Two Pre-SONA Talks on the Philippine Economy (@ UP Diliman)

Economics students and would-be policy makers cannot afford to miss these two events - two talks (in the University of the Philippines Diliman) on Philippine development prospects and outlook days before President Benigno Aquino III's second State of the Nation Address (SONA). From two contending ideological camps, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) which espouses a developmentalist state and the UP School of Economics (UPSE) which retains its neoclassical foundations, we stand to learn more about the dynamics of the Philippine economy, the interaction of government, firms, and the consumers.







See details below.

Deconstructing Rizal: Veneration Without Understanding by Renato Constantino

Today is Jose Rizal's 150th birthday. This week - a week of patriotic fervor, began with the 113th "Independence Day" and now ends this week with Rizal's birthday. Interestingly, the celebration is juxtaposed with several events, events that expose the fact that while we are supposedly sovereign, our national elite has failed to actualize and protect this sovereignty - them begging for United States protection (interestingly, when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, it was "under the protection of the potent and humanitarian North American nation") amid helplessness on China's incursions on the West Philippine Sea. What can be more ironic than that?

In any case, Rizal's life and struggle has to be celebrated - but it should be celebrated with a critical mind and a nationalistic temperament. Rizal as a hero has to be deconstructed so we can extract the essence of his heroism and put it in the context of his time. For this purpose, I am posting an article (which we were asked to read in our History I class in UP Manila) from the late historian Renato Constantino on Jose Rizal, Veneration without Understanding (taken from this site) - a brilliant excursion on the personality and historical place of our national hero. Enjoy reading! 

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Veneration Without Understanding 

by Renato Constantino

In the histories of many nations, the national revolution represents a peak of achievement to which the minds of man return time and again in reverence and for a renewal of faith in freedom. For the national revolution is invariably the one period in a nation's history when the people were most united, most involved, and most decisively active in the fight for freedom. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that almost always the leader of that revolution becomes the principal hero of his people. There is Washington for the United States, Lenin for the Soviet Union, Bolivar for Latin America, Sun Yat Sen, then Mao Tse-Tung for China and Ho Chi Minh for Vietnam. The unity between the venerated mass action and the honored single individual enhances the influence of both.

In our case, our national hero was not the leader of our Revolution. In fact, he repudiated that Revolution. In no uncertain terms he placed himself against Bonifacio and those Filipinos who were fighting for the country's liberty. In fact, when he was arrested he was on his way to Cuba to use his med- [p. 125] ical skills in the service of Spain. And in the manifesto of December 15, 1896 which he addressed to the Filipino people, he declared:

Beyond Appointments: Reorganizing DOTC and DPWH

The appointment of Sen. Mar Roxas to the position of Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) after the resignation of Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Sec. Ping de Jesus (plus three other DOTC undersecretaries) has given Aquino's party president a strategic post with which to propell his fledging political career. Being in charge with DOTC means, as a columnist put it, being “in charge of huge projects, big-ticket items that have been the milking cow of corrupt individuals in the past.” ZTE-NBN, NAIA Terminal 3, North Luzon Railways Project, SCTEX, RORO, and the STRADCOM controversies clearly come to mind.

DOTC is in fact one of the more strategic agencies in the Philippine bureaucracy, since a "viable, efficient, and dependable transportation and communications systems" are "effective instruments for national recovery and economic progress," as DOTC's wikipage puts it. It is thus not surprising that former Sec. de Jesus' resignation caused some panic on possible political impacts (see this also) of such on Aquino's 1-year old administration, but this is mostly because DOTC is a crucial position to begin with. DOTC's political power derives from its position in the overall narrative of economic development - a behemoth of sorts combining in one agency two widely different sectors: the transportation industry and the communications sector.

Is such a gargantuan creation as DOTC fit to lead us towards economic modernization?

Anti-Cory Propaganda Youtube Video

Someone forwarded me this YouTube video. Judging by the sophistication of this video (graphics, technology used, and all), either it was made by a very political multimedia professional, or someone out to demolish the Noynoy administration hired an expensive multimedia professional to do this. Let us watch the video with a critical mind, and an appreciative eye for cool animation. Enjoy!

This video represents a long-running line of argumentation blaming the EDSA system for the economic and social quagmires we are in, while positioning the Marcosian authoritarian government of the 70s  as the one that put Philippines on the global map of competitiveness. This argumentation has many flaws, as both Marcos and Aquino had their share in pushing the Philippines towards the path of maldevelopment. In any case, one cannot simply dismiss the criticisms of the pro-Marcos camp, especially with Bongbong's assertion that we could have been a Singapore had EDSA I never happened (with Aquino III answering that we could have been a Libya otherwise) having appeal on those who witnessed the economic wrath and misery of the neoliberal era.

Setting Fair Oil Prices for the Filipino People (by Rep. Walden Bello)

Just this Monday, Rep. Walden Bello, a progressive Filipino solon, world-renowned economist and the originator of the "deglobalization" movement, recently spoke in halls of Congress on the need to set fair oil prices and increase income in a time of inflation. A series of urgent demands for relief, Bello's proposals perfectly complements Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transport's (PMT) strategic and medium-term "Proposals to End the Recurring Oil Crisis" (http://bit.ly/endoilcrisis).

This is a must-read for policy-makers who are considering a lasting but feasible urgent solution on the oil inflation problem. Enjoy!

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Setting Fair Oil Prices for the Filipino People
Privilege Speech of Rep. Walden Bello, May 16, 2011

A year after its election, the administration can point to the high economic growth rate, particularly in agriculture, as one of its achievements.

However, perhaps more than economic growth, people prize economic stability, and the way things are going right now, there is a sense of things slipping out of control. The main challenge citizens want the administration to meet is, far and away, the economy.  And among the economic issues, inflation receives the highest priority as a problem that must be addressed by the government in a recent Pulse Asia survey, with some 53 per cent of respondents citing it.

Rep. Walden Bello

Jan-jan’s Abuse and the Middle Class Disconnect

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. What Willie Revillame made Jan-jan do in an episode of his popular primetime show is wrong. It is very probable that the humiliation and psychological torture Jan-jan experienced under the crowd of Willing Willie may leave an indelible imprint of a hostile society in his young psyche. But even if Friedrich Nietzsche is right, that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger (and I do hope than Jan-jan would come out of this a stronger person), it should have been a decision an adult Jan-jan would have to make, not Revillame. Revillame should be dealt with according to our laws.

The dozens of articles I read written by various "concerned citizens" through facebook, blogs, and columns on the topic had a unanimous verdict on the Revillame’s show. That in itself is not interesting. What is interesting is that they were puzzled by the seeming indifferent stance by Jan-jan’s parents. Why did they let their son do that demeaning dance? Are they bad parents? The parents are equally puzzled by the reaction of these "concerned citizens". “What’s the big deal?” - they seem to be thinking.