GAINING GROUND AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES

The good news is, the BFAR is somehow gaining ground in the battle against invasive species. The bad news is, the fight seems to be focused only in Laguna de Bay, and there are no key performance indicators (KPIs) that could tell us whether we are really winning the war or not. In fairness to BFAR however, it seems that no one really knows the actual numbers about the populations of invasive that are out there in our lakes and rivers, perhaps not even BFAR itself. Whatever the numbers are, it would be best to have some estimates at least, so that we would know whether we are really meeting our objectives or not. Ideally, the BFAR tell us their target numbers per species that they are tasked to eradicate. Better still, there should be a timeline or a deadline as to when the extermination would end, for all invasive species such as janitor fish, knife fish, Midas chichlids, softshell turtles, blackchin tilapia and flowerhorns. There could be others, but the data is hard to come by. BFAR is not giving up on the fight, and they have formed task forces that involve other national government agencies (NGAs) and LGUs to join in the war against invasive species. While it is good to see that the LGUs are eager to help, I think it would be best if they take the lead in their own jurisdictions, and just let the BFAR and the other NGAs to provide the necessary supports. And they should bring the war to the whole country, not just Laguna de Bay. IKE SENERES/09088877282/02-01-24

WHY DO WE NEED A SPACE AGENCY?

Aside from the United States and the Russian Federation, two other countries, namely China and India have reached the surface of the moon by way of lunar vehicles. Now, Japan is also planning to send up their own, possibly making them the fifth country to reach the moon. That said, why does the Philippines have its own space agency? Is it also ambitioning to put a man or a vehicle in the moon? Thanks to the resourcefulness of the DOST, we were already able to put a micro-satellite up in space, not by sending up our own rocket, but by piggy backing on the rocket of another country. Given our limited resources, that is already an outstanding accomplishment, for a third world country at that. The bottom line of that accomplishment is that we will be able to gather data from space that we could use here on earth, in our own country. I do not think that the Philippines is planning to send a man or a vehicle to the moon. What is possible however, is for us to send our own astronaut in space, possibly as part of an international mission, or possibly by piggybacking again, if you know what I mean. I am not against the idea of funding our space agency so that it could do more projects or missions, but I am against the idea of spending money to acquire data that is already available, some of which may be free due to international cooperation. One such commercial source is www.planet.com, and they have an office here. IKE SENERES/01-31/2024

HOW TO REDUCE GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

Graft and corruption are two separate human behavior and we should not confuse these two with each other. As it is supposed to be, these two are supposed to have a cause and effect, because it is actually corruption that causes graft, and not the other way around. In theory, it is the public official who commits graft, after he or she is corrupted by a private citizen. However, it could also happen the other way around, in the case of extortion, wherein it is the public official who demands money from the private citizen. I do not mean to be confusing, but the other side to extortion is solicitation, wherein it is the private citizen who solicits favors from the public official, in exchange for money. Generally speaking, there will be no graft if there is no corruption, meaning that there will be no sin if there is no temptation. But of course, graft could still happen if there is solicitation, in this case the private citizen is the one corrupting the public official to commit graft. One cause of graft is bribery, wherein it is the private citizen who offers money to the public official. The opposite of bribery could also be solicitation, wherein it is the public official who demands money from the private citizen, short of extorting from him or her. How do we reduce graft? I might sound naïve, but we could start by reducing the stimulus of graft, which is corruption. That is why it is important for us to know the difference between the two. IKE SENERES/01-30-2024

LET’S HAVE LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT PLANS!

We are supposed to have “Ambisyon 2040” and the “Medium Term Philippine Development Plan” (MTPDP) for 2023 to 2028 as two separate documents that were officially adapted the government. As I understand it, “Ambisyon” is a road map, while MTPDP is a plan, even if I do not understand exactly what is the difference between the two. Although “Ambisyon” does not seem to be a plan, it does seem to contain some “wishes” of what should happen or what could happen on or before 2040. That sounds good, but it seems that “Ambisyon” is really more of a “wish list”, with no one really accountable whether something happens or not. As I see it, what is obviously missing is a real long term development plan that that goes beyond 2028, and even beyond 2040. In the absence of such a plan, we do not really know what are national targets are beyond those time frames. I say that we must correct this discrepancy, and I also say that we must even plan for 100 years or more, perhaps up to 2128. Every time that a new cabinet member is appointed, he or she comes up with his or her action programs as if his or her programs do not have existing programs at all. While his or her innovative spirit may be good for his or her department, it would be bad if he or she disregards the existing programs. The fact is, all cabinet members are supposed to base their action programs on both “Ambisyon” and the MTPDP for the most part. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-29-2024

LET’S CONTROL INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES

I have already written about invasive marine species, but I was surprised to find out that there are also invasive plant species. In the case of invasive marine species, it is clearly the BFAR that is in charge. But who is in charge of invasive plant species? Is it the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), or is it the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB)? My first question is, is the government fully aware or conscious about the need to control invasive plant species? My second question is, does the government know what are the species that they are supposed to control? Based on my limited research, these are large leaf mahogany, paper mulberry, Siam weed, coronitas, water hyacinth and believe it or not, ipil-ipil. Among the six, water hyacinth is the most widely known, because they are so pervasive and are seen all over the country. Two of them have been here so long that they have already acquired local names. Siam weed is known as Hagonoy, and coronitas is known as baho-baho. Water hyacinth is also commonly known as water lily. Just to be clear, not all alien plant species are invasive, and many are not destructive. I think what is important is for the government and the people to know which is which, so that we both would know if we come face to face with the problem. We know where to find the water lilies, but what about the other five? Perhaps what is needed is a location map so that we would know where to control them. IKE SENERES/02-28-2024

DOG POUNDS VERSUS ANIMAL RESCUE CENTERS

The difference between a dog pound and an animal rescue center is equal to the difference between a jail and a hospital. While the reason for the difference might appear to be legal, in reality it is cultural. What I mean is that it is the culture that dictates the way we treat our animals and the way we make our laws. We hardly know what really happens in a dog pound, but what I hear is that some of the animals are euthanized when they are not claimed by a legitimate owner. Perhaps the reason for killing the animal is the lack of budget, but is there no other way? Based on the practice in other countries, it is more humane to put these animals for adoption, instead of killing them. Prior to adoption by permanent owners, they have a system of these animals going to temporary foster homes. More often than not, the fostering and adoption system works, and the animals are saved. Without any doubt, I believe that the LGUs should be putting up animal rescue centers instead of dog pounds. Probably, the LGU officials might think that animal welfare is a lower priority compared to the welfare of people, but they should realize that the lack of animal rescue centers also affects public health. I am very sure that if only the street dogs are rescued and given veterinary interventions, they would be welcomed by permanent foster homes. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-27-24

LET’S PROTECT ANCESTRAL DOMAINS!

A bill has been filed in the House of Representatives (HOR), proposing some major revisions to the Indigenous People’s Republic Act, otherwise known as the IPRA Law. Many leaders in the Indigenous People’s (IP) communities are opposed to most of the revisions, particularly the provisions that would transfer certain functions from the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to the DENR. In my opinion, the IPRA Law in itself is already defective to begin with, and it seems that the proposed revisions in House Bill 9608 would tend to weaken the original law further. Although it is still a gray area to begin with, I think that the defect in the law stems from the fact that it only allows the IPs reasonable use of the lands, instead of giving them full ownership to these. In the United States, the native Americans are “allocated” certain lands that are classified as “Indian reservations”, but in reality, the Indian tribes only have the rights to “occupy” these lands, and not the rights to own them like real estate properties. I think that we should revise the existing IPRA Law so that the ancestral lands will become the communal properties of the IPs, except that they should not be allowed to sell these. As a matter of fact, the other way around should happen, meaning that they should be allowed to buy other pieces of land that are adjacent or nearby. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-26-24

LET’S BRING BACK BOTTLE DEPOSITS

Filipino inventor William Chua is suggesting that we bring back bottle deposits. He suggested that idea to me after observing that the junk shops are not buying used glass and plastic bottles, and that is why they would eventually end up in dumpsites or landfills, despite many attempts to recycle them. Many years ago, when most bottled drinks were still sold in two-way or returnable bottles, there was no problem recycling these bottles, because the junk shops were buying them, and the junk collector was also able to buy them from the households. In other words, there was a market for recyclables at that time, and the action of recycling was well rewarded. Today, many if not most of liquids are sold in one-way or non-returnable bottles. That caused a problem, because there was no longer a market for these bottles. The problem was made worse when many products in bottles were already imported, and the importers were not interested in getting back their used bottles. In the old days, used bottles could be bought by the piece, because the sizes were standard or uniform. Since that is no longer the case today, I now suggest that these used bottles should now be bought by the kilo, regardless of their size or manufacturer. Some might think that this is an impractical idea, but practical or not, we should now think of new ways to reduce the volume of used containers that we are throwing away as garbage. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-25-2024

LOCAL AMBULANCE SERVICES

Consider yourself lucky if you live in a city or musicality that has a free ambulance service for public use. If not, you could be facing a great threat to your health safety everyday where you now live. Of course, every ambulance service needs to have teams of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) also, because ambulances would be useless if there are no EMTs. Who is in charge of requiring and monitoring the compliance of LGUs when it comes to ambulance services and EMTs? Is it the DOH? Or the DILG? Or could it even be the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)? Depending on where you live, and depending on the policies and programs of your LGU, the provision of ambulance services and EMTs could either be under the Fire Department, or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), sometimes called the Rescue Department. Ambulance units are not too expensive, and they are obviously cheaper than fire trucks. And also, not too many ambulance units are needed, unlike the number of fire trucks needed. That said, why is it that there are still some LGUs that do not have ambulance units and EMTs? Could it be that the task of requiring and monitoring the compliance of LGUs should properly belong to the provincial governors, since they are the ones who really know the actual situation in the ground? IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-24-2024

COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF HUMAN BLOOD

Every now and then, I get calls from friends and friends of friends, and even from complete strangers who ask for my help in getting supplies of human blood that are needed for surgeries. That is not something that I usually do, but since the requests are usually urgent and would involve life and death situations, I always try to help by contacting friends in the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Blood Center (PBC). The fact that people come to me for help is a sign I think that there is a flaw in the system of collecting and distributing human blood. Otherwise, there is no need to contact people like me when blood is needed, because the system could work by itself without any human intervention. Maybe there is even a system, but people do not really know how to make use of it, perhaps due to lack of information. Perhaps, some hospitals are not too quick in informing the families of patients that human blood is actually available from PRC and PBC, but of course it has to be requested. I think one problem now is that some hospitals actually require the families of patients to look for blood on their own, instead of them taking the initiative to request these from PRC or PBC. I think that the long-term solution to this problem is to enable all hospitals to have their own on-premise blood banks. If they have that, they can just tap PRC or PBC as backup sources in cases of shortages or emergencies. IKE SENERES/01-23-2024

QUICK RESPONSE CODES FOR CONSUMER PACKAGING

It’s a good idea to require manufacturers and distributors to put markings on their products, so that one way plastic packages could become returnable and refundable. Aside from that, these could become sortable or easier to sort for recycling or upcycling purposes. Perhaps a Universal Product Code (UPC) also known as a bar code would already be sufficient, but nowadays, it seems easier and cheaper to use Quick Response Code (QRC) also known as QR Code instead. QRC is very easy to generate, and could potentially carry more information compared to UPC, and could even be more adaptable. The idea to collect a deposit for glass or plastic packaging is not new, because that was the practice returnable containers, before one-way containers became the norm. now, William Chua, a Filipino inventor has proposed deposits even for one-way containers. I said that it is a good idea, but it needs a technology like QRC to make it work. I know for a fact that in some countries, QRC is already used as a technology to offer refunds for one-way containers. For some reason, the approach was not adopted here. I think that it still not too late for that, because we could still use both UPC and QRC to implement a container refund program. Although special devices could be used to read both UPC and QRC, any smart phone could also be used, by downloading some apps that are usually free and open source. IKE SENERES/01-22-24

REGULATION OF PACKAGING AND LABELING

I know for a fact that manufacturers and distributors are supposed to place the countries of origin, the names of manufacturers and their company’s contact information in their retail packaging, but the compliance to these laws seem to be very low. As an advocate of consumer rights, I believe that it is already a violation of our rights if these sets of information are not placed in the retail packaging. Firstly, if the country of origin is not stated, how could we decide to buy the product or not? What if we want to boycott some countries of origin? And what if we do not trust products coming from some countries? And what if we have a complaint about a product? Or what if we want to return a product? How can we do that if there is no contact information? This is a simple function that the DTI is supposed to be doing, but for some reason, there are hundreds of products, perhaps thousands that are in violation of the rules. It is not just the packaging, it is also the labeling, especially in the case of food products where consumers would like to know the nutrition information and the allergy information, among others. What if the consumers are allergic to nuts and MSG for instance? Do our LGUs have the capability to accept and process consumer complaints? I think that they have to do that already, now that the government is already talking about devolution. Could the LGUs look into this? IKE SENERES/1-21-24

MORALITY AND DEMOCRACY

Could it be said that corruption in government is rampant because morality is not so prevalent among public officials? But how can that be? Is it not that most if not all of these officials believe in God, regardless of what their religion is? I do not know about the other religions, but I do know that morality is built in into Christianity. I often joke about it, that the Philippines is not a Christian country, because countries do not go to heaven. Of course, what we mean by that is that since the majority of the people in this country are Christians, then we have the actual basis to claim that we are a Christian country. But are we really a Christian country? I always say that if we are really a Christian country, then the flow of traffic in our metro cities would flow faster because everyone will be following the traffic rules. No one will be overtaking in the wrong places, and no one will be taking over the wrong lanes as if they own the roads. If we are really a Christian country, there will be less corruption because very few will be offering bribes and very few will be extorting from those who need the services of government officials. Could it be that many Christians live a double life with double standards? That they are only practicing morality when they are inside their churches? How can democracy survive in a country where citizens have double standards? How can the churches help with this problem? IKE SENERES/01-20-2024

COUNTER FLOWS AND SKIPPED LANES

It may just be a technicality, but the problem in the Metro Manila is not “traffic” as we know it, because there will always be “traffic” even if there is only one vehicle on the road. The problem in Metro Manila really is the flow of traffic here, which is almost always slow, and sometimes stagnant for so many hours. At the outset, some people would tend to think that slow traffic in Metro Manila is due to too many vehicles plying our roads here. That may be one of the reasons, but certainly that is not the only reason. Besides, I have observed that in some countries, the traffic would still flow smoothly, even if there are too many vehicles on the road. Perhaps even more vehicles that we could ever find here. Don’t laugh now, but I do believe that one of the causes of slow traffic in Metro Manila is behavior of our drivers, or in other words, the lack of discipline among our drivers, no matter what type of vehicle it is that they drive. To put it in another way, I do believe that the flow of traffic in Metro Manila could flow faster if only the drivers would obey all the traffic rules. What are these rules? It could be as simple as not overtaking where it is prohibited, not counter flowing in the wrong places, and not staying in the proper lanes everywhere. Of course, more refresher courses would help, but what would even help more is to penalize all the drivers who break the laws, and to raise their insurance rates if they violate. IKE SENERES/1-19-24

A FOREST IN EVERY CITY, A CITY IN EVERY FOREST

In the past, we destroyed our forests in order to build our cities. Fast forward to the present times, we have barren mountains around us, and we have global warming all over us. Even if many people actually believe that we could still bring back the trees but not the forests, I believe otherwise because there is now a science that we call reforestation. Other than that, I also believe that wherever there are still some surviving forests here and there, we could also build new cities without destroying the majority of the trees, just cutting enough to build small homes here and there, just enough to build small communities for the settlers who will make a living for themselves, as well as to take care of the forests. In other countries, the foreign governments would hire professional rangers to watch and care for their forests, which is really a smart thing to do. Perhaps we can do that here too. In some cases, the forest rangers that they hire are the indigenous people who are already living there. Again, that is really a smart thing to do, because these people have been watching and caring for the forests for a long time already. And if we plant more trees in our cities, we could make the local temperatures become cooler, even if we are still too far away from solving the problem of global warming. What is even better is if we could plant more fruit trees, so that it could also contribute to our food security. That could also include high value trees like coffee. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-18-24

LET’S BUILD THE FIRST FILIPINO COMPUTER!

Many people were talking about building the first Filipino computer, but the idea never took off, because there was a general feeling that we could not build a Filipino computer because we do not have a “Filipino chip”. There was a time however when Intel was making chips in the Philippines and we could have branded those as “Filipino chips”, thereby giving us the head start to build the first Filipino computer. Maybe we should learn a lesson from how iPads are built by apple. No one will deny the fact that iPads are “American” computers, but isn’t it that the iPad chips are made in China or Taiwan? What makes these iPads “American” instead of Chinese? Is it the brand? If that is so, then can we have a computer made in China or Taiwan too, and can we brand it as Filipino? Actually, many Filipino entrepreneurs have been “assembling” desktop computers made from local materials and imported chips. However, they are generally small businesses that have not gone into mass production and therefore they have not gone into mass marketing either. What does it take to make the first Filipino computer? Since we have been “assembling” computers on a small scale, all we have to do is to assemble them on a large scale, and then brand them for mass marketing. And by the way, there are already several Filipino companies that are already making computer chips, so what are we waiting for? IKE SENERES/1-17-2024

HOW DO WE CONTROL MICROPLASTICS?

Recent scientific studies show that microplastics are now found not only in seafood, but also in other food sources such as pork, beef and chicken. These findings are significant, because now we know that not only marine life is contaminated, but terrestrial life is also contaminated. This is a very serious matter because if microplastics are found in almost everything that we eat, what can we now eat that is not contaminated? Have we come to a point where we no longer have a choice of what we can eat, because everything is contaminated? Since we cannot stop eating these contaminated foods, what can we do now? I hope that it is not yet too late already, but there is something that we can all do. We can all start collecting and recycling all plastic waste products that we could get our hands on, so that these will no longer end up in our dumpsites, landfills, rivers, lakes and wherever plastic waste can end up, even in our own backyards. Aside from collecting and recycling, we need a stronger and better Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could detect even the smallest microplastics, by using the most powerful supercomputers that we can find. Years ago, I offered to find such a supercomputer for FDA, but they declined my offer by telling me that they are already planning to buy one. I do not know if they were able to buy one, but that is exactly what we need now. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-16-2024

LET’S BUILD THE REAL FILIPINO CARS!

If we look back into our automotive history, we will remember that we already built two Filipino cars, namely the Sakbayan and the Tamaraw, but we never did recognize them as real Filipino cars, because their engines were imported and foreign made. Meanwhile, Malaysia proceeded to build their Proton cars using Mazda engines, and nobody complained when they presented these as “Malaysian” cars. Fast forward to today, the trend is new going towards electric vehicles, therefore gasoline and diesel engines are no longer needed to build new automobiles. I remember that way back, some skeptics argued that we could not build Filipino cars because we cannot build the engines. We should have done what the Malaysians did, to use foreign engines, but that is irrelevant now. As Filipinos, we no longer have to prove that we could build good car and truck bodies, because we have done that already. Since by now, building engines is no longer a challenge, all we have to do now is to build the electric motors that would be suitable to fit into our locally made car and truck bodies. Who should lead us into this noble venture? Should it be the DOST? The DTI? The DOTR? Or perhaps the DOE? As I see it, this can be a joint effort by all of these agencies, possibly even led by the DOF, because all projects are challenged by financing. Meanwhile, Toyota is reported to be reviving the Tamaraw, and that’s okay too. IKE SENERES/01-15-2024

GOOD GOVERNANCE GROUP

I am starting a new group in Facebook Messenger. It’s called “Good Governance Group” or 3G for short. My idea is very simple. It is going to be a meeting place of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Central Government Agencies (CGAs) and Local Government Units (LGUs). I have coined CGAs as a new acronym that will not sound like LGUs. By meeting place, I mean that it is going to be the apex of cooperation for the three sides to meet together and work together on real programs that will solve real development needs, mostly leading to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are going to distinguish between programs and projects. The programs will be the legal basis for creating the projects. No projects should be started if it is not part of a program. The programs will be pre-approved and funded by the provincial boards or the municipal councils. I am hoping that the NGOs will play a key role in developing and implementing programs and projects, by regularly attending the meetings of the provincial boards and the municipal councils. Actually, the laws provide for these NGOs to attend these meetings, often with mandated roles. Local officials of the CGAs should also attend these meetings. Hopefully, the same officials could attend all the meetings so that their participation would be consistent and sustainable. Find us in Facebook and join us. /IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-14-2024

FINALLY, A SOLUTION TO THE 911 PROBLEM!

For so many years now, I have been trying to advocate the adoption of a nationwide emergency call center, similar to the 911 system in the United States. I was very happy when former President Rodrigo Duterte signed an Executive Order (EO) mandating the implementation of that national system, also using the 911 short code. Sad to say, the term of President Duterte already ended, but we still do not have a nationwide 911 system, supposedly due to technical problems. Even when he was still Executive Director of the Emergency 911 system (E911), retired general Diosdado Valeroso and I have been trying to fix the problem. Now that he is no longer the Executive Director, we are still working together to solve it, and it now appears that we might have discovered a breakthrough solution. To our surprise, we concluded that what is needed is a technical solution to what appears to be a “political” problem. No, it has nothing to do with partisan politics. I am just calling it “political”, for lack of a better term. To go straight to the point, we concluded that the local mayors did not want to shift to the 911 system because they did not want to “waste’ their local systems such as 117 and 168. In the breakthrough solution that General Valeroso and I designed, all local calls to the local numbers will be automatically routed and switched over to the national 911 number. Problem solved. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-13-24

COMBINING ANIMAL RELATED LOCAL FUNCTIONS

Some Local Government Units (LGUs) have city or municipal veterinary officers (MVOs), and some do not. Obviously, it all depends on the availability of budgets, or the acceptability of certain public health standards. While some LGU officials might argue that animal health is not their priority, I could also argue that uncontrolled animal population could pose a threat to public health. As I understand it, MVOS are mostly focused on farm animals, and not on pet animals or stray dogs and cats. Aside from that, it is unclear whether they could also treat victims of animal bites, if and when the municipal health officers (MHOs) are not available. Recently, it was announced that Bhutan is the first country in the world that has completed the 100% sterilization and vaccination of street dogs. That is a huge achievement, considering that some countries that are richer could not even take care of their homeless people who are living in the streets. I will not even ask how many percent of our street dogs have been sterilized and vaccinated, because many of our LGU officials are probably not aware of that need. Be that as it may, there is still a need to provide free veterinary services for the poor people who could not afford it. As a practical approach, perhaps the MVOs could be tasked to do that as well, so that there will be no need to hire new veterinary doctors. Just Google the Bhutan story. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-12-24

JEEPNEY ADAPTATION, ANYONE?

What walks like a duck and talks like a duck is probably a duck? But is a vehicle that does not look like a jeepney probably a jeepney? I have been looking at the so called “modern jeepneys” that are now plying our streets, but as far as my two eyes can see, they do not look like jeepneys, modern or not. At best, I could say that they look like minibuses, modern or not. I think that the government might have made two significant mistakes in promoting the so-called jeepney modernization program. Firstly, they promoted a design that really does not look like a jeepney at all. Secondly, they promoted the term “consolidation”, instead of cooperativism. Perhaps what the government really means is for the drivers to join a transport cooperative to become a part owner of a jeepney, and not to “consolidate” their jeepneys to whatever. What puzzles me is that the government is also promoting these imported minibuses, and not the locally manufactured “modern jeepneys” that are as good as, or perhaps even better than their imported versions. Is it not better for the government to say that transport cooperatives should buy locally produced modern jeepneys, instead of buying the imported minibuses that do not even look like jeepneys? Should the focus of the government be on the emissions compliance of these vehicles instead? Meaning that locally made jeepneys should be approved as long as they are emissions compliant? IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-12-2024

TRAINING OF BARANGAY OFFICIALS BEFORE OATH TAKING

Most barangay officials have no understanding or working knowledge of effective governance after election to the position. It creates a situation where basic mandates of a government are compromised risking public security, safety, promoting a degrading socio-psychological, economic and physical environment. The lack of training results in their own mental and physical health deterioration from stress. They should have basic governance training before assumption of office. One solution is to require passing following training components before election and before oath taking: 1. Basic barangay organization, roles of officials, functional councils, governance mandates and coordinating procedures, 2. Occupational health and safety awareness for barangay officials, 3. Alternative dispute resolution modalities, mediation procedures, and 4. Robert’s Rules of Order. We have a democratic system wherein anyone could run and the winners could assume public office, whether we like it or not. There is nothing that we could do about that. But there is still something that we could do, and that is to require training before election and before oath taking. Some candidates and some winners might object to this idea, but I think they could be convinced to cooperate, especially if they can see that the majority of the people supports it. IKE SENERES/WITH INPUTS FROM KAGAWAD ANDREW ARRIOLA/09088877282/1-11-2024

CENTRAL CHARITY COORDINATOR

I started a new messenger group in Facebook. It’s called Central Charity Coordinator or C3 for short. My idea is very simple. C3 will be a meeting place or a clearing house between and among benefactors and beneficiaries of charity. Between the givers and the receivers of charity. Over the years, I have observed that indeed, there are many persons and organizations that give charity. There are also many persons and organizations that could receive charity, but more often than not, they do not know each other, and there is usually no place for them to meet and to “transact”. That is where C3 would come in. Although this virtual “exchange” is not a commercial activity, it will in effect become a “marketplace” not only of ideas and plans, but also of goods and services. The bottom line here is really information, meaning getting and giving information about what could be taken and what could be given. More often than not, what could be “taken” is there already, but not everyone knows where to get it, and how to get it. As a matter of fact, the information may already be in the websites of the “givers”, but it takes a certain skill to find it. I am willing to be the one to find it. As Fr. Rocky Evangelista once told me, we should not be ashamed to beg, for as long as we are begging for the Lord and for God’s people. That is why I am willing to be the finder of what needy people need, and if necessary, I am also willing to become the beggar. IKE SENERES/01-11-2024

DEDICATED BINS FOR CANS AND BOTTLES

Despite many attempts to recycle used cans and bottles, many of these waste materials would still end up in the streets, the dumpsites, the landfills, the rivers, the lakes, the seas and the oceans. One reason for this is the lack of financial incentives for those who could collect these waste materials. One idea is to require barangays and village associations to put up dedicated bins for the collection of used cans and bottles and provide them with financial incentives in doing so. The income derived could be used barangays and village associations to fund any social or developmental project of their choice, or they could give rewards to participating households in the form of cash or other items of value. Even if some households are already segregating their used cans and bottles, these recyclables always end up in the piles of unsegregated garbage, because there is only one type of garbage truck that collects everything, segregated or not. Barangay councils and village boards would always complain that they have no budget to fund their development projects, and yet, they may not be aware that they have a steady source of valuable recyclables that they could collect and sell. An enterprising businessman, Mr. Jorge Malig has come up with a good design, using a 20-foot container van cut in half. When already full of recycled cans and bottles, it could be carted away to the junk shop. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-10-24

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS FOR ALL

I have created a new messenger group in Facebook. It’s called ICT4ALLPH. It’s short for “Information and Communications Technologies for All-Philippines”. My idea is very simple. To gather together all Filipino Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts, specialists and practitioners who want to help in national development, and match them with the private companies and government agencies that need them. In my thirty years of experience as an ICT specialist, I have known hundreds of Filipinos who are very talented in the information and communications technologies, all of whom would like to help in the development of our country, but do not have a way or a platform to help them do that. The default role of the group is to provide either free advice, free services or free software to the government. Up to that point, there are no challenges because that would not require payments. If payments are required, it would already be subject to the procurement law. If procurement is required, all members will back off as a group, but we will allow individual members to proceed on their own, to bid for the projects either as individuals or as partnerships, or as representatives of their employers. As a default strategy, we could always want to offer free and open-source software (FOSS) so that no payments are necessary. There could also be some donations from private sources. IKE SENERES/01-10-2024

AN ALTERNATIVE TO NUMBER CODING

As a strategy to reduce the volume of vehicular traffic in streets and highways, the government has enforced the number-coding scheme. Meanwhile, it is obvious that the enforcement of emission standards has been very weak. Despite the enforcement of the number-coding scheme, the volume of traffic is still not manageable. On top of that, air pollution levels also appear to be not manageable. As an alternative, I suggest that we abolish the number-coding scheme and replace it with the strict enforcement of emission standards. In theory, the number of non-compliant vehicles could greatly reduce the volume of traffic, more than what the number-coding scheme could do. I do not have the exact numbers now, but I would guess that more non-compliant vehicles could be taken off the roads, compared to what number coding could do. In layman terms, it would appear that the number coding scheme is punishing everyone by limiting their access to the roads, regardless of whether their vehicles are emissions compliant or not. In comparison, I think it is more sensible to punish only those who are not compliant, and not those who are compliant. Air pollution and slow traffic are two separate problems of course, and the government may not see these two as being interrelated. But would it not be good to solve two problems with only one solution? IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-9-2024

LET’S LIMIT UNLIMITED RICE

Restaurants and other food service establishments are offering unlimited rice servings to their customers as a strategy to attract their patronage. This results in unnecessary increases in rice consumption that adds to the shortage of rice inventories. It also adds to unwanted increases in rice imports. Moreover, unlimited rice encourages over eating that is not good for the health of Filipinos, especially those who need to reduce their sugar intake. Since this practice could potentially affect our food security, the government should think about issuing some rules that would discourage restaurants and other food service establishments from serving unlimited rice in their menu offerings. Of course, I do understand that offering unlimited rice is a free market decision among restaurant, and the customers also have the freedom of choice whether to avail of the offer or not. Perhaps the rules as issued could be similar to the “suggested retail prices” (SRPs) as it applies to consumer goods. In reality, SRPs are simply just “suggestions” and nothing else. In that since, it is really up to the merchants whether to comply or not. And if merchants are arrested for not complying, it would already be a violation of their rights. Instead of violating the rights of merchants, the government should just go into an information campaign to explain why it is important to conserve our rice supply. For their own sake, and for the good of everyone. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-9-2024

SERVING WATER IN RESTAURANTS

Restaurants and other food service establishments are serving drinking water to their customers even if these customers are not asking for it. This results in wasted water when the customers will not drink it. This would also contribute to the water shortage. One solution to that problem is to prohibit restaurants and other food service establishments from serving water not unless the customers would ask for it. Encourage customers to ask for drinking water only if they really need it. I think it is part of human nature not to understand the gravity of a problem not unless they experience it themselves, or they are directly confronted by it. But the fact is, water shortage is already a serious problem in many parts of the Philippines even if it is not yet a nationally recognized issue. While it might be difficult to come up with a national law that will regulate the serving of water in restaurants, there is nothing that prevents Local Government Units (LGUs) from passing their own local ordinances that would effectively do the same thing. Perhaps this initiative could start in localities where the availability of fresh drinking water is already a challenge, where there are already clear projections that the water will run out. I think that local actions should be the responsibility of the LGUs rather than the National Government Agencies (NGAs).IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-08-2024

TOWARDS ONE NATIONAL EMERGENCY NUMBER

Have you ever wondered why there is no single nationwide emergency number in the Philippines such as 911? Actually, it should really be 911 based on an Executive Order (EO) signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, but up to now, many Local Government Units (LGUs) have not complied with the EO. From what I know, many LGUs reason out that they could not join the national 911 system because they already “have their own”. That reasoning might be valid from their own perspective, but in reality, it defeats the purpose of one national emergency number that anyone can call from anywhere in our country and be able to get help right away. As it is now, if anyone needs emergency assistance from anywhere in the country, they have to ask what the local emergency number is, assuming that they have the time to ask, and assuming that there would be someone nearby to ask, and assuming further that that someone would know the number. Having one emergency number is actually the easy part. The harder part is connecting that to one centralized system that could immediately dispatch police, fire and ambulance response teams. And of course, the ambulance teams should have trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Who has the power to compel all LGUs to comply with the EO to join the centralized 911 system? Should it be the DILG? Should the EO be revised in order to have punitive measures? This is a matter of life and death. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-08-2024

ADMISSIBILITY OF ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

It is very clear in the Electronic Commerce Act (ECA) that electronic evidence is already admissible, in the same way that physical evidence has always been admissible. I do not know if anyone else is using this term, but that is what I call “data parity”, meaning that electronic evidence has the same value as physical evidence. It has been many years since the ECA was passed, but believe it or not, there are still many government agencies that refuse to accept electronic evidence, and would still insist on requiring “hard copies” or physical evidence up to now. That is about the same as requiring people to “come to the office” in person (they call it face to face), instead of honoring video calls. How could we move forward with “digital transformation” if many of our government officials are still caught up (trapped) in the analog mindset? And how could we reduce the volume of traffic if they would always require “personal appearance” for everyone transacting with the government? As if there are not enough secure technologies to verify the identity of people? In theory, an email should have the same value as a chat message or a text message, but why do many government agencies require us to send them email messages even after sending them chat or text messages? And from my own experience, more than half of government agencies that have Facebook Messenger accounts do not follow up with customers after sending them auto-replies. IKE SENERES/01-08-2024

TOWARDS A NATIONAL FRUITS EXPORT STRATEGY

Mr. Rene Pamintuan, an agribusiness entrepreneur said that he once approached the head of the DA High Value Crops Division, and asked her whether or not they have a national strategy for fruit plantations, and she quickly answered in the negative. Mr. Pamintuan recalls that immediately, he knew that the fruit industry is not going anywhere at all. As a fruit producer himself, Mr. Pamintuan knows that by then, about three years beforehand, Vietnam was already bragging about earning 8.5 billion dollars for their fruit exports. He says that without such a strategy, we cannot move forward on being successful in plantations, in value chains, in processing and in distribution. He said that the problem is having a micro mindset about how the fruit industry should be managed. Beyond having a national strategy for fruit plantations, I believe that we should have a broader National Fruits Exports Strategy instead, to be led by the DFA, but involving the DA, the DTI, the DOST and the DOH as participating agencies, the latter on behalf of the FDA. I say it should be led by the DFA, because this is a gargantuan task that requires economic diplomacy as a solution. When the Foreign Service Act was passed, there was an expectation that the DFA will shift its orientation from political diplomacy to economic diplomacy, especially because the cold war has already ended. The bottom line is that economic diplomacy is a selling job and there is no other way around it. It’s either we sell or we sink. IKE SENERES/01-07-24

MORE ARGUMENTS FOR A FOOD CZAR

In a prior article, I proposed the appointment of a food czar who should have cabinet rank, and who will perform a staff function that is reporting directly to the President, but will have a collegial relationship with the other cabinet members who are performing food related line functions. As it is now, many food-related functions within the government bureaucracy are fragmented, meaning that they are spread out all over and more often than not, they are also overlapping with each other. In political science, we refer to that as being “balkanized”, meaning that it is broken up into many parts. Mr. Rene Pamintuan, an agribusiness entrepreneur says that we could see this fragmentation in terms of the DTI being on top of food manufacturing, the DOH being on top of food licensing through the FDA, the DOST being on top of providing some machineries through the PHILMECH, and the CHED being on top of agriculture education through the SCUs. Mr. Pamintuan says that most ASEAN countries that are beating us today in food production and food exportation have unified government agencies that are on top of the entire food supply chain, from planting to marketing, so to speak. He adds that if we could implement curriculum changes in agriculture education, nothing much could change. Imagine combining the curriculums of UP Diliman and UP Los Banos. That could be a good start to produce more agripreneurs. IKE SENERES/1-7-24

TOWARDS A MULTI-TASKING AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

A corporate culture starts with a mindset or a worldview that would guide the corporate officers and staff about how it should run the organization and what its visions and missions should be. But even with a clear set of visions and missions, a corporate organization would be lost in its overall purpose if it does not adjust to the changes in world views and market demands. It appears that many of the people who are running the DA now are mostly focused on growing food items and on farm operations and hardly anything else, without realizing perhaps that they should also pay attention to the marketing of farm produce, the development of sales strategies, the strengthening of logistics and the completion of value chains and supply chains. Perhaps the root of the problems could be traced to the schools of agriculture wherein the curriculum is focused mainly on the growing of crops and not the selling of these crops, along with the other functions in between growing and selling, such as harvesting, drying, processing, packing, storing and delivering. Not unless the curriculum is changed, we will always end up with graduates whose mindsets are compartmentalized. The officers of our agriculture department should set long term targets not only for self-sufficiency or food security, but for food dominance in several food export categories. Not just import reduction, but export leadership. IKE SENERES/1-7-24

MEAT CONSUMPTION AFFECTS CLIMATE CHANGE

Everything that we do now, affects climate change, including eating our food, riding a car or taking a shower. Each one of us is just one person in a planet that is populated by billions of people, but the choices that we make affect everyone in the planet, including our own families, whether we like it or not. But can you believe that choosing between eating beef and eating chevon (goat meat) can actually impact on climate change? In an ideal world, climate change could slow down if only everyone would stop eating beef and start eating chicken or fish instead. But since not everyone can do that, we should just expand our choices. In comparison, goats produce slightly more methane than cows, but on the other hand, goats hugely produce less CO2 than cows. Although that would seem like a close tie, goats would come out better in the green scale, because they require less water and less grazing land, meaning less trees to cut in the Amazon or elsewhere. But then again, methane has good uses too, and one way to put it to good use is to convert it to biogas. I know of a big corporate farm that is already making extra money by earning carbon credits simply by using animal waste to power their electricity needs. The more animal waste means more free electric power. In the overall analysis, I would say that chevon is a better choice than beef, because lower income farmers can raise goats easier. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-06-2024

LOSING THE RACE FOR MILK PRODUCTION

I remember that about forty years ago, we still had a dairy industry and at that time, Magnolia Fresh Milk was one of my products when I worked for San Miguel Corporation as a brand coordinator. My other products were Magnolia Ice Cream and Magnolia Cheese. Today, it appears that the Philippines is importing most of its milk requirements, amounting to almost a hundred million dollars per year. The bulk of our milk imports come from New Zealand, followed by Australia, Germany and France. Believe it or not, we are even importing from Bangladesh. It goes without saying that we are also importing most of our cheese requirements, because cheese comes from milk, and we do not have enough milk production. Either that, or we could be producing cheese made from milk powders and other imported ingredients. Today, consumer preferences are changing, and there is now lesser demand for products derived from animals, including cow milk of course. Even in my own family, we are now drinking “milk” made from almonds or soybeans. Could we possibly compete in these new industries? IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-06-2024

WHO IS ON TOP OF NEW FOOD PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT?

Believe it or not, “cheese” is now made from cashew nuts, and “bacon” is now made from mushrooms. Not only that, there are now many “meats” made from vegetable ingredients, sometimes called “meatless”, and one is even branded as “Unmeat”. Most of these would fall under the category of “plant based” foods. The world is changing so fast, and so is food production. Each day that passes could be a day of lost opportunities for our country if we are unable to understand the consumer trends around the world, and be able to act and react aggressively in response to global market demands. Common sense tells us that when it comes to anything that is about food, it should be the DA that should take the lead. But if the DA is already busy with the growing of conventional crops, who should we depend on when it comes to the development of new food products? Should it be the DOST? And who should guide the DOST about what to do, and which direction to go to? Should it not be the DTI? Does anyone know whether DA, DOST and DTI officials are talking to coordinate the development of new food products? And why not include the DFA officials in the coordination, considering that they are the ones who are exposed to the world markets? Perhaps we could even make new cheeses from pili nuts? At least, we are already making burger patties from mushrooms! IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-06-2024

A WATER DEPARTMENT, ANYONE?

It’s in the news that the House of Representatives has already passed their version of the proposed Department of Water Resources (DWR), and it is now up to the Senate to pass their own version. I have mixed feelings about this proposal because it could either have a good or bad outcome, and let me tell you why. On the good side, having a DWR could give us the opportunity to once and for all integrate and coordinate all of our water needs, among them for irrigation, manufacturing and for household or residential use. However, on the bad side, it could add another layer of bureaucracy that could either slow down the whole process, or result in a tangled web. I think the idea about creating a DWR is to put all water related agencies and functions under one department, so that they could all “play music” together under one “conductor”. While that is truly a desirable outcome, it would sound more realistic if the agencies and functions are already talking to each other now, but it seems that they are not. Just to cite some examples, the government has not been too successful in laws pertaining to rainwater collection, water impounding ponds and river cleanups. Simply put, there could be lesser flood water if rainwater is collected properly, and flood water could easily flow into the water impounding pounds. And of course, the cleaner the river, the cleaner the water there would be to filter. IKE SENERES/01-05-2024

WHO IS ON TOP OF THE METRO MANILA FLOOD PROBLEMS?

I think the common understanding in Metro Manila is that local floods are the problems of the LGUs, but it becomes the problems of the DPWH if the floods cross the jurisdiction of two or more localities. That is probably a fair understanding, even if it is always given that flood waters know no boundaries and they do cross multiple jurisdictions. And where does the MMDA get into the picture? Apparently, the common understanding in Metro Manila is that the MMDA is mainly responsible only for solving the problems about garbage and traffic, but not the problems about the floods. That appears to be the wrong understanding, because both garbage and floods could cause traffic, and somehow these three problems are intertwined. As its name suggests, the MMDA is supposed to be a “development authority” that should not focus only on short term problems, but they should also look long term because of their planning function, and to me, that is what “development” actually means. To be more specific, the MMDA should focus more on “sustainable development”, “sustainable” being the operative word. It appears that the problem of floods in Metro Manila is a political problem, rather than a technical problem. If only the local Mayors could put aside their political agendas, more technical solutions could be implemented. We are not lacking in technical experts who could help. IKE SENERES/1-5-2024

MORE VIGILANCE FOR WATER QUALITY

I was able to confirm that the DOH does have a list of accredited laboratories all over the country that are capable of testing the quality of water. However, the list is not updated because the latest list was posted 31 December 2020. Considering how important water quality is, for public safety, I think that the DOH should be updating the list either monthly or quarterly. On the upside, there is a national law that requires water refilling stations to have monthly microbial tests and also physico-chemical tests twice a year. That means that if you are buying bottled water from the refilling stations, you have to ask them to show their monthly test results, to make sure that they are following the law and that their water is safe. Also on the upside, the DOH does have very clear requirements for the accreditation of testing labs. It is relatively easy to comply with these requirements, but I hear that the DOH is becoming stricter in the implementation, the fact that they have a special unit that is dedicated to their accreditation function. Still on the upside, both Maynilad and Manila Water have current projects involving third party DOH accredited labs to monitor their own water quality on top of their own inhouse monitoring. This redundancy is good already, but it would be good if the LGUs would also have their own monitoring so that we can all trust that our water is safe. IKE SENERES/1-5-2024

MORE ON WATER TESTING

An expert in water testing tells me that the standards mandated by DOH to the LGUs and the private water concessionaires requires them to monitor the potability of drinking water only in relation to total microbial or plate count as well as the total coliform or fecal or e-coli count. He added that the DOH requires physico-chemical tests only twice a year, usually involving only 14 tests out of the 50 tests that could be done under the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW). But the actual number of tests done would depend on the LGUs and the water concessionaires. The testing for mercury and other hazardous heavy metals are based on their requirements. Moreover, he says that all micro and physico-chemical standards in the PNSDW as implemented by DOH are all based on US and western standards. That could be a problem, because there could be contaminants present here that are not present in those foreign countries. In theory, all laboratories monitoring the water quality should be accredited by the DOH, otherwise their test results would be questionable. Right now, I could not find a list of these accredited laboratories, nor could I find a list of requirements that could qualify them to be accredited. If the tests are only conducted twice a year, what happens in between when there could be leaks in the system and illegal connections that could contaminate the system? IKE SENERES/01-04-2024

TRACEABILITY OF SEAFOOD

According to www.seafish.org, “seafood traceability and labelling regulations ensure that seafood can be tracked through the supply chain and is described accurately to consumers”. Furthermore, it also says that “seafood traceability is the ability to fully trace a product from the point of sale back to its point of origin. This is required to follow general food law, fisheries control and fish marketing”. What are the seafood traceability and labelling regulations in the Philippines? Are these being enforced strictly? Are the violators being reported? If yes, where can we access the information? And who is doing it? Presumably it is either the DA in general, or BFAR in particular. But what about the imported fish products? Who is monitoring those? It seems that the jury is still out when it comes to whether or not cream dory or pangasius is safe to eat or not. Some say it is, but some say it is not. Some say that the imported fish from Vietnam is not safe because it is grown in the Mekong Delta where the river is dirty and toxic. In fairness, there are already local farms here that are producing clean fish. But how do we know which is which? The answer to that question may not yet be clear, but what is clear to me is that a database is needed, a with a system that will use bar codes and or QR codes. These technologies are now common nowadays, but if anyone still needs help in setting up these systems, just let me know. IKE SENERES/01-04-2024

TILAPIA IS AN INVASIVE SPECIES

The truth may be too hard to swallow, but the truth is, tilapia is an invasive species and is doing harm to the environment in general, and the native fish species in particular. Tilapia may have been introduced in the Philippines many years ago, but it does not mean that it is already “native” and should already be accepted and tolerated. As far as I know, there is no awareness among the general population that tilapia is an invasive species. There also appears to be no awareness among the government agencies that it is invasive, and that is why there appears to be no effort to control or eradicate it. In other words, we are simply accepting the reality that it is here, and it is here to stay. Some might argue that tilapia is now part of our food supply and is therefore part of our food security. On the other hand, I would also argue that tilapia threatens our food security, because it eats the eggs and the fingerlings of our native fish species, thus reducing our actual food production. To be clear, not all non-native fish are destructive, even if they are all invasive. For example, milkfish may be non-native, but it is generally not destructive, that is why it is very popular as a source of human food. However, milkfish is considered as an invasive species in other countries, because they compete with native fish for food and habitat. For whatever it is worth, BFAR should look into the economics of continuing with tilapia or not. Is it good for the economy or not? IKE SENERES/1-4-2024

THIRD PARTY WATER TESTING

Please tell me, if the water from the faucet as supplied by the water concessionaires is safe to drink, then why are we still buying bottled water? That should not be a problem for the rich people, but what about the poor people who could hardly afford to buy food to eat? Is it not that more money to pay for bottled water is too much of a burden for them to carry? Actually, the Metro Manila Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee (MMDWQMC) regularly tests and certifies that the water supplied by Maynilad and Manila Water fully complies with the 2017 Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW). They are basing their certification supposedly on “microbiological and physico-chemical examination”. Their certification states that the water as tested is “100% free from thermotolerant coliforms” and is generally compliant with physical and chemical standards”. In so many technical words, they are saying that the water is safe to drink. If that is so, why are we still buying bottled water? Could it be that we do not trust the MMDWQMC? Or that we do not really understand what PNSDW means? Looking at it from a layman’s point of view, I know for a fact that it is not only coliforms that we have to worry about. And what chemical standards are they talking about? Does that include mercury contamination, among others? I think that the answers to my questions boil down to trust. To address that, we need third party testing other than MMDWQMC. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-3-2024

WATER COOPS CAN BE MORE HUMANE

I have heard complaints from water customers in Metro Manila that their water service get’s cut off right away, if they could not pay their water bills on time. No grace periods. No appeals. No nothing. Well, that may be understandable because water companies are private businesses that are answerable to their stockholders. But is there something that could still be done to remedy this problem? In another article, I wrote about the success of a water coop in Mindanao. That success proves beyond doubt that water coops could work, and if they could work in Mindanao, they could work in Metro Manila, but with some modifications. In Mindanao, the water coops were either competing with the water districts, or they were selling to the water districts. That could not happen in Metro Manila. What could happen in Metro Manila is for the water coops to become the distributors of the two water concessionaires. Give the water coops a reasonable margin, and let them sell to their own members. This is where being humane could come in. Since the coop management would certainly know their own members, they would probably know their own personal circumstances and therefore could be more lenient to them. Water is life, and people need water to survive. Although it is a commercial product, it should not be treated like any other product within the commerce of man. We should find creative ways to make it available to all. IKE SENERES/01-03-2024

LET’S SUPPORT WATER COOPERATIVES

I have been idea of organizing water cooperatives, and I am glad to know that there are some good developments in that sector already. Originally, I was advocating the establishment of primary coops, but what emerged fairly recently is a secondary coop. to me, that is good enough, and that might even be better, because the capital requirement for water projects is really very high. A primary coop is the first level type that is established directly by individuals who are the incorporators. A secondary coop is the second level type that is directly by existing primary coops. That is what happened in Cagayan de Oro, where a group of 13 coops banded together to form the Mindanao Cooperatives Water Service Federation (MCWS). Their purpose was to bring potable water to areas that are not being served by the Cagayan De Oro Water District (COWD). It turned out to be a good idea, because soon after, MCWS won contracts to supply water to the cities of Cotabato and Bislig, also in Mindanao. I am not really sure whether the CDA had something to do with these developments, but it does have jurisdiction over primary and secondary coops. Hopefully, the CDA could harness its developmental role so that it could promote and support water cooperatives in the same way that NEA is promoting and supporting electric cooperatives. Even in Metro Manila, water coops could work, in effect distributing for Manila Water and Maynilad. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-03-2024

ORGAN DONOR QUEUING SYSTEM

At the back of Philippine driver’s licenses, you will find information whether or not the owner of the driver’s license is an organ donor or not. Kudos to the LTO for making that possible, but there appears to be no existing queuing system that will enable prospective donees to be informed if and when organs are available to be transplanted. Maybe it’s just me who does not know whether there is a queuing system or not, but if there really was, I would know about it because I am always watching the horizon for it to emerge. To put it simply, a queuing system is merely a database, therefore if there was really such a database, the ICT industry would be abuzz about it. I was told that every day, there are many people who die from road accidents and in all likelihood, most of them are holders of driver’s licenses such that emergency workers at the scene would know whether they are organ donors or not. If only there was a system, their remains could be brought to the nearest hospital where their organs could be harvested before they become useless. In many countries, there are systems wherein prospective donees are immediately notified if viable organs are available. The notification is done via internet, mobile or even pagers in some cases. I know how to build such a system and I am willing to help whatever government agency wants to sponsor and host it. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-02-2024

LOCALIZING FOOD SECURITY

As far as I know, mayors and governors do not have any responsibility or accountability when it comes to food security. Some of them might be doing something about it on their own, but it is purely voluntary on their part, and there is no compulsion for them to do anything regarding that. One ironic reality that is happening now, is that the national government is importing rice and is supplying it to the cities and provinces, without even consulting the mayors and governors whether there is really a shortage of rice in their own jurisdictions or not. In theory, some of these cities and provinces could probably produce and supply their own rice requirements, if only the national government would support them in terms of irrigation, harvesting, drying and milling. Rice production is not rocket science therefore our local executives can surely do it. Now that the President has called for studies about which national functions to devolve to the LGUs, our economic team should look into the possibility of devolving the food security function downwards to the cities and provinces. This could be a good way to create local employment also. In the same way that the government has created electric cooperatives under NEA, perhaps it could also create food cooperatives possibly under CDA or even DTI, since CDA is now under DTI. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-02-2024

MINORS AS DRUG MULES

Some law enforcement officials are arguing that the minimum age for legal liability should be lowered, because criminals are using young children as drug mules. I think that is a rather simplistic way of looking at the problem, to lower the age to make it easier to catch them. I think that there is no problem with keeping the present age of 18 and above for legal liability in the Philippines, for as long as we are ready with the youth detention centers, and I do not mean jails or prisons. I say that because apparently, some law enforcement agencies are mixing young detainees with older adults. I think there should be no problem about catching children who are aged below 18, as long as they are not mixed in with older adults who may actually be older adults who could influence them to become hardened criminals as they grow up. A good approach would be to place these younger children in foster homes, but apparently there are not enough foster homes that could absorb them. For some reason, there is only one Boy’s Town in the whole country, and that is a sad reality because these residences would have been very good alternatives to foster homes. Since we know that the DSWD is probably overloaded with these children and they are also lacking in budgets, it is about time that all LGUs should be required to put up their own Boy’s Town. IKE SENERES/09088877282-01-02-2024

SHOULD WE HAVE A REAL FOOD CZAR?

I know that the Secretary of Agriculture is supposed to be the food czar, but he certainly does not have authority over food importation, except in the case of rice maybe. He also does not have authority over food distribution, a function that apparently belongs to the DTI. To put it in another way, who is ultimately accountable if there are food shortages in the country. If it is neither the DA nor the DTI, then who is? I believe that the supply chain of food in this country and in any country for that matter should include not only production, but also distribution and consumption, with importation in between. Some might say that I am asking too much, but look at what has happened to us. We are importing most of our milk and flour, and we are even importing our beef. To go straight to my point, I believe that there should be a real food czar that has a staff function that reports directly to the President. He or she should have cabinet rank, and he or she should have collegial relationships with the secretaries of the DA and the DTI, these two having a line function. In a manner of speaking, the Executive Secretary is the de facto COO of the Executive Branch, and he reports directly to the President, who is in effect the de facto CEO. In that sense, the COO has direct authority over the secretaries of the DA and DTI, when it comes to food security. While this system could work already, it could be improved if there is a staff function connecting the line functions. IKE SENERES/01-02-2024

PEOPLE DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY

They used to be called prisoners, now they are called “People Deprived of Liberty” (PDLs). Similar to those who used to be called handicapped, but are now called “People with Disabilities” (PWD). Supposedly, PDLs should only refer to those who have been convicted, but there is a lot of confusion now, because the term is also to refer to those who are detained, meaning those who are not yet convicted. Even if we believe in the notion that justice should be fair and equal to all, suspects are still detained, many of them indefinitely, simply because they could not post bail. Either that, or they could not get a lawyer right away, even a public attorney, because of shortages perhaps. And once they are detained, they stay longer in the jails because of hearing cancellations and the unavailability of judges. The irony is, some of them who are convicted may have to be released right away, because in effect they have already spent the maximum sentence of the crime committed. We hear so much about the overpopulation in our prisons and jails, but we do not seem to hear much about the implementation of probation and parole protocols. I am sure that if these two are implemented, our prisons and jails will be decongested. There is also a technology now to use electronic devices to keep track prisoners and detainees who are released on probation or parole. It has a built-in tracker and alarm system that really works. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-01-24

LET’S BUILD SOCIALIZED DORMITORIES

Dormitories must really be good business, because I see many of them being built all over Metro Manila. Unlike the condos that are for sale, dorms are for rent, therefore it is the more affordable alternative. There is still a problem however, because the rental of beds in these dorms are priced so high such that only white-collar workers could afford them. I have a soft spot for dorms in my heart, because I stayed in campus dorms for most of my college days. The facilities are far from luxurious, but it’s good enough for students who do not have much to spend, including the food that is so “average”, because it is cheap. I have the same idea for socialized dorms for blue collar workers, with food prices that they could afford. I think it would be a good idea for the LGUs to build these dorms as a business. These could be a good source of cash flow for them, aside from solving the housing shortages in their own jurisdictions. Mr. Jorge Malig, a Filipino businessman has already built many of these “worker’s dorms” using prefab components and repurposed container vans. All over the country, there are many progressive businessmen like Mr. Malig who are ready and willing to go into public-private partnerships (PPP) with LGUs, to build public housing in the form of condos, apartments and dorms. The PPP partners would even be more interested if the LGUs could provide the land where these projects could be built. Of course, they still have to look into the ROI. IKE SENERES/09088877282/1-1-2024

LET’S BUILD VERTICAL FISH FARMS

Since many traditional fishing areas are now polluted and the availability of fish is now dwindling in many seas and oceans, it is now time to build vertical fish farms in buildings as Singapore is already doing. The case of Singapore is different, because the problem there is the lack of available land for horizontal fish farms, hence the vertical option. This is actually not a new idea, because single level fish tanks have been around for many years now. What is new however is the idea of multilevel fish tanks, and now, this is being done inside multistory buildings. The innovation is not so much about stacking fish tanks on top of each other. The innovation is more about controlling the salinity and quality of the water used. Many of us are questioning why we have to import rice, considering that we are supposed to be an agricultural country with plenty of land to be used for farming. Having said that, we should question ourselves why we are importing about 540 thousand metric tons of every year, considering that we have plenty of seas and oceans to fish from. Mr. Jorge Malig and Mr. Ran Quijano are two enterprising Filipinos who are ahead of the pack in designing and building fish tanks for urban fisheries. Aside from creating jobs, their technologies could actually produce fish that are not only safer, but are also cheaper. Safer because the quality of the water is controlled, and cheaper because of the lower transport costs and lesser spoilage rate. IKE SENERES/09088877282/01-01-24