Noynoy Must Avoid Cory’s

Of Brownouts and Coups
Updated June 10,2010


Benigno Aquino III metamorphosed from “president apparent” to “president elect” and finally became “president proclaimed” at ceremonies in Congress June 9. After his forthcoming inauguration and the formal transfer of power, he will re-enter Malacanang, this time not as the young son of a people powered mother president but as a matured leader winning the office on his own. He faces a daunting task indeed.

What awaits him, and the country, is perhaps the reason why the celebration of his victory was not as euphoric and hope filled as Cory’s was in 1986. This time around people seem to be less optimistic about what could possibly happen. They have learned, bitterly to be sure, that regardless the personal honesty, integrity and piety that defined his mother as a person and as president, that did not stop relatives and friends from looting the people’s coffers. Then of course the last 2 presidents who’ve been in power over the past 10 years had administrations marred by scandals, violence, graft and gross incompetence of the highest order. Yes indeed, the regimes of Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have obliterated whatever little faith people had in their government.

And this has made Noynoy’s task even more challenging than ever.
“We know that graft and corruption are not in Noynoy’s DNA”, is what a reader wrote explaining why she strongly advocated Aquino III’s elevation to the presidency.

So what should he do? What’s the plan? Being honest and incorruptible is a good place to start but definitely not good enough. I have a few suggestions and this very much has to do with recognizing the negative aspects of the Cory Aquino presidency.

What do we remember most about those years from 1987 on? From what I recall they were rolling blackouts or brownouts that could last all day long, and, the many attempted “coups” by several military units. The power shortages stifled and seriously undermined the local economy and the coups drove away foreign investors.
So, if I were an adviser to Aquino III, I would strongly urge that he announce and undertake a massive physical infrastructure program that would upgrade electricity generation facilities so that power is available all over the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. And pursuit of energy growth should be thru the use of new “clean energy” technologies like solar and wind power wherever it is feasible to do so. Dependence on foreign oil must be reduced.
The infrastructure project should also address, once and for all, the traffic gridlock that exists for some 16 hours a day around Metro Manila and is also becoming a growing problem for cities like Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao. It is time that an intelligent, sensible and effective mass transit system take the place of today’s chaotic “jeepney based” public transportation system. Jeepneys are the most costly way of moving people around on at least three counts:

1. Their fuel cost per passenger mile is extremely high. A trolley system of ten cars that could move 1,000 passengers would require about 100 or so jeepneys to move. This heightens our oil and gasoline dependency.

2. 100 jeepneys revving engines while waiting for a “Go” signal is spewing out tons of pollutants in the air, making Metro Manila among the smoggiest cities in the world. It is literally choking the population.

3. The traffic gridlock it creates has a direct impact on productivity. How many hours a day do people spend in traffic that they could devote to productive activity?

If we are to get moving as a country desirous to become one of the “tigers” in Asia we need to be able to move around and when we get to where we’re going we need to have electric power for us to produce whatever it is we want to sell.

Concurrent with the launching of infrastructure projects Aquino III must also immediately address his relationship with the military brass. It is important for him to develop a rapport with the generals, colonels and all others in the command structure that is based on mutual trust. He must enroll the military leadership into the concept of thoroughly professionalizing the armed forces and work diligently to make them true sentinels of the nation’s continued well being.

The Benigno Aquino III administration, if it is to be successful, must be focused on addressing the country’s multitude of problems and not be distracted by the chaos and mayhem that coups and other forms of militaristic adventurism by some in the armed forces have, in the past, puerile like, engaged in. Today’s “president apparent” must truly become the country’s “Commander-in-chief”.

Ldq44@aol.com