How Open FDI Can Help the Philippines Create Better Waste Disposal and Flood Control

I remember Cebu City had severe flood warning going on. I saw some stores at Carbon in Cebu City, getting severely flooded. It was a real nightmare as Typhoon Crising also passed by Cebu. The sight was a disaster. Flooding in Carbon doesn't surprise me. There are a lot of unsavory people in Cebu City's downtown. It's a disgusting thing when I think about stepping on whatever disgusting stuff, that was improperly disposed of. I would talk stuff like, "It's because of people like you that the Philippines doesn't improve!"

It's not surprising to find the news that garbage has been a leading culprit. The government may have some responsibility. However, citizens who love to throw their garbage just anywhere also form part of the problem. Social responsibility falls on both the government and the citizens. Sure, the government has to play its part (ex., making clear policies). However, the citizens should also play their part by not throwing garbage in improper places. It's all about responsible citizenry, not to throw your garbage in the worst places.

It's not rocket science, nor do I need a PhD in rocket science, to know (and say) that garbage thrown anywhere contributes to flooding. Carbon in Cebu is just one place where garbage is thrown everywhere. Back in the 2000s, I was even freaked out by all the garbage in Manila. It's common sense learned from elementary science class, that garbage doesn't dissolve in water. Garbage falling down the drain will clog the drain. Garbage clogging makes any anti-flood mechanisms, such as sewers, useless.

Why isn't the blame solely on the urban poor, as some educated people are also contributing to the floods

Whether we want to admit it or not, law enforcement is important. I found an interesting article on Fulcrum from Singapore. Apparently, the writer, Veronica L. Gregorio, is a Filipino residing in Singapore. I'd like to point out that while the urban poor can be a problem, we need to face some facts that we may have been ignoring for years. In fact, some people should stop blaming the poor alone.This is one crucial detail that I may have ignored for years:

Here's a photo taken by Veronica. Veronica encircled the green plastic. Here's what she has written, which would also explain why education alone isn't enough. We really need strict rules. 

Third, the fast food industry contributes waste in significant but overlooked ways. The Google Street View photo below, taken in 2018, shows waste being dumped by malls and fast food chains in Happy Land Tondo Manila, an area known for its densely populated informal settlements, where many residents often rely on scavenging for survival. Amid the mound of trash, we can spot some bags, like the open green bag (circled), that are filled with sorted plastic spoons and forks. Fast food operations continually use plastic utensils in line with the industry’s need for cost-effectiveness, efficiency and speed. Although city-level measures are being implemented to discourage them from providing plastic utensils to customers dining in, they continue to do so. Once these bags arrive in garbage dumps, the urban poor community members sort them out and sell them in recycling compounds. However, most of the fast food industry’s waste keeps piling up.

There are times when there are rules, but the government fails to strictly implement them. I don't care if it's a local or foreign business that does that. Environmental degradation is what it is. For one, I don't think city-level measures are enough. There's a need to impose proper segregation and proper waste disposal methods. 

Here's an argument I got over from someone at the Butthirt Philippines Facebook page. The page already blocked me, presumably unable to handle the terrible truth they wanted to ignore. You don't need a smoking ban just to stop people from smoking? Okay, how can Alibata Boy here explain that there are so many educated people who are probably even worse than the poor, in improper waste disposal? Sure, we've seen squatters throw their garbage anywhere. However, it's more often than not because squatters don't have a choice. However, what excuse do educated people (rich or not) who couldn't even follow simple guidelines? I wonder if Alibata Boy owns a gasoline station where he allows people to smoke near it? It's too bad I haven't spotted Alibata Boy, and maybe he's already blocked me as well.

The real problem boils down to the garbage disposal system

Back when I went to Singapore in 1998, I barely understood economics as a 12-year-old. I remember writing in my Asian History fourth grading exam that I would follow Singapore's example. There's nothing wrong with following (and modifying) the environmental model that the late Lee Kuan Yew gave. What I was wrong to think was that I could discipline every single Filipino (read here).

It would be important to do some research for my blogging. After all, my blog isn't a source. When I point people to my Blogspot blog, it's so I can gain some views and they can read what I wrote. Now, it's time to look at what the Philippines can learn from Singapore (though I may want to use Malaysia more, since both the Philippines and Malaysia are from archipelagos). Of course, I'd like to also talk about LKY's book From Third World to First on his environmental plans, from Singapore. I don't care anymore about Flor Contemplacion crybabies (such as those from Migrante International, a backwards thinking organization) who keep spreading fake news for more than three decades (read here), let them cry all they want! 

One of the things LKY did was the Keep Singapore Clean campaign. Speaking of which, I bet Flor Comtemplacion Crybabies love to throw their garbage anywhere. A lot of rallies made by people who protest on Flor's death anniversary, against charter change, etc., can leave such horrible messes. Now, I'd like to share some details on that campaign.

Background 

Prior to 1968, Singapore had conducted a number of similar campaigns. One of the earliest was the Keep Your City Clean campaign, an anti-littering initiative organised by the City Council in 1958. The following year, the government launched Gerakkan Pembersehan Bandar Raya Singapura, meaning “movement to clean the city of Singapore” in Malay. In his speech at the campaign’s launch on 23 November 1959, Lee said that he wanted to use the campaign as a starting point for Singapore to become one of the cleanest and healthiest cities in Asia.

In the subsequent years leading up to the launch of the Keep Singapore Clean campaign, the government continued to conduct campaigns regularly to instil a sense of responsibility in individuals to keep Singapore clean and to encourage them to bin their rubbish.3

Inaugural edition of Keep Singapore Clean campaign 

In August 1968, the government announced that a national campaign committee had been formed to run the Keep Singapore Clean campaign to be held in October that year. Headed by then Health Minister Chua Sian Chin, the committee comprised representatives from various government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Public Works Department and Jurong Town Corporation, as well as non-government organisations like employers’ and employees’ associations.

The campaign opened at the Singapore Conference Hall with much fanfare. Over 1,500 community leaders attended the event. Explaining the rationale of the campaign in his opening speech on 1 October 1968, Lee stated that cleaner communities would lead to a more pleasant life and keep morale high and sickness rate low, thus creating the necessary social conditions for higher economic growth through industry and tourism. Lee noted that if Singaporeans wanted to keep their communities clean, they had to raise their personal and public standards of hygiene. He urged Singaporeans to be more conscious and thoughtful about their actions, but added that the government would not hesitate to impose penalties on litterbugs if needed.

Pages 175-176 also talk about the common problem, that forced LKY, to launch the Keep Singapore Clean campaign:

We planted millions of trees, palms, and shrubs. Greening raised the morale of people and gave them pride in their surroundings. We taught them to care for and not vandalize the trees. We did not differentiate between middle-class and working-class areas. The British had superior white enclaves in Tanglin and around Government House that were nearer, cleaner, and greener than the "native" areas. That would have been politically disastrous for an elected government. We kept down flies and mosquitoes and cleaned up smelly drains and canals. Within a year there was a distinct spruceness of public spaces. 

Perseverance and stamina were needed to fight old habits: People walked over plants, trampled on grass, despoiled flowerbeds, pilfered saplings, or parked bicycles or motorcycles against the larger ones, knocking them down. And it was not just the poorer people who were the offenders. A doctor was caught removing from a central road diver a newly planted valuable Norfork Island pine which he fancied for his garden. To overcome the initial indifference of the public, we educated their children in schools by getting them to plant trees, care for them, and grow gardens. They brought the message home to their parents. 

Nature did not favor us with luscious green grass as it has New Zealand and Ireland. An Australian plant expert and a New Zealand soil expert came in 1978 at my request to study our soil conditions. Their report caught my interest and I asked to see them,. They explained that Singapore was part of the equatorial rainforest belt, with strong sunshine and heavy rainfall throughout the year. When trees were cut down, heavy rainfall would wash away the topsoil and leach the nutrients. To have grass green and lush, we had to apply fertilizers regularly, preferably compost, which would not be so easily washed away and lime, because our soil was too acidic. The Instana curator tested this on our lawns. Suddenly, the grass became greener. We had all schools and other sports fields and stadiums similarly treated. The bare patches around the goal posts with sparse, tired-looking yellow grass were soon carpeted green. Gradually, the whole city greened up. A visiting French minister, a guest at our National Day reception in the 190s, was ecstatic as he congratulated me in French; I did not speak it, but understood the word "verdure." He was captivated by the greenness of the city. 

Alibata Boy needs to read that! In fact, LKY had to implement rules. Education is never enough. What's the use of educating people to follow rules, if no rules against this and that are unavailable? Why do you think there's always the "Don't do this! Don't do that!" being taught in school? If there were rules against throwing garbage anywhere, the schools would have no responsibility to teach such rules. 

The government needs to do its part, not just the people. How can we expect people not to litter if the government itself lacks a system? System change isn't all about merely changing regimes. It's not like we replace President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. with Atty. Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona-Robredo! System change means changing the way things are done, making a system that even those on top are required to follow. 

What doesn't surprise me is to see some Filipinos call LKY a dictator. What was their basis? Because LKY ruled Singapore for 31 years, much longer than the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.? Please, the late Saloth Sar aka Pol Pot, only ruled Cambodia for four years, but his human rights violations pile up even more! LKY's statement that cleaner communities lead to a more pleasant life isn't dictatorial. Why am I advocating for better job opportunities? It's because poor people throw their garbage everywhere, as a result of desperation. You can make the poor people buy trash cans but can they really, I mean, eat after that? Poverty helps drive crime up because poor people are desperate to survive and desperate to feed their families. 

The Philippines can learn from other countries' waste disposal methods

Another reason why I advocate FDI with reasonable restrictions, is because we can learn from first-world countries with their waste disposal. Learning from LKY is one thing. I'd say that the Philippines can learn proper waste disposal. People might keep crying out that FDI equals automatic degradation, such as that brat who runs the now-defunct Philippine Anti-Fascist League page. A second version exists but barely gets interactions. Instead, they need to look at the pollution in isolationist countries like North Korea and Venezuela. Will we blame the USA for Venezuela's poverty for the nth time? Will we blame South Korea for North Korea's poverty? Well, the USA didn't establish Venezuela's faulty policies. Neither did South Korea establish North Korea's poor policies! 

As I was looking at the statement from LKY, Singapore learned from other countries too. The late Albert Winsemius was hired to defeat the mentality of third world economists. At this point, Singapore (and also Malaysia) can provide good insights on how to establish a proper waste disposal system.

For Communist Vietnam, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is seeking active investment to help clean up Vietnam. Instead of discouraging FDIs, Vietnam realizes that they would need some FDIs. Of course, some waste disposal techniques may not immediately work. Even better for Vietnam is that establishing a waste disposal company there doesn't even require the stupid 60-40 policy. That's what economic neanderthals like Kabataan Partylist need to keep in mind!

Conditions for market access to establish a company in Vietnam providing waste collection services

Conditions for market access when establishing a foreign-invested company for wastewater treatment services (CPC 9401)

• No restrictions, except: services provided to exercise Government powers may be vested in public monopolies or reserved for private operators.
• For national security reasons, access to some geographical areas may be restricted.

Conditions for market access when establishing a foreign-invested company for waste treatment services (CPC 9402)

• Affirms that services provided to exercise Government powers may be vested in public monopolies or reserved for private operators.
• In order to ensure public welfare, foreign-invested economic organizations are not allowed to collect garbage directly from households, only provide waste collection services provided by local governments at the provincial and municipal levels. designated street. 

What's even more is that Communist Vietnam doesn't put the economic restrictions or protectionist clauses, enshrined in the Constitution. This is similar to how Israel's restrictive economy is all about legislative measures is based more on legislation than enshrining them in their constitution (read here). Vietnam learned from Singapore. Do Muoi, who was the economics minister, all before his tenure as the General-Secretary, also learned from Singapore. 

Filipinos need to stop listening ot the likes of Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr.. If they're looking for a grandfather to listen to, why not take advice from the likes of former Malaysian prime minister Mahati Mohamad (read here) and Kishore Mahbubani (read here). Mahbubani not only spoke but also backed up his words. Mahbubani created the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Mahathir became the architect of the Malaysian economic boom. I'm not putting aside Davide because I've "betrayed the Philippines". I've put aside Davide's hilariously bad advice because Mahathir and Mahbubani back what they say, with the results in their country.

The Philippines can get more advantage with learning new methods in waste disposal and flood control. My challenge is those who still badmouth FDI (and ironically, they're doing it on Facebook and may be using a super-expensive iPhone or MACBook) as evil, as exploitative, etc. These people saying so need to find ways to do better waste disposal and flood control. If not, they should just keep their mouths shut. Then again, the emptiest of containers make the loudest noise, right?