Evading responsibility again

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

10/16/2009

Malacañang just doesn’t know the meaning of conflict of interest.

Forming an ad hoc commission called the National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission (NPPRC) ostensibly to serve as a “clearing house” for foreign donations for the two typhoon calamities, to ensure transparency, Gloria Arroyo appointed Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. honcho, Manny Pangilinan, as the commission chairman, despite the fact that a clear conflict of interest exists, in that Pangilinan is also in tollways and other businesses having to do with public utilities.

Then, blurring the lines of church and state, Gloria also appoints Cebu Archbishop, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal as the co-chairman, together with Finance Secretary Margarito Teves.

Evidently, Gloria tapped Vidal to serve as a deodorant to whatever hanky-panky is being planned by the administration.

So what is Vidal supposed to do as co-chairman of the commission? Inject religious fervor in the meetings? What does Vidal know about the reconstruction business or even where the foreign donations should go? Perhaps the Church again?

Gloria said that the commission was formed with both the private and public sector because she wants to show that rehabilitation is not just the responsibility of government but of the private sector, too.

What? Relief goods donated and distributed during calamities are generally voluntarily participated in by the private sector — including rescue operations, as clearly shown by private citizens, but certainly rehabilitation is the job of government.

Repairing damaged infrastructure or building new ones certainly is a job of government, not the public sector, unless of course big ticket items, which means new projects, are passed on to foreign investors who are out to make a profit from their investment. But the government shouldn’t expect rehabilitation projects to be taken on by the private sector.

Having a commission and appointing private citizens to head the body do not make it a public-private sector effort.

But Gloria, through her spokesmen, said that with Pangilinan as chairman of the commission, one can expect, given his “extensive experience of working abroad,” the PLDT honcho will be effective in seeking fresh aid from foreigners for the rehabilitation of calamity-stricken areas.

Is that what Pangilinan has been appointed as chairman of the commission, to seek fresh aid from foreigners for the rehabilitation of calamity-stricken areas?

But even the United Nations representative that came to the country recently, admitted that the goal of $75 million aid fell short of pledges.

It is also not just the Philippines that is in dire need of aid in Southeast Asia. There is Vietnam that also suffered from the typhoons. There is Indonesia that suffers from earthquake disasters and many more. One country devastated by typhoons — even twin ones — can’t expect foreign donors to give their all to just one country.

But in all probability, the commission was quickly formed by Gloria on account of her being aware that whatever foreign donations come, say, from the UN or other countries, will not be coursed directly through Gloria and her government.

With a created commission, however, the money would still flow to Gloria and her administration, through this body, which is why Teves also heads the commission, as well as other administration officials as the executive order also says that members of the special commission will come from various government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, business groups and other non-governmental organizations.

All donations will go through the commission first, which is one way of Gloria cutting off other private agencies and non-governmental organizations from getting hold of the donations, after which, it will be the chairmen and the members who decide what is to be rehabilitated — if these are ever rehabilitated.

Quite frankly, this is a silly move on the part of an administration that has only some six months of existence.

A new president, who is expected to take over the reins of government on June 30, 2010, can scrap that commission, which will not have had the time anyway to rehabilitate anything — especially if the so-called foreign donations come in trickles.

But that’s yet another propaganda gimmick of Gloria to get people to believe that she is doing all in her power to have the rehabilitation going, as well as throw responsibility on the shoulders of the private sector.

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