the latebloomer

I so agree with what Inquirer columnist Isagani Cruz said in his Aug.26
column of how idiotic or stupid was the government’s decision to
"massacre" 18 brand-new motor vehicles last Aug. 16.

Our
government reasoned out that the luxury cars were smuggled therefore
should be smashed to teach smugglers a lesson. Our government reasoned
out that the signal effect of their move would outweight the loss in
revenues. Our government reasoned out that allowing the luxury cars to
be auctioned off would enable the smugglers to reclaim the cars through
dummy companies or front individuals.

But the point is, as Cruz
said, why should the cars be punished instead of the smugglers? After
all, where are the smugglers? Have they been apprehended? Or as many
people would think, are the big-time smugglers protected and coddled by
Malacañang itself?

Or that the smashing of the cars is only a
"show" intended to create the impression that the government is "doing"
something to stamp out smuggling in the country?

"The slaughter
of the vehicles was in effect a mindless substitute for the failure of
the customs authorities to strictly enforce the laws against smuggling"
Cruz said. I can’t agree more.

As the government itself
admitted, the country could have earned P30 million in auction proceeds
and P10 million in taxed had the luxury cars been allowed to "live".
Instead, it decided on an idiotic move that is intended only for
"photo-ops" and nothing else. I can already imagine the smugglers
grinning while watching the spectacle on TV, knowing that their illegal
business is still protected, and that deals are still being made and
ongoing transactions are still smoothly operated.

It’s almost as
foolish as the government’s refusal to support our local scientists and
their inventions. It’s all down to how much they will earn from
something.

Cruz mentioned, as with reports, that the more
expensive luxury cars were actually spared but the government was not
transparent of what it will do with these. On one hand, the government
is showing inconsistency and on another hand, it shows its ineptitude
in making sound decisions based on the national interest.

Smuggling,
in both its traditional and technical forms, continues to pervade in
the country because of the combined factors of bureaucratic and
corporate corruption, and trade liberalization that results in relaxed
Customs rules and less government regulation.

A government that
aggressively supports its local producers and implements laws
effectively naturally has no patience for smuggling in its own
backyard. Unfortunately, we do not have this kind of government.

i have decided recently that i am not a fan of Kris Aquino.

they say that you either love her or hate her. for a long time, hindi pa ako decided. on some things, i like her. but on many other things i just wanna smack her face off.

well, like many of us, i don’t like kris for her arrogance and sometimes lack of humility. and also her penchant for judging a person based on what he or she wears, what brand he or she likes, etc.

and of course, her kaartehan and obsession to be the center of attention and remain in the limelight. she is the epitome of the modern TV celebrity, a local pop icon similar to Paris Hilton in terms of her impact on Filipinos who prefer to spend their time more wisely.

on the other hand, i admire Kris for being taklesa sometimes. for being brave to say things she deem as right, and to put up a brave face amid tauntings and judgments from other people. i always like it when she nonchalantly says that she sleeps with her mouth open and drooling. yes, tulo laway sya matulog like me hehe.

and beside her showbizy remarks her and there, she has a good command of the English language and is intelligent, reads a lot, but does not put any effort to be a "know-it-all".

still, i’ve decided not to be a fan of hers. Kris as a celebrity i mean. she’s just too much. she represents TV’s excesses, and ABS-CBN’s arrogance and curious sense of morality.

besides that, i have no comment on Kris as a person, since i don’t know her personally. i guess the best part of her is when she knows how to shut up and listen, and acts that not everyone will bow down to her, that she is after all a single soul in a myriad of souls on earth, no different from anyone else.

funny…Mattel is showing its "corporate responsibility" by issuing warning to parents and kids about the hazardous materials put on its toys and other gadgets for kids being sold in its markets around the world.

im sure many have heard this news yesterday. i first saw it in TV Patrol then in CNN afterwards. the local news piece somehow tried to make it a balanced story by highlighting its impacts on viewers who might (despite the ongoing economic crisis) still be loyal consumers of Mattel toys. the piece includes an interview with a representative of Toys R’ Us who assures parents that the toys have been recalled. a clip was shown of the warehouse where the toys are presently stored, the local government undecided on what to do with it, since local laws state that they should be brought back to their country of origin, but the US manufacturer has yet to issue any guideline as whether the toys will be destroyed.

i could already imagine myself thinking of how to sneak into the warehouse and steal some of the toys if i were still a seven year-old kid today. never mine the dangers of "lead" content in the colors of Mr.Train or the small magnets that can choke toddlers and young kids to death. but that’s beside the point.

the toys were made in China, no surprise there. both the local news piece and the one done by CNN mention that almost 80% of all manufactured items - toys, clothes, shoes, food-processed stuff, furniture, etc - are made in China, what has been the country of paradise for TNCs salivating for less costs and more profits by subcontracting smaller manufacturing firms that offer the least wage possible for its workers, and the least regulation possible from the host country.

which brings me to my main point. the CNN piece was biased. it offered the usual sides, interviewing Mattel representatives, as well as a representative of US health inspection authorities, aside from a video clip of the Chinese company where the toys were made.

The CNN piece subtly relays the message that Mattel should be lauded for bringing into attention the dangers of its own toys rather than hushing it up, and that the blame largely lies on the Chinese manufacturer, who because of fierce competition had to imagine ways of production at the least possible cost, nevermine the materials used or its effects on consumers.

which is the main point of this issue. its not about China and its reportedly weak implementation of regulations on its own industries. its about the whole economy of TNCs dominating the world market and relying on subcontractors in Third World countries to produce its wares at the least possible costs.

Mattel surely is not the first TNC to experience "production lapses" in its goods. Surely TNCs are expected to know if its products made in countries with weak regulations still follow stringent rules that maintain the high quality and delivers on its promise to protect consumers.

But because of the lack of regulations on TNCs themselves, brought upon by free market economics and neoliberal policies, corporate responsibility continues to be a myth.

How can we expect TNCs to be responsible when these entities allow, condone, support and dictate that workers making its products in China, Philippines, Ecuador, India or any other Third world country remain in inhumane working conditions, with barely decent living wages and zero benefits?

If they can allow such injustice, then surely having hazardous products would not be a big deal. While some sectors can applaud Mattel’s decision to inform authorities and the public of its dangerously made toys, the same decision can also be taken as another sales pitch, using the logo of corporate responsibility and reverse pyschology to ensure its customers to stay with Mattel and ensure the company won’t be seeing red by the end of the year, what with the Christmas shopping season already in the corner. Mattel’s spin doctors have surely worked hard to employ a crafty yet risky strategy.

I mean, everybody knows Made in China products are not always of the best quality, yet here it is CNN reporting the fact as if it was just discovered with Mattel. it also goes to show that whatever economic miracle China is having right now, its not because of Adam Smith and the Washington Consensus, and it remains a shallow growth one that will surely blow up like a pink bubble precisely because of Adam Smith and the Washington Consensus.

China knows how to regulate. It just made the mistake of opening up fully its economy to foreign investors and their TNCs without further developing its economic backbone.

But the TNC-controlled global economy does not know how to regulate. For TNCs, regulation means less profits, and less profits means failure in an increasingly "competitive" landscape.

and because of this, things like hazardous Mattel toys and even Nokia batteries that overheat are occuring in the market. and surely we all know this is just the tip of the iceberg.