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GMA Resign!
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by Makati Business Club, Action for Economic Reforms, Management Association of the Philippines, etc.
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 |
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Joint statement of the Makati Business Club, Management Association
of the Philippines, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines,
Action for Economic Reforms and the Foundation for Economic Freedom
We are appalled at the indecency and blatant disregard of the
Filipino people’s will displayed by the House of Representatives in its
adoption of House Resolution No. 1109 that allows itself to convene as
a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution, without the necessary
participation of the Senate.
The question all Filipinos should ask is: For whose interest was
this action taken? Certainly not the Filipino people’s, as there is no
widespread clamor to amend the Constitution, especially now that we are
less than a year away from a presidential election. The resolution
contains no issue of profound impact to the people’s welfare.
By this action of pro-Administration congresspersons, any remaining
doubts about the determination of the Arroyo Administration and its
allies in the House to manipulate our democratic processes and
institutions to prolong their hold on power have been erased.
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by Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III
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Monday, 08 June 2009 |
So what does Joma say about the global economic crisis? What has to be done, to borrow Lenin’s rhetoric?
Don’t expect Joma to address the problems relating to sub-prime loans,
derivatives, bubbles, market failure, regulatory capture, global
imbalances, conflict of interest, perverse incentives, information
asymmetry, adverse selection, moral hazard, and irrational behavior.
Joma is not Alan Greenspan, the economist; he’s just the political
Greenspan in the Philippine pond, so says the blogger. Well, even the
real Greenspan is now being crucified for his culpability in sowing the
seeds of the deep economic recession.
Joma’s version of what is to be done is not saturated with technocratic
or academic jargon. It is easy to understand. The tasks discussed in
his paper are straightforward, namely information and education
campaigns, organizational campaigns, and mass mobilizations.
How these tasks can reform or even transform the global economy is something beyond me.
But I still appreciate these tasks when applied to a totally different
context. Recently, a couple of colleagues attended a meeting of
organizations opposed to Gloria Arroyo’s brazenly illegal plan to
perpetuate power. A lot of time in the meeting was eaten up by the
presentation of a permutation of scenarios to keep Gloria in power.
But what we urgently need is collective action, not an intellectual
playing of the ding-a-ling.
Joma’s call for information, education, organization, and mobilization
hits the mark. And I will gladly march shoulder to shoulder with the
people, including Joma’s forces. I am not bothered by Joma’s forces
who always see red. Our main task, irrespective of the colors we
choose, is to defeat the real threat of a Gloria dictatorship.
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by Rene Raya
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Monday, 26 May 2008 |
How does one cope when income drops, when food and fuel prices go up, and when there is no money left to send the children to school? The latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES 2006) suggests that for poor Filipino households, coping meant spending more on alcohol and tobacco. Well, at least the poor were creative enough to find happy moments amidst difficult times. In comparison, the non-poor were more prudent but maybe less happy, although the FIES does not come out with any index on happiness or misery.
But seriously, when families experience a drop in real income, spend less on education and health care, but increase spending on alcohol and tobacco, then one can say that times are indeed harsh. |
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by Action for Economic Reforms
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Monday, 11 February 2008 |
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The plunder exemplified by the ZTE-NBN deal goes all the way up to GMA. In the testimony of Joey de Venecia, GMA’s husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, was a central figure in securing the kickback. The candid, credible and detailed testimony of Jun Lozada, in relation to his abduction and the overpricing of the ZTE-NBN contract points to Malacañang as the culprit. It is crystal clear that the buck does not stop at Mike Arroyo. His influence is crucial not because of his own accord, but of whom he represents: the exercise of the power and prerogatives of the highest executive of the land. |
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by Action for Economic Reforms
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Friday, 22 February 2008 |
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We have examined the available official documents. We have listened intently and reviewed the statements and testimonies of accusers, defenders, and witnesses in the ZTE-NBN controversy. We have taken note of the facts and circumstances, the credibility of the witnesses, and the probability or improbability of the competing versions. We have weighed the evidence, and reached moral certainty about these ultimate facts: That grand scale corruption attended the ZTE-NBN deal, and that it went all the way up to Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA). |
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by Ateneo Alumni
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
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We, members of the Ateneo community, address this statement to our Jesuit mentors, faculty members, fellow alumni/ae and, most specially, our countrymen, to express our resolve to live up to the ideals of our beloved alma mater in serving country and people. |
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| Action for Economic Reforms (AER) is an independent, reform-oriented public interest organization that conducts policy analysis and advocacy on key economic issues. |
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