INCREASED TOURIST ARRIVALS

INCREASED TOURIST ARRIVALS Dear Mr. President: The Department of Tourism (DOT) has set a target of increasing our tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2023 to 7.7 million in 2024. Looking back, the DOT reported that tourist arrivals increased from 2.6 million in 2022 to 3.8 million in 2023, representing an increase of 1.2 million arrivals. That is remarkable, because that represents an increase of 46.15%. looking ahead, if the 2024 target is achieved, that will represent an increase of 2.9 million arrivals, or an increase of 60.41 percent from the 2023 data. And if the numbers are correct, the DOT will be able to increase tourist arrivals from 2.6 million in 2022 to 7.7 million in 2024, representing a comparative increase of 5.1 million arrivals in just a matter of two years. Sir, I have no reason to doubt the numbers that are being reported by the DOT, but how I wish that there will be a third party that will check their data, for purposes of accuracy and transparency. Perhaps that third party could either be the PSA or the DICT. Looking at this on the bright side however, this trend that the DOT is reporting is very encouraging, because it would now seem that our country is progressing towards the ideal goal of achieving double digit tourist arrivals. Based on the 2022 data presented by Microsoft Copilot, there are three ASEAN countries that have already achieved double digit tourist arrivals. These are Indonesia with 16.8 million, Thailand with 11.4 million and Malaysia with 10.2 million. In the same data set presented, Vietnam ranked fifth with 9.5 million and the Philippines ranked sixth with 6.4 million. I do not know why the data presented by the DOT is lower than the data presented by Copilot, but perhaps the DOT was just being conservative. All told, it seems that the DOT is on track to reaching double digit tourism in the near future, perhaps before the end of your term, Mr. President. For purposes of data accuracy and data purity however, it would be best if the headcount should not include the arrivals of Filipino citizens, particularly the OFWs. I think in the past, the data about arrivals might have been eschewed by the headcount of Filipino citizens who are technically not “tourists”. Still on the subject of tourism Mr. President, perhaps you could instruct the DOT to also do more in promoting ecotourism, medical tourism, educational tourism and sports tourism? In fairness to the DOT, the ecologic, medical, educational and sports functions belong to other agencies, and that is why interagency coordination might be different. Towards that end Sir, it may be necessary to put of new task forces or interagency committees, and it may even be necessary to issue and EO for that purpose. In theory Mr. President, the tourist arrivals will go up, if the crime rate will go down. That is another incentive for all of us to work towards lowering the crime rate, because the more tourists arrive, the better the economy will be, and that includes more jobs for more people. Additionally, more tourists will come if they could drive safely everywhere. That may be a challenge, but there is always hope that with the right orders from the top, that could possibly happen. IKE SENERES/10-15-2024

DATABASES FOR DISEASE CONTROL

DATABASES FOR DISEASE CONTROL Dear Mr. President: I recently attended a lecture by Dr. Nelia P. Salazar about “Environment and Disease”, sponsored by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), where I learned from her that up to now, the Philippines does not have a fully integrated database for disease control. She said that there are pockets of databases here and there, but there is no data integration between them. As I listened to her presentation, I also learned that through her research works, and the works of many other Filipino scientists like her, we already know what the carriers are, where they are, and how they could be stopped. That is the good news Mr. President, but the bad news is, there appears to be no concerted effort on the part of the government to stop these in advance as a preventive measure. When I asked Dr. Salazar whether the Philippines already has an equivalent of the American Center for Disease Control (CDC), she answered in the negative. When I asked her whether the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) could be the equivalent of CDC, she also answered in the negative, explaining that RITM is more into training and research, and is not specifically into disease control. However, she clarified that there is already an Office for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control under the DOH, but the scope is lesser than that of the CDC. To me Sir, that is a very alarming realization, because we now know that we do not only lack an integrated database, we also do not have a government agency that is dedicated to disease control, like the CDC. Looking at this from my perspective, Mr. President, I think that our best action is to pass a new law that would create that local agency for disease control. Once that agency is created, it could take over the ownership and management of the database for disease control. In the meantime, Mr. President, I suggest that the database creation and buildup could be placed under the DOH, specifically under their Management Information Services (MIS) Department. Although I believe that we have the local expertise that we could use to build the local databases for disease control, I think that it would be more advisable to request the U.S. government for assistance from the American CDC, specifically for redesigning and adopting their existing database software to our local needs. As the saying goes, Mr. President, “there is no need to re-invent the wheel”. If they have a database system that already works there, why not use it here already with some modifications? If I may suggest Sir, perhaps you could instruct the DFA to contact the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC to in turn contact the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), who will in turn contact the CDC. As a shortcut, the Office of the President (OP) could directly contact the local USAID office here, through the US Embassy in Manila. However it is done Sir, I really think that this must be done as soon as possible, because we do not really know when another epidemic or pandemic will come. Mr. President, I do not know much about setting up a new government agency like the CDC, but I can assure you that I could help in setting up the database, since that has been my job as the MIS Manager of DFA, NCC, NCIS and PCSO. Aside from myself Sir, I am in touch with many other Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professionals who would gladly volunteer to build these databases for disease control. IKE SENERES/10-14-2024

OFW MONITORING SYSTEM

OFW MONITORING SYSTEM Dear Mr. President: Despite the diligent efforts of the DFA and the DMW to frequently monitor the status of our OFWs abroad, there are still many cases of them not being found or contacted in times of emergency. There are also some cases wherein our OFWs get into some troubles abroad, without our knowing about it until they are jailed or executed. What is needed to solve this problem is to build a database of all OFWs abroad regardless of who they are, and where they are. That is a goal that has not been done before, and it is about time that the government does it. Fortunately, Sir, a Filipino software developer has come up with such a database, and I am happy to inform you that it will not cause the Philippine government a single centavo to implement it. Mr. Ferdenand Ibraheem Lawag Sabado, a Microsoft certified programmer together with an all-Filipino development team. Although I am not a programmer myself, I was able to help the team in terms of its product development and marketing planning. Here is how the database will work: All recruitment agencies will be required to register their departing clients with the database administrators. Upon arrival in their host countries, they will again be required to again register with the nearest embassy or consulate, through the local Labor Attache or the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) representative. Upon completing the registration process, the OFW will be given a free account in a mobile app that will have a “hot button” that he or she could press in the event of an emergency. As soon as he or she presses the “hot button”, an alarm will ring in the cellphones of designated persons at the recruitment agencies, at the embassies and consulates, and at the central office of the DMW. Any of these three designated persons can call or text the OFW right away, to find out what his or her problem is. Although the software is already capable of this feature, it is up to the government to finalize the rules. To offer this database for free to the government, Mr. Sabado plans to cover his costs and raise revenues by way of monthly subscriptions and some other ancillary sources of income such as advertising and promotions. This mode of doing business is very common now among web based and cloud based such as Zoom and Netflix, among others. Since my days as the Management Information Services (MIS) Director of the DFA, I have always wanted to build this type of interactive OFW database for the government. However, at that time, it was very expensive to do it, and no budgets were available at that time. Fast forward to today Mr. President, the budget is no longer a problem, because the database is already being offered for free, at no cost to the government. For your information Sir, Mr. Sabado is only one of many other programmers and developers who want to help the government by developing mobile apps and interactive databases for free. Please let me know if you want to contact them. IKE SENERES/10-13-2024

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT? Dear Mr. President: According to Microsoft Copilot, “a virtual assistant is a remote worker who provides administrative, technical and creative support to clients”. The operative word here is “remote”, and that is what makes the worker “virtual”, meaning that he or she is not physically present. I do not have the numbers right now, but I do know that there are already thousands of Filipino men and women who are already doing some kind of virtual work or another, mostly working out of their homes. As I understand it, Mr. President, the term “client” as used in this context could be liberally interpreted to also mean a patient, a customer or a student. In many cases however, a “client” could be a “permanent” boss in the same manner that an executive assistant could have an actual or physical “boss” in a real office. Take note that the “worker” in this example is not simply a low paid “secretary” but a highly paid executive assistant. Again Sir, I do not have the numbers right now, but I personally believe that this trend or phenomenon if I can call it that, is so huge that it could even replace or take over the OFW phenomenon. The difference between the two however, is that in the “work at home” (WAH) phenomenon, the worker does not have to leave the country, unlike the OFW phenomenon. I could only imagine what impact that could mean for our country in the long run, in terms of not having families separated because of OFW departures, and in terms of parents leaving behind their children to work abroad. My question now, Mr. President, is how will the Philippines take advantage of this this huge opportunity? How will the government ride this “bull” by its horns? How will it tame this “bull” to be able to ride it? It seems to me Sir, that this challenge is beyond the capabilities of either DOLE or DMW. I think that this task must be broken down into several components, probably “production”, “financing”, “packaging”, “financing” and “marketing”. Perhaps the “production” side could be jointly handled by DEPED, CHED and TESDA. Perhaps the “financing” side could be handled by the Congress and by DBM. Perhaps the “packaging” side can be jointly handled by PCO and PTV4. And last but not the least, perhaps the “marketing” side can be jointly handled by DFA, DTI, DOLE and DMW. By the grace of God, Sir, Filipinos are so intelligent, creative and hard working and those are some of the reasons why our foreign “clients” are so happy about being serviced by our “providers”. In my own family circle alone, I have about six relatives who are teaching English to students who are abroad. They are earning well, and they continue to live with their families. I could just imagine how many other Filipinos are in this happy situation. I believe however Mr. President that the DICT must do much more, so that our internet signals all over the country will become not only faster, but also faster. Without this better internet infrastructure, it would be difficult to make this WAH phenomenon grow. Sir, this WAH phenomenon could be one and the same as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, if and when these WAH practitioners would work under a local employer or agency. IKE SENERES/10-12-2024

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS Dear Mr. President: Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are needed by doctors so that they could correctly diagnose a patient’s ailment. Without complete and accurate medical records, a doctor will never know what ails a patient, and without the right diagnosis, the doctor will not be able to prescribe any procedures or medicines. The problem is, most of the medical records today are in paper forms, and are kept by doctors in their own file folders stashed away in their own filing cabinets. In theory, the owners of the medical records are either the doctors and/or the clinics where the doctors work. There could be a duality there, because many doctors own their own clinics, and so they own their own records. While there could be no problem with that on a “one to one” basis (one doctor to one patient), there is a problem if it is already on a “one to many” (one patient to many doctors). That is so because often, a doctor would not share his or her patient’s medical records (meaning the data) with another doctor, not unless they know each other, perhaps. The other problem with that is that whenever there are at least two doctors, not one of them actually “sees the forest”, because both or all of them are “looking at the tree”. In other words, there is no single “conductor” for the entire “orchestra”. That could be a problem, because duplications or overlaps of medicines could happen, or much worst than that, conflicts or counter reactions between one or two medicines could happen. In this scenario, the “family doctor” or any “general practitioner” could become the “conductor” or the “coordinator, but that also rarely happens. I would imagine that most of the middle class and upper-class people would have their own “family doctors” who are probably “general practitioners” in most cases. However, I would not hesitate to say that most if not all the lower-class people do not have their own “family doctors”, so to speak. As a matter of fact, some of them may not be able to see a doctor at all in their entire lifetimes. Their only chance of seeing a doctor perhaps, when they visit a public hospital or clinic. Mr. President, the problem is, in most cases perhaps, and almost always, there are no doctors that are available at the Barangay Health Centers (BHCs) who could check on the health condition of the patients. The other problem Sir is that it appears that there are no medical records of the patients that are kept at the BHCs, neither in paper form nor in digital form. What that means Sir is that most patients who go to the BHCs could not be diagnosed properly, which in a way is a violation of their rights to universal healthcare. Mr. President, there are already many EMR software options that are available in the market today, some of these are on a subscription basis only, such that there is no more need for a complicated procurement process. I believe Sir that requiring the use of EMR in public hospitals and clinics is part of your digitalization advocacy, but perhaps the DOH and the DILG has not realized that yet. I think that one way or the other, the DILG should also be responsible for upgrading the services of public hospitals and clinics within their localities. IKE SENERES/10-11-2024

COSTS OF DOING BUSINESSS

COSTS OF DOING BUSINESSS Dear Mr. President: Thank you for your efforts to make “ease of doing business” possible, but could you please also look at the other angle of what we could call the “costs of doing business”? It appears however that both are two sides of the same coin, meaning that they are closely related to each other. It seems possible that the cause of that is corruption at the local government level, made possible by local officials that add on too many requirements for local business permits. The more requirements are added, the more costs are imposed upon startup businesses, and because of that, there is lesser “ease”, and there are more “costs”. Perhaps it is not reported in the news, but the rumor mill is full of stories about some corrupt people who supposedly harass new business applicants or small business owners, reportedly representing the BIR, the PNP, the BFP, and the DOH, among others. That does not include LGU units such as the local sanitation office and even the garbage collectors. Because of that, it becomes more difficult for startups to open their new businesses, and they must spend a lot of money before they could get a business permit. I also would like to thank you, Mr. President, for spearheading the campaign towards the automation of both the National Government Agencies (NGAs) and the Local Government Units (LGUs). I say that, because I believe that automation is the solution to corruption. I say that, because the more automation there is, the less discretion there is. As everyone knows, discretion is one cause of corruption. As the saying goes, “do not tempt the mortals”. In line with that, I also say that the more automation is in place, the lesser temptation there is. I do understand, Mr. President that local officials do not have jurisdiction over NGA officials who are assigned to the LGU levels. However, I believe Sir that with the proper instructions from you, these NGA officials and the LGU officials could work together in joint committees or task forces to realize the two goals of “ease of doing business” and lesser “costs of doing business”. Would it be possible Sir, for you to issue an executive order to that effect? In addition to the mobile apps that were launched by the DICT to support the goal of “ease of doing business”, there are also several apps that were developed by private companies that LGUs could also use. These apps are being offered for free by the private companies. As usual, they generate their incomes and recover their costs from advertising, training, logistics and payment services. The good news Mr. President is that both the NGAs and the LGUs could now automate their services without spending so much money. Perhaps it is just a difference in culture, but in many other countries, their governments would go out of their way to make it easy for anyone to start a new business. Some countries even make it possible to get a business permit in one day, without any problems. Here in our country Sir, the opposite seems to be happening, because those who want to start a business here are seemingly required to go through an obstacle course. Can you do something about that Sir? IKE SENERES/10-10-2024

HOW ABOUT BLOOD DONATION BUSES?

HOW ABOUT BLOOD DONATION BUSES? Dear Mr. President: I have observed that the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Blood Center (PBC) are both doing a good job in collecting blood from donors and providing these to those who need them in both public and private hospitals. Although PBC is lesser known compared to PRC, I know that it is not less reliable than PRC, because I have personally tried and tested them over the years whenever an indigent patient needs blood. Kudos to former PBC Director Dr. Bobong Tagayuna and incumbent PBC Director Dr. Dennis Dayao Ordona. Aside from PRC and PBC, Dugong Alay Dugtong Buhay (DADB) is also an efficient and reliable provider of blood to those who need them. DADB has a unique system of collecting them from donors and donating these to their participating hospitals who have their own blood banks. In other words, DADB may not have their own blood banks, but whenever anyone needs blood in any hospital, they could request the nearest participating hospital to provide the blood. DADB was founded by the late Napoleon Marilag, but the NGO is now run by his children, Camille, Christian Dane and Czarina. Kudos to DADB also! Mr. President, I have no doubt in my mind that most Filipinos would donate blood if it is more convenient for them to do so, meaning if they do not have to travel long distances to do it. That is the reason why I think that it would be a good idea to provide PRC, PBC and DADB with dedicated buses that they could use to go wherever they want, to collect donated blood anywhere. In order for that to work, these buses have to be equipped with the usual equipment that are needed to collect and preserve the collected blood. I believe Sir, that these buses could either be brand new, or these could be rebuilt and refurbished from old buses that are either confiscated by the LTFRB or repossessed by the banks. The rebuilding and refurbishing could either be done by TESDA students, or these could be subcontracted to SMEs that are in the business of automotive repair. If we do that, we could be providing livelihood to the employees of these small businesses. For example, many of these SMEs are doing business in Las Pinas City and Cavite Province. Since PBC is a government agency under the DOH, it would probably be easy to convince the Congress to appropriate a new line item, specifically for the PBC, for the purpose of procuring new buses for mobile blood connection. Based on my own experience as a former Director of PCSO, there is no hindrance for the government to donate to PRC, since it is practically a quasi-government agency, if we could call it that. Because of its track record and its credibility, I do not think that it would be difficult for the government to also donate old or new buses to DADB, even if it is a private NGO. In closing Mr. President, may I respectfully request you to investigate the present system of using the drivers’ licenses issued by LTO to allow license owners to donate their organs in the event of their death? I am making this request because there appears to be no system that could enable or operationalize it. IKE SENERES/10-09-2024

THE REAL DIGITAL DIVIDE

THE REAL DIGITAL DIVIDE Dear Mr. President: What is the digital divide? Perhaps you have been asked that question, and perhaps you have come up with many answers. To begin with, Wikipedia defines the digital divide as “unequal access to digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and the internet”. Techtarget defines the digital divide as “the term that defines the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology (ICT) and those that don’t or have restricted access”. Techtarget also says that this technology can include “telephone, television, personal computers and internet connectivity”. The Internet society offers a definition that is similar to Techtarget, because they say that the digital divide is “the gap between those who have and do not have access to computers and the internet”. However, the society argues that the digital divide is multifaceted, because it includes many other factors such as availability, affordability, quality of service and relevance. On the other hand, Microsoft Copilot defines the digital divide as “the gap created by unequal access to modern telecommunications technology among different demographic groups and regions”. However, the AI tool also says that the digital divide encompasses many other dimensions, namely access, skills and affordability. Mr. President, I think that it could be argued that right now, access to internet connectivity may be available, but it is not affordable. Looking back, my friend, the late ICT expert Louie Casambre once told me that it is not true that internet in the Philippines is slow. He said that fast internet is available in the Philippines, but it is expensive. Extrapolating from what Louie said, it is clear that the solution is to make fast internet available to everybody. Setting aside the technical definitions, I believe Mr. President that the “social divide” is the real cause of the “digital divide”. In other words, most of our people could not afford the faster devices and the faster internet, because they are poor. Simply put, the poorer Filipinos will be able to cross the digital divide on their own if only the gap of the “social divide” could be bridged. In the meantime that we could not bridge that gap, I have some suggestions as to how we could make internet faster not only for the rich, but also for the poor. Firstly, we should broaden the participation of telcos in the Internet Exchange (IX), so that no provider of bandwidth would be excluded. Secondly, we should fully utilize that broadened IX by expanding our local cache of “cookies”, instead of our Internet Service Providers (ISPs) fetching these “cookies” all the time from the same servers abroad. Thirdly, we should promote more interconnectivity agreements between telcos, so that signals could seamlessly “pass through” between them. Fourthly, the DICT should shift its focus from providing “last mile” connectivity to building a broader “backbone” for internet connectivity. Ever since my time as the Director General of the National Computer Center, I have always said that there is nothing wrong with a national infrastructure that is built through a “patchwork” of all telco connections. I still believe in that, Mr. President, but looking into the future, I now believe that our new focus should be on a broader backbone that the government owns, a backbone that even the private ISPs could also use. IKE SENERES/10-08-2024

GREY AREAS IN GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS

GREY AREAS IN GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS Dear Mr. President: May I ask who is going to be the arbiter or referee whenever there are overlaps in functions between two or more government agencies? I imagine that there would be no problem if these agencies would just cooperate and collaborate with each other, but what if they are unable to settle their differences and they would just end up throwing blame at each other or finger pointing at each other? Allow me to cite some examples. Who is supposed to take the lead in waste to energy projects? Is it supposed to be the DENR that is supposed to handle waste? Or is it supposed to be the DOE that is supposed to handle energy generation? Or is it supposed to be the DILG since it is the one that could direct or influence the waste to energy projects of LGUs? Who is supposed to take the lead in producing and promoting the use of biofuels? Is it supposed to be the DA, since the production of biofuels is supposed to be all about planting biofuel sources? Or is it supposed to be the DOE since it is responsible for our energy security? Or is it supposed to be the DENR since many of the plants that are producing biofuels are within their jurisdictions? For example, the nipa palms that grow next to mangroves are found in many protected areas. Who is supposed to take the lead in controlling and regulating the use of plastics in consumer packaging? Is it supposed to be the DTI? Or is it supposed to be the DENR? For example, I see a lot of fast-food containers that are now using plastic instead of biodegradable containers. I think as a rule, the use of plastic containers should be banned for dine-in use, and biodegradable containers should be used instead. Who is supposed to take the lead in overall flood control programs? Is it supposed to be the DPWH? But since that same flood water could also be used for irrigation, is the NIA also supposed to have a role? And since that same flood water could also be used for drinking, is the NWRB also supposed to have a role? Is there a task force that could coordinate all these? Or could the Office of the President (OP) do it? Mr. President, since the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) has been abolished, what office is now responsible for preparing the agenda for the cabinet meetings for purposes of coordination? Is it the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES)? Or is it the Presidential Management Staff (PMS)? I think that it should be the latter, because the PMS is not only a coordinating office, but also the think tank of the President. Perhaps the function of preparing the agenda items for the Cabinet meetings has been transferred to the PMS? Perhaps that includes the agenda item for the LEDAC also? IKE SENERES/10-07-2024

HOW ABOUT A DIALYSIS BUS?

HOW ABOUT A DIALYSIS BUS? Dear Mr. President: Going to private dialysis centers is not a problem for rich people because in most cases, they would probably have their own private vehicles. Either that, or the rich people could afford to take a taxi or use one of those ride hailing apps that could cost an arm or a leg. In other words, the poor people are forced to take public transportation, and depending on where they are coming from, they may have to take several rides before they could arrive at their chosen dialysis clinics. Since it is a well-known fact that many of these poor dialysis patients are already weak and old, and it is really a struggle for them to take the bus or take the jeepney, why don’t we think of other ways to make commuting easier for them? As I recall, when I was a director at the PCSO, our board approved many requests for the so-called “patient transport vehicles” or PTVs for short. Unlike ambulances, PTVs are only for non-emergency transport of patients, but they are often used as ambulances if there is nothing else available. Most of our public utility buses are not equipped to accommodate senior citizens and PWDs. In the meantime that we could not require those features, we should deploy as many PTVs as possible, hopefully at least one per barangay. Better still, we should issue national standards so that the required features will always be present, regardless of who procures them. For example, these could be equipped with handlebars and wheelchair ramps. Putting dialysis machines inside dedicated buses is not a new idea, because other countries are already doing it. As a matter of fact, I will not be surprised if a private company or an LGU is already doing it in the Philippines. I do not think that it requires rocket science to come up with our own local designs. Even if it does, I am sure that our local engineers will rise to the challenge. I think that the biggest design challenges will be the power supply and the water supply for the bus, but the engineers could handle that too. “If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain”. That is the original expression, but in this case, the mountain could go to Mohammed if we can put dialysis machines into dedicated buses. I can imagine how difficult it is for patients in the cities to go to their dialysis centers, riding only in jeepneys and buses. However, I could also imagine that it would even be more difficult to do that in the rural areas, where the patients may have to cross seas or traverse mountains just to go to the dialysis centers. Mr. President, I think that this project, if you will support it, will need the participation of several National Government Agencies (NGAs) such as the DOTr, the LTFRB, the LTO, the DOST, the PHILMECH and of course the DOH. For funding purposes, perhaps PCSO, PAGCOR, DILG and DBM could be tapped. By the way Sir, there is an existing foundation that is already doing this kind of an approach. “Hospital on Wheels”, founded by Dr. Jim Sanchez has been going to remote areas, mostly in poor communities, to perform surgical, medical, dental and optical services for free. Perhaps you could just coordinate with Dr. Sanchez to implement this project? IKE SENERES/10-06-2024

LOCAL EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER SYSTEM

LOCAL EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AND DISASTER SYSTEM Dear Mr. President: It is widely known that as of now, there is no integrated national system that would allow our citizens to ask for help wherever they are, using only their mobile phones. As it is supposed to be, anyone should be able to dial 911 from either a landline or a cellphone from anywhere, but that does not seem to be the case. As it is now, no one could call 911 from anywhere at any time, because depending on what city or municipality you are calling from, you may have to dial another emergency number, such as 168 or 117. And as it is now, depending on where you are, you could not directly dial the three-digit emergency 911 number, because you might have to dial a local area code, which defeats the purpose of a short number that is easy to remember. Mr. President, given all these limitations, I believe that it is necessary to try another approach, and that is why I decided to work with a team of Filipino developers to come up with a homegrown local mobile app that could be a supplement to the existing 911 system. The Local Emergency Assistance and Disaster System (LEADS) is designed to receive mobile alerts from pre-registered users predominantly composed of private sector membership group of first responders. They serve to provide necessary assist to disaster management team of the LGU. At the onset of getting the first alarm report the emergency ID issued as a service ticket by the system. Copies of these ticket alerts will be issued by a local Command Center (COMCEN) managed by an artificial intelligence (AI) software that will be dispatched to each service group that is directly under the mayor. These could be the PNP, BFP, and the EMT units. The incident ticket information will then appear on the cellphone of the pre-registered member. Mr. President, once all categories are filled up, the mobile app issues an alarm ticket as a reference for all service departments of the LGU. The geo-location of the original report is determined by the nearest cell site so that there will be no scammers or pranksters since all forensics info of the report are determined as the reports are completed and submitted. These actions are managed by the ground commander. All traces of actions taken by all the departments needed to completely respond to the threat appears as incident management updates. Only the ground commander on duty can go over the air to troubleshoot issues that may arise. So, whether it is fire, rescue, ambulance or police related, only one is responsible. It is the ground commander on duty who makes the reports, debriefs the mayor or talks to the press. As I mentioned earlier Mr. President, this is a much simpler supplement to the 911 system, and yet it could become more efficient in comparison. It is simple because all that are needed are mobile phones which everybody has anyway. Of course, the system would need pro-active mayors which you could easily mobilize, working perhaps with the DILG Secretary. Admittedly, Mr. President, this system will only work if the cell sites are not down, and if the internet signals are not down. That is the reason Sir, why we need to back up this system not only with VHF/UHF radios, but also with satellite phones, preferably the heavy duty, military grade ruggedized which the private sector first responder group can readily afford. While some might argue that these are expensive pieces of equipment, I will also argue that there is no price to the many human lives that could be saved by an efficient emergency assistance and emergency services support system. IKE SENERES/10-05-2024

MAKING TRAFFIC FLOW FASTER

MAKING TRAFFIC FLOW FASTER Dear Mr. President: I think that it is wrong to ask if there is “traffic” or not, because there is always a “traffic flow” whenever there is at least one vehicle on the road. Perhaps it is our wrong understanding of the term “traffic” is one of the reasons why we have not solved the problem after all these years. In other words, the problem is not the “traffic” itself because it is always there. The problem or the challenge is how to make it flow faster. Internationally, the flow of traffic is always measured in terms of travel time from point to point. For example, it could be measured in terms of hour many kilometers per hour is covered when driving from Alabang to Monumento. Or in other words, how many minutes it takes to travel the same distance. And to measure whether there is an improvement or not, the data from one point in time should be compared against another point in time. So how can we make the flow of traffic go faster? The obvious answer to that is to either widen the streets or to lessen the vehicles that are using the streets. I think that some Local Government Units (LGUs) have already widened the streets where it is possible, but if that is not possible in some places, they could also try clearing the streets of many obstructions, including vehicles that are illegally parked temporarily, but sometimes permanently. How do we lessen the vehicles that are using the streets? I think that the more the public transport system will become better, the more people will give up their cars, or at least they will reduce their rate of usage. But my favorite solution to the problem is stricter enforcement of traffic related laws, such as emissions standards and safety standards. I think that the more the government will strictly enforce emissions standards, the more vehicles could be banned from the streets. It might sound unrelated, but the more the government become stricter in issuing driver’s licenses, the lesser bad drivers will be banned from driving, for whatever reason. The problem is, there is still a lot of corruption in the issuance of driver’s licenses. And I think that the Insurance Commission (IC) could also help by building a database of moving violators, so that they could increase the premiums of those drivers that have terrible driving records. Mr. President, as far as I know, the government is not yet fully utilizing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in traffic planning and management systems. For that matter, the government is also not yet using ICT tools in creating and scheduling the departure and arrival of buses, aside from not being able to designate and build good quality bus stops that are safe to use. Ideally, the public would find it easy to plan their bus trips if they could know when a bus will arrive and stop in a certain bus stop. There could be a long list of data sources that could be used for traffic planning, among them are data sets from satellite and drone providers. IKE SENERES/10-04-24

INCOMPLETE PUBLIC HOSPITALS AND CLINICS

INCOMPLETE PUBLIC HOSPITALS AND CLINICS Dear Mr. President: It is a well-known fact that most if not all our public hospitals and clinics are lacking in beds, medical equipment and other devices that are necessary in treating patients and saving lives. Every year, the two houses of Congress allocate new funding for the Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act (GAA). And yet, year in and year out, the problem of lacking beds, equipment and devices always remain unsolved. Why is that so? Do the members of our Congress not know that healthcare is one of our top priorities? Or do the members of our Congress not know how to prioritize their appropriations? Or could it be that there really is not enough money to go around, such that the appropriations are almost always never enough? Or could it be that the officials of the DOH do not know how to manage their funds wisely? Or perhaps these DOH officials are the ones who do not know how to prioritize their expenses? Or perhaps the DOH also falls victim to corruption, such that the funds that are intended for beds, equipment and devices are practically stolen? Of course, I can understand that misappropriation and corruption could happen, but how long will that continue, and when will it ever end? Meanwhile, only God knows how many people have already died over the years, because of the lack of these resources. Does the DOH ever gather that data at all? Does the DOH ever tell our Congress about how many patients die because of these lacking or missing resources. I think that if these facts are presented to our Congress, their change of priorities would somehow change. In theory, the government is bigger and richer than all the private hospitals combined. What that means is that in theory, the government could make all our public hospitals bigger and richer than any private hospital, or any group of private hospitals. By comparison, it is easier for our public hospitals raise funds by way of appropriations, compared to the private hospitals who would find it harder to raise funds by way of new investments. Mr. President, I am aware that the goal of making public hospitals and clinics 100% complete could not happen overnight. To be fair, you may not be able to solve this problem within your remaining term. I believe however that it is within your power to start the ball rolling. I believe that you can make a roadmap that could be completed by your successors in due time. In fairness to the DOH however, this problem could only be solved by several agencies working together. Offhand, I think that you should mobilize not only the DOH, but also the DOST, the DICT, the DAP, the PMS and the DBM. The DOST and the DICT should be included, because I believe that we could design some of our own equipment and devices, instead of importing them. The DAP and PMS should be included because they are our two top government think tanks. The DBM should be included, not only because of their budget function, because of their management role. IKE SENERES/10-03-2024

HOW ABOUT USING DRONES?

HOW ABOUT USING DRONES? Dear Mr. President: In layman terms, a drone could be defined simply as a flying robot, because that is what it is. As a matter of fact, even grade school students are now capable of making makeshift robots, using microcomputers or mini motherboards such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. These robots could do basic tasks such as walking, jumping and fighting. With some more programming, these robots could already be made to fly, hence they become drones. Contrary to popular knowledge, drones could not only fly, but they could also walk or crawl on land, and dive or swim underwater. If their bodies or casings could be made to be waterproof, they could dive or swim. I am not qualified to talk about using drones for combat purposes, but in response to requests from some of my readers, I decided to write about building drones for whatever purpose, but not necessarily for war purposes. However, I will not hesitate to say that all drones that are designed for civilian use could easily be configured for military use. The possibilities for using drones for peacetime purposes are endless. Among the possible uses are for agriculture, for environmental protection, for traffic management, for urban planning, for disaster rescue and relief and for police surveillance. But even if we will not run out of ideas about how we put drones to good use, we could certainly run out of money if we will keep on importing these drones from foreign countries. And that is my main point Mr. President, that we should come out with a national policy that would require all National Government Agencies (NGAs) and Local Government Units (LGUs) to buy only drones that are made only in the Philippines, because I am very sure that we could make these 100% locally. And what is my proof that we could make 100% of our drones locally? My answer to that is very simple. The key to good drone design is good engineering, backed up by good programming. Mr. President, it is a well-known fact that we have some of the best engineers and programmers in the world, and they are so good that foreign companies are pirating them from right under our eyes. For example, we are so amazed at what Engineer Dado Banatao has done, but how many more like him are just waiting to be discovered and put to good use? Even if I am not a programmer myself, I have worked with so many of them, enough for me to confidently say that they are among the best in the world. It does not matter what programming language is required, because they could learn it quickly, even if they don’t know it yet. Name it, and they know it. From the old programming languages like COBOL and Assembler to the newer ones like Java and Phyton, it’s all chicken feed to them. Perhaps in the past, Mr. President, our country might have missed out in the business of making computers, but now we have the chance of making our own drones. Not only for our own use, but perhaps even for export also. IKE SENERES/10-02-2024

DATABASES OF SENIOR CITIZENS

DATABASES OF SENIOR CITIZENS Dear Mr. President: Technically senior citizens are not in the same category as Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), but in a manner of speaking, many seniors have already lost their abilities to function normally, such that they would already need some of the facilities that are intended for PWDs. But if I may ask you Sir, what does it take for a senior citizen to be considered as a PWD? Is it a cane? Or a walker? Obviously, it is not a wheelchair because if a senior citizen must use a wheelchair, that will already qualify him or her to be a PWD. Aside from some listings in the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in the Local Government Units (LGUs), that are probably mostly in paper form, there appears to be no reliable electronic databases that are hosted anywhere, at both the national and local levels. As proof of that, most of the local senior citizen’s cards and discount booklets are still in paper form. Aside from that, there is no real monitoring of local business establishments that are not honoring the required senior citizen’s discounts. Because of the lack of senior citizen’s databases, it is often difficult for NGAs and LGUs to distribute social welfare assistance packages that are intended for them. The problem I think is that these government units do not know who these senior citizens are and where they live, meaning how they could be contacted. For that matter, most of them would already need other people that could be contacted in case of an emergency, and the numbers of these people should be listed too. As far as I know, the fire departments in some countries have a database of senior citizens and PWDs in the homes and residential buildings in their areas of jurisdictions, such that they would know who to rescue first, in the event of a fire or any other emergencies such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. Here in the Philippines, not only the BFP should have that, but also the PNP and the NDRRMC. I believe sir that it should be the DILG that should be on top of all that. Mr. President, it is very easy to design and build databases nowadays. Even high school kids can do it, using Microsoft Excel or any spreadsheet using Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS). What is important is that the spreadsheet files could be converted into Comma Separated Values (CSV) files so that it could be exported into any database system or format. I would hope that most of the NGAs or LGUs would already have the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) staff who could do that, otherwise they could hire ICT consultants or contractors. As an alternative Mr. President, there are already mobile apps that were purposely developed to service the needs of senior citizens. Most of these mobile apps are available on a subscription basis only, and therefore there is no longer a need to go through a complicated bidding process. What is good about these mobile apps is that they could work in any device, such as a laptop, a tablet or a mobile phone, both in Android and Apple operating systems. IKE SENERES/10-01-24