GOVERNANCE MATTERS By FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JEJOMAR C. BINAY Jejomar C. Binay
Former Vice President The view that candidates who do not come from political families would be better public managers or executives has been debunked many times. Take Makati for example. In 2015, a Liberal Party-instigated move against my presidential candidacy, using the Ombudsman and the Philippine National Police (PNP), resulted in a change in leadership in Makati. A member of the Liberal Party (LP), was installed as mayor. He did not come from a political family. During his tenure, public services deteriorated and the people suffered from poor leadership and weak governance. Before the LP’s naked power grab in Makati, the city government led by members of my family had been blazing the trail in public services. Business confidence in the city was consistently high. Increasing revenues ensured a secure fiscal base to continue and expand our services to the people. But all these changed when the LP mayor took over. Basic services declined. Operations of the Ospital ng Makati, our local hospital certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO) for its services and systems, was severely hampered by gross inefficiency. Medicines and basic hospital supplies ran short. A malfunction in the hospital’s centralized air-conditioning system was -- for reasons they cannot explain -- not repaired. The leadership’s solution was to offer patients and their relatives free ice cream. That is not a joke. Businessmen complained about red tape and the return of fixers. Procurement rules were discarded. There were no open biddings, just contract extensions. Projects later turned out to be overpriced. Morale at City Hall was at its lowest, as the LP leadership added supporters to the payroll, some of them not even reporting for work but collecting salaries. Promotions were granted to a favored few. In 2016, the people of Makati voted for another member of my family. In less than a year, the new leadership restored efficiency, transparency, professionalism, and compassion at City Hall. Services at the Ospital ng Makati went back to normal -- the first item was the repair of the hospital’s centralized air-conditioning unit -- and the city government has since expanded the hospital’s services with the opening of an Eye Center and the acquisition of a Digital Mammography Machine and portable X-ray machines. Aside from free school supplies, bags, uniforms, and workbooks, our students are now provided with rubber shoes by their city government. They have endearingly christened these shoes as “Air Binay” shoes. Residents are again receiving the services and benefits they deserve from a leadership that cares about them. I have talked to several Makati businessmen who tell me that laws are now strictly enforced. There is order and discipline in the streets. Business confidence in the local government has been restored. In fact, Makati posted double-digit growth in its revenue collections in 2017. A strong partnership with the business sector, transparent and dedicated governance, and a commitment to improving the lives of the people have been the guiding principles of the city government for the last 30 years. These principles were discarded during that mercifully brief period when the LP’s inexperienced man in Makati did not prove equal to the challenges of leadership. Makati’s experience with a political unknown at the helm of the city government and the results of a January, 2016, Pulse Asia survey on political dynasties should serve as an eye-opener for those who blindly condemn all political families as inimical to democracy and the people’s interest. Contrary to the perception that the opposition to dynasties is the dominant view, the Pulse Asia survey revealed the split sentiment of Filipinos on political families. Out of 1,200 respondents,  34 percent said they would vote for candidates from political dynasties. Thirty two percent said they would not vote for candidates who have “children, spouses, siblings, or parents who are former or current elected government officials.”  Another 34 percent said they were undecided on the issue. In the National Capital Region (NCR), the survey showed that 50 percent of the respondents disagreed with the statement that candidates coming from political dynasties should not be voted for office. Even in Class ABC,where strong anti-dynasty sentiment is perceived to be very strong, about 42 percent believe that candidates from political families should be given a chance to serve. Like I said, Makati’s experience and the Pulse Asia survey should prompt those who take a negative view of political families to ponder. Then again, those who feel strongly against families in politics will never be convinced regardless of the facts. E-mail: [email protected]