Presidential Legacy

After George W. Bush became the 43rd US President in 2001, he said that his father's presidency (George H.W. Bush, the 41st President) failed, mainly because daddy-Bush was not reelected in 1992.

To win and re-win the presidency, Bush employed the services of Karl Rove, the engineer and mastermind behind the most vicious and dirtiest campaigns in modern US history. In 2001, Rove launched an attack on John McCain, Bush's strongest contender for nomination of the Republican Party. While campaigning for reelection against John Kerry in 2004, they discredited Kerry's service record during the Vietnam War including the multiple medals he received.

At the end of Baby-Bush's presidency, he is perceived as one of the most unpopular presidents ever.  But baby-Bush can still be considered as an achiever compared to his dad. Daddy-Bush launched the Iraq War, Baby-Bush launched two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Daddy-Bush left the economy weak, Baby-Bush wrecked the economy into recession. Daddy-Bush failed to capture Saddam Hussein, Baby-Bush captured Saddam Hussein but failed to get Osama bin Laden. Other than that, Baby-Bush can boast of other legacies including his failures regarding Katrina, Guantanamo, sub-prime mortgages, financial market collapse, debt and deficit, and the list continues (no comparison for daddy-Bush).

With all the wrong intentions to become the president, baby-Bush's legacy is still debatable, whether he is "the worst president ever" or just "one of the worst" or "the worst so far".

Back home, with a more than a year left in the GMA administration, I wonder what her legacy would be. On the negative side, I think GMA is really not worse compared to past presidents. GMA failed in battling poverty, unemployment, homelessness, corruption, cronyism, nepotism and others, just like her predecessors. We still have a failed agrarian reform project, no centralized land registration bureau, cumbersome and inadequate social security programs, peace in Mindanao and the countryside is still elusive, just like when Aguinaldo proclaimed independence in 1898. 

Nevertheless, Marcos definitely has the worst record in terms of corruption, human rights and temper. But it can be mainly due to the length of their presidencies. When GMA steps down in 2010, she has been president for 9 years, the second longest in Philippine history after Marcos' 21 years in power.

On the positive side, I think the following are GMA's greatest legacies (in no particular order):
1. E-VAT (Expanded Value-Added Tax Law raised the rate from 10% to 12% and widened its scope)
Th  E-VAT helped diffuse the impending fiscal crisis the Philippines chronically faces. VAT is relatively easy to compute and collect. As a consumption tax, it follows the principle of taxing people based on what they take out of the economy instead on their contributions to the economy, i.e., VAT discourages consumption while income tax discourages work.

One of the greatest advantages of the E-VAT is its imposition on oil, a highly unpopular decision avoided by Aquino, Ramos and Estrada. VAT on oil is good for several reasons:
i. Richer people (private vehicle owners) pay more compared to poorer people (those who take public transport).
ii. It serves as a pollution tax, thus discourages the use of gas-guzzling SUVs and encourages walking, biking and the use of mass transport systems.
iii. It is the only way that the highly informal transportation industry is taxed (most public utility vehicle operators, drivers and owners don't pay income tax... but I still cannot use this argument when talking to a tip-asking-taxi-driver).

With the unpopular E-VAT already in place, the next president should personally thank GMA for it. Let us just hope that E-VAT will not be scrapped due to populist tendencies of politicians. 

2. Holiday economics (the practice of moving national holidays to a Monday or Friday)
As a promdi, the holiday economics allowed me to spend more time with my family in Bulacan. It also helped me and my friends plan out-of-town trips, (we have visited numerous places and islands around the country). With tourism, income and wealth is distributed more equitably around the country. With tourism interlinked with numerous industries such as land, sea and air transport, food, hospitality and local handicraft, the multiplier effect is much much bigger. Aside from providing numerous jobs, tourism allows people from different places to interact and learn from each other.

3. RORO (Roll-in Roll-out) Facilities
As an archipelago with 7,107 islands (is the Kalayaan Group of Islands included in this count?), the transport of goods and services within the country is hampered by high cost and the lack of infrastructure. The RORO System lowers cost, minimizes spoilage of agricultural products, promotes tourism, increases productivity and brings people together. I really wonder why this project was not launched earlier by other administrations. 

4. Bridges, Airports and Public Infrastructure
Going around the country, we saw the numerous infrastructure programs launched by this administration. Although these projects are typically overpriced due to multi-billion dollar worth of kickbacks, the final output is still very useful.

Aside from being an archipelago, each island is dotted with several rivers, lakes, mountains and hills, making transportation difficult. It is sometimes surprising how much improvement a new road can bring to far flung town. Bridges that connect communities to major markets, can lead to substantial increase in income for farmers and craftsmen. These were complimented with new and expanded expressway systems and airports.

I most excited with the new mass rail transit systems (North Rail, South Rail and new lines of MRT), that I hope can be finished much sooner.

5. Bayani Fernando's Metro Manila
Bayani Fernando at the MMDA is the longest serving member of GMA cabinet after his appointment in 2002. Although his tactics are controversial, his methods are unpopular and his decisions and gut instinct questionable, he has brought so much order into Metro Manila's chaotic nature.

Most of his projects were initially greeted with skepticism, protests and sometimes outright rejection. However, he pushes through with pure political will. Way back in college (early-2000s), I can distinctly remember the we were often stuck in traffic for 30 minutes or more in-front of Muñoz market in Quezon City. That is no longer the case, thanks to the much derided U-turn slots.

I don't agree with all of Bayani's projects, some are downright wasteful while some are obviously kickback-friendly. Bayani might be corrupt or Machiavellian, but he has done so much for Metro Manila that I hope he can be MMDA chairman forever. And I salute GMA for not axing the controversial, unpopular but very effective MMDA Chairman.

Now, if only he can remove those kotong traffic enforcers and implement a bus-scheme similar to those in Hong Kong and Singapore...