Low Blow and Profound Level of “Debt of Gratitude”

Source: Low Blow and Profound Level of “Debt of Gratitude”

Low Blow and Profound Level of “Debt of Gratitude”

 

Duterte’s payment of “debt of gratitude” poised in two levels with his visit to the three Middle Eastern countries; Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar. One level is a low blow, the other, profound.

The low blow was the inclusion of three personages; Mocha Uson, Imee Marcos Manotoc, and Sandra Cam. People say, their inclusion reeked with wanton waste of money at the expense of the taxpayer.

For Mocha Uson, the administration’s rationale was, she has lots of fans in the Middle East. Her presence, the administration might have thought, could launch a promotional coup for the country.

For Imee Marcos, she was as if the rah-rah cheerleader for the team of the Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello nosing around the conditions of her Ilocano constituents working in the Gulf.

Three times, Imee Marcos was part of Duterte’s entourage during his foreign trips. Well, it’s payback time for Imee, because she was the only governor in the North who supported Duterte in the last election.

For Sandra Cam, she is a part, too, of the retinue duplicating the rah-rah role of Imee for Silvestre Bello’s team. She said, she would help in the repatriation of the distressed OFW worker. A reporter asked her, in what capacity? She quipped, “He doesn’t have to know”.

To the people’s mind, the reason given of their inclusions in the Middle East trip is a lame excuse, an irritant to the people’s sensibilities. No matter how they sugar coat it, it’s plain and obvious: it’s payment for Duterte’s “debt of gratitude.”

The low blow is the gall of these people having a thick skin, yet flaunting it.

However, Duterte’s trip to the three countries in the Middle East poised also on the “profound” level.  None of the elected Presidents ever graced to the Middle East countries and showed the sincere effort of paying “debt of gratitude” for the OFW for what they did for the country, except Duterte.

Previous administrations from Cory to P’Noy recognized, praised, and sang hosannas of the OFW’s contributions to the country’s economy buoyed by their dollar remittances. They even say they are the modern-day heroes’, blah…blahs. Yet, the services the government provides for the welfare of the OFW’s remains still much to be desired for until now.

One of the reasons, perhaps, is that those top managers managing the OFW’s concerns get their positions through nepotism, political influence, and bureaucratic patronage, and not necessarily highly qualified. That contributes to the sorry woes of the OFW’s, which lingered on and on for years and years.

There was even an instance when the previous administration dipped its hand, as a matter of policy, on opening the OFW’s Balikbayan boxes en route to their love ones. All hell breaks loose. An emotional tinderbox of the OFW’s flared up. As a result, Duterte got the OFW votes.

If the likes of Mocha Uson, Imee Marcos, and Sandra Cam, Duterte paid his dues for their effort, albeit, sowing intrigues, then how much more Duterte should pay “debt of gratitude” to the OFW’s.

And so Duterte did.

In October 2016, after assuming office, because of the serious financial problems faced by the Saudi Oger, the Binladins and seven other big Saudi companies which employed Filipino OFWs, who got affected, Duterte released funds for them. The OFWs was repatriated, and got financial aid, too, to lessen the impact of their forced unemployment and income displacement. More than 4,100 OFW’s benefited from this. That was a clear manifestation of Duterte’s paying “debt of gratitude”.

Then Duterte followed it up with his recent April 2017 visits to the three Gulf states. He personally thanks the OFW’s living there. Duterte brought home with him $925 million worth of investment, and tagging along with him 150 distressed OFWs amnestied by the Saudi Arabia. Also, Duterte forged accords on investment, culture, health and technical education in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

Truly, this is a “profound” level of Duterte paying his “debt of gratitude”.

 

Whiff of Corruption Sniffs Through a Ghost

 

The ghost of the 76 Rossenbauer fire trucks from Austria resurfaced, and it cost Ismael Sueno’s job as DILG Secretary.

The purchase of these Rossenbauer fire trucks was cooked up during Gloria Arroyo’s time, perfected by the PNoy administration under Mar Roxas and a holdover on Sueno’s term.

Sueno dipped his finger into it, now the ghost has haunted him.  He exited from his helm in disgrace.

When Duterte asked Sueno, “if he had read the legal opinion of his own department about the suspicious government contract, and answering – he was not informed of his department’s legal opinion – tightly sealed his fate. Duterte blew his top during the full cabinet meeting. Sueno was fired.

Duterte felt insulted of his response and he knew Sueno was lying through his teeth.

Although the purchase of the fire trucks has a pending case in the Supreme Court, Malacanang nevertheless, gave Sueno a go signal to visit Austria to fulfill the other aspect of the contract.

The ghost of the fire trucks served as a wick that gave way to the whole deal of Sueno’s fate. Foremost of which is the loss of trust and confidence. Another would be the accusation of questionable wealth, abuse of power, and corruption.

During the Go Negosyo Event last March 30 at the Palace, Duterte warned his audience: “The first whiff of corruption, it need not be true, I am sorry, you have to go”

Sueno was the first sacrificial lamb in the cabinet level, the highest so far. Peter Lavinia, the National Irrigation Chief, was another one, but it didn’t make such a big fuss.

The impact of Sueno’s firing in the presence of the other cabinet members was heavy, sent a strong signal, and rendered a chilling effect. It was an indirect way of saying to the members of his cabinet: “Don’t dare to get corrupt on me.” Or, an admonition for them to do their job above board on how they run their respective departments.

The “the first whiff of corruption” is already a big deterrent.  How much more —  if it is followed up with “it need not be true.” It felt like the sword of Damocles hovers over one’s head, to keep Duterte’s men on their toes. Otherwise, their heads will get chopped off.

In another light, the “first whiff of corruption” is a hyperbole. An exaggeration to emphasize and impress Duterte’s seriousness curtailing corruption.

The truth is, with the 2.5 Billion budget allotted to the office of the President for 2017, a 400% increase from the 2016 budget, and 2.1 Billion of these go to his personal services compared to just 78 Million in 2016, he can have assembled lawyers and intelligence apparatus to check the veracity of whatever “whiff of corruption” landed in his office. So, it cannot be said that the President did not exercise due diligence before firing people.

For all we know, those three undersecretaries who reported Sueno’s indiscretion, they too, could be under watch, because as Sueno claimed, they pitch and push personal agenda, too. This can be a safe valve mechanism to prevent abuse of “the first whiff of corruption.”

 

Gina Lopez in Fighting the Mining Giants

Rodrigo Duterte, when drawn on the issue of Gina Lopez’s confirmation as DENR Secretary said the following:

• He can forego the 70 Billion the Philippines could earn in taxes from the mining industry.
• It has come to his knowledge that some honchos of the mining industry are funding destabilization plot against his government.
• He warned that he would impose a moratorium on mining activities.
• He is dead set on Gina Lopez’s confirmation as Secretary of the DENR.

Given these imprimaturs from the President, the most that the mining industry could get would be either get pissed off or take off their mining business somewhere. Unpalatable choice.  But at the end of the day, the mining industry must abide.

Which mining companies would not get pissed off when Gina Lopez would probably push her way that Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) should be stipulated and must be fully implemented throughout the duration of the mining activity?

CSR, by the way, is for the mining company to provide people affected by mining activity a safeguard for which the environment where they get their livelihood as much as possible remain undisturbed. Or, if not, they should put in place an alternative reducing the impact of mining to their livelihood, health, and welfare.

What if Gina Lopez makes it a point that the mining industry is efficiently regulated, strictly monitored, impose stiffer penalties for every violation of environmental rules, plug loopholes where corruption would likely occur, as for example, in the profit sharing for all the stakeholders?

These, of course, would entail cost: It curtailed the mining company’s profit.  But they must live with it if they want to remain in the game.

To think of it, the 70 billion would not affect that much of the country’s GDP. Ms. Cielo Magno, Ph. D, an assistant professor at the UP School of Economics in her article “Beyond Responsible Mining in the Philippines”  claims that it “only represents 0.65 percent of the GDP, its share little to the economy, and not a big job contributor.

With the 800 Billion worth of minerals that still could be mined, the 70 billion is just a drop in the bucket. It’s not a big loss if these old players in the mining industry leave. New players can come in that can be made adaptable to the new rule, which the country could rake benefits from — better than the old player.

The top honchos of the mining industry pooled their resources discrediting Gina Lopez. And at the same time, for fear of the likelihood of mining ban, these honchos, to secure their status quo in the industry, are probably giving funds to Duterte’s detractors for destabilization. Duterte has ears on these. So, the more he is convinced to impose a moratorium, if not totally banning the mining activity.

The mining bigwigs found their match in Gina Lopez. They both belong to the upper crust of society. What differentiates them is Gina Lopez’s unbridled passion for the protection of the environment, while the other is its degradation. It’s unfortunate for the mining bigwigs that they crossed path. If Gina Lopez is confirmed as DENR secretary, the mining bigwigs must mend their ways.