Purge the incompetents in government

Last of two parts

THE performance of government officials is often seen as reflective of the capabilities of the president of a country, any country for that matter. The actions and outcomes of government officials are commonly seen as indicators of the effectiveness and leadership of the president.

The reason for this is that the official acts of government officials are closely intertwined with the competence of the president because of the president’s role in setting the agenda, appointing key officials, overseeing the government’s operations and being ultimately accountable for its performance.

The pronouncements and behavior of government officials, particularly high-profile figures, can shape perceptions of the administration and the country as a whole. Positive achievements or failures of officials can therefore impact the president’s reputation and credibility.

When officials are perceived as competent, effective and responsive to the needs of the people, it reflects positively on the president’s leadership. Conversely, failures or scandals involving government officials can erode trust and confidence in the president’s ability to govern.

Here is a sampling of those officials who contribute largely to the erosion of public trust, not only to the president’s ability to govern, but to the whole administration as well.

MMDA chairman

Lawyer Romando Artes was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos. Jr. as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Nov. 1, 2022. More than a year later, Artes has not accomplished anything that is truly worth mentioning.

In his latest caper, at a press conference held about a week ago, in response to the mounting traffic violations committed by e-bicycle/tricycle riders, he said, “Paano naming huhulihin? Wala kaming maisyuhan ng ticket dahil wala namang lisensya ‘yung nagmamaneho. Hindi rin naming pwedeng i-charge ‘yung vehicle dahil hindi rehistrado (How can we apprehend them? We cannot issue a ticket because the driver has no license. We cannot charge the vehicle since it is not registered).”

What kind of logic is this? It is flawed and skewed. A person’s competence is revealed by his words.

This kind of statement would spawn a new breed of motorist — unlicensed drivers operating unregistered vehicles. Unlicensed means without any license at all or those who have expired licenses. Unregistered means not registered at all, or those with expired registrations.

If one’s license expires, one can still drive a vehicle. If apprehended by any MMDA enforcer, the driver could use the same flawed logic — “Paano ninyo ako huhulihin? Wala kayong maisyuhan ng ticket dahil wala naman akong lisensya habang nagmamaneho.” What the heck.

PNP-PSPG

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is headed by Director General Benjamin Acorda Jr. while Col. Rogelio Simon is the acting director of the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG). I have no personal beef against these two gentlemen, both of whom are good police officers.

However, Simon should look into the practices of its protective security personnel (PSP) and the manner by which PSPG assigns these PSPs to whoever has the “power” and “influence.”

The mission of the PSPG is: “To secure and protect elected and appointed national government officials; members of the diplomatic corps and visiting foreign dignitaries; delegates and/or participants during special events, private individuals authorized to be given protection and vital government installations.”

If that is the mission of PSPG, then why do private individuals, even foreigners who are not foreign dignitaries, are being escorted by PSPs?

The Philippines consistently made it to the list of countries with the heaviest traffic in the world. This country is notorious for experiencing significant traffic congestion in most of the major cities. Metro Manila is one area which faces severe traffic congestion issues. This is compounded by motorcycleriding PSPs escorting private vehicles equipped with sirens and blinkers.

Do you know that the use of sirens and blinkers by “nonemergency” vehicles, particularly private vehicles, can have negative consequences for other motorists on the road?

The use of sirens and blinkers by non-authorized vehicles can be distracting to other motorists, diverting their attention away from the task of driving and potentially increasing the risk of accidents or collisions. When motorists witness such misuse, it can erode trust in the legitimacy of emergency signals and undermine compliance with traffic laws.

If unauthorized vehicles use sirens and blinkers to try to navigate through heavy traffic, it can disrupt the flow of traffic and create confusion and frustration among other motorists. This disruption can lead to congestion and delays for all other vehicles on the road. The physically burdened motorists would further be left agonizing emotionally and mentally by these power-wielding individuals.

Let these entitled people play it fair. Colonel Simon, why do you allow these situations to happen? I have witnessed such situations and more often than not, upon checking with the Land Transportation Office, these “PSP-escorted vehicles” with blaring sirens and blinking lights are “private” and not government vehicles.Our motorists are already suffering. Why make the unpleasant situation that they are in even worse, by reminding them that they are “ordinary” mortals and not “privileged” enough to have PSP escorts? If the MMDA cannot do its job, why would the PNP-PSPG aggravate it further?

Mr. President, do something about the incompetents in the government — before it’s too late.

(Note. This is the last of a two-part column. But I can cite more “incompetents” in future columns. To the readers: Do you have some names in mind?)