mongster's nest

- disturbing fantasies, traumatic verses, definitely mongrel thoughts

 

Unmasking poverty

Links: Medical tourism in Indonesia. Advantages of working in Brunei. Impact of Western culture in Laos. Soldiers using Buddha amulets in Thailand.

Myanmar: Long prison terms for dissidents, a post written for Global Voices. Read the French translation.

The Philippines is a poor country. But it seems it is not too poor to qualify for debt relief programs. International finance institutions classify the Philippines as a middle-income country because of its overseas remittances. There is a disconnect between what economists measure and what ordinary Filipinos experience everyday. The alchemists, este, economists, insist that OFW money is proof of economic growth, prosperity. But in reality it signifies dependence, economic bondage, and domestic poverty.

The government, global capital, and their paid mercenaries are doing everything to mask the extent of poverty in the Philippines. To preserve the oppressive status quo, it is important to deceive the people about the grand failure of capitalism in uplifting the conditions in a backward society (read: semifeudal, semicolonial) like the Philippines.

Since it is impossible to hide the truth of poverty in the country, the apologist-pimps concoct various academic hubris to distort the meaning of poverty as we know it.

Politicians often twist words when they discuss poverty. For example, OFWs are now called expats by President Gloria Arroyo. Government agencies redefine economic terms to minimize poverty incidences. For instance, if you’re jobless but not looking for work, then you are not considered unemployed. During a public hearing, a congressman asked the NEDA about the basis of its statement which claimed that more than 80 percent of VAT revenues were paid by the rich. The NEDA representative said that those who earn at least seven thousand pesos a month are considered rich by the government.

Another tried and tested formula is to physically eliminate the poor. Painted walls were built near the highways to hide the dwellings of the poor during the Imeldific days. The MMDA uses Gestapo tactics to deny the poor of opportunities to earn a living in the streets of Metro Manila. Relocation programs do not cease. In the past, Manila’s urban poor residents were relocated to Quezon City, Cavite, Bulacan and Laguna. Smokey Mountain did not disappear; it was transferred to remote Payatas. Soon Payatas and the urban poor communities around it would have to be removed as well since they have become too close to Quezon City’s rising business centers and middle class subdivisions.

There is a new strategy. Well, it is an old ruthless tactic which has been somewhat modified today: Kill the defenders of the poor. Liquidate the activists so that the rest of the population will think twice before challenging the authorities. It works in many ways but in the end it is ineffective.

Poverty indicators: 1970s

What is then the extent of poverty in the country? If the government is to be believed, at least 30 percent of the population are poor. It is definitely a conservative estimate. To measure poverty, economists cite numerous statistics: daily cost of living, minimum wage, inflation, family expenditures, GDP.

There are many good articles exposing the government manipulation of numbers to minimize poverty in the country. I will focus on poverty studies during the 1970s. My primary source is an article written by Edna Formilleza of De La Salle University.

During the early 1970s, one way to measure the poverty threshold was to determine the budget for an inexpensive food basket, as determined by the Food and Nutrition Center. A sample of an official inexpensive menu during that time: tomato egg salad, sweet potatoes, plus five kinds of vegetables. (Walang instant noodles? Hehe).

Here are some selected national poverty indicators in 1973

- 69.9 percent, poverty incidence in the Philippines
- 28.3 percent, households with electricity
- 63.8 percent, households with water pump
- 41.3 percent, households with toilets
- 72.6 percent, households using wood or charcoal for cooking

In 1975 the subsistence standard of living includes “the cost of a basket of goods and services providing nutritional, shelter, health, and educational requirements for the inter-generational survival of the family.” The following are considered as absolute minimum requirements of living:

1. Shelter and clothing for protection against the elements;
2. Health care needs to prevent and recover from diseases prevalent in the community;
3. The level of education necessary to achieve literacy;
4. Abilities and skills needed for minimum degree of social, political and economic participation;
5. Two changes in garment per person per year;
6. Schooling up to Grade VI for children;
7. Inputed cost of rent

In 1978 the NSDB (DOST ata ngayon) and MSSD (DSWD ngayon) conducted a poverty study in the city of Manila. Urban poor residents along Philippine National Railway tracks and esteros were interviewed. Here are some of the findings:

- 42 percent of household heads were unemployed
- 60 percent of household dwellings were shanties (barong-barong)
- 30 percent use public toilets
- 30 percent use ballot (wrap) system for their toilet facility
- radio was the most popular type of communication medium, followed by newspapers and comics

Sen

Last year, I was able to read Amartya Sen’s Inequality Reexamined. His arguments are compelling: Measuring low income and income gap to determine poverty level are restrictive in assessing inequality. Sen said “neither approach pays attention to distribution of income among poor.” Even among the poor living below the poverty line, there are those who are poorer than others.

His proposal: “Poverty is better seen in terms of capability failure than in terms of failure to meet the basic needs of specified commodities… to be poor is to have an income below what is adequate for generating the specified levels of capabilities for the person in question.”

Sen is advocating equality of capabilities, not equality of opportunities. He believes it is more practical and correct to judge inequality in terms of the capability to achieve and the freedom to pursue well-being. Possession of primary goods/high income does not guarantee achievements of well-being. Some would have more capability and freedom to pursue their well-being than others.

Sen argued that achievement in capability has to be sought in public policy.

Special economic indicators

Is there a link between leg appeal and prosperity? Writer Caroline Bird notes that skirt sales dropped in 1921 and 1929 - which were periods of economic recession in the United States. Skirt sales rose in 1927, during World War II, and 1965 - which were prosperous times. On the other hand, it has been observed that lipsticks and cupcakes are selling well during hard times.

There is a Big Mac index and Coca Cola index, why not a Starbucks index? Daniel Gross of Slate writes:

"There's a pretty close correlation between a country having a significant Starbucks presence, especially in its financial capital, and major financial cock-ups…Having a significant Starbucks presence is a pretty significant indicator of the degree of connectedness to the form of highly caffeinated, free-spending capitalism that got us into this mess.

London has 256 Starbucks. Madrid has 48. Paris 36. South Korea has 256. Manhattan alone has nearly 200. Hong Kong has more than 100. Kuala Lumpur has more than 30. Singapore has 57 Starbucks

"There are many spots on the globe where it's tough to find a Starbucks. And these are precisely the places where banks are surviving.

"In the entire continent of Africa, I count just three (in Egypt), We haven't heard much about bailouts in Central America, where Starbucks has no presence. South America's banks may be buckling, but they haven't broken. Argentina, formerly a financial basket case and now a pocket of relative strength, has just one store. Brazil, with a population of nearly 200 million, has a mere 14.

"Italy hasn't suffered any major bank failures in part because its banking sector isn't very active on the international scene. The number of Starbucks there? Zero. And the small countries of Northern Europe, whose banking systems have been largely spared, are largely Starbucks-free. (There are two in Denmark, three in the Netherlands, and none in the Scandinavian trio of Sweden, Finland, and Norway.)"

Ilan ba ang Starbucks sa Pilipinas? Isama pa diyan ang ibang mga tindahan ng kape.

These indicators are interesting and funny but they do not explain the roots of our economic woes. A semifeudal society like the Philippines is always in crisis; that is why the conditions for waging a revolution are always present. Para yang mga ulat trapiko sa TV at radyo: Kailan ba walang trapik sa Metro Manila tuwing umaga’t hapon?


Related entries:

Debt experience
Poverty and system losses
Pikit kape

posted by: mongpalatino at November 18, 2008 09:03 | link | comments |
workers

Immigration, Impeachment

Links: Singapore Digital Media Festival 2008. Myanmar’s socio-economic history documents. Comparing Thai and Taiwanese protesters. Crop failure in cyclone hit areas of Myanmar.

What: Stop the Raids! Stop ICE! (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
When: Halloween
Where: ICE building, Downtown San Francisco

Almost a thousand protesters, most of them young people, converged at Embarcadero Ferry Plaza. The groups/individuals represent various immigrant groups. The rally was a protest against the inhuman raids conducted by ICE. Despite living in a “sanctuary city,” migrant workers have been arrested in San Francisco. The rallyists want the government to end the raids and the deportation of migrant workers.

My favorite slogans in the rally:

Build schools, not borders!
If capital can cross borders, so can we!

After the rally, I went to the Ferry Building - it’s a city landmark. I took some pictures of the Bay Bridge. It’s different from the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s longer and older than the Golden Gate but it’s less popular. I wonder why.

************************

Filipino groups accompanied Cong. Jose De Venecia to the Philippine Embassy where he endorsed the impeachment complaint against Pres. Gloria Arroyo. Since 2005-07, I was a signatory to the impeachment cases. But then Speaker of the House Joe De Venecia had been blocking our initiatives. This year I was not a signatory to the impeachment, but I got to witness De Venecia’s signing of the petition.

Some of the groups which witnessed the signing include Bayan USA, Babae, and the Filipino Community Center.

De Venecia is a very unique politician. He made memorable soundbytes during the event:

“I didn’t sign the impeachment before out of delicacy.”
“I’m proposing that the forces of capitalism and socialism to merge forces to solve the economic crisis.”
“I will not run in 2010.” 


Related entries:

Deodorant boys
I-monitor
Family Ties

posted by: mongpalatino at November 15, 2008 03:09 | link | comments (2) |
workers

Searching for the Filipino “Obama”

Links: ASEAN and 2008 World University Rankings. British companies owned by Malaysians. Traditional Lao wedding rituals. Becak - a common transportation in Indonesia.

Reproductive Health debate in the Philippines, a post written for Global Voices. Read the French translation.

When Senator Barack Obama launched his bid for the presidency of the United States last year, it generated a positive global response. In the Philippines it inspired young politicians, especially those who had finished law studies, to compare themselves to the popular Obama. Now that Obama has won the presidential election, it is expected that political parties in the Philippines will adopt the campaign strategies used by the successful Obama team.

A few days ago, a city mayor declared his intention to run for president in the 2010 presidential race. His spokespersons described the mayor as the Philippine version of Obama. Of course they are exaggerating. But it is understandable. Obama is already the most famous leader in the world. Everybody wants to be like Obama, especially in the Philippines, where the American colonial legacy remains very strong.

There will be more candidates identifying themselves as the “Obama” of the Philippines. But the search for the authentic “Filipino Obama” would be difficult, if not impossible. A “Filipino Obama” would have to be a non-Christian, a resident of Mindanao island, and a former community organizer.

The Philippines is a Catholic-dominated country; no Mindanaoan has ever become president of the Philippines; and like in the United States, community organizing is not a popular starting job for Filipino politicians.

There are many “Filipino Obamas” – young leaders who are discriminated against but intelligent and very idealistic. However, they are not known at the national level. It would be impossible for them to succeed in the elections. It would take more years, perhaps decades, for an authentic “Filipino Obama” to win as president. But miracles can still happen.

Instead of looking for Filipino politicians who embody the qualities of Obama, maybe it is better to compare his victory to past events in the Philippines which united the country and inspired the world. It is more useful to remember those great and rare episodes in Philippine history rather than to fruitlessly identify Obama wannabes.

Last Nov. 4 the United States showed the world that it is ready to embrace change by electing its first African-American president. Twenty-two years ago, Filipinos proved that the collective will of the people can remove a dictator from power.

The 2008 U.S. election results brought hope and goodwill to the world. The February 1986 People Power revolt in the Philippines inspired democracy movements around the world. The Americans last week and the Filipinos in 1986 shook the world by initiating bold political actions.

Filipinos are congratulating the Americans for voting Obama and change. Many of them have already forgotten that they too were congratulated by Americans and the citizens of the world for peacefully ousting the oppressive Marcos government in 1986. Through Obama, many Americans feel they can restore the greatness of their country. There was a time when Filipinos felt that way about the 1986 People Power.

Maybe some scholars have exaggerated the global impact of the 1986 People Power. This does not diminish the exemplary courage displayed by the Filipino people in ousting Marcos. And what is more important is that Filipinos actually believed that their revolt ignited the anti-dictatorship struggles in many Third World countries.

Perhaps the messages of solidarity conveyed by many Filipinos to Obama and the American people reflected the Filipinos’ yearning to feel great as a nation again. Filipinos are celebrating Obama’s victory because they believe it was their victory too.

In 1986 American author Roger Rosenblatt, writing for Time magazine, described the Philippines’ People Power in this way: “The theme is in fact our own: that a people released from oppression will, of their natural inclinations, seek human values. Try not to forget what you saw last week. It was ourselves in eruption far away.”

Filipinos are praising Obama’s historic victory in the same way. They saw themselves through the proud Americans who proved that an unthinkable change is possible in our lifetime.

Obama’s victory should not just lead Filipinos to search for perfect candidates who can lead the crusade for change. More importantly, it should make Filipinos remember that they were once the “Obamas” who taught the world to affirm the principles of democracy. They once took the global center stage for valiantly fighting a corrupt and despotic government. Filipinos have already proven that they are capable of inspiring great political ideas and actions around the world.

The task is not just to breed brown versions of Barack Obama. The challenge is to look for inspiration in the past, build strong coalitions in the present, and create a better future. In many ways, Obama has ceased to be a person. He has become an idea.

Related entries:

ASEAN and US
Obama effect
Sons and politicians

posted by: mongpalatino at November 14, 2008 01:31 | link | comments (2) |
nation

UP, libraries, toilets

Links: Cambodia’s film industry. Water buffaloes are popular again in Laos and Thailand. A cell phone birthday cake in Brunei. A 1952 railway line in Brunei.

French translation of my post about the execution of Bali bombers. New pictures in my webshots album: click here, here, and here.


Alternative title of this post: UP, education, shit. Or UP education stinks? No, I’m just humoring my Filipino readers. Really, this post is literally about the libraries and toilets of the University of the Philippines. More specifically, this is about those memorable moments of my life (Ha!) while inside the libraries and toilets of UP. The time frame: 1996-2000. Location: UP Diliman campus. Let’s start with the toilets.

UP President Dodong Nemenzo will be remembered for two things: he destroyed the General Education program; and he cleaned UP’s infamous stinking toilets. What was it like to use the toilets of UP before Nemenzo became obsessed in upgrading the toilet facilities? Well, the toilets were not really that terrible, except perhaps those in the gym, shopping center, Vinzons and Vanguard. Most toilets were clean and usable. They were old, but not dilapidated. There were no hand sanitizers or soap, tissue, and even hand dryers, but at least most of the water faucets were working.

Looking back, those old toilets proved to be valuable to many students. Before going to class in AS, the toilets served as stop-over sanctuaries for reviewing notes, quick scanning of readings, and copying of assignments. The AS toilets were spacious – the left side of the facilities is for urinating, washing of hands and brushing of hair; the right side is for, well, you know. There were nice stories about the AS toilets: sex scandals, ghost stories, suicide attempts, and Jolina Magdangal sightings (she spent a few semesters in UP).

A UP student should not only memorize the best places to buy and eat food in the big campus. More importantly, one has to determine the toilet facilities which are well-maintained and seldom used by students. The AS toilets are for emergency and quick releases only. But for grand operations, a student who lives outside the campus must carefully choose his/her particular toilet facility.

I was a frequent user of these toilets:

1. College of Education. Of course this was my college. But I have many non-Eduk friends who preferred to use the Eduk toilets. Why? Only few students use the toilets. Maybe they were afraid of ghosts. At mayroong timba, tabo at tubig. Also, majority of Eduk students are graduate students. Their classes start late in the afternoon. There were few undergrad students in the morning. I often used the toilet in the second floor.

2. Bahay ng Alumni. This was a new building during my undergraduate years. There were few events at that time. Water was always available. Very few students use the toilets because the building is far from big colleges.

3. Quezon Hall. It was only during my senior year that I discovered the convenience of using the Quezon Hall toilets. It is the admin building, therefore it is always clean. Very very few students visit the building everyday. And I could choose whether to “pollute” the toilets in the chancellor’s wing or the president’s wing. I felt good every time I used the Quezon Hall toilets. It was like symbolically defying the school authorities. (Ha!)

4. Faculty Center. The toilets were clean. Small, but always quiet. Surprisingly, I never met a single professor inside the FC toilets in all my years in UP.

I’m done with toilets. Now let’s talk about libraries. During our time, research begins in the library, not in the internet. I had fun exploring the libraries of UP. Obviously, the Eduk library was my favorite library. It was the perfect place to read, reflect, and sleep. (May tumutulo nga lang sa bubong kapag umuulan). The book collection was good, except for its Filipiniana section. The library assistants were my friends.

Next to Eduk, I enjoyed going to the main library. I borrowed a lot from the social sciences and Filipiniana sections. Every morning, I read newspapers in the basement (my favorite – Inquirer, TODAY and Teddy Benigno columns). I remember an old lady professor who was always reading the newspapers. She had short boyish hair and she wore dark eyeglasses. Is she still alive? Is she still a frequent visitor of the library?

I also had a wonderful reading experience in the libraries of Masscom and the Asian Center. I donated some books to the CNS library (Vinzons rooftop); but I heard the library was removed already.

Did I steal books from the libraries? Barcodes were not yet introduced so it was easy to steal books. But I always felt guilty of owning library books while denying others the chance to read them.

The first book I read in the Eduk library was the autobiography of Sen. Arturo Tolentino. (Was it Voice of Dissent?). Then I read Doy Laurel’s Neither Trumpets nor Drums. I was never a Cory Aquino fan. Reading Laurel’s book further cemented my negative opinion on the Aquino government. I spent so many hours in the library reviewing the history of the Philippine education system. The library has extensive collection of primary documents on this topic. Then I found classic books on the philosophy of education written by John Dewey, Paulo Freire, Michael Apple, among others. I also became interested on the topic of comparative education systems. I did a lot of reading about the unique education systems of Red China and Soviet Russia.

In the main library, I borrowed magazines, books and other papers about labor migration, First Quarter Storm, history of nationalism as a political thought, and the history of the UP student council. I also reviewed the microfilm copies of El Renacimiento and other pre-war newspapers. I once wrote a paper (someone borrowed it) about the newspapers during and after the 1896 revolution.

During my freshman year, I focused on the history of Philippine education. There was a semester when I became an enthusiastic reader of Eastern philosophy. The following year, I read Agoncillo, Constantino, Majul and other nationalist historians. I read the debates between Reynaldo Ileto and his detractors; Glenn May and the UP Department of History. I attended the lectures of Milagros Guerrero. At one point, I was a fan of Remigio Agpalo and his Pangulo Regime. It was during my third year in UP when I began to read Marxist books and materials of the revolutionary movement. I also started reading more books on Philippine literature. During my senior year, I read many books on cultural studies, and even postmodern theory.

I entered UP to become a high school teacher, but in the process, I almost wanted to become a historian, or a literature teacher, or a political scientist. In the end, I became an apprentice of the national democratic movement (with a socialist perspective ha). But that is another story.

Related entries:

Book hunt
Undergrad books

posted by: mongpalatino at November 10, 2008 04:49 | link | comments (1) |
personal

Redefining the “Obama effect”

Links: A veteran Burmese journalist criticizes bloggers. Opposing the use of breastmilk in ice cream products in Singapore. Vegetarian festival in Thailand. Local software industry in Indonesia.

Southeast Asia celebrates Obama's victory and Indonesia: Execution of Bali bombers - posts written for Global Voices.

New pictures in my webshots album: click here and here.


This is how many progressives view U.S. president-elect Barack Obama: Despite his African-American heritage, he belongs to the ruling elite of the United States.

Obama went to the finest U.S. schools, where future global leaders are educated. His membership in the Democratic Party means his values, lifestyle, and worldview are acceptable to the ruling class.

Obama can articulate a forceful platform for change without provoking antagonism from conservative and reactionary forces. Obama is not a threat to the establishment, so he was allowed to win. This is an objective assessment of Obama, the politician.

There is another way to analyze Obama’s victory, however. Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci said that when a state suffers from a crisis of hegemony, the situation becomes “delicate and dangerous” and opens the field for “charismatic men of destiny.”

He added: “When the crisis does not find an organic solution, but that of the charismatic leader, it means that a static equilibrium exists; it means that no group, neither the conservatives nor the progressives, has the strength for victory, and that even the conservative group needs a master.”

More importantly, Gramsci pointed out that the rise of a charismatic leader is a symptom of the “immaturity of progressive forces.”

This analysis is applicable to the political situation in the United States. Obama emerged victorious because he was the leader who somehow offered a solution to the crisis of hegemony that is threatening the dominant social relations in the United States. Also, the political mass movement has yet to gain considerable strength in the United States, which allowed popular bourgeois leaders like Obama to become successful.

Obama is not a leftist leader. He may be called socialist by his adversaries but he is not that kind of political animal. He is not “that one.” If Obama does not belong to the radical bloc, should the radical bloc reject him and his brand of politics? Instead of giving a categorical answer of yes or no, let me discuss the impact of Obama and his candidacy on global politics.

Since his resounding election victory, Obama has become a global symbol of hope. When was the last time the world looked upon a single person as an ambassador of hope and change? Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela seem to be the closest examples of great global leaders who inspired many to be forces of good in the modern era.

Obama is already a believable and effective agent of good. Different political forces will try to lead Obama to their sides. The grassroots must act fast. They should try to influence the new leader by highlighting the values practiced by Obama, the community organizer; not Obama, the friend of big business. To paraphrase a philosopher, Obama’s potential radical legacy is much too precious to be left to the fundamentalist freaks.

Obama can be made to be an icon of the minorities battling an oppressive status quo. He has already created ripples in the global political pond. His victory was not only welcomed around the world, it also led many people to reflect about the political conditions in their countries.

For example, an Indonesian blogger wonders whether Indonesians will vote an Obama-like candidate:

"If there is an 'Obama' in our country, will we be able to spot him? Or better yet, will we vote for him? In Indonesia, that would make our 'Obama' half native Indonesian and half Chinese. Let's just say, our 'Obama' has a Javanese mother from Solo, Central Java, and an Indonesian-Chinese father with ancestors from Fujian province, China.”

A Malaysian politician also makes a similar comment:

"Obama’s historic breakthrough leads many Malaysians to ask whether it is possible for a Chinese, Indian, Kadazan to become the prime minister of Malaysia, although the Constitution is very clear that any Malaysian citizen, regardless of race or religion can become prime minister.

"There will be strong voices who would rise up to say no. Why is Malaysian race relations and nation-building going backwards in the past 50 years as compared to the historic breakthrough in race relations in the United States with Obama’s historic victory in the U.S. presidential elections?"

Obama’s victory is “dangerous” to the status quo because many people are now entertaining subversive ideas. Minorities are now more inspired to challenge the leadership in many countries. The campaign slogan of “change” may be overused in America but in other countries, the mere mention of the word invites state repression.

Obama has energized young people to believe in their idealism and their readiness to shake the foundations of political institutions. Obama has this effect on global politics. This should be welcomed.

In the end, it will be Obama himself who will define his authentic political legacy. He has the chance to bring America closer to the rest of the world. He can deliver great political and economic reforms demanded by workers and the global poor. But if in the future he decides to abandon the crusade for change, then it will become clear that his role in history was to appease the restless masses during these troubled times and distract the working people from mounting bolder political actions which could have brought down the ruling order. History then will not be kind on him.

Related entries:

US meddler
youth vote
gameplan

posted by: mongpalatino at November 07, 2008 03:41 | link | comments |
elections

Chapter 11 – Thesis 11

Links: Breastfeeding campaign in Indonesia. Regulation of political activities in Singapore. Rituals in Laos and Thailand when moving into a new house. Student initiation ceremonies in Thailand.

Recession hits Singapore, a post written for Global Voices. Read the French translation.


Chapter 11 is part of the bankruptcy code in the United States. Corporations and individuals who are bankrupt can file for Chapter 11. This will give the troubled companies and individuals a court protection while reorganizing their financial assets. In short they will remain in business while finding ways to pay their creditors.

For many bankrupt American corporations, Chapter 11 is a convenient escape method. Last month Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy. With declared assets of $639 billion, Lehman recorded the biggest bankruptcy in the US.

It is expected that Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions (which are very humiliating) will rise in the US as the economy continues to shrink.

The options to solve our economic woes must be expanded. Instead of clinging to Chapter 11 and other limited (degrading) measures offered by capitalism, why not attempt to devise bolder ways of solving our problems. It’s time to accept the need to develop a better kind of economic system. And also admit that Marx-Lenin-Mao are correct.

Reject the Chapter 11 kind of thinking; instead, embrace a Thesis 11 attitude. Karl Marx’s 11th thesis in his Theses On Feuerbach: “Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.”

Imagine if more Americans will abandon their Chapter 11 dependence and adopt a Thesis 11 revolutionary mindset. If this is accomplished, we can begin to talk of real change. There is hope after all. There is life after capitalism. Choose life, choose red.

*********************************

Do we need superheroes? During times of crisis, America leans on superheroes. According to Brad Meltzer, America created Tarzan and Flash Gordon during the Great Depression “to transport people away from the reality of their lives.” Superman saved America during World War II while Spiderman (the movies) was the hero of 9/11. What about Captain America?

And the super heroes in these subprime times: The Dark Knight? Iron Man? The return of Indiana Jones?

Meltzer adds: “We’re a nation starved for heroes. That’s why we nominated these two guys for president: One is a savior by his acts in war (McCain) and one is a savior who offers us hope (Obama).”

In the Philippines, American leaders are the superheroes of Filipino politicians. Erap is Reagan (both were actors), Clinton is a classmate of you know who, Chiz is Obama, and Vilma is Palin. Nyek!

Sociologists have already explained the popularity of fantaserye TV shows in the Philippines. The poor need to believe that someone strong and good will rescue them from their destituteness. Somehow, fantasies are helping the poor to survive. Most of them do not realize that they themselves (in their very excess and lack) are the superheroes which the country need.

To borrow the words of Ka Daning Ramos: Hindi natin kailangang ng mga Captain Barbell, Darna, Mulawin, Sugo at iba pang mga superhero sa telebisyon. Ang mamamayan, ang masang api, ang magsasaka kasama ang mga manggagawa, kakapit-bisig ng iba pang uring inaapi sa lipunan, ang magsusulong ng rebolusyon at magliligtas sa ating kinabukasan.

Also, we do not need a superhero Obama.

************************************

Bush, McCain and the Republican Party are supported by neo-conservatives, reactionaries and other unfunny elements in society. Obama and the Democrats belong to the same ruling class. Different factions of the same party. Party of Big Business. The two presidentiables have been criticizing Wall Street banks these past weeks. But after the elections, it is expected that they will be good friends again with Wall Street. These politicians will never forget the Wall Street executives who gave generous campaign contributions.

Let us review some of the campaign contributions of Wall Street employees.

Merrill Lynch                   - $297,000 to McCain and $191,000 to Obama
Lehman Brothers             - $117,500 to McCain and $361,000 to Obama
AIG                                - $647,000 election donation
Washington Mutual          - $428,000 election donation
PAC                                - $600,000 election donation
Fannie Mae                     - $6,550 to McCain and $80,000 to Obama (kaya ba galit si McCain sa Fannie Mae, hehe)

Source: Wall Street Journal, September 16, A6

Do not expect the next American president to be hard on Wall Street. Expect the “incestuous relationship” of White House and Wall Street to continue. We should place our hopes on ourselves, on our struggles. After voting on November, we should fight, fight, fight.

**********************************

How very disappointing that during these troubled times, magazines are featuring the life story of Warren Buffett, the world’s richest man, in order to inspire Americans to become rich as well.

From his biography, The Snowball, Buffet shares his money-making secrets: While visiting the New York Stock Exchange, the 10-year old Buffet had an epiphany - “That day, a vision of his future was planted. He wanted money.” After reading a book, One Thousand Ways to Make $1000, Buffet started thinking: “If he made $1000, as the book said, and it grew at a yearly rate of 10 percent interest, in 5 years, $1000 would become more than $1600. He could picture the numbers compounding as vividly as the way a snowball grew when he rolled it across the lawn. Warren announced that he would be a millionaire by age 35, an audacious statement for an 11-year old to make.”

Get rich. Desire money like Warren. Dream of becoming a millionaire. Why promote this kind of thinking? Whatever happened to 11-year old kids who dream of becoming a pilot or an astronaut or a superhero? Why portray the yearning to become a millionaire as a normal impulse?

Ganito rin ang ginagawa nila sa Pilipinas. Why praise billionaires who amassed their wealth by exploiting workers and waltzing with dictators?

Do not glorify billionaires. Instead, we should celebrate the lives of revolutionaries, dissidents, genuine visionaries, philosophers, scientists and the fighting poor. Instead of telling them to get rich, we should teach kids how to change the world.

Related entries:

Excess and lack
Other radicals

posted by: mongpalatino at November 01, 2008 09:30 | link | comments |
workers

Launching a “War against Depression”

Links: Save Boeung Kak Lake in central Phnom Penh. Gathering of Twitter Saigon. Indonesia-made aircraft. Situation in Myanmar a year after the crackdown on the monk-led Saffron Revolution.


During the Great Depression a number of ordinary Americans initiated campaigns to restore confidence in the economy. One example is the campaign launched by a public relations firm which declared a “War against Depression.” The campaign encouraged 1 million employers to create one new job each in order to wipe out unemployment in six months.

There were other measures proposed by various individuals and coalitions. Many of the proposals were reasonable, some were ridiculous. But they were all sincere. Concerned citizens rejected cynicism in favor of a more active approach in solving the country’s economic problems. More importantly, the proposed solutions were meant to help the workers and poor citizens.

Today a new “War against Depression” is needed. The grassroots should be at the forefront of this movement. Politicians and big business do not have a monopoly on bright ideas on how to solve the economic crisis. To paraphrase American economist Stuart Chase, why should the White House and Wall Street have all the fun of remaking the world?

How should the “War against Depression” proceed? This should be a global effort since the U.S. economic downturn is now felt worldwide. It is good that governments of big countries are already exchanging notes and coordinating efforts on how to prevent the further collapse of the global economy. This is similar to what the Allied Powers did during the post-World War II reconstruction campaign. Nations approved a set of banking and trading rules which governed the global economy for many decades.

Another possible tactic in launching the “War against Depression” is to adopt the Bush doctrine. This may be unpopular and extreme but we can argue that the situation today demands extraordinary measures.

What would be the features of the campaign if we use the Bush doctrine? First, we will accuse Wall Street of being evil. Wall Street, the White House and their satellite offices in Europe are the axis of evil.

Then we will declare a war against Wall Street. There is more than adequate available evidence to prove that Wall Street has developed “weapons of mass destruction.” These deadly paper weapons are not only threatening our way of life; they have already caused so much misery and mayhem around the world.

During the Great Depression, a Detroit Catholic priest denounced “banksters” as being bad as gangsters. Wall Street executives are the same creatures. To use a more modern term, they are like terrorists who are using even the most unacceptable methods known to man in order to achieve their profit targets.

They worship the free market and they want the rest of the world to share their faith. They want to shape a new world order where money dictates everything. Wall Street is guilty of “terrorizing” our innocent children whose families today are poorer and probably homeless.

Then we will issue a warning that a preemptive strike will be launched on Wall Street. We will justify the strike by accusing the other soon-to-be bankrupt banks in Wall Street of posing a serious harm to the world. For the sake of our children and the future of this world, Wall Street will be invaded. The guilty Wall Street executives will be detained in Guantanamo Bay.

To preserve democracy and civilization, the world has to fight Wall Street even without the backing of international agencies. A “coalition of the willing” will be established. Then we will deliver an ultimatum to the world: Either you support this coalition or you are against what this group is fighting for.

Clearly, the Bush doctrine will not work. American unilateralism is not a useful model in waging a “War against Depression.” It is really unfortunate that the last major international effort to solve a global menace was poisoned by the Bush doctrine. Fortunately, no leader has proposed the use of this doctrine to overcome the financial crisis.

The other viable option in the campaign against recession is to expand and merge the numerous but dispersed anti-globalization movements in the world. Enough of the self-serving proposals of big bankers, discredited economists, corrupt politicians and sweet-talking presidential candidates. It’s time to hear the views of the poor and other marginalized voices in the world.

Anti-globalization groups can provide a genuine alternative to the oppressive status quo. They can offer practical solutions to our economic woes based on the principles of social justice and equality.

But it’s not that simple. Are we ready to open our minds to new and radical ideas? Are we ready to support a subversive vision of the future? Are we ready to create a better kind of world? Or are we more willing to listen to charismatic leaders who deliver angry and uplifting speeches but offer nothing out of the box?

There are different ways to launch the “War against Depression.” It is up to us to decide which platform we will pursue to change the world.

Related entries:

Capitalism without Capitalism
Recession in America
Poverty and system losses

posted by: mongpalatino at October 30, 2008 05:37 | link | comments |
workers

Recession and its discontents

Links: A playcenter for the elderly in Brunei. The coffee industry of Laos. A stampede in Indonesia where people are queuing for alms. Indonesia's anti-porn law.

Southeast Asia: Impact of Financial Crisis, a post written for Global Voices. The New York Times links again to my post about the Preah Vihear ownership dispute.


The Hollywood film Night at the Museum ends on a happy note: the series of bizarre events in the Museum of Natural History tickled the curiosity of New York residents which led more people to visit the museum. Film critics note how the ending of the film mimicked real life: The box-office success of the film also led to a better museum attendance.

There is another example of reel life becoming real: Ben Stiller was hired as the museum’s night guard in order to replace three veteran night guards. The workload of three regular workers was delegated to a single worker who was younger, stronger, but probably less eligible to receive fringe benefits. This is what companies are doing today. They are rationalizing operations. To borrow the words of Spiderman’s uncle, corporations are downsizing in order to upsize their profits.

The hiring of the night guard was symbolic – he represents the modern worker. The veteran night guards who had to retire represent the old workforce. They symbolize the regular workers who are being replaced by contractuals. Workers who receive full benefits are already endangered species in the world.

In the film, the night guard watches over exhibits and waxworks portraying cavemen, cowboys, warriors, dictators, adventurers, and other historic figures. Should regular workers of the 20th century be archived/displayed in the museum as well?

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The Great Depression during the 1930s did not create poverty in America. Writer Caroline Bird (The Invisible Scar) clarifies a relevant point: “(The Crash made us see, in a binding flash of insight), that the Depression did not depress the conditions of the poor. It merely publicized them. The poor had been poor all along. It was just that nobody had looked at them.”

The Wall Street crash has publicized the extent of poverty in rich America. Suddenly, there are homeless middle-class citizens, hungry children, and jobless professionals. Finally an admission that widespread poverty exists in society. Finally a recognition of the worsening conditions of the urban poor.

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A simple explanation of the US housing bubble:

Johnny Pitts is a bus driver who bought a house in 2005 worth $430,000. His mortgage payment is $3,730 a month (plus more on taxes and insurance). His monthly salary is only $4,000. A couple pays $5,000 monthly for their mortgage. Their combined monthly salary is also $5,000. (San Francisco Chronicle, September 19, C3.)

Now we know why foreclosure cases are rising. And another consequence: increasing number of homeless Americans.

During the Great Depression, poverty camps were called Hoovervilles - maybe as a protest against then US President Herbert Hoover. Hoovervilles (or better, Bushvilles) are back today. Tent cities are spreading across America. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 61 percent of local and state homeless groups reported a rise in homelessness since 2007.

Officially, there are 666,000 homeless Americans (January 2007). But this figure is conservative. The Department of Housing and Urban Development did not include those who stayed with relatives or friends, and those who are living in campgrounds and motel rooms.

In short, dumadami ang NPA sa America.

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According to the California Job Journal (September 21), the unemployment rate in California rose to 7.7 percent in August, the highest level since 1996. Nationwide, the economic crisis has eliminated 605,000 jobs.

According to the Wall Street Journal (September 16, A3), the financial-services industry had shed more than 11,000 jobs in New York and 20,000 in London. The fate of 25,000 workers of bankrupt Lehman remains uncertain.

Luxury shopping stores, restaurants, hotels, fashion and entertainment have benefited during the boom years on Wall Street. Banks are also big sources of city tax revenues. What will happen to the world’s financial centers, especially New York and London? Both cities are dependent on the financial-services industry.

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Because of fewer job options, young Americans are joining the military. The 2008 recruitment target of the military was met as early as last month. It seems the weak economy is an advantage for the army’s recruitment goals.

Crime, particularly property theft, is expected to rise in the coming months. This is good news for America’s Prison-Industrial complex. In recent years or decades, the expanding prison system has benefited the US economy. It created new and permanent jobs, stimulated production, and increased the demand for more efficient security gadgets.

The recession will not just lead America to shop for new wars abroad. It will intensify repression at home. It will lead to more American minorities behind jails.

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Bush and company approved a bailout plan for bankrupt Wall Street banks. The government has money to spare for Wall Street but it has allotted little for social welfare. Public schools are suffering because of the fiscal crisis. Many California classrooms are overcrowded and teachers were fired because of budget problems. For example, an Algebra class in a Union City school had 20 students last year; today there are 43 students in the class. Fourteen teachers were removed because the school could not pay their salaries. (San Francisco Chronicle, September 12, A1)

Meanwhile, the bailout beneficiaries are not changing their spending habits. They approved hefty bonuses for their outgoing disgraced executives. And they continue to indulge in luxurious living. Days after a bailout was approved for AIG, the company executives and salespeople met in a Southern California resort. The company spent $200,000 on rooms, $150,000 on meals, $23,000 in spa expenses and $7,000 on golf. ((San Francisco Chronicle, October 8, A15)

Hindi na nahiya ang mga ito. Napaka insensitive. Ordinary Americans are losing their jobs, homes, and pension money, and these Wall Street executives could still afford to meet in a luxurious resort.

Related entries:

Bees and economy
Selda
Labor pains

posted by: mongpalatino at October 28, 2008 04:43 | link | comments |
workers

Sometimes the world is flat

Links: Half-naked tourists in Laos. Education funding in Indonesia. Should Cambodia be called Gamblodia? 'Love Food, Hate Waste' campaign in Brunei.


Thailand/Cambodia: Conflict over Preah Vihear, Part I and Part II. Read the French translation. The New York Times links to the post. My post about the US elections was translated into Spanish.

New pictures in my webshots album. Click here and here.


Today the world seems flat. Poverty is everywhere. Homelessness is spreading. From Asia and Africa to Europe and the Americas, the people of the world are experiencing the traumatic effects of a global economic recession.

It seems that for a rare and fleeting moment, globalization has produced a more equal world. Poverty is no longer a Third World spectacle. The once affluent societies of the United States and Europe are now grappling with Third World problems: high unemployment rates, rising homelessness, worsening inflation, poverty suicides, environmental degradation and escalating social unrest.

The mighty United States was humbled by the Wall Street crash. Many of its citizens are now without work, health insurance and a roof above their heads. Many Americans are already experiencing what Third World residents are enduring every day.

Early this month, an unemployed financial manager in Los Angeles killed five family members and himself because of money woes. This kind of suicide is usually reported in Third World societies, not in the United States. Will there be more poverty suicides in the United States?

Poverty is not a new phenomenon in the United States. Pockets of poverty have existed before. But there is a huge wave of numbing poverty which is now spreading across the country. Middle-class Americans are losing their wealth, pension money and residential homes overnight. These were last seen and felt during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Because of technological advances in communications and transportation, the big world is now called a global village. In the past, the poor in the global village could not see beyond the high fences of the rich. But things have somewhat changed.

In today’s flatter world, the Third World poor are now exchanging survival tips with their First World poor neighbors who have just lost their homes. Or to borrow a phrase from U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the Third World poor can now see the First World from their houses.

Globalization promised to level the playing field in the world so that small nations could compete with bigger economies. But this was never fulfilled. Despite the claims of pro-globalization ideologues that the world has become a better place to live, it cannot be denied that the income gap between the rich and the poor has widened. Globalization has furthered the interests of rich nations at the expense of the poor.

But today the big economies that worshipped the free market are down on their knees. Instead of the poor getting rich, the reverse is happening. Rich nations and their citizens are getting poor. Meanwhile the poor are getting poorer and more hopeless. The future is bleak. Is this the true legacy of globalization? Will globalization always work against the interests of the poor?

Despite the shocking U.S. economic downturn, the Third World poor are not rejoicing. They are not amused that the global economy is slowing down. Maybe some of them feel justified in highlighting the hypocrisy of U.S. trade policies. Or maybe some are quietly asserting the superiority of their nonconformist economic doctrines. But most of them are genuinely afraid over the uncertain future of the global economy.

The U.S. economy will continue to decline. The negative impact will be felt by more people in the next few weeks and months. U.S. imports will decrease due to less domestic consumer spending. U.S. investments in poor countries will be affected as well.

It is only now that Third World banks and social security agencies are determining the extent of their losses due to the U.S. financial meltdown. In short, the Third World poor will suffer more. Not all countries will be able to raise a financial bailout program to rescue their struggling economies.

The First World poor are still faring better than their Third World counterparts. They can at least rely on social welfare funds and other government programs. They can tap the emergency reserves of their wealthy economies.

Meanwhile the Third World poor do not have these options. They can cling to few or no support systems. It is unfortunate that most media attention is focused on the homeless and jobless American poor. The Third World poor are in worse condition, yet their voices are not adequately heard.

Even in a poorer globalized world, there is still wide inequality and discrimination. The suffering of the First World is privileged over that of the Third World. The world may be flat sometimes, but it is still not that flat. Perhaps a new kind of world is needed.

Related entries:

Fake capital of the world
Fences in the world
Poverty and system loss

posted by: mongpalatino at October 23, 2008 02:43 | link | comments (1) |
places

Veterans

Links: Thailand has the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rate in Asia. Post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Situation of gay men in Vietnam. How to get a license to drive a motorbike in Vietnam.

Southeast Asia: Views on US elections and politics, a post written for Global Voices.

In the Philippines, war veterans refer to those who fought during World War II. But during the 1950s, war veterans were those who fought during the 1896 revolution against the Spanish rule. They were the Katipuneros who waged a revolution to assert the country’s independence. Kuwentong Kutsero, a popular radio show in the 1950s, featured a character (Kapitan Hugo) who was a veteran of 1896. There was even an episode when Lolo Hugo joined his fellow Katipuneros during a parade of heroes in Luneta.

When did we start calling our WWII soldiers as war veterans? Perhaps soon after all Katipuneros died.

There are 18,000 WWII veterans who are still living today. Five decades ago, they were 300,000. How long will they continue to live? About 10 veterans are dying everyday. Do the math.

When they are gone, who will be our new veterans?

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There are many war veterans in the United States. There are WWII veterans, Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans, Gulf War veterans. Coming soon: Iraq-Afghanistan War veterans. Is there a war (genocidal war seems appropriate too) which I missed? What about the veterans of covert CIA operations?

The U.S. has been involved in numerous wars. It deploys its military might to influence global politics. Its military (mis)adventures have caused irreparable damage in many parts of the world. For instance, there are still Laos farmers who could not till their land because of “planted” cluster bombs which US forces dropped during the Vietnam War.

If the U.S. will continue to play the role of a global supercop, then there will be more war veterans to honor in the next few decades. These veterans are entitled to receive pension money. Can the US government manage to pay the pension of all veterans? How long can the economy afford to finance the post-war expenditures of the US military?

More and more baby boomers are retiring from their jobs. Are there enough retirement funds? The retirement age was raised to 66 but sooner or later America must find a way to pay it retirees. It can help if the U.S. will cease to invade other countries. There will be fewer veterans to pay.

But this is wishful thinking. America needs wars. It will always create war scenarios. A war economy provides jobs, stimulates production and distracts the attention of the people. Wars are necessary to stabilize capitalism. The U.S. will enter into new wars as long as it is certain the opponents are not like the unbeatable Vietnamese guerillas.

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Stories about war veterans have been turned into many Hollywood movie blockbusters and TV sitcoms. Which war is more famous in Hollywood: Vietnam War or WWII? Is it WWII because the U.S. won this war? Or Vietnam War because the U.S. lost its soul and many of its bright young soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam? The theme of a rag tag army defeating a more powerful force seems to be more intriguing.

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There are American war veterans whose (bloody) legacy is still being defended by their descendants. I’m referring to US soldiers who were sent to invade the Philippines more than a century ago. After almost wiping out the population of Balangiga, a small town in Samar province (located in central Philippines), soldiers stole the town’s church bells and brought them back to the United States as trophies of war. Attempts by succeeding Philippine governments to recover the bells have all failed. The US government insists the bells belong to the American people. Descendants of the Philippine-American war veterans are also opposing the return of the bells claiming that many of their ancestors have perished in that war. It seems the bells have some psychological, nostalgic value for them.

By the way, did US soldiers brought home Iraqi historical artifacts during the mass looting in Baghdad when Saddam Hussein’s government fell in 2003? Just asking.

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Pass the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill! For sixty years, the US government has deprived Filipino veterans of their right to be recognized as good and brave soldiers who fought for freedom and democracy alongside American soldiers. The heroism of Filipino veterans deserves to be recognized by the US Congress. But mere recognition is not enough. These veterans, many of them are already octogenarians today, need to pay their medical and other health bills.

What is stopping the US Congress from approving the bill? Maybe they do not want to pay our veterans. Or maybe they are waiting for a few more years until the number of veterans who are eligible to receive pension will be small only. Time is on their side. And they can manage to postpone the passage of the bill since Filipinos or the Filipino community wields little influence on American politics. Politicians are not afraid to lose the Fil-Am vote because only few Filipinos vote during Election Day.

During Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s visit in the U.S. last month, the Filipino Veterans bill was rejected by Congress again. Malas talaga siya.

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Should the Quezon City government proceed with the sale of Veterans Hospital? Or the golf course beside the hospital? Don’t sell both of them to private developers. The local government should invest in the area. Tap its surplus funds to develop a retirement home/park for elderly citizens. If a business park will soon rise in North Triangle, then the real estate value of Veterans Hospital will also increase. Why give away a precious public property to the private sector?


Related entries:

Conjugal dictators
Losing the war
Laoag to Laoang

posted by: mongpalatino at October 17, 2008 13:21 | link | comments |
workers