Incompetence

I was looking at my files before leaving from work today, when I saw this blog entry which I wrote two weeks ago (and yes, it was at a time when I was still not doing much in the office, hehe). Anyway, here it is.

1 August 2008

Grrr. I have had it with government bureaucracy. Today, I headed to a government office to clarify some registration requirements provided for in the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. Naturally, I proceeded to the Office of Legal Affairs to talk to a lawyer who, presumably, should know the requirements of their office. 

But no (u-huh, and you see this coming), all she did was refer me to another agency and blamed them for coming up with a "vague" implementing rules and regulations (IRR). Hello! The hell about the IRR; the law specifically points to her office for a certification that is a requirement. Why the freaking hell doesn't she know about it? And worse, couldn't the lawyer and her office staff be bothered to check the law, which, by her admission, is so vague even she couldn't decipher what it means? Couldn't she spare a minute or so to call her counterpart in that other agency, and discuss the law which causes confusion? Isn't that supposed to be her job?

But more than this, if the lawyer in that agency didn't know about it, how should any company looking to invest in the Philippines know about it? It's bad enough that there are so many requirements that need be submitted; but for the government agencies not to know about them? I don't think it's acceptable. 

Not by a long mile. 

No wonder foreign investors don't favor the Philippines. Argh.

P.S.

Makmak, yes, I have seen that you tagged me. I promise to make my entry as soon as I can, hehe. ;p