u/rarinthmeister

Hong Kong's MTR currently follows this model; they buy properties above/surrounding the station then collects earnings from said properties. Properties near train stations then suddenly increase in value since the demand for easy transport access is higher than usual, meaning people pay more. It is one of the reasons why it became one of the most if not only profitable rail companies in the world.

Since DOTr/LRTA's reliance on the national budget usually do not go well which leads to either shitty service (LRT-2) or eventual privatization (LRT-1), what if they decided to seek funding elsewhere? That's is where I suggest this model; buy surrounding properties and collect rent from it to support its daily operations.

I'll call it "good pres, bad governor" as that would fit in the Philippine context. Given that our local dynasties are treated like gods here, what if it was the opposite? Would it even pressure local dynasties na wala talagang equal replacement sa kanila to do better?

Actual lines proposed/in construction:

1. MRT-7 (maroon)
2. North-South Commuter Railway (red)
3. Metro Manila Subway (blue)
4. MRT-4 (orange)

My proposals:

1. MRT-5 (dark blue)
2. MRT-6 (pink)
3. MRT-8 (gold)
4. Cavite Commuter Rail (brown)

Before you call me a fascist, I still believe in what Churchill said, which is "Democracy is the worst form of government except for those other forms that have been tried".

What he did not take into account however is that the average person in the Philippines right now is shallow. All that he/she wants in a government are programs that they can easily touch. While these programs are not bad and I advocate for these programs in question (unless it is another utang na loob scheme), the problem is that certain politicians will take advantage of that to exploit them and never actually put their brains into creating long-term goals that would benefit the country in the future. This is why you see "utang na loob" being exploited, vote-buying, and personality politics, where long-term plans are shunned in favor of short-term gratification that is easily accessible. You would also see those politicians intimidating their enemies in order for them to make sure they're the only one listed in the ballot.

This gets even worse when we talk about industrialization. Since the government changes every 3-6 years, it is hard planning an industrial strategy without the successor changing/delaying it depending on how opposed he/she is to the predecessor, which hurdles our development. It's not the case in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Vietnam, when they were a dictatorship during its development and then switched to democracy afterwards (except Vietnam).

What about "voting wisely" you may ask? Well, you cannot easily convince millions and millions of Filipinos to "vote wisely" because they are not really concerned about politics, they are concerned when will they eat tomorrow and how good their favorite politician manipulates them into thinking they're right while anyone stating otherwise is an "adik", "bobotante", or any other buzzword that they use against people they don't like.

Why not amend the constitution to allow re-election every 6 years? We would still have the same problem of personality politics, with the difference being the candidate they like serves longer.

Since I do not really want authoritarianism to be implemented in the Philippines due to its disastrous consequences if it fell into the wrong hands. I instead propose solutions that complement democracy. Here are some:

1. Democracy is intact in electable positions, but appointed positions require expertise related to the institution in question - Filipinos can still vote for whoever they support, but those officials will have to follow rules in appointing cabinet officials, meaning they have to consider competence and merit.

2. Democracy is intact in electable positions, but certain institutions especially government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) are both fiscally and administratively autonomous - With the success of BSP as the best government agency focused on merit. I propose we replicate their model into other government agencies so there is some flexibility and motivation to perform the best it can that is almost equal to the ones we see in the private sector.

3. No confidence vote (works best in local governments) - This tool can be used to fix the problem of single candidates every election and is a powerful anti-dynasty measure. Basically this is a formality that you do not choose to vote in that particular local government unit (province, city, municipality, barangay), where COMELEC can set a minimum voter turnout. If the voter turnout doesn't meet the requirements, the single candidate in question and his/her other family members up to the 4th degree of consanguinity will be barred from filing the COC again.

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