Plutocrats' 'in-Serge-ency'

CONSUMERS' DEMAND!
Herman Tiu Laurel

4/23-29/2012

"We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution."

Even if that 1987 Constitutional Commission had a severely flawed representation, being an appointed body, its members still had the basic sense to acknowledge and declare in writing the basic democratic economic and political principles in our preamble. Notice the particular focus on promoting the "common good," conserving and developing our "patrimony," and securing to ourselves and posterity "a regime of truth, justice…equality…."

Yet, the actions we have seen the past months from some of the country's political leaders on the Mindanao power supply and price crisis betray the fundamental intentions stated in the Constitution: The blatant lies to enforce the monopolization and amassing of plutocrats' wealth and power; the promotion of elite and plutocratic welfare against the common good; the insidious sabotage of the natural jewel that is the beautiful and powerful Agus-Pulangi hydroelectric complex flowing from the majestic Maria Christina Falls; and the blatant use of political position to obstruct the will of the people and dictate upon them.

To highlight these charges, we narrate these self-evident acts of omission and commission by the political-economic authorities of the present plutocrat controlled regime: The two-year neglect of the long reported and longstanding clamor for the dredging and de-silting of the Agus-Pulangi that is the direct and immediate cause of the calamitous Mindanao power shortage; the deliberate idling of operational Power Barges 101, 102, 103, and 104 that could have prevented the shortage; the privatization to the Aboitizes of Power Barges 117 and 118 in 2009 when Mindanaoans have opposed this knowing these would be needed for possible seasonal power shortfalls; support for the blackmail by the Aboitizes of withholding power unless high priced, long-term contracts are signed by Mindanaoans; presidential inaction despite existing legal powers to mobilize Iligan City's 104-megawatt (MW) BOT power plant coveted by the Alcantara oligarchs; the imperial dictation by BS Aquino III and Sen. Serge Osmeña to Mindanaoans to just swallow high power prices and sign onerous contracts; and the list goes on.

After the Davao Power Summit of April 13--a summit that produced only vomit amongst the Mindanaoans and opinion writers, such as Dick Pascual of Philippine Star who wrote "Goal of power summit was to sell higher rates?" and Armando Doronilla of Inquirer who coined, "Monologue, not dialogue, at the power summit," as well as criticisms from the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo, Bishop Angelito Lampon and Bishop Dinualdo Guiterrez, who said, "Hindi naman kasalanan ng mga taga-Mindanao kung bakit nagkakaroon ng power crisis sa rehiyon. Kasalanan ng pamahalaan ang power shortage dahil sa kanilang kapabayaan at mga maling polisiya..." over Radio Veritas, among thousands of adverse reactions--a convening of the Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC), the body tasked by the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) power privatization law to oversee its implementation, was scheduled posthaste for April 19 as a positive step toward finding solutions to the crisis; but just a few days before the hearing its co-chair, Sen. Serge Osmeña, cancelled and postponed the hearing for another month.

What was Osmeña's reason, or excuse, for calling it off? Manila Standard Today reported: "In announcing the cancellation of the April 19 hearing, Osmeña said he also took pity on the resource speakers such as Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who would have to repeat what they said during the Mindanao Power Summit on April 13 (saying) 'I pity the resource persons who will have to do it again. So I moved the briefing to May 10 so legislators will be in Manila.'"

Osmeña can take pity on a handful of officials but not on 25 million Mindanaoans who are already suffering the consequences of the delay? At the same time, the co-chair of the JCPC from the Lower House, conjugal partner of Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, would be absent on April 19; hence, another reason for the postponement. With public officials such as these, does the country still need external enemies to meet with destruction?

Insurgency is defined as "the state or condition of being in revolt or insurrection" and it is normally applied to the oppressed peoples struggling against the powers-that-be; but here in the Philippines, we see the opposite happening.

While the Philippine Constitution is very clear in its preamble that the government exists to "promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony… under a rule of law and a regime of truth, justice… equality," what we are experiencing in the events around the Mindanao power crisis is the BS Aquino III government and its political and cabinet collaborators promoting the vested profit and monopoly interests of a handful of oligarchs; sabotaging our cherished national patrimony, the Agus-Pulangi; lying, cheating, blackmailing, oppressing, and tyrannically imposing their diktats on the people.

The epitome of what they are doing against the welfare and democratic aspirations of the people in this case is Sen. Serge Osmeña who sits in his Senate Energy Committee perch despite conflict-of-interest that's not only clear by his actuations but also by his relations with the Lopezes--in other words, the plutocrats' "in-Serge-ency."

What we are witnessing in the Philippines is the insurrection and rebellion of the plutocrats, a successful one at that up to this date, against the principles of democracy and common good enshrined in the Constitution, in the promotion of plutocracy and the plutonomy (the economy of, for and by the plutocrats).

If the people of Mindanao are to survive and prosper, as those in Luzon and Visayas should already realize after 10 years of EPIRA and power privatization, the people's rebellion and genuine insurgency must start, with the nation fighting back to reclaim the "commons" or our common wealth and patrimony.

Some leaders of Mindanao are now beginning to organize the people's rebellion there. Former Misamis Oriental Gov. Homobono Adaza has started the call to organize the "Mindanao Action Party" to field candidates in the next senatorial elections, capture at least four seats, and thereby take the Mindanaoans' power struggle to a higher plane and reverse the rule of the plutocrats there. Luzon and the Visayas should follow suit and support these fighters from Mindanao where the Spaniards and US colonial forces found their Waterloo in centuries past.

So with that we say: Down with the plutocrats' "in-Serge-ency." Let us raise the call for a national "jihad" against the plutocracy. Let us lift the banner of the genuine popular rebellion and insurrection until the people are victorious!

(Tune in to 1098AM, DWAD, Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.; watch Destiny Cable GNN's HTL edition of Talk News TV, Saturdays, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11:15 p.m., on "Mindanao fights the oligarchs" with Bono Adaza, Jojo Borja, and Norminco VP Capt. Matias; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)

A rendezvous with disappointment

AN OUTSIDER'S VIEW

Ken Fuller

4/24/2012

Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, were understandably delighted when the NLD won all the 44 seats it contested in Myanmar's April 1 by-elections. Presumably they believe that the day when Myanmar embarks upon the road to development and freedom is close to hand.

At the risk of being accused of being a curmudgeonly iconoclast, however, this outsider believes there is a strong chance that such supporters have a rendezvous with disappointment. After all who, in recent months, have been Aung San Suu Kyi's most vociferous international backers?

Last Dec. 2, fresh from her regime-change exploits in the Middle East and North Africa, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew in and, accompanied by a team from the State Department and the US Embassy, met Aung Sang Suu Kyi for talks, the contents of which were not divulged.

Then, on April 13, following the NLD by-election victories, in came UK Prime Minister David Cameron on the last leg of a Southeast Asian tour to promote UK interests. The significance of this visit may be judged by the fact that Cameron was the first incumbent British leader to visit the country since independence in 1948. Accompanying him were 10 members of the business members of the tour, including "defense" company representatives, although Cameron's spokesmen were anxious to claim to the BBC that they were merely conducting "cultural" activities. Yeah, right.

What is happening here, of course, is that Western leaders, knowing full well that Myanmar's "democratic" reforms will result in openings for the transnational corporations whose interests they represent, are now hurrying to secure a place at the head of the line, preparatory to an undignified stampede once the doors swing open.

Cameron is well aware of the economic opportunities in Myanmar. On April 15, Richard Eden disclosed in The Telegraph that the British PM's mother-in-law, Lady Annabel Astor, established a company called Oka in 1999 to import rattan products from, among other countries, Myanmar. Embarrassed by the inconvenient human-rights outcry, the imports were suspended in 2007 but resumed the following year. Last year, the Viscountess Astor predicted that Oka was "three or four years away from 100 million pounds."

Cameron's in-law has, writes Eden, "turned Oka into one of the country's most desirable furnishings companies. It hit the headlines when it featured on the expenses claims of some of Cameron's allies, such as those of Michael Gove, the Education Secretary." (This refers to a quaint British practice whereby some politicians make fraudulent claims on the public purse regarding their homes and furnishings — small stuff by Philippine standards, although some of the practitioners are now behind bars.)

Be that as it may, surely the fate of Myanmar does not rest solely in the hands of Western economic interests? Surely Aung San Suu Kyi would not allow them to pillage her country? Surely the program of the NLD calls for an economy run by, and in the interests of, the people of Myanmar? Frankly, there appears to be something of a problem here.

If the NLD has a program, I have been unable to locate it. The closest I've come is the speech by Aung San Suu Kyi on March 14, when she outlined the party's "policy, stance and work programmes." Here, she explained "our ambitions for the nation and the people along with the principles that have been upheld for more than 20 years." The NLD's three priorities were "the rule of law, internal peace and constitutional amendments."

Regarding the first of these, she called for the abolition of "some outdated rules oppressing the people," the creation of an independent, "upright" judiciary, "complete press freedom," and the extension of "supporting networks of law to help the people." On the peace question, the NLD calls for a national ceasefire, negotiations, and the search for common ground in the construction of a "genuine democratic Union," as opposed to secession. As for the constitution, the NLD somewhat hazily believes that all representatives, "including united military forces, are to work together to amend the constitution with a sense of serving the interests of the nation only without attachment to own party and own group and personality cult."

Finally, we get to socio-economic questions. There are some welcome proposals here, such as the formation of "united farmers unions" to freely represent the interests of farmers, the legal protection of labor rights and the formation of labor unions, the abolition of forced labor, the equal treatment of all workers and protection against unemployment.

But what will the economy look like? Will Myanmar attempt to industrialize? What will be the balance between public and private, local and foreign enterprise? The speech was silent on such matters. Instead, voters were told that the NLD would "focus on seeking necessary international assistance for development of the nation," and that "it is required to make a shift to market economy with a right balance between freedom, stability and social justice, based on the rule of law."

So, there will be a market economy. But that is not all. "It is required to closely cooperate with the International Monetary Fund, International Finance Commission" — possibly a reference to the International Finance Corp., which finances private-sector projects in the developing world — and the World Bank for the development of "all State-run and private-owned businesses. NLD is paving the way for such cooperation right now."

The frequent use of the term "it is required" suggests that the speaker is one of those who believe that certain economic prescriptions are, like natural phenomena, inescapable. So were all those years under house arrest sacrificed so that Myanmar could be handed over to the same agencies which have rendered the Philippine economy dysfunctional?

Yes, a rendezvous with disappointment appears likely.

(Feedback to: outsiders.view@yahoo.com)