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Extraordinary Angie

Man at the Market

Jesse E.L. Bacon II

10/16/2009

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes is truly one of a kind. Perhaps he is the only Cabinet official who would rather disobey the President of the land than displease the players of the industry he is tasked to regulate. Despite his errant behavior, however, Mrs. Arroyo seems helpless in disciplining him.

When typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” ripped the country with so much devastation, Mrs. Arroyo issued an order to Reyes for him to ensure that no oil industry player will take advantage of the situation by engaging in predatory pricing of their products. During a Cabinet meeting last week in one of the places ravaged by Ondoy’s flooding, no less than Mrs. Arroyo called the attention of Reyes about her order for him to closely monitor the prices of petroleum products but he just told her that there is nothing his office can do about the prices of these commodities.

Reyes reiterated Wednesday his position that the government is not empowered to check on whether oil industry players are pegging the pump prices of their products at an acceptable level as these are dictated by world price. He does not even think it is right for the government to pore the books of these players to see if they are raking in unconscionable profits. I salute Reyes for his unshakeable position of defending the interests of all the oil companies doing business here over those of his countrymen. His case is another version of the adage “More Popish than the Pope.”

No less than former Socio-economics Secretary Ralph Recto had said, which was echoed by House energy committee chairman Rep. Mikey Arroyo, that the pump prices of gas in our country are overcharged by as much as P8 per liter. Instead of debunking this claim with figures and statistics, Reyes simply slammed those congressmen who believe Recto’s thesis accusing them of being liars.

At the rate Reyes is making himself look ridiculous in the eyes of the public, perhaps it would not be too much to ask him to do an honest introspection on whether he has clearly understood his role as the equalizer between the greedy and profit-hungry oil industry players and the hapless consuming public. And if he does not believe this is his role, he should voluntarily choose the honorable path of resigning from his post. He can’t continue being ridiculous because it is not funny anymore.

Funny thoughts

One of the sad facts I have become accustomed to as a news reporter in the past is that politicians in this country readily make proposals that are sometimes ridiculous or give opinions even on matters in which they clearly don’t have any expertise. Ask them about anything and you will not be disheartened for they will surely dish out what they think of the issue, even about things they do not know.

When Sen. Chiz Escudero came up with his startling proposal of allowing those students from Ondoy and Pepeng affected areas to pass during the period of devastation, this was clearly a not-well-thought-of idea. This is so because this proposal is counter-productive. This is a short term remedy whose negative long term effect is more despoiling. The proposal is like the first peso a beggar receives from an alms giver.

Escudero’s intention may be laudable per se but it will surely not push students to work harder in their studies. In fact, it will just cheapen the value of education itself as well asa reinforce the wrong notion of students that they are unjustly made to suffer in acquiring education since they can easily be allowed to pass without any effort.

The “brilliant” idea of that party-list representative for the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to go back to manual in the processing of its transactions such as loans since the agency is saddled with technology problems falls within this type of proposal or idea spewed by politicians. This is just like asking a car owner to walk and live with the fact that he does not have a car anymore simply because the computer box of his car is dysfunctional.

In the case of the GSIS, the solution is to have the dysfunctional computer software “repaired” or replaced by the supplier but never that of going back to manual as suggested by the party-list solon.

(Reactions to jelbacon@yahoo.com)