Where does it come from?
Saturday, January 20th, 2007“The chief executive said the establishment of the roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ports nationwide and the creation of food lanes for trucks carrying produce to Metro Manila, have cut travel time between Mindanao and the metropolis by 10-12 hours, and costs by as much as a third for cargo and 40 percent for passengers.”
Where does this balooney come from? Even the JICA Consultants have reported that the plane fare from Manila to Cebu is only a tad higher than a first class boat fare. Check current rates with the carriers, JICA was not mistaken!
The DOTC still has to show one RRTS link which conforms to the specifications stated in EO 170. Or, at least one roro facility owned by the government that has been privatized.
Perhaps one mayor was correct when he said that “like any EO, it can easily be witdrawn, changed and altered beyond recognition. So, why would you expect the private investors and LGU officials to be gungho about an inevestment which could be jeopardized with just a stroke of a pen?”
Considering our difficulty of having Republic Acts followed to the letter, the observation definitely sounds pragmatic. Instead of the private sector being encouraged by the EO, it is now the government agencies being encouraged to raise funds for the project.Â
A good idea gone wild indeed!
