14 wishes for 2014

Tomorrow is 2014, and living up to tradition would mean making a wish list. Before I rattle off the 14 most important items, I would like to call the attention of the Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Manuel Honrado on another security breach happening under his term.

I am referring here to how the last-minute check-in luggage of a good friend, despite the requisite personal security seals employed, was pilfered upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This incident comes after another security breach involving the murder of the Zamboanga del Sur mayor, members of his family, and several bystanders.

For sure, with the admission that our main airports still have not installed CCTVs, Honrado must be held responsible for the crimes that are happening in his area of responsibility. The MIAA should prioritize the safety and security of all its passengers and their belongings.

PPPs, roadmaps

And now, my top 14:

1. Let’s get more PPPs signed and sealed. We need to get those projects partnered with private investors to get them moving to groundbreaking stage. These projects are meant to put the country on firmer footing to jumpstart more economic activity

2. What happened to those industry roadmaps? If the Department of Trade and Industry will not be able to do anything to help these industries, better stop soliciting their plans and wasting the time of these industry representatives in useless meetings.

The DTI must decide what industries should be given priority, and from there, focus on giving all the necessary help and support to make the agreed roadmaps work.

3. I’d like to see all national and local government agencies, not just the collecting bureaus, to have clear, acceptable and measurable goals for 2014, and every year thereafter. And everyone must give a report at the end of the year directly to their “bossing” as to how they fared vis-à-vis their set goals.

4. Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez has had ample time to immerse himself in the intricacies of the tourism industry, and to come up with a doable plan that will make the country a preferred choice of global tourists. This year, we hope to see more action that will see tourist arrivals in 2014 surpassing the 6.8-million target.

5. If P-Noy is really serious about inclusive growth, then he and the government should pay more attention to growing the agriculture sector and building up micro, small and medium enterprises that are grassroots-based. Only then can we give real sources of income to those who really need work.

Sustainable social change

6. Phase out the 4Ps of government. Being a stout believer of sustainable social development, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is the ultimate in mendicancy interventions that encourages society’s less privileged to rely on dole-outs.

7. Adopting the K-to-12 education system does not mean that there will be better education for our youth. Thanks to the government’s magnanimity, students in public schools get two more years of free education. But if these last two years provide the same mediocre lesson plans, all that money is wasted.

Now is the time to strengthen vocational, technical and entrepreneur training that will ensure that those who graduate after 12 years of schooling will find jobs or sources of livelihood. Let’s aim for graduates who will be productive citizens, perhaps even before they get their diplomas.

8. More coaches please for the MRT and LRTs. It seems so painful to see every day this long line of people queuing for their train rides. It’s even more painful to see those inside the train coaches packed so tightly that a dropped pin might find it impossible to drop to the floor.

9. We need an orderly bus system for the metro that will support commuters’ needs and reduce traffic congestion on the main thoroughfares. We can’t have empty buses clogging the roads on peak hours, wasting fuel and time.

10. And while we’re on the transport system, the Land Transportation Office should be able to resolve this long-standing impasse on vehicle plates. The Philippines is the only country in the world that has to wait for a year before the identifying plates are issued to new vehicles.

11. Scrap the WESM. Or shelve it temporarily for a better time. The Wholesale Electricity Spot Market mechanism is not just working for the simple reason that there are few sellers that can really give discounts, and there is only one dominant buyer.

Furthermore, Meralco being the largest buyer of electricity in the country, is compromised, being affiliated to a number of major power producers belonging to the Lopez group. This “spot” market is way too easy to manipulate.

12. In 2014, here’s hoping that the (dis)honorable gentlemen of our Congress, together with those in cahoots in the multi-billion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, will be served justice, and hopefully serve time also in jail.

Responding to environment pressures

13. We need a working disaster response mechanism that will be able to adequately provide assistance to areas stricken by floods, earthquakes, typhoons and whatever new calamity that nature has in store for us this 2014. Prayers will definitely help, but we need to be prepared for the worst.

In these globally endangered times, here’s wishing for more cooperation among the peoples of the world to bring down waste and pollution, and to work for more sustainable living. Let’s each review our excesses, and cut down on anything and everything that is not truly needed.

14. While the government focuses on improving the country’s overall economic productivity, each citizen must do its part by contributing positively to nation building. Each Filipino must have a personal financial plan every year that includes managing his earning and increasing his source of wealth.

That said, here’s wishing a truly prosperous New Year for all Filipinos! –Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star)