Incompetence worsening

By Artchil B. Fernandez

 

Several incidents in the past weeks triggered public alarm. These incidents indicate the incompetence of Du30 as the leader of the nation is worsening. That this is happening while the country grapples with a deadly pandemic is indeed a cause of major concern.

Two rules were suspended by Du30 when their implementation created a strong public backlash. These series of suspensions strengthened public belief that Du30 is a lazy and irresponsible leader.

Du30 stopped the enforcement of Republic Act (RA) No. 11229 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act due to widespread outcry over its implementation. The purpose of the law is to keep children safe while aboard motor vehicles. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the law prohibits children aged 12 years and below and under four feet, eleven inches from taking the front seat or left inside a private vehicle unattended. Under the law children must use child restraint systems (CRS) or child car seats that are appropriate for their age, height, and weight.

Simultaneous with the suspension of RA 11229, Du30 put on hold the implementation of Department Order 2019-00 or the revised order privatizing the MVIS (Motor Vehicle Inspection System) of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).  The order privatizes the testing of vehicles.

Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) circular authorizes PMVICs to collect Php 1,800 fee from motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,500 kilograms, as well as other fees from motorists. Senators lambasted the order and questioned its legality. “The law is not clear. What law, tell me, authorizes you to do this, to privatize these testing centers? Is there such law? What I see here is too much overreach,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto asked the LTO and DOTr. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon seconded Recto’s position.

Earlier Du30 suspended for the second time the implementation of the increase in the premium contributions of PhilHealth members for this year as provided by RA 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act. The measure is hugely unpopular among OFWs.

These series of suspension of laws and regulations further confirm Du30’s incompetence as a leader of the nation. Why sign a law or issue a regulation then suspend its implementation? It is clear Du30 signs laws or issues regulations without studying or understanding their implication or impact.

But it is not only the suspension of laws and regulations that shows Du30’s ineptness and laziness is worsening. The failure of Du30 to start vaccination of Filipinos highlights this appalling and outrageous worsening of his incompetence.

In the middle of February, 117,000 Pfizer vaccines are scheduled to arrive in the Philippines through COVAX global plan. It did not materialize due to the failure of the Du30 administration to submit a no-fault or indemnity clause. The administration made it appear the clause is an additional requirement causing the delay of vaccine delivery.

Now it is revealed that since October 2020, the Unicef document clearly stipulates “all participants allocated vaccines through COVAX will be required to indemnify the manufacturer for the vaccines deployed in their territory.” Had Du30 and his officials done their homework or their job, they should have known such information and prepared for it. It only after the cause of the delay in the delivery of Pfizer vaccines was made public that the Senate passed a bill this week expediting vaccine procurement with a special provision for a PHP500-million indemnification fund.

Du30 blamed the delay of vaccination to the hoarding of vaccines by rich countries. He also attributed the delay of vaccination to the status of the Philippines as a poor country. Du30 is plainly lying and blatantly avoiding responsibility for his worsening incompetence.

If what Du30 is saying is true, why other poor countries have started their vaccination roll-out way ahead of the Philippines?  Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka weeks ago began vaccination. Even war-torn Afghanistan had started vaccinating its health workers this week while Ghana received the first batch of vaccines under COVAX also this week. Why not a single vaccine has arrived in Philippines (except the smuggled and therefore illegal vaccines)?

Delay in vaccination is due to the worsening incompetence of Du30 and his officials.   “Either they were clueless about the needed requirements or they simply had no sense of urgency,” Sen. Nancy Binay slammed the administration. “By all indications, the COVID-19 managers have mismanaged the procurement of coronavirus vaccines in the same way that the government mismanaged the pandemic,” Sen. Franklin Drilon echoed public sentiment.

Filipinos are paying a heavy price for the worsening incompetence of the leadership of this country. They can only look with envy as vaccination has started in many parts of the world, even in countries poorer than the Philippines. According to Our World in Data project of Oxford University, over 700 million doses of vaccines have already been administered in Asia as of February 23, 2021. The Philippines on the other hand has yet to receive a single dose of the vaccine, thanks to the worsening incompetence of Du30.

Leadership truly matters especially in times of grave crisis like a global pandemic. This must be the single, most important lesson Filipinos have learned in Covid-19 pandemic as they prepare to elect a new set of leaders next year.