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Saturday, December 17, 2005
Ong: The clock is ticking
By Ted Aldwin Ong
I WOKE up Friday morning in the cold Hong Kong with a smile as a read the headline of the South China Morning Post saying, "Standoff threatens WTO talks' collapse."
This is what we are here for - to derail the talks in the 6th Ministerial Conference in order for member states not to sign into agreements in the areas of agriculture, non-agriculture market access (Nama) and proposals for the General Agreement on Trade and Services (Gats). But bully nations like United States, the European Union and Japan are moving silently to bribe poor countries in the South through "aid for trade" scheme.
These nations are indeed scheming and will utilize their expertise and resources to corner underdeveloped countries of the South with "aid" just for them to seal a deal before the WTO talks concludes on December 18. This is merely an icing in the cake. The game plan of these nations is not to dole out financial aid but to use "aid" as a form of domination and intervention in our economies.
The talks in the WTO especially on Gats are interlocking and its impact directly hits the Ilonggo electricity consumers under the service of Panay Electric Company. The framework of free market access or "free trade" makes power generation and distribution companies not only insensitive on the plight of consumers but swell arrogance towards the consumers.
I believe the Philippines is host to many arrogant businessmen and that includes the Mirant-Panay Power Corporation, the independent power producer of Peco, and of course, the Peco itself as a distribution company. What makes these "giant capitalists" so arrogant is the concept of free trade under the WTO. In fact, what is happening today in global business is not free trade but market monopoly by giant companies.
In Iloilo City alone, we have Peco that monopolizes power distribution service in the entire city of Iloilo while Mirant-PPC monopolizes power generation. Many things can happen when only one company monopolizes vital industry such as power and water. They can brew a blackout anytime of the day and hold hostage the entire consumers in its franchise area. This unlikely event keeps our government officials running for the rescue and in turn earns "pogi points" to the public.
This sad reality will be further aggravated once an agreement on trade and services will be sealed in the 6th Ministerial Conference. Giant companies who have the command of global market can simply go into the local market of countries like the Philippines without barriers. Since giant companies command billions of resources, it can forge mergers with local companies who lack both resources and capacity to compete in a "free market" playing field.
What about the small enterprises? Well, the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry has a good answer for this question and it sounds like this: since the Philippine government has forge bilateral agreement with member states to the WTO, it now has access to other market in other parts of the world. In short, small enterprises can become global right away despite poor, if ever there is any, subsidy from the Philippines government.
Our small entrepreneurs who are considered "small fry" are now in the same league with the "big fry" and your guess is as good as mine on what will happen next. This is the concept of free trade under the WTO and adopted by the Philippine government with leaders who are salivating the words such as democracy, freedom, nationalism and sovereignty in front of other world leaders.
This concept was given flesh when the Chairman Rodolfo Albano of the Energy Regulatory Commission floated the idea that Mirant Philippines is buying out Peco. Is this simply because of Peco's unpaid bills to Mirant-PPC? I don't think so. The financial documents of Peco reveals that the company is not heading towards bankruptcy but rather earning excellently all these years.
This situation is following a pattern like choreography in a dance show. Now its the big fry eating up the small fry. What we, the Ilonggo consumers, are facing is a similar dilemma of consumers in countries of the South as a result of rapid privatization maneuvered by leaders' during meetings like the ones in happening in the WTO today.
In our tiny island in Panay, we are facing a big fry such as Mirant-PPC with its tentacles gripping the media, our local politicians, energy officials, national leaders and going all the way up to the Malacañang Palace. This concept of global domination must end. (tao.ssi@gmail.com )
(December 17, 2005 issue)
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