The natives are restless

While President Rodrigo Duterte was making “senti” or expressing his exasperation with corruption, it turns out that his official family of cabinet members have started to get on each other’s nerves and have even reached a point where one cabinet member had to confront two others regarding their statements to the press at the expense of the former’s department. Others have grumbled about the lack of support or exclusion or non-consultation of other cabinet members regarding announcements and actions. The worst report that reached me was that several Usecs and Asecs of a certain office have written a polite letter to President Duterte suggesting that my fellow columnist Asec Mocha Uson be transferred or relocated to another office or agency.

According to a reliable source Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol was very displeased when the NEDA released information or statements that the agriculture sector had such a lackluster performance, which contributed to the rise in inflation. So when Piñol saw NEDA Director General Ernie Pernia at a golf course, Secretary Piñol took a straight path to Pernia and asked him why he did not even bother to clarify matters before releasing such critical and damaging statements, especially since there was supposed to be some sort of professional courtesy among members of the Duterte Cabinet.

Piñol stated that the agriculture sector will suffer every time its budget is cut or reduced. In addition, three important agencies previously taken away from the DA and placed under the then jobless, but now Senator Kiko Pangilinan, were never reinstated or given back to the DA secretary who must have real control over the National Food Authority if he is to properly manage the country’s rice inventory and prices. The same goes for coconut where the Philippine Coconut Authority has not been returned to the DA Secretary. Executive Secretary Medialdea still has to act on the President’s instruction to officially return those agencies to the DA.

Aside from D/Gen. Pernia, Secretary Piñol also took Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to task for making statements about proposed tariffs on imported agricultural products such as chicken, pork, and fish without clearing with Piñol’s office. Piñol stated the wrong numbers could and did result in an initial outcry among local producers who are amenable to imports but provided that tariffs make the imported products cost the same as locally produced agricultural products.

While Piñol and associates addressed matters up front, some cabinet members have been “talking to others” instead of talking to each other. When actress Alice Dickson posted a video on Boracay the initial reaction was generally “why do private individuals manage to update the public on Boracay and not government?” From what I’ve gathered, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu has been so focused on meeting targets and deadlines that he forgets to ask his fellow cabinet members to join in.

Cimatu’s associates in Malacañang feel that Cimatu should ask or invite and not leave things to his staff. The DOT officially has no controlling power or authority over Boracay outside of promotions and recommendations. Sec. Berna is also tied up with hearings, investigations, and house cleaning. Unbeknownst to Sec. Berna, people within her own organization feel that she should be more visible in Boracay before the formal opening. Similar sentiments have been expressed by PCOO minions who tell me that their office seems to be wary of stepping on toes or “territory” and are also wary of promoting Boracay until there is some certainty that targets and deadlines would be achieved. The problem with this “hintayan” or waiting for an invite is that the DOT and the Presidential Communication Operations Office are appearing to be “outside the kulambo” or officially left out.

* * * What might turn out to be a hot topic is the claim that an official letter or position paper has been sent to President Duterte asking for the “reassignment” of Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson outside of the PCOO. It seems that several Usecs, Asecs, Directors, etc. were emboldened when the Chief of the Public Information Agency was not punished or fired for publicly criticizing Uson regarding the video blog she posted related to the proposed federalism charter. Now there is an active group apparently monitoring Asec Uson’s social media activities. My source claims the studies are so thorough that the works of a suspected “Ghost Blogger” with the initials “B.C” has allegedly come up several times.

Maybe Mocha can be appointed as the President’s “Goodwill Ambassador” to visit allies as well as countries facing extreme climate or human disaster. We may not have much to offer but it’s the “Goodwill” that comes from the heart of Filipinos. That would surely be more fulfilling than constantly having to explain yourself to haters.

* * * Students who are about to take the 2018 CPA Board Exams are presently having sleepless nights and extreme anxiety particularly those outside Metro Manila. It seems that the October 2018 Board Exams has been designed to test examinees on accountancy and taxation based on the “old law” and the latest law a.k.a TRAIN 1. Something is very wrong about this considering the fact that accountancy students who graduated March 2018 did not get proper training/ education on TRAIN 1 since the new law had just come out this year and the BIR had to go out of its way just to familiarize firms on the provisions of the new law.

Tests are suppose to be a way of determining what students have learned and/or how well they have been taught. How can the Board of Accountancy justify giving exams on a law that to this day is still being debated upon, not to mention might actually be revised in the next Congress? The best suggestion I heard is for the BOA to simply require “Continuing Education” for examinees!

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