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Many people, including officials, believe that we should retain
substantial shares in Petron. But it seems that the government is
not listening to this anguished call. The message we get from the
Cabinet—still dominated by untrammeled free traders—is that
government share of 40 percent will be sold to the highest bidder.
They are not even listening to an independent
voice. The statements of former senator and labor leader Ernesto
Herrera are not the type of irresponsible and cheap comments we hear
often in our free society. He continues to be a moderate voice—one
who is sensitive to the aspirations of the majority specially the
workers. President GMA should listen to him.
“We see no absolute need for the government to
sell our shares in Petron. The investment is generating income,”
says this man who once headed the Senate labor committee. According
to Herrera, it is the toiling man who will suffer most if the state
shares in Petron are sold to firms whose main concern is profit.
Going into her last two years, President GMA
seems to be under terrible pressure to complete the privatization of
the Petron. That process should include the selling of all—repeat
all—shares. I know this is the pledge of the President, to leave a
legacy where the state will have no part in private business. But my
counter-argument is that the present supply and price situation of
oil does not warrant a shift to complete privatization.
Our 40 percent share should remain a cushion to
the wild movement of prices of oil. An observer said that if Marcos
had his OPSF which had the role of subsidizing changes in oil
prices, then the 40 percent could be a foil to sudden increases of
prices.
The government should not be shortsighted. It
should not only consider the financial windfall arising from the
sale of the 40 percent. As we have seen in the recent past, a
temporary infusion of money in the national budget does not really
solve the problem of our finances.
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Bush wages low intensity attack on China
China is reacting calmly to the “low
intensity” attack mounted by the United States against Beijing in
the course of the Olympics. China knows that US President Bush is
under pressure from domestic forces to promote so-called
“democratic values” in China. Hence, Bush continues rail against
Chinese polices in Tibet, Darfur, and human rights.
Even before the end of games, the Chinese have
already won the battle diplomatically. By coming to China, President
Bush has lent prestige to the Games and recognizes Beijing’s role
as a world player. He could not ignore China and its hosting of the
Olympics. But by raising some old issues, the United States is
trying to pull down the status of China, even as the US continues to
engage China in strategic issues like war and peace, environment
issues and world trade.
US President Bush made two attacks against China
before he went to Beijing. One was during a press conference in
Washington a day before his departure where he talked about the need
for religious freedom in China. The second attack was made in
Thailand. But even in Thailand, he had to concede that China will
make changes in its political system in its own time. In response,
the Chinese foreign ministry said governments should not meddle in
other country’s affairs.
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BRIEF NOTES. It seems that the world’s
best athletes gathered in Beijing have rejected the call to mix
politics and sports. For instance, the three US athletes cycling who
wore masks upon arrival in the Beijing airport apologized and had to
explain that their acts were not intended to refer to pollution in
Beijing. The only sign of politics in the Games is a letter of some
40 athletes to Chinese President Hu Jintao calling for protection of
human rights. But even that letter seems to have no effect as it was
allegedly prepared by a lobby group. It seems that the China and
some countries in the West have different meanings to the phrase
human rights. To China, it means checking poverty and bringing about
over-all development to the individual. For the West, it means
promoting specific rights like freedom of religion and freedom of
speech. Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon has received an award from
the Asian Institute of Management for being an investment-friendly
LGU. The decision to refloat the Princess of the Stars will now
depend on the schedule approved by DOTC undersecretary Maria Elena
Bautista. She controls the pace and direction of the plan. In the
meantime, the people of Romblon are waiting for the final
announcement. It seems that Juan de la Cruz does not have access to
the Olympic Games on television. The games shown on cable TV are
partial and delayed…The first RP gold in the Olympics will come
from wushu, and not from boxing or any other sport. Unfortunately,
wushu which is a form of Chinese boxing, is not an accredited sports
in Beijing. But next Olympics, it might be included.
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