Of PPP codes and elevator rides

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio “Arsi” Balisacan, a marathoner, can run long distances, say a 42-kilometer marathon for hours on end. He has done it many times, in the Philippines and beyond.

It is perhaps such endurance of the mind – a must for every runner – that Sec. Arsi was able to patiently survive what he called his longest elevator ride.

Over breakfast recently after his regular morning run, Sec. Arsi shared with me and Louie Desiderio, who covers the NEDA beat, that memorable experience some two weeks ago.

It happened in the morning of March 21 at the sleek Mega Tower in Mandaluyong City. He was on his way to an important event, one he was really excited about – the signing ceremony for the implementing rules and regulations of the Public Private Partnership Code.

From the ground floor, where some members of his staff were waiting for him when he arrived at the building, he then proceeded to the elevator, along with ten other people – five staffers from NEDA and the rest, other tenants in the new office tower. They were headed to the 34th floor, the headquarters of the NEDA.

What was supposed to be an ordinary elevator ride turned out to be an unforgettable one when the lift suddenly stopped.

It stopped somewhere between time and space, somewhere between the universe and the 19th floor of the Mega Tower.

But there was no need to panic. Perhaps, it was just a slight delay. We might have experienced sudden elevator stops. But then seconds turned into minutes – two minutes, three minutes and then five minutes.

Sec. Balisacan, in his usual white office barong, still waited patiently but by then the group had already decided to press the emergency button. The good thing was that the speaker was working and there was a mobile phone signal. The light was working too and so was the exhaust fan, which allowed the air to circulate in the small space.

Through the speaker, building authorities were updating the group about what had happened. Initially, they were told, it seemed that there was a problem with the electronic system of that particular lift and that supposedly caused the stoppage.

But the bigger question was how they would finally get out.

One option was that the lift would be brought manually to the nearest exit floor, which was the 23rd floor, or to the ground floor.

I imagine the elevator malfunction scene in “SpiderMan Homecoming” but it was nothing like that, says Sec. Arsi.

In fact, he said, the authorities told them to sit down if they were going to bring down the lift manually.

When it was taking longer than usual, Sec. Balisacan noticed that the younger people in the group were getting anxious; some were already teary eyed and close to panicking. Some were already sending anxious messages to their loved ones.

Statistics

Sec. Balisacan, in his usual calm demeanor, wasted no time in assuring the terrified Gen Z-ers in the group that in terms of statistics, there are more road accidents compared to elevator accidents.

He himself remained calm and at no point did he feel panic creeping in.

Finally, building authorities decided on a more practical solution, which was to destroy the thin wall surrounding the elevator to forcibly open the door of the lift.

They climbed the ladder to get out through a small opening. Their ordeal came to an end after almost two hours. “Longest elevator ride. Just thankful we were all safe,” he said in a Facebook post after what happened.

Sec. Balisacan proceeded to the signing ceremony and went on with his day. To him, it was another day at the office. It was a different matter, however, when he arrived home because his wife – who only learned about the incident from social media – turned from worried to furious. “Pambihira…!” Sec. Arsi quoted his wife as saying. But he deliberately did not tell her about their ordeal when it happened because he did not want his family to worry.

Of course, his wife is no longer mad but also just happy that they were all safe. It’s an “all’s well that ends well” kind of ending. But Sec. Arsi continues to wait for the full incident report on what happened.

He hopes that it won’t happen again. The best lesson I picked up from Sec. Arsi’s experience is to remain calm.

PPP Code The experience did not dampen Sec. Arsi’s excitement over the signing of the implementing rules and regulations of the PPP Code, which was signed into law in December last year.

It’s a game changer of sorts, he said, as it would pave the way for more investments coming into the Philippines.

Essentially, the PPP Code and its IRR provide a unified legal framework for all PPPs at both national and local levels. It clarifies the ambiguities in the BuildOperate-Transfer Law, which was last amended in 1994, and other existing PPP legal frameworks.

“The law will enable much-needed development across various sectors of the economy and accelerate the delivery of affordable, accessible and efficient public services,” NEDA said.

Sec. Arsi said the government is in “a hurry to get strategic investments to increase our economy’s growth potential.”

Indeed, we can’t afford further delays, and especially not another elevator malfunction for the country’s chief economic planner – or for anyone for that matter.

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