Reconstruction Toward a Tiger Economy
For him, the first requirement to reconstruct Metro Manila, and then to turn it into a progressive economy, is for the leadership to have a political will.
That will require a leadership that can address corruption, criminality, and climate change.
The rest of the needs for rebuilding Metro Manila, out of the onslaught of disastrous typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, have long been detailed in historic and scientific urban plans for the metropolis.
These urban plans go back to the city plan in 1905 of American Architect Daniel Burnham and a comprehensive Metro Manila plan (Metroplan) in 1976-1977 that well accounted the great flood of 1970.
Integrated with the will to put into reality these plans, Arch. Felino A. Palafox Jr., managing partner and founder of multinational urban planning-architectural firm Palafox Associates, believes the elements of making Philippines a great nation are all there.
“We were No. 1 in Asia in 1935. We’re No. 2 in the world in 1965. We’re No. 1 in the world in marine biodiversity, No. 1 in the world in the number of sailors. I’d like to believe we’re No. 1 in building. We’re No. 2 in BPO (business process outsourcing) and call centers, No. 2 in the longest coastline, No. 5 in mineral resources, No. 1 in human resources, said Palafox.
“Filipino expatriates overseas are serving kings, queens, presidents, and prime ministers. They are the preferred employees of the world. If we Filipinos work hard as those Filipinos abroad, I think we can be a great nation.”
But first, according to him, let us make our people a priority in all our plans for economic development.
For some time, Palafox has been advocating a development where the Filipino workforce will be given a premiere position by providing them an affordable housing right in the urban area so that they will have easier access to their workplaces– and from there increase their productivity.
“Like Paris and Venice, the city of Manila should have medium-rise (residential) buildings, not single family homes. But what we did was we constructed one, two-story homes. We went urban sprawling, unlike our progressive-thinking neighbors Singapore, Hongkong, Japan, and Korea. They went vertical urbanism. Eighty-two percent of Singaporeans live in public housing for a 100-year lease. (With us,) we’ve practically covered the whole ground. That’s why even our drainages are all clogged. We have no more open spaces,” he said.
When the Americans left, we have forgotten about the 1905 Burnham plan which must have made Metro Manila a beautiful and a culture-rich place to live in.
The Pasig River should have been designed after Paris’s River Seine, the best known river in France and a great tourist attraction; the esteros of Manila, after the canals of Venice, a city tagged by a New York Times author to be “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man”; and Manila Bay, after Italy’s Naples Bay which is a World Heritage Site.
Instead of taking on a European pattern for the water resource-rich sites, Metro Manila has been patterned after Los Angeles.
“It’s a big planning mistake under Burnham’s standards,” Palafox said. “Los Angeles was designed for automobile and has the land resources we don’t have. America produces its own cars, we don’t produce our own.”
Makati was designed for automobiles, rather than for pedestrians, even if 80% of people go to Makati via public transportation while only 20% use their cars.
The first mode of transportation in Metro Manila should be walking, followed by bicycle. This is healthier for people and the environment. The third is public transport (trains, buses), and the last is by private vehicles.
Metro Manila should have first of all built condominium-type housing for its workforce. This may be patterned aftter Massachussett’s Anti-Snob Zoning, administered by its Department of Housing and Community Development, which allowed the construction of affordable housing within the urban area for low and moderate-income families.
“This is why they don’t have social unrest in Boston, unlike in Los Angeles where the poor is outside the gated community of the rich,” he said.
Changes in the rules of building is also a major requirement to rebuild Metro Manila.
“The Building Code has to be reviewed. In New York, they require a cistern for every building to harvest rainwater so that release of rainwater will not be simultaneous and to reduce flooding. You can postpone release of water in your house, and use the water for irrigation, fire protection, and recycling.”
There are legal provisions in the developed world for building water retention ponds so water release does not cause flooding.
In the Philippines, there are no differences based on geographic feature in vehicle parking provisions in the Building Code. Provisions are the same for Makati, Jolo, and Batanes, even if Makati has more cars than anywhereelse.
Subdivision rules are the same, regardless of topography, whether you’re in a hillside or in a flat area which is 70% more saleable while hillside houses, being usually less costly, can afford to and should have more open spaces for planting trees.
In a 23-point recommendation to reconstruct Metro Manila filed with Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Reconstruction Commission (RC) headed by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Chief Manny Pangilinan, Palafox’s foremost advice is to construct the Paranaque spillway long proposed in the Metroplan.
Rather than resigning to the idea that Ondoy typhoon’s destruction was “an act of God,” Palafox asserts that these destructions are actually under man’s control.
How evident that must be since such deep flooding in Metro Manila that submerged surrounding Laguna Lake towns, the Marikina Valley, and the northern part of Manila (Navotas, Bulacan) occured already in 1970 and way back in 1919.
“We saw in 1975 that these areas are liable to flooding which already happened in 1919. In 12 out of 17 years that we studied, we found out these places were going to be flooded,” said Palafox.
Taking stock of what happened in this 1970 calamity, the Metroplan prepared over 14 months from January 1976 to
February 1977 a master plan for Metro Manila that included construction of the spillway. Commissioned by the then Department of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications to Freeman Fox and Associates (FFA), the Metroplan was funded by World Bank and tapped about 40 Filipinos and 20 foreign technocrats.
In “Problems Related to Water,” FFA proposed the five-kilometer Paranaque spillway. For this, P188 million was allocated under Presidential Decree No. 1062 signed on Dec. 15, 1976 by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
PD 1062 considered that the flood control and drainage form part of the infrastructure needed to accelerate socio-economic development.
Thus, PD 1062 allocated P720 million for 13 flood control projects nationwide of which the biggest was the Paranaque Spillway. The Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure in Rizal, now called Manggahan Floodway, was actually constructed from the P100 million appropriation by PD 1062.
PD 1062 flood also provided fund for the following flood control projects– Tarlac River, Guiman-Porac-Caulaman River in Pampanga, Asingan-San Manuel in Pangasinan, Samar Integrated Area, Schistomiasis River, Lake Mainit, Mag-Asawang Tubig in Oriental Mindoro, Tagoloan River in Misamis Oriental, Agno River in Pangasinan, and Cotabato River.
The Paranaque spillway is considered as the least costly route to channel Laguna Lake’s excess water to Manila Bay, being the shortest. But the spillway has not been implemented at all since this may have been blocked by influential residents of Paranaque, according to analysts.
By 1983, the Metropolitan Manila Commission’s Office of the Commissioner for Planning cancelled the Panaque spillway project under the Capital Investment Folio report.
Now, there is a need to implement the project.
“We cannot afford without it, we’ll lose billions of pesos and hundreds of lives. How can you quantify that? A cost-benefit analysis will show there will be far more benefit than cost,” said Palafox. “Laguna Lake is like a bath tub with 21 faucets (21 rivers spilling water into it) without a drain, like toilet without flush. That drain will be the spillway.”
But from the original P188 million, the Paranaque spillway now needs P20 billion to be constructed.
A proposal has come up constructing a spillway that would discharge flood water from the Laguna Lake to the Pacific Ocean. But this involves an infrastructure several times more costly than Paranaque with more than 50 kilometers passing through the mountainous terrain of Sierra Madre in Quezon.
“I think it’s ridiculous and very costly. Imagine doing the spillway in the mountains,” said Palafox.
Most of Palafox’s recommendations filed with the Office of the President (OP) and RC 22 have long been embodied in documents filed with several agencies of the government, including some major projects under the 3,133-page Metroplan that has been shelved for 32 years.
The 100-day plan from last Sept. 26 when the Ondoy flooding happened involves dredging of rivers, esteros, and lakes; construction of pontoon walkways (ramps or floating systems); relocation of people to higher ground; design of the spillway; and master planning of Metro manila.
The short term up to 2010 involves enforcement of setbacks and easements along shoreline which must include two buildings in Malacanang to be pushed back in order to allow for a 10-meter easement from the Pasig River.
The medium-term plan up to 2016 creates green islands from dredged materials to house the urban poor. Landfill and water treatment facilities are established, and the spillway is finally constructed.
For the long term, catch basins must be reforested.
Under the rules and regulations for these short to long term planning, government should establish a 100-year flood line, control (prohibit building) development in flooding-prone areas, build higher than the 100-year flood line and in consideration of the predicted one meter water level rise arising from climate change, build elevated walkways and sky-bridges that would connect buildings above flood waters; flood-proof (design and construction) houses, schools, and other structures.
His 6 to 12 recommendations are implement the 1905 Burnham Plan, Metroplan, and 2003 Manila Megalopolis Concept Plan 2020; create a master plan for flood control, drainage, sewerage, and pollution; implement pollution abatement measures, reforest hills and mountains, and revise subdivision regulations.
While the reconstruction and redesign of Metro Manila may entail a huge amount, many multilateral financiers are ready to lend to the Philippines specially as it has been hit by a disaster, according to Palafox.
Besides, the country is acknowledged by global leaders as among the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change and global warming even if it is not a contributor to it, being an unindustrialized, non-energy intensive country.
Palafox urges that the government now grab the financing for disaster which is normally good for six months. Or a disaster may hit another country and that amount may be transfered to another, just like Palafox’s experience of losing grant fund supposedly for the typhoon disasters in Quezon.
There are many other fund sources aside from the China loan for $15 billion eyed by the RC.
“Three big companies from Europe just came here offering their help. They can help in engineering, construction, new technology, and in making projects bankable for fund sourcing. These are multinational companies that may be bigger than us in GDP (gross domestic product),” he said.
These companies may seek donations from their government for certain equipment that would be useful in the reconstruction effort. It is estimated that some P30 billion in cost of property has been destroyed in the country by the recent typhoons.
Palafox himself is donating a big share of his professional fees.
“I offered to the president a big portion of my professional fee. Of course I have to be paid also because I’m paying salaries of people. But I will give a generous discount for fees for architecture, urban planning, master planning , and engineering. What is important for me is to get people’s cooperation and the needed information and data and that everything is done professionally,” he said.
A graduate for his high school at the Christ the King Seminary and earlier intending to become a priest, Palafox opted to rather pursue Architecture at the University of Sto. Tomas in his love for it as a “functional” art. He finished it in 1972.
Right after having been part of the Metroplan, he was offered a job by the Dubai government to become part of Dubai’s highly-advanced urban planning and since then imbibed a global concept for building specially lately, towards environment-friendly, green architecture.
Going back to Manila to end up as Ayala Corp.’s chief architect, Palafox decided he could do more by putting up his own. He then built the only Filipino architectural firm that landed in the World Architecture’s Top 100 as Top 94 as of 2006. That is in terms of highest fee earnings, biggest firms, and busiest market sectors. The company is also a holder of a TUV certification and ISO quality management and environmental management certificates.
Palafox Associates has designed structures in practically all the world’s populated continents– Asia, North and South America, Australia, and Europe. In the Philippines, the company completed conceptual development plan for many local governments– Sagay City, Guimaras, Roxas City, Nasugbu, Cavite, Bulacan, Puerto Princesa, Iwahig in Palawan, Pasig River, Quezon City, and Paranaque.
It designed mixed-use complexes– Rockwell Center, Makati Avenue, Exchange Plaza, Zuellig-Sime Darby, Cubao, Subangdaku in Cebu; residential communities– Sta. Elena Golf Course, The Country Club, Manila Southwoods, Splendido Taal, Forest Hills; business parks– The Millennium of Davao City, Bacolod, Iloilo Corporate Center; commercial centers– SM, Robinsons, Waltermart.
Palafox took up further studies to fortify a strength that he had all along– first a master in Environmental Planning at the University of the Philippines as a United Nations scholar and then an Advanced Management Development Program for Real Estate at the Harvard University in 2003.
While some people who hear him take a vocal and strong stance against corruption and government inefficiencies accuse him of being interested to run for politics, Palafox rather veers away from real involvement in government. He rather stays as a consultant of the RC, even for free, than be a part of it.
He believes the country can compete with Singapore as a transport hub as Clark and Subic were found to be highly strategically positioned by the Americans before they left these more than 10 years ago.
“There are 92 million Filipinos versus four million Singaporeans. Clark and Subic are bigger than Singapore. Hire a Lee Kuan Yew to run them, and they will be competing against Singapore. Singapore is smaller than Laguna Lake and is just the size of Guimaras. It just happened to have excellent, benevolent, visionary, honest leaders. The quality of leadership is excellent. They don’t have obsolete laws and have more effective implementation.”
Government should review the designs of major airports, even those that are being constructed, specially in light of climate change.
“Majority of our airports are under water because they are designed worngly. We have millions of Filipinos abroad. How can we send and receive them if majority of our airports are flooded? How can we encourage tourism if majority of our airports are flooded?”
To effectively enforce laws and prevent criminality, government should start protecting the welfare of policemen. Palafox said they should be given decent housing within the urban area. And those killed while on duty should be duly buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“They’re treated like second class citizens when they’re supposed to be enforcing laws, preventing criminality. How can you prevent criminality when 62% of our policemen are squatters or live in squatter areas. And 80% of police precincts are squatting. They don’t own the land.”
Palafox has been talking with the Habitat for Humanity, Gawad Kalinga, and big landowners to seek for the construction of decent housing for them.
But his hope is really to see spaces in military camps provided for these law enforcers as much as for low-income urban workers.
“Our military camps, located in very expensive urban areas, are under-utilized. We have single-story buidings for generals. Why not multi-story? It’s just institutional constraint. We have huge military camps, government institutions in the wrong places like he Quezon Institute for tuberculosis which should be elsewhere.
“The largest real este owner is government. Maybe 10-20% of Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo could be (multi-story) housing for policemen and soldiers. Maybe generals should just be given playing rights in private camps. Give up the golf courses for urban housing. Make it affordable for them. It doesnt have to be freehold, maybe 100 year-leasehold, or three generations.”
A big headache for many people engaged in beautification for decades now, the Pasig River should be freed of its illegal settlers if it has to improve immensely.
“We need to move illegal settlers including the two buildings of Malacanang. I told the president, if a good leader must be good, he must be an exemplar not exempted. The two buildings of Malacanang are encroaching on the Pasig River’s 10-meter easement. So before you move the 10,000 squatter families, you should start with Malacanang.”
Yes, the Philippines can indeed be a great nation, even a tiger economy in just six years, if only it will have very hardworking people and a leadership that will address corruption, criminality, and climate change.
China may be known to also have widespread corruption, but still enjoys brisk growth rates that has already made it a power economy. Yet China and emerging economy Vietnam have both very strict rules against corruption, according to Palafox.
“They put people into prison. Corrupt people, they execute them. So is Vietnam. In Vietnam, they will not only put the one receiving bribes to prison, but also the ones giving bribes. They execute them. I was there when that happened, not just bribe taker but also the bribe giver.”
It looks obvious why Palafox has reaped all his success, local and international. He took all the learnings first and applied them. He took care of important things– of his clients, of his people, of his family from whom he gets his strength in difficult times. He integrated every little knowledge with each other, and knew that each person in the society has worth.
A book is now being made documenting his successes, after the one that was published by Tower Publications, released in 1998, sold like hotcake. That book started selling at the Ayala Museum at P2,800. Before it got out of stock, it sold at P4,500.
For his requirement to reconstruct Metro Manila through a leadership that would address corruption, criminality, and climate change, Palafox said he cannot name his candidate yet.
“All the candidates are either my friend or my client. Manny Villar is my client. BF (Bayani Fernando) is my client. Cory (Aquino) was the most honest president we ever had. Roxas is my client. Loren is also a friend.”
So he cannot name his candidate, maybe not yet.
But he affirms he goes for honesty first, even before a person’s capability.
“Honesty and integrity is our core value. With honesty, you can hire good, capable people.”
