Dear Noynoy

[Karol Woytija]

Dear Noynoy,

 

Have you ever been a law student Mr. President? You've been a legislator before and what happened? You don't have any capacity to make a law or to propose a law during your term in Congress and now you're provoking a war against the supreme court.

How Ironic! A poor legislator and executive are questioning the credibility of the Supreme Court. SMH

It justifies how stupid you are Mr. President.

 

Sincerely Your's

Taxpayer

Edited July 17, 2014 by JustinHernandez

[sonnyt111]

When PNoy steps down from the presidency, he and those who masterminded the DAP will most likely face technical malversation charges. It doesn't matter what the intention of the President was when he diverted funds that were already earmarked for particular projects to his pet projects. This is the essence of technical malversation which is a form of corruption.

 

How ironic that PNoy, who declared that "kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap" will himself be charged with corruption when his term expires in 2016.

 

Check out the definition of technical malversation here: http://mrcheapjustice.wordpress.com/tag/technical-malversation/

[oscartamaguchiblackface]

 

Share this:

• [/url]

I felt dejected when our Board of Trustees rejected my proposal to change the management structure of our organization. Sympathizing with me, one of our members said that I have only myself to blame. “You should have chosen your Trustees based on whether they would support your plans.” His suggestion made me smile. Indeed, I would spare myself a lot of difficulties had we chosen the “friendly” ones. But while I would ensure a smooth sailing for my management decisions, I would not be contributing to the task of building our organization, Synergeia, into an institution. A strong institution has leaders and members that abide with a system of rules and policies in decision-making and in operations.

 

Our country’s failure to take-off is attributed to our weak institutions. We were in a growth trajectory and were poised to be the newest tiger in Asia in 1997. But the perpetuation of cronyism and political patronage by the succeeding administration stemmed the tide. Instead of the rule of law, government followed the rule of personalities where policies, laws and regulations were ignored or altered to suit the purposes of those in government.

 

The Aquino administration has the rare opportunity to rebuild and strengthen the institutions in the country. It enjoys a tremendous amount of goodwill and confidence from the citizens due to its platform on good governance. It projects an aura of moral ascendancy and critiques the practice of political patronage in the past. Thus, it is with pain and deep frustration to realize that in many ways, it practices what it condemns. It continually buys loyalty and favors from legislators and local governments. By perpetuating political patronage, it sends a strong message that the way to deal with government is not through meritocracy but through “palakasan,” affinity, and licking the asses of those in power.

 

The DAP is rationalized by the good intention of the administration to ramp up spending to pump prime the economy. But this was done by ignoring the rule of law which prescribes that appropriation of public funds should be made by Congress. The DAP completely ignores that in government, budgeting of public funds should go through debates and scrutiny of the “people’s representatives.” True, some if not many of them do not represent their constituents but their own interests. But it is the duty of the President to uphold the law and not to skirt around it. At best, he should strengthen the institution instead of ignoring it or playing its politics. A regular meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Council will make the members of Congress better informed and “educated.” A performance incentive system can be installed so that the public can benchmark the performance of their legislators. Similarly, the President could have used the performance incentive system of DILG to reward the LGUs that excel in governance.

 

The Supreme Court ruling that parts of the DAP are unconstitutional should teach us a lesson that mistakes cannot be rectified by circumventing the law and by abusing the exercise of executive power. Through the DAP, the administration tried to rectify its lackluster performance during the early years when it treated the bureaucracy with distrust, reviewed contracts at snail pace, and reinvented processes and procedures. The result was the bogging down of the government machinery. The administration had other alternatives of recognizing its own mistakes, cohorting the bureaucracy and Congress to share its vision and prioritize its development programs. It would do us all well to stop rationalizing the DAP, acknowledge that it was wrong and make restitution by enforcing accountability, that is, sanctioning those who did wrong.

 

The DAP is said to be fraught with good intentions. But the end does not justify the means. Otherwise, a thief can always present himself as a Robin Hood, a corrupt officer can always say that he did not follow the rules to streamline operations, and a tax evader can always say that he uses the stolen funds to help the poor.

 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 

mguevara@synergeia.org.ph

 

 

[akotakot]

4 years had past and Pnoy hasn't proved anything yet. tsk tsk tsk. wasted years....and more to come

[oscartamaguchiblackface]

On the news tonight, there were reports of impeachment raps against PNoy because of the DAP. DAP, being a form of technical malversation, may indeed be grounds for impeachment/criminal prosecution. In particular, the judiciary is up in arms and angry because of PNoy's interference in this co-equal branch of government. I believe his biggest mistake was to give into his vindictive nature by having former CJ Corona impeached. Now he's made a formidable enemy of the judiciary.

[maxiev]

http://news.yahoo.com/philippine-leader-not-even-bomb-stop-reform-113626476.html

 

Philippine leader: Not even a bomb can stop reform

 

Associated Press

By JIM GOMEZ

1 hour ago

 

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An emotional Philippine President Benigno Aquino III called his opponents desperate Monday and expressed confidence that many people will carry on his reforms even if he is stopped by a bomb.

 

Aquino said in his annual state of the nation address before Congress that he could not avoid thinking somebody may make an attempt on his life because of the kind of people he has crossed in his effort to fight corruption and reform his poor Southeast Asian nation.

 

Aquino's father, an opposition senator who fought dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated at Manila's international airport while under military custody in 1983. The current president was wounded but survived an ambush by restive Filipino troops during a failed 1987 coup attempt against his mother, then-President Corazon Aquino, at the presidential palace.

 

"I can't avoid to think that because of who we are colliding with, that there may be a time when we climb the stage and it can be the last day. Will somebody succeed in planting a bomb?" he said in his nationally televised speech.

 

"Will my opponents with dark plots who want to bring us back to the wrong path succeed?" Aquino asked, adding that he is confident that even if the time comes when his "second life" ends, his reforms would not end.

 

"I am content because I am sure that when I'm gone, many will take my place and continue what we have started," he said.

 

Protesters dance around the burning effigy of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III during a rally

He did not say who he feared could threaten his life.

 

Aquino won the presidency with a wide margin in 2010 on a promise to fight corruption and poverty.

 

But problems have persisted in a country where nearly a fourth of the 100 million people remain mired in poverty, and left-wing groups dwell on perceived threats to democracy 28 years after a largely non-violent "people power" revolt ousted Marcos.

 

Under Aquino, his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has been detained on vote-rigging charges, allegations she has denied. Three powerful senators, including a former defense secretary who helped enforce Marcos's 1972 imposition of martial rule, have been detained after being indicted on charges of economic plunder. And the Supreme Court chief justice was impeached for allegedly not properly declaring his assets.

 

Opponents and left-wing groups have accused Aquino of targeting political rivals but coddling allies linked to corruption. The criticism grew after the Supreme Court declared recently that Aquino and his budget secretary's enforcement of a major economic stimulus program in 2011 partly violated the constitution.

 

Aquino strongly criticized the high tribunal and appealed the decision, which prompted left-wing activists to file an impeachment complaint against him.

 

More than 6,000 left-wing protesters burned his effigy Monday outside the House of Representatives, where he outlined his reforms and projects that have benefited the poor and earned the country an investment grade from major international ratings agencies.

 

As his reforms succeeded and took root, Aquino said his critics grew desperate and intensified their attacks.

 

"My bosses, they are working against you," Aquino said, using his term for the Filipino masses. "But I have firm resolve to stand up to these opponents because I know there are only a few of them and there are simply so many of us."

[Ryuji_tanaka]

many people will carry on his reforms

what reforms? Only thing he reformed is his method of lining his pockets.

 

even if he is stopped by a bomb.

 

Hmm...this may give the NPA some ideas....

[Agent_mulder]

Noynoy is good, good at talking.

[maxiev]

what reforms? Only thing he reformed is his method of lining his pockets.

 

Actually I was just quoting an article which I don't necessarily agree with. As a matter of fact I do agree with you that the only thing he reformed is his method of lining his and his friends' pockets.

[maxiev]

Hmm...this may give the NPA some ideas....

I don't think the NPA's are the only ones who might get ideas....

[maxiev]

Noynoy is good, good at talking.

It's more like he's good at reading...reading off the teleprompters.

[maxiev]

Before anything else, I'd like to say that the opinions stated in this article aren't exactly my own opinions. It's quite ironic that foreigners have nothing but praise for PNoy while many Filipinos consider his administration less than effective in addressing the most important issue: Poverty.

 

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-07-28/are-the-philippines-worth-fighting-for?cmpid=yhoo

 

 

By William Pesek

 

Nothing tells the story of where the Philippines was before Benigno Aquino and now better than Transparency International’s rankings. When he rose to the presidency in 2010 pledging to attack graft, his country was rated 134th, trailing Nigeria. Now, it's 94th and boasts the investment-grade credit ratings to prove it.

 

But what if Aquino's good-governance revolution is over? What if the bad old days of predecessors Gloria Arroyo and Joseph Estrada return once Aquino's term ends in 2016?

 

These risks are greater than you might think as judicial setbacks, scandals and public discontent suddenly raises doubts about improvements that 12 months ago looked unstoppable. As Aquino delivered his penultimate state-of-the-nation address yesterday, the message "I'm no lame duck" seemed written between the lines in bold text. Trouble is, many in Manila political circles aren't convinced.

 

Aquino still has time to rise above the rancor and institutionalize the reforms that turned his economy from a punchline into an investment darling. That means expanding efforts to curb the corruption than siphons off so many of the spoils of today's 5.7 percent growth rate. He must go further to strengthen the national balance sheet; increase competitiveness; improve transparency; invest in education; upgrade infrastructure for industries from energy to tourism; broaden population-control efforts; and ease limits on foreign ownership to woo more investment.

 

But it will require political will as Aquino's approval wanes. One major blow to his agenda came this month from the Philippines high court. It ruled that a $3.33 billion stimulus program meant to give growth an immediate jolt encroaches on the powers of the Congress. Not only is the window for economic restructuring closing -- so is access to funding.

 

All this has come at a huge political cost. Aquino's detractors call his Disbursement Acceleration Program "the president's pork barrel," and news headlines containing such references have played a big role in his falling support rate. In the second quarter, Aquino's approval rating hit a low of 55 percent compared with 66 percent in the January-March period.

 

Clearly, 2016 is upon us already and the political noise and mudslinging will only get worse. Aquino must work fast to avoid falling into the lame-duck pattern that undid too many of his predecessors. The most immediate tasks: expand social-welfare programs that reduce poverty, improve disaster preparedness, deepen anti-corruption efforts and increase tax collections.

 

Repairing an economy suffering from decades of neglect isn't a six-year job. Although Aquino and his finance chief, Cesar Purisima, set the stage for a cleaner government, the Philippines's 7 percent jobless rate is the highest among major Asian economies. Aquino and Purisima did much in four years to revitalize growth but they could have done more. Now is the time to accelerate efforts to create new jobs, as opposed to shipping millions of workers overseas.

 

"The problems we inherited, we have solved," Aquino declared yesterday. "The ones that are here, we are solving. The ones that are to come, we are preparing for."

 

Yet the risk, as is often the case in the Philippines, is who comes next. In 1998, when Fidel Ramos left the presidency, few thought his successors could derail his economic-reform drive. Estrada and Arroyo (both were arrested on corruption charges) did just that. So, the stability of a geopolitically important nation of 100 million-plus people hinges on continuity.

 

It's anyone's guess whether the current frontrunner, Vice President Jejomar Binay, is such a leader. Perhaps we'll know after authorities get to the bottom of a multimillion-dollar plunder case against him dating back to alleged actions during his days as Makati City mayor in 2007. It's also worth noting that the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos (Aquino's dad was assassinated in 1983 while trying to unseat Marcos) may run in 2016. So might Senator Bong Revilla, who was arrested last month on graft charges.

 

The Philippines has traveled a long way in just a few years. Its growth and confidence have enough momentum to withstand some bad decisions, perhaps even some of the corruption so endemic to public affairs. But amid such political risks and economic imponderables, it's incumbent upon Aquino to use every day he has left in Malacañan Palace to ensure his reforms can't be easily undone.

 

When I last met Aquino in February, in that very palace, he made a point of showing me the official presidential portrait of his mother, the late Corazon Aquino. "She taught me to remember that the Filipino is worth fighting for," he said. I like that he repeated that line in yesterday's address. Because that's exactly what he needs to do each day for another two years.

 

 

To contact the writer of this article: William Pesek at wpesek@bloomberg.net

 

To contact the editor responsible for this article: James Greiff at jgreiff@bloomberg.net.

[oscartamaguchiblackface]

Dear Noynoy,

 

Have you ever been a law student Mr. President? You've been a legislator before and what happened? You don't have any capacity to make a law or to propose a law during your term in Congress and now you're provoking a war against the supreme court.

How Ironic! A poor legislator and executive are questioning the credibility of the Supreme Court. SMH

It justifies how stupid you are Mr. President.

 

Sincerely Your's

Taxpayer

Perhaps you should have signed it: Sincerely Your's

Your Taxpayer Victims

[oscartamaguchiblackface]

Before anything else, I'd like to say that the opinions stated in this article aren't exactly my own opinions. It's quite ironic that foreigners have nothing but praise for PNoy while many Filipinos consider his administration less than effective in addressing the most important issue: Poverty.

 

http://www.bloomberg...-for?cmpid=yhoo

 

 

By William Pesek

 

Nothing tells the story of where the Philippines was before Benigno Aquino and now better than Transparency International's rankings. When he rose to the presidency in 2010 pledging to attack graft, his country was rated 134th, trailing Nigeria. Now, it's 94th and boasts the investment-grade credit ratings to prove it.

 

But what if Aquino's good-governance revolution is over? What if the bad old days of predecessors Gloria Arroyo and Joseph Estrada return once Aquino's term ends in 2016?

 

These risks are greater than you might think as judicial setbacks, scandals and public discontent suddenly raises doubts about improvements that 12 months ago looked unstoppable. As Aquino delivered his penultimate state-of-the-nation address yesterday, the message "I'm no lame duck" seemed written between the lines in bold text. Trouble is, many in Manila political circles aren't convinced.

 

Aquino still has time to rise above the rancor and institutionalize the reforms that turned his economy from a punchline into an investment darling. That means expanding efforts to curb the corruption than siphons off so many of the spoils of today's 5.7 percent growth rate. He must go further to strengthen the national balance sheet; increase competitiveness; improve transparency; invest in education; upgrade infrastructure for industries from energy to tourism; broaden population-control efforts; and ease limits on foreign ownership to woo more investment.

 

But it will require political will as Aquino's approval wanes. One major blow to his agenda came this month from the Philippines high court. It ruled that a $3.33 billion stimulus program meant to give growth an immediate jolt encroaches on the powers of the Congress. Not only is the window for economic restructuring closing -- so is access to funding.

 

All this has come at a huge political cost. Aquino's detractors call his Disbursement Acceleration Program "the president's pork barrel," and news headlines containing such references have played a big role in his falling support rate. In the second quarter, Aquino's approval rating hit a low of 55 percent compared with 66 percent in the January-March period.

 

Clearly, 2016 is upon us already and the political noise and mudslinging will only get worse. Aquino must work fast to avoid falling into the lame-duck pattern that undid too many of his predecessors. The most immediate tasks: expand social-welfare programs that reduce poverty, improve disaster preparedness, deepen anti-corruption efforts and increase tax collections.

 

Repairing an economy suffering from decades of neglect isn't a six-year job. Although Aquino and his finance chief, Cesar Purisima, set the stage for a cleaner government, the Philippines's 7 percent jobless rate is the highest among major Asian economies. Aquino and Purisima did much in four years to revitalize growth but they could have done more. Now is the time to accelerate efforts to create new jobs, as opposed to shipping millions of workers overseas.

 

"The problems we inherited, we have solved," Aquino declared yesterday. "The ones that are here, we are solving. The ones that are to come, we are preparing for."

 

Yet the risk, as is often the case in the Philippines, is who comes next. In 1998, when Fidel Ramos left the presidency, few thought his successors could derail his economic-reform drive. Estrada and Arroyo (both were arrested on corruption charges) did just that. So, the stability of a geopolitically important nation of 100 million-plus people hinges on continuity.

 

It's anyone's guess whether the current frontrunner, Vice President Jejomar Binay, is such a leader. Perhaps we'll know after authorities get to the bottom of a multimillion-dollar plunder case against him dating back to alleged actions during his days as Makati City mayor in 2007. It's also worth noting that the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos (Aquino's dad was assassinated in 1983 while trying to unseat Marcos) may run in 2016. So might Senator Bong Revilla, who was arrested last month on graft charges.

 

The Philippines has traveled a long way in just a few years. Its growth and confidence have enough momentum to withstand some bad decisions, perhaps even some of the corruption so endemic to public affairs. But amid such political risks and economic imponderables, it's incumbent upon Aquino to use every day he has left in Malacañan Palace to ensure his reforms can't be easily undone.

 

When I last met Aquino in February, in that very palace, he made a point of showing me the official presidential portrait of his mother, the late Corazon Aquino. "She taught me to remember that the Filipino is worth fighting for," he said. I like that he repeated that line in yesterday's address. Because that's exactly what he needs to do each day for another two years.

 

 

To contact the writer of this article: William Pesek at wpesek@bloomberg.net

 

To contact the editor responsible for this article: James Greiff at jgreiff@bloomberg.net.

 

Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the increased tax collections that was made possible by PNoy's dog Kim Henares. But instead of going to important projects that could benefit Filipinos from all walks of life, the money ended up in the pockets of greedy politicians. How the author conveniently failed to mention that the biggest corruption scandal occurred during PNoy's administration makes me think that the writers of these articles are biased in favor of PNoy's administration. Either that or they're just clueless about the vindictiveness of PNoy and his extreme obstinate nature.

[lobangking]

pnoy liar

[scam]

Abnoy, please lang huwag kang mamamatay at baka magin presidente naman si manyak Kris o si Joshua.

Pero siguradong makukulong ka na sa 2016 pagkatapos ng termino mo.

[sendero]

Abnoy, please lang huwag kang mamamatay at baka magin presidente naman si manyak Kris o si Joshua.

Pero siguradong makukulong ka na sa 2016 pagkatapos ng termino mo.

 

Diyos ko po, naku huwag naman sana- Kris Ek-Ek- Quino for Sin Nator, " her son Joshua" Abnoy- Noy" a public official? What the f#&k is this!

[Agent_mulder]

Another term for Noynoy? NO!!

[maxiev]

Please don't change the constitution just because you want a second term. And don't mess with the judiciary by reducing their powers just because you're vindictive and the judiciary doesn't support you.

 

Step down like a man. Not like a spoiled rotten kid who gets mad when he doesn't get his way.

[sonnyt111]

Mr. President, pakiayos naman yung MRT at LRT.

 

Sincerely,

 

Your Bosses

 

http://opinion.inqui...daan-to-tragedy

 

The 'tuwid na daan' to tragedy

12:04 am | Monday, August 18th, 2014

 

We are commuters. We are angry.

 

The Train Riders Network is outraged over the derailment of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3) trains at the Taft Avenue station, resulting in 38 persons injured.

 

Indeed, this is the worst accident in the history of MRT 3.

 

This incident is a consequence of gross negligence on the part of both government and the privately run Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC). The MRTC oversees the maintenance of the MRT 3, while the Department of Transportation and Communications oversees its operations.

 

The "tuwid na daan" of President Aquino is a tragic path.

 

Commuters are fed up with the conditions that we have to bear with daily in the country's unsafe, inefficient and profit-oriented mass railway system. Instead of subsidizing this mass transport to make it safe and affordable for the people, the government insists on privatizing it and raising its fares, while altogether turning a blind eye on corruption.

 

Maintenance and improvement of the railway system, including the purchase of new trains, have been problematic because of onerous privatization agreements between the government and the private sector. The trains breached its maximum service capacity of 350,000 in 2006. According to government statistics, 620,000 passengers take the train daily.

 

It bothers us that until now, the likes of former MRT general manager Al Vitangcol, who was accused of attempting to extort $30 million in exchange for a contract to acquire newer MRT trains, have not been made accountable.

 

The DOTC's "assistance" to those injured is only a pittance. We expect Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, as well as MRT 3 officer in charge Honorito Chaneco, to be held responsible for this tragedy.

 

The commuters have long been silently seething in anger due to being denied the services that they have long deserved.

 

—JAMES RELATIVO,

 

spokesperson,

 

Train Riders Network,

 

train.riders.network.media2@

 

gmail.com

Edited August 20, 2014 by sonnyt111

[sandy51]

Diyos ko po, naku huwag naman sana- Kris Ek-Ek- Quino for Sin Nator, " her son Joshua" Abnoy- Noy" a public official? What the f#&k is this!

 

It's our voters that is the problem. Kung pede lang tumakbo si Bimbi, e bka manalo pa To save nga on election related costs, dapat yung next in line nlang sa family ang mag take over. That is how we will vote anyway. Tignan mo Makati after Cory placed Binay. And speaking of costs, huwag na din mag budget hearing. Yumayaman lang ang photocopiers. Anyway, papalitan din lang ni Pnoy and susuportahan sya ng Congress.

[maxiev]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-28/spatting-tycoons-stunt-philippine-infrastructure-southeast-asia.html

 

Spatting Tycoons Stunt Philippine Infrastructure Growth

 

 

By Siegfrid Alegado and Cecilia Yap Oct 29, 2014 6:18 PM GMT+0800

 

While Philippine tycoons argue over a typing error in a highway bid and whose shopping mall benefits the most from a train station, commuters including Aneka Rodriguez are paying the price.

 

A 47-kilometer (29-mile) expressway connecting Manila to the southern provinces has been delayed by a San Miguel Corp. appeal to President Benigno Aquino after its bid was rejected on a technicality. Meanwhile, SM Prime Holdings Inc., the group of billionaire Henry Sy, and Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) are fighting over where to build a train station, both seeking to place it closer to their respective malls 600 meters from each other.

 

Caught in the middle are 22.7 million people who live and work in Metro Manila, where inadequate infrastructure and recurring flooding produce gridlock and stunt the economy. The project delays threaten Aquino’s plan to lure $11.6 billion of investment in roads, railways and airports to spur growth to as much as 8.5 percent by the time he leaves office in 2016.

 

“It is frustrating how delays in major infrastructure arise from conflicts between those who wield economic or legal power,” said Rodriguez, 31. A court injunction on the train station means further delays to projects that may cut her daily commute by five hours, she said.

 

The Philippine economy is dominated by business groups run by a handful of politically connected families. The Zobel family owns half of 180-year-old Ayala Corp., which transformed a former airstrip in Makati City into the nation’s Wall Street and has a market value of $9 billion. The Zobels supported Corazon Aquino, the former president and Benigno’s mother.

 

Political Businesses

 

Sy, 90, is the nation’s richest man with a net worth of $11.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He built his empire from a shoe business and now owns the nation’s biggest bank and mall operator. SM Prime (SMPH) has also locked horns with Ayala Land over reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

 

San Miguel, the nation’s biggest company and maker of the 116-year-old beer brand, is run by Ramon Ang and its chairman, Eduardo Cojuangco, is an uncle of the nation’s president.

 

The key to cutting Rodriguez’s commute is the planned station where Light Rail Transit 1, Metro Rail Transit 3 and Metro Rail Transit 7 intersect, which is in limbo as SM Prime and Ayala fight over the location.

 

The argument stems from a contract SM Prime signed five years ago putting the station in front of its mall, while an Ayala-led venture won a government contract to extend LRT-1 last month that effectively allowed it to build the station near its own mall. San Miguel (SMC), which is building MRT-7, supports SM Prime.

 

Expressway Bids

 

The delays frustrate about 1.1 million commuters who use LRT-1 and MRT-3 daily. The MRT-7 line, first proposed in 2002, has an estimated capacity of 450,000 travelers.

 

Corazon Guidote, SM’s head of investor relations, said the delays on the common station isn’t their fault and the company “does not include, nor intend to delay all other infrastructure projects.”

 

Guidote said: “If the original memorandum of agreement that was signed September 2009 was followed, the common station would have been completed by now and used by the public.”

 

The $790 million Cavite-Laguna Expressway, or Calax, is also stalled after a 20.1 billion-peso ($449 million) bid by San Miguel in June was rejected because of an incorrectly dated credit letter, leaving an Ayala venture as the winner with a bid of 11.7 billion pesos.

 

Presidential Appeal

 

“This huge undertaking will have a big impact on the country for many years to come, and we believe government should have the best options available,” San Miguel said in a statement on Oct. 22.

 

Earlier this year, a delay in the awarding of the Cebu airport project to a venture of GMR Infrastructure Ltd. raised concern on contract disputes and regulatory flip-flops in past administrations that led companies like Fraport AG to leave.

 

Ayala has asked President Aquino to award the project to either San Miguel or its venture, Ayala Managing Director Eric Francia said in an e-mail reply to questions. He said Ayala won’t go to court if San Miguel gets the project, to avoid further delays.

 

Court cases and appeals to the president’s office “delay the process and can be frustrating to investors,” Francia said. “The possibility of a rebid in the case of Calax yet threatens further delay.”

 

The discrepancy led President Aquino to signal last week that the bidding process might be repeated, potentially leading to further legal challenges and delays in the project.

 

Attracting Investment

 

Aquino has said that accepting a lower bid while there is a higher offer is a public issue. “We have to protect the people’s interest,” he said.

 

Ayala Corp. (AC) fell 0.2 percent in Manila today, lagging a 0.4 percent gain for the benchmark Philippine stock index. SM Prime rose 3.8 percent, while San Miguel slipped 0.4 percent.

 

To get to grips with delays caused by legal challenges, a proposed law now in Congress calls for companies to be fined 0.5 percent of a project’s cost if they make an appeal to the government after bids are submitted, said Cosette Canilao, executive director at the Public-Private Partnership Center. An appeal costs about $40 now, she said.

 

“The Philippine economy can grow even faster if infrastructure logjams were cleared,” said Gundy Cahyadi, a Singapore-based economist at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. “If infrastructure development goes full steam that would mean higher capacity, improved production and lower cost for industries.”

 

‘Right Direction’

 

While the Philippine economy is projected to be among the world’s five fastest-growing until 2016, it ranks 96th in infrastructure in the World Economic Forum’s 2013 Global Competitiveness report, the lowest among major Southeast Asian nations.

 

The Philippines attracted a record $4 billion in foreign direct investment in 2013, yet it drew the least among major Southeast Asian economies, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

 

“Material delays in project implementation could incur concerns on regulatory consistency and transparency, which are important for sustainable, long-term interest from private-sector investors,” said Mic Kang, a Hong Kong-based infrastructure analyst at Moody’s.

 

Not all projects are delayed. About 80 percent of 15,000 classrooms being built in a PPP venture are finished, while Ayala’s 4-kilometer toll road south of Manila is 50 percent complete.

 

The government is moving “in the right direction,” said Richard Bolt, the country director at Asian Development Bank. “Reforms don’t happen overnight.”

 

For commuters like Rodriguez, they can’t happen soon enough. The legal associate rented a $300-a-month apartment with friends to be closer to her office in Makati and goes to her family home 34 kilometers away only on weekends.

 

“I chose to move around this problem,” she said, noting that not everyone in the nation has that ability.

[Julianda]

Dear PNoy,

 

The Malacanang is burning.

 

Regards to your cabinet members and to Ms Valte.

[Julianda]

P.S.

 

 

Expect biggest leakages in 2015 national budget.

 

 

 

From your bosses.

[lomex32]

Showbiz government, what more can i say