I hope President Aquino reads the Inquirer every day, especially its editorial, because after over four years on the job, it looks like he could use some real, down-to-earth and more sensible remedial inputs than what he probably is getting (or not getting) from his advisers. Take the Sept. 30 editorial of the Inquirer, which talked about how discipline on the road is very much lacking and how “discipline among drivers and commuters alike should be an indispensable part of any package of solutions to address the traffic problem.” Why directly responsible government officials haven’t thought of that is beyond comprehension!
They need to learn how to think beyond the box for it’s a fact that chaos on Manila’s roads is, for the most part, caused by the highly undisciplined behavior of those who use them. Those who have been abroad where discipline on the road is strictly enforced can attest to the merit of the editorial’s proposition. Put discipline on the road and leave it there until it becomes second nature to all. All it costs is political will—nothing more, nothing less!
The Oct. 1 editorial regarding the embattled police force also says it all—everything for the readers to understand, and what a farce the top gun of the Philippine National Police is. I like the last paragraph where it says: “If this unending blight is to be stopped, it must start with a capable, aggressive and far-sighted leader at the top.” It’s a pretty strong statement. P-Noy can read it anyway he wants, but if I were him, and knowing how incompetence seems to have become the name of the game in practically every sector of government today, most especially in service areas, I would be very careful in figuring out where the “top” (mentioned in the sentence) really is.
It could mean the PNP chief himself or, someone way above him, someone at the very top of the totem pole where the buck ultimately stops. And with government anomalies happening left and right (e.g., at the PNP, the Department of Transportation and Communications), together with the looming power shortage and other crises, maybe it’s time for some straight talk from a capable, aggressive and farsighted leader and, assuming he has the guts to do it to his “own people,” start cracking the whip—especially now that his “Daang Matuwid” is turning out to be a “Daang Paikot-ikot” instead, full of potholes and going in circles!
—JUANITO T. FUERTE,
jtfuerte@comcast.net