BWorld 468, Top 10 economic news of 2020

 * My column in BusinessWorld, Dec. 29, 2020.

Here is my modest list of the major economic events of the year.

1. The deep global contraction of gross domestic product (GDP). In the first three quarters of 2020, the Philippines’ GDP in particular had contracted by -9.7%, the worst performing economy in the ASEAN and among the worst performers in the whole world.

2. Global exports also contracted. Restrictions on the mobility of people and goods adversely affected manufacturing, the transport of raw materials and finished products, and, ultimately, merchandise trade. The Philippines, with measly exports of $70 billion in 2019, experienced further low exports of only $46 billion in the first three quarters of 2020.

3. Strict lockdown policies in many countries. The Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports (GCCMR) shows how visitors to (or time spent in) categorized places change compared to baseline days, the median value being from Jan. 3-Feb. 6, 2020. When it came to mobility in transit stations in particular, the Philippines seems to have had the strictest lockdown policy in the world with -84 mobility in April and -53 in November.

4. China data is proven to be dishonest again. Consider these: a.) its COVID-19 deaths per million population (CDPMP) was only three considering that the virus started and exploded from there, while Belgium has 1,650 and the UK’s is 1,090; b.) it says it has growth when many countries are in a deep contraction — it cannot hide its exports contraction; and, c.) it does not allow GCCMR to collect data because it will show the extent of its strict lockdown and business contraction (see Table 1).

5. Overspending and over-borrowings by governments. As tax revenues fell due to business shutdowns, many governments did not cut their expenditures but instead expanded spending and subsidies via huge borrowings and the printing of money by their central banks. The Philippines’ central government debt (debts by LGUs not included) was 37% of GDP in 2019 and is projected to rise to 48.9% in 2020 and 52.5% in 2021 (see Table 2).

6. The CREATE bill is refined and retroactive to 2020. The Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) bill in Congress intends to cut the Philippines’ high corporate income tax (CIT) rate of 30% to 25% upon signing into law, likely in early 2021, to be implemented retroactively to July 2020. The bill also targets to cut CIT to 20% by 2027.

7. President’s threat of telecom expropriation. During President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, he warned Smart and Globe telecoms that “kukunin ko ‘yan, i-expropriate ko sa gobyerno (I will get that, I will have the government expropriate it).” It was a strong, and the first, major threat of corporate expropriation by the administration. Luckily, he realized that many LGUs and some agencies are the reason why telecom firms cannot expand their cell sites and towers quickly.

8. The IPRI report on property rights protection. Government expropriation of private companies, actual or the threat of, is a clear violation of the private property protection enshrined in the Constitution. The International Property Rights Index (IPRI) annual report for 2020, a project of the Property Rights Alliance (PRA), was released last November. The Philippines retained its low global rank of 67-69 of 129 countries (see Table 2).

9. Big infra finished and legislated. Among the huge projects that were completed this year was the Skyway Stage 3 that connects SLEX to NLEX, so vehicles from Southern Luzon can go straight to Northern Luzon without passing on any street of Metro Manila. Then the legislation was passed to allow San Miguel Aerocity in Bulacan, a P736-billion 10-year construction project, to start in early 2021.

10. NAIA rehabilitation uncertainties. The expansion and modernization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) suffered a double setback this year. First was the termination of the original proponent status (OPS) of the “super consortium” of seven conglomerates (Ayala, Aboitiz, Gokongwei, Andrew Tan, Lucio Tan, Gotianun, Pangilinan) last July, then the termination of the OPS of Megawide-GMR this December.

The year 2020 has not been good. The so-called “new normal” simply cloaked the new dictatorship with strict and indefinite lockdowns. May 2021 bring the realization that this is folly so that human prosperity can resume again.
----------------

See also:
BWorld 465, Construction contraction and steel issues, December 13, 2020 
BWorld 466, Tourism, investment and NAIA modernization, December 25, 2020 
BWorld 467, Electricity supply-demand and climate, December 26, 2020

BWorld 278, Top 10 economic news of 2018, January 15, 2019 
BWorld 399, Top 10 economic stories of 2019, January 03, 2020.

Energy 137, Piki Lopez's climate and energy alarmism

My column this week in BusinessWorld,  https://www.bworldonline.com/electricity-supply-demand-and-climate/ has partially mentioned and criticized the paper and speech of Mr. Piki Lopez. I will expand that in this blog post, hard data do not conform with some of his alarmist narratives.
-------------

"Forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future — 2"
By Federico "Piki" R. Lopez,  Chair and CEO, First Philippine Holdings Corporation
December 7, 2020 | 6:09 pm
https://www.bworldonline.com/forging-collaborative-pathways-for-a-decarbonized-and-regenerative-future-2/

1. "Today our way of life has set us on a trajectory of 3 to 4 degrees C of warming by 2100. This current path will clearly be catastrophic and turn the Earth into an unlivable and socially disrupted planet way before then and surely within the lifetimes of our children."

--> Climate change is about natural warming-cooling cycle, purely cyclical and natural, with or without humans and their SUVs, coal, oil or nuke power plants. And in paleoclimate data, global temps do not rise or decline 3 to 4 C within decades.

a. Global temperature the past 5,000 years,
https://i2.wp.com/www.greenworldtrust.org.uk/Science/Images/Main/Warm_periods.jpg

b. Global temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, last 400,000 years,
https://i0.wp.com/www.appinsys.com/globalwarming/GW_Part1_PreHistoricalRecord_files/image023.gif

2. "This year we saw record high temperatures in both the Antarctic and the Arctic...(For perspective: the Greenland ice sheet in the Arctic has 7.3 meters worth of sea level rise in them; Antarctica, the world’s ice locker, has 58 meters worth of potential sea level rise built in.)"

--> "record high temperatures in both the Antarctic and the Arctic", where did he get that? Less ice in the Arctic compensated by more ice in Antarctica this decade, they have their own natural ice-melt cycle there yearly. Sea level rise when the ice there melt-grow yearly. Nothing, nada to worry from emotional alarmism.

a. Arctic ice extent, 1980s to 2020. Data as of Nov. 15, 2020.

b. Antarctica, 

https://wattsupwiththat.com/reference-pages/sea-ice-page/

3. "In October 2018, the UN IPCC was clamoring for us to cut CO2 emissions in half by 2030, and take it all the way down to Net Zero by 2050 if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C by 2100. That’s roughly a 6-7% annual reduction in carbon emissions till 2050. Just for perspective, this year travel and transport reductions and the economic slowdown from COVID-19 is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 7-8%. In other words, we need a COVID-scale crisis every year till 2050 just to keep the planet livable!"

--> Cut big carbon emissions where, from China and India? As of 2016, this is how it looked in some countries alone. Coal plants in the US, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam not included in the illustration.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/07/03/forget-paris-1600-new-coal-power-plants-built-around-the-world/

And why would anyone ever say that "we need a COVID-scale crisis every year till 2050 just to keep the planet livable!" Such a very irresponsible statement. We "need" these national and global lockdown dictatorship? For what, to prevent less flood and more flood, less storms and more storms, less rats and more rats?

4. "How long can even the strongest, most resilient communities withstand this relentless and repeated pounding year after year if they can lose everything they have at least 20 times a year?"

--> Those average 20 typhoons a year in the PH that enter the PH area of responsibility (PAR), more than half make actual landfall, the others just enter then exit in the ocean and sea within PAR. 

So are the global tropical storms getting plentier, more frequent than in the past? Far out.

How about cyclone energy, are they getting stronger, more virulent than in the past? Far out.

http://climatlas.com/tropical/

5. "Our way of life and patterns of production and mass consumption now use 1.75 Earths annually. That’s 75% more than the Earth can replenish each year.... All the main life support systems of our planet, from our oceans, forests, air, soils, biodiversity, and freshwater resources are all in decline."

--> "all life support in decline", again where did he get this? From a trash can? The planet's life support for humanity is never diminished, never reduced, never in decline. Otherwise, modernity has stopped many years and decades ago. 

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/2000-years-economic-history-one-chart/

It's unfortunate that many famous businesspeople like Mr. Lopez, even the Ayalas, WEF guys can morph into gloom-doom, horror story tellers.

If people are more honest and objective, more factual and not emotional, they will just laugh at all the climate horror alarm narratives. And if they should be consistent in their anti-fossil fuel agenda, then they must demonize not only coal and oil but also natgas. Which in the first place is wrong because humanity has developed and modernized via cheap, abundant, reliable fossil fuel energy.
-------------------

 
See also:
Energy 134, WTI crude touched below $1/barrel, April 21, 2020 
Energy 135, Oil, gas and coal prices, May 22, 2020 
Energy 136, California blackouts and wind-solar, August 21, 2020 
Interview at DZRH on comparative pricing, wind-solar vs coal, December 04, 2020.

BWorld 467, Electricity supply-demand and climate

* My article in BusinessWorld, December 21, 2020.

The indefinite, no timetable lockdown policy of the government continues to pummel many businesses, and restrictions in economic activities are reflected in the continued decline in the country’s electricity demand.

Data from the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) shows that average demand in the Luzon-Visayas grids this year grew moderately at 4.3% in the first quarter (Q1) compared to the same quarter in 2019, then contracted -14.6% in Q2, -2.6% in Q3, and -6.8% in Q4. In comparison, the Philippines’ GDP contracted -0.7% in Q1, -16.9% in Q2, and -11.5% in Q3.

With a decrease in demand while the supply remains high, prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) also decreased. The effective spot settlement price (ESSP) this year contracted from -21% to -71% while the load weighted average price (LWAP) contracted from -13% to -64% (see Table 1).

The decline in prices though cannot be fully reflected in the generation charge in our monthly electricity bills because spot quantity is only about 10% of all WESM electricity trading this year and 90% via bilateral contract where prices have been set for many years between gencos and distribution utilities (DUs) and electric cooperatives (ECs) as the distributors want insurance that they will get the power when they need it.

There are four stories and Opinion pieces in BusinessWorld that I want to comment on:

1. “PHL coal-fired power capacity seen increasing by 135% despite moratorium on new projects” (Dec. 2).

2. “Worst case for continuing with PHL coal projects seen at P372B in long-term costs” (Dec. 12).

3. “Forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future,” Part 1 (Dec. 1) and Part 2 (Dec. 8) by Federico “Piki” R. Lopez, Chair and CEO of First Philippine Holdings Corp.

4. “ERC to enforce new rules on allowable outages of power plants” (Dec. 19).

Reports 1 and 2 cite the studies by Clean Air Asia (CAA) and Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), respectively. Both studies complain about more coal power, CREA even goes wild and irrational in projecting 26,000 premature deaths in the Philippines because of those coal plants.

The rise in coal share to total power generation in the country especially in 2018 and 2019 (see Table 2) coincided with high GDP growth of 6.2% and 6% respectively. It also coincided with the rising life expectancy of Filipinos to 71.1 years in 2018 from 69.8 years in 2010.

When there is a rising supply of cheap, stable, reliable electricity, there is also rising potential for the economy and people live wealthier, healthier, and longer, not shorter. The anti-coal NGOs are peddling the usual energy disinformation and fake news.

On #3, Mr. Lopez wrote in his Acceptance Speech as “MAP Management Man of the Year” award on Nov. 23:

“Today our way of life has set us on a trajectory of 3 to 4 degrees C of warming by 2100… this year travel and transport reductions and the economic slowdown from COVID-19 is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 7-8%. In other words, we need a COVID-scale crisis every year till 2050 just to keep the planet livable!”

With this kind of alarmist projections and statements, it may help to remind people that all gloom-doom projections in the past of climate catastrophe did not happen, all were false. See these four reports for instance:

1. “UN Predicts Disaster (by 2000) if Global Warming Not Checked,” June 30, 1989, https://apnews.com/article/bd45c372caf118ec99964ea547880cd0.

2. “Last chance to save the planet?” May 30, 1992,
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13418235-100-last-chance-to-save-the-planet/.

3. “Arctic summers ice-free by 2013,” Dec. 12, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7139797.stm.

4. “Gore: Polar ice cap may disappear by summer 2014,” Dec. 14, 2009, https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/12/gore-new-study-sees-nearly-ice-free-arctic-summer-ice-cap-as-early-as-2014/1/.

On report number 4, this is problematic for three reasons: One, the generation sector continues to be very competitive with 135 gencos in Luzon-Visayas alone as of September 2020 from only 114 in 2018, so why harass these players? Two, ERC could be making arbitrary values on what is allowable and not allowable and hence to be penalized. Three, gencos would lose money, not gain, if they have frequent or prolonged shutdowns, scheduled or unscheduled: they cannot sell at WESM, they must buy replacement power normally at higher price to fulfil their supply contracts with DUs and ECs.

The ERC should stay away from additional regulations that can discourage more gencos coming in, and existing ones to further expand. The environmental NGOs should be more truthful, be more factual and not emotional.
---------------

See also:
BWorld 464, Meralco, QPPL and expensive solar-wind, December 05, 2020
BWorld 465, Construction contraction and steel issues, December 13, 2020 
BWorld 466, Tourism, investment and NAIA modernization, December 25, 2020.

The corruption in poverty, climate and virus over-spending

Poverty data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that in 2018, only 12.1% of PH households are poor at poverty threshold of P25,813 per person per year.

"Self-rated poverty" data from the Social Weather Station (SWS) show that in 2018, 48% of PH households considered themselves "poor" and in November 2020, the same 48% considered themselves "poor" and 36% as "borderline poor."

https://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART-20201214164504

The PSA data here,

https://psa.gov.ph/content/updated-2015-and-2018-full-year-official-poverty-statistics

I think people compare themselves with others or their neighbors, not with how they lived 5 or 10 years ago. Until about 10-15 yrs ago, the poor ride bicycles, cows and carabaos. Now the poor ride motorcycles, e-bikes or 3rd hand cars. Before, the poor communicate via slow mail, now they communicate via FB, IG, twitter, Viber, Messenger, etc. So perhaps a case of "I feel poor because I only drive a motorcycle while my neighbor drives a 2nd hand car."

Another reason, the poor or pretending poor know that they will get many freebies with no timetable if they declare themselves as poor, don't declare their extra or higher income -- free education until university, free healthcare/Philhealth, free cash transfer, even free housing ala Kadamay, etc. When government subsidizes endlessly poverty, they will get more poverty-declaring people.

The various bureaucracies, politicians also are happy when there is high poverty. DSWD, DOH, DepEd, DILG, etc will never be able to justify their big and ever-rising budget if poverty is low.

People respond to incentives, it's shown in Econ 11. If prices are high, produces sell more so the supply curve is upward sloping. If prices are low, consumers buy more so the demand curve is downward sloping. The same way, if there are many freebies, forever subsidies with no timetable if one is poor, then many people will declare themselves as poor. And the various bureaucracies and politicians will certify them as poor. Takes two to tango.

Extending further… there is no big money in natural and “nature-made” climate change (CC) and warming. It is denied, demonized and attacked. Only “man-made” CC narrative should be entertained. Why? Because there is no money-money-money in the former, warming and cooling just alternate each other. But there is BIIIIG money in the latter. Governments imposing high oil-coal tax, carbon tax, subsidies to renewables, creating climate bureaucracies and climate meetings, spending multi-billions on climate adaptation/mitigation, etc.

And there is no big money in hastening herd immunity via focused protection of the medical frontliners, elderly, and those with existing diseases while allowing the young and healthy to go out freely. But there is BIG money in vaccine procurement and hence, the continued virus scare mongering and hysteria.

Drug Price Control 52, Advisory Council vs Affirmation Council

The DOH Advisory Council (AC) was created in early 2009 presided by then DOH USec for Health Regulations Alex Padilla. DOH Secretariat was headed by NCPAM Director Dr. Robert So. Before 2009, I was writing and blogging about innovation and IPR, dangers of compulsory licensing (CL), price control, other threats to private property and market competition. The Medicines Transparency Alliance (META) was formed in 2008 with funding from UK DFID, and within META the civil society group was CHAT. The first and big META forum Jan. 2009 I wrote here,
http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/2009/01/medicines-transparency.html.

USec Alex knew that my group or think tank, Minimal Government Thinkers, was small but he wanted to hear broad and wide perspectives on drug price regulation and related matters. After all, it’s the DOH that will make the final decision after listening to various viewpoints, and so I was a regular member of the AC. Prominent and active members then were Joey Ochave of Unilab, Edward Isaac of PCPI, Reiner Gloor of PHAP, Edsel Manuel of Mercury, Lyle Morrel and Bel Pesayco of Watsons, Leonie Ocampo of Mansons, Normita Leyesa of PPHA, Rusty Jimenez (RIP) of PrHAP, James Auste of CWP, Angel Mendoza (RIP) of AGAP, Gov Obet Pagdanganan of META, others. The current AC members, I think about 80% of the names here are new and not around in 2009.

The June 2009 meetings, the Council composition, I wrote here, http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/2009/06/doh-meeting-on-price-regulation-part-1.html.

About Lolo Angel Mendoza and CHAT, I wrote here in 2012, 
http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/2012/03/transitions-lolo-angel-mendoza-of-agap.html.

In 3^rd and 4^th quarter 2020 AC meetings, I was no longer invited. In Q1 and Q2 meetings, I was invited and I spoke against price control, that DOH is again creating new criteria that are 100% outside the criteria of RA 9502 and its IRR, meaning bordering on illegality and violation of the law. Perhaps this displeases the DOH, so no more wide and broad perspectives. Not Advisory Council with wide and contrary views, only Affirmation Council to justify what have been decided and pushed by the DOH.

Out of curiosity, I asked some members of the AC what happened in the Q4 meeting. Few feedback I got.

1. Ric Samaniego of PCCW said that (a) no product or company withdrawals or closures in previous price control 2009, and (b) price cuts are useless if products are not available, so  companies must make these available.

2. DSAP requested to defer round 2 of price control as it is adversely affecting small drugstores,  Ric argued that everyone was affected, they must ask for more discounts from suppliers to support their operations.

On (1a), If Joey O was in the meeting, perhaps he could have said that many small local pharma became bankrupt in the 2009 price control. He and Edward said this in some AC meetings in 2010 onwards. Also, based on the PH Stats Authority (PSA) data, there are less pharma manufacturers now, 124 in 2012, 117 in 2018. See the other numbers here,
http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/2020/12/drug-price-control-51-pharma-efficiency.html.

There were company and product withrawals, so Ric's statement of no withrawal is just emotional speculation.

On (1b), here is a refresher about supply-demand changes after price changes, I made this graph. If there is market competition and no price dictatorship, the “equilibrium price” where supply meets demand is at point A. If there is govt price control, the supply curve moves to the left, companies or products that cannot adjust to forcible big price cut will exit the market. It is represented by the shift leftwards in quantity from Q market to Q control.

At this point, ideologues will feel happy because their political agenda has been fulfilled but patients and their families with less choices will be unhappy. So if there will be round 2, round 3 of price dictatorship, more happiness for the ideologues, less choices and options for the patients.

Another illustration, price control in fare-setting or fare control and its impact in the supply-demand of public transpo, https://www.bworldonline.com/price-control-fare-control-and-tax-decontrol/.
---------------

See also:
Drug Price Control 49, The FEF statement, July 24, 2020 
Drug Price Control 50, Wallace, Clarete and LKI, August 08, 2020 
Drug Price Control 51, Pharma efficiency and lower drug prices, December 08, 2020.

BWorld 466, Tourism, investment and NAIA modernization

* My column in BusinessWorld, December 14, 2020.

At the BusinessWorld Economic Forum 2020 last month, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and other speakers discussed the difficulties of the tourism sector in the current virus scare and lockdown environment and how they cope and plan for the near future. And at the 9th Arangkada Philippines Forum 2020 held by the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) of the Philippines this month, Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon, Jr. narrated similar experiences and explained how the sector’s players intend to recover.

Even before the global and national lockdowns and travel restrictions, the Philippines was not getting enough international visitors, attracting only 8+ million in 2019 compared with the 15 to 40 million visiting our major neighbors in the ASEAN. One reason is that while visitors from Vietnam can go by land to Cambodia and Thailand and vice-versa, the Philippines can be reached only by plane or cruise ships.

So if we consider only airplane arrivals or take-offs, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) had few take-offs per day compared to other ASEAN airports except Ho Chi Minh (HCM) in pre-lockdown 2018. And many of these were domestic flights because we are an archipelago (see Table 1).

Another reason why we did not have many international visitors is that NAIA and other provincial airports are small and congested, because flight delays at NAIA (both arrival and take off) were common then. So there is an urgent need to expand and modernize the current NAIA — and also create new international airports near Metro Manila.

I checked the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center to see the status of various international airport development projects. Two projects have been awarded: the one in Bulacan by San Miguel, and the one in Clark by Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD). The Mactan Cebu IA (MCIA) passenger terminal 1 has been completed. A very important project, the NAIA expansion, is still under prolonged regulatory review (see Table 2).

We focus on NAIA expansion. The first group that was given Original Proponent Status (OPS) was a “super consortium” composed of seven big conglomerates — Aboitiz InfraCapital, Ayala Infrastructure, Alliance Global (Andrew Tan), Asia Emerging Dragon (Lucio Tan), Filinvest (Gotianun), JG Summit (Gokongwei), and Metro Pacific (Pangilinan). A really big and rich group.

But after two years, negotiations were not fruitful and the government terminated the OPS status of the “super consortium,” and last July, the Department of Transportation asked Megawide to submit an unsolicited proposal to modernize the NAIA complex which the latter accepted. Not long after, Megawide received OPS status from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

With the lockdowns and with few flights and few passengers using the airport until late 2020, this could have been a good time to start the project, but instead, Megawide has been awaiting approval by the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) headed by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Which will be followed by a Swiss challenge.

For various reasons, there have been campaigns, explicit and implicit, to delay if not kill the approval of NAIA rehabilitation and expansion. For what? To leave congested NAIA as it is for many years to come? Or to use more taxpayer money, including those from provinces and islands that do not even use NAIA? These are lousy alternatives since there is already an explicit desire by private corporations to spend their own money and resources to develop, expand, and modernize NAIA.

Passengers want more choices. The airlines too, and the restaurants and other businesses inside the airports. So, if we can have an expanded NAIA to use while the huge Bulacan airport is being constructed, plus the Sangley International Airport which is to be expanded and modernized by the Cavite provincial government and its partner corporations, plus the Clark Airport which is further expanding — these are all good. Good for the passengers and tourists, good for domestic and foreign investment, good for trade and commerce expansion.

The continued delay in the NAIA project approval and the Swiss challenge is not good. Not good for many lockdown-displaced jobless people who want more work opportunities, not good for Philippine tourism and investment promotion, not good for the overall economy.

NEDA ICC should not entertain the delay or kill the NAIA modernization project (which will not use taxpayers money). The failure of the “super consortium” to do the project was already bad for the country’s investment image. Delaying or killing this second chance will further worsen the situation.
-----------------

See also:
BWorld 463, Senator Recto’s tax cut plan shadows Reagan, Thatcher, and Trump tax cuts, December 04, 2020 
BWorld 464, Meralco, QPPL and expensive solar-wind, December 05, 2020 
BWorld 465, Construction contraction and steel issues, December 13, 2020.

Covid 20, CDC PH livestream #2, PNP to arrest partying people

Last night, the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDC PH) produced its free-flowing discussion about Covid cases, deaths, early treatment, vaccines, herd immunity, economic contraction, the "great reset", etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3bUYGxHuvU
Now this hysteria is not about the virus, it's about dictatorship. Arrest party goers and what, jail them and put in congested jails where social distancing is a joke?

The IATF and NTF, the DOH plus other agencies especially the Major General Colonel Quarantine (MGCQ -- officially, "Modified General Community Quarantine") officials, they can now make laws on their own and implement such? PNP arresting people -- fine them xx thousands or jail them if they cannot pay the fine -- for partying inside their houses or compound? Wow.
No need for Congress legislation, no need even for a President's Executive Order (EO), this looks like decentralized dictatorship. -----------------
See also:
Covid 17, Hard lockdown Europe vs no lockdown Sweden, any difference in death trend? August 04, 2020 
Covid 18, Lockdowns don't work, articles from scientists and medical professionals, August 10, 2020 
Covid 19, HCQ, RDV and other politicized treatments, October 17, 2020.

APTU meeting 2020

Later today, the Asia Pacific Taxpayers Union (APTU) will hold its Meeting 2020 via zoom. APTU is composed of taxpayers' organizations, advocates of low flat tax in the region. APTU holds a biennial meeting before. Photo below was during the APTU Meeting 2017 in Bangkok, also the World Taxpayers Association (WTA) regional meeting.

Important personalities above, front row: 2nd from left is Troy Lanigan of Canada Taxpayers Assn. as WTA President then. Middle in red pant is Bjorn Tarras-Wahlberg, founder and Past Pr esident of WTA, also Past President of Swedish Taxpayers Assn. Next to Bjorn are Mr. Kim Sun-Taek, President of the Korea Taxpayers Association (KTA), and Mr. Fengiang Liu, President of Beijing Taxpayers Assn.

Other participants were taxpayers groups from India, Nepal, Hong Kong, Thailand, S. Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, also the Americans for Tax Reforms (ATR), among the active members of WTA.

Below during the meeting proper, Bangkok 2017.

First time I attended the APTU meeting was in 2006 in Seoul, sponsored and organized by the KTA. Then when I attended the Atlas Liberty Forum in Atlanta, USA in 2008, there was a small side-meeting by the few APTU members who also attended the Atlas event. Then another small side-meeting during the 3rd Pacific Rim Policy Exchange in Singapore in 2009.

A day before the APTU meeting in 2017, I visited my good friend Pett Jarupaiboon at their FNF Regional Office in Bangkok. Cool guy.

APTU side meeting in Singapore in 2009, 3rd Pacific Rim Policy Exchange. With Mr. Kim (middle), lady beside him was his English translator, Jargal (Mongolia taxpayers group), and Ms. ____ of Grassroot Institute Hawaii. 

The last APTU side-meeting was during the 7th Australia Taxpayers Association (ATA) and WTA  conference in Sydney, May 2019. Below, I first met them in 2006 in Seoul. From left: Mr. Jaya Naidu of Australia taxpayers group, Bjorn, and Mr. Liu.

---------------

See also: 
APTU meeting in Bangkok, April 2011, April 28, 2011 
APTU meeting in Bangkok, part 2, May 05, 2011 
APTU Meeting in Bangkok, March 1-2, Jan. 22, 2013 
WTA meetings 2017 and 2019, April 08, 2020.