Rightsizing – ‘sana all’
Economic managers have recently announced their plan to “rightsize” government and save billions of pesos in the process. And as suggested, the plan is to close down certain government offices, reduce staffing in several offices and agencies and/or redeploy the fortunate few caught in the frenzy to other posts that can use their skills or expertise. The catchy phrase, however, does not make the pain of dislocation or sudden unemployment less fearful, painful or traumatic.
At a time when many Filipinos, rich or poor, are just beginning to get their bearings back mentally and financially, this mistaken and lazy solution towards cost cutting is ill-timed, politically dangerous for a controversial administration and will surely be fodder for anyone and everyone who has an opinion or a relative among the soon to be retrenched government employees. There is also the danger of creating the impression that the Philippine government may be going broke or was so heavily indebted by the Duterte administration that the BBM team now has to drastically cut jobs and expenditures.
Assuming that we are in dire circumstance, would “rightsizing” really solve all our problems or would it simply lead to more serious and destabilizing situations in the future? The fact that I am already reacting to the suggested “rightsizing” should be enough warning to the proponents. This does not mean that I or many people are totally opposed to “rightsizing.” The truth of the matter is that the government has quite a number of unnecessary offices that don’t contribute much to profitability of services. But before we cut the cord or terminate offices and services, there should be complete honesty and research-based facts on the government’s plans and intentions. Is it really rightsizing we are talking about or cost cutting? Given the suddenness of their actions, it seems more likely that the economic managers are trying to stop leakages and financial bleeding.
If government wants to do cost cutting, start by cutting down on expenses, not people, and it should do so to all and at all levels. As they say: SANA ALL! Start at cutting operating costs just like we all do in our homes. Cut down electricity consumption, water, vehicles, fuel, travel and luxuries. Then cut back or cut down on process and documentation. I have been trying to find out for the last three months which government office is in charge of monitoring electricity consumption of all government offices and buildings. Believe it or not, just by checking grounded lines, burned out bulbs, equipment constantly being left plugged in and correcting all of that as well as using solar lights, we were able to cut our electricity bill in Lipa, Batangas from P9,000 down to P4,000. Imagine how many millions of pesos is spent by government on electricity? In spite of vast improvements in solar and battery technology and an entire department called the DOST, why has the Philippine government lagged behind in adapting renewable and affordable energy sources? Has anyone in government even conducted an investigation or study on the extent of usage of airconditioners, capacity and efficiency matching, new technology adaptation such as inverters and scheduled maintenance of these thousands of units?
Another thing I’ve noticed that has escalated through the years is how government offices have been buying above average to high-end vehicles for their officers and personnel that cost above one million pesos each and are more expensive than the cars of middle to upper class Filipino executives. Some government offices have so many cars and not enough garages or parking spaces! But the escalation and excess does not stop there. It is now normal to see these vehicles fully tinted, dressed up with mag wheels, roof racks, onboard entertainment along with dedicated drivers.
My classmate Charmaine recently posted the conversation she could not avoid overhearing between a government lawyer and her driver at a mall, where the official instructed her driver to go and kill time at the mall while she did some shopping. There are far too many government vehicles being used for personal needs, along with drivers and even “security” personnel. Those same expensive vehicles also buy up millions of pesos in fuel, maintenance, insurance, etc. But not every government employee is issued a vehicle or given fuel privileges. If we can’t give all, then SANA ALL — Wala!
Ever since I got into media, one recurring complaint or criticism concerns rentals and security agency contracts entered into by government officials who pay ridiculous sums to landlords and retired generals who mostly turn out to be relatives of government officials. With so much available land and properties, the national government has never seriously pursued development and construction of government centers or offices. As a result, hundreds of millions end up in rentals that make multi-millionaires of well-connected property owners.
Then there were all those junkets, trips and travels all over the Philippines. Much has been done to cut back on those during the Duterte administration, but still the leakages are there and they all cost millions in the sum total. Once we cut back on operating costs, we can target the paperwork, procedures and process, computerize and then apply “rightsizing.” Cut back on how many windows and lanes people need to go through for registrations, license, permits and certificates. Computerization should come before rightsizing because it will also slice down corruption.
On the other hand, instead of relying on “rightsizing” or cost cutting, why not go strong on productivity and profit by going after long known smugglers of fuel and agricultural products, putting a stop to the endless re-blocking of roads and highways, imposing higher taxes on gambling, imposing higher taxes on people with excess wealth or companies with ridiculous profits while the government and the people are forced to cut back and downsize. Whatever the solution, again I say it should incorporate the theme: SANA ALL.