‘Awful’ President Aquino

Sen. Sergio R. Osmeña III recently called President Aquino an “awful manager.” Judging from the seemingly “awful” performance of some of P-Noy’s Cabinet appointees, Senator Osmeña appears to have hit the nail right on the head. Reading all the recent news about the “awful” outlook on electricity supply, persistent rice smuggling, increasing unemployment and the latest bombshell—the dismal operations of the MRT—you can’t help but shake your head and ponder the senator’s statement.

In his letter (“P-Noy’s good management style,” Opinion, 3/31/14), Budget Secretary Florencio Abad defended the President from his critics by citing, among others, P-Noy’s  many economic accomplishments backed by impressive figures and numbers. But for the millions of jobless and hungry Filipinos, what do those impressive figures and numbers mean if they remain jobless and hungry? In fact, Abad’s claim reminded me of an old American commercial: Chewing on a hamburger sandwich from a business that claimed its buns were bigger, a customer asked, “But where’s the beef?”

Abad even mentioned that the President “has been persistent in improving the speed and quality of public service delivery.” Really? Has the President seen the long lines that miserable MRT users have been putting up with lately? For this, an MRT official has this awful excuse: The recent breakdowns of MRT trains were due to more passengers using the MRT now than before! That sounds like there’s an “awful” lack of foresight!

President Aquino has been in Malacañang for almost four years now. Unfortunately, all he has to show so far, other than the abolition of the wang-wang, are fancy words and impressive figures; meanwhile ordinary Filipinos remain destitute, still yearning and hoping for decent opportunities that can help turn their lives around for the better.

This, in my view, is simply awful management.

—JUANITO T. FUERTE,

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