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Stopping
corruption and more Whenever the topic of corruption comes up, we always receive a number of comments from readers. Here is one from Romy Encarnacion, a confessed volunteer consultant in Eastern Europe representing a private arm of the US AID, but still very much interested in what is happening in the country. "I just read your piece that you headlined, "Corruption starts with each of us." Your reference to the ADB survey drew my attention. I also read the paper of the ADB country director yesterday and was wondering if the local press would use it as a jumping point to start a debate on what ails us and what we must do about it. "As the ADB country director pointed out, we have been losing out in attracting capital investments given several factors one being corruption. Also, our infrastructure is woefully inadequate and given our staggering debts, as well as budget and trade deficits, we have practically nothing left to finance and upgrade our infrastructure. We are in a vicious cycle that where to begin is in itself a daunting challenge. In addition, given our poverty rate, disposable income is very limited that makes our market unattractive to investors. "On the other hand Thailand has attracted more regional manufacturing since their local market owing to higher disposable income makes these regional investments attractive and viable. Consequently, Thailand has become a formidable exporter and a competitor that can push us against the wall. "It is always a challenge to be critical of ourselves. But competition, regionally and globally, demands that we understand and accept the fundamentals of benchmarking. If we are to win in the global marketplace, we have to benchmark and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of other countries. And I think given our culture this is easier said than done." Bankrupt And Needs A Turnaround On the country’s strengths and weaknesses, Encarnacion continues, "We have a lot of very positive cultural traits but given where we are today, we need to look beyond our assets and assess our net worth instead. As an entity we are effectively bankrupt and we need a turnaround. We cannot look at the world as though it is business as usual. "Foreign investors view our net worth and had thought early on that we were a disaster waiting to happen. And now the reality to them is that disaster has already struck. Like a perfect storm, we have achieved the unthinkable. Everyone Has A Role "My sense is everyone now seems to think that leadership by Malacañang is what is imperative. But we have a broader leadership challenge. And we also need common sense which as we know is rare indeed. "By broader leadership I mean beyond Malacañang. All other critical institutions must also step up to the leadership challenge otherwise we cannot fashion a turnaround and will fall into the old trap of business as usual. "For instance if corruption starts in Malacañang, and following the principle of benchmarking, should we not have a couple of young investigative journalists that can take the administration to task liked they did in Watergate? If corruption was behind the illegal logging in Quezon that resulted in massive flooding and numerous deaths, should we have a local "60 Minutes" on TV to expose the culprits? Focus On Infrastructure And Competitive Advantage "As the ADB country director pointed out, since we cannot afford to upgrade our infrastructure across the board, we should at least ensure that economic development or export processing zones that are successful or are promising have world-class infrastructure. "That is, we must focus on manufacturing or related value-added operations where we have the competitive advantage; we cannot be into every conceivable industry. It is imperative that these economic development or processing zones have a reliable source of utilities, that is, light, water and telephone; that roads to and from the pier and/or the airport are functioning and efficient especially to transport delicate machine parts; and this also applies to the airports and the piers themselves. "A major Japanese company wanted to expand its operations in the Philippines but given the delicate machine parts they need to transport, opted to move this particular business to another Southeast Asian country. (Isn’t it amazing that we have allowed ourselves to be such a laughing stock given our inability to build a modern airport without the attendant politics and supposed corruption?) "If we stop at infrastructure for a moment, should we even wonder why we have lost out in attracting investment capital?" Reader Romy Encarnacion had other comments about tourism infrastructure and the role of the Church and wealthy Filipinos which we will discuss in succeeding columns. Sports Leaders Or Mendicants? The pledging session conducted recently to raise much needed funds for the Philippine teams to the Southeast Asian Games to be held in Manila was labeled a success by no less than the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. This reflects the commitment of the private sector to support the Filipino athletes and the sports programs of the country. With the government in dire financial condition, the sports associations have to rely more and more on the generosity of private companies to finance their training and participation. Fortunately for the athletes, there are companies like San Miguel, PLDT, and patrons like Danding Cojuangco, Tony Boy Cojuangco and Manny Pangilinan who have big enough pockets to afford to be generous godfathers and donors. But is this the right way to promote sports and develop athletes of international caliber? To rely on dole outs every time an international competition occurs? No wonder that the Philippines has fallen from the top of the Asian Games in the fifties, to a rank now even lower than countries like Thailand, Indonesia and even Vietnam. Are present so-called sports leaders really interested to pursue radical changes in the sports program or just to cling on to their long-held positions in various sports association? What ails the present system of sports development in the country? Are sports associations effective as lead unit in pursuing radical changes in the sports program? Is politics also rearing its ugly head in sports? Join us in "BREAKING BARRIERS" (11 p.m. Wednesday, 2nd February, on IBC-TV13) and gain insights into the views of Chino Trinidad, Commissioner of the Philippine Basketball League and the Collegiate Champions League, on issues affecting not only basketball, but also sports in general in the Philippines. Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at reygamboa@linkedge.biz. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz.
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