Would You Support an Environmentally-Destructive Local Business in the Name of Filipino First?

A very huge misconception especially if you know Singapore's history

Some time ago, I decided to write about how foreign direct investments (FDIs) doesn't always mean environmental destruction. I would like to write this post about FDIs and multinational corporations (MNCs). I don't deny that some businesses just fail to uphold environmentally-friendly practices. That's why I also wrote about the importance of going green in doing businesses. Money is only worth it if there are forests to supply trees, there's delicious fish to eat because of clean streams, there's clean drinking water to buy, and the environment is well-taken care of. My money will have its value if I can go to a beach resort that uses its earnings to preserve the cleanliness of the place. Money becomes worthless when there's nothing of value to exchange it with. Poisoned rivers, massive deforestation, etc. will definitely make money worthless. That's why the late Lee Kuan Yew also discussed about greening up Singapore in his book From Third World to First.

Now, let's imagine this new scenario. We have a local business that's environmentally destructive. It ignores even the simplest guidelines such as no littering and no dumping of waste into the waters. All it cares about is making a profit at the cost of the environment. That person only wants the money as soon as possible. The person may be a miser who hates to spend or a spendthrift who wants instant money. Either way, we know that both kinds will refuse to spend on proper waste disposal. However, the law of the land says, "We must support Filipino businesses as much as possible and support them first." What happens is that these local businesses end up getting protected because they can just bribe their way through the various offices. That local business may bribe the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to get their permit even if they've violated it many times. So, people have no choice but to support that environmentally destructive business at all costs.

We will have our new entrant--an environmentally friendly foreign direct investor (FDI). This FDI is already known to operate with much environmental friendliness that it gets cleanliness awards without bribing officials. It would've probably gotten cleanliness awards from Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. We know how Singapore is a very fine city. You get fined for littering, picking flowers in the park, bird feeding in inappropriate places, vandalism, removal of body waste in the most inappropriate places, and even chewing gum is banned there for a reason. Now, this firm enters the Philippines with all its environmentally-friendly credentials. However, because of Filipino First, this business will either have to share ownership with an environmentally destructive local partner or be on the negative list. Even worse, the Filipino First Policy may require us to shun FDIs because they're foreign. Ironically, those who promote protectionism use foreign media like Facebook, Google, WordPress, etc. Teodoro Casino uses WordPress. Apparently, IBON Foundation is using WordPress or some other website-making platform that I'm not aware of.

However, if one's to be truly environmentally friendly then give no room for ultranationalism. Instead, do what Deng Xiaoping did. Deng didn't care if the cat is black or white as long as it caught mice. In my case, I don't care if the investor is local or foreign--what matters is they serve the country well. One of the criteria of a good business is being environmentally friendly. I want to make sure that when there's profit--the money can buy something valuable. Who would want to swim in the ocean if the beach is dirty and the air is polluted? Who would want to eat fish with garbage all over it? We're to focus on Lee's green policy. We should pursue environmentally-friendly businesses even if it means rejecting local businesses that don't follow it. If an FDI is respectful of the Philippines' natural resources, pays taxes, etc. then it's welcome to invest for as long as it likes.

References

Books

"From Third World to First--The Singapore Story: 1965-2000) by Lee Kuan Yew

Harpers Collins Publishers

Filipino Manufacturing's Golden Age ENDED Because of the Filipino First Policy

Here's a picture from the Dose of Disbelief Page on Facebook. Here's something that it wrote: Filipinos once trusted locally made products more than imports. Before World War II, the label "Made in the Philippines" carried prestige, not stigma, reflecting a strong sense of national confidence in domestic production. Local products such as shoes, cigars, textiles, furniture, and food were often preferred over imports. This preference was rooted in the belief that local goods were better adapted to local conditions, tastes, and were often of comparable, if not superior, quality. This period showcases a strong historical era of consumer nationalism and thriving local industries. We need to look into the context of Filipino history If we look at the Philippine history timeline , we must account for 1935-1940, during which the Philippines was under the Commonwealth government. Independence was declared from Spain on June 12, 1898. However, there was a transition period w...

External Validations, like Masters and Doctorate, Mean NOTHING with a LOUSY Education System

I have the tendency to use my MBA as a license to avoid criticism. It's a real problem that some people use their credentials and/or academic achievements to try and win an argument. One incident I wrote about was Rep. Raoul Abellar Manuel flexing his "smarts" by using his cum laude degree to win the argument . It was all about how I would often say, "You're the moron because I have the MBA and you don't." There are times I felt like taking an MBA would make up for my "moral shortcomings" during high school when I was barely passing (and the passing rate was 80% , which is rather high), that I wasn't having honors, and that there was this saying, " Thou grades shalt determine thy future! " That, of course, has led to the reality where cheating is prevalent . I wanted to make a review. I took my MBA in 2011 and graduated in 2014. I always felt that the MBA program was what I needed to become "invincible". It was also at ...

No Hard-to-Earn Economics Degree is Required to Know That a Welfare, Anti-FDI Philippines is Destined to FAIL

GMA News When it comes to constitutional reform, I'm afraid one of the worst sources quoted would come from the Makabayan Bloc. Some people I face who are so against FDI also want to end the OFW program. The solution comes out rather absurd, as the Philippines must have its own state where it's all beg and beg . It would be like: "Free education for all! No to FDI for schools!" "Free lunch in school!" "No to open FDI! The government must fund our local production!" " Increase the salaries, lower the prices of goods! " (which is just plain bad accounting ) That's just a few of the crazy demands that have been given! My favorite question has always been, "Where will you get the funding?" The usual answers can be: " Print more money! " "The government should just make it a law!" "Tax the rich all the more!" which can often be accompanied by, " After all, it's the fault of the rich that p...

How Foreign Direct Investments Can Also Help in Local Philippine Agriculture

I must admit that I'm getting tired of all the misrepresentations of foreign direct investment (FDI) on Facebook. Such misrepresentations can come from "think-tanks" such as IBON Foundation, Bayan Muna, and the Philippine Anti-Fascist League. That's why I wrote a couple of posts such as (1) how we need to focus on environmentally-friendly business practices (read here ), (2) that FDIs don't always lead to environmental degradation (read here ), and (3) asking the question if you're willing to support local businesses that destroy the environment (read here ). Besides, economic protectionism isn't a guarantee that environment will be friendly. Both North Korea and Venezuela are known to have very bad environmental practices. Just reading about them can make you dizzy. Protectionism ended up destroying agriculture than protecting it Mao Zedong's "great leap forward" was evidence In contrast to what those "think tanks" want us to belie...

Why I'm Not in Favor of Nationalization of Utilities Mixed with Protectionism

ToonPool There's the call of leftist fools to stop privatization. Many still believe that utilities should be run by nationalization rather than privatization . I've been reading on Facebook where some fools believe that allowing foreign telecommunications companies (telcos) to invest in the Philippines will "risk security". Any telco will risk security if there are no laws to regulate it like the Data Privacy Law. Just because I support private enterprises doesn't mean that I say the government is hands-off. On the other hand, the government has the duty to set rules such as fair compensation, proper employee treatment, safety measures, and the like to make sure that we remain in healthy competition. Some people who keep protesting against the privatization of industries I believe (1) want the government to provide for all the needs of the people (which leads to dictatorship, eventually), (2) have some agenda as to why they're doing it, or (3) these people ar...

Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

Search This Blog