The Malacanang Crisis Committee that Noynoy failed to build
President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (a.k.a. "P-Noy") apparently was not lacking in in-house expertise. He just happened to be too much of a numbskull to be a bit bigger than his adolescent beholdenness to Kabarkada Inc and his infantile imprisonment by Kamaganak Inc to separate the men from the little boys in his Cabinet. In a brilliant expose on the monumental tragedy of unprecedented presidential tunnel-vision, journalist Boo Chanco reports another heart-renting case of fatal missed opportunity on the part of Noynoy's government that could have prevented the deaths of eight foreign tourists.Apparently, Alberto G Romulo who was Executive Secretary of then President Gloria Arroyo was the chief architect of a kick-ass Crisis Committee that came into effect under Executive Order No. 121 in June of 2001...
According to Bobi, in their time, the President chaired the committee and Romulo (succeeded by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita) headed its executive committee. The Crisis Committee has a broad mandate to deal with any situation that threatened the state's security or any problem it deemed to require the Palace's attention and action.
The Committee functioned as the President's institutionalized command, control and communications center for nearly all of the many crises Ate Glue's administration confronted. The list includes the Abu Sayyaf raid on Dos Palmas and other acts of terrorism, the Oakwood and Manila Peninsula putsch attempts, the SARS pandemic.
[...]
The Committee had a full-time secretariat, led then by an efficient Navy officer. The secretariat continuously monitored the national situation, documented its operations, and followed up the aftermath of a crisis to ensure its resolution. They housed the secretariat in a 24/7 "Presidential Situation Room," which had an array of huge TV screens for monitoring the situation on one wall, located right under, and accessible from, the President's private quarters at the Palace.
Now that is a Ferrari of a government-run operation that one couldn't imagine being driven by some bozo apparently suffering from separation anxiety disorder and fixated on a wangky aversion to wang-wangs (police sirens).
Unfortunately for us, we get the gaffe to end all mothers of gaffes...
Not only did the [the current] executive secretary fail to activate the crisis committee, P-Noy was reportedly even the one who briefed him on the details of the crisis instead of the other way around. I agree with Bobi's assertion that "one of the most important tasks of President Aquino's executive secretary is to set up a structure that will deal with crisis situations."
If the kabarkadas didn't know how to go about putting up this crisis committee, they should have asked around. As far as I know, Romulo is a member of P-Noy's cabinet. P-Noy could have asked his more experienced Tito Bert to help his clueless executive secretary go through the paces of how to run the most important office in the Palace.
Most poignant of all is how the expertise to build and run such an operation and use it to kick ass was muted in an astounding case study of politicians' son breeding. By all accounts, taking initiative to bring great ideas to the President's attention is not encouraged, and seems to be "not how things are done in this administration". Indeed, Chanco recalls how...
[...] somebody else familiar with the ways of this administration told [him] that you have to wait to be asked. Unless you are asked, baka mapahiya ka lang.
Something I have long suspected, looking back to Noynoy's rich -- but short -- history of moronic gaffes and ill-thought-out edicts, is being validated here:
Noynoy does not listen.
Ironic, considering he is one Chief Executive who once proclaimed that the people he presumes to lead are his "boss".
Noynoy ABNOY!
ReplyDeleteI hate waking up in the morning and knowing the Philippines is always like this. Do something about it Noynoy
ReplyDeletei remember that last June, Noynoy and his cohorts declined a pass-on meeting of consultations with the previous administration. they said that they will not be told what to do with their new government (typical Filipino governance by tradition). if only he was not blinded by his pride, that crisis committee info could have served his regime well. What his communications group released when he got settled in sa new home n'ya was actually the music room of Noynoy -- how the room is filled with various types of music that the president loves to listen to kasi music relaxes him.
ReplyDeleteEyyy---Di--Dii.
ReplyDeleteMedyo kapos when the situation requires focus and patience sa mga detalya. Kaya loner at ayaw pinag-sasabihan kung ano ang dapat niyang gawin. Eyyy--Di-Dii.
Obviously, N/A P-Noy has a very poor idea what a President should be even if he grew up with one as a mother. What did that poor nincompoop learn while he was growing up? To be a lazy bum?! Then why, oh why, did he ever aspire to become the President of a country?! He should be slapped every time he tries to fall asleep in the middle of an important crisis. Somebody please pour water on him.
ReplyDeleteThis is the reality that I fear before Pnoy was elected. For almost one year, yet you can't find significant programs to improve the economic condition of the country. All good government program of PGMA that would press this country onward was there, and effectively implemented was not follwed-up effectively because of his vindictive cabinet members who focus of running after the previous administration. They succeed because Gen. Reyes committed suicide. Perhaps, they celebrated secretly.
ReplyDeletePwede ba? just focus on your work instead of recalling the past. You have abandoned the people. For your information Mr. President, ikaw nalang ang hindi nakakaalam na baluktot na ang daan na iyong tinatahak.. GUMISING KANA... 70% of Cabinet are inutil.. Puro papogi sa media ang ginagawa ninyo.