BWorld 102, Top 10 news of 2016

* This is my article in BusinessWorld last December 27, 2016.

Since government by nature consists of force and coercion, legislation and regulation, mandatory contribution and taxation, it naturally creates division among people anywhere in the world. Those who benefit from welfarism are happy while those who are affected by endless regulations and taxation express the opposite sentiment.

Below is my list of top 10 news around the world in 2016, five international and five national/regional.

INTERNATIONAL

1 “Brexit.” British voters opted last June to exit from the European Union (EU), a regional government that allows free trade and free mobility of people and services among member-states, but also imposes various protectionism and restrictions on goods and people mobility to countries outside the EU. This combination of free trade and trade protectionism, simpler migration for fellow EU citizens but difficult migration for non-EU people, tax harmonization and prevention of tax competition among member states, among others, have created confusion and even more animosity among the British. So far nothing is definite and details of the exit may not be known until 2019.

2 Trump victory. A big businessman without past political position but employed an unconventional campaign, President-elect Donald Trump outlasted 16 Republican rivals and then a famous Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. Not being part of the entrenched political establishment, he is known more to reverse the various regulations and high taxation policies of the Obama and Bush administrations. For instance, he plans to cut the US corporate income tax from 35% to 15%, reverse the anti-coal, anti-oil sentiments and policies, and so on.

3 Terrorist attacks in Europe. Massacres in a newspaper office and rock concert in Paris, airport bombing in Brussels, lorry attack of people in the streets of Nice, France during a Bastille Day celebration, another lorry attack of people in a Christmas shopping in Berlin. Plus some foiled attacks in other cities in Europe. To fight this kind of war, governments will need less of those deadly fighter planes, huge battle tanks and ships. Instead, they will need more drones, CCTVs, crawling small robots, cyberware. The fight is not country to country but house to house, building to buildings.

4 Syria. Endless war among many armed factions has resulted in large-scale murders and displacement by the millions. Aleppo has become the main reference point of why civil war by some proxy countries should be avoided as much as possible. The volume of civilian deaths and destruction of properties is so big.

5 Malaysia and South Korea. Big governments always invite big opportunities for big corruption and wastes, the degree just vary from country to country. In particular, the corruption scandals of Malaysian PM Najib Razak over IMDB and S. Korean President Park Geun-hye over her friend Choi Soon-sil’s involvement in government affairs have pushed their people to conduct various rallies calling for their resignations. And these leaders continue to cling to power.

PHILIPPINES

6 Duterte victory. President Rodrigo Duterte was the first Mayor to move straight to Presidency with a different campaign strategy focused on fighting criminality, drug proliferation, and corruption. Unlike the three other major candidates -- former VP Jojo Binay, Sec. Mar Roxas, and Sen. Grace Poe -- who all focused on more welfarism. And he got huge support from the poor, which shows that the poor are not exactly asking for more welfarism and subsidies, but are seeking increased peace and order to protect themselves against thieves, murderers, rapists, drug pushers, corrupt officials, and other criminals.

7 Drug deaths. From a campaign promise of killing 100,000 criminals if he wins, President Duterte later mentioned that “like Hitler, (I will) annihilate 3 million drug criminals.” The on-going “war on drugs” has resulted in several thousand murders so far, about one-third from police operations and two-third from vigilante-type of executions. The rule of law and its long process of police investigation and court proceedings have been sidestepped.

8 PI Obama, Pakyu EU. Before and during the ASEAN summit and related meetings last September, President Duterte has directly or indirectly lashed out against US President Obama who attended the event in Laos. President Obama and later the EU have voiced criticism over the high number of deaths and disrespect for the rule of law, not the drugs war per se. President Duterte and his avid supporters did not make a distinction between these two and thus, the expletives and harsh words. These were reported heavily in international media.

9 Marcos burial at Heroes’ Cemetery. The sneaky burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani has stirred some political upheavals that many protest rallies were held in Metro Manila and key cities in the country. Since the burial is supported by President Duterte and affirmed by the Supreme Court, the cemetery may better be renamed “Libingan ng mga Bayani at Magnanakaw” (LBM).

10 Non-assertion of territorial rights at SCS/WPS. Mid-December, the President said the Philippines and China can “share” oil in the disputed territories in South China Sea/West Philippine Sea despite an international arbitral award affirming the Philippines’ ownership in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

From this list, it seems that many people around the world are dissatisfied and disappointed with more government, more regulations, taxation and corruption. Authorities should deliver positive results in areas where stronger government is justified, to protect the people’s right to life, right to private property and right to liberty.

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See also:
BWorld 99, China insecurity and belligerence, December 30, 2016 
BWorld 100, Multinationals in the PH, what do they want? January 03, 2017 

BWorld 101, Christmas lights, energy mix and electricity production in Asia, January 09, 2017

Libingan ng mga Bayani... at Diktador-Kawatan

Noontime today, former dictator and President of the Philippines for 20 years (1965 to late February 1986), Ferdinand Marcos was hurriedly and secretly buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LnmB, Cemetery for Heroes). Air Force choppers were used to transport the coffin, etc. and flew straight from Ilocos to LnmB.

Ang bagong pangalan na nito dapat ay "Libingan ng mga Bayani, at Diktador-Kawatan". Naghalo na ang mga bayani at anti-bayani, magnanakaw at berdugo sa sementeryong iyon.

Good points from Bernard Ong. The photos and memes I just added here, taken from the web and fb.

"THIS IS SQUARELY ON DUTERTE

Duterte said: "Hopefully, both sides will... come to terms with the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos.” He pretends to be above the fray and washes his hands off his lead role in Marcos restoration.

He took money from the Marcos family - money stolen from the Filipino people - for his election campaign. He hid this fact during the election & did not even declare it in his SOCE (statement of campaign expenditures).

Heroes' burial was half of his repayment. The other half – BongBong Marcos as VP (prelude to full Marcos restoration when he becomes president) – is still unfulfilled.

Marcos caused immense misery on so many people – killings, looting scarce resources intended for social services, causing economic hardship. Duterte is smart enough to know his history but chooses to play dumb with arguments like ‘ He was only charged in civil court, he has never been convicted of any crime’.

If Marcos can get away with it. Any trapo with highly-paid lawyers & friends in high places can get away with it. That’s impunity.

The mindset ‘Not guilty if you’re smart enough to escape conviction’ might as well apply to Duterte himself – 1000+ Davao Death Squad killings, 4000+ EJKs in Drug War, alleged wealth stashed in deposits shielded by Bank Secrecy Law.

Don’t be deceived by Duterte’s talk of “both sides”. He is firmly on one side – on the side of the dictator who killed, plundered and inflicted hardship on an entire nation. Marcos was a liar, a tyrant, a mass murderer and a thief. Duterte wants to be like him."

This afternoon, there have been plenty of protests and citizens mobilization protesting the treacherous and secretive burial for the late dictator.

At my alma mater, UP Diliman this afternoon. There were also huge student protests at Ateneo de Manila, UP Manila, St. Scholastica, other universities.

Imee Marcos and family said it was a "private burial." No, they are lying. It was a government-sponsored, taxpayers-funded burial.

President Du30 ordered the Air force and other armed forces directly and he bypassed the DND Secretary? Sanay talaga sa diktadura at pasikreto mga ito.

Karma for the 9 SC justices who supported the Marcos burial. Now the SC as an institution was slapped in the face by the AFP, PNP, Du30 and the Marcos family. Magsama-sama sila sa pagka walanghiya.

BIG government is very often big scandal, big robbery and plunder, big disrespect for the rule of law.

Remembering Lean Alejandro

Yesterday was the 28th year since the great UP Diliman student leader, Lean Alejandro was killed. He was shot in the head, day time. Suspects were military/AFP people but there was no arrest, no prosecution that happened after the assassination. He was only 27 years old that time.

Until 1986, perhaps there was not a single UP student who did not know or hear of Lean. Very articulate and eloquent speaker, intelligent writer, and yet very friendly and humble. He was a famous student leader in UP from around 1982-86. Then he graduated in 1986, became active with BAYAN, a nat-dem organization.

I stayed at Narra dormitory in UP Diliman from 1983-85, then a "squatter" (would stay at friends' room from time to time) at Narra in 1986. I stayed at room 209 and he was at room 220, same corridor, facing Katipunan avenue. My roommates that time were from the College of Engineering (Joey Tiangco, Gort Goroza, Ariel Corpuz, all were batchmates from PSHS 1979), then my younger buddies from UP Sapul (Monching Romano, Norman Roxas, Gerry Mauricio). Lean's roommates were other activists Sarge Colambo, Jojo Abinales, and Alvin Batalla. Lean was tall while Sarge is short, good contrast in physical appearance but were philosophical twins. So we would meet Lean in the dorm corridor, or we would enter their room and have some short chat, or hear some of his discourses, or that of Jojo or Sarge.

Lean rose to UP and national prominence at the dying years of the Marcos dictatorship (former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, ruled from 1965 to February 1986, almost 21 years). The military was king, especially from 1972 Martial Law declaration until its "lifting" in 1982 or 83. But this picture below was common until around January 1986. The police and military have long firearms ready behind batton-wielding policemen in  the  front.

Another good friend, Fidel Nemenzo (a marathoner, now a faculty member at UP Math Department, and UP Vice President for research), was shot in the back by the police in another anti-Marcos rally in 1984. If Fidel was not athletic that time, he could have died with so much blood that puffed out of his body before he was brought to a hospital.

Political assassination was common especially in the 70s. One can just disappear and never be heard after, especially if one is a lesser-known activist with high media prominence. Many young people, those who were born from mid-80s up, do not realize how brutal the Marcos dictatorship was.

And Lean Alejandro was the top student leader at that time nationwide. There were many other articulate student leaders like Elmer Mercado, Pepe Alcantara, Raffy Aquino, Chito Gascon, Gil delos Reyes, Kiko Pangilinan, Jolly Macuja, Louie Pangulayan, and so on. But Lean was an intellectual and physical tower of them all.

When Lean was killed in September 1987, I was in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I was attending a 3-months course on Marx, Lenin, Trotsky and the 4th Communist International. I was a Marxist socialist at that time, affiliated with the first openly socialist organization in the country, BISIG.

BISIG was openly socialist, BAYAN was nat-dem, the CPP-NPA line of passing by a "national democracy" (national, anti-imperialist; democracy, anti-feudal) stage first before marching to socialism. But even then, all left-leaning activists were angry, were enraged, at the murder of Lean. Political and philosophical differences are respected, murder is not.

Yesterday, there was a fun run at UP Diliman to commemorate Lean's death anniversary. I wasn't there, and feeling sorry about it.

Notice the media and corporate sponsors in the poster. Many key officials of these entities were friends and buddies of Lean that time, were moved and influenced by his intellectual power.

From the photos, hundreds came and participated in the fun run, although there were rain showers.


Lean's widow, Lidy Nacpil. She is a very lucky lady. She has the great opportunity to love and live with that intellectual giant of our time.

All photos above taken from The Great Lean Run facebook page.

I repost here some testimonies from two other friends, posted in their facebook walls yesterday.
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(1) Amang Mejia:

Taong 1987 nang nagpasya akong bumalik sa pag-aaral ng batas sa Pamantasan. Noong gabi ng September 19, 1987, pauwi na ako sa Narra mula sa pag-aaral sa law library, may nakasulubong akong kaibigang humahangos na nagsabi sa aking "Binaril nila si Lean!". Dali-dali akong tumakbo papuntang dorm at marami nang mga residente ng Narra na nakakumpol sa TV room upang pakinggan ang malagim na balita. Narinig ko ang mga usap-usapan ng mga residente. Pinatay si Lean. Binaril sa ulo. 27 anyos lamang siya ng kitlan ng buhay. Nanghina ako sa sinapit ni Lean. Nanghinayang ako dahil hindi pangkaraniwang lider-estudyante si Lean. Magiting, matalino, matapang at mapanlikha; si Lean ay isang lider na ginagalang at hinahangaan, maging ng kanyang mga katunggali. Sa araw ng kanyang libing, hindi ako pumasok sa klase at sumama ako sa martsang naghatid kay Lean sa kanyang huling hantungan. Wala na si Lean, pero buhay pa rin siya sa puso ng sambayanang kanyang minahal at inalayan ng buhay. Hindi siya kailanman malilimutan.

(2) Kiko Pangilinan (former Senator, now Cabinet Secretary)

MARAMING SALAMAT, LEAN!

Isa kang naging inspirasyon sa libu-libong mga kabataan at estudyante nung dekada 80 at isa na ako doon.

Sabado din noon, September 19, 1987, dalawampu't walong taon nang nakalilipas nung tumawag sa akin sa bahay sa Philam Q. C ang isang kasamahan sa UP Student Council (UP Student Regent pa ako nung 1987) upang ipaabot sa akin ang balita na binaril siya sa harap ng kanilang opisina sa may Rosal street sa Quezon City. Dinala daw siya sa St Lukes Hospital sa E. Rodriguez. Yun lang daw ang balita sa mga oras na yon.

Dali dali akong nagbihis at namganeho ng sasakyan papunta ng ospital habang walang tigil na nagmumura at nilalabas ang galit sa kung sinuman ang nasa likod nung pagbabaril sa kanya. Sa tindi ng galit at walang tigil na pagmumura hindi ko na maalala paano ako umabot sa ospital. Pagdataing dun, nandun na sina Lidy at nandun din ang ilan sa mga kasamahan ni Lean sa BAYAN. Wala na daw si Lean. Hindi na umabot ng buhay sa ospital. Nanlumo ako. Nanghina at hindi makapaniwala sa mga pangyayari.

28 taon na ang nakalilipas ngunit hanggang sa ngayon naalala ko pa rin ang araw na yun. Malagim, malungkot, galit na galit at naghahanap ng paraan upang makapaghigante, parusahan ang mga salarin, makamtan ang hustisya.

Maraming salamat Lean sa iyong pamumuno sa aming mga estudyante na sumunod sayo sa hanay ng mga kabataan at mag-aaral.

It was both an honor and a privilege to have marched with you, Comrade.

We thank you for offering your life for the cause of freedom and genuine social change.

Pol. Ideology 19: What is the Role of Government?

A friend in facebook, wrote me today. She asked,

Hi Noy, Been reading your blog, carefully weighing your arguments against Big Government for a couple of months now. While I do agree with a lot of your arguments, I am left to wonder, in your framework, where should government be?

In a minimal government, what roles does it play?

I thanked my friend for asking that question. It allowed me to re-articulate my ideas and advocacies in the most spontaneous manner. Here they go.

What is the role of Government?

I think it boils down to only one important function: Promulgate the rule of law.

Government has laws against killing, against stealing, against kidnapping, against corruption, against plunder, against carnapping, etc. Let government implement ALL of them, ZERO EXCEPTION. No one is exempted from the law, and no one can grant excemption from the law. The law applies equally to unequal people.

I think most people will easily see that logic. Next questions will be: what about the very poor? Who will take care of them? What about big businesses, who will regulate them if they abuse their power and exploit the consumers, exploit their workers?

Well, if the poor will put up a vulcanizing shop, a barbeque stand, a barber shop, or plant kamote and pechay in vacant lots, or buy those farm products and sell in a corner stall, government should get out. Do NOT require these small and micro entrepreneurs to secure costly and bureaucractic business permit, barangay permit, sanitation permit, location permit, various other permits and pay lots of taxes and fees.

In short, if the poor will become industrious and would want to stand on their own, government should step back. If the poor will become lazy and steal, government should arrest them and put them behind bars. The rule of law says NO STEALING. It does not matter if the theft is the President of the country or a Congressman or the poorest man on earth. No one should steal, period. No ifs, no buts, no preconditions, no exceptions.

If the poor will become half-lazy and become irresponsible entrepreneurs, say they sell expired food and adulterated drinks in their carinderia and food stalls for quickie profit, resulting to food poisoning of their customers, then government comes in to haul them to prison bars as well. The rule of law says NO HARMING other people. It does not matter if the seller of adulterated food and drinks or counterfeit drugs is the biggest restaurant or hotel or pharma company in the planet, or the poorest man on earth, they should be accountable for their action, and they should be penalized for violating the law against harming the health of other people.

The big businesses and super rich people. If some other rich guys and companies will put up a competing corporation, government should step back, Do NOT require congressional franchise, NTC franchise, local government franchise, and other forms of govt-imposed monopolies and oligopolies. Let there be fierce and ruthless competition among businesses in all sectors and sub-sectors of the economy. Let there be a "perfectly contestable market" in most or all sectors of the economy.

When there is ruthless competition among players, businessmen will not exploit their workers like paying low wages. Workers and managers can quickly move to another competing company who will offer them good benefits. Or they can quit being ordinary employees and become employers and job creators themselves. They know the trade more or less, there is little or zero govt bureaucracy that will hamper them, so why not try their luck of being entrepreneurs?

What about price collusion by some companies in a particular industry? It is a possibility, but sticking to collusion for long is more cumbersome than going it their way.

Suppose all beer manufacturers will collude among themselves and set an agreed upon price even if they are competing with each other. Overall prices of beer will rise. No problem. Some beer drinkers will simply move to wine or gin or whisky or lambanog. Or they will patronize smuggled imported beer. Or they will simply reduce their drinking, or just stop taking any alcoholic drinks. Collusion will ultimately fail.

Free trade will further expand competition. That is why many vested business interests always run to government to demand protectionism. Protectionism is always a hypocrisy. Even the most protectionist producers (say, farmers) are also staunch advocate of free trade and more competition when they need hand tractors and spare parts for their farms , clothing, shoes and toys for their children, construction materials, tv and other appliances for their house, etc.

If we are to extend the "rule of law = no exception" principle, then if there should be protectionism in agricultural products, there should also be protectionism in all other commodities and services. Which means no imported shoes, clothes, cell phones, tv, computer, hand tractors, etc. Everyone should buy only what are locally produced, autarky or zero international trade.

I do not think anyone would love to live in an autarkic economy. But if they wish to try it, they can go to North Korea perhaps and while there, they should also resist the temptation of buying goods made from China or Russia.

Meanwhile, incorporating a short paper here...




Marcos and the Liberal Challenge


In one of his papers in the Philippine Star, columnist William "Billy" Esposo wrote last March 01, No way, Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., no way!, he wrote:

If it isn’t bad enough that the late unlamented Dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos brought us through a dark and bitter chapter of our history — now here comes his son, Senator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., attempting to rewrite that story. No way, Sen. Marcos, absolutely no way!

When the young Marcos asserted with a straight face last week that our country would have been a Singapore by now if his father was not ousted by People Power in 1986 — thank God that I wasn’t seated as the impact of his wild imagination could have compelled me to wreck another chair. If there is anything I have consistently deplored about the sad state of affairs in our country, it is our very shallow appreciation of our real history....

I think the Senator is only doing what is "right" for him and his family -- to continue the lies and destruction that his family has slammed upon the country. It is safe to assume that the Senator will even gun for the Presidency in the 2016 or future elections. Thus, they need to start large-scale lying as early as possible.

It is our job in the civil society sector, especially the liberal -- not socialist, not nationalist and protectionist -- civil society, to help educate the public that subsuming individual liberty under forced, collective liberty is not acceptable. When Marcos declared Martial Law and similar measures, certain individual rights like freedom of expression, freedom of setting up business in a fair environment, were killed in the name of the collective, in the name of the so-called "national interest".

It is too tempting that many groups that were once trained in the liberal philosophy, would forget what liberalism really is. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) was even re-titled as FNF fur die FREIHEIT, with huge and bold emphasis on FREIHEIT or LIBERTY. And Liberty here as defined by the Friedrich Naumann, Theodor Heusse and other liberal German thinkers, referred to individual liberty.

There is too much emphasis on anti-corruption, good governance, etc., to the point of embracing BIG government and widespread collectivism, of trampling individual liberty (like the liberty to keep more of one's earnings and savings) in favor of the collective (high and multiple taxes).
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See also:

Pol. Ideology 13: Liberty and Liberty Forum, the LP, March 19, 2009 

Pol. Ideology 14: Liberalism, Democratism and Coercion, January 18, 2010

Pol. Ideology 15: Socialism, Conservatism and Liberalism, March 08, 2010

Pol. Ideology 16: Liberalism and Social Opportunity, July 29, 2010

Pol. Ideology 17: The LP and the Philippine President, November 03, 2010

Pol. Ideology 18: John Lennon and Liberty, Purpose of the Law, December 15, 2010