EDITORIAL : THE DAILY TRIBUNE, THE PHILIPPINES

 

 

From bad to worse

 

The Palace line on damaging survey results seems to have not changed since the days of Gloria.

Confronted with a poll outcome showing a slide in the rating would then be met by “the data used were outdated” in Gloria’s watch now it is “expect an improvement next year.”

The style was slightly different but the gist stays which was that the figures in the survey were not reflective of the true worth of the current administration.

Also the focus would be on some obscure figures that show something positive or a limited portion of the survey that provides a positive data.

Highlighted were the supposed increase in the economic growth category where the Philippines managed somewhat a respectable show as a result of the 7.3 growth rate last year which Noynoy just lately upgraded without any explanation to 7.6 percent, incidentally a few days prior to the release of the competitiveness report.

Governance or government efficiency was a major factor cited in the annual survey for the slide in the country’s competitiveness under Noynoy that was almost the same recent assessments on the weaknesses of Noynoy’s leadership style that was described as being slack.

The country landed in the 41st slot out of 78 countries ranked in this year’s World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) survey which was a decline from the already poor 39th place of last year.

Survey or none, the perception is that Noynoy’s all-talk administration is not making any headway in any aspects which is becoming too obvious to many.

A cornerstone of his anti-poverty thrust is the so-called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or otherwise known as the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

Recently, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, who implements the CCT, indicated the need for additional funds for the scheme despite the fact that the year is just halfway through and that the program’s beneficiaries remained at 2.3 million families.

Members of the House minority are now considering a thorough review of the program since it seems that both the budget and the target beneficiaries in it were completely off track.

Another Noynoy pet project, the private-public partnership (PPP) scheme, that supposedly had a double-edged purpose of pump-priming the economy and at the same time providing the country’s needed infrastructure at a reduced cost for government also seems to be getting nowhere as not one of the projects lined up for this year has even been scheduled for auction.

Private groups, meanwhile, had noticed the lack of preparation on the implementation of the scheme as if the program was merely plucked out of thin air in an effort to make Noynoy look like he has a concrete economic plan.

Foreign investors are also suspicious about the scheme since huge contracts entered into with government almost always attract trouble such as the construction of the new airport terminal that remains embroiled in international arbitration several years after the investments to it were placed and its construction almost completed.

Lately, Noynoy had stated that he may consider to negotiate a settlement with the consortium that built the project but thus far no concrete steps are being made toward ending the dispute.

Noynoy had thus far struck out on two out of two of his key programs for development and it is almost a year since he assumed power.

It would be different next year, the Palace promised.

For certain it would be, it seems for the worse.