Needed: A bureaucratic revolution
The pandemic will mark its second anniversary on March 15, 2022. There was a lot of uncertainty at the beginning which compelled the government to lockdown Luzon which is the center of economic activity of the country. The economy suffered massive losses but the government did what it could to alleviate the plight of the people despite the opposition seizing the opportunity to turn public opinion in their favor.
They failed miserably in their goal.
Since then, the government has successfully handled the Delta-induced surge which ravaged India and Indonesia. At its peak, there were 20,000 new cases per day. Today, it’s down to 500 – 600 as a result of the massive vaccination drive undertaken for NCR+. But we are not out of the woods yet as Europe and the US are going into their fourth wave and there is another new variant in Omicron, which is more contagious than Delta.
What does this mean for the country?
It means that we will now move on from what has been learned about Covid-19 into a phase where we learn to live with the virus. Covid is endemic. Lockdowns help but granular lockdowns are more effective in containing outbreaks. We are looking at hitting our vaccination target by 2022. But even with 100% vaccination rate, we have variants which are vaccine-resistant and we will have to avail of booster shots until scientists discover a virus-resistant vaccine which ends the vicious cycle of whack-a-mole with variants and vaccines.
We are supposed to be done with the learning curve and should have a good idea of what needs to be done moving forward in the new normal. If we’re to avoid paralyzing lockdowns which severely affects the economy we will need to focus on the digitization of the bureaucracy and regional development. The economy was paralyzed because more than 40% of the economic activities of the country are in the NCR+. This is composed of the National Capital Region, Region 3 and Region 4-A.
Unfortunately, the candidates running for President seem to be oblivious of this except for two, but only one has detailed his plans for immediate implementation should the people vote him into office on May 2022.
The two-pronged strategy is based on his legislation the Budget Reform and Village Empowerment Bill (BRAVE). BRAVE focuses on development at all levels of local government units from the provincial down to the barangay. There are annual allocations for every province, city, municipality and barangay based on the criteria set. It does not simply download the funds but provides for capacity-building measures in order to increase the absorptive capacity of each LGU prior to qualifying for inclusion in the program. This involves ensuring that the members of the local development councils are well-versed in their jobs of identifying, assessing and qualifying development projects in their jurisdictions.
What is unique about BRAVE is it is depoliticized. It is not under the control of the district congressman nor does the President have the authority to impound the funds through the Department of Budget and Management. It is an automatic allocation under the line item process of the national budget. It minimizes the corruption in the pork barrel system and allows for the more efficient utilization of public funds.
The other measure is the allocation of funds for the digitization of the bureacracy. Even with the passage of RA 11032, the Ease of Doing Business Act, which also created the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), there has been no measurable progress made in the digitization of government departments and agencies despite the exigencies brought about by the pandemic. RA 11032 will be four years old in 2022 without any notable gains being made in cutting through the red tape both at the national and local government levels.
Digitization initiatives in government fail because of the resistance in bureaucracy since less human intervention means the minimization of corruption. Government needs to adapt to the disruption caused by the pandemic and now is the best time to implement reform at all levels because there is a a compelling need for it under the Covid is endemic norm.
The pandemic also exposed the need not only for digital infrastructure but for additional physical infrastructure as well in order to put in place a viable supply chain management system not only for the delivery of government services but for the needs of the private sector as well. These are also essential for food security with the focus on post-harvest facilities such as processing and storage systems which allows for value-adding and increased profits for farmers and fishermen. This was made evident by the lack of available cold storage facilities for vaccines in the regions which is why vaccination rates are lower in these localities.
Digitization also allows for the collection and processing of data in order to establish a data-driven decision-making process which makes government more responsive to the needs of the people. This also makes for better coordination between the national and local governments which again redounds to the benefit of all Filipinos, in the country or abroad.
Ping Lacson admits that he’s a boring candidate because he sticks to the issues and will not resort to a campaign that is based on gimmickry and motherhood statements. What he has is a plan of action that can be made operable the minute he wins the Presidency, which is typical of the management style he has developed in over fifty years in government service in various capacities in the military, police, the Executive and the Legislative branches of government.
This plan of action checks the boxes on the major issues of the government bureaucratic nightmare and the corruption it fosters which contributes to the lack of regional development and the inefficient utilization of public funds for infrastructure projects. Its successful implementation will lead to economic growth, more foreign direct investment which translates to job creation and additional government revenues to finance various social amelioration programs. It is the most integrated solution to the serious problems our country is facing at present.
We shouldn’t settle for anything less from the other candidates.
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