Using POGO and Chinese Spies to Justify "No to Economic Charter Change"?

Whoever made this meme is laughable!

It's really laughable at the extent people will defend the Filipino First Policy. Some people even make the late Carlos P. Garcia some kind of hero (and he's buried at the Libigan Ng Mga Bayani, translated as Heroes' Graveyard). Eventually, the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. was laid beside him in that same graveyard. Not exactly ironic if you think that Marcos Sr. himself used economic protectionism as part of his policies.

The UP School of Economics states that the first Marcos Administration was heavily protectionist. Under the second Marcos Administration under Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.--the talk for economic charter change is there. It gets clouded with talks about how economic charter change means giving the Philippines to China (and the same gossip is said to federalism, and China is a unitary state), doing Ad Hominem attacks on Senator Robinhood Padilla (read here), and saying that it will just allow POGO, Chinese spies, and Filipino collaborators to put the Philippines under Xi Jinping's iron-clad dictatorship.

I'm both angry and amused whenever I read ignorant statements about FDI. Take for example how people are often saying it's all about corruption in government, not FDI ownership restrictions. Never mind that Vietnam's current president To Lam ate gold-coated steak in Salt Bae's overpriced restaurant in London last 2021 (read here). Some people even say that FDI equals debt (read rebuttal here), that it's all about Filipinas dating foreigners (read why it can't be here), and confusing investment with imperialism (read rebuttal here). The statements can go on and on. When I ask them for answers, they end up hurling insults instead of real arguments. An arrogant fat guy (I will not expose him directly) even said that it's Chinese neo-colonialism (using economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to follow them, such as some Western superpowers and the Philippines). The same fat guy even claims GCash, a Filipino-made application, is Chinese. The claim that Chinese businesses have dominated the whole world (maybe this arrogant fat guy needs to watch China Uncensored or update on Vietnam) is really absurd. If Chinese businesses fall, it's because of the arrogance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The excuse not to open up the economy to allow 100% FDI business ownership (that is, all about their shares of business) is because of China. Please, it's not as if legislation can't be passed such as updating data privacy laws, modifying taxation laws depending on how the economy performs, raising the minimum wage whenever applicable, and labor laws. It's not as if China's the only country in the world that provides FDI. It's ironic how Vietnam, a country that flaunts the Communist flag everywhere you go, actually understands better. Doi Moi has been better than the Filipino First Policy. The Vietnam Briefing says Vietnam allows 100% FDI ownership except for a select few industries. The Vietnam Embassy tells us that for the select industries on the negative list--they need a minimum of 30% but they can own more than 40% or even higher. That's different from what the Official Gazette of the Philippines says about the Philippines FDI restrictions!

If one really looks at Filipino businesses, some of them have already hit foreign territory. Take Jollibee with how it has expanded worldwide (read here). Joel Torre has already opened his grill business in Singapore (read here)--the very city often vilified for its supposed wrongful execution of Flor Contemplacion. Filipinos can survive competition, and evolve, and some may become MNCs. What also needs to be emphasized is that when Filipinos invest abroad--they're bound to the laws of the countries they invest in. FDIs aren't a form of neocolonialism. MNCs can invest here and there but they must follow the rules of that country. If Jollibee should invest in a Muslim country--it should never serve pork. If Jollibee should invest in a Hindu country or Buddhist country--it should never serve beef.

Besides, a good list of MNCs would tell us that many of them don't come from China. Let's think of some FDIs that are currently invested in the Philippines which aren't Chinese brands:

American brands: Mcdonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, Burger King, Coca Cola, Apple, LG, Epson, Lexmark, JP Morgan, Pizza Hut, Shakey's, Kenny Rogers Roasters
Japanese brands: Ichiban, Daiso, Japan Home Center
Malaysian brands: Tealive
South Korean brands: Samsung
Taiwanese brands: Gong Cha, Chatime, Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea

I'll also list some businesses in Cebu City run by different types of people such as:

Halal restaurants in Cebu are usually run by Arabs. Hussam Middle Eastern Cuisine, Shawarma Gourmet, Leylam Shawarma, and Persian Palate (my first exposure to halal food) are owned by Arabs.
Indian restaurants, run by ethnic Indians, include Bollywood Tandoor (North India), Cherry's the Spice (Hyderabadi style), Bharat Spice, and Little India Healthy Cuisine (vegetarian, though it's now deliveries only).

China isn't the only country that will benefit from allowing MNCs to invest without having to look for a business partner. I'm still adamant about not letting foreigners own land since they should be viewed as tenants. Most of the time, lessors tend not to sell their properties to occupants. Screening and economic restrictions can still be practiced, even if the MNC doesn't need to find a Filipino partner. MNCs, even with 100% business ownership, will still have to pay rent, pay taxes, and follow business laws, which include environmental laws. Whoever says FDIs always equals POGO and Chinese spies are just dreaming.

Besides, I challenge them to bring me their sources. I wouldn't be surprised if their sources are only IBON Foundation, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Bayan Muna, and other similar like-minded organizations. They need to show their studies that first-world countries developed through protectionism, and only opened when the countries developed their national industries.

Get Stuck with EDSA, End Up Like Nokia

Yes, we should never forget what history teaches us. A classmate of mine, back in high school, wrote a simple and blunt essay called "History: A Teacher". I doubt he still has a soft copy, given it was already more than 20 years ago. I'd like to quote Duterte critic Andrew James Masigan wrote this in Philippine Star --something that should remain relevant: I would never undervalue the 1987 Constitution. It dismantled the legal framework of a repressive regime and established the democratic institutions we enjoy today. For this, I am grateful. The 1987 Constitution was crafted with the best of intentions. It sought to put the Filipino first in all aspects of governance and to level the playing field amongst sectors and peoples. But it is far from perfect. It failed to consider the importance of foreign capital and technologies and the stiff competition we would have to face to obtain them. In short, its economic provisions were short-sighted . So despite the Constitut...

#SahodItaasPresyoIbaba Economics' Bad Accounting

I would like to apologize in advance to my readers. The picture I'm presenting is in Tagalog, and not all my readers speak Tagalog. I would translate the picture's text into English for convenience. It says: "Ano ang bumubuo sa mga presyo?" means "What comprises the price?" "Gastos ng materyales" means materials expense "Gastos sa kasangkapan" means depreciation expense ""Gaston sa pasahod" means salary expense "Kapitalista" means capitalist Renta is well, rent "Kayang pababain ang presyo" means "Prices can be lowered". It says that capitalists (industrialists, landlords, bankers) and elitist governments are part in the gross profit. Get rid of excise taxes (either permanently or temporarily) for the prices of goods and services. In the times of crisis, in the burden of sacrifices, we need to be watchful for capacity. Whatever savings for times of difficulty by the workers and countrymen, the...

Past Chinese School Education in the Philippines was Based on "Sǐ Jì Yìng Bèi"

Chinoys of my age (and older) may remember these textbooks. I called them as the "symbol of trauma". It was memorizing something without understanding it . One would just memorize (without understanding it) because it was typical. Not being able to memorize what was assigned? Get a bad grade? One can expect physical punishment like hitting the hand with a ruler or chili in the mouth. Chinese language teachers are stereotypically strict . The language textbooks (above) are what were used during the 1990s to the early 2000s. As I wrote it, the Sinjiang textbooks aren't effective in teaching Mandarin , in a world where Mandarin has over a billion speakers! There's a Chinese proverb that says, "死記硬背 sǐ jì yìng bèi" or "Memorize to the point of death". That's exactly what those textbooks are. Memorize to the point of death! Okay, it may sound exaggerated. However, that's how Chinese language teachers in the Philippines were made to teach the ...

Migrante International's Really Bad Economic Literacy

March 17 (which is tomorrow) seems to be an unofficial holiday for some people, right? I'm sickened that the late Flor Contemplacion has been treated like she's some national heroine (and thankfully, tomorrow isn't a holiday) even after Singapore had proven her guilt. A movie was made by Joel Lamangan called The Flor Contemplacion Story . The call for Migrante (Migrant) International has been to remember Flor even after several years. What's not too surprising was to learn that Flor's sons were all arrested for drug-related charges. Even her eldest son died while in prison. You have Migrante International wanting to end the labor export policy. However, a post by Migrante really shows how this group fails basic economics. I will not post the whole press statement but one part that made my eyes roll. >> Further opening the country’s economy to foreign ownership and control will worsen the exploitation of our people and the environment without creating a susta...

"Filipino First Policy" Has NO PLACE in the Rising Asian 21st Century

I guess nobody saw the Asian 21st Century coming, right? China was once a poor nation but look at it now. Vietnam was once a poor nation but look at it now. Singapore was once a poor nation but look at it now. The late great Lee Kuan Yew wrote his book From Third World to First . I'm afraid some people have been using it to go against the presidency of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. while ignoring what else Lee Kuan Yew had to say. Lee Kuan Yew described the Filipino press to be rambunctious on pages 304-305 which I agree. I'm afraid that the Filipino press may have had a hand in getting rid of any economic or political reforms that could help the Philippines. Yet, one policy has been holding back the Philippines for decades and yes, it's the Filipino First Policy . Reviewing the Filipino First Policy and why it has no place in the rising Asian 21st century I remembered how the values education subject taught Carlos P. Garcia's stupid Filipino First Policy as a Filipino value...

Remembering the Late Jesse Robredo's Quote on Systems That Force People to be Good

It's been some time since Jesse M. Robredo died too soon. Hopefully, his wife Atty. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo is true to her word, in her willingness to amend the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, for the sake of foreign investments. It's a shame I never wrote about the late great man. The CoRRECT Movement on Facebook gave this important note on Robredo's life. Robredo said, "It's not enough for an official to be good. There has to be a system that forces them to be good." Whether or not Robredo was for charter change or a few constitutional amendments, I can't tell. For some racists, let me remind them that Robredo's real surname is Lim and his paternal grandfather is the late Lim Pay Co. In terms of Robredo's credentials (and I tend to sometimes brag about the credentials of those I quote), here's what the City Government of Naga website says: He is an Edward Mason Fellow and a graduate of Masters in Public Administration at the John...

Filipino First Education Created the Fixed Mindset Over Growth Mindset Mentality

Tomorrow is Bonifacio Day. It's effortless to say that Filipino First Policy works. I wouldn't be surprised if Andres Bonifacio gets used as a poster boy. However, Bonifacio worked for British and German investors . I'd like to talk about how decades of Filipino First Policy compromised our education system. Some idiot on Facebook said which I'll paraphrase to avoid getting personal. The idiot said, "If you let foreigners invest here, can Filipinos afford it?" The same idiot also scorns the law of supply and demand (read my post discussing why that's plain silly here ). People who believe in #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba must first prove it works by opening such stores nationwide, to show that the Philippines doesn't need FDI to succeed (read here ). Of course, I can expect them to say "It's the government's responsibility to raise salaries without raising the prices of goods." That's just plain bad accounting and finance too! Andrew Ja...

Refuse to Do Business with a Person Who Looks Down on Menial Work

If there's any reason why some people are angry with the rich--it's because of rich people who look down on the poor. Some people are born rich without knowing the struggles of the one who originally acquired the wealth. Some rich parents make the fatal mistake of making their children feel entitled. Meanwhile, some rich parents make their children do the right thing by not waiting until things get too far. Some rich parents end up making their children attend middle-class schools, do summer jobs, work as employees in their own businesses, and teach them the value of wealth, especially by narrating the struggles before they got wealthy. In looking for a business partner, I feel it's very important to look at the attitude of these people. How do they treat people who do menial work? I could imagine looking forward to a business contract. However, it turns out that the potential business partner is a spoiled brat . Maybe, it's already a red alarm if I'm invited to an ...

Dayang Daya: The Case of Five-Six Lending Services Roaming to Collect Christmas/New Year Debts by January

I remember during the late 1990s when the song "Dayang Dayang" (Princess of the First Degree) was played on the radio. The origins are often debated whether or not it was from Muslim Mindanao or from the other neighboring countries. The Philippines has had settlers also from Malaysia and Indonesia. A parody cover by the late Yoyoy Villame was called Dayang Daya or Cheating Cheating. It was probably making fun of the Indian five-six lending business. Indians tend to be called Bombay because of the location known as Mumbai. I even made the mistake of referring to Indians as "Bombays" more than once. The song "Dayang Daya" does talk about the five-six lending services. It does target a lot of gullible people. I even became nearly distrustful of Indians in college for quite some time. I wrote how a Merry Christmas may lead to an Unhappy New Year due to debt burden (read here ). I tend to say to myself, "Somebody hasn't paid their debt!" every ti...

Will Opening the Philippines to 100% FDI Lead to Foreign Monopoly?

Monopoly - Hasbro I was looking at the CoRRECT Movement Moderated Public Forum on Facebook. I found more illogical arguments by a certain troll in the forum named Juan Dalisay Jr.--the writer of the Superphysics One website. However, this isn't the first argument I ran into as I've seen arguments from Kabataan Partylist and the League of Filipino Students on Facebook. They have claimed that foreign direct investments (FDIs) will lead to exploitation, only they will get rich, that they will rape resources, and an even funnier claim is that they will lead to monopolies . Some people, even fools, should be allowed to defend themselves at CoRRECT Moderated Public Forum than just live in their echo chamber of Facebook pages. However, Kishore Mahbubani and the late Lee Kuan Yew had long disproven that . The testimony is in the book From Third World to First by Lee himself. Mahbubani said foreign investors create jobs, bring capital, and teach new skills. I wonder if protectionist adv...

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