained that the government is spending more and borrowing credentials, adding to the country’s debts.
Further, Diokno added that although the department of public works and highways has the biggest budget, the percentage of allocations still comprised 2% of the GDP. “Infrastructure spending has not increased at all,” Diokno noted.
But the country “badly need infrastructure,” David stressed out. “There is no way, I think, that this country can get out of its present economic state without massive investments in infrastructure,” he said.
David also pointed out that one thing that should be pointed out is the expanded coverage of Philhealth and other social services. Although the Philhealth coverage is not 100%, he thinks it is already in the capability of the government to provide such services.
Despite this coverage, Leonor Briones, governance professor and convenor of Social Watch, said that the government is still not devoting sufficient resources for such services, especially since the Arroyo has the power to veto some parts of the general appropriations act.
“The president vetoed some amounts that would have made a big difference in the health sector,” Briones said.
She pointed out that before the 2009 GAA was passed, Arroyo vetoed P100 million allotted for autoclaves, an equipment that sterilizes equipments as well as P400 million that would have been use in curbing tuberculosis, one of the leading causes of mortality in the country.
According to David, the automation of the upcoming 2010 national elections can be considered as an achievement if “done efficiently and professionally.”
But he quickly pointed out that the Palace seemed unfazed over the dispute between Total Information Management (TIM) and its foreign partner Smartmatic. The reaction from the executive office somehow, according to David, showed its lack of perseverance in pushing for automation.
“Walang sinabi ang Malacañang nung umatras ang TIM, it was as if okay lang sa kanila when they should really be worried. I don't see any persistence yet it has so much money at its disposal, both borrowed money and revenue from VAT,” David noticed.
Although another obvious bright spot in the past 10 years was the boom in the business process outsourcing industry, Diokno argued that it should be credited to the telcomm deregulation law imposed during former Pres. Fidel Ramos’s time.
David also sees the BPO success as “dependent on improvement in telecommunications technology.”
Further, Abad thinks too that the BPO industry should not be credited to Arroyo but to the inherent characteristics of Filipinos. Briones simply quipped: “The economy grew inspite of her.”
All of the critics agreed that behind the increase in remittances is the lingering problem of the worsening unemployment in the country.
“You shouldn’t be proud of that,” Diokno stressed out. “Dependence on remittances is a sign of weakness because you cannot generate your own industry.”
Balisacan noted that Arroyo is lucky because there is a constant influx of remittances but it was not worth bragging about. “You shouldn’t be proud that your citizens are leaving the country and developing other country’s economies. She should develop the manufacturing industry—employment in that sector because is long-term,” he said.
Likewise, Abad considers the BPO growth as a fruit of the flourishing of global economies. Both David and Abad pointed out that overseas employment has a negative cause sociologically, as children endure living under the guidance of relatives as their parents work abroad. “Nobody has really paid attention to the effect of sending mothers and fathers to different countries,” Abad noted.
She could have…
Critics will be critics. If there are hits, there are definitely misses. And Arroyo’s critics also lined out what she could have done better during her term:
- Appointed the right people
In early 2000, there were many good people, Balisacan narrated. Under Arroyo, leadership became the problem as she allegedly placed people in office not based on the capacity but in exchange for “political favors.”
“Public service is badly damaged. Bureaucracy was being used for favors. Government positions should be filled by people who know how to play the game,” Balisacan said ruefully.
Appointments crippled the institutions, according to David. “People who have absolutely don't have any knowledge of the departments and agencies in which they are assigned are just so irresponsibly appointed to these positions as political rewards.”
David further explained that: “You cannot do anything by way of enforcing government programs in a consistent and competent way unless you have good people.” Abad simply commented that the President “was never serious in putting the proper people in key offices.”
“Leadership defines the credibility of the organization or the department,” Balisacan said, shaking his head. It defines how efficient a department or organization would work, he added.
- Created sustainable employment
The employment issue has been the constant favorite of our critics, saying that despite Arroyo’s SONA promises, local employment has remained dim and the numbers were misleading.
Diokno pointed out discrepancies in the numbers and the actual situations on the ground. He explained that there is an increase in the number of self-employed Filipinos and these are mostly those who lost their jobs and decided to put up their own small businesses.
“The increase in self-employment means there is an increase in poor quality jobs,” Balisacan said. “There is hiring but not on employment that will broadly define where the country is going,” he said.
“The jobs she created are not sustainable. Like the cleaning districts, they (government) employ them for one month and they get another batch,” Briones said.
Similarly, Abad quotes from another critic as “jobless growth and narrow shallow employment” and pointed out that infrastructure should be used to boost domestic economies and generate jobs especially for the people in the countryside.
“You cannot rely entirely on call centers and export of labor, you have to develop your real economy. You have to provide opportunities for people in the countryside. Not anybody can be a call center agent but people have to plant, people have to produce food, people have to process food,” David commented.
Diokno said: “[This administration is] attacking the symptoms but not the disease.”
- Developed the education sector
Having been an education secretary during the early days of the Arroyo administration, Abad said that since then, the key sectors such as education and health were never given enough attention.
“She says that in words but the schools but are we investing? Have we worked out the policies so that the schools become the engines to bring the country to a competitive knowledge-based society?” Abad noticed.
Abad however added that money was never an issue, it was more on where the money was being spent. He recommended giving parents a form of livelihood in collaboration with the schools, as well as institutionalize pre-school in all barangays and provide appropriate teacher’s training.
“The education system is the key driver in bringing the Philippines forward. Even if the window is closing, we still have an edge in these areas,” he said with optimism.
- Gave agriculture the attention it deserves
If there is one sector, the critics considered as the most overlooked in Arroyo’s 9 years in office, they all agreed it was the agricultural sector.
Unfortunately, Balisacan said the agriculture sector has been highly politicized during Arroyo’s term, even though she was off to a good start when she momentarily held the post of agriculture undersecretary.
“There is no good monitoring system in the Department of Agriculture and many programs have questionable impact,” Balisacan added.
According to Briones, the Arroyo administration has thoroughly destroyed the institutions, particularly the agriculture sector and this has had a lingering impact in the farmers and those whose lives depend on the fields.
“In this government, I don’t see the place of agriculture modernization as a key driver of food security, infrastructure development, and jobs,” Abad said.
Balisacan shared that the government should have allotted enough funds for research, for instance, of the hybrid rice technology. According to Balisacan, the hybrid rice reaped different reactions as the rice were not appropriately planted in some parts of the country.
Further, Diokno added that instead of paying P70 billion to subsidize NFA rice, the government should have used the amount to modernize agriculture.
“We should have used modernization in agriculture to jumpstart food production and fisheries development. The impact can be very immediate in agriculture,” Abad said. - By Leilani Chavez, abs-cbnNEWS.com
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