100ARAW.com

By Ritche Salgado

He may not be topping the surveys, but former MMDA Chairman and now vice presidential candidate Bayani Fernando is confident that he may just have better chances in grabbing the second biggest seat in the archipelago.

This, he said, was according to the survey that they conducted. He was however quick to say that they could not reveal the survey results, pointing out to published surveys as questionable and is simply meant to sway voters from riding a fictional bandwagon.

42 years in government service

Bayani credits his strength to his 42 years experience in government service – as mayor of Marikina City for 12 years, Secretary of DPWH, and MMDA chairman. This does not include the many businesses that he managed.

However, when asked what position he will favor once elected as vice president, he said: “Everything in government is a priority. That’s how we should look at this. I will be a vice-president at large. I don’t want to spend my time managing an agency. I would rather be the President’s expediter. A bastoner. Taga-palo sa puwit.”

“I will help the president identify and establish the doable and measurable targets for each agency,” he said

“(I will) push for productivity from all sectors and from everyone,” he added.

He believes that the reason why our country is suffering is because instead on focusing on increasing the productivity of government workers, our government is giving priority on building more roads and other infrastructures which we don’t actually need.

Road to nowhere

He said that government is building roads to places where it is not needed – in isolated places with no real settlement, which would then require government to build settlements that would in turn require other government facilities like schools and health care centers.

“Now we build roads sa mga bundok. Kinakaingin natin ang mga bundok,” he said.

“We should instead develop areas that are already sustainable and existing. Ang pera natin, ilagay natin sa negosyo. Tigilan ang pagtayo. We should stop building roads and instead build business muna. Provide work.” he reiterated. “We used to be the most productive (country). Now we have lost that competitive edge,”

Laws are solutions

“The system is there. We have a good system, but our people are not working properly. What we need is for these people to do their work,” he added.

“All we need is to put attention on our people,” he said.

Bayani also pointed out the indifference of the Filipinos towards laws.

“I discovered na we have not realized that laws are solutions,” he said. “Takot sila magpatupad ng batas, because in this country, when you implement the laws you’re a Hitler.”

“When I was with MMDA, I did not fire any people, I did not put anyone in jail,” he said, adding that despite this MMDA became more efficient because he was able to inspire people to work.

Enriching local investors

On matters of business, Bayani said that what government should be doing is to first invite local investors to invest.

“Otherwise (if our local investors don’t invest in our country) don’t expect other countries to invest,” he said.

“We can’t bluff the world. The measure for labor and wage everywhere is the same. If you are more productive, you get more,” he said. “I will push for workplace economics based on production.”

For the investors, he said, “The bigger you are, the more incentive from the government.”

Productive culture

Bayani further added that today government is not promoting a productive culture.

“The system has to aid every one of us to be more productive. We need the passion from no less than the head of this country,” he added.

Bayani said that he is willing to feed the jobless rather than create nonsensical jobs that will further pull government to debt.

“We can feed them if we are productive. Itutulak ko lang ang mga taong may trabaho to be more productive,” he said.

Government no faith in government

He added that most of the problems that government is facing is because “government has lost faith in government.”

“We look at privatization and left the initiatives to private enterprises. Now what is happening? It’s the law of supply and demand. Private (companies) don’t want to lose business.”

“Tigilan ang privatization. We are not ready. Government should do things more effectively and more efficiently. No private enterprise can beat the resources of government,” he said.

“Dahil sa privatization napamahal lahat.”

“Ang kailangan natin is management. First of all we should manage our human resources. Itulak ang mga tao to work well. Pagnagtatrabaho ang mga tao natin, we will be ok,” he said. “Huwag natin isurrender ang gobyerno natin (to private entities).”