President Arroyo will miss a big opportunity to show to the people her strong political will and resolve to rid the government of non-performing assets?incompetent and negligent public officials?if upon arrival tomorrow from Davos, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Washington she will not lower the boom on the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The President knows very well the stakes involved in connection with the failure of SEC Chairman Fe Barin to wield the SEC?s regulatory powers on distressed pre-need companies. Barin?s cop-out (palusot) that she lacked enough regulatory powers to oversee the pre-need industry because of lack of personnel, even an actuary, is just too telling that she really isn?t up for the challenge.

The stakes involved here are high, very high. It?s not only educational plans but pensions and memorial services at risk.

What?s important as far as the President is concerned is to show us Filipinos that she has that will to do as she must.

And the need is for her to deliver the message that heads of agencies such as the SEC must either shape up or be shipped out. This is a great opportunity for the President to show leadership.

***

With his much-publicized acquisition of Pacific Plans Inc., businessman and former investment banker Noel O?ate of Abundance Providers and Investments Corp. has vowed to effect a financial turnaround for the ailing company within two to three years.

One of the first steps towards this seemingly ambitious endeavor was the recent dialog between Abundance Providers and Pacific plan holders. Since the announcement of PPI?s acquisition, O?ate had expressed his intention to talk to its plan holders. And talk they did at the Manila Polo Club in what has been described as a candid exchange among those present.

At the meeting, O?ate offered to buy back PPI plans and return the hard-earned money paid by plan holders, plus interest. Apparently, O?ate puts his money where his mouth is and wants to make sure that no plan holder loses a single centavo of his investment. It is certainly a much better deal than one could hope to get from other pre-need companies, like the Legacy Group of a politician-businessman, where there are now only recriminations but no solutions in sight.

The buy-back scheme is only a part of O?ate?s plan for the company. He likewise unveiled his ?core business principles? and a ?10-point action plan? during the same meeting. Underscored by a commitment to the prudent management of the company, the 10-point plan also details the proposals for re-engineering of its offerings, an aggressive marketing campaign, streamlined operations and infusion of professional management and exploration of cross-selling opportunities, among others. As proof of this commitment, Abundance Providers has vowed not to distribute any dividends to shareholders while working on the early recovery of the company.

***

Santa Banana, this is great news for the PPI plan holders and even the pre-need industry! From what I understand, even the usually noisy PEP Coalition is keeping an open mind and may even give O?ate some elbow room to get his work done.

Frankly, I was hopeful when news of the O?ate acquisition of PPI broke out, as it certainly bodes well for the entire industry. Indeed, O?ate?s efforts deserve a chance to succeed.

***

Communist insurgents and their leftist sympathizers have definitely succeeded in profiling retired Armed Forces Gen. Jovito Palparan as violator of human rights so much so that he is often rendered to as a ?butcher.?

Thus, whenever there are reports that Palparan is considered for some position in government comes the knee-jerk reaction of the leftists in Congress and media against Palparan.

Because of Palparan?s successes in counter-insurgency, particularly in Mindoro, Leyte and Samar, Palparan was tagged by the Left as some ?berdugo? or butcher, an appellation which can be considered as a compliment in the military.

But it?s no compliment for those who don?t understand what it takes to fight the enemies of the state.

Thus, it was imperative for the Left to label Palparan as a violator of human rights without regard to the fact that communist insurgents are the worst violators of the human rights when they commit atrocities in the countryside, and extort what they call ?revolutionary taxes? from businesses and from the people.

Besides, when you deal with the enemies of the state in the countryside, it?s either you kill or get killed. For people, even among my colleagues in media, who have not gone through a war, like my generation did, they don?t know what it takes to fight the enemies of the state.

In any case, that?s what happened to Palparan. The Left succeeded in profiling him so much so that label of a human rights violator precedes him.

***

I was shocked by the news that six unidentified men had strafed the vehicle of an official of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and in the process, killed the driver of the official and wounded his 14-year-old son.

?What is our country coming to?? was the Vice President Manny Pelaez lament after an attempt on his life was made many years ago. We may as well ask the same question now with that incident where the target of the attack, brazenly carried out in broad daylight, was Roberto Esquivel, head of the MMDA?s Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group.

What has Esquivel done for him to be the object of a hit squad? Police investigators surmise that the attack could be related to his work of driving away illegal vendors and confiscating their wares. If this theory is correct, something is awfully wrong in a situation where death is the reward that awaits someone who does his job with efficiency and dedication.

Imagine the horror of having lawbreakers defy authorities and even threaten them with harm if the law is applied to them. Yes, what is our country coming to? Santa Banana, mob rule or the law of the jungle?

That incident serves to underscore the mantra of MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando that for us to move ahead, we must first instill discipline. That means having the will to follow and strictly implement the law. Fernando?s no-nonsense way of making residents of the metropolis a disciplined, law-abiding lot appears to be rubbing off well on his people, but the price is stiff?the life of a driver, the wounding of a teenager, and the message that the threat to one?s life is still there.

I caught Esquivel?s interview on television, and I was impressed by his composure as he expressed his determination to continue doing his work, even as he tearfully accepted the tragic fate that befell his driver and the wounding of his son.

***

Amid all the gloom and doom reports as a result of rising costs of food and joblessness, there are also some good news.

There?s for instance the fact that tourist arrivals for 2008 breached the 3-million mark. Credit this to the innovative promotion and marketing efforts of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

Then, there?s the report that ?Asiamoney? chose PLDT as the best-managed large-cap corporate of 2008 in the Philippines for the fifth time, and its chairman, Manny Pangilinan, as the Best Executive of the Philippines.

Above all these, PLDT also won six other awards from Asiamoney. Credit all these to MVP.