2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

Ranking Chinese Official And The Real Deal



Show of force before any talks is a strategy of the communist rebels in the Philippines. It's not surprising that the two jets spotted by the Philippine Air Force is a strategy of force, if it were really Chinese aircrafts. But then again maybe the Chinese just wants to say "shut up or suffer the consequences". What I don't understand is that if the Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organization is fighting the US allies, why cant the Philippines do an approach less of being a terrorist. The Philippines will surely not win but it would make any aggressor think twice. Or maybe the US is just maneuvering the Filipinos to think that Chinese are up to no good.

Now according to the Philippine Defense Undersecretary Eduardo Batac “We are restricted from giving information outside of what they authorized to be released” (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/8214/defense-department-puts-lid-on-gazmin-liang-talks). I don't even think the Philippine government has the balls to control the talks. I don't even know when the Philippines government ever said "this is what the filipinos want", always accommodating foreigners but not the Filipino people.

Dividing the enemy we win, uniting the enemies we lose -- a very simple and logical strategy the Chinese are using, meeting independently with claimant countries of the Spratly and surrounding/adjacent small islands. The Chinese are just buying time until their Pacific armada grows to a point that opposition will be futile.

WHAT IS THE PHILIPPINES BUYING TIME FOR?



Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Philippine Oil Subsidy and the High Electricity Rates



The Philippine government to subsidize fuel for the public transport. A good cause but a sign of weak or even a short foresight if not none at all. Did the Philippine government committed itself to buying from traditional expensive sources or is bounded exclusively to buy from expensive sources?. Or did the Philippines signed a contract at the expense of the Filipino people to buy oil from specific suppliers.

Subsidy is done by any country especially by developed countries. But would it be more prudent and long term if actions are taken by the Philippine government to make sure that the Filipino people get their electricity at the right price and I mean without questionable fees and add-on expenses -- this is long term and a better solution, this will surely bring down the electric bill as much as 30-40%. There are many ways that the Philippine government can ease price increase and not shoulder subsidy or let the businesses shoulder the government's shortcomings?. Will the subsidy result to another loan grant?. I hope the transport sector is not stupid enough to think that the oil subsidy is a free thing, this will be billed again at the expense of the Filipinos.

Filipinos need the Philippine government. A government that thinks long term. A government that thinks not just now, not just tomorrow, not just for the current administration, but for the generations of Filipinos to come. But then again, the Philippine government is stupid enough not to think.


Thursday, March 31, 2011

(PLDT + Smart Cellular) + Sun Cellular = users loosers



According to our senator, Juan Ponce Enrile -
“The enactment of the bill (Philippine Antitrust Law) would prevent abuses, such as those perpetrated by Meralco, including overcharging of customers, price manipulations, ghost deliveries, book manipulations and charging of system losses to customers, amounting to billons of pesos, and others,”

The proposed anti-trust act [SB 123, An Act Prohibiting Monopolies, Attempt to Monopolize an Industry or Line of Commerce, Manipulation of Prices of Commodities, Asset Acquisition and Interlocking Memberships in the Board of Directors of Competing Corporate Bodies and Price Discrimination Among Customers, Providing Penalties Therefor, and for other Purposes - Ed.]

Now I think you know where I'm going with this. But this is better than how the PLDT were during the 70's. But then again, capitalistic takeovers must be controlled to make sure that public service is not waylaid to benefit corporate investors and government officials. Oops! wait a minute, if government officials are in on it then it's Official. One provider, One service, no complaints, no support. IT'S LIFE FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS FOR THE POOR OLD FILIPINOS...

In a nutshell, the Anti-Trust bill will
- Prohibiting agreements or practices that restrict free trading and competition between business entities. This includes in particular the repression of carhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giftels;
- Banning abusive behaviour by a firm dominating a market, or anti-competitive practices that tend to lead to such a dominant position. Practices controlled in this way may include predatory pricing, tying, price gouging, refusal to deal and many others, and;
- Supervising the mergers and acquisitions of large corporations, including some joint ventures. Transactions that are considered to threaten the competitive process can be prohibited altogether, or approved subject to “remedies” such as an obligation to divest part of the merged business or to offer licences or access to facilities to enable other businesses to continue competing.

The NTC cannot just continue monitoring. It all goes back to the law makers to make sure that the Anti-Trust bill becomes a law!. And don't expect the NTC to do what is mandated of it to do. As explained in this blog before, the Smart Communications is already inside the NTC veins.

But then again and again, and possibly again. NTC is just one department. There are still other departments being played by corporate maneuvering. Innocence of the law is not an excuse so as stupidity of running a government is not an excuse.