A reflection (2)

It’s the night before Christmas, and all through the house….

Governance. “In this life you get what you pay for. Buy cheap, you get cheap. You have to pay for quality. Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, doesn’t seem to understand this… I’m all for getting the best deal, but price alone doesn’t determine the best deal. A whole host of factors do.” (“Cheap isn’t cheap,” 3/19/20)

“The DENR should be split. You just can’t find one person who is, first, a strict environmentalist and, second, a supporter of responsible extraction of the natural resources we must have in the modern world… The two areas are in conflict. Both are hugely complex and require considerable effort and time devoted to properly manage them.” (“Split it,” 5/11/17)

“A new constitution must also consider the future. Some of the failings of the 1987 Constitution are that the world has changed and the terms set then are no longer applicable. The restriction on foreign investments is a prime case… A constitution is the lifeblood of a nation. You don’t change a constitution to suit a particular moment; you do it to set the foundation of a society—for a hundred years.” (“Should we amend the Constitution?” 3/15/18)

“The secret to combating plunder is transparency. So if the President is serious (I think he is in his intent), he has to force the passage of laws that would strengthen the country’s anti-corruption measures and improve transparency in government transactions.” (“Put big guys in jail (1),” 11/12/20)

Doing business. “In the main, sovereign contracts (contracts with a government) must be inviolate. That’s why contracts are entered into. If at a later time change would seem desirable, it must be change that is willingly entered into by both parties.” (“Muddy waters,” 3/5/20)

“We need an Ease of Doing Everything Authority. And the simplest, most effective, and quickest way is to just amend the EODB law with a new title and put its operations under Arta, which has more than proved itself capable.” (“EODE,” 5/14/20)

“Permit renewals are burdensome for businesses. They have to comply with innumerable requirements just to process the permits, and wait interminably just to submit all the documents demanded. Then there are the fines when they get it wrong. It’s this convoluted bureaucracy that hinders the Philippines from moving up the global ranking in terms of ease of doing business.” (“Cut the tape,” 4/7/16)

Labor. “Global competitiveness surveys show that the Philippines is a laggard in terms of labor market flexibility… Businessmen don’t go where they can’t adjust their labor force as the business requires. They won’t go where mediocre performance, or worse, is protected. They won’t go where a legal case can be brought against them at the drop of a hat by a disgruntled employee.” (“Flexibility,” 6/11/20)

Mining. “It’s irresponsible mining that must be stopped. Mining is not an industry that allows for exploitation done by hand. Mines, the large-scale ones, bring wealth to rural communities where it is most needed, develop those communities, and employ lots of people.” (“Why not mining?” 8/27/20)

Infrastructure. “It’s time for Congress to listen to their silent voices and relieve their sufferings. I want the bridges, roads, and trains the administration has identified built before I die or before my kids die if the progress of the past is replicated. Time for PEP: priority emergency powers.” (“Priority emergency powers,” 5/3/18)

“The government’s massive program to build infrastructure desperately needs all the help it can get. Asking the private sector to help just makes good practical sense… Shifting to PPP should be revived to ensure that all 75 programmed projects actually get started before President Duterte bows out.” (“Revive PPP,” 9/19/19)

“One thing the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation could do with little effort to speed things up is to outsource. Contract truly independent contractors to help the government develop the details of a project and prepare the terms of reference and requests for proposals.” (“A dismal failure,” 11/28/19)

So that’s it, I hope you enjoyed the romp through history through the eyes of this columnist.

Merry Christmas!

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