“Will ‘reset’ control the damage? Or will it be a ‘Trip to Jerusalem,’ played by recycled bureaucrats and retired politicians?”
THE night of the long knives turned out to be plastic — more optical than real.
Just before he enplaned for the ASEAN summit, our president allowed his executive secretary to announce that his courtesy resignation has been rejected, and proceeded to announce some changes.
Manalo is to be replaced by his undersecretary, Tess Lazaro who to her credit has sterling experience and qualifications. Manalo will go to the United Nations, to replace Lagdameo, the father of the president’s special assistant. How about the SAP, one wonders.
Jerry Acuzar was removed from DHSUD because of under-delivery on promises made, promises that impressed the president in 2022, but were not sufficiently funded by either the NEP or out-funded by congressional appetite for pork and ayuda.
He is given a sop, the Pasig River project, which I believe he should politely turn down. Go back to Bataan, my friend, and relax.
Toni Loyzaga is asked to take a rest from frequent travels abroad, which the ES said is the reason she is removed from her post. Again one wonders, because it is the office of the president, through the ES, which grants the travel authority for Cabinet and other officials to leave for official travels abroad. So why did the OP keep granting her travel authority?
She is to be replaced by Popo Lotilla, another upright guy who helmed the energy department, with an OIC meanwhile assigned to his post, while the OP scouts for someone to take his place. Waiting for recommendations acceptable to the oligarchs who control our power industry?
Before that announcement, Malacanang retained the economic team, a mixed bag of performers and non-performers, some of whom were utterly subservient to the whims and demands of Congress in mis-allocating funds and mangling the NEP for their political ends.
Bad politics fosters bad economics, but then again, this administration has time and again sacrificed the people’s well-being at the altar of a politics fueled by greed and ambition.
So the public awaits with bated breath what future head-chopping there will be. Will it be a true reset, or a game of musical chairs, intended to fix the damage to the president’s approval and trust ratings?
Tourism, which should be a low-hanging fruit, is hobbled by many problems: high-cost accessibility of our beautiful travel destinations, affordability of accommodations which are the highest in ASEAN, excepting uber-wealthy Singapore, bad infrastructure, insipid promotions, and, lately, a crime wave that has caused our usual visitor sources to issue travel advisories. Not to mention our frosty relations with a neighbor which used to be our biggest source of tourists.
Our officials tout lower inflation, glossing over the fact that summer is harvest season which has tempered the price of vegetables and aromatics, but pork has become as expensive as beef, while farmers are reeling over the low farm-gate price for their palay, because of gazillions of rice inventory imported last year, attracted by lowered tariffs.
Wait till the typhoon season comes.
Ah!, but Benteng Bigas Meron na (BBM always) is here! Funded by subsidies to fund NFA and DA losses of 13 to 15 pesos per kilo, how long can the optical illusion be sustained?
In 2010, a kilo of NFA rice was retailing at 25 pesos. By the end of that year, it was increased to 27 pesos, while commercial rice was around 33-35 pesos per kilo. Rice has gone up gradually through the years, and the public was not complaining, except for certain critical periods when NFA and DA made wrong calculations of supply and demand in 2014 and 2018.
So why in heavens name was 20 pesos the banner promise of the president in 2022, aside of course from “unity” which his own government demolished?
“Eeez a puzzlement,” sane economists would chorus, even as our economic managers are all ga-ga over the Benteng Bigas project, despite knowing how costly this chimera will be.
And, among others, how will the palace solve its failure to properly communicate? Wrong messaging, despite the counsel of experts both local and one imported from the US of A, and wrong messengers.
In a previous column, I suggested that the president and first lady’s favorite, Anthony Taberna, step up to the plate and take control of the press office.
As of this writing, all we see is a sad-looking Jay Ruiz accompanying the president to Kuala Lumpur. No takers?
Then Pulse Asia belatedly releases its May 6 to 9 dipstick on the trust ratings of the president, his vice president and his predecessor, now imprisoned in damp Den Hag.
More bad news bears.
Will “reset” control the damage? Or will it be a “Trip to Jerusalem,” played by recycled bureaucrats and retired politicians?
