IN BRIEF

DENR agency set to release water management plan

THE newly-created Water Resources Management Office (WRMO), under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to release an Integrated Water Resources Management Plan that will account for all water resources in the country and set directions on optimizing the use of existing supply through impoundment, treatment, and recycling.

The move is part of the DENR’s efforts to improve the country’s water supply situation, amid lingering shortage concerns over El Niño and growing population demand.

The WRMO, the DENR said, will work with other government agencies and the private sector to identify potential sources of surface water for over 1,400 barangays at higher risk of dry spells.

“The solution to our problems starts with fixing the disconnected and fragmented management of water by more than a dozen agencies of government,” said Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga.

The official also noted that aside from the DENR, several other government agencies and other entities are involved in managing water resources for a variety of uses such as power generation, irrigation and household distribution.

These agencies include the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the Local Water Utilities Administration, over 500 water districts, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, and the National Water Resources Board. Aside from these, there are thousands of private water providers primarily servicing residential communities nationwide.

“There are long-standing institutional issues which we now have a strong chance of solving and this unlocks some of the barriers in managing water. It also opens the possibility of coordinating projects between agencies to enter with more efficient programs like the construction of multi-use dams and reservoirs,” she added.

Local courts, not ICC, have jurisdiction on drug probe—Go

SEN. Christopher Go said Filipinos should be judged by fellow Filipinos before Philippine courts operating under Philippine laws.

The lawmaker also said the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction to “interfere with internal matters of the country.”

Go also said the Philippines has a strong and independent judicial system. “Probes into the war on drugs are presently being conducted by competent authorities. This means, I trust our local judicial system,” Go said. Go further emphasized that the era when the country had to be dictated by foreigners on how to govern itself has long been over.

Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said that his administration would terminate further interaction with the ICC. This comes after the court dismissed the government’s appeal to halt the investigation into the alleged human rights abuses during Duterte’s “war on drugs”.

“That’s it. We have no appeals pending. We have no more actions being taken. So, I suppose that puts an end to our dealings with the ICC,” Marcos said.

“We’re done talking with the ICC. Like what we have been saying from the beginning, we will not cooperate with them in any way, shape, or form,” he added.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla backed Marcos’ decision, and said that no Philippine representative would attend the international tribunal’s proceedings. Remulla criticized the ICC for disrespecting Philippine sovereignty. Macon Ramos-Araneta

I AM using the title of this piece not in its musical connotation, for SONAs are delivered “a capella,” not even a “cantata” where the singer is accompanied usually by a pianist.

The president is front and center, with full attention upon him, his words, his manner of delivery, even his facial expressions whenever he addresses the joint session of Congress.

The applause is predictable, almost “de cajon,” especially when you have 97 percent of the members of both houses figuratively “in your pocket” with pork.

Note that media always feature the fashion sense of the political elite and their halves, no matter how “outre.” To some, the fashion sideshow is more interesting than the words the leader spews out.

I am making a play on the SONA and the Tagalog “panata,” which means a pledge, as when the president finished his hour-and-eleven-minute speech with the ringing declaration that “Bagong Pilipinas” has arrived.

Sana nga, we pray, the SONA becomes a true panata.

First, he rattled achievements such as the country being among the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world, with strong macro-economic fundamentals.

But 7.6 percent GDP growth has to be juxtaposed with the reality that COVID and the lockdowns caused our economy to contract in 2020 and 2021.

Economists would say that at 6-7 percent growth rates, with inflation still raging at 5-7 percent bands, we have yet to recover or bring the economy back to pre-pandemic levels.

The first is a metric of economic growth, while inflation becomes the counter-balance that defines the quality of life in those numbers.

With such a huge mandate, we had hoped Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. would be a reforming president, one who would act with purposive urgency driven by a sense of mission not just to redeem the family image, but to leave a legacy truly his own

Realistically, we need to grow the economy by some 10 percent annually from 2023 to 2028 and get the GDP growing to around 40 trillion per annum, a doable but difficult feat, given the external dis-economies and the apparent lack of urgency by government and its leadership to take bold reforms.

I am reminded of the “Red Queen” effect inspired by Alice in Wonderland, which our instructor in price theory described as one having to run twice as fast to remain in the same place.

That is true whether in fighting inflation or rebounding the economy lain low by Covid.

We need to run many times faster, and the leader has to step up to the tune. Urgency, not business as usual, is the order of the day.

The president also cited infrastructure gains, but to put credit properly, these were started by the previous administration, with some initiated by its predecessor even, and he just had to cut the ribbons.

He was right in singling out inflation as the biggest devil, not just an elephant in the room of the macro-economy. But touting Kadiwa as solution is not solution enough. Its reach, sustainability and wastage will have to be weighed against the temporary relief it gives to a few, accompanied by repetitive optics.

Like it or not, he will be judged by his aspiration, his unthinking promise, of 20 peso rice. He was silent on this self-imposed metric this time.

As it is, government through NFA subsidizes the optics at about P13 per. NFA buys palay at P19, which balloons to P38 after milling and logistics, but Kadiwa sells at P25.

The Marcos Sr. Kadiwa cum Masagana 99 programs brought massive losses to government coffers, and their resurrection now, with the Rice Tarrification Law in force, will just skew the staple industry into more and more importation, unless government subsidizes farm inputs heavily, but that again is not sustainable aside from being a traditional occasion for deep pockets to earn from.

In the foreseeable future, the DA must face the realities of El Nino, India’s stopping rice exports (it is the biggest rice exporting country, although we buy little from it), which adds to the overall supply problem, Vietnam possibly limiting exports, preferring government-to-government deals which our RTL proscribes, NFA with little more than a day’s consumption in its warehouses, and still insufficient domestic production.

If the price of rice has inched up to the present 44 per kilo, already a marked 10 percent higher than when Duterte stepped down, do not expect it to go down whether in your wet market or the supermarket, Kadiwa excepted.

Pagminalas-malas, we could be looking at P50 per kilo by Christmas or early next year.

Which is why the traders are looking forward to bigger profits, while the farmers will get some crumbs in terms of marginally higher palay prices.

Still, we hope the president can indeed do something about the hoarders, profiteers and smugglers, as he pledged.

Beyond investigations though, reforming the systems -- and this is where his proposal to revise our antiquated procurement and auditing practices – are much needed.

In Duterte’s time, he phoned a major rice trader and threatened the poor guy with termination by