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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Here Comes Vietnam By Antonio C. Abaya Written Dec. 06, 2005 For the Standard Today, December 08 issue President Arroyo no doubt got carried away by the euphoria from the exceptional victory of the Philippines in the recently concluded 23rd Southeast Asian Games when she gave notice, during her speech at the closing ceremonies, that the Philippines was �on the road to becoming a sports power in Asia� and is also on the way to becoming an economic force soon. (Standard Today, Dec. 06). Well, how soon is soon? She didn�t say, but as an economist she must know that the economic tigers of East Asia, which have all become economic powers, enjoyed GDP growth rates of from 8% to as much as (in the case of China) 12% over a period of 20 years � or 80 quarters - largely through the export of manufactured goods. Are we there yet? Are we having fun yet? Not by a long shot. It can be said that the competition for becoming the next East Asian tiger would be between Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines. And the empirical evidence favors Vietnam, not the Philippines. The Philippines used to be the most economically successful country in East Asia, second only to Japan, until the mid-1960s, when we started to be overtaken, first by Taiwan and Hong Kong, then by South Korea and Singapore, then by Malaysia and Thailand, for reasons detailed in my article �Why Are We Poor?� (Dec. 04 2004) and other articles. Unless there is a major upturn in our economic development and that upturn is sustained over a period of at least ten years, we are in danger of being overtaken next by Vietnam. The GDP statistics of the Asian Development Bank � accessed through www.adb.org - indicate a trend in favor of Vietnam. For the period from 1999 to 2004, Vietnam�s GDP steadily grew (4.8, 6.8, 6.9, 7.1, 7.3 and 7.7%) or a six-year average of 6.8% per annum. According to the latest issue of The Economist, the Vietnamese economy will grow by 8.1% in 2005, raising their seven-year average to 7.0% per annum. Vietnam�s average would even be higher if the growth rates from 1993 to 1997 were included, which ranged from a low of 8.0 to a high of 9.4, before the Asian financial crisis of 1997 struck it down, as it did everyone else�s. For the same period, the Philippines� GDP grew (3.4, 4.4, 1.8, 4.3, 4.7. and 6.1%) or a six-year average of only 4.12% per annum. Indonesia�s grew even less: (0.8, 4.9, 3.8, 4.4, 4.9 and 5.1%), or a six-year average of 4.0% per annum. The big surprise is Myanmar�s GDP which grew 10.9, 13.7, 11.3 and 10.0% in the period from 1999 to 2002, or a sizzling four-year average of 11.5% per annum. But Myanmar is starting from a much lower base, so it is not an immediate rival to Vietnam, Indonesia or the Philippines. In an article titled �Changing Gear� in its Nov.26-Dec. 02 issue, The Economist noted that the proportion of the Vietnamese population that was living below the poverty line has decreased from 58% in 1993 to only 20% last year; that the output of the country�s automotive industry grew by a staggering 43% since August 2004; and that Vietnam is now a net exporter of oil. Vietnam is �changing gear� in the sense that the underlying animus in Vietnam�s economic boom has been the shift of many subsistence farmers to more productive pursuits such as coffee or prawn farming, or work in textile plants, shoe factories and other light manufacturing industries. (Many Filipino rural folks have also �changed gears� by moving to the cities, but because there aren�t enough jobs available, many of them have become unemployed squatters.) This last point is emphasized in an article titled �Vietnam Revs Up� in the Nov. 28 issue of Newsweek. It reports that Vietnam will get about $5.4 billion in FDI or foreign direct investments this year, most of it from Japan and Taiwan, and most of it plowed into light manufacturing industries. (I do not have the exact figures, but the Philippines� intake of FDI in 2005 is only about $400 million.) Newsweek reports that �Vietnam is a throwback to Asia�s export-driven economies, which thrived until China emerged as a world-beating manufacturer in the 1990s.� Taiwanese investors are repeating in Vietnam �their island�s own rise to affluence on the back of export-led light manufacturing.� Many of the new Japanese investors in Vietnam have been discouraged from investing in China because of growing anti-Japanese feelings among the Chinese due to controversies over Japan�s revisionist history books that gloss over Japanese atrocities in China during the Second World War. Japanese investors now have a �China Plus One� investment policy, �One� being Vietnam So �Japan�s investment flows have shifted southward.� But why not southward to the Philippines? Probably for the same reason American manufacturers chose Taiwan and Hong Kong over the Philippines in the 1960s: the high cost of labor here. In Vietnam, a technician in a Japanese software company would earn the equivalent of US$85 or P4,760 a month, low by Philippine standards. The minimum wage in factories is equivalent to US$38 or P2,128 a month, which is about the entry level wage for domestic helpers in the Philippines. But, as in Thailand and Indonesia, food in Vietnam is cheap because of a productive, relatively typhoon-free agricultural sector. By contrast, the price of food in the Philippines in relation to income is high. Calculated on the basis of purchasing power parity, wages go a longer way in Vietnam than in the Philippines. For foreign investors, another advantage of Vietnam over the Philippines is the absence of militant communist labor unions like our KMU. According to Lenin, labor unions are the transmission belt of the revolution, since the industrial proletariat are supposed to be at the forefront of that revolution. Since the government of Vietnam is communist, there are no strikes against capitalist enterprises by communist labor unions, unless ordered by the communist government. Which happens rarely, if ever, because, like China, Vietnam invites and welcomes foreign capitalist investors and seeks foreign capitalist markets for its agricultural and industrial exports, without which its high economic growth would have been impossible. Its socialist centrally planned economy was revamped in 1987, allowing the return of capitalism and the profit motive. In 2003, Vietnam�s exports totaled $19.9 billion, up from a mere $620 million in 1984. Vietnam has no intention of becoming another hermetic North Korea � the ideal economy of Filipino communist ideologues and their media allies � which exported only an estimated $1 billion in 2003, compared to South Korea�s $201.3 billion. But, of course, as a communist country Vietnam does not enjoy �absolute freedom of the press� and has no use for American-style political liberalism. The Communist Party enjoys monopoly of power and does not allow any political opposition, consistent with the concept of �democratic centralism.� Meaning, all political debates are confined to within the inner and higher circles of the Communist Party. But being �communist� does not mean �straight-laced�. For the past 15 years or so, Vietnam has been rated one of the five most corrupt countries in Asia, along with Indonesia, the Philippines, China and India, in the annual12-nation surveys conducted by PERC Ltd. of Hong Kong. But, as PERC noted in its latest report (in the Inquirer, Dec 06), while Vietnam shared the Philippines� poor reputation in fighting corruption, �it has not stopped one of the most rapid rates of economic growth in the region.� The same can be said of China. Contrary to popular myth, corruption, by itself, is not a hindrance to economic growth, as long as the correct economic strategies are followed. The Philippines has not only been plagued with corruption, it has also, time and again, chosen the wrong economic strategies. A double whammy that has pulled us down from the near-top to the near-bottom over the past 40 years.. And for Filipino communists (as well as liberals) who object to a national ID card, read what Vietnam has. In an article titled �Innovation, Discipline and Abundance in Vietnam� � which first appeared in the Nov. 17 issue of The Manila Times and is now archived in the reference section of www.tapatt.org - Moje Ramos-Aquino wrote: �Every community council (similar to our Barangay) maintains a National Family Record where the names and number of residents (parents, children, etc) are recorded. The council officers conduct a random check on each family every now and then. When a family member is missing, an explanation is demanded. When anyone travels to another place or province for longer than a day, he needs to ask permission from the council, then registers his presence in his destination�..� (Filipinos, communist and liberals alike, would howl at such Big Brother impositions, but Filipino communists would not hesitate to impose such restrictions, if and when they come to power. Remember the communist Golden Rule: Do not do unto Us what We will do unto You once We are in power.) But be nice and say �Welcome� to the next Asian tiger. Unfortunately, it is not going to be the Philippines.***** Reactions to [email protected] or fax 824-7642. Other articles in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo Reactions to �Here Comes Vietnam� CIA RECORDS BEAR THIS GDP INFORMATION AMONG ASEAN COUNTRIES: 17 Indonesia $ 827,400,000,000 2004 est. 20 Thailand $ 524,800,000,000 2004 est 27 Philippines $ 430,600,000,000 2004 est. 39 Malaysia $ 229,300,000,000 2004 est. 40 Vietnam $ 227,200,000,000 2004 est. 57 Singapore $ 120,900,000,000 2004 est. 63 Burma $ 74,300,000,000 2004 est. 97 Cambodia $ 26,990,000,000 2004 est BY ALL INDICATION, BIGGER GDP GROWTH FROM A LOWER BASE IS A LOT DIFFERENT WITH A SMALLER GROWTH RATE FROM A BIGGER BASE. VIETNAM'S BIGGEST COMEON IS SIMPLY ITS LARGE LABOR POOL AT A COST EVEN LOWER THAN CHINA. THESE LABOR-INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES WILL DEPART AND MOVE TO A CHEAPER LOCATION ONCE YOUR LABOR COST STARTS MOVING UP. THERE IS NO WAY WE CAN COMPETE WITH VIETNAM NOR CHINA ON LABOR COST ALONE. THERE IS ONE THING THAT FAVORS THE PHILIPPINES AS THE NEXT TIGER: THE ENTRY OF INVESTMENTS IN HIGH-PAYING ICT SECTOR, MINING INVESTMENTS, AND TOURISM. SURE THERE ARE IMPEDIMENTS, BUT THERE IS NO STOPPING THE PHILIPPINES FROM BECOMING THE REAL TIGER. Peter Cruz, [email protected] December 08, 2005 MY REPLY. To appreciate the real strength or weakness of an economy, you have to a) divide total GDP by the population, to get the per capita GDP; b) compare the GDP growth rates over time; and c) compare the inflows of investments. Following (a), the per capita GDP of the above countries for 2004 are: Singapore $27,480; Malaysia $9,760; The Philippines $5,000; Indonesia $3,470; Vietnam $2,750; Cambodia $2,000; Myanmar $1,740. Since, as I wrote in the above article, the Philippines� GDP has been growing at the average rate of 4.12% for the past six years, and that of Vietnam at an average of 7.0%, or almost twice as fast, it is only a matter of time before Vietnam catches up with the Philippines. Especially since, as I also wrote in that article, foreign direct investments into Vietnam amounted to $5.4 billion in 2005, into the Philippines only $400-450 million. Economic growth is not possible without investments: larger investments translate (usually) into higher growth rate; lesser investments into slower growth. Much as I would like to see the Philippines become the next Asian tiger, there is no statistical basis for making that projection. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: The entrepreneurial zeal of the Vietnamese is very much evident in the US. The trickle-down culture of the Chinese and the competitive spirit of Vietnam's colonial legacy are elements in the drive for economic progress. Let us not throw in the towel yet on the Philippines. Given the proper governance standards and performance, policy framework and reform program, the Motherland stands the chance of moving from a 4-5% growth pattern to a growth trajectory exceeding 7%. But what would lead to these changes? That's a long story and a subject we could perhaps discuss have over dinner when you next visit San Francisco. Vic Barrios, [email protected] San Francisco, California December 09, 2005 MY REPLY. The last time the Philippines got close to a 7% GDP growth rate was in 1989 (6.95%), but Gringo Honasan ruined it with his coup attempt in December that year, which brought the GDP growth rate down to 3% in 1990 and zero in 1991. We are really our own worst enemy. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear ACA, "Here comes Vietnam" is a very apt article as a wake-up call for the Philippines. Those who are still saying that agriculture is the way to develop this country can go to hell. We have to industrialize rapidly and industrializing our economy, our material resources and culture should be the agenda from Malacanang to our kindergarten school. Those who oppose industrialization can be charged as a spy of another country or simply doing an act of treason. It will take 10 to 15 years for rapid industrialization. By this base time, a country would have its integrated steel mills, a motor and machine industry churning its way to the top of the economy. Our raw materials will now be finished products and we say good-bye Japan. Agricultural population will be migrating in the cities. Carabao will be taken over by machines. In the cities a bulging population that will speed up its social development velocity will be in place. Education will be given highest priority. A strong armed force will be in place because we will be slowly making our own weapons to defend our country. Our trains system will be improved. Our housing will be a problem of the past. By the 15th year we will be a creditor country. In due time we will be importing workers of other country who are imagining how good it is in the farms. We have the brain power to do it. We have 80 million population, that�s a good size for a consuming and producing population. We have a constitution that points to industrialization. It is sad to say, the ruling elite has not yet seen this moment. Empirical evidence, as we look at the history of the collective human species, is that if you do not industrialize, you will be in the dustbin of history. AL Jose Leonidas, [email protected] December 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Excellent commentaries! I just started visiting TAPATT's website a few days ago and I must say...I'm hooked! On your article "Here Comes Vietnam," I agree with you (that Vietnam indeed will overtake us if things remain the same). However, when I read further the attached link "Why Are We Poor?" I have a different opinion regarding that. It is true that circumstances such as the ones you enumerated had negatively affected our economy, but even if we avoided them, I think that we would still be in the same situation. If not for the events that you enumerated, it would have been something else. Because our problem lies in ourselves: the way we think, the way we act, the way we are. Chinese-Filipinos have been living under the same circumstances/environment and yet collectively they have prospered. They have even started lower in terms of status, and yet they rose from it. Unless we truly change (in an age-of-enlightenment-proportions) it'll more or less be same-old Pinas for the next several decades. Raymund de Luna, [email protected] Los Angeles, CA December 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your latest article in my inbox struck like a terrible thunderbolt that suddenly, it seems, brought me back to harsh realities of life here in these gloomy islands of the Philippines) By all means, you just have said all that remains to be said. And so the bubble has burst, and the waves dashed the impressive sand castles that some while ago dominated the shores like formidable battlements defying the boldest invaders. The last few days, I must admit, I became drunk at all Arroyo's evangelizing on the supposed "economic bliss" that is currently making miracles in our very poor country. Almost everyone I cannot help but sometimes feel enthralled by a golden tongued queen uttering all kinds of soothing words that lift-up every one's spirit and bring hope to all Filipinos. But as everyone must know, Arroyo is just on a media and propaganda blitz to sweet-talk the opposition into political oblivion and irrelevance by her politics of deception and by throwing a psychological spell on the rest of the nation with her spirit-enlightening declarations of collective national "accomplishments". With this, I'm often reminded of Adolf Hitler's dictum and proven strategy: Lies told a thousand times will soon be regarded and accepted as the truth. I must add that in some ways, we are having some economic gains, made most in part through sex tourism. What with all our alluring women and very much willing girls who are drawn like moths to the almighty dollar-laden Caucasian sex tourists. That�s what our country really is-the mail-order-bride nation and haven of prostitutes and thieves. Alex Argote, [email protected] December 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for mentioning our website and economic outlook. (No name given), [email protected] Asian Development Bank December 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Through the tapatt yahoogroup) Mr. Abaya, I wonder, if Vietnam is communist, how come it's fast becoming an economic threat in a capitalist-dominated world. I thought that the global economic experience the past decades has convincingly shown the bankruptcy of the ideology in terms of economic growth. And China? Is it still fundamentally communist with capitalist "integrations" or has it repudiated Marx and Mao in favor of Adam Smith? If both remain faithful to their socialist heritage, then economic stagnation has basically nothing to do with socialism/communism. So we can learn something from our communist neighbors as much as we do from the successful capitalist economies. And what do you think make China and Vietnam different from the Soviet Union of the past and East Germany? Thanks for the space. Levy Lanaria, [email protected] December 09, 2005 MY REPLY. Vietnam and China are still �communist� in the sense that their communist parties still control both countries. But China reintroduced capitalism and the profit motive, starting 1979. So did Vietnam, starting in 1987. More than 50% of China�s GDP is now produced by the profit-oriented capitalist sector, and still climbing. The same is happening in Vietnam. Since embracing the profit motive is a direct repudiation of Marx�s theory of surplus value - one of the core beliefs of Marxism - China and Vietnam are no longer �communist� in the strict sense of that word. They are more accurately described as �fascist� since, in both countries, the state uses its instruments of coercion to maintain monopoly of power for the entrenched party, the Communist Party. Their pretensions to egalitarianism have been overwhelmed by the practical need to allow some citizens to become richer than others, an inevitable corollary of capitalism and the profit motive. They have not �remained faithful to their socialist heritage.� The only �communist� states left are North Korea, Cuba and Laos. Vietnam and China have just learned, and are learning from their capitalist models, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong. There is really nothing we can learn from them (Vietnam and China), since the Philippines never went through a communist phase. What makes China and Vietnam different from the Soviet Union and East Germany? Isn�t that obvious? Both the Soviet Union and East Germany rejected capitalism and the profit motive until the day they collapsed from self-induced stagnation. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �Heeeere�s Garci!� (Nov. 29, 2005) I've been reading the blow by blow account of the Garci circus act in the House of Representatives. Seems to me the so-called Garci hearings on the alleged Gloria Macapagal election rigging last year are a total, utter, stupid dud! Garcillano is turning the whole country into a low-class circus ring. I really see no point in going on with the Garci hearings. The man is a friggin immoral lawyer who will just parry questions. The more I read of the blow by blow account, the more skeptical I become about the what the legislature is trying to achieve. No truth is going to come out of those hearings except that Garci is convincing everybody else that he�s an inveterate liar. Thanks to Gloria's allies in the House, Garci will walk out of the House at the end of the day, feeling supremely victorious for having outsmarted the entire legislature. He might as well stick his tongue out at them and say "Beeeeh"! (I sincerely hope his fake teeth fall in the process, at least that would be funny.) The best and only thing to do is to bound and gag Virgilio O. Garcillano and fly him him to Scotland Yard for lie detector tests and be done with all these Congress hooplas. If the tests show that he�s not lied then good on Gloria Macapagal but if the tests show that her phone pal Garci lied, the people of the Republic of the Philippines should be allowed to hang both Gloria (the liar, the cheat, the thief) and her friggin phone pal Garci from a lamppost, tarred and feathered! The one and only question should be: Did Garci rig election results in favor of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo? And do you really think he will admit that he did? Is anyone naive enough to think he will tell the truth? The answer is a big NO! So, what's the use? All these posturings, the questionings and all the blahs and blahs and more blahs are just a waste of people�s rations. Just get it done and over with... hang the goddamn useless crook (by the ears) from the highest lamppost! Anna de Bruz, [email protected] Belgium, December 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �Villamor-Boni Torture� (Nov. 27, 2005) Dear Tony: . I will write the DPWH Secretary to endorse your proposal. Hey, it's amazing how you can switch from the political to your long love... transport infrastructure! But, of course, don't stop in your effort to seek the solution to our political problem. . Roilo �Roy� Golez, [email protected] House of Representatives December 11, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Through the tapatt yahoogroup) Please pass this to your friends. Unbelievable!! With Christmas fast approaching, several enterprising crooks at the NAIA have cooked up another easy money scheme to fund their Christmas shopping. A bullet or two is slipped inside bags with outside zippers and so when the poor sod claims his luggage, he is arrested for carrying an "accessory to a dangerous weapon". But the story does not end with him in some airport detention room, no, he is carted to the Pasay police station where he has to spend the night alongside recidivists (habitual criminals) and other scums of the earth. And the place ain't no Hilton either. After 12 hours or so inside the slammer, feelers will be sent to see if he's willing to settle the case for a measly sum of 60k, that is, 60k EACH for the judge and whoever else wants to milk him dry. A little bit of haggling occurs and voila, he's a free man once again. The above situation really happened but in real life, the bullet wasn't found in some man's luggage, it was "discovered" in a 75 year old woman's bag. And the 75 year old woman had to be carried out of the jail cell after she agreed to pay settle with the law enforcement officers. She was carried out because she could barely walk after spending the night in the cramped and stinky jail cell. The 75 year old woman was represented by our pediatrician's lawyer husband who again had to represent her after the NAIA official found another bullet in her luggage on her way back to the US. Oh well, maybe the lola really was a terrorist or perhaps she just became a juicier target because the crooks already knew that she was willing to settle. You decide. Atty. Romero says that this sort of case is the third he's handled in the last few months. No surprise there, for it seems to be a very well-oiled operation and it will probably be implemented more now what with the upcoming barrage of balikbayans coming home in time for the holidays. So as not to become a victim, please lock your checked-in luggage, even those outside and side zippers. Or better yet, get one of those hard cases with no zippers or pockets in front or on the side. At least this way, no opportunity will be created for some unscrupulous person to slip in a little extra in your bag and thus create a little extra for himself. Narciso Silverio, [email protected] December 08, 2005 There is one probable solution for this foolishness. I suggest that you look at a website called probag.net. Take note that bags are shrink-wrapped with plastic to prevent any untowards tampering or illegal insertions of whatever contraband they would like to put inside. The airport authorities can consider this as an added security measure too. Bombing Moll, [email protected] December 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Arabs and Islam Please read this book for a real understanding of Arabs and Islam "The Closed Circle : An Interpretation of the Arabs" by David Pryce-Jones Warning: it might not seem to be completely politically correct for knee-jerk left-leaning intellectuals. Have a look at some reviews: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060981032/ref=ase_avsearch-df1-2-20/ 002-4594092-6976018 http://www.journalism.uts.edu.au/archive/vilification/d3.htm To anyone seeking to gain some insight into the Arab world, I can whole-heartedly recommend a book by David Pryce-Jones, The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs, first published in 1989. Pryce-Jones' basic thesis is, essentially that the kind of untrustworthiness, ruthless adventurism, brutality, irrationality, and subservience or everything else to power, which we have seen from Saddam Hussein, is inherent in what he calls the ''shame and honour" motivations which pervade the whole of Arab culture. Anyone, he says, who attempts to analyze the politics of Arab countries without understanding that is wasting his or her time. If only to forestall the inevitable outcry of the ignorant, I stress that this thesis has nothing to do with racism. It simply asserts, as a matter or empirical observation, that Arab culture as distinct from race is such as to produce, over and over again, one Nasser, or Saddam, or Syria's equally murderous Assad, after another, and that the propensity for this to occur is inherent in that culture. As Pryce-Jones points out, in no Arab country today is there democratic process, freedom or speech, or security guaranteed by law, for the individual or for property. Despite technical assistance and aid flowing into the Arab countries, and the stupendous wealth produced from oil, the vast majority remain poor, and violence is both customary and systematic. Pryce-Jones argues that the Arabs are caught in a closed circle room which they have not been able to escape, a circle defined by deeply rooted tribal, religious and cultural traditions. I shall not argue Pryce-Jones' thesis here, but simply note two things about it. First, if he is right, why have our governments permitted the entry into Australia of so many adherents to a culture so alien to the basically Judaeo- Christian one which has always constituted the core culture or our society? Second, a key test of any thesis is its success or failure in enabling you to predict events. On that basis, the Pryce-Jones thesis seems to score high marks. It explains, for example, why a pitiless tyrant like Saddam should be "honoured" among Arabs precisely because, through the exercise or those qualities, he has gained power. It explains recent Iraqi atrocities against innocent Kuwaitis, and their lack of any compassion for people so treated . It also points to why, in ending this war, it is essential to do so in a way which does humiliate (shame) Saddam. In the Arab world, to fail to do so would be a sign of weakness. Quite contrary to much or the waffle in our media, only by shaming him can his standing among the Arabs themselves be toppled. On January l7 I speculated that Saddam could end up in hiding in Libya or some such other bolt-hole". In fact, once he has been humiliated he is more likely to suffer the same fate he has so mercilessly meted out to so many others over the years to be cast, lifeless, upon some dung-hill, to the execrations of the same Arab rent-a-crowds who, until recently, have been demonstrating in his favour for the benefit of Western television crews. There are already suggestions that, once Saddam has gone, the allies should ensure the emergence of a democratically elected regime in Baghdad. This is Westernised fantasy, of the kind beloved of foreign offices. No such regime could either be elected, or survive for long if it were. Indeed, as to Iraq itself, I see no particular reason why, post-war, its territorial integrity should be affected. It was brought into being as an artificial construct, by a stroke or the pen after the 1914-18 war. There is no compelling reason other than that the USSR would not like It why it should not now be dismembered in the same way. Paladin Grafton Books (paperback). Sent by Ross Tipon, [email protected] Baguio City, Dec.08, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww THE ERUDITE PARROT A guy is browsing in a pet shop and sees a parrot sitting on a littleperch. It doesn't have any feet or legs. The guy says aloud, "Jeesh, I wonder what happened to this parrot?" The parrot says, "I was born this way. I'm a defective parrot" "Holy crap," the guy replies. "You actually understood and answered me!" "I got every word," says the parrot. "I happen to be a highly intelligent thoroughly educated bird." "Oh yeah?" the guy asks, "Then answer this -- how do you hang onto your perch without any feet?" "Well," the parrot says, "this is very embarrassing but since you asked, I wrap my weenie around this wooden bar like a little hook. You can't see it because of my feathers." "Wow," says the guy. "You really can understand and speak English can't you?" "Actually, I speak both Spanish and English, and I can converse with reasonable competence on almost any topic: politics, religion, sports, physics, philosophy. I'm especially good at ornithology. You really ought to buy me. I'd be a great companion." The guy looks at the $200.00 price tag. "Sorry, but I just can't afford that." "Pssssssst," says the parrot, "I'm defective, so the truth is, nobody wants me cause I don't have any feet. You can probably get me for $20; just make the guy an offer!" The guy offers $20 and walks out with the parrot. Weeks go by. The parrot is sensational. He has a great sense of humor, he's interesting, he's a great pal, he understands everything, he sympathizes, and he's insightful. The guy is delighted. One day the guy comes home from work and the parrot goes, "Psssssssssssst," and motions him over with one wing. "I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but it's about your wife and the postman." "What are you talking about?" asks the guy. "When the postman delivered the mail today, your wife greeted him at the door in a sheer black nightie." "WHAT???" the guy asks incredulously. "THEN what happened?" "Well, then the postman came into the house and lifted up her nightie and began petting her all over," reported the parrot. "NO!" he exclaims. "And she let him?" "Yes. Then he continued taking off the nightie! , got down on his knees and began to kiss her all over...." Then the frantic guy demands, "THEN WHAT HAPPENED?" "Damned if I know. I got a hard-on and fell off my perch!" OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
| Vietnam - Population below poverty line: 28.9% (2002 est.) Philippines - Population below poverty line: 40% (2001 est.) Vietnam - Unemployment rate: 1.9% (2004 est.) Philippines - Unemployment rate: 11.7% (2004 est.) I'm not sure if we can be a tiger economy. Poverty brings people to communism or rebellion. Political weakness shy away investments. Educated Filipinos work abroad resulting in a brain drain. Such is a serious problem and becoming worst. Nonoy Ramos, [email protected] Pennsylvania, December 14, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya: Our apprehension that Vietnam will overtake us in The New Asian Tigers Club will indeed be a reality if we based that on the trend of foreign direct investments the former is hosting for the past years. The culprit that undermines us is not necessarily the low labor wage you mention during the 1960's in Hong Kong and Taiwan. But the iniquitous 6O-40 per centum that favor Pinoy businessmen control of any corporation against their foreign partners. These two provisions on the Constitution (Sections 10 and 11 of Article 12 ) discourage foreign investors to venture in areas of investments that will hopefully solve our unemployment problems. Notwithstanding, it only allows 40 % of capital for non-Filipino, but gives 60% for Filipinos who can hardly scrimp for funds for big time investment. Pray tell, these laws that strangle huge infusion of capital will be included in case our constitution will be amended. Pray tell, our senators will patriotically be enlightened on the urgency of the amendments. Mortz Ortigoza, [email protected] Dagupan City, December 12, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |