2011: Off with the oligarch's heads!

CONSUMERS DEMAND!
Mentong Laurel
01/3-9/2011



One of the enduring scenes from the closing year of the first decade of this century will undoubtedly be the snapshot of the spider web crack on Prince Charles’ Rolls Royce window. His face aghast with his lady Camilla in shock, this came about when rampaging British “yobs” (or juveniles) protested the UK government’s economic austerity plans for the British people, particularly students, after British banks were bailed out to the tune of billions over the past two years.

”Off with their heads,” the rioting crowds shouted, evoking images of the French Revolution against King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Depending on how one sees it, the “yobs” can actually be the good boys who are demonstrating indignation at the threefold increase in tuitions in the next three years. It’s good because they are standing up for their rights--for justice and equity in their society.

The closest thing to the European royalty of kings and queens in the Philippines is the local corporate and bureaucrat aristocracy, or the “corporatocracy” that rules over our economy, government, and society.

The corporatocracy is a phenomenon emanating from the two-and-a-half decades of globalization and privatization of the nation and its economy: From the massive trade tariff revenues forgone by the state with forced liberalization, to the transfer of great revenue generating state assets to private corporations that started with Corazon Aquino, accelerated under Fidel Ramos and peaked under Gloria Arroyo’s 10-year rule, which was summed up by her economic adviser Joey Salceda’s “You never had it so good” retort to Big Business criticism against Arroyo in the last election debates.

After the 2001 power grab, Big Business raked in a whopping P10 trillion, mainly in the electricity, water, ports, toll ways and other public utility “businesses.” What this proves is that the corporatocracy is antithetical to the people’s cherished dreams of democracy and popular prosperity since time immemorial. What prevails today is a government of, for, and by the corporatocracy sucking the people dry through exploitative public utility and privatized public service rates and fees.

The premier power company Meralco exacts a 50 to 80% increase in profit every year while the SLEX toll fees are rising this January by up to 300%--this as water rates in both the east and west sectors are also rising anew, same with the port fees and power rates that are already among the highest in the world. Simply put, regulatory agencies such as the ERC, TRC, and MWSS are captured and controlled by the oligarchs in the same way that their corruption money lords over our national and local elections. There is no government of, by, and for the people anymore.

As in the olden days, insatiable greed is destroying society. Come January, this writer and advocate, with the help of OpinYon, will start releasing car stickers protesting this regime of stratospheric power rates. The revolution starts here. Join the struggle; share a few coins to stick it to the ERC and power pirates’ ass!

(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch Talk News TV with HTL, Tuesday, January 4, 2011, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., for the “2010 Year-ender” on Global News Network, Destiny Cable channel 8; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)