Excuse me, your slip ups are showing
Back in the days when women were religious and modest in their outfits, women generally wore a “half-slip” or secondary undergarment for skirts intended to prevent suggestive silhouettes or men seeing through the skirt and the suggestive outlines of a woman’s legs. One of the drawbacks of half-slips was that the undergarment would sometimes move down from the waist and hang lower than the actual skirt which, in those days, was considered unsightly or awkward. To remedy the matter, people would politely approach the lady directly or walk beside them and nonchalantly say “Excuse me, but your slip is showing.” Decades after, the message is now used to call people’s attention to their repeated missteps or mistakes that have caught public attention.
That is presently the case with a number of officials in the BBM administration who have slipped up one after another in their pronouncements and policy suggestions and has become a growing concern for people in the private sector who want the new administration to get off the ground in a much better and smoother fashion instead of constantly showing their “slip ups.” It is apparent that team members have individually been trying to “come out of the gate running,” that they forget to consult with colleagues if they are on the mark or possibly stepping on someone’s foot or territory. Haste makes waste and breaks ankles.
Two cases in particular have caught some media people’s attention: When the incoming DBM secretary suggested the idea of “rightsizing,” she spoke in such general terms and percentages that she overlooked the fact that rightsizing is not a “one size fits all” solution and the fact that each department and each Cabinet secretary will have to determine their needs and approach. In fact, the DBM should be careful pushing for a policy that might be perceived as trespassing into other secretaries’ territory and mandate. The last time the DBM trespassed the mandate of another department resulted in the Pharmally anomaly because the DBM took upon itself the right to purchase goods that should have remained exclusively with the DOH which had the experts and the process.
The second case of concern was the announcement from the Department of Tourism to initially focus on our international airports and major hubs with the intention of following PBBM’s orders to upgrade the country’s tourism infrastructure as well as travelers’ comfort. I appreciate the “get up and go” attitude of DOT officials but in the same breath, they may be over stepping into the territory of the DOTr, which is the principal authority on airport-related concerns. As past secretaries of tourism have pointed out, they can only request, suggest, appeal to the DOTr and the DPWH.
Aside from the over-steps, the slip ups also involve a clear lack of appreciation on proper messaging and media engagement. Like the past administration, the newcomers into Malacañang have decided to rely on the “Laging Handa” program for public information and feeding information to reporters and vlogs. The system is designed for convenience, control, but not necessarily effective or successful in terms of being able to get the correct message out to the public through trusted channels and news sources. If Malacañang were a private corporation, those models would have long been scrapped as lazy and ineffective. In fact, the centralization of media matters in Malacañang has robbed all other departments of vast opportunities to promote their plans, programs and accomplishments. With so many channels and platforms, the government is missing out big time!
The first presidential announcement to veto the Bulacan Export Processing Zone panicked the business sector who associated it with the San Miguel Airport because of faulty delivery, then there were several appointments announced that created controversy, resulting in the Executive Secretary pulling out at least two or three nominations. Then there was the “conditional” announcement of returning DOE Secretary Lotilla depending on whether he could legally be designated as DOE secretary, given restrictions and statutes of law. As a result, some analysts now think that the half-baked appointment was nothing more than lip-service meant to show his backers that Lotilla’s nomination was accepted but could not pass.
Like the first presidential veto, the announcement of the “rightsizing” frightened millions of government employees and their families and stirred a hornet’s nest of experts and pundits alike. Every department of government has different requirements and operational concerns and therefore rightsizing cannot be done on a percentage basis or formula. Only the Cabinet secretary should have the right to decide with his team.
Yesterday, the incoming Solicitor General was quoted as saying that the Office of the Sol-Gen is considering challenging the authority of the International Criminal Court regarding the EJKs or the thousands of extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration. That in itself was nothing new except for the statement that the Solicitor General had yet to consult with his new boss – President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos – on the matter. Get permission first!
All the slip ups may be nothing more than growing pains or speed bumps for a team that is trying to get off the ground running. From the looks of it, there lies the fault. Yes, people are expecting a lot of good things from Malacañang and the administration now faces so much more challenges than their predecessor did.
The solution may actually be in the very word: UNITY. Instead of trying to do things on their own, they should seek the counsel of many, adopt private sector best practices and put together an agreed plan and process subject to evaluation of external parties because it is other people who notice that “your slip is showing.” Don’t try to impress. Rather let your conduct and success speak for yourself. Do not avoid critics, engage them. You might learn something.