Monday, April 28, 2014

Welcome President Obama to the Philippines, we need more investments & trade, not just arms & alms

Welcome Pres. Obama, we need more investments & trade, not just arms & alms

I'm inspired by the people I meet in my travels--hearing their stories, seeing the hardships they overcome, their fundamental optimism and decency…They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. --- Barack Obama

            Welcome to the intellectually brilliant, eloquent and well-intentioned U.S. President Barack Obama to Asia’s most fun-loving country the Philippines. I urge Obama to please prioritize promoting more American investments, trade and tourism here, not just rosy speeches and effusive photo-ops, not just free U.S. military access to our archipelago, not just aid, not just more sales of military weapons.

It is sad that not many of our politicians realize that the true bulwark of national security and the best foundation for our democracy is a vibrant, self-reliant and globally-competitive Philippine economy, not just more new warplanes or ships.


Image above of President Barack Obama sourced from en.wikipedia.org

            President Obama’s desire for a strategic pivot (or “rebalance”, as the White House has seemingly renamed it after supposed panic and complaints from close allies in the Middle East and Europe) to Asia should hopefully be more vigorous economically, not just on the diplomatic, military and political aspects.


Help nudge our leaders to push economic democracy

I hope pro-poor President Obama can nudge our political leaders to push more decisive socio-economic reforms such as a Theodore Roosevelt-style anti-trust law and Senator Grace Poe’s Freedom of Information (FOI) bill. How can our economy be truly dynamic if it is agriculturally semi-feudal and industrially oligopolistic?

Also, on April 22---Earth Day, ecological champion Senator Loren Legarda and director Brillante Mendoza launched a riveting documentary on the destruction of the priceless marine biodiversity in our many coastal areas where millions of the rural poor live. I urge Obama to give technological and financial aid to our environmental projects, especially since logging, mining and other huge extraction of our natural resources grew under U.S. colonial rule and mostly by the multinationals.

Despite the gitzy malls and many new condominiums in our cities, we in Philippine society still have a long way to go economically. True, we’re politically an American-style constitutional democracy, but not yet an economic democracy.

In fact, it was a tragedy that U.S. colonizers had failed to implement agrarian reform and end feudalism in the Philippines the same way they did in postwar Japan under General Douglas MacArthur. I recall reading that MacArthur once even said that if he were a Filipino, he’d most likely have been a Huk rebel in the 1950s.

True, we’ve enjoyed investment-grade ratings upgrades and high economic growth rates, but the benefits have not yet trickled down fast enough. The small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are still not yet very energized. I hope the civil libertarian Obama can nudge our leaders to push inclusive economic growth and help make the Philippines a true economic democracy with a broad-based middle-class.

U.S. once helped build up Philippine economy to No. 2 in Asia

Image above of USA and Philippine flags sourced from finestflags.com


Before at the residence of then U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney, I told her that in our ethnic Chinese family’s over two centuries here in the Philippines---including the Spanish colonial era, the brief interlude of Japanese military occupation and the post-war decades of independence---family elders say that the half-century American colonial period witnessed the rise of the Philippines into Asia’s second richest and most developed economy. Can the U.S. again more vigorously support the Philippine economy with preferential import tariffs, more investments and tourism?

            This need for stronger U.S. economic engagement with Asia should hopefully be uppermost in the agenda and priorities of Obama during his trip. We in the Philippines have received the least amount of economic aid, investments and trade from the U.S. compared to the three Asian countries Obama is visiting such as America’s former World War II foe Japan, South Korea and even Malaysia which used to be led by harsh U.S. critic ex-Prime Minister Mahathir.

More USA investments & trade with ex-foe Vietnam than ally Philippines


Image above of overlapping USA and Vietnam flags sourced from flamenkitaviajera.com

Even Vietnam, another war foe which even dealt the United States its first ever military defeat in history, has in recent years amazingly received more American investments, aid, trade and tourists than we here in the Philippines despite our “special relations”, our being the only former U.S. colony in Asia, our being staunchest U.S. ally since World War II, our fluency in American-style English as well as our having better U.S.-style legal and accounting systems here.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Manila: “The United States is among the Philippines’ top trading partners, and it traditionally has been the Philippines’ largest foreign investor… The stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in the Philippines exceeded $5 billion.”

In January this year, a firm identified with America’s prominent Rockefeller family announced a massive new investment in Vietnam. Rose Rock Group, a Rockefeller family-backed alternative investment management firm, said it shall help develop a $2.5 billion residential and hotel project in on the south-central coast of Vietnam.

This Vung Ro Bay development shall cover 200,000 square meters (2.15 million square feet) and to be developed with Vung Ro Petroleum Co. This huge undertaking will include 350 marina berths, hotels of over 760 rooms, 4,300 residential apartments, 100 townhouses and retail shops.

            On bilateral trade, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said: “The Philippines was the United States’ 33rd largest export market in 2012 and its 35th largest supplier. Goods exports totalled $8.1 billion; goods imports totalled $9.6 billion.” Two-way trade between theU.S. and the Philippines totalled US$17.6 billion. In comparison, bilateral trade volume between former enemies U.S. and Vietnam in the same year 2012 totalled US$ 24.890 billion dollars.


            President Barack Obama, let us substantially expand bilateral economic relations between the Philippines and the U.S. and help in our war against poverty.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Are the excesses of the colonial-minded Doña Victorinas & the hypocrisies of Padre Damaso still plaguing our Philippine society in this 21st century? Are the power elite of our society the true saviors of the country or have they become as morally corrupt or intellectually bankrupt as many of the Spanish colonizers of the past?

The image below of Noli Me Tangera opera performers in USA sourced from www.abs-cbnnews.com




Let me share my latest "Philippine Star" newspaper column today in the Lifestyle section's Sunday Life, it's on the September 2014 staging of the Noli Me Tangere opera in Resorts World Manila in the Philippines.

This opera is based on the controversial and "subversive" 19th century "Noli Me Tangere" novel by the national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

People say Rizal was inspired by other Western literary works and that the main protagonist Crisostomo Ibarra was actually himself, the Europe-educated idealist?

The New York City staging of the Noli opera received a mixed review from the "New York Times" last year, will it fare better qualitatively in the Philippines this year and will it be popular with the local audience?

Read my Philippine Star column below and share to others, or tell me your feedback? Best wishes!

Click the link before to read:

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2014/03/09/1298579/are-excesses-dona-victorinas-and-hypocrisies-padre-damaso-still


Image below of the Noli Me Tangere opera in New York City sourced from www.broadway.com



Missing jet, stolen passports & the need to prevent terrorism

On the tragedy of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370: Let us stop & strictly check the shocking cases of so many stolen passports, possibly used for terrorism or other transnational crimes.

Image below sourced from www.cbc.ca



Image of grieving relatives of missing Malaysian Airlines jet below sourced from www.cnbc.com



I just read in the news now from News 5 Aksyon channel of the Philippines and the CNN news channel that CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant Tom Fuentes said: "Interpol's database has 39 million records of stolen travel documents at the present time... One billion passengers a year board international flights where there's no inquiry made of that database. So it leaves an opening".

Image below of Austria passport sourced from www.tampapassports.com:




Here are my questions:

How come international airlines like Malaysian Airlines didn't stop or investigate the two stolen passports' names before selling them flight tickets, the guy from Italy and the guy from Austria? Isn't there an Internet database for Interpol and foreign governments to share or have a common list of ALL stolen passports' names?

How did the Immigration officials of Malaysia allow the two guys from passing through their airport using stolen passports? I'm impressed by the modern and high-tech airports of Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur, don't the Immigration authorities there have a computer and Internet-linked database on stolen passports, wanted criminals, wanted terrorists, etc.?

On the issue of stolen passports, it is disturbing to read that those two passports by citizens of Austria and Italy were stolen in Thailand, that tourist paradise just our neighbor. Can we request or appeal to the government of Thailand to reinforce and boost their police and law enforcement agencies, even if they have to get help from Interpol or even foreign governments like USA, China, Israel, South Korea, Germany, etc.?

Last, but not the least, how many of the world's 39 million stolen passports at present belong to citizens of the Philippines or are Filipino passports? Can the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) please tell the public or investigate this? I've read and heard reports that stealing or even illegally selling Philippine passports to others used to be not a small problem here in the Philippines.

Whether big or small problem the dilemns of stolen or illegally sold Philippine passports, what can the government of the Philippines do to boost the security features of our Philippine passports?

What can we also ultimately do to improve the security measures---did they already buy CCTV units---for all our airports here in the Philippines as part of our contribution to stop global terrorism and transnational crimes?

Let us pray still for the safety of the passengers of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.


Image of Italy passport below sourced from lucente.org





Image below of a Philippines passport sourced from gulfnews.com





Sunday, August 11, 2013

Let us honor 93-year-old former Senate President Jovito "Jovy" Salonga of the Philippines

One of the rare great and humble leaders of the Philippines is former Senate President Jovito "Jovy" Salonga. He is today 93 years old and ailing, I believe we should honor him and emulate his example.

Image below of Jovy Salonga, sourced from pcij.org



In my Philippine Star column yesterday on August 11, 2013 entitled "A slice of history in Jove Salonga's rest house", I wrote: "I admire Jovy Salonga as an exceptionally humble, honest, compassionate, gutsy, hardworking, intellectually gifted, prayerful and wise leader."

He was a true nationalist similar to Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo  Tañada, Jose Diokno and Renato Constantino.

Here is the Internet link to my column... http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2013/08/11/1074851/slice-history-jovy-salongas-rest-house... If you find this interesting and worthwhile, I suggest you SHARE it via Facebook or Twitter to others? Thanks!

I had recently bought his beautiful, historic yet simple country house in Pansol, Laguna.

Jovy Salonga image below sourced from moralheroes.org





Image below of former Senate Jovy Salonga, sourced from www.bantayog.org




Image below sourced from philstar.com, (from left) Senator Lorenzo Tañada, Senator Ninoy Aquino, Senator Soc Rodrigo (far behind at the back), Senator Jovy Salonga, Senator Gerry Roxas, (right photo) Senator Jose Diokno.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Good News! Vice-President Jojo Binay calls for revisit of the economic provisions of Philippine Constitution.

Good news! Philippine Vice-President Jejomar "Jojo" Binay is correct, his views similar to that of Speaker Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte, Jr. on the urgent need for reforming the restrictive economic provisions of the Philippine Constitution which have so far discouraged huge inflows of foreign investments.

Image below of Vice-President Jojo Binay, sourced from affordablecebu.com





Image below of Speaker Sonny Belmonte, sourced from en.wikipedia.com




Vice-President Binay voiced these progressive, pro-people and reformist views to media at the sidelines of a meeting of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).

Let all of us citizens voice our support for these proposed reforms, which shall hopefully make our Philippine economy globally-competitive compared to our Asean and Asian neighbors!

We need more foreign direct investments (FDIs) for more new factories and big enterprises, so we can create more jobs in the Philippines, instead of restricting entry of foreign investments which causes our perennially high unemployment problem and which forces millions of hardworking Filipnos to go abroad for work.

Image below of Metro Manila, sourced from business.asiaone.com



Image below, sourced from maquilafind.com



I am sharing this latest news report from philstar.com and Xinhua News Agency:

Binay calls for revisit of restrictive policies to economic growth

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Vice President Jejomar Binay today called for a revisit of the Southeast Asian country's restrictive policies that hinders economic growth.

At the sidelines of the Joint Membership Meeting of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines, Binay underscored the need to liberalize laws with economic provisions in pursuance of the government mantra of inclusive growth.

"I have taken the position that we should at least, for starters, revisit measures that gets in the way of inclusive growth. We can start with the economic provisions of the constitution," he told reporters during the regular forum of businessmen.

He added that the required legislative changes are not imperative on President Aquino's term but would certainly need the push of national government. 

"Though it the fastest route, let me express my concern that the Congress itself may insert provisions that are not of economic orientation at all. That is as scenario that I am truly afraid might happen," he said.

He also expressed concern that alleged path to liberalization should be able to prepare Philippine businesses and the economy for global competitiveness.
 
Earlier, a group of local businessmen also urged the national government to soften the restrictive policies under the nationalistic provisions of the constitution.

The group of businessmen is seeking for an amendment of the economic provisions in the constitution to allow the entry of more foreign direct investments and a leeway for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to grow and develop.

The group is apprehensive over the seeming reluctance of foreign companies to invest in the Philippines despite improved credit and investments ratings.

Businessmen are citing inconsistencies on policies and "disrespect of contracts" as several of the more obvious reasons for slow investments.  

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Shameless & continuous corruption! Archbishop Soc Villegas correct in criticizing immoral, corrupt mis-use of "pork barrel" by our many politicians in the Philippines!

I admire Archbishop Socrates "Soc" B. Villegas and his courageous stand against the shameless misuse of the "pork barrel" by many of our politicians in the Philippines, not only now, but ever since before.

When will systemic, institutional, cultural and far-reaching reforms happen beyond rhetoric, nice speeches?

Image below of Arhbishop Soc Villegas, sourced from lingayen-dagupan.org

 

Let us read the public statement issues by Archbishop Villegas just today, July 29, 2013 and share to others via social media?

PORK BARREL, STEWARDSHIP AND THE POOR
The Morality of the Pork Barrel

Many of you, our Catholic faithful, have come to us your pastors seeking our moral guidance on the issue of the pork barrel. It is the object of an ongoing investigation due to accusations of corruption being hurled against some of our public officials. But even before the recent expose, the pork barrel has long had a bad reputation. How many traditional politicians have run and overspent and even killed for the sake of millions they will get as pork barrel once elected?

We your Church pastors are not politicians. We are not lawyers. We are not socio-economic planners and strategists. Our realm is religious and the arena where we operate is spiritual and moral. From the ethical and moral perspectives, therefore, we offer you these guidelines.

The separation of Church and State does not prohibit moral ethical values from influencing public policies. If governance were conducted from a platform that disregards ethics and morality, we only expose our nation to greater peril. We have only ourselves to blame and we make ourselves the victims of our own amoral conduct.

PRO POOR OR PRO POLITICIAN…

In theory, the Priority Development Assistance Fund is an attempt to make government projects available to the poor and the marginalized sectors of society who are not sufficiently attended to when the national priorities are defined. In theory it is pro-poor and pro-marginalized. Its goal is to alleviate poverty and to bring about a redistribution of public money for the benefit of the poor. And we would like to affirm those who have indeed used every peso entrusted to them to support genuine projects for the poor, even to the point of spending their own money to respond to the needy. 

In reality, however, the pork barrel has been used by some elected representatives in Congress to prove to their constituents that they are concretely doing something for their welfare. In fact, it is not uncommon to refer to projects funded from the pork barrel fund as “Projects of Congressman X” giving the impression that this is personal money and not public fund. Epal has become so common that some of us are not disturbed by those billboards anymore.  

In many instances, the pork barrel has become like a “discretionary fund” of elected Representatives. In theory, it is for the development of the poor and the far. In reality, it has served to strengthen the clutch of politicians to power. 

But before we rush to pass judgment on our legislators who avail of the pork barrel, it would be opportune for us citizens to search our souls and ask “What have I done to contribute to this?”

In reality, we ordinary citizens partake of the bounty of the “discretionary funds” by asking our government officials to help our personal needs, family concerns, barangay projects or even Church fiestas.

Let us make it our rule of life when we relate to politicians “Walang hihingi!” Every time we ask our politicians for monetary help, we tempt them to dig into the pork barrel coffers or jueteng chests to accommodate our request.

STEWARDSHIP NOT PATRONAGE…

Public service is public trust. When we elect our Representatives in Congress, we elect them to make laws to make our nation a better nation. The task that we entrust to the legislators is clearly legislation. They are trustees of the citizens for lawmaking. 

The task of building infrastructure and providing social services is the responsibility of the executive branch of government. Its stewardship function is infrastructure building and social services. In theory, the Chief Executive has control of the disposition of these funds. In law and practice, the Chief Executive controls the release of the pork barrel to legislators. The consequence is the President can put pressure on legislators to toe his political line. The independence of Congress is compromised. 

Filipino voters become “grateful” beneficiaries of legislators whom they expect to give them something when they need. Legislators in turn become “thankful” recipients of the largess of pork barrel whose release the Executive has control. Politics of patronage not stewardship cascades from top to bottom.

Public governance is stewardship but the pork barrel has made public governance a system of patronage. Stewardship liberates and uplifts. Patronage enslaves and insults.

One of the basic rules that make stewardship functional is transparency and accountability. Under no circumstances must transparency be excused and accountability ignored.
OUR MORAL OPTIONS…

For the Church… Church based organizations and institutions must make it our mantra in relation to politicians “Walang hihingi!” 

We in Church can contribute to the corruption by grabbing a piece of the pie through our solicitations from government officials—from candles to basketball uniforms to bags of cement to government bulldozers. We tempt the public officials to get money from jueteng or the pork barrel in order to accommodate us. Walang hihingi!

We who are stewards of the materials goods of the Church must be transparent in our fund raising projects. We must prepare our accounting reports of how Church funds are disbursed insuring all the time that the principle of accountability is observed. When we are less than transparent in our accounting, we hurt the truth. Ang sinungaling ay kapatid ng magnanakaw.

For the Government…

On the part of government, for the sake of sound stewardship of public money, it is imperative that those who approve the budget are distinct and separate from those who implement the projects. The present system is very vulnerable to conflict of interest, parochialism and corruption in the selection of suppliers and the bidding of contracts.

Let the legislators legislate and the executives execute. 

In order to protect the national and local executives from the temptation of corrupting public money, the Commission on Audit must do its mandated duty with strength of will, vigilance and diligence. This is ethical public service.

On its part, the legislators must strengthen their oversight, monitoring and evaluation functions with the public participation of the Church, business and civil society groups like what PPCRV and Namfrel do together during elections. 

Man does not live on bread alone, the good Lord taught us; but man does not need pork to go with bread.  It is integrity that must go with bread. Let integrity flow in our beloved land for “He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out (Proverbs 10:9).
From the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Dagupan City, July 29, 2013 Memorial Day of Saint Martha 

 +SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS 
Archbishop  of Lingayen Dagupan


Archbishop Soc Villegas image below, sourced from flickr.com


Saturday, July 27, 2013

Interesting Greenpeace ship "Esperanza" in Manila Bay, Philippines, open to public for visit. Last day July 28, 2013, Sunday!

I just came from an interesting visit tonight, July 27, 2013, of the Greenpeace ship "Esperanza"---the name comes from the Spanish word for "hope". Fascinating, educational, very interesting!

Tomorrow Sunday, July 28, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. in the morning to 3 p.m. in the afternoon, this ship Esperanza is open to the public to visit. It is docked at Pier 15, which is just nearest the back of the Manila Hotel, Manila City, the Philippines.

Image below of the ship "Esperanza", sourced from greenpeace.org.au



I encourage everyone interested in oceans, seas, the environment or ships in general to visit this former Russian fire-fighting vessel during its last day.

It sailed here from Dumaguete port to Sorsogon province in Bicol and then now to Manila Bay in its mission to campaign for protecting our oceans against three major threats of---climate change, overfishing and pollution.

Photo below (from Facebook page of Greenpeace Philippines) shows divers from Silliman University, Coastal Conservation and Education foundation, and Greenpeace on July 10, 2013 surveying the massive coral damage in Apo Island of the Philippines. The documentation of the reef check in Apo Island is part of the activities around the visit of the Greenpeace ship "Esperanza" which is now in Manila Bay, the Philippines.





Greenpeace is an international environmental organization which does not accept donations or financial help from businessses or governments, just small donations from over three million supporters worldwide and international volunteers.

Go to the website of Greenpeace Philippines to support this outstabnding group.

Let us support Greenpeace and help save our environment!


The beautiful image below is of Apo Island in the Philippines which is described as "ray of hope' for oceans according to Greenpeace. Image sourced from greenpeace.org




Image below of the ocean's natural beauty, sourced from durianpost.com




Some of the diverse creatures of the ocean which nourish us, and which we should also protect by saving our oceans from destruction, image below sourced from Facebook page of Greenpeace Philippines about the visit now of their ship "Esperanza".

 

Among the Philippine leaders and celebrities who have expressed support for Greenpeace and its ship "Esperanza" on its visit to the Philippines include Senator Loren Legarda, presidential adviser on the environment Neric Acosta, actor Cesar Montano and Parokya ni Edgar band member Buhawi Meneses.

I personally met the talented Meneses and his wife tonight during a tour of the ship by a young female German volunteer of Greenpeace along with their other volunteers.


Senator Loren Legarda is a lifelong environmentalist, image below sourced from liberalparty.org.ph




Secretary Neric Acosta's image below, sourced from facebook.com




Actor Cesar Montano once starred in an environmtalist movie Muro Ami, image below sourced from ph.omg.yahoo.com





Buhawi Meneses of the popular and long-lasting Parokya ni Edgar band, image below sourced from
flickr.com