Jop Yap on Trump-Putin connection
Posting with permission Dr. Josef "Jop" Yap's take on the recent US
elections. The images are my addition, not part of Jop's paper. My brief
comments after his article.
-----------
*The Russians Did Influence the Outcome of the 2016 US Elections*
*Josef T. Yap*
Many are stunned and dismayed by the victory of Donald J. Trump as
President of the United States. He was a severely flawed candidate, the
Republican Party was splintered, and he was behind in the polls.
However, Trump actually obtained less votes than Mitt Romney did in 2012
and is barely ahead of the 2008 total of John McC... more »
Energy 81, Trump's climate and energy policies
Anthropogenic or "man-made" climate change (CC) hypothesis is actually 5%
climate science and 95% political science. A realistic view is that CC is
natural (ie, 'nature-made') and cyclical
(warming-cooling-warming-cooling...). So a change in political leadership
of one of the major players will significantly increase the % share of real
climate science and reduce the share of political science.
Some big news reports a day after Donald Trump was elected as the next US
President.
*"While vowing to “cancel” the international Paris climate accord Obama
championed, Trump would also rear... more »
Top 1,000 corps 2015, the 401-1,000 ranks
I notice that there is high interest and pageviews of Top 1,000
corporations 2015 here where I posted only the top 400 corporations. To
continue that, here are the next 600 firms, those that ranked 401 to 1,000.
Even the "medium tier" companies in the top 1,000 are actually huge
entities.
BusinessWorld will publish the Top 1,000 corporations 2016 later this
month. Serious researchers should get that report -- neat, clean and
glossy. I don't know how much it costs, inquire here,
http://www.bworldonline.com/assets/main.php?id=contactus.
BWorld 90, Who should set the energy mix, government or consumers?
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last November 02, 2016.
This question seems to have a “default” answer: the government and it is
time to revisit the premise of government being the central planning body
that sets the Philippines’ energy mix.
The Energy Policy Development Program (EPDP) composed of mostly UP School
of Economics (UPSE) faculty members as fellows and researchers produced
their most recent paper, “Filipino 2040 Energy: Power Security and
Competitiveness.” The 52-page long paper projects two scenarios for the
Philippines until 2040, the strong/fast growth and slo... more »
Less government means good governance
I posted this quote in my fb wall more than 4 years ago, the merits of
small or limited government. And two weeks ago, I attended the EPDP forum
on energy efficiency at UPSE. Good initiative, good and articulate speaker.
But since they (he and his coalition) want another legislation, another law
that will give special privileges to them but are not given to other
sectors (income tax holiday, subsidies,...), I questioned their proposal
and warned that more government intervention and favoritism would lead to
more distortion, more problems.
Here's another example that less government... more »
Capital liberalization and stockmarket growth in Asia
The ADB released its "Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2016" report
nearly two weeks ago. I found these data interesting. These tables are
cropped, I removed other countries and years to focus on these important
economies in the region.
This is a good summary why the PH and TH, CN, JP and NZ, were among the
best performing economies in stock market until last year.
Another group of economies have maintained their high levels of stocks
capitalization but in terms of growth and % share of GDP, they performed
badly: SK, TW, ID, MY, SG and AU.
In terms of growth rates, overal... more »
BWorld 89, President Duterte's outbursts and PH economic momentum
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last October 27, 2016.
Several issues preoccupy President Rodrigo Duterte’s mind and mouth: the
violent anti-drug campaign and murders, his anti-US, anti-EU, and anti-UN
expletives and polemics (but later reversing his earlier attacks against
these countries and/or multilateral bodies).
After his anti-Obama, anti-US tantrums before and during the ASEAN and
related summit meetings, he repeated the same vitriol in his China visit
last week, citing his “separation from the US” and that the Philippines is
united with China and Russia against the wo... more »
BWorld 88, Economic freedom and human rights
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last October 18, 2016
Economic freedom is the ability and privilege of people to engage in
various social and economic activities without unnecessary restrictions and
prohibitions. Such freedom is guided by voluntary exchange, open markets,
personal choice and accountability, and clearly defined private property
rights.
People are economically free if they can choose to buy or not buy certain
goods and services from various sellers, when they are not forced and
coerced to buy something expensive and/or poor quality. Freedom is not
absolute tho... more »
Trump and Clinton, Obama and "change is coming" promise
Congratulations, President Trump. Election is done, good luck to tons of
work to do.
Meanwhile, what happened to "hope and change" and "change is coming" under
8 years of Pres. Obama? If the desired change has come, it should be Pres.
Hillary Clinton. So it was the undesired change that came after 8 years?
I am reposting some comments below to help dig some answers to the two
questions that I posed:
*(1) Dr. Roy W. Spencer: *"... I would have preferred a "real"
conservative, too, but NONE of them had the balls to tap into the populist
discontent that's out there. The fact that Tr... more »
Spencer, Watts, Gosselin and Bastardi on Clinton vs. Trump, Elections 2016
I am non-partisan in the US elections, past and present. This election is
the most divisive perhaps, so I check what some Americans that I highly
respect say about the polls. Here are four American scientists and engineer
who write on climate and energy issues, comments/ideas were all posted
November 04, 2016.
*(1) Dr. Roy Spencer*, world-famous climatologist, http://drroyspencer.com/.
*Even some of my favorite conservative commentators don't yet understand
that this election is not about Democrats versus Republicans...*
*It’s about We The People versus the government that has sworn... more »
Free Trade 64, PH experience in manufacturing growth
Yesterday, I attended a pre-summit consultation meeting by the DTI on free
trade agreements (FTAs). It was part of the preparation for the
"Manufacturing Summit 2016" this coming November 28-29, 2016 at Shangrila
Makati. Small group with representatives from selected sectors in the PH
economy like the garments and textiles, pharma (represented by Unilab),
other manufacturers and government agencies. I was lucky to be among the
invitees. Thanks to DTI Asec Fita Aldaba for the invite.
Former NEDA Secretary Ciel Habito gave the preliminary inputs based on
their research at the USAID-fu... more »
The Students for Liberty - Philippines (SFL PH)
Last October 20, 2016, the Students for Liberty - Philippines (SFL PH)
launched their facebook and twitter pages. Congrats guys.
I am happy that the liberty movement among the Philippine youth is taking
shape formally. And when we say liberty, it is individual liberty, not
national or class or clan liberty.
From Joseph Bautista, President of SFL PH, October 20:
*We're pro-peace, pro-individual, pro-market, and pro-liberty.. We're part
of the bigger Students For Liberty network around the world. We have
students from the USA, Indonesia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Australia,
Afric... more »
Weekend Fun 62, The invisible hand
I got this from an economist friend's fb wall. Brilliant humor.
*“By directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of
greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many
other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part
of his intention.” *-- Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
This slide I got from an Indonesian friend presented at the EFN Asia
conference 2004 in HK.
On another note, it will be the UPSE annual alumni homecoming later today.
I will attend, as usual.
These 5 political personalities, either UPSE alumni o... more »
Energy 80, Power outages in 2010
I originally wrote this on March 02, 2010, reposting to look back on some
issues more than six years ago.
-----------
*'Government failure' in energy*
Recently, a number of power outages have re-occured in Metro Manila and the
provinces. The usual explanation given by the government, the Department of
Energy (DOE) in particular, is the "thin reserves" as there are not enough
power supply while demand keeps rising every year. El Nino for instance,
has been cited as a "cause" as many hydro-power plants could not function
well due to low water level in many dams.
A friend in facebook ... more »
President Duterte and 'Psychopath' comment by Agot Isidro
Last October 9, 2016, Filipina actress Agot Isidro posted in her fb wall 3
points about her opinion of the President, the 3rd of which was the most
controversial, "you are not bipolar, you are a psychopath". It was shared
several thousand times, re-shared further, picked up by local and foreign
media.
Famous fb commentator Bernard Ong posted this in his wall that day:
*“PSYCHOPATH”*
*Psychopathy consists of a specific set of personality traits & behaviors –
first described by Dr. Hervey Cleckley in 1941.*
*Psychopaths are superficially charming, make a good first impression on
oth... more »
BWorld 87, Economic, fiscal and energy policies of the Duterte administration
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last October 07, 2016.
The new administration of President Rodrigo Duterte will turn 100 days old
this week. The basis for its assessment is still sketchy and raw, so one
way to further assess it later is to see some baseline figures when it
assumed office.
Stratbase-Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) conducted a forum last Sept.
28 on “Raising the Next Tiger: The New Administration’s Economic
Priorities” at The Tower Club in Makati. The main speakers were Mr. Aekapol
Chongvilaivan, Country Economist, Philippines Country Office, Asian
Develop... more »
Energy 79, Germany Energiewende's €520 Billion Cost By 2025
Now clearer pictures of the cost of Germany's energy transition to the
renewables are coming up, the huge financial burden to energy consumers
because of heavy government interventions and cronyism -- subsidies to
renewables, taxation and over-bureaucratism of coal, gas and nuke. See
these reports last week.
----------------
English translation from the original German news report:
*German Energiewende To Cost €520 Billion By 2025, New Study Initiative *
*Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft, 10 October 2016*
*The total cost of Germany’s green energy transition (Energiewende) amounts
to ov... more »
The Philippines' 5 Presidents
After President Duterte's first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last
July 25, 2016, he convened a security council meeting and all the four past
Presidents were invited. Below from left: Joseph "Erap" Estrada (June 1998
- January 2001), Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA, January 2001 - June 2010),
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (June 2016 --), Fidel Valdez Ramos (FVR, June 1992 --
June 1998), Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III (BSA3, June 2010 -- June
2016).
Not in the photo are two dead Past Presidents, Ferdinand Marcos (1965 --
February 1986) and Corazon "Cory" Aquino (February 1986 -- June 19... more »
BWorld 86, Philippine industrial policy
* This is my article in BusinessWorld Top 1,000 Corporations 2015,
published in November 2015. I forgot to post this earlier, no online copy
of that publication, only hard copy.
-----------
*Quo vadis, industrial policy?*
A recurring question in the Philippines that crops up almost anytime
anywhere is, “Why has the Philippines not industrialized as much as its
East Asian neighbors?” It is a valid question, that opens up a plethora of
valid and invalid explanations.
In a paper two years ago by former PIDS economist and now DTI Assistant
Secretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba summarized rece... more »
Social media and politics
Last month, I was one of three speakers in a lecture sponsored by UP Sapul,
one of my three student organizations in UP Diliman in the 80s.
Creating political awareness for less/minimal (not zero) government, free
market and individual freedom
Free market – free trade, voluntary exchange, zero to little government
intervention in many sectors of the economy. More individual freedom,
personal and civil society responsibility.
* 3 types of free marketers:
(1) Anarchist – zero state authority, zero central (and local?) government,
citizens’ self-government by voluntary organiz... more »
Tax Cut 27, The Furusato tax in Japan as possible model in citizen empowerment
A Tokyo-based Filipino friend, Jules, shared this article from Tokyo
Weekender:
*The program was launched in 2008 as a way for a person to make a
charitable donation to a municipality or prefecture of their choice—whether
or not it was their hometown. Donors can even specify the purpose for which
they want the money to be used: educational projects and helping the
elderly are two examples. Beyond the feel-good aspect, though, there are
two benefits that make donating all the sweeter.*
*The first of these is that donations are tax deductible: depending on how
much you donate and you... more »
President Duterte and 'Pakyu' EU
These are news reports from September 21 to 23, except the news on
"Killings prompt 'hesitation' among European investors" which was published
a month earlier, August 2016. I also include here the fb postings by a
friend, famous commentator Bernard Ong. No further comments from me.
From Bernard Ong, September 21, 2016:
*"China supplies almost 100% of the shabu to the Philippines. Coddles the
international drug lords & their syndicates. Takes over our seas & reefs.
Chases Pinoy fishermen away from their traditional livelihoods. Corrupts
our local officials to extract minerals in irr... more »
Energy 78, AEMO on the S. Australia blackout last Sept. 28
More on the huge, state-wide blackout for many hours in S. Australia last
September 28. There was a storm, strong winds with gust at 100-120 kph, so
the wind farms should produce more power, right? Wrong. Wind power suddenly
went AWOL. Huge supply deficiency, plus some transmission towers were
knocked down. And there was massive power blackouts.
The wind farms shut down their turbines and locked the blades from spinning
as there is danger that the blades might go out of control, the turbine can
overheat/burn?
SA energy mix is 48% from wind, 34% energy import from Victoria, and 18% ... more »
BWorld 85, Drugs war morphed into war on critics of President Duterte?
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last September 27, 2016.
One of my friends, a respected economist and a fellow UP School of
Economics (UPSE) alumni, has criticized some policies of President Duterte
by posting her misgivings on her Facebook account.
Past 12 noon of Aug. 20, she was threatened with murder while inside her
car, together with her mother.
As she was struggling with traffic at the Holy Spirit Drive in Quezon City,
a man on foot whose head was covered by a jacket suddenly appeared on her
side. The man tapped his finger on her car window and shouted, “Ma’am
putang ... more »
President Duterte at the ASEAN Summit, Obama tussle
Below are news reports from local and international media outlets from
September 06-13, 2016. It was during the ASEAN Summit + related Summits
with many heads of state from the US, China, Russia, India, Japan, S.
Korea, Australia, New Zealand. No more comments from me.
------------
See also:
The PH drugs war, part 2, July 27, 2016
Pres. Duterte and UNexit, August 22, 2016
President Duterte and Hugo Chavez, September 30, 2016
President Duterte and Hitler, October 05, 2016
Transport Econ 18, E-tricycles in Manila
This was reported in Philippine Star, Manila: No more trikes, pedicabs next
month, September 18, 2016. So the Manila City government has followed the
ADB e-trike cronyism. Tricycles, whether electric or gasoline run, are
still tricycles. Low passengers capacity, drivers tend to be unruly. Even
small population countries like SG and Brunei don't have tricycles. A
country with 103 M people should ultimately have as few tricycles as
possible, more high passengers capacity vehicles like trains and buses.
Some people argue that since many people are poor, then we should allow
more tricyc... more »
Pol. Ideology 68, On factions and diversity in society, thoughts of James Madison
The fourth President of the USA (1809-1817), *James Madison*, was a
political philosopher and stateman before he rose to Presidency. Below are
some of his writings in *The Federalist Papers* in 1767, about factions in
society:
*" Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it
instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which
is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would
be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life,
because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.*
*"As long as... more »
BWorld 84, Eliminate red tape in the Philippine energy sector
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last September 15, 2016.
Which is more realistic and beneficial for consumers in reducing energy
prices: removing the VAT (value-added tax) on electricity or removing the
red tape and bureaucracy that stall construction of new power plants which
will increase competition among players?
This is the question that Dr. Ramon Clarete, faculty member, former Dean of
the UP School of Economics (UPSE) and Fellow of the Energy Policy
Development Program (EPDP), tried to answer during the EPDP lecture last
week at UPSE.
Dr. Clarete made various simul... more »
Energy 77, South Australia's blackout last September 28
A few months ago, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) warned of
blackouts by around 2020 in S. Australia because of its rising dependence
on wind power. Well, it already happened. Widespread and prolonged "Earth
Hour" in S. Australia last September 28, 2016.
An Australian engineer friend, Bernd Felsche, made this comment when I
posted this issue in my fb wall last October 2:
*"Note that the renewables crony capitalists and their sheep will argue
that the failure wasn't due to wind power which is only true in the context
of the failures; the collapse of power transmission l... more »
Finally, this blog has reached 1 million pageviews
Today around 12:50pm Manila time, this blog has reached 1 million
pageviews. After 6 years and 3 months (since July 2010). Thank you readers.
Audience and readers are mostly from the US, PH and Europe.
I am happy.
Thanks again, readers.
Nonoy Oplas
BWorld 83, Climate change, the UN and 'Clexit'
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last September 08, 2016
Last weekend, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon declared during the G20
summit in China that “climate change scepticism is over.” This statement is
wrong on two counts.
First, the term climate change (CC) skepticism or “CC denial” is wrong
because skeptics recognize climate change, having happened in the past and
currently taking place in the present. However, skeptics only believe that
climate change is natural and cyclical, or it is “nature-made” and not
man-made. Thus, the appropriate term should be “anthropogenic/man-... more »
President Duterte and Hitler
Reposting another good insights from a friend, Bernard Ong, posted in his
fb wall last Sunday.
---------
DUTERTE IS NOT (YET) HITLER
by Bernard Ong, October 03, 2016
Apologies. Long post, driven by the gravity of the issue.
First let’s lay out what he said verbatim:
Sept 30: "Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now, there are 3 million drug
addicts... I'd be happy to slaughter them… At least if Germany had Hitler,
the Philippines would have (me). You know my victims, I would like to be,
all criminals, to finish the problem of my country and save the next
generation from perdition."
... more »
BWorld 82, No FIT for geothermal and other renewables, please
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last September 01, 2016
Expensive electricity via government price guarantee for 20 years is wrong.
Business is about risks and returns, capitalism is about corporate
expansion and bankruptcy, so there is no such thing as guaranteed price nor
assured profit for many years in a competitive economy. Only politics and
cronyism will try to negate the nature of competition and business reward
and punishment.
Last Aug. 17, 2016, it was reported here in BusinessWorld that Geothermal
technologies sought to be included in FiT program.
“The National Geo... more »
BWorld 81, Property rights are human rights
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last August 25, 2016.
Private property and its protection is among the cornerstones of a free
society. It bestows upon the individuals, households and enterprises
exclusive rights what to do with their private property like a car or a
piece of land -- use it, sell it, rent it out, or donate it.
When private property rights are unprotected, society can quickly
degenerate into chaos and disorder. Gangs and bullies can confiscate other
people’s houses, cars, or shops, and the enterprising people will flee and
escape such society and only the lazy,... more »
Labor Econ 18, Robots and job creation
More robots, more machines, mean more job displacement, more unemployment?
Uhmm, No.
New industries always create new jobs, despite their initial job-displacing
effect. For instance, when telegrams were replaced by paging devices, then
by SMS and mobile phones, those who were displaced in the telegram industry
did not go hungry, they simply changed jobs to higher skills category.
Long article here but my answer to this question, "Will robots kill the
Asian Century?" is NO.
http://hudson.org/.../11245-will-robots-kill-the-asian.../
More robots, more machines mean more demand for peo... more »
President Duterte and Hugo Chavez
I am reposting this post last Tuesday by a friend, *Bernard Ong*. It has
gone viral, shared nearly 6k since more than two days ago. Keep writing
this kind of analysis, bai. Thank you.
-------------
*HE CROSSED HIS RUBICON*
Bernard Ong
September 27, 2016 at 9:29pm
Updating my May 2016 post on Hugo Chavez. Very important lessons for the
Philippines today. The photo collage shows 3 things: An emergency room in
Venezuela - hospitals have broken down to the point that there are
shortages of basics like soap, gloves & medicine. A nursery where babies
are kept in boxes. And the man who st... more »
Tax cut 26, Excise tax on petrol products should be reduced/abolished, not increased
"People try to live within their income so they can afford to pay taxes to
a government that can't live within its income." - Robert Half
This bad tax measure has been proposed by the DOF and some legislators many
years ago but never succeeded. This time, it looks different as the new
Duterte government is hell-bent on having this become a law within the year
or next year.
*"The excise tax adjustment will entail, in the case of regular fuel,
raising the levy from P4.35 a liter at present to P10 a liter next year,
P10.40 a liter in 2018 and further to P12.17 a liter by 2022.*
*For d... more »
BWorld 80, Declining share of agriculture in GDP
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last August 18, 2016.
A declining share of agriculture gross value added (GVA) in GDP (gross
domestic product) is often viewed negatively by many sectors because it
implies that a country is not prioritizing rural development and job
creation. Is this a valid observation? Let us review some agriculture data
of the Philippines and compare them to its neighbors in the ASEAN and then
we tackle that question in the latter part of the paper (see Table 1).
The numbers above tell us the following.
1. In terms of land area devoted to agricultural crop... more »
Energy 76, PEMC reply to my article on AEMO, WESM
The Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC) replied to my article in
BWorld, Brownouts, coal power and electricity market, August 17, 2016,
below.
Dear Editor: We are writing in reference to a column written by Mr.
Bienvenido Oplas published on 17 August 2016 entitled, "Brownouts, coal
power and the electricity market".
We note the persistent claims made in your column that Philippine
Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) is exactly replicating the Department
of Energy's (DOE) efforts to push for more renewable energy (RE) resources
into the system. It was also averred in you... more »
Pres. Duterte and UNexit
President Duterte was on global news again yesterday, wow. And again, for
the wrong reason.
*UNexit. What a parochial, onion-skinned mind.*
*"I do not want to insult you. But maybe we'll just have to decide to
separate from the United Nations," he said.*
*"If you are that rude, we might just as well leave," he said.*
*"So take us out of your organisation. You have done nothing. Where were
you here the last time? Never. Except to criticise," he said.*
*Mr Duterte said the UN should refund its contribution "so we can go out".*
*Mr Duterte said the UN had been unable to combat hunger a... more »
BWorld 79, Brownouts, coal power and the electricity market
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last August 17, 2016.
Brownouts, actual and potential, have returned to some areas of Metro
Manila and surrounding provinces in the Luzon grid over the past two weeks.
This is unfortunate because electricity demand has somehow declined because
of the colder, rainy season and more power plants have been added to the
grid.
This rare event was caused by heavy stress in the Luzon grid as a result of
the unscheduled outage of several coal-fired, hydroelectric, oil, and
geothermal power plants in the grid, many of them are already ageing. Among
... more »
Transport Econ 17, On banning provincial buses in Edsa
Remember Isaac Newton's 3rd law of motion: *For every action, there is an
equal, opposite reaction.* Apply in society: *For every government
intervention and prohibition, there is an equal opposite distortion.*
This news was reported last August 13, 2016. If government implements this,
there will be MORE traffic congestion, not less, on Edsa and rest of M.
Manila. Why?
Because many of those probinsyanos/syanas who ride the provincial buses are
car owners. They leave their cars in Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pangasinan,
Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, etc. when they go to Manila because it ... more »
Climate Tricks 57, "Preventing flash floods" and the Green SONA
Heavy rains and flash flood are natural and cyclical, nature-made and not
"man-made". Big El Nino and drought is often followed by big La Nina and
frequent/heavy rains. To help prevent or minimize flash flood, build more
dams and "harvest" the water, instead of cursing the flood. After the wet
months, or during El Nino years, we will thank the floods that deposited
water in the dams.
Weird comment from Cabanatuan City Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara, he said,
"The water really came from the mountains," Haaaaa. I thought the flood
water came from the sea :-)
The problem here is that pe... more »
BWorld 78, If the US becomes protectionist, who loses?
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last August 03, 2016.
The purpose of free trade is to make cheap things remain cheap and the
purpose of protectionism is to make cheap things become expensive.
Protectionism imposes high tariff, taxes, fees, charges, and more paper
work to complicate things that are otherwise simple and easy to do.
As the US presidential election nears, many issues have become convoluted
as expected in any major political exercise.
One issue that gets murky is trade.
Mr. Donald Trump has been vocal about some of his protectionist
pronouncements like attacking ... more »
Cicero, welfarism and fiscal irresponsibility
Words of wisdom from a Roman philosopher, Cicero (106 - 43 BC) nearly 2,100
years ago. There are minor differences in these two quotes, should be a
result of different translations.
*The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public
debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and
controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest
Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on
public assistance.* - Cicero, 55 BC
The case of the Philippines on budget balance -- recent years and
admini... more »
BWorld 77, Migration and housing
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last July 26, 2016.
Migration means mobility and freedom. The free movement of people along
with their skills and talent, families and colleagues, culture and sports,
science and technology, capital and investments, is the natural sibling of
free trade of goods and commodities.
The world is far from real free trade in goods and free mobility of people,
but the regional and global trend is towards more freedom, not less. The
numbers to confirm this are freely available -- rising exports and imports,
rising foreign investments, rising tourism.
W... more »
PH drugs war 3, Murder culture + low-life mind is dangerous combination
A friend in fb, Jasmin Romero of ABS-CBN posted the other day this report.
*''I do not care. I really don’t care because I know na kapag iyang bangag
na -- a user is always a pusher except you are the son of an Ayala or
Gokongwei”' Duterte said….*
*Data gathered by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group show that
there have been 834 drug-related fatalities from May 10 to August 4.*
I commented there, "gago na sagot ito from a President."
Note this, "gago na sagot" and not "gago na President". There is a
difference between the two. The former is shooting the message/comment, t... more »
BWorld 76, Solar can never power the PH and Asia
* This is my 3rd article in the special issue, BusinessWorld Anniversary
Report last July 25, 2016. Due to limited space, the table was not shown
but the arguments and texts are retained.
The rapid pace of economic growth in East Asia over the past two to three
decades coincided with, or was facilitated by, high energy capacity largely
coming from coal power plants.
This is shown by the numbers below covering two decades. Electricity
generation and solar power consumption are expressed in terawatt hours
(TWh, 1 TW = 1 million MW), coal consumption is expressed in million tons
oil ... more »
Demography 26, Once again on the RH law
Four years ago, I wrote this paper in interaksyon and shared it in my fb
wall with this note, *"People are assets, not liabilities. Government
should focus on promulgating the rule of law, not in expanding
bureaucracies and in population control." *
I never supported that bill (now a law) of more government,
state-sponsored population control. Condoms and pills lang, gobyerno pa.
Government is stretching out, further out. Gun control, drugs control,
smoking control, alcohol control, fare control, rent control, price
control, wage control, speed control, texting control, land owner... more »
Energy 75, the PH solar confederation, electric coops and Meralco
From the DOE website, some group photos showing some of the major players
in the PH energy sector. Below, one solar group, the Confederation of Solar
Developers of the PH, Inc. (CSDP).
*From left: DOE Chief-of-Staff Jesus Cristino Posadas, Engr. Arwin Ardon,
Ret. Admiral Reuben Lista, Central Tarlac Biopower Inc. President Don Mario
Dia, Equis Manager Craig Marsh, NV-VOGT Phils. President Vivek Chaudhri,
North Negros BioPower, Inc. President Arthur N. Aguilar, Reynaldo Casas
CSDP President, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. Senior Vice President Juan
Antonio Bernad, Carlos Aboitiz of Ab... more »
BWorld 75, How to profit from urban congestion
* This is my 2nd article in BusinessWorld special Anniversary issue last
Monday.
------------
Worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other big cities in the
Philippines has led people to believe that this will negatively affect
people’s health, temper, and eventually, the economy. Thus, the solution is
to decongest heavily urbanized cities and spread out development and
modernization to the peripheral cities and provinces.
This subject was partly tackled during the first BusinessWorld Economic
Forum last July 12, 2016 during the panel discussion about succession and
tran... more »
Rule of law 27, Exchanges in July 2009
I stumbled upon these exchanges seven years ago in my fb account. I think I
have not uploaded this before, so here it is.
--------------
*Nonoy* is writing an essay, "Rule of law, lawlessness of the State, and
State of the nation". Some relevant quotes: "The rules must apply to those
who lay them down and those who apply and that nobody has the power to
grant exceptions.” – Friedrich Hayek "
July 28, 2009 at 11:21am
*Comments*
*Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan* Here's my contribution to your body of
knowledge: "With great freedom, comes great irresponsibility."
July 28, 2009 at 11:45am
*... more »
BWorld 74, Pres. Duterte's anti-corruption programs and Transparency Intl.
* This is my article in BusinessWorld Special Anniversary issue last Monday.
---------
*The Duterte administration's anti-corruption plans*
Corruption takes place when a person has the power to dispense certain
actions or render services that other parties needs. Voters who sell their
ballots in exchange for money and politicians buying them are both engaged
in electoral corruption. Similarly, procurement officers who favor certain
suppliers even if others can offer the same products or services at lower
prices are also committing corruption.
Elevate the scene to a city or country ... more »
Climate Tricks 56, Using the CHR for climate harassment
There's a new development, unprecedented so far -- having the Commission on
Human Rights (CHR) -- to accuse and harass multinational firms engaged in
oil, cement, coal and mining.
From The Guardian last July 27:
*"In a potential landmark legal case, the Commission on Human Rights of the
Philippines (CHR), a constitutional body with the power to investigate
human rights violations, has sent 47 “carbon majors” including Shell, BP,
Chevron, BHP Billiton and Anglo American, a 60-page document accusing them
of breaching people’s fundamental rights to “life, food, water, sanitation,
adeq... more »
BWorld 73, Transco and the big beneficiaries of feed in tariff
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last July 20, 2016.
The Philippines’ expensive electricity prices in Asia -- second only to
Japan -- was highlighted once again in a paper by The Lantau Group (TLG)
during the Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2016 at the ADB last June.
Metro Manila’s residential electricity prices were even higher than those
in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Singapore, twice than those of Hanoi and
Beijing, and about three times than those of Taipei and Kuala Lumpur (see
chart).
This will have negative consequences for the Philippines’ bid for
industrialization. Man... more »
Welfarism 32, On forcing restaurants to give their excess food to charities
Sen. Bam Aquino is a bright legislator but from time to time, may churn out
lousy bills. Like this one. Food donation can be done voluntarily, no need
for legislation and national coercion with penalties.
Good comment from Rone EbidoYee, friend of Louie:
*"my resto dito sa amin sir na ganyan ang nka gawian na nila pinamimigay
yung mga pagkain na sobra sa order ng customer yun bang inorder pero di
nagalaw sa sobrang dami na.. at yung mga tira sa buffet table nila
pinababalot nila at pinamimigay.. isang araw my reklamo sa kanila sa
pamimigay daw ng kontaminadong pagkain.. na madumi ... more »
The PH drugs war, part 2
President Duterte, I am supporting many of your economic, education,
healthcare, agri, energy, etc. policies. But NOT extra judicial killings
(EJKs) by the PNP and other state agencies. Or the lack of action by the
PNP to control EJKs by civilian/vigilante criminals. STOP it, please.
Photo here that became viral, the girl's name is Jennelyn Olaires. Her
murdered husband is Michael Siaron, a 30-year-old pedicab driver.
On average, nearly 10 people a day are killed here since mid-May 2016. Zero
chance by the dead to defend themselves from accusations.
This "war on drugs" has become... more »
BWorld 72, Economic integration and disruption
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last July 11, 2016.
Three of the five themes of the first ever BusinessWorld Economic Forum on
July 12 will be on economic integration, technological disruption, and
regulation and incentives. Except for three speakers from the government
(VP Leni Robredo, DoF Sec. Carlos Dominguez, NEDA Chief Ernesto Pernia, PCC
Chairman Arsenio Balisacan), all the other speakers will be from the
private sector.
The speakers on Integration will be Phinma President Ramon del Rosario and
Sunlife President Riza Mantaring. Speakers on Disruption will be Solar
Phi... more »
Telcos, Pacquiao and China, by Dr. Jop Yap
Another nice commentary from a friend, Dr. Josef "Jop" Yap, former
President of the PH Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and now a
UPSE faculty member. He gave me permission to post this.
*The Wealthy and Popular are Above the Law*
by Josef Yap
July 13, 2016
Two noteworthy events made the news today. The first is the decision by
PLDT and Globe to sue the Philippine Competition Commission because of its
decision to review the deal between the two telecommunication companies and
San Miguel Corporation. The second event is the announcement by Bob Arum
that Manny Pacquiao is ... more »
Energy 74, Mindanao business opportunities via coal plants
* This is my article in SPARK by ADRi last July 4, 2016.
The emergence of a first ever President of the Philippines coming from
Mindanao has produced ample business opportunities to that big island and
its many provinces in the south. After the elections last month for
instance, Davao City in particular experienced huge boost in business and
tourism.
Overcoming energy poverty or insufficient supply of power and electricity
for the people should be among the priorities of the new government. For
instance, our average electricity consumption of 672 kWh per capita in 2012
was lower t... more »
BWorld 71, Free trade and higher income
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Friday.
Among the benefits of free trade, besides having tariffs as low as
possible, if not zero, is higher income for the people. There are several
ways by which this takes place.
First, free trade expands the choices and options of the local consumers
and producers in the economy, both in prices and product quality. Thus, a
rice farmer will have more choices where to get his new farm tractor,
harvester, and fertilizer and this greatly expands his productivity while
reducing crop wastes and losses. Competing suppliers from different
count... more »
My UP Sapul friends
One of my student organizations in UP Diliman in the 80s was the UP Samahan
sa Agham Pampulitika (UP Pol. Science Club). I shifted from BS Statistics
to AB Political Science then AB Economics. While majoring in Economics, my
minor subjects, about 4 or 5, were Pol. Science.
At a Sapul grand reunion last March hosted by Alex Gaticales. Former UP
President Francisco "Dodong" Nemenzo was a Sapul alumni, he came that
night, assisted by his wife, Princess Nemenzo. This family is close to me,
mainly through Fidel, the oldest of the 3 kids of Princess and Dodong.
Standing from left: me, Fra... more »
Climate Tricks 55, Paris Deal vs scientific papers debunking the AGW hypothesis
In a special interview of former COMELEC Commissioner Christian Monsod by
Rappler, he will likely say -- along with Climate Change Commission (CCC)
officials, Tony la Vina, Sen. Legarda, etc. -- that less rain or no rain or
more rain, less flood or no flood or more flood, we should have more
climate agencies, more climate meetings, and implicitly say that we should
send more money to the UN, CCC, DENR, etc. so they can save the planet.
The UN, Al Gore, WWF, Greenpeace, etc. claim of "97% scientific concensus
on man-made CC" should includes themselves non-scientists (lawyers,
politi... more »
BWorld 70, Wind power firms corner billions of FIT money
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Wednesday.
From an introductory price hike of 4.06 centavos/kWh of Feed In Tariff
Allowance (FiT-All) in 2014, this subsidy scheme of guaranteed price for 20
years became 12.40 centavos/kWh in 2016. As more renewable energy power
plants are added to the country, the cost of FiT-All will keep rising and
it is safe to assume that this FiT-All might further rise to 20 centavos or
more by 2017. And even consumers in Mindanao who are not participants of
the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) are paying for this.
Such is the abuse received... more »
The Kill list and drugs war
10+ murders a day since President Duterte came to office. Horrible. The
dead can not defend themselves anymore if they were indeed drug pushers or
addicts or innocent, patay na nga eh. I support Pres. Duterte's admin
reforms in many sectors but NOT state-sponsored murders.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/794942/drug-related-killings-hit-72-since-june-30
July 1, 14 murders; July 2, 12 murders; July 3, 19;... Utak murderers na
mga pulis dito. Even if only 1 of those murdered is innocent, that's still
1 state-created injustice and murder. anak ng...
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/794598/kil... more »
Lion Rock 20, Hong Kong's labor welfarism and rising unemployment
Another good article from Bill Stacey, former Chairman of the Lion Rock
Institute (LRI) in Hong Kong. He observes that labor welfarism policies
intended to protect labor actually discourages the hiring of more labor,
especially the less skilled and new entrants.
---------------
*The war against work*
Bill Stacey
(Next Magazine, 2016/6/2, A002, Second Opinion,)
When I first arrived in Hong Kong in 1989, I had the impression of an
incredibly dynamic work environment. Unemployment was negligible and
workers of all kinds were in demand. Employers constantly complained that
they could n... more »
BWorld 69, Foreign direct investments and Pres. Duterte
* This is my article last week in BusinessWorld.
Investments, local and foreign, are like pools of water flowing down. They
go where they are allowed and welcomed, not where they are restricted and
barred. So government and national policies set the tone and signal if they
welcome, partially disallow, or explicitly restrict investments.
Foreign investments are particularly very mobile and flexible. They can
come and go in major cities in the world in very short period like within
hours or minutes, such as investments in the stock markets and commodities.
Foreign direct investments ... more »
Pork Barrel 14, Governments living beyond their means vs. living below their means
A lawyer friend, Jijil Jimenez, made a good observation in his fb posting
last Tuesday, July 5. He wrote,
*Asking Congress to submit a list of projects to be later included in the
proposed GAA by the President is, technically, not pork. It is beef -
bigger, and as fatty. Its actually the older brother of pork practice
where, unlike pork, the item of expenditure is decided before the budget
becomes law. Its called budgetary insertions. It is, strictly speaking, not
part of the power over the purse lodged in Congress because under this
concept, only the President can propose items of ... more »
Agri Econ 24, Greenpeace voodoo science vs GMOs
Greenpeace voodoo science was slam dunked last week by real scientists. GP
do heavy political science then call it climate science, bio science. They
should be ashamed of what they are doing.
From the WaPo news last June 30, 2016:
*The letter campaign was organized by Richard Roberts, chief scientific
officer of New England Biolabs and, with Phillip Sharp, the winner of the
1993 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for the discovery of genetic
sequences known as introns. The campaign has a website,
supportprecisionagriculture.org, that includes a running list of the
signatories... more »
Mining 46, The new DENR Secretary and other watermelon activists
The new DENR Secretary, a high profile anti-mining activist, has created a
stir among industry players. Last July 03, JB Baylon posted in his wall the
following:
*THEY'RE STARTING TO SPEAK OUT:*
*The UP MINERS*
*The UP 49ers*
*Mapua's Association of Geologist and Geological Engineering Majors*
*The UP Gems*
*The UP GeoSoc*
*The USEP (Davao) mining engineering students...*
*challenging those who insist that there is NO responsible mining in the
Philippines, and that mining has nothing positive to contribute to our
communities and society….*
We shall wait for the other watermelon acti... more »
BWorld 68, Criminal justice and Duterte
* This is my article last week, a day before the inauguration of President
Duterte. His inauguration speech was good, no expletives, no PI, no "kill
dozens/thousands", very Presidential.
State-sponsored murders can be the hallmark of the incoming President
Rodrigo Duterte administration. Criminal adjudication and the correctional
system will take a backseat as suspected drug pushers/users, thieves and
other criminals will simply be killed outright.
Mr. Duterte announced last June 25 in Cebu that “This will be finished. Six
years. You just think if I will kill 10 per day.” That is ... more »
Thank you, Former President Aquino
Exactly 1 year ago, I visited Sec. Sonny Coloma in his office in
Malacanang, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). He
gave me the privilege of a one-on-one short interview on various issues for
my BWorld article. Very nice guy, as always.
Today, half-day na lang sya doon. And former President Noynoy Aquino
(PNoy), despite all the warts and brickbats, he did a good job in improving
overall business confidence in this country. Congrats Sec. Sonny, Congrats
and thank you, PNoy.
Meanwhile, I am reposting a wall status by a friend, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan:
*The Presi... more »
Welcome, President Duterte
At noon time today, the Philippines' new President Rodrigo R. Duterte has
officially assumed office. In his short inauguration speech in Malacanang,
he said,
*Therefore, I direct all department secretaries and the heads of agencies
to reduce requirements and the processing time of all applications, from
the submission to the release. I order all department secretaries and heads
of agencies to remove redundant requirements and compliance with one
department or agency, shall be accepted as sufficient for all.*
*I order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to refrain from
... more »
BWorld 67, Economic projections under the Duterte administration
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 23, 2016.
“Change is coming” is true for all administrations, public or private,
because people change, communities change, and so on. For the coming
Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte starting this June 30, the main question is
“Change for the better, or for the worse?”
This question will covered in the forthcoming BusinessWorld Economic Forum
on July 12, 2016, to be held at the Shangri-La at the Fort, Taguig City. It
will be a big event featuring the CEOs and Presidents of some of the
biggest corporations in the country as speakers.
The... more »
Energy 73, Comments to DOE draft Department Circular on RPS
The
DOE asked for public comments to its proposed draft Department Circular
after the public consultation last June 16.
Source:
http://www.doe.gov.ph/news-events/events/announcements/2995-draft-department-circular-providing-rules-and-guidelines-governing-the-establishment-of-the-renewable-portfolio-standard-rps
Below is my letter to the NREB Secretariat and Dir., also Assistant
Secretary Mario Marasigan.
------------
To: techsec.nreb@gmail.com
June 21, 2016
Dear ASec Mario,
My column today in BusinessWorld is about the RPS and the public
consultation last week,
http://www.bworldon... more »
The law of bad ideas
I got this funny but truthful adage on the "Law of bad ideas" -- bad ideas
never go away, they just get worse over time.
*"Bad ideas don’t go away until they have been tried and failed multiple
times, and generally not even then."*
https://mishtalk.com/2014/02/20/law-of-bad-ideas/
Like this report, "Robots liable to pay social security in future
regulation"
http://capx.co/external/robots-liable-to-pay-social-security-in-future-regulation/
If robots (or owners of robots) as "electronic persons" should pay social
security, then robots as "electronic voters" should also be allowed to ... more »
BWorld 66, Renewable portfolio standard and electricity prices
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 21, 2016.
The key to cheaper prices and/or good services is more competition among
more players, more voluntary exchange, and not more price coercion by
regulators. If buyers do not like the price of seller A, they can opt out
and go to sellers B, C, and so on. Seller A is then pressured to lower his
price to compete with other sellers.
The key to expensive prices and/or lousy services is more government
regulation and curtailing voluntary exchange. Buyers are forced to buy from
expensive sellers and opting out is not allowed. This ha... more »
Climate Tricks 54, Forcing the linkage between climate change and dengue
A friend from UP, Oggie Arcenas, wrote this discussion note at the UPSE
website. In his concluding notes, he wrote,
*"La Niña phenomenon is positively (and significantly) associated with
dengue cases. La Niña, as widely known, is “cooling” of surface water
temperature, inducing an abnormal cycle and intensity of dryness and
wetness in different parts of the world. Although La Niña does happen
naturally, its increasing frequency is attributed to general global
warming."*
Some brief comments here.
1. *"La Niña, as widely known, is “cooling” of surface water temperature"*
Vague. L... more »
Brexit debate and the EU bureaucracy
As of this writing (almost 11 pm in Manila), UK voters are deciding in a
referendum whether their country should remain or exit the European Union
(EU). I did not follow closely the Brexit vs Remain debate, but since my
advocacy is less government (local, national or
regional/international/multilateral), my leaning will be towards the
Brexit. Am not a UK voter anyway, just expressing a short opinion about the
issue.
Meanwhile, two articles I read today from capx.co further cement my leaning
towards the Brexit. Copy-pasting only a few paragraphs. Nice one from Matt
Ridley especiall... more »
BWorld 65, PH exports growth from 1960-2014
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 17, 2016.
The 1950s and 1960s were periods of economic nationalism as the Philippines
and many other countries emerged from post-World War II damages and
reconstruction. That many countries chose trade protectionism then was
understandable as it was also a period of strong communist movements and
anti-global capitalism in Asia, as shown by the communist transformation of
China after the successful Maoist revolution in 1949. In the Philippines,
early communist movement led by the Huks also championed economic
nationalism.
In the 1970s... more »
Energy 72, FIT-eligible solar plants in the Philippines
The Department of Energy (DoE) has finally published the list of solar
power plants that are given the feed in tariff (FIT) and guaranteed price
for 20 years. Seven will get the original FIT rate of P9.68/kWh for the
first 50 MW, 17 others, the 2nd batch, will get a lower rate of P8.69/kWh
for the next 450 MW, total of 500 MW as cap for solar FIT-entitled
installation.
Here's the news report today in BWorld, *Solar projectseligible for FiT
named*:
*The 24 solar projects that were endorsed to receive the guaranteed
feed-in-tariff (FiT) rate for 20 years were developed by 20 compani... more »
Gary Teves and economic legislation in the 90s
Last week, June 16, I met some old friends and officemates way back in the
90s at the PH's House of Representatives. I worked at the Congressional
Planning and Budget Office (CPBO) from 1991-99, nine years.
Photo below from left: Ronald Villanueva, me, Joven Balbosa, May Santos,
Janna Sheng, Glo M. Villanueva, Gary B. Teves (GBT). Shangrila Edsa Hotel
lobby.
Ronald used to work at the HOR Committee on Economic Affairs (CEA) when Sir
Gary/GBT was the Committee Chairman for several years. Ronald now works at
Shell in Houston, Texas. Joven was the one who recruited me at the CPBO in
... more »
Climate Tricks 53, Paleo-climate data to help counter climate alarmism
A greenie friend posted this paper published this week from climate
central, Antarctic CO2 Hit 400 PPM For First Time in 4 MillionYears. Oyy,
some guys attempt to use paleo-carbon data to sustain their climate
alarmism movement.
Ok, past 4M years of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. In their
literature, "more CO2 = more global warming", an urban legend formulation.
Here's why, just a few paleo-climate data.
(1) Global temp 4,000 years ago.
https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/.../warm...
(2) Global temp 0.4 M years ago,
https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/.../te... more »
BWorld 64, The WTO and trade agreements
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 13, 2016.
Free trade means free individuals and a free society.
People who cannot find certain goods and services at specific quality from
local producers given their limited personal or household budget may be
able to find those from foreign producers. And people who cannot sell their
products or services to local buyers may find those buyers abroad.
And this highlights the beauty of free trade: No trade will occur unless
both parties, the buyer and seller, will benefit. There are losers and
gainers in free trade of course, the same ... more »
The 1st BWorld Economic Forum
This will be an interesting big forum, should be bigger than the World
Economic Forum (WEF), PH edition.
Speakers are top corporate leaders of PLDT/Smart and Globe; Ayala Energy,
Solar PH and Aboitiz Power; Rustans, McDonalds and Alaska; Megaworld,
Insular life and Sunlife; ABS-CBN, McKinsey and Phinma. From the
government, incoming VP, DOF Secretary, SEC and PCC Chairman.
The telecom duopoly and PCC arbiter will be there, though they will be in
separate panel discussions. Soon Pres. Duterte won't be there but his DOF
Secretary and trustee will come.
And I will be there too, as ... more »
EFN Asia 61, Panel on TPP at Jeju Forum 2016
Reposting this Rapporteur's report of the EFN Asia panel discussion at the
Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2016, published at the EFN website.
Pett Jarupaiboon was the panel Rapporteur.
----------------
*EFN ASIA AT JEJU FORUM 2016: TPP AND ITS POLITICALECONOMY*
Monday, 13 June 2016
The Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity (Jeju Forum) addresses stability
and security issues in Asia through international cooperation and the
participation of various leading think tanks, academics, and leaders in the
field. An annual event, the forum brings together thousands of participants
from ... more »
Energy 71, Roberto Verzola's rebuttal to my BWorld article on renewables
This is published in BusinessWorld today.
*100% renewable -- is it possible?*
By Roberto Verzola
Executive Director, Center for Renewable Electricity Strategies (CREST)
(This was written in response to Mr. Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr.’s piece, “Can
renewables only power the Philippines and emerging Asian markets?”,
published June 8, 2016 on BusinessWorld’s print and online editions. The
same can be accessed by visiting the link http://goo.gl/VyE2Jw.)
I thank Bienvenido Oplas, Jr. for initiating a public debate on the role of
renewables in Philippine energy planning. In his June 8 piec... more »
BWorld 63, Can renewables only power the PH and Asian markets?
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 08, 2016.
There is a belief that “renewables only” can supply all the power and
electricity needs of the Philippines, or of the world. Because the sun
shines everywhere, the wind can blow everywhere, there is biomass
everywhere, there are rivers in many places and some countries are
“blessed” with plenty of volcanoes and geothermal power is more available
to them. Therefore, it is just a matter of “political will” to make this
“renewables alone” to happen nationwide or worldwide.
This urban legend has spread and persisted for many yea... more »
B360-36, GDP expansion in South Asia, 1995 - 2015
* This is my article in the business magazine in Kathmandu, May 2016 issue.
*GDP expansion in South Asia from 1995 to 2015*
Anywhere in the planet, the pursuit for faster and quicker economic growth
by countries and economies is being sought and tested. This is because no
amount of income and property redistribution will be successful if the
economic pie remains small. The pie must expand first so that the share of
various sectors and stakeholders will rise in absolute amount, even if
their percentage share remains the same or small.
Let us review the economic expansion of South As... more »
Energy 70, ACEF 2016 on the ASEAN grid and Nordic electricity exchange
Last Monday afternoon during the Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2016 at the
ADB, I attended the deep dive workshop on "Powering ASEAN: Can the Nordic
Model Work?" The first speaker was Mr. Bambang Hermawanto, Chairman of the
ASEAN Power Grid Consultative Committee (APGCC).
Photo below from left: Bambang Hermawanto, Dr. Philip Andrews-Speed,
Principal Fellow at the Energy Studies Institute, National Univ. of
Singapore (NUS), and Mr. Hans-Arild Bredesen, CEO of Nord Pool Consulting.
Philip was the moderator and Hans was the speaker on the Nordic Electricity
Exchange.
This is the sec... more »
Pol. Ideology 67, Socialism and Venezuela
A friend said that my advocacy for “inviolable rights of the individual"
means that one is detached from the rest of society and hence, he/she has
no responsibility for the others, especially the less fortunate ones.
Wrong interpretation, of course. The “inviolable rights -- and
responsibilities -- of individuals" simply follows what John Stuart Mill
articulated something like "do anything you like provided you do not harm
other people." Thus, if you want to work 15, 20 hours a day, do it. If you
want to spend all your savings on travel, or fancy clothes, or parties and
drinking, d... more »
BWorld 62, Unemployment and underemployment data may be overstated
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 02, 2016.
Based on the latest January 2016 labor force survey data by the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA), there were 2.47 million unemployed and 7.88
million underemployed Filipinos, representing 5.8% and 19.7% of the total
42.5 million total labor force in the country. So 10.35 million (25.5% of
labor force) were either unemployed or underemployed, a big figure.
Also from among East Asian economies, Philippine unemployment rate is the
highest. From 2010-2015 especially, where the Philippines has the highest
average GDP growth ... more »
Energy 69, ACEF 2016 on wind power in Asia
Yesterday, I attended the first of the 5-days "Asia Clean Energy Forum
2016" held at the ADB headquarters in Ortigas. Main sponsors are the ADB,
USAID, Korea Energy Agency, and World Resources Institute. Plus eight other
donors -- DFAT-Australia, DECC-UK, MFA-Norway, MET-Spain, Canada, Japan,
Sweden, and the Global CCS Institute. And dozens of partners.
I attended the deep dive technical workshop on Wind Power Development.
From a presentation by Iban Vendrell, Mott McDonald, Thailand. They have
40.5 GW of installed power capacity, wow. It's only 16+ GW in the
Philippines. But see t... more »
Duterte vs Media, Bernard Ong's analysis
I am reposting two analysis by a friend. Not much to add, just highlight
the point that assassination and murder -- by corrupt or non-corrupt, sob
or non-sob, media/politicians/NGOs/academics/church/ corporate leaders, etc
-- is not justified. There are existing laws that provide a system of
penalties for wrong doing, and assassination is not one of them. I am also
adding some news headlines, not part of Bernard's comments.
-----------
(1) From *Bernard Ong*, June 01,2016:
"EXTRAJUDICIAL MEDIA KILLINGS
Duterte blames media corruption as root cause of journalists' killings. “Di
ka n... more »
Tax Cut 25, Presentation at Ateneo Ignite's Tax Exchange
I made this presentation at Ateneo more than two months ago. The 24-slides
presentation is available at my slideshare account. I will show a few
slides here.
I got this photo from Mon Abrea, a famous tax consultant and tax
simplification advocate. This is after the event.
Our tax system is among the highest, most envy-inspired in Asia. Data from
WB-PWC's Paying Taxes 2016 Report.
These + other tables mean…
Tax wise, PH is NOT an attractive place to do business in the ASEAN.
Highest total tax rate (TTR) in the region plus complicated and
bureaucratic procedures. Only develope... more »
BWorld 61, 100 indicators better than GDP
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last May 26, 2016.
Many people are getting impatient with gross domestic product (GDP) growth
data, especially growth rates of 6% or higher, saying these numbers are
“irrelevant”, “useless”, “misleading”, and “mean nothing” to their lives.
Stronger criticisms of GDP growth numbers include “jobless growth” and
“outright lies” that paint a rosy picture of an otherwise thorny and
despicable society.
While there are some truths to these sentiments, especially for people who
live under dictatorships and harsh political repression, a number of these ... more »
Energy 68, China's coal and Germany's renewables
Reposting two recent articles here. The first is a bit long, click the
article if you want to see the full paper. Enjoy.
------------
*Is China’s Use Of Coal Really Declining?*
David Campbell
Global Warming Policy Forum, 16 May 2016
… there has been no departure from China’s policy of expansion of
coal-fired generation capacity, and the rate of installation continues at
the astronomical rates. China was responsible for 80% of the entire world’s
increase in coal consumption this century and now consumes as much coal as
the rest of the world combined. Coal-fired capacity has increased... more »
BWorld 60, Classical liberal, neoliberal and anti-liberal
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last May 25, 2016.
Political labels sometimes tend to create more confusion instead of
clarifying things on philosophy and ideology. One reason for this is that
certain advocates and campaigners of particular philosophies are themselves
confused of what they are talking about, and yet they project to be the
leaders and articulators of those political philosophies.
Take liberalism.
There are perhaps a dozen varieties of this philosophy, from the classical
to social liberal to American liberal and so on. To help us differentiate
and redefine som... more »
Domestic shipping modernization, an experience of 2GO's boat
Last Tuesday, May 24, I took a boat from Manila going to Bacolod. This is
after nearly 2 decades of riding the plane when I go back to my province in
Negros Occidental. I was surprisingly happy that I took that decision.
Things are so different now compared to two decades ago, from Manila's
seaport terminal to the boat itself. This was my boat, 2GO's St. Therese.
Huge boat, a smaller version of those giant cruise ships.
I wanted to take the plane, went to Ticket Express days before. Cheapest
fare for either Cebu Pac or PAL was almost P3,400, next 5 days flights,
plus P200 terminal ... more »
Energy 67, Helios solar power in Cadiz City, Negros Occ.
I am from Cadiz City, Negros Occidental. Our house is not at the city
proper but in a barrio along the national road, same barangay, about 3 kms.
from the famous, biggest solar power plant in the Philippines and SE Asia.
Am here to visit my sick father in the hospital. The other day, I went
around and visited the facility, just outside.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) put up a sub-station
there, so that power generated from the plant is directly fed into the
grid. Solar, wind, biomass, run of river hydro are priority dispatch in the
grid, based on the RE law of 2... more »
Business 360-35, Economic expansion in South Asia
* This is my article for this monthly magazine in Kathmandu, April 2016
issue.
*Economic expansion in South Asia*
South Asian economies are a picture of high diversity in human and natural
resources. While India has 1.3 billion population, Maldives and Bhutan have
a combined population of only 1.2 million people. And while Nepal and
Bhutan are high up in the sky, Maldives and many Sri Lanka cities are just
a few meters above sea level.
It is this diversity that provide South Asian economies good opportunity
for growth and modernization. There is only one Himalayan mountain range... more »
BWorld 59, Free trade and Norwegian salmon
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last May 19, 2016.
Among the noticeable things when I buy in public markets is the presence of
Norwegian salmon. Usually the salmon heads or salmon belly are available,
and their retail price is not that far from bangus or tilapia. So while it
is common to see Norwegian salmon in big groceries and supermarkets, it is
good to see the presence of this Norwegian product in public markets at
affordable prices, implying that trade of this commodity is increasing fast.
And that proves further that free trade is good. The taste of salmon is a
lot diff... more »
UP Libertad to be launched on May 20
The first and only free market student organization at the University of
the Philippines, UP Libertad, will be launched this Friday, May 20, at UP
NCPAG, Diliman, QC. There will be two lectures, one by Mr. Thomas Laughlin,
an alumni of the Students for Liberty (SFL), an international organization,
and about Friedrich Hayek and “The Constitution of Liberty”. I will give
the 2nd talk.
These guys discovered the philosophy of individual liberty, then set up the
group on their own, no external assistance or intervention. Although the
convenor was communicating with me while they are in ... more »
Energy 66, What companies receive FIT and by how much?
*May 19, 2016.*
This is the subject of my letter to the National Transmission Corporation
(TransCo) last Monday. TransCo is a government corporation that owns all
the transmission assets of the government. Among its five key
responsibilities is to administer the Feed-in-Tariff Allowance (FIT-All)
Fund for renewable energy (RE) generators. Its website clearly and proudly
discusses the FIT system and why it is "good" for electricity consumers
because of its "merit order effect".
I wrote to their customerservice@transco.ph early morning of May 16, 2016:
*Dear Sir/Madam,*
*I would li... more »
BWorld 58, INDCs and PH energy realities
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Thursday.
Energy poverty can kill today, not 30 or 100 years from now because of
“man-made” warming or climate change. Dark streets at night because of
expensive electricity and unstable energy mean more road accidents, more
crimes. Or households using candles are courting more fires, more
destruction to private property. And households using traditional biomass
for cooking endure indoor pollution and invite various respiratory diseases.
Thus, it is unwise for governments to institute measures that will make
electricity even more expensive... more »
Whisky and Liberty, Jules Maaten's farewell party
Last night, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Philippines
Country Director Jules Maaten conducted and hosted a "whisky workshop". My
first time to attend such kind of activity as I am a barbarian when it
comes to some high end drinks, European whisky brands. It also served as
Jules' farewell party to some friends. To my right here will be his
successor, incoming Country Director Wolfgang BL Heinze.
I talked to Eva, Jules' wife, she said she wished they won't leave the
Philippines because of so many friends they have developed the past 6 years
(though it seemed like 3-... more »
Lion Rock 19, Not enough capitalism in Hong Kong
A good article by Bill Stacey, former Chairman of Lion Rock Institute (LRI)
in Hong Kong. Reposting here.
*Not enough capitalism!*
(Next Magazine, 2016/5/5, A002, Second Opinion, Bill Stacey)
Hong Kong has many contentious public issues, but the underlying source of
our discontent is fifteen years of stagnant real wages. For many in Hong
Kong we are simply not progressing and the upward mobility from a dynamic
economy seems absent. After decades of some of the strongest growth in the
world, why has this stagnation happened？
It is all too easy to blame China and the emergence of la... more »
Pol. Ideology 66, On institutions, constitutional monarchy and liberal parliamentary democracy
Reposting another bright article from a friend, Wan Saiful, CEO of IDEAS in
KL, Malaysia's first and only free market think tank. It is published today
in The Star.
---------------
*Defend our institutions*
By Wan Saiful Wan Jan
"Thinking Liberally", The Star, 10 May 2016
The existence and functioning of institutions are important for any
democracy to flourish. The concept of ‘institutions’ is an important one to
understand.
In the academic circle, the definition of institutions has been debated by
many scholars. One of the most commonly cited opinion belongs to Douglass
North, a ... more »
Winners and losers in the 2016 elections, by Dr. Jop Yap
A friend, Josef "Jop" Yap, former faculty member of the UP School of
Economics (UPSE), then President of the Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS) and now back at UPSE, sent this to me. I like
it, I asked for permission to post in this blog, he said Yes. So here it is.
*Winners and Losers in the 2016 National Election*
by Dr. Josef “Jop” Yap
May 10, 2016, 1pm
*Winner: Leni Robredo*
The epitome of a reluctant candidate. The sincerity and candor she
displayed during the campaign is refreshing and admirable. Her path to the
2022 Presidential elections has suddenly opened... more »
Election 24, Generally peaceful and credible 2016 polls
Congratulations, COMELEC, for a generally peaceful, credible, and fast
results elections 2016.
Congratulations, unofficial President-Elect Rodrigo Duterte. The people
have spoken, you got nearly 40% of the national votes based on the SWS exit
poll.
Bongbong Marcos is leading by 0.12 million votes as of this writing, no
congrats yet. I still hope that my candidate Leni Robredo will beat you in
the coming hours or days of official counting.
*As of 1:20 am*:
Reflecting on this general elections, I think there are more good news
than bad ones. Consider the following good news:
1. V... more »
Globalization and capitalist disruption
Many people who endlessly campaign for more labor protection, more capital
regulations and restrictions, assume that big businesses will be there
forever, that they have the "security of tenure" in business for the next
20, 50, 100+ years. So it is immoral for those big companies not to give
their workers security of tenure in their work.
Some nice data on twitter here from Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar. The numbers
show that the above assessment is wrong. Many companies, big and small, do
not have such "security in business" for the next 10, 20, 50+ users. Some
or many of these compani... more »
Election 23, Leni for VP, the Senatoriables
Only 2 main contenders for VP tomorrow. Leni Robredo ha.
For the Senators, sure winners but I will still vote for them: Pangilinan,
Osmena, Drilon. These 7 candidates will fight for slots 9-12. Will vote for
Gordon, de Lima, and Guingona.
Aside from sure defeat of Binay, the other consolation of this election is
that lefties like Colmenares and Bello are losing. Last night, I passed by
this street in Makati around 8pm. When I came back at midnight, this
lefty's supporters showed their dictatorial instinct by making this
white-painted wall become ugly.
Shame Colme and ACT, or your... more »
Energy 65, World Bank's anti-coal drama
The World Bank religiously follows the "save the planet" marching order of
the UN. Let there be more expensive and unstable electricity in developing
countries so long as no cheap and stable energy sources like coal are
built. See these news reports.
The Guardian, July 2015, The Guardian, May 2016, The Nation Thailand.
The Economic Times 2015, World Coal, Myanmar Business.
From Climate Home. It added that "the world’s top lender to developing
countries announced it would spend 28% of investments on climate-related
projects by 2020."
Good move, WB. Then more Asian developing c... more »
IPR and Innovation 34, When 95% of WHO's EML are off-patent
I am reposting this good article by a good friend, Philip. Enjoy.
MAY 3 — Debates on how to improve healthcare in developing countries often
start from the same premise: patents can potentially raise drug prices, so
they should be abolished for better public health.
In the early 2000s this argument drove the campaign against patents on HIV
drugs in South Africa. This week it is motivating campaigners against the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in Asia — a proposed Free Trade
Agreement between 16 Asian countries that may impose new intellectual
requirements.
NGO disqui... more »
Election 22, Is Du30 victory almost certain?
The SWS, Pulse Asia, and The Standard Poll, these 3 big survey firms say
that based on their latest (until this week) surveys show that Duterte will
win on Monday, May 9 general elections, getting about 1/3 of the votes. The
other 2/3 votes are split into 4 other candidates. So a Du30 victory has a
high probability. What's next?
This is made possible by our multi-party system. A 2-party system where the
winner should get at least 50% + 1 of the votes will have a better mandate.
And there are lots of knock out polls before one can be the standard bearer
of 2 strong parties. But that ... more »
BWorld 57, Eric Hoffer, Machiavelli and Duterte
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
Mass movements and electoral mobs for “real change” promise the moon and
the stars for the people, and many supporters are mobilized by that promise
of change from the state, change from the outside, never mind changing the
behavior of individuals from within based on existing laws and continuing
evolution of voluntary and civil society.
The philosophy and sociology of mass movements including the rise of Hitler
in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, and Stalin in Russia was aptly discussed by
Eric Hoffer (1898-1983), an American philosophe... more »
Telecom Oligopoly 4, Smart bro's inefficient service
*Friday, 6am.*
I bought a Smart bro prepaid pocket wifi in late December 2015. Earlier it
was good. Then about 3 week ago, April, I experienced service interruption
despite having a load. I reported it to their Ayala office, the lady asked
several questions, I answered them, then said something like I reached the
data cap because I used frequently some data-heavy sites like youtube, fb,
etc. Then said that the service will resume after about 12 hours. The
problem was indeed solved that time when I reloaded my pocket wifi number.
Then two days ago, Wednesday, I experienced the same ... more »
Energy 64, Comparing energy density of nuke, solar, wind, others
A technical but beautiful paper here from Wattsupwiththat (WUWT). The
author is arguing for nuclear power mainly because of its huge energy
density compared to all other energy sources, and much much larger compared
to solar and wind. Enjoy reading.
———-
Climate Change Won’t Kill You – Having No Electrical Power Will
Guest essay by Tom D. Tamarkin, April 14, 2016
Abstract
AGW or climate change is not the big problem many claim. The perceived
scare of AGW has been used by sub-groups in the United Nations to bluff
wealthy industrialized nations into transferring money to poor often ti... more »
Some of my popular BWorld articles
When my column or article in BusinessWorld/Opinion appears online the night
before publication, usually between 9:30 to 11:30 pm, I announce it via the
5 buttons in BWorld: fb like, fb share, twitter, google+ and linkedin. Some
of my fb friends, twitter followers, others would check my article so that
by midnight, it would be #1 or #2 most read article in BWorld. For several
minutes, or few hours.
Like these, the date and time are indicated in the bottom right side of
each image. All #1 except the PH power generation under WESM, which was #2.
The 3 panels on the left: Tax reform wa... more »
Labor Econ 17, On ending contractualization
Happy International Labor's Day.
During the 3rd and final Presidential debate last April 24, 2016, all five
candidates said they are opposed to contractualization of labor -- getting
contracts for work of 5 months or less, not reaching 6 months after which
the worker should get permanent position in the company, entitled to
various labor benefits and allowances.
Ending contractualization is a populist and "politically correct" position
but it is actually an anti-labor policy. The best labor policy is to allow,
encourage workers to become start up entrepreneurs and small capitalists ... more »
Energy 63, EPDP lecture on energy planning
Last Thursday, I went to UPSE to attend this lecture. Great one, as usual.
Dir. Irma Exconde is a friend, a fellow UPSE-PDE alumni, her batch in 2002
was 4 years younger than mine.
Dir. Tamang discussed the process in crafting the PH energy plan (PEP) and
the Power development plan (PDP). I told Dir. Irma that with the long
process of consultations and meetings to produce a national plan, I really
would have no patience working in government.
Then Irma discussed the important aspects of the PEP and PDP, 2015-2030.
Among the slides she presented, below. In Luzon grid last year 2015,... more »
BWorld 56, Thomas Hobbes, Saul Alinsky and Duterte
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Thursday.
An electoral exercise is a process of the changing and evolving function of
the state, of local and national governments as key actors -- politicians
and political parties -- articulate their vision or lack of it, of where
government should focus its roles and function.
Such evolution of state and governments, like markets, is often for the
better, towards the rule of law and equality before the law. But sometimes
it is a change for the worse, towards the rule of men, unequal application
of the law and dictatorship.
Among the le... more »
Drug Price Control 43, Mar Roxas and the Cheaper medicines law of 2008
During the 3rd and final Presidential debate last Sunday, Sec. Mar Roxas
said, *"Alam mo, Karen, sa kasaysayan ko, binangga ko mga malalaking
interes. Pharmaceutical industry, cheaper medicine law, banking
industry..."*
Then a friend reposted a comment from someone attacking the Secretary
saying, "You (Mar) lied by proclaiming you are instrumental in cutting the
prices of medicines. On July 2009, there was a Senate press release....
*"...Authors of the Cheaper Medicines Act in the House or Representatives
urged Roxas to support the move to reinstate provisions on automatic price
r... more »
Climate Tricks 52, Counting temp. change only from the end of LIA
This month proves to be the hottest month of the year almost always.
Generally cloudless sky although there are days that the clouds would be
staying for a few hours. The consolation is that this big El Nino of
2015-2016 will end soon, when it touches the threshold 0.5 C temperature
anomaly.
Bloomberg produced this drama story, Earth's Temperature Just Shattered the
Thermometer.
Haha, the earth is 4.6 B years old, and the UN and others' baseline is the
past 140+ years only? Clever starting point because that was also the end
of the little ice age (LIA). Global temp has no way to go... more »
BWorld 55, FIT-All, renewables and elections 2016
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
The increase in feed in tariff-allowance (FIT-All) has been approved by the
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) recently. As a result, Meralco and all
other distribution utilities nationwide will be collecting 12.40 centavos
per kWh of electricity consumption starting this month. The amount is
higher than higher than 4.06 centavos/kWh that was collected in 2015.
Even consumers from Mindanao -- an island not connected to the Visayas and
Luzon grids -- will pay this FIT. If Mindanao consumers are spared of this
additional charge, the FI... more »
Election 21, Duterte and the Australian, US Ambassadors' comment on rape joke
Here is one news report when the Australian Ambassador, then US Ambassador
to the Philippines, briefly commented on that "rape joke" by Duterte.
*"US Ambassador Philip Goldberg echoed the statement issued by Australian
Ambassador Amanda Gorely, who criticized Duterte for saying that he should
have been the first to rape Jacqueline Hamill, an Australian missionary who
worked in Davao City.*
*“Rape and murder should never be joked about or trivialized. Violence
against women and girls is unacceptable anytime, anywhere,” Gorely posted
on her Twitter account on Monday.*
*“I can only a... more »
PH as 4th biggest shipbuilding nation in the world
I saw this article, I shared in my fb wall, and soon, more than four dozen
other people including some friends, have re-shared it. People look for
good news and they find it, they gladly share.
http://www.dk-export.dk/nyt-og-presse/nyheder/$5-billion-maritime-business-in-the-philippines/
Shipbuilding is very energy-intensive. Hence, we need more power capacity,
cheaper energy that are available 24/7.
I saw Tsuneishi shipbuilding plant in Balamban, Cebu, around 2002 when I
joined the UPSE-PDE study tour in Cebu. Not for "ordinary" workers there,
required medium to high-skilled lab... more »
Election 20, Digong Duterte's rape "joke" of the Australian victim
In a campaign rally, Presidential candidate Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte made
these statements referring to the Malaysian missionary who was among those
hostaged, gang-raped and later murdered by escaping prisoners in Davao City
in 1989. The video was posted in youtube. Digong said,
*“Nirape nilang lahat ng mga babae so ‘yung unang asolte, kasi nagretreat
sila, naiwan yung ginawa nilang cover, ang isa doon yung lay minister na
Australyana. Tsk, problema na ito…Pag labas, edi binalot. Tinignan ko yung
mukha, tangina parang si… parang artista sa Amerika na maganda,”*
*“Putangina, sayang i... more »
BWorld 54, Rice farming, trading, smuggling and electioneering
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last April 14, 2016.
Several issues related to rice farming and trading in the Philippines
hogged the news recently. The first of course is the big El Niño and crop
failure in many provinces in the country and many other tropical countries.
Second, the farmers’ rally in Kidapawan, Cotabato that turned bloody early
this April. And third, on large-scale agricultural smuggling including rice.
The 2015-2016 El Niño indeed was huge, reaching up to 2.5 Celsius deviation
from the average temperatures, but it is comparable to the 1997-1998 El
Nino (see... more »
Election 19, On Grace Poe's renewables coercion
Ahh, Sen. and Presidential candidate Grace Poe wants us to pay for more
expensive electricity from intermittent, unstable power sources. Must be
upon the prodding of her ecological socialist adviser Tony la Vina, among
other reasons. One more reason I won't vote for her then.
She's dependent on mostly the Ateneo group. While Ciel Habito makes sense
in economics, Tony la Vina is clearly socialist and central planner -- in
some instances in the past, he posted things praising socialism and forced
equality -- in energy and environment policy, can be her DENR Sec. if she
wins.
Meanwh... more »
Energy 62, Feed in tariff means more expensive electricity
* This is my article in SPARK by ADRi last April 06, 2016
-----------
The Philippines has the unhealthy label of having the “second or third most
expensive electricity prices in Asia” next to Japan and Singapore. This is
not a good news for energy-intensive industries like manufacturing and
hotels where electricity demand can be running 24/7.
With ASEAN economic integration, many big energy-intensive industries will
be put up in cheaper-electricity countries like Vietnam, Thailand,
Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia, then export to the Philippines at zero
tariff. That means potentia... more »
BWorld 53, Population and growth projections
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last April 06, 2016.
Many international agencies, both multilateral and private, have been
producing growth projections for the Philippines and other developed and
emerging economies in Asia. Most of these projections are short-term,
usually for 2016 to 2018, and they show generally that the Philippines has
better prospects for faster growth than other economies.
NEDA also launched the “Ambisyon Natin 2040” or “#SanaSa2040” campaign this
week, which mostly focuses on a “Middle Class Lifestyle” long-term
perspective for Filipinos. It is a modest... more »
Lion Rock 18, Nick Smith as new Chairman of LRI
The Lion Rock Institute (LRI), Hong Kong's first and only independent free
market think tank, has a new Chairman, Mr. Nick Sallnow-Smith. For 10
years, 2004-2014, LRI Chairman was Bill Stacey. Then in 2015, he changed
job I think and he needed more time there, so LRI Exec. Dir. Peter Wong
acted as interim Chairman in 2015 until March 2016.
Below is Nick's letter as posted in the LRI website.
----------------
*1 April 2016*
*A Message From Our New Chairman*
*Dear Lionrockers,*
*Despite the date, this is not an April fool’s message! Rather it is my
means of expressing my pleasure to... more »
El Nino, Oplan Bayanihan, CPP-NPA and Kidapawan road closure
If the issue of rallyists and demonstrators in Kidapawan, Cotabato was
asking government for subsidy to deal with El Nino crop failure, why (1)
most plackards were campaigning against Oplan Bayanihan (OB), (2) farmer
demonstrators were supposed to be very poor and hungry yet have neat,
uniformly-printed plackards, (3) there were flags with hammer and sickle,
(4) occupy an important highway connecting Davao-Cotabato, among the major
urban centers of Mindanao?
Photos from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/561130/news/regions/farmers-killed-dozens-hurt-in-dispersal-of-protesters-i... more »
EFN Asia 60, Conference 2014 in Hong Kong, part 5
Continuation of notes made by *Karthik Chandra* during Conference 2014.
----------
Day 2: November 7, 2014
Session 7: CALD – EFN Asia Joint Session
MC: Andrew Work
*Jules Maaten*
Head of FNF Philippines and former Member of European Union Parliament
• Introduced the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD,
politicians) and EFN (network of think tanks and liberal
activists/individuals)
*Dr. Chee Soon Juan*
Secretary General, Singapore Democratic Party & Former Chairperson, CALD
• The state of democracy in Singapore (SG) and HK is of great interest to
the entire world itself. ... more »
Energy 61, EPDP lecture on PH power projections by 2040
Yesterday afternoon, I attended the Energy Policy and Development Program
(EPDP) lecture at the UP School of Economics (UPSE). The 5 co-authors were
all there. The powerpoint version of this 34-pages paper was presented by
Dr. Majah Ravago. Lecture room was full, audience from different groups,
energy companies, NGOs.
http://garnet.zoom.ph/~upeconor/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/DP2016-01-Filipino-2040-Energy_Power-Security-and-Competitiveness.pdf
Sadly, there was no one from the WWF because during the open forum, I
referred to them as "dishonest people" (audience laughed) for claiming ... more »
EFN Asia 59, Conference 2014 in Hong Kong, part 4
Continuation of notes made by *Karthik Chandra* during Conference 2014. The
full 25-pages notes are posted in
http://efnasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EFN-Asia-2014-Conference-Report.pdf
----------
Day 2: November 7, 2014
Session 5: ‘The most radical form of egalitarianism is equality before the
law’
*Dr. Tom Palmer*
Executive Vice-President for International Programmes
Atlas Economic Research Foundation, USA
• Introduction about the Occupy Wall Street – background and the demands
behind this movement – started by a group of disgruntled students mostly
from privileged backgroun... more »
BWorld 52, Tax reform proposals for the Philippines
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
In two weeks, it will be the deadline for the filing of income tax by
individuals and corporations. April 15 each year is a reminder for many
people of how much of their monthly or annual income goes to the
government, aside from the various consumption-based taxes (VAT, excise
tax, vehicle registration tax, and so on) that they pay.
With the ASEAN economic integration that occurred at the start of 2016,
there is both business competition and complementation among firms and
individuals that are based in the 10 member-countries. And t... more »
Myanmar is back to civilian government, after half century
While Thailand moved from civilian to military government, Myanmar moved
from military (for more than half century) to civilian government. Congrats
Myanmar people.
A friend suggested that Myanmar will be back to military dictatorship in 6
months and noted that Su Kyi refuses to acknowledge the persecuted Rohingya
crisis.
Being a "rational optimist", I believe that if ever Myanmar will go back to
a military dictatorship, it will be a 2 steps forward, 1 step backward, and
hence, the civilian government -- with all its warts and imperfections --
will prevail. Meanwhile, it is true th... more »
Sensational libertarians and solar power in the Visayas
I dislike irresponsible, sensational, alarmism journalism. And this article
exactly belongs to that category, and it's from The Libertarian, sus ginoo.
"Blackouts across the Philippines", when? what month and day?
http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/solar-power-caused-blackouts-across-the-philippines-and-its-going-to-get-worse/
The article said,
*“Solar power is wrecking the electrical grid in the Philippines, and the
blackouts are only going to get worse, according to reports by power grid
operators published Monday.*
*Data from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)... more »
EFN Asia 58, Conference 2014 in Hong Kong, part 3
Continuation of notes made by *Karthik Chandra* during Conference 2014. The
full 25-pages notes are posted in
http://efnasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EFN-Asia-2014-Conference-Report.pdf
----------
Day 1, November 6, 2014
(Photo, from left: Ken Scholand, moderator; Andrew Work, Barun
Mitra, Thitinan Pongsudhirak)
Case Study of Hong Kong in IPRI
*Michael Wong & Andrew Work*
Lion Rock Institute (LRI)
• Hong Kong enjoys a special status and unique advantages. HK has legacy
property rights regime rooted in the British colonial system and adds to it
the economic dynamism from the ... more »
EFN Asia 57, Conference 2014 in Hong Kong, part 2
Continuation of notes made by *Karthik Chandra* during Conference 2014. The
full 25-pages notes are posted in
http://efnasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EFN-Asia-2014-Conference-Report.pdf
----------
Day 1, November 6, 2014
Opening Key Note Address: “Economic Growth and Income Inequality”
*Dr. Razeen Sally*
The National University of Singapore (NUS)
• As liberals, we always face this rather fundamental issue of why at all
should we bother to address the issue of income inequality.
• Such inequality has two facets: inequality of outcomes (a “collectivist
approach” of typical social... more »
EFN Asia 56, Conference 2014 in Hong Kong, part 1
The following are minutes and proceedings during the Economic Freedom
Network (EFN) Asia Conference 2014, Hong Kong, on the theme, *“Liberalism:
Promoting Growth, Reducing Inequality”, *November 2014. Major sponsors were
the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), a liberal political
foundation based in Germany, and the Lion Rock Institute (LRI), a free
market think tank in Hong Kong.
These notes were made by *Karthik Chandra* of the Foundation for Democratic
Reforms, INDIA. The 25-pages notes are posted in
http://efnasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EFN-Asia-2014-Confer... more »
IPR and Innovation 32, On tobacco plain packaging proposal in Singapore
This is my letter to the HPB yesterday. The auto reply said they have
received it and will look into it.
-------------
Subject: Singapore's plan on "Standardized packaging" of tobacco products
To: HPB_Mailbox@hpb.gov.sg
Health Promotion Board
3 Second Hospital Avenue,
Singapore 168937
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have read your campaign to control tobacco use and promote good health
among Singapore citizens, it is a good objective. But I notice that you
also plan to introduce or legislate “standardized packaging” or “plain
packaging” in tobacco products, and I think it can adversely affect
Si... more »
Tax Cut 24, Tax reform forum in Ateneo
This coming Tuesday, 29 March, I will be one of four speakers in this event
jointly sponsored by the Ateneo de Manila IgnITE Movement, in partnership
with four other groups: Ateneo Economics Association, UP School of
Economics Student Council (UP SESC), Center for Strategic Reform of the
Philippines (CSRP), and Tax Reform Philippines.
It is also supported by the Tax Management Association of the Philippines
(TMAP) and the OGP Fiscal Reform Coalition.
Briefly, my concept of "tax reforms" are in favor of taxpayers and not of
the state or government. So minimum or zero income tax as... more »
Photos during the lecture on Cheap Oil, DLSU
Last March 01, 2016, I gave a lecture on Cheap oil and the OFWs at some
classes at De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila main campus. Here are some
photos that afternoon.
Some 3 classes combined to attend this talk. Thanks to their
teachers/professors, Gina, Grace and my wife Ella.
My lecture was divided into 2 parts. Part 1 about cheap oil and gas, Part 2
about employment and OFWs data, and some fiscal data for Saudi Arabia, the
main destination of many OFWs in the Middle East.
Open forum.
Certificate of appreciation. Thanks Chloe.
Meanwhile, world oil prices want to reach... more »
BWorld 51, WESM as market-oriented, PEMC as bureaucracy-oriented
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last March 23, 2016.
Power generation in the Philippines generally kept up with its ASEAN
neighbors in the 1980s up to the early 1990s. By 2000, power capacity in
many of our neighbors have doubled or tripled while the Philippines’ has
less than doubled. By 2010, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam have
kept doubling or tripling their power generation levels in just one decade
while the Philippines’ has expanded by only 50%.
The figures for China and South Korea are similar, doubling or tripling
power capacity every decade. It is not ... more »
Road safety and pesky traffic enforcers
There was an article from Citylab 1 1/2 years ago shared by a friend, about
road safety in Sweden. This part is particularly striking to me:
*"And we don’t catch any people at all. We reduce the speed, but we don’t
catch people. And we don’t earn any money. It’s an investment for us. We
don’t want to get that discussion in our society that this is a
revenue-raising thing. We want people to understand that this is for
safety. So we nudge people to do the right thing."*
That's the key. Here and in many countries, there are many prohibitions,
laws, restrictions, especially in traffic ... more »
Brussels bombing and new wars
The bombings in Brussels yesterday was horrible. More than 30 people died
and several hundreds injured. And just a few months ago, several dozens
also died when many areas in Paris were bombed.
One problem I think is that nations, rich and poor, are still focused on
those large-scale, country to country wars so they accumulate have huge
tanks, jet fighters, warships, submarines, etc. New wars and terrorism are
micro, house to house or buildings to buildings. Better weapons to secure
are micro too -- CCTVs, drones, cyber intelligence, spies.
Flashpoints like the South China Sea or... more »
BWorld 50, Adam Smith and Jovito Salonga
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last March 16, 2016.
Adam Smith (1723-1790) was a Scottish philosopher known for his treatise on
“invisible hand” welfare effect of the market system. He was the author of
two classic works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and The Wealth of
Nations (1776).
Smith and David Ricardo, along with the earlier thinker John Locke, were
considered the “Fathers” of classical liberal philosophy and political
economy.
Jovito R. Salonga (1920-2016) was a top-caliber Filipino lawyer,
legislator, statesman, and civil society leader. With a string of l... more »
Earth Hour 7, Lesson in basic electrical engineering
Another Earth Hour drama the other day. The WWF guys, their buddies, should
do it nightly, 365 nights a year, and several hours a night if possible.
Better yet, they should have an office in North Korea where EH is a nightly
reality for many of its neighbors.
A good satellite photo of Europe and Africa, same time zones. Darkness is
cool? Am laughing.
Photo from http://geology.com/articles/satellite-photo-earth-at-night.shtml
I am reposting a nice intro to basic electrical engineering, from my
engineer-economist friend, Cynthia Hernandez. Cynthia gave me permission to
repost this.... more »
ALF 8, Toast to Douglas North
During the Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) last February 18-20, 2016 in Kuala
Lumpur, one session at the Freedom Dinner was a toast to the "Lost Heroes
of Liberty". These are known free market and freedom leaders who passed
away in 2015, and few years ago in the case of Aslam Effendi. Baishali
Boomjan of the Center for Civil Society (CCS, India), among the key
organizers of the conference, asked me to be one of the presenters, I
accepted.
The presenters that night and the lost heroes they briefly discussed (about
3 minutes toast) were:
Kumar Anand: S. V. Raju
Nonoy Oplas: Douglas C. North... more »
BWorld 49, John Locke and Jovito Salonga
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last March 15, 2016.
When classical liberalism -- more individual freedom and personal
responsibility, free trade, minimal government, and rule of law -- was
formulated in Europe more than three centuries ago, the philosophy was
caught by some Filipino intellectuals two centuries later. Not the entire
philosophy but portions of it, like the people’s freedom of expression and
assembly and freedom from (Spanish) colonialism.
Politically, portions of the philosophy were adopted by some Filipino
politicians when they formed the Liberal Party after ... more »
ALF 7, Panel on TPP, RCEP and other RTAs
I am reposting this article from the EFN Asia website, written by a friend,
Sethaput. One of those pro-free trade but anti-TPP papers.
As a free marketer like Sethaput, for me, the best action is unilateral,
one-way trade liberalization. Just give the consumers and producers more
choices, more options, more freedom where and whom to buy or sell. This is
unpalatable to many sectors of course, similar to advocating significantly
shrinking governments and foreign aid institutions, so its chance of being
adopted is very small.
So the second-best solution is multilateral, worldwide liber... more »
Business 360-34, Hydropower in Asia
* This is my article in Business 360, a magazine published monthly in
Kathmandu, Nepal, February 2016 issue.
--------------
*Hydropower in Asia*
Asia being mostly tropical, the potentials of hydro power is big, in
mainland Asia in general, and in mountainous countries in particular. Dams
of hydro power plants not only serve as storage for electricity production,
they also impound huge amount of flash flood that can inundate low-lying
areas of a country near the rivers.
The biggest producers of hydro power in Asia in terms of high percentage of
hydro dependence are Nepal, Bhutan, ... more »
BWorld 48, On unilateral trade liberalization
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last March11, 2016.
Free trade and voluntary exchange of goods and services by people across
villages, cities, islands, countries and continents is the hallmark of
modernization and improvement of human condition. Goods and services of
certain quality and quantity that are not available locally are made
available by liberalizing their entry from many parts of the world.
Protectionism and economic nationalism in various shades however, has
limited the march of faster global economic integration. Thus, multilateral
negotiations towards global fre... more »
Weekend fun 61, Math jokes
A lazy Sunday, back to some math humor :-)
For non-Filipino readers, the last equation, right hand side means sob.
An engineer-economist friend commented that "pilit ang humor" because of
the x = gina.
hehe, true, it was "coerced" to produce some funny conclusion. Just for fun.
Below, scattered memes and equations I got from the web. Witty and
funny, like the infinity vs. 5, drink and derive.
And the obtuse triangle, the square of 3 and cube of 3. A pi has an
endless decimal, so very witty to say to get its last 4 digits.
More.
Election is coming, there should be part 2 of ... more »
Energy 60, PH solar companies, PagIBIG loan for solar
There are many solar companies in the Philippines now. Pasting some of
these as reported in interaksyon.com, reports from late 2014 to early 2016
only. Many of these companies were set up or started serious solar
construction only when the handsome feed in tariff (FIT) rates were
announced by the DOE.
First Gen/EDC's renewables are largely in the wind power business, also in
geothermal.
Ayala Corp. (AC) Energy is also into wind power business + hydro. Below is
one report from interaksyon,
Ayala posts P17.7B 9-month earnings, up 26% year-on-year
By: InterAksyon.com
November 12, 201... more »
Rule of law 26, RIP Sen. Jovito Salonga
Yesterday, a great statesman, former Senator Jovito Salonga died. I am
reposting two comments from two friends, Ted Te, Supreme Court Spokesman,
and Adora Navarro, an economist. Posting with their permission. The third
paper is a portion the late Senator's lecture in UP some 52 years ago. He
spoke like those classical liberal thinkers several centuries ago,
consistent with his being a Liberal Party leader. His focus was on having
rule of law in the country, not welfarism, unlike current breed of
politicians and legislators.
Rest in peace, Sen. Jovy.
-------------
*(1) Salonga: Th... more »
Agri Econ 23, Why forever Agrarian Reform should stop
I am reposting portions of a presentation by Dr. Raul Fabella made at UPSE
in May 2014. I agree with his arguments -- the endless, forever extended
deadline of agrarian reform (AR) or forced land redistribution should end.
It is now 44 years since the Marcos AR program in 1972, longer if AR
programs in the 50s and 60s by previous administrations are counted.
Forever AR is a major source of uncertainty for agri business development
and modernization. For instance, you buy and convert a 10 hectares
low-productivity farmland, spend huge amount of time, years and money. When
the land h... more »
IPR and Innovation 32, More on the panel on property rights, ALF 2016
Reposting this report by Yogi Nair, a summary of the panel discussion on
property rights.
-----------
*Event report –Protecting Yourself Against Daylight Robbery – Current
Challenges to PropertyRights*
(Session sponsored by the Property Rights Alliance)
Saturday, 20 February 2016, Asia Liberty Forum 2016
Chair: Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs
(IDEAS), Malaysia (holding the microphone in this photo)
Speakers (left to right, photo)
– Lorenzo Montanari, Property Rights Alliance, USA
– Barun Mitra, Liberty Institute, India
– Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, Instit... more »
Business Bureaucracy 11, SEANET workshop on business-friendly regulations
I am reposting this short summary of the SEANET meeting in Kuala Lumpur, a
day after the 4th Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) ended.
------------
SEANET Workshop: Business-friendly regulations
21 February 2016
Following the three-day Asia Liberty Forum organised by ATLAS Network, the
Centre for Civil Society and the Institute for Democracy and Economic
Affairs (IDEAS), the Southeast Asia Network for Development (SEANET) held a
workshop for think tank and business leaders, and academicians from around
the world. The focus of the workshop was the development of
business-friendly regulations i... more »
Wind power, flattened mountain ridges, collapsed towers
Nabas wind farm, Aklan, near Boracay. About 2 kms. long of mountain ridges
"planted" with huge wind turbines.
Road construction stage before the wind turbines were erected. All trees
removed, jagged ridges flattened and widened, so that lots of huge trucks
-- cement mixers, 18-wheeler haulers carrying steel and wind blades, cranes
-- can pass.
Below, I took this photo last January 01, 2016, on a boat leaving Caticlan
port, Aklan, going to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, on our way back to Manila. A
single conventional power plant can be built in just one area. Wind towers
have to be bui... more »
Energy 59, Cheap oil and the OFWs
Last week, I was invited by Kapatiran DLSU, a student organization, plus
some development studies classes, to speak on this subject.
My presentation was divided into two parts, with an open forum after Part
1, before proceeding to Part 2.
*Part 1: Cheap oil and gas*
1. Oil and gas, prices and output
2. Oil and gas, number of rigs vs. production
3. Medium term outlook
4. Concluding notes
*Part 2: Employment impact*
1. Macroecon, jobs indicators, rich & emerging markets
2. Global remittances by country
3. OFWs destination countries
4. Saudi government finance
5. Concluding notes
Glut... more »
BWorld 47, Renewable energy and the illusion of merit order effect
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last March 03, 2016.
When government intervenes in the pricing of a particular product or
service supposedly to protect the consumers from “unwarranted” price hikes,
or to pursue some social or environmental goals, the action tends to create
more problems than what it intends to solve.
Take the case of government price control of electricity via (a) fixed and
guaranteed pricing through feed in tariff (FIT) for solar, wind, biomass,
and run of river (ROR) hydro for 20 years, (b) priority or mandatory
dispatch of renewables even if cheaper energy... more »
Inequality 30, Filipinos in Forbes' world billionaires
Forbes released the world's top billionaires, and 11 of them are Filipinos.
Reported in BusinessWorld yesterday:
*1. Henry Sy -- the lone Filipino to crash Forbes’ top 100 richest --
placed 71st in the global rankings, up from 73rd last year, but his net
worth dropped to $12.9 billion from $14.2 billion. His SM group owns SM
Prime Holdings, Inc., BDO Unibank, Inc. and SM Retail, Inc., all dominant
players in their respective industries.*
*2. John L. Gokongwei, Jr. Second at 270th place globally -- down from
254th last year -- is., chairman emeritus of JG Summit Holdings, Inc.,
whos... more »
Electric cars, the promise... of inconvenience?
A friend posted a bloomberg article about the promises of e-cars. The
report said,
*"In the next two years, Tesla and Chevy plan to start selling electric
cars with a range of more than 200 miles priced in the $30,000 range. Ford
is investing billions, Volkswagen is investing billions, and Nissan and BMW
are investing billions. Nearly every major carmaker—as well as Apple and
Google—is working on the next generation of plug-in cars."*
I commented that perhaps Bloomberg is just promoting and over-optimistic
about e-cars. Seriously, people want to charge their cars overnight, or
sev... more »
IPR and Innovation 31, On TPP, medicines patent and tobacco trademark
After the 4th Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) ended in Kuala Lumpur on February
20, SEANET organized a small group discussion on "business friendly
regulations", same hotel venue. I was one of those invited. Below, Wan
Saiful Wan Jan, CEO of IDEAS and Director of SEANET, spoke to explain once
again what the meeting-seminar was all about.
Aside from independent think tank leaders from some ASEAN countries, some
friends outside the region were also there, like Barun Mitra, Cris Lingle,
Julian Morris, Lorenzo Montanari.
I gave a brief presentation. Brief as in 8 minutes or less.
*TPP’s li... more »
BWorld 46, China's debt, central planning and central crashes
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
*"The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they
really know about what they imagine they can design.”* -- Friedrich Hayek.
One of the characteristics of centrally planned economies like China is
that officials and planners centralize many resources, which creates
centralized expectations from the people, and since planners’ egos cannot
really plan and control all factors, this often results in centralized
economic dislocation, disappointment, and anger.
Take the case of China’s debt.
Officially, China has a ... more »
Energy 58, Sen. Loren Legarda and renewables
Yesterday, I attended a forum on "*Making Renewable Energy a Vehicle for
Sustained Inclusive Growth*” held at the International Finance Corporation
(IFC, part of the WB Group), Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The event was
organized by the UPLB-CEMAFI. My friend Ozone who is a UPLB Economics
alumni tagged me along.
They keynote speaker was Sen. Loren Legarda, a known environmentalist. She
gave a litany of the threats of man-made climate change, the evils of coal
power and the hosanna of renewables.
During the open forum, I was the first to comment. I mentioned the
following:
1. De... more »
ALF 6, Panel discussion on property rights
The 4th Asia Liberty Forum 2016, #AsiaLF16, has successfully ended in Kuala
Lumpur last Saturday night. Among the important panel discussions was the
one on “*Protecting Yourself Against Daylight Robbery -- Current Challenges
to Property Rights*”.
Photo below, holding the microphone is Wan Saiful Wan Jan, CEO of IDEAS
Malaysia, who chaired the discussion. The speakers from left: (1) Lorenzo
Montanari of Property Rights Alliance (PRA), Washington DC, USA; (2) Barun
Mitra of Liberty Institute, India; (3) Kriengsak Chareonwongsak of the
Institute of Future Studies for Development, Tha... more »
BWorld 45, Asia Liberty Forum and property rights
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
The classical liberal philosophy of more individual freedom and more
personal/parental responsibility, free market and less government
intervention and taxation is not a popular personal and political
philosophy in Asia yet, at least compared to similar movements in the US
and Europe.
So annual events like the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia conference,
and now the Asia Liberty Forum (ALF), are very helpful in asserting the
virtues of classical liberal, aka “libertarian” or “free market”
philosophy. This concept is vastly diffe... more »
IPR and Innovation 31, Plain packaging and trademark-busting
Trademarks and brand logo are important to distinguish companies and
producers from each other. A customer can say, "I don't want to ride
airline X because they are frequently late/delayed, nor airline Y too
because they are expensive, I prefer airline Z because their fares are
cheap they mostly fly on time." That is branding from the perspective of
customers.
When government or many groups dislike or hate something, this is how
regulations and later prohibitions look like:
1. Raise the tax, make it more expensive.
2. Restrict or prohibit advertising to certain events.
3. Mandate gra... more »
Foreign Aid 17, ADB's costly e-tricycles loan
Update on the ADB-DOE more electric tricycles, more public debt racket. Why
is it a racket?
(1) 100,000 more tricycles, we need less tricycles, not more.
(2) Capex of $300 M loan, Filipino taxpayers will pay, not the ADB, DOE,
DENR or LGU officials, nor the e-trike beneficiaries fully;
(3) Opex daily electricity charging, via municipal/city hall charging
stations, ultimately the taxpayers.
(4) Political clientelism, cronyism and rent-seeking, we need less of it,
not more.
If those e-trikes are really cute, really financially viable, why not leave
it to the market and see if operators... more »
BWorld 44, Why the Philippines should join the TPP
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 16, 2016.
Free trade is good and beautiful and the best example of it at the micro
level is the tiangge-tiangge or market-market that one finds in Divisoria,
Baclaran, Quiapo, and other low- to mid-end commercial centers in the
Philippines.
All consumers there search for a bargain, if they do not find it in seller
A, they walk away and go to seller B, and seller C, until they find the
right seller/s offering the right bargain, both in price and quality.
This is the essence of free trade and free market. The freedom to sell or
not... more »
ALF 5, Meeting of Property Rights Alliance in KL
The 4th Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) started last night here at the Renaissance
Hotel Kuala Lumpur, with an opening dinner, keynote speech given by Tom
Palmer of Atlas. Earlier, the Property Rights Alliance (PRA) headed by
Lorenzo Montanari held a short meeting for its Asian partners.
Lorenzo discussed what the International Property Rights Index (IPRI) is
all about, its contents and ranking of countries, the value of property
rights protection, etc.
From left: Arpita Nepal of Samriddhi, Nepal; Wan Saiful Wan Jan of IDEAS,
Malaysia; Bican Sahin of Freedom Research Association, Turk... more »
BWorld 43, More on WESM, PEMC and DOE
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 11, 2016.
When the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA, RA 9136) was
enacted, among the provisions is the creation of an independent market
operator (IMO) to manage the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).
EPIRA Section 30 says that *“...Not later than one (1) year after the
implementation of the wholesale electricity spot market, an independent
entity shall be formed and the functions, assets and liabilities of the
market operator shall be transferred to such entity with the joint
endorsement of the Department ... more »
Inequality 29, More on Oxfam, squatters and a lamborghini
A friend commented on my critique of the Oxfam paper and said that it is
not only Oxfam that questions rising inequality, there are also some
reference to the Credit Suisse report, the last Davos conference saying
that inequality as "deepening", and Piketty says the same thing.
My main issue here is against bad math. The numerator, world's top
billionaires (numbers from Forbes) is cumulative wealth of the top 80, or
top 100, etc. rich individuals, accumulated after 4, 5, 7 decades. But
denominator is wealth of a country for 1 year. Numerator will be bloated
while denominator is rel... more »
BWorld 42, World inequality, Oxfam and bad mathematics
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 09, 2016.
There are two ways to exaggerate and sensationalize national or global
income inequality. One is to compare the wealth of the top 10 or top 50
richest individuals and families per country using Forbes’ Billionaires
data as numerator, with the gross domestic product (GDP) size of that
country as denominator. The other is to use country wealth using household
balance sheet (HBS) for one year as denominator.
(A)
Sum of wealth of top 10 (or 50) richest individuals in a country
-----------------------------------------------... more »
IPR and Innovation 30, Patents and pharma issues in Asia in 2007
The first time that I attended a formal discussion on IPR issues like
patents of newly-invented medicines was nearly 9 years ago, during the 1st
Pacific Rim Policy Exchange in Hawaii. There was one special topic on
IPR-busting policies like issuance of compulsory licensing (CL), special
CL, "international exhaustion" of a patent worldwide once a patent has
expired in one country.
I just found my notes last night, no soft copy, so I took photos of one
brief handout. The speaker was from an innovator company. He said that
below were the important issues in the industry, ie circa 2007.... more »
Privatization 12: PH government corporations sold, retained as of 2007
I just found a hard copy of my paper presented at the 1st Pacific Rim
Policy Exchange, held at Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Hawaii, in late May 2007
or nearly 9 years ago. The event was jointly sponsored by the Americans for
Tax Reforms (ATR), Property Rights Alliance (PRA), International Policy
Network (IPN), Grassroot Institute Hawaii (GIH), and a Japanese foundation.
Below is the 5-pages Annex of my paper, the list of PH GOCCs and GFIs.
Those that were fully privatized, those that were retained.
Hundreds of government corporations, typical 70s and 80s model of "state as
saviour, plan... more »
Energy 57, Tony la Vina's anti-coal alarmism
Aside from Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Oxfam and other big
environmental NGOs, one prominent anti-coal (and anti-fossil fuels,
anti-mining, anti-...) crusader to "save the planet" is Atty. Tony la Vina,
outgoing Dean of the Ateneo School of Government.
In his 3 recent columns (January 16, January 26, February 06, 2016) in The
Standard, he articulated various anti-coal alarmism claims, below. I added
some data and 2 articles from WUWT by Eric Worral.
The various "planet saviours" celebrated big time last December during the
UN FCCC's COP 21 in Paris, saying they signed ... more »
BWorld 41, OFWs, cheap oil and the TPP
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 04, 2016.
Labor mobility and migration across countries and continents is a result of
push and pull factors in both the labor exporting and labor importing or
receiving countries. Labor-surplus countries generally have lower wages and
labor skills due to limited employment opportunities while labor-deficit
countries generally have higher wages and skills training.
If labor migration is heavily restricted via multiple regulations and
permits, taxes and mandatory contributions -- if not prohibited outright --
the wage gap and income... more »
Free Trade 63, Dealing with anti-trade lib, anti-TPP activists
Another good article from Wan, CEO of IDEAS in Malaysia, reposting. The
photos I just added here and not part of the original article.
--------------
*Lessons from the TPPA debate*
by Wan Saiful Wan Jan. First published in The Star 2 February 2016
I am pleased that our parliament has voted for Malaysia to sign the Trans
Pacific Partnership Agreement (#TPPA). Over three days, both the Dewan
Rakyat and Dewan Negara debated the issue and the government won the vote
in both chambers.
However I am very disappointed by the way the vote was won. Members of both
chambers voted according t... more »
Energy 56, Cost effectiveness of different energy sources
Among the presentations that I enjoyed during the EPDP Conference 2016
last month held at New World Hotel in Makati were the UPSE graduate
student papers. There were 5 papers from 5 presenters, all good. In
particular, I like this paper by Ms. Bajaro, reposting here.
-----------
*The Cost-Effectiveness of the Energy Sources in the Philippines*
By DONNA FAYE E. BAJARO
This proposal seeks to analyze the least cost-effective energy technologies
in the Philippines. Specifically, this intends to know the following:
i. Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)
ii. Levelized Avoided Cost of Ener... more »
EFN Asia 55, Presentation by Tom Palmer in Bhutan 2015
Among the theoretical presentations during the EFN Asia Conference 2015 in
Bhutan was made by Tom Palmer of Atlas. Reposting some slides and other
discussions, in italics, below.
*Happiness and Satisfaction. *
*Happiness, if understood as joy or contentment, it may be present today
and gone tomorrow. *
*Life satisfaction, on the other hand, seems both more stable and easier to
compare across cultures.*
*“The poor man's son, whom heaven in its anger has visited with ambition,
when he begins to look around him, admires the condition of the rich.. ...
He thinks if he had attained all... more »
Energy 55, Old renewables and coal are cool, complementary and not contradictory
* This is my article in SPARK by ADRi last January 26, 2016.
*Old renewables and coal are cool, they are complementary and not
contradictory*
January 29, 2016
Bienvenido Oplas, Jr., Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) Fellow
Darkness and lack of electricity is inhuman. Having expensive and unstable
electricity supply when cheaper and stable power sources are available is
wrong and lousy. When many streets and roads are dark at night because
local governments or private subdivisions are economizing on their monthly
electricity bills and power supply is limited, there are ... more »
Climate Tricks 51, The CCC, Greenpeace and fossil fuels
A friend, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Commssioner Chito Gascon posted
this status and photos last January 28.
*On 27 January 2016, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), with the Climate
Change Commission (CCC), organized a whole-day learning session on relevant
environmental laws, national policies and international mechanisms on
climate change. One of the objectives of this activity was to emphasize the
interdependence between climate change and human rights. It was also a
venue for both parties to keep each other updated on the existing programs
and projects concerning mitiga... more »
IPR and Innovation 30, More on IPRI 2015 launching in KL last year
I am reposting this article from the Property Rights Index (PRA, Washington
DC) last year, about the launching of IPRI 2015 in Kuala Lumpur that I
attended. The photos I added and not part of the original PRA article.
-----------
2015 International Property Rights Index
Monday, November 16, 2015 | By Dennis Cakert
The 2015 International Property Rights Index (IPRI) was officially launched
this morning in Kuala Lampur, hosted by *Wan Saiful Wan Jan*, Director of
Southeast Asia Network for Development (SEANET). Today featured an
introduction to the IPRI given by the Executive Directo... more »
Free Trade 62, IDEAS supports TPP Agreement for Malaysia
The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) released a new 12-pages
report urging the Malaysian Parliament and the public to support and sign
the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Good call. Why? Economic
and governance considerations.
1. The TPPA will bring economic benefits and serve Malaysia’s best
interests as shown by the two studies commissioned by MITI, one of which
estimates Malaysian gross domestic product (GDP) gains of USD2327 billion
in 2027 in a baseline scenario, an increase in economic activity which will
sustain 12 million new jobs by 2027.... more »
Weekend Fun 60, Equality vs. equity, sameness vs. fairness, justice vs. laziness
This meme has been circulating in social media for sometime. Equality is
not = Justice. Hmmm...
Another one, this time, Equality is not = equity. Hmmm....
Ok. So from the above, there is a definition on (a) equality vs. equity,
(b) sameness vs. fairness. Let me add now another dimension, (c) justice
and equity vs. laziness. Because I think both illustrations are wrong. Why?
1. People should be inside the stadium, not outside, if they want to watch
live games.
2. People should be sitting, not standing, especially with a child.
3. The man and older boy are lazy. If they insist on sta... more »
Climate Tricks 50, Letter to the US HOR Committee on Science, Space and Technology
This week, a group of scientists, engineers, physicians, economists, mostly
from the US but with other signatories from abroad, wrote the Chairman of
the US' House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, about temperature
data quality. Originally posted in WUWT, 300 Scientists Tell Chairman of
the House ScienceCommittee: ‘we want NOAA to adhere to law of the Data
Quality Act’.
January 25, 2016
Chairman Lamar Smith
Committee on Science, Space and Technology
House of Representatives
Congress of the United States
Dear Chairman Smith,
We, the undersigned, scientists, engineers, econ... more »
Free Trade 61, Unilateral liberalization in Pakistan
I stumbled upon this presentation in a forum organized by the Policy
Research Institute for Market Economy (PRIME) based in Islamabad, Pakistan.
PRIME is headed by a friend, Ali Salman. Good event, Ali.
The paper discussed Pakistan's experience of 3 phases of trade
liberalisation:
1. Unilateral Trade Liberalisation Period (1990-2002)
2. Policy Neutral Period (2003-2005)
3. Trade Policy Mix: From Bilateral and Regional Liberalisation to Trade
Restrictions (2006 onwards).
Some data.
A different definition of unilateral liberalization, "liberalisation from
below", good nonetheless. Fo... more »
BWorld 40, CCT vs other welfare programs, SSS vs pension deregulation
* This is my article in BusinessWorld the other day, January 27.
It appears now that there are many data showing that the conditional cash
transfer (CCT) is good and successful in reducing poverty. Good, then it is
now time to abolish other existing welfare programs that were failures.
Each new welfare program is an admission that other existing welfare
programs are wasteful and unsuccessful in reducing poverty.
Let us count some of those existing welfare programs: Books and education
for the poor, medicines and PhilHealth for the poor, housing and relocation
for the poor, credit a... more »
Business 360-33, Cheap energy now and in the future
* This is my article in the monthly business magazine in Kathmandu, Nepal,
January 2016 issue.
--------
*Cheap energy now and in the future*
Cheap oil has become even cheaper. High oil, coal, natural gas supply and
inventories have become even higher. The prospect for more economic
prosperity of many developing countries has become bigger.
This is the current and near-future scenario in global energy prices and
supply. There is more supply of oil, coal, natural gas and other energy
products than the world can use and consume and store. So the natural and
predictable result is low... more »
Top 1,000 corporations 2015
BusinessWorld published the Top 1,000 corporations 2015 last month,
representing data for 2014. They are selling it, a thick report. I don't
know if it's available online to their subscribers. Anyway, here are the
top 400, I took photos per page.
The top 20 biggest corporations in the Philippines in terms of gross
revenues in 2014 were:
(1-5) Petron, Meralco, Shell, TI, Nestle; (6-10) Mercury, Toyota, PAL,
PMFTC, SanMig Foods;
(11-15) Globe, PLDT, Smart, BDO, Chevron; (16-20) Robina, Puregold, SanMig
Brewery, PASAR, Metrobank.
Meralco suffered an 11% decline in revenues in 2014 vs ... more »
EFN Asia 54, On Hong Kong and China, free trade and CEPA
I am reposting an interview by the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia of
Andrew Work (AW). Andrew is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Harbour
Times (HT), the flagship of New Work Media. Before creating the HT, he was
the Exec. Director of The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong for a
few years. And before that, he was a co-founder and founding Exec. Director
of The Lion Rock Institute (LRI), Hong Kong’s first free market think tank,
born in 2004.
Andrew holding a copy of the HT, thanks to Olaf K. for this photo. Andrew
is a friend since 2004. Met him first time in Michig... more »
Government bail outs and prohibitions
Some people think that the US financial turmoil in 2008-2009 was caused by
free market or less government policies, that none of the major players
responsible were arrested, and that the US taxpayers bailed out the
fraudulent corporate system.
Hmmm, the fraud or criminals don't arrest themselves. The one who collects
tons of money from the public is the government; the one who decides to use
that tax money for private use like corporate bailout is the government.
Recall that in the literatures of the free marketers, almost all of them
said one thing -- zero bail out, let those errin... more »
BWorld 39, Coal and renewables complement each other
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
In many literatures on energy and environment, electricity and climate
policies, the dominant view is that fossil fuels in general, and coal power
in particular, are the “enemies” of sustainable development. This should
not be the case. The truth is that coal power plays a complementary and not
contradictory role to development. Three sets of data will show why.
One, without coal and natural gas, the Philippines will be as dark at night
as North Korea and other underdeveloped countries experiencing daily “Earth
hours.”
In Luzon grid... more »
Global warming hits Asia, Part 4
Back to back with "Snowzilla" and another "Snowmageddon" in the US East
Coast, "man-made" global warming hits East Asia too. Hey UN, Al Gore, WWF,
Greenpeace, Oxfam, CCC, WB, ADB, other planet saviours, you want more money
from us so you can fight less snow and more snow, less rain and more rain,
less flood and more flood, less dogs and more dogs?
Some news reports this week.
1. From BBC: 16C in Bangkok, 6C in Hanoi, 4C in Taipei, 3C in HK, -6C in
Jeju, S. Korea. Guangzhou and Shenzen have snow.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35397763
Original headline of BBC for this story.
2... more »
Global ranking of my 5 blogs
Update, as of today from alexa.com:
So after nearly 2 months, this blog has improved its global rank by nearly
600k, seanet2 has improved by nearly 900k, while travelpinoy has declined
significantly by 11 million.
----------
I wrote this last *January 31, 2015*:
I have eight blogs, four in blogger.com and another four in wordpress.com.
Five of them have global ranks in alexa.com. There are perhaps hundreds of
millions of blogs and websites worldwide, both in English and in other
languages, many of these don't have any global rank.
This blog used to have global rank of 3+ million l... more »
Telecom Oligoply 3: Viral story against Globe tel
This is Globe Telecom, one of two telecom duopoly in this country of 102 or
103 million people. The other is Smart/PLDT. Nice promise by Globe, no?
Happy customers, customers first, keep things simple, nice.
Now here is a testimony by one Globe customer, Sara Pagsibigan, whose story
went viral, shared 17,235 as of 10:42pm tonight as I write this.
Globe, Mr. Ayala -- your company should be ashamed of this viral story.
Globe should produce a corporate position paper recognizing this lousy
service and inform your subscribers what steps have been taken to avoid
similar situations. Or ... more »
Free Trade 60, PH Constitution vs. services liberalization, Malaysia in TPP
A friend asked me what is in the Philippine Constitution that can prevent
the country from joining free trade agreements (FTAs) like the Trans
Pacific Partnership (TPP). I said that it's the constitutional prohibition
or restriction of foreign equity investments in certain sectors (ie, zero
FDIs allowed); in other sectors, foreign equity investments are limited to
40% max. Or the 60-40%, Filipino-foreign equity restrictions.
Industries with no or zero foreign equity allowed include the following:
1. Mass Media except recording
2. Practice of professions: Engineering, Law, Medicine and... more »
RIP, Bob Carter
I have met this man twice in 2010, in Chicago and Sydney, both for an
international climate conference. In Chicago, I just listened to him during
a coffee break. In Sydney, I told him that I'm a good friend of Willie
Soon, Bob replied, "Ahh, all friends of Willie are also my friends" and
gave me a firm handshake and a nice smile. Very friendly, warm and
intelligent. Sad to hear this. RIP, Bob.
Some reports today:
(1) *"Professor Bob Carter (74) has been a key figure in the Global Warming
debate, doing exactly what good professors ought to do — challenging
paradigms, speaking inter... more »
Energy 54, Need for cheaper, reliable energy sources
These are sections 5 and 6 of my presentation, *Climate change and the need
for cheaper and stable energy sources *during the EPDP Conference 2016 last
week, January 12-13 at the New World Hotel in Makati.
*VI. Summary and recommendations*
*1. Climate change (CC) is natural (nature-made, not “man-made”), it is
cyclical (warming-cooling-warming-cooling), and has precedents (not
“unprecedented”). CC happened in the past, happening now, will happen in
the future. CC is as natural as day-night or wet-dry seasonal cycle.*
*2. Extreme weather, severe flooding and drought have precedents... more »
IPR and Innovation 29, Civil society enforcement of patents, copyrights
Property rights, physical or intellectual, are good only if they are
enforced. While the means of property rights protection is via government,
national and local, there are other non-governmental, professional and
civil society way of enforcing IPR. Some news reports here last year.
*(1) "The benefits of a strong regime of property rights apply just as much
to intangibles as to land and goods. We long ago worked out how to make the
ownership of cars and houses and factories work, but we are not always as
effective at protecting the interests of the originators of an idea, the
crea... more »
Energy 53, Expensive electricity + mandatory renewables, Philippine case
This is section IV of my presentation, *Climate change and the need for
cheaper and stable energy sources *during the EPDP Conference 2016 this
week, January 12-13 at the New World Hotel in Makati.
The paper by Dr. Wali del Mundo of electricity prices in ASEAN countries
was repeatedly used by various presenters, data for 2011. Data by The
Lantau Group (TLG) that covers other Asian cities outside of the ASEAN was
for January 2013, more recent. Both studies tell one thing -- PH
electricity prices are 2nd highest in Asia, next to Tokyo. Subsidies by
other governments (made their elect... more »
China Watch 22, On many rich Chinese leaving their country
China implosion, it will happen because people and nature hate heavy
restrictions and dictatorship. This event will have huge impact on the rest
of the world especially in Asia. Not soon, but a few decades now.
On June 5, 2014, Fortune made this headline, Why China’s rich are leaving and
showed this table.
The top 3 reasons why rich Chinese leave their country, based on the
Hurum-Visa survey are: (1) better options for their children’s education;
(2) distressed about growing pollution problems; and (3) concerned about
food safety in the country.
Other news reports here.
*(1) “Chin... more »
Energy 52, Renewables to "save the planet", Germany and UK cases
This is section III of my presentation, *Climate change and the need for
cheaper and stable energy sources *during the Energy Policy Development
Program (EPDP) Conference 2016 this week, January 12-13 at the New World
Hotel in Makati.
The cost of renewables rising for households despite their supply
instability and very low capacity factor.
At this time of human progress, they are talking about possible blackouts
in Germany or other parts of Europe? No thanks to intermittent power
sources.
Also in UK, they are talking about energy rationing? At this time of human
progress?
Reve... more »
Free Trade 59, TPP membership expansion in SE Asia
The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement is expected to become
operational and implemented around 2-3 years from now, when all the 12
member-countries have ratified the deal. The idea of zero tariff for many
products among members is attractive enough. Meaning companies located in
any member-country can buy from, and sell to, other members at zero, free
trade prices.
I support the TPP. I will also support TPP membership expansion in the
future to include the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, among others.
Governments-negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) are often not real... more »
Climate Tricks 49, No extreme weather, no severe storms in the past?
This is the continuation of my presentation at the Energy Policy
Development Program (EPDP) Conference 2016, held at New World Hotel Makati
last January 12-13, this week.
Here is Section II of the 6-sections presentation.
Other cases in Asia.
This slide about the Philippines, I rearranged into a portrait format. And
take note: November 2014, storm Haiyan (locally called "Yolanda") killed
7,000+ people in Leyte, especially in the capital city Tacloban. In
November 1912 or 102 years prior, an estimated 15,000 people died also in
Leyte due to severe storm.
The UN, other foreign a... more »
BWorld 38, Climate change and the need for cheap energy
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
Climate changes from warming to cooling to warming to cooling, in endless
natural and cyclical pattern. A period of global warming for decades is
followed by a period of global cooling, which also lasts for decades. So
global warming has precedents, it is not “unprecedented.”
There was global warming in the past when there was not even a single car
or coal power plant. This chart shows that modern warm period that peaked
in the last century was not exceptional or scary.
Energy policies in many countries have been heavily distorted... more »
Climate Tricks 48, Denying climate cycles
Yesterday, I participated in the two-days Energy Policy Development Program
(EPDP) Conference 2016. I was one of the panel speakers in the simultaneous
discussions and I talked on this subject.
My Outline
I. Climate change as natural and cyclical events, not anthropogenic
II. But “man-made” CC means more rains and less rains, more flood and less
flood…
III. Renewables to “save the planet”, Germany and UK cases
IV. Expensive electricity + mandatory renewables, Philippine case
V. Towards cheaper, reliable energy sources
VI. Summary and recommendations
I will post only Section I in th... more »
BWorld 37, World rule of law index and the Philippines
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last January 08, 2016.
Among the gut issues that directly affect the ordinary people in many
countries in the world is the peace and order situation, their freedom from
criminality and terrorism, freedom from thieves, abductors and murderers.
In the Philippines, this situation is graphically represented by a huge
number of private security guards almost everywhere: in schools and
universities, office buildings and residential villages, malls and shops,
banks and factories, airports and seaports, farms and resorts, and many
other places.
This s... more »
ALF 4, Conference 2016 in Kuala Lumpur
Aside from the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia annual conferences, the
second biggest annual event for free market leaders, scholars and advocates
in the region is the Asia Liberty Forum (ALF). Good opportunity to meet
many like-minded people in the region plus friends from the US and Europe.
Main sponsors this year are the Institute for Democracy and Econ. Affairs
(IDEAS) in Kuala Lumpur, Atlas Economic Research Foundation in Washington
DC, and Center for Civil Society (CCS) in Delhi.
The 1st and 2nd ALF in 2013 and 2014 were held in Delhi, India. The 3rd ALF
in 2015 was held ... more »
Pol. Ideology 65, Liberals and liberty, positive and negative freedom
Reposting here a good article by a friend, published yesterday in a paper
in Kuala Lumpur. Good discussion about liberal vs. illiberal, liberty vs.
coercion, positive vs. negative freedom.
------
http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/thinking-liberally/2016/01/05/how-liberals-become-illiberal/
Negative freedom is the true way to respect choice, while positive freedom
brings you closer to an illiberal coercive environment.
IT is heartening to see more liberals speaking up these days. Every time an
illiberal idea is put to the public, you can almost rest assured that
someone... more »
BWorld 36, What if the Philippines splits into many new island-countries?
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
This piece will attempt to provide an outlook for the Philippines many
decades from now, a view different from articles and analyses seeking to
explain what happened during the previous year and what to expect for the
next.
In particular, this will be an outlook of the Philippines if it splits up
into many new, small island countries.
There are two reasons for considering this view, however unthinkable it may
be for some.
First point: There are dozens of other small countries with very small
populations and small land areas yet the... more »
Happy new year 2016
Happy new year, 2016. Let us stay positive and optimistic this year and the
succeeding years. On this note, I am reposting 9 of the 16 reasons given by
Daniel Hannan, a Conservative Member of the European Parliament (he blogs
at www.hannan.co.uk), and I added the 10th reason, with two charts from
Human Progress.
-------------------
http://www.capx.co/16-reasons-to-be-cheerful-about-2016/
16 reasons to be cheerful about 2016
By Daniel Hannan @DanHannanMEP
1 January 2016
*Iain Martin closed the old year with 15 reasons to be cheerful about 2015.
Let me open the new one with 16 reaso... more »
AEC 17, ASEAN economic integration cemented today
Today, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), one of three pillars of the
regional grouping, materializes. It further cements what has been initiated
several decades ago, to have a single production base, a single market,
moving towards a single rate of tariff (zero for member-states) and low
rates for imports from non-ASEAN countries.
Despite bureaucratism that delays real free trade, the region and the rest
of the world is generally marching towards global free trade.
I like this photo, colorful and it shows the cultural and national
diversity among the people of the 10 member-count... more »
Top 10 good news about the world, Happy new year
Despite all the negative news, stories and analysis of the world and many
countries, the world is actually getting better, more peaceful, have less
famine-related problems. Human progress continues, human prosperity
expands, despite climate alarmism and health worryism that also expands in
many sectors of the planet.
Here's my quick top 10 good news about the world. Thanks to this article, *Two
cheers for 2015*
for some leads. If I have more time to search, this list can have minor
change but this is fine already.
------------
1. Proportion of the world’s population that is undernou... more »
Thank you, 2015
This year, things have been generally good for me. Let me enumerate a few
things.
*1. Two Fellowships. *
Last March, I was officially appointed as a SEANET (South East Asia Network
for Development) Fellow by IDEAS' CEO and SEANET Director, Wan Saiful Wan
Jan. My appointment as Fellow is from March 2015 to December 2016. Thanks
Wan.
Last September, I was also made a Fellow of the Stratbase-Albert Del
Rosario Institute (ADRi) by its President, Prof. Victor "Dindo" Manhit.
Prior to that, I have written about three papers for Stratbase which they
published and distributed to their fri... more »
Climate Tricks 47, Severe UK flooding due to "man-made" warming, climate change?
Never fails. Less rain or more rain or no rain, less flood or more flood or
no flood, less storms or more storms or no storm, they are ALL proof of
"man-made" warming and climate change. tsk tsk tsk.
In the recent heavy flooding in the UK, some officials blame "man-made"
global warming (GW) and climate change (CC), not their policies that
discourage regular dredging of silted rivers. From another heavy flooding
just two years ago, they have an idea already that their existing flood
defence system was insufficient, meaning they can anticipate another round
of heavy flooding, yet they... more »
Demography 25, Ageing societies, Japan's depopulation
Human population, whether rising or declining, should be left as individual
and parental decision and responsibility, not government decision and
responsibility. Should there be population explosion or population
control/depopulation, it should not be government-sponsored.
Thus, in ageing societies, instead of government giving subsidies to
households for having new babies, government can reduce income taxes, relax
rigid labor laws, so that people will have more money for their kids, or
they can hire a nanny to help them raise kids.
In countries where the growth of population is fla... more »
Energy 51, More on solar power and supply instability
My previous article in BWorld on Solar power and supply instability attracted
various comments from friends and strangers.
A socialist friend posted my article in his fb page, because they hate
capitalism and fossil fuels. One of his anti-fossil fuel friends made long
comments criticizing my paper. When I came in and asked for his charts and
numbers, at first he sustained his statements but later chickened out.
Here's the chart and numbers that probably made him realize that
subsidize-renewables lobby is standing on a weak ground.
Germany's installed solar capacity in 2014 was 38,... more »
BWorld 35, Inter-island shipping and the PPA, Coast Guard
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
The Philippines is the second largest archipelago in Asia-Pacific in terms
of number of islands and islets, next to Indonesia. Air and sea travel
therefore is very important for many inhabitants of different islands.
Continued modernization of existing airports and seaports and the creation
of new ones is a must.
I traveled with my family last Sunday, Dec. 20 -- land trip from Makati to
Iloilo via the Nautical highway. The route is as follows:
1. Car -- Makati to Batangas (around 110 kilometers; km)
2. Boat -- Batangas to Calapan, ... more »
Investment Lib. 3, Free mobility of capital complements free trade
The benefits of free trade and trade liberalization, unilateral or
bilateral or multilateral, is maximized if it is coupled with investments
liberalization. Allow freer movement of goods and commodities, then allow
freer movement of capital and labor, entrepreneurs and workers, employers
and employees.
Vietnam (and China) is a good examples of this. It is socialist, true; the
Communist Party is a political monopoly, but it allows freer trade of goods
and freer mobility of capital. See these news reports for instance.
1. The lifting of ownership limit in Vietnam is not absolute of co... more »
Agri Econ 22, Why "peak food" hypothesis is wrong
Merry Christmas.
Lots of food almost everywhere here in the Philippines, other countries, in
celebration of family reunions and the holiday, Christian season.
And this is near the subject of "Peak food" or "more global hunger" and
related hypothesis or conspiracy theories. And they remain as conspiracies,
spreading and alarmism. Here's a good observation and chart from Dr.
Spencer, January 29th, 2015,
*“food production is not limited by available land…it depends upon demand.
If demand rises, so does food production. Hunger, malnourishment, and
starvation are not due to a lack of fo... more »
Business 360-32, Energy independence in Asia
* This is my article in Business 360 magazine in Kathmandu, Nepal, December
2015 issue.
----------
*Energy Independence in Asia*
Energy independence is a virtue that a country must pursue. And this
independence can mean two things. One, independence from only one major
energy source because if that resource would experience a major price hike
or supply disruption, the economy can be endangered. And two, independence
from only one major country supplier because if there is any political or
economic tension and instability in that country, energy supply to the home
country can also ... more »
BWorld 34, Solar power and supply instability
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last December 17, 2015.
Solar power, along with wind and small hydro, is among the favored
renewable energy sources being pushed worldwide. Rich and poor countries,
both in the temperate and the tropics, are pushing for solar, urged
especially by the “save the planet” movement led by the United Nations,
national governments and the big international nongovernment organizations.
1.5-MegaWatt solar panels atop SM North EDSA
SOLAR AT SM NORTH
Last Dec. 10, this writer attended a seminar on renewable energy organized
by the Philippine Electricity ... more »
Business 360-31, SAARC, RCEP and free trade
* This is my article in Business 360 magazine in Kathmandu, Nepal, December
2015 issue.
----------
*SAARC, RCEP and free trade*
Free trade is beautiful. A seller decides the price that he/she thinks will
optimize the sale of goods and/or services. A buyer comes and if he/she
thinks the price is commensurate to the quality, he/she gets it, or walks
away to find another seller who will give him/her good value for money.
Things happen voluntarily, little or no coercion involved. Trade can happen
only if it benefits both parties and hence, public welfare is served.
Elevate the scene a... more »
Shooting the message vs. shooting the messenger
In my various online exchanges and debates, I always try to be careful to
criticize an idea, a comment, a philosophy -- not the commentator, not the
person espousing the idea or philosophy. Meaning I try to shoot the
message, but not the messenger.
There are two reasons for this. One is that it is not good to engage in ad
hominems, personal attacks, and other low-life engagement. And second, a
person can change his/her position and advocacy after sometime while an
idea or philosophy can last for decades or centuries.
I myself was guilty of doing some personal attacks in my online de... more »
BWorld 33, Computing rise in tax revenues if rates are cut
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Tuesday.
Among the most important liberal economic policies that the Aquino
administration should have pursued -- to remain consistent with its party
affiliation, the Liberal Party (LP) -- is to cut income tax rates in the
Philippines. Unfortunately, the President failed to appreciate the
importance of this measure.
While some LP leaders pursued this measure, top party officials and the
Department of Finance Secretary took the limited view that tax cut means
lower tax revenues. Hence, they objected the measure.
Below is a simple model,... more »
EFN Asia 54, Sethaput Narueput on economic freedom and poverty
Reposting a good article here by Sethaput, posted in EFN Asia website last
week. My short comments about his paper:
1. The World Bank (WB), along with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), IMF,
OECD, UN, etc. are government clubs and associations, NOT clubs of
corporations (big or small) or NGOs or other civil society organizations.
Its funding come from governments, its leadership is nominated and approved
by governments, its programs and lending are for governments. Thus, words
like "government", "state", "tax", "regulation" are expected to dominate
its literatures. It should not be a... more »
BWorld 32, RCEP and TPP for the Philippines
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last December 10, 2015.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC)
will take shape by Dec. 31, or just three weeks from now. The 10 ASEAN
member states will be more integrated regionally to become one single
production base, movement of most goods will become unhampered with zero
tariff, except for a few goods that are subject to some tariffs and import
quotas, and various nontariff barriers.
Professionals and highly-skilled individuals will also be able to move more
freely. Some people fear that this will mean ... more »
BWorld 31, Comparative electricity exchange market in Asia-Pacific
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last December 09, 2015.
Voluntary market exchange, the people’s freedom to sell and supply and
freedom to buy and purchase, is among the cornerstones of a free and
dynamic society. When they are not forced to sell to only one or two buyers
or not forced to buy from only one or two sellers, then there is more
competition. As a result, prices are reasonable and affordable and the
consumers benefit from this kind of economic freedom.
In the electricity market, the presence of many power generation companies,
many power plants from various energy s... more »
Energy 50, Cheap oil, natural gas and coal prices
Last Saturday, a $35 a barrel oil at West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was
breached. Airlines and shipping lines' fares should go down, more tourism.
More farm mechanization, more cows and carabaos will be spared of heavy
farm work.
t
http://oil-price.net/
Some oil products other than WTI and Brent are actually cheaper than these.
Like Western Canada, Iraq heavy, etc.
Source:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-14/never-mind-35-the-world-s-cheapest-oil-is-already-close-to-20
*The anti-fossil fuel planet saviours*
Many of the tens of thousands of planet saviours and clima... more »
Climate Tricks 46, More alarmism --> more climate money expectation --> more disappointment
The main irony of climate alarmism is this.
1. Top climate activists and UN officials paint very scary, very alarming
scenario 100 years away,
2. People and climate activists from developing countries demand more
climate money, hundreds of $ billions per year of money (ie, more alarmism,
more climate extortion),
3. Officials from rich countries, their economies already saddled in heavy
public debts, resist the huge climate money blackmail,
4. More disappointment, even anger, with deadlocks.
This is repeated yearly in all the past Conference of Parties (COP)
meetings by member-gover... more »
Free Trade 58, TPP and its rabid critics
I am reposting these two papers below, published this week in Kuala Lumpur.
The first is a well-written piece (as usual) by a good friend, the second
is a press statement by IDEAS. The image I got from the web and just added
here.
*(1) Be wary of anti-TPP ideologues*
by Wan Saiful Wan Jan
(CEO, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Malaysia)
I am usually very keen to take part in discussions about the benefits and
challenges of trade liberalisation.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is one of the steps towards
further liberalisation and I have been... more »
BWorld 30, Tourism and airport transfer at NAIA
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last December 03, 2015.
Tourism provides income and creates jobs for many economies in the world.
Singapore, for instance, attracts foreign visitors two times its population
size while Hong Kong gets visitors four times the number of its residents.
The Philippines, being detached from the Asian mainland and an archipelago,
does not get enough foreign visitors compared to its neighbors in the
region. Thus, while one can take land transportation from Thailand to
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, or from Malaysia to Singapore, it cannot be
done in the ... more »
Election 18, On Duterte's killing field of 1,700 murders
Of the 5 declared and serious Presidential candidates for the PH elections
in May 2016, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is the most controversial,
most drama-filled, most sensational.
Why? These headlines today in major newspapers in Manila are
self-explanatory.
From a city government-sponsored murders to state-sponsored murders if he
becomes President.
The PDP-Laban party's standard bearer is a self-confessed murderer of 1,700
people. Even if it's a joke, it's a shameless joke.
The man is laughing at the claimed 700 murders, *small time daw*. He
publicly, explicitly, categori... more »
BWorld 29, Paris COP's emission cut targets vs. energy needs
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last November 27, 2015.
----------
To fight poverty and unemployment, increased electricity supply at cheaper
rates should be made available in the country, spurring growth, which
creates more jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
High poverty incidence and darkness kill people. They are more exposed to
dangerous informal sector work, criminals and robbers lurking in dark
corners, more prone to road accidents due to dimly-lit streets roads, more
prone to fires due to frequent use of candles.
Thus, the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) in P... more »
CSOs and State 24, Mark Zuckerberg and Charity
Another civil society and volunteerism in action. Giving away one's own
money, not other people's money collected by force.
*"Mark Zuckerberg and his wife pledged to give away virtually all of their
$46 billion in Facebook Inc. shares, setting a new philanthropic benchmark
by committing their massive fortune to charitable causes while still in
their early 30s.... promising to donate 99 percent of their stock in the
social-networking company "during our lives."*
*"Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that he's giving away 99% of his
Facebook shares — valued at $45 billion today —during... more »
BWorld 28, Economic freedom in Asia
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last November 25, 2015.
Humanity’s material progress and cultural development is made possible
largely due to the freedom of people to initiate innovations that did not
exist before and their freedom to buy and sell extra output and services
produced by themselves and other people.
In short, economic freedom and freedom to trade are among the cornerstones
of human progress. Remove this freedom and innovation and ingenuity will
largely be curtailed and human misery and underdevelopment will result.
These are other related issues were tackled in ... more »
Free Trade 57, Growth, IPRI 2015 and the TPP
Two weeks ago, I attended the launching of the International Property
Rights Index (IPRI) 2015 Report in Kuala Lumpur, then I also gave a short
presentation on IPR and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.
I showed portions of *Dr. Ramon Clarete* (University of the Philippines
School of Economics, UPSE) paper during the UPSE-Ayala forum, *Going
Regional: Which Mega Trade Deals Should the Philippines Join?* last
February 2015.
He used the Gravity model of trade in estimating the level of bilateral
exports or imports between two trading partners.
* Dependent variable: flow... more »
EFN Asia 53, Successful Conference 2015 has ended
Yesterday, the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia Conference 2015 has
ended. Reposting below some of the tweets under #efnasia2015, other tweets.
@efnasia @meinardus giving Welcoming Address
@QEDBhutan "Freedom is a condition for happiness..." H E Kwon Tae-shin
delivering keynote at #efnasia2015
@rdieckhoff Kwon Tae-Shin's keynote stresses need for limited AND strong
governments
@parthjshah Discussion on Buddhism n econ freedom. And we judge morality
of action by outcomes or intentions?
@subodhtweet Speed Dating #efnasia2015. An innovative way to get to know
each other ... more »
BWorld 27, The rich getting richer, the poor getting middle class
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last November 19, 2015.
There are plenty of papers circulating and arguing that the increased
integration of the Philippines into the regional and global economy will
result in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. How true is
this statement?
Has the Philippines’ membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) improved the lives of its ordinary citizens?
Without going through the long and technical procedures in typical academic
papers, this paper will check certain data and parameters to see if the
above statement is... more »
Energy 49, Malaysia's and Singapore's bright nights and nat gas power
I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last Sunday-Tuesday, for the IPRI 2015
launching + other visits arranged by IDEAS and SEANET. It was my second
visit in KL this year, I was there last April for another SEANET event.
My 5+pm return MAS flight to Manila (arrival should have been 9:20pm) on
Tuesday was cancelled, should be due to additional APEC security measures
in Manila. I needed to go back home, so IDEAS got a new ticket for me,
KL-SG-Mla via SG Air. Left KL Tuesday at 9:45pm, left SG at 12:20am, Manila
by 4:30am.
So, I was able to see KL and suburbs at night from the air as I took... more »
EFN Asia 52, The 5 fishbowls of economic freedom in Asia
The two-days Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia conference 2015 in Bhutan
is just 3 days away. Among the important activities on Day 1 is the dynamic
discussion on *Economic Freedom and Happiness: Five Fishbowls*.
The term "fishbowl" is taken from the seating arrangement of participants:
listeners form a circle in the centre of which sit the discussants.
Each fishbowl will have six persons at the centre: 1 expert, 1 moderator, 1
rapporteur, and 3 “open” resource persons. The listeners form a circle. The
first 3 persons never leave their positions while the 3 open resource
persons... more »
BWorld 26, IPRI 2015 in APEC economies
* This is my column in BusinessWorld last Monday, November 16, 2015.
KUALA LUMPUR -- The protection of property rights and promulgation of the
rule of law are the cornerstones of peace and order in society. When such
property rights are removed and unprotected, society can quickly degenerate
into chaos and disorder. For instance, your house or car is also somebody
else’s house and car, and he/she can take and occupy it anytime, anywhere.
Measuring property rights protection across many countries has been done by
the Property Rights Alliance (PRA), a network of 74 independent,
nong... more »
Inequality 28, IBON and sensational analysis
IBON Foundation maintains its sensational and not-so-deep research, nice on
graphics but shallow on comparative numbers. I am referring to these 3
infographics they produced and sent to local media. A friend sent this to
me to get my reaction, I said that I will blog my comments.
*IBON naman, sana man lang utak agila or lawin, wag naman utak maya* :-)
On point #1, decline in Agri/GDP ratio means more agri jobs lost. Weird.
Even socialist Vietnam and China, more developed Thailand and Malaysia,
have shrinking share of Agri/GDP ratio. It's the natural progression of
societies. Overal... more »
BWorld 25, Feed in tariff means expensive electricity
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday, November 13.
Expensive electricity and unstable power supply are two big concerns for
many sectors and businesses in the Philippines. These problems have adverse
economic and social impact for the people.
Electricity-intensive sectors like hotels, malls and manufacturing are
forced to raise the prices of their products and services. Many local
government units cut on the use of street lights. When many streets are
dark at night, there are more crimes and road accidents that happen, and it
is the poor who are likely to be victimized. ... more »
Climate Tricks 45, On "vanishing" snow and "Godzilla" El Nino
On March 20, 2000 (15+ years ago), The Independent ran a story predicting
that "within a few years winter snowfall will become 'a very rare and
exciting event.'" No more ice because of deteriorating "man-made" global
warming. Very funny headline.
That story became "viral", circulated thousands of times as people panicked
from that statement from a scientist at the Univ. of East Anglia. Now that
story is gone. The newspaper is ashamed it ran that story? Here's from
WUWT, One of the longest running climate prediction blundershas disappeared
from the Internet, November 13, 2015.
Mean... more »
BWorld 24, Traffic and Newton's 3 laws of motion
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last November 11, 2015.
Expansion of existing urban centers and urbanization of rural areas is the
norm and natural path of many cities and areas in the planet. Congestion is
the natural result as people try to squeeze themselves in a limited space
where various amenities and work and business opportunities are available;
things that they cannot easily find in rural areas.
In East Asia, cities from China and Japan are the biggest in population
size. In Southeast Asia in particular, Metro Manila is the biggest. (See
table)
Traffic congestion is... more »
A cancelled US trip
I should have left for Washington DC last Sunday, November 1 evening
(should have been back tomorrow) for some meetings and conference. The main
event was cancelled nearly 3 weeks earlier, so I cancelled my trip. Turns
out I have a productive week here...
Nov. 2 Monday, an important meeting with new friends of Minimal Government
Thinkers, might consider giving us a support.
Nov. 3, I was in Bloomberg TV Ph for a short live interview.
Nov. 4, my article in BWorld re PEMC and WESM created a stir somewhere, got
a very long and angry comment by email from someone who cc'd the President,
... more »
Free Trade 56, Trade, investments and taxes in APEC countries
The Albert Del Rosario Institute (ADRi) has published my new paper, in time
for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit this coming
November 18-19 here in Manila. My special thanks to ADRi President, Prof.
Dindo Manhit.
I put a number of tables in that paper, data sources from the World Bank,
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), World Trade Organization
(WTO), Alas Oplas & Co. CPAs (AOC), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and
the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Foreign direct investments (FDI) inward stock is a good indicator of how
much FDIs have a... more »
BWorld 23, ASEAN trade bureaucracies and Doing Business 2016 Report
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Thursday, November 04, 2015.
The most hard working, most efficient persons will not be able to produce
all the goods and services that they need for themselves and their
families. But there are always other people willing to produce these things
or render these services in exchange for money, useful goods, and services.
On the macro level, no country or economy can prosper quickly without
trade. And that includes countries that incur frequent trade deficits (in
which their imports exceed their exports). Imported machines, vehicles, and
com... more »
Energy 48, US energy subsidies and global energy consumption
Another outstanding and critical posting in http://wattsupwiththat.com/ by
Willis Eschenbach, Thirty Years of Subsidies, November 5, 2015. He pointed
at the US federal government energy subsidies -- in the US alone (EU,
Canada, Japan, etc. not included), in 2013 alone (previous years not
included).
Subsidies to coal + nat gas + nuke = $5.1 billion.
Subsidies to all renewables including biofuels = $15.0 billion.
Of which for solar and wind alone = $11.3 billion.
Wow.
Source: http://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/subsidy/
The above subsidies to renewables also do NOT include:
-- subs... more »
Weekend Fun 59, Laglag bala extortion at PH airports
The "tanim bala", "laglag bala" or bullet-planting scandal, for harassment
and extortion of departing passengers at the NAIA/Manila and some
provincial airports in the country continues until this week.
This and other photos and memes below are products of Filipinos' creativity
to portray government inefficiency. All of these I got from friends' fb
updates + those shown in the web.
Shameful stories. The government should be very ashamed of this, but DOTC
and airport officials appeared less worried, or not even ashamed. Kapal
muks.
From a friend, Aiken: *Bullets are not allowed on ... more »
BWorld 22, WESM, PEMC and search for competitive electricity prices
* This is my column in BusinessWorld yesterday.
*The search for affordable and competitive electricity prices in the
Philippines and elsewhere remains a continuing adventure for consumers and
many industry players.*
In a previous column entitled “DoE’s new circular will raise, not lower,
electricity prices” (Oct. 21), it was argued that the Department of Energy
(DoE) order mandating competitive selection process (CSP) by distribution
utilities (DUs) would have the potential of increasing, not lowering,
electricity prices.
There is an existing platform for CSP by electricity produc... more »
EFN Asia 51, Draft program, Day 1 of Conference 2015
The Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia Conference 2016 in Bhutan is fast
approaching, more than two weeks away.
Here is the provisional program and some speakers for Day 1.
I start with the Master of Ceremonies (MCs). The MC for November 23 will be
Ms. Tricia Yeoh, Chief Operating Officer, Institute of Democracy and
Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Malaysia.
The MCs For November 24 will be
Karma Choden, Program Coordinator, QED Group, and Pett Jarupaiboon, Program
Manager of EFN Asia and Human Rights, FNF, Thailand. Tricia and Pett are my
good friends.
Welcoming remarks will be given b... more »
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