THE Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was founded on December 30, 1922, and effectively ended 69 years later in 1991. For virtually every one of those years, the government-controlled agricultural industry failed to meet its own self-proclaimed wheat-production target. And for each of the yearly failures, the blame was placed on bad weather.
In the past week, the government-controlled Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) failed to provide the public with safe and reliable transportation.
On Thursday morning the MRT 3 abruptly suspended operations. The shutdown, of course, occurred at the most inopportune time possible: 6:30 a.m. According to MRT 3 officials, the line had to be partially shut down, because a southbound train suddenly stopped between the Kamuning and Cubao stations. The reason was later identified as a brake malfunction on the train, which caused the brakes to unexpectedly engage, forcing the train to stop. Two hours later, the train was removed from the tracks, and the system was fully restored.
The week before, the MRT 3 also had another incident, which caused a transportation disruption. Only five MRT 3 trains, instead of the normal 10 to 15, were able to function. That incident, which left thousands of commuters waiting in line, was because six trains had been sent to the depot after encountering problems with the air-conditioning system. Full service was restored by the late afternoon.
This past Thursday, a southbound train of the PNR derailed along the Skyway Magallanes exit in Makati City. In this case, dozens of passengers received minor injuries. Once again, an important part, although much less used than the MRT 3, of the Metro Manila transportation system was shut down. The PNR has yet to tell us why this happened.
While we have come to expect problems—or, in the words of our government officials, glitches—with both of these organizations being able to meet their obligations, it would be good to know why failure is becoming the new normal.
Since we are reasonably confident that bad weather is not the cause, perhaps the answer can be found in a statement from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last Friday. The DBM reported that for 2014, infrastructure and other capital outlay showed the widest spending deficit, with actual disbursements falling short by P89 billion, or 24.4 percent, in 2014. In other words, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation and Communications only spent 77 percent and 68 percent, respectively, of the funds that they were allocated.
The money was there, but these agencies just did not use it. But maybe it was because of bad weather. “2014 was a hard lesson on public spending. The government was certainly challenged in ways that few had foreseen, particularly in the wake of Yolanda,” Budget
Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.
The public is expected to give their money to the government. The government is expected to spend that money properly. Not paying taxes can put you in jail. Not spending the tax money maybe gets you a promotion.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
2 comments
It should be recalled that Aquino vowed to increase government spending, especially for infrastructure. Thus we have another sample of Noynoying. Even with the MRT falling apart, and supposedly with funds available, nothing was done? Aquino was relying too much on his beloved and now immobilized DAP and PDAF to take up the slack. Non-existent planning prevailed from Malacanang to the DOTC.
On LRT1, some of the 3rd Generation trains from Japan have also been running on on 3 car configuration instead of the complete 4. Hope they are not cannibalizing those missing train cars for spare parts.