Today, we’re just one week away from Election Day.
“Finally,” you might say. It has been a particularly toxic campaign period. I don’t know about your social media feeds, but mine has been on overdrive for the past few months: rabid supporters of this candidate or that candidate suggesting that only their bet will do good for the country, that any other choice will only mean doom, that voting for another candidate reflects on how much (or how little) you love your country. Sure, they didn’t really say the last part out loud, but everybody seems to suggest that.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that people are invested in this election. Whether you believe the current administration has been an unequivocal success or a tremendous letdown, the sense that we all have a stake in this election has never been more palpable. And yes, it’s clear that our next choice of president could determine whether we continue our momentum or stop cold in our tracks – but who we choose as the country’s next leader is just half the story.
Local elections are also happening in a week, where we choose the mayors of our towns and the governors of our provinces. Unless you’re in a vote-rich province these races don’t get much attention – and when they do, they’re in the context of who local officials endorse in the national races. But it’s worth remembering that who we elect in local positions could also determine whether we continue our momentum or stop cold in our tracks. It’s on a smaller scale, sure, but everything adds up.
The Manila truck ban in 2014 is an obvious example. An ordinance primarily designed to ease local traffic ended up having such an impact on the national economy, with ports clogged, flow of goods impeded and alternatives not ready to receive the brunt of the impact (although connectivity between Manila, Batangas and Subic have improved way before).
While the national government plays a key role in defining policies that encourage and promote economic growth, its success is also down to the cooperation of local governments.
To illustrate: do we need a truck ban in Metro Manila? On one hand, yes, to ease congestion on our roads. (Whether the roads are really decongested is another thing altogether.) On the other hand, it prevents trucks delivering cargo to production facilities and retailers from being on the road at certain times. For us in the supply chain industry, who put a premium on responsiveness and agility, this is a hindrance we can live without.
But how can you solve this problem? A longterm solution, of course, is a national transport policy (as outlined in my column a fortnight ago). The national government would design a public transportation system that doesn’t just serve select parts of Metro Manila, but also its surrounding provinces. (Think of the MRT-7 which just broke ground over a week back.) But these projects may meet opposition from local governments, decrying its short-term impact on traffic and inconvenience – inconvenience, perhaps, to their image, a stain preventing them from being reelected, perhaps, in 2016 or 2019?
The Local Government Code, enacted in 1991, has given significant powers to local governments, for better or for worse. This has resulted in more responsive governance – an obvious example being Albay – but this has also led to policy clashes between local and national leaders. And then there are the inconsistencies we in logistics and supply chain face, such as pass-through fees enacted in towns along major trade routes.
Today, we’re just one week away from Election Day. We have big choices to make. Who do we elect to continue the growth of the Philippines? And who do we elect to make sure that this vision will be supported closer to the communities we live in?
2016 SCMAP Supply Chain Immersion: Once again I would like to invite you to join us in this year’s Supply Chain Immersion – three days and three nights of discussion and conversation with experts in supply chain, business and government, as well as your peers in the industry.
We will be boarding MV St. John Paul II bound for Cagayan de Oro on the evening of May 18, where we will have welcome cocktails. The next day, May 19, delegates will get a deep dive into particular aspects of supply chain. We will hear from government through DTI’s Sarah Lope and PPA’s Emma Susara, and later we will dig into operational challenges and opportunities with ADMU’s Gus Arguelles., URC Flour’s Dario Arive Jr. and Unilab’s Roselie Manlangit
On May 20, we join our colleagues in Cagayan de Oro for the first-ever Mindanao Supply Chain Conference, with talks from REID Foundation’s Ronilo Balbieran, DPWH director Evelyn Barroso, COMPETE’s Henry Basilio, LF Logistics’ Gilbert Cabataña, Unilab’s Nestor Felicio, Vjandep Bakeshop’s Dr. Viel Jose and Nestlé’s Anghelita Santor. We return to Manila on May 21 via plane, with some free time to buy some of CDO’s famed fruits and sweets.
Slots are still open, so email secretariat@scmap.org now to take part.
Henrik Batallones is the marketing and communications executive of SCMAP. A former board director, he is also editor-in-chief of the organization’s official publication, Supply Chain Philippines.
