An alternate Sona

I wrote this piece in July 2004 in the hope that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would listen and use it in her State-of-the-Nation Address. She didn’t, it can all be said again, with some amendments to bring it up to date and adapt it better to a new president. Let’s hope I won’t be able to repeat it in 2016. Here it is.

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I will focus on just five things. These are the five things that will make or break our country into the future. They are:

POPULATION. I fully support the Church’s right to have a position on population that natural family planning methods are the only ones acceptable to God. Nonetheless this is a non-sectarian state (under the Constitution) and must consider all Filipinos, not just Catholics. Even if they are the overwhelming majority. The government has a responsibility to provide services to all citizens, no matter what their religious beliefs or what their conscious dictates are. Accordingly, the government is duty-bound to provide information, assistance and access to all kinds of family planning methods (except abortion of course) to whoever asks. Catholics should abide by their conscience and the dictates of God as to which they accept, and the Church can guide them accordingly.

EDUCATION. I recommend that government release funds to senators and congressmen only for projects related to education and health. I accept that in our political system as it now stands they have a role to play in the choice of projects to support and to use their influence to accomplish. But, for now, it must all go to education and health until both are fully provided for.

Education should be in English. This country was the leader in Asia, it is slowly becoming the laggard—at a time when the Information Revolution is demanding English-speaking people. A revolution that has the potential to change societies. The winners, quite simply, will be those who can speak English, and are good at math and science

And just remember we have about 8.5 million Filipinos abroad—no doubt someone in your family is there—why? Because they speak English. Some 500,000 business process outsourcing employees (more than 60 percent of them in call centers) would be added to the 4.2 million unemployed if they didn’t speak English.

We have to care about the future of our children. Nationality is not defined by language, but by attitude. Americans are fiercely Americans, yet speak English not an American Indian tongue. And if everyone speaks English as we all used to, if it’s the language at home children can learn quickly in it.

INFRASTRUCTURE. This just has to be built. Wherever it can the government should ask the private sector to do it. In return, the government will do two things: 1) award contracts within one year of identifying the project. 2) amend the Build-Operate-Transfer Law to allow the government to provide a guarantee of a minimum rate of return. The government should then hire a well-regarded auditing company to audit the honesty of the contract. It is also important that someone of known probity, honesty and incorruptibility (but with infrastructure expertise) be appointed as head of the Department of Public Works and Highways. The same criteria should also be used for the selection of Transportation and Communication secretary. I have done that. Secretaries Rogelio Singson and Ping de Jesus have impeccable records, not just for fine performance, but also for honesty and fairness in their dealings.

The Philippines is 15 to 20 years behind Malaysia and Thailand in terms of infrastructure. We’re spending a measly two percent to three percent of gross domestic product on infrastructure while the other Asean-5 allot four percent to six percent. With extreme urgency, we must address the looming crises in supply of power and water because for almost a decade the Arroyo administration neglected them. I assure investors that we will not change the rules of the game. And we will not abrogate nor change contracts once signed. We will keep our word, accept our obligations.

A POSSIBLE FISCAL CRISIS. The problem is quite simple: the revenue isn’t enough to cover costs. And the solution is equally simple: raise revenue. Costs just can’t be cut (except of course by removing corruption, which will be done). Our low revenue isn’t because we need new taxes; they are because our people don’t pay their taxes. Various reports I saw identified P280 billion of taxes evaded or avoided by unscrupulous persons. That P280 billion would reduce our ballooning budget deficit expected to hit P325 billion this year. This is the problem. This is what we will attack: getting full compliance on tax payments by those who should pay. It’s perhaps a more difficult route but it’s the one we must take because it’s the correct solution. People like William Villarica will be investigated because of the flagrant difference between their tax payments and their lifestyle. A P26 million Lamborghini (purchased in 2007) on a tax payment of P25, 607 (from 1998 to 2009) can no longer go unquestioned. Be warned, he will not be the only one.

I would like to make an appeal to those who are cheating. Think of our poor, our destitute who are struggling even to get enough to eat, let alone anything else a human being, a fellow Filipino is entitled to. Pay your taxes so we can help them.

Nonetheless, I do want the law on excise tax on cigarettes and alcohol restructured.

And that brings me to my final point:

CORRUPTION. This is the hardest of all. I think we all know it’s ubiquitous, it’s almost everywhere, ingrained into our society at a level that is totally unacceptable.

I won on a campaign promise of “kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” (if no one is corrupt, no one will be poor). Dramatically reducing the level of corruption will be the hallmark of my administration. It will be what I’ll be known for after I step down in 2016 (and I will step down with no attempt to do otherwise). We will bring the Philippines from 141 on Transparency International’s ranking to well under 100.

I have appointed a Secretary of Justice who will aggressively work toward my goal. I need an Ombudsman equally committed, and I’m concerned that the closeness of Merceditas Gutierrez to the former president and her husband could affect the impartiality she must display. I ask her to step down for our nation’s sake.

Gloria Arroyo and her family continue to thumb their noses at Philippine society, and the decent norms we expected of civilized people. How can anyone justify that Mickey Arroyo should represent security guards and tricycle drivers? I’ll bet he’s never been in a tricycle in his life. It’s a disgraceful display of the arrogance of power that will not be allowed in my administration.

The Sandiganbayan needs to act more expeditiously on graft cases, and the Chief Justice has assured he will so instruct his courts.

Within the bureaucracy where I have suspicion, but not sufficient proof, I will remove the person from his, or her position. He or she will not lose seniority, but will be transferred elsewhere. And if I occasionally make a mistake then I sincerely apologise to the innocent person, but it must be done for the greater national good. I am going to have a clean government, and if I have to act ruthlessly, I’ll act ruthlessly.

Hong Kong was very successful with its Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). We’ve been less so with our Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG). So I think it requires restructuring in a novel, new way. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines should take on the role. I know this is not what they are supposed to do. But I know they are someone we can all trust. Can trust to report on bribing without retribution, and trust to work to uncover the criminal actions, if given the power to do so. They must be given that power, and I ask Congress to confirm it. Form a task force to do nothing else but this. A small sacrifice for our nation. So I ask them to join my team in fighting corruption. We must catch the crooks and put them in jail. Not sitting interminably in court hearings that drag on for years. Chief Justice Renato Corona, please help me on this.

It’s time for change, I’m going to insist we get it. Thank you. –Peter Wallace, Manila Standard Today