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

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