SYSTEM: a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method. – The New Oxford American Dictionary
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The design and implementation of systems are not easy. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that people tend to trivialize the system design tasks. Testing possible systems tends to be overlooked. Consequently, flawed systems are established which leads to abuse.
A recent example was the systems associated with the use of the Home Quarantine Pass (HQP) in Bacolod City.
The HQP entitles the authorized household member, aged 18 to 59, to go out of their homes to undertake the following transactions within the City. (In my case, Bacolod):
* Buy food at the public market, nearest supermarket, or grocery.
* Buy medicines and related goods at any nearest pharmacy.
* Buy water at any nearest water-refilling station.
* Transact with any bank or nearest money transfer establishment.
These transactions are to be undertaken between 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
In our case the first port of call is, of necessity, our local bank. Typical of our financial institutions, these keep gentlemanly hours which means it is impossible to undertake all the tasks within the 7-10am window since banks only open at 9 a.m.
System designers need to think about this as part of the systems design process.
Herding people within tight time constraints is, of course, contrary to the social distancing objective. Crowded establishments are, in any case, the bugbear of those who need to quickly provide household requirements.
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The good news is that government decision-making has been decisive and speedy.
The not-so-good news is that there are those who carp at those who are trying to implement the decisions made. I was particularly concerned when Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Luis Raymund Villafuerte said in the context of the emergency subsidy program. “Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) leadership appears bereft of any sense of urgency.” This is patently untrue.
I was also concerned about the NBI criticisms of Mayor Vico Sotto, and Vice President Leni Robredo. The populace voted for Solto and Robredo. No-one voted for NBI officers. In a democracy, the elected ones are treated with more respect.
We should subject NBI to the existential question. Why does it exist? I cannot give a satisfactory answer. We have the Philippine National Police (PNP). Why not fold NBI into PNP to form a unified crime-busting agency?
Some say the Americans have a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). So we should have an NBI. But this is because, due to the historical accident of having 13 self-contained States, created by the English king, the US, when it was eventually created, had a federal system. Expensive and with an unnecessary extra layer of government. Even last week, President Trump blamed the States for the shortage of equipment and facilities for combating COVID-19.
Is this a State problem or a Federal one?
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In Bacolod City, decision-making is bizarre and dilatory. For at least a decade we have had finger-pointing as to what we should do with household refuse. Once again, we have those who claim authority to be unable to develop a system which can be implemented. The bossy ones say that it is our fault that we do not know how to segregate refuse in fact, it is our beloved leaders who have been unable to bring about the desired outcome.
Bacolod also has a strange decision-making environment when it comes to the city’s purchase of electricity. Our local entity, the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) believes it is owed much money by the City. But whenever Ceneco gently requests that it be put in funds, the City claims the Ceneco owes much in a “franchise” tax (whatever that means).
The lack of strong systems means that decision-making is a mess. Recently, people who arrived here from elsewhere became PUMs (people under monitoring). But the monitoring seemingly does not always include testing to see whether or not they have the virus. Nor does it include monitoring in the sense of knowing where they are. So they disappear. Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran says they should be arrested.
On what charge?
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Our little systems have their day;
They have their day and cease to be:
They are but broken lights of thee,
And thou, O Lord, art more than they.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
In Memoriam A.H.H (1850) Prologue/PN
