INTERNAL CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS

Internal conflicts of interests within government agencies does not seem to be recognized as a problem yet, that is why I have decided to write about it, to get the ball rolling, so to speak. To be more specific, I am talking about conflicts between the developmental functions of government agencies on one hand, and their regulatory functions on the other hand. My first example is the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA). As its name suggests, it is supposed to be a development agency, but then it is also loaded with plenty of regulatory powers, some might even say that the latter seems to be getting more attention than the former. In more ways than one, this is really stunting the development of cooperatives. My second example is the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Again, as its name suggests, it is supposed to be a development agency, but right now, its time and attention is fully invested on controlling the traffic and cleaning up the garbage, short term goals that are less meaningful than its long-term development goals. My third example is the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA). Again, as its name suggests, it is supposed to be a development agency, but it seems that we do not hear much about their development related functions. Instead, we hear more of their regulatory functions. Laguna Lake is supposed to be our long-term source of food and water, but are we making any progress in these development goals? IKE SENERES/2-22-24