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Universal health care bill presented to Senate

SENATOR Joseph Victor G. Ejercito presented to the plenary on Tuesday the universal health care bill providing for the automatic inclusion of all Filipinos under the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippines Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
In his sponsorship speech, Mr. Ejercito, chair of the Senate committee on health and demography, said Senate Bill No. 1896 or the proposed Universal Health Care for All Filipinos Act guarantees the equal access of quality and affordable health goods and services for Filipinos.
It also clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the PhilHealth, Department of Health (DoH), local government units, and the private sector as well in delivering health care.
“Every Filipino is automatically covered or included under the National Health Insurance Program as direct or indirect contributor. We also expanded the scope of service coverage as well as strengthened preventive and promotive aspects of health care services,” Mr. Ejercito said.
He cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicating that spending on health increased to P6,345 for every Filipino in 2016, from P5,840 in 2015.
In the same year, household out-of-pocket payments rose to 54.2% of the total medical bill or P342 billion while only 34.2% or P216 billion was covered by the government. Voluntary health care payment schemes, meanwhile, accounted for 11.6% or P73 billion.
Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Joel J. Villanueva, Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Nancy S. Binay-Angeles also co-sponsored the proposed measure.
Under the proposed measure, PhilHealth is mandated to manage the pool of funds allocated for health programs from contributions, subsidies, administrative fines, donations, grant, and appropriations from various government agencies such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).
A National Health Workforce Support System will be established under the bill tasked to strengthen public-owned or —led service delivery networks and to address the lack of health workers.
Service delivery networks composed of the public and private institutions will also be created to address the increased cases in tertiary hospitals that can be treated in nearby heath centers as well.
The bill also provides a Health Technology Assessment Council to determine the safety of investments for health care. Mr. Ejercito said this process will prevent the experience of the government in the Dengvaxia controversy. The council is composed of experts capable of validating and developing policies to recommend for the DoH and PhilHealth.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte certified the bill as an urgent measure early July. Its counterpart measure in the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading in September. It has been identified as among the priority bills of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). — Camille A. Aguinaldo

DA to review 2019 spending on seed after budget cuts

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will review its spending priorities for 2019 after the Department of Budget and Management approved a P49.8-billion budget for the DA, significantly lower than the P60 billion approved for this year.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol told reporters on Tuesday: “We will have to streamline some programs” like a national reserve for seed “because I noticed that the seed stocks are not used.”
Mr. Piñol said that he has asked Assistant Secretary Andrew B. Villacorta and the DA’s operations team to compile data on which regions were given the most seed.
In 2019, he said the priority will be regions with a track record of using up their allocation “because a lot of the seed is being wasted.”
After recent storms, the department last week announced that it will need to tap its seed reserves, for distribution by the DA’s regional field offices.
The DA set aside 32,000 bags of rice seed to Pangasinan, which declared a state of calamity last week following heavy downpours caused by Tropical Storm Inday and Tropical Depression Josie.
Mr. Piñol said he will not be appealing the budget reduction.
“At the last cabinet meeting, it was agreed that the departments will not make any moves to ask for a bigger budget because we will try to make do with a smaller budget,” he added.
The DA had requested a P123.7-billion budget for 2019, which was to be spent on rice programs and easy-access credit for farmers. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

WB pledges support for Bangsamoro region

THE World Bank (WB) said it will ramp up development support to the Bangsamoro region after President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) last week,
“The signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and its implementation are critical to achieve long lasting peace in the region, and we are committed to scale up our program and double our efforts in support of this promising opportunity,” said Mara Warwick, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand in a statement on Tuesday.
The BOL will allow the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to have its own government with expanded powers of taxation. President Rodrigo R. Duterte promised the Muslim community in the southern Philippines to resolve long-standing conflicts.
“This is a significant milestone towards achieving stability in the region. The Law creates new opportunities for sustainable peace in Mindanao,” the World Bank said.
Currently, the bank along with other development partners is supporting the peace process between the Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front through the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF).
It first launched the program in 2006 seeking to assist social and economic recovery in conflict-affected communities, providing livelihood centers, solar driers, water and sanitation systems, among others.
The MTF pooled together P1.4 billion or $29.9 million as of 2017, which translated to 573 infrastructure and social projects
In April, the World Bank and Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation provided an additional $3.2-million grant funding to the MTF.
The World Bank also recalled that it “recalibrated” its Country Partnership Strategy for the Philippines to “deepen its focus on the Mindanao region,” to boost financing programs for improving agricultural productivity and connectivity; boosting education, skills, and employability of the youth; and helping build resilient communities.
“Besides the MTF, the World Bank has also been supporting the Mindanao through community-driven development, social protection, education, infrastructure, and rural development projects and programs,” the World Bank said.
“The World Bank has been a long-time partner in supporting peace and inclusive growth in Mindanao. We welcome the news and look forward to continue working closely with the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in support of sustainable peace and development in Bangsamoro and the entire Mindanao region,” said World Bank Vice-President for East Asia and Pacific Victoria Kwakwa. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

House passes on 3rd reading bill raising BSP capitalization

THE House of Representatives, voting 219-0, on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the bill strengthening the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
House Bill 7742 seeks to amend Republic Act 7653, “The New Central Bank Act,” by enhancing its monetary and financial stability functions.
The proposed measure raises the capital of the BSP from P50 billion to P200 billion, which will be subject to review every five years.
Adjustments to the BSP capital shall be made upon the recommendation of the Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management and the Monetary Board.
The bill further amends RA 7653 by placing money service businesses, credit granting businesses, and payment system operators under the BSP’s regulatory and examination powers.
Under the bill, the Monetary Board will also be allowed to authorize entities or persons to engage in money services.
The BSP is mandated to promote financial stability by overseeing “the payment and settlement systems in the Philippines, including critical financial market infrastructures.”
The BSP will also be tasked to closely work with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Insurance Commission, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Government.
Among its authors were Representatives Ben P. Evardone, Henry S. Oaminal and Ma. Theresa V. Collantes.
For its part, the Senate has yet to pass on second reading, Senate Bill 1297, which likewise seeks to amend RA 7653. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Agri dep’t bans import of California poultry

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has imposed a temporary ban on the entry of bird products from Southern California after a form of Newcastle disease was confirmed there.
In a memorandum order dated July 9, the DA said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the presence of the disease in the region.
The DA in the order said that the ban, which covers domestic poultry and game fowl, was issued “to prevent the entry of Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND) to protect the health of the local poultry population.”
The ban also includes an immediate suspension of the processing and evaluation of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported the confirmation of vND affecting backyard chickens in Southern California.
Since May, the USDA has found 66 confirmed cases of vND in poultry, mostly in San Bernardino County. Other cases were found in Riverside County and Los Angeles County.
According to the agency, the disease, which affects the digestive, nervous and respiratory systems of the bird, “is so virulent that many birds and poultry die without showing any clinical signs.”
APHIS, however, said that the vND does not pose any safety issue with humans eating the infected poultry so long as it is cooked properly. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

DTI approves SRP hike for some canned goods

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has approved price increases for some canned goods which are subject to price controls.
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the appeals of at least five food producers resulted in increases of 1.5 to 2%.
He added that the new suggested retail prices for three sardine brands and two corned beef brands will reflect the change this month.
“The requests were reasonable based on the cost of fish and canning material,” Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez told reporters Tuesday adding that the source of higher costs is mainly the price of global commodities.
“It’s still the world prices, which have yet to stabilize,” Mr. Lopez added.
Mr. Lopez noted that many companies have not yet resorted to raising prices.
“The others have chosen to absorb the higher costs to gain market share,” he added.
He said manufacturers of domestically sourced food can use the situation to expand their sales.
“Consumers have an option to buy cheaper goods, which is why some sellers will have second thoughts about raising prices,” Mr. Lopez added.
He said the latest price monitoring survey conducted by the DTI indicates that prices of 80% of products are stable. — Janina C. Lim

DoE gives up chair of PHL Electricity Market

THE Department of Energy (DoE) on Tuesday formally relinquished the chairmanship of the Philippine Electricity Market (PEM) board, paving the way for the assumption by an independent market operator (IMO) of the functions previously led by the Energy secretary over the country’s wholesale electricity spot market (WESM).
DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said his department will keep its distance to ensure that the electricity market functions independently but competitively.
“The Energy department remains the ultimate guardian of present rules and manuals and protector against industry breaches and anti-competitive behavior,” he said during the ceremony held at the office of the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC), the WESM’s governance arm, in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
“To do this effectively, we will continue to be attuned to the present developments while maintaining enough distance from the market’s daily functions,” he said.
Mr. Cusi earlier said that he remains firm in calling for the IMO’s establishment, which is already overdue by more than a decade from what the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) originally required.
“As for the DoE, we will remain faithful to the wisdom of the EPIRA and maintain oversight of the wholesale electricity market. As we bow out from PEMC, we will remain to do our task as a policy oversight,” he said during the event.
Under the transition plan approved earlier this year, the IMO will manage the operations of the WESM while PEMC will remain the spot market’s governing body.
Mr. Cusi said the DoE’s involvement with the WESM needs to be close enough for the department to understand key developments.
He said together with the Energy Regulatory Commission, the two will protect electricity consumers against industry breaches and anti-competitive behavior.
Before the turnover, PEMC, through its PEM board — composed of representatives from the government, power generation companies, transmission utilities, and distribution utilities — conducted both the operations and governance functions of WESM.
The IMO is tasked to operate the WESM and allocate resources for that purpose. It will also set the dispatch schedule of all power facilities, and monitor daily market trading activities.
It will oversee transaction billing and settlement procedures, and maintain and publish a registry of WESM trading participants.
Noel V. Aboboto is the first chairman freely elected by the members of the PEM board. — Victor V. Saulon

BIR proceeding with eTIS server migration

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) said that its electronic Tax Information System (eTIS) will return to normal today after migrating to another server, nearly a month after the bureau reported a “major hardware breakdown” in core systems hosted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
“The problem will be fixed today or tomorrow. The DICT has given us an alternative,” BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay told reporters yesterday, noting that the BIR met with the DICT on July 30.
The BIR said it is moving the data center to Makati.
“We are moving to another site. They committed that today will be the start of migration,” said BIR Deputy Commissioner Lanee C. David.
The BIR wrote to the DICT on July 3 that its eTIS operations broke down, denying the bureau access to taxpayer records, especially in its Large Taxpayers Office and the Makati Revenue Region.
The eTIS is a web-based platform covering taxpayer registration systems, returns filing and processing, collection, remittance and reconciliation, audit, case management system, taxpayer accounts system, batch architecture module, and system administration management.
The BIR said the breakdown will not affect its collection performance.
The BIR is tasked to collect P2.039 trillion this year, 14.5% higher than the actual P1.78 trillion collected in 2017. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

What’s next after the TRAIN?

In what was a surprising deviation from his usual off-the-cuff remarks, President Duterte stuck to his script as he delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA). Echoing his economic managers, he fended off criticisms of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) and asserted that it has made funds available to build infrastructure and develop human capital. The President extolled the seven-month-old law, claiming that it is already helping poor families and senior citizens cope with rising prices. He added that the government has set aside P149 billion worth of subsidies this year, a figure that will increase by P20 billion by next year. He also enumerated measures that the government has rolled out so far, including unconditional cash transfers, discounts in gas stations, and fuel vouchers for public utility vehicles, without mentioning the delayed implementation of these social mitigating measures. As he closed his segment on tax reform, the President urged Congress to pass the succeeding tax proposals.
INFLATION AND TRAIN
Yet lawmakers remain unconvinced, visibly aware of how consumers had felt the pinch of more expensive commodity prices despite a higher take home pay for those earning above minimum wage.
In June, inflation continued its monthly ascent and exceeded government target, clocking in a five-year high of 5.2% and averaging at 4.3% for the first half of the year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas already raised interest rates twice in a span of six weeks, in anticipation of higher inflation rates. Private sector economists are predicting at least one more rate hike before the year ends. While Moody’s retained the country’s investment-grade rating, it cautioned against the threats posed by elevated inflation and remarked that policy makers were facing challenges in managing the current inflationary pressures. Even former president and newly installed Speaker Gloria Arroyo, a major proponent of the expanded value added tax during her presidency, urged Duterte to “do something about the inflation.”
While many blamed TRAIN for the increased commodity prices, Duterte’s economic managers were quick to dispel this “incorrect” attribution, explaining that the higher-than-expected inflation was caused by a confluence of factors such as higher global oil prices, rice prices, and sin products. Nevertheless, the timing of TRAIN’s implementation, combined with the delay in the rollout of social mitigating measures, has undoubtedly burdened many Filipinos. In response, some senators have called for a suspension or, at the very least, a review of the law, an idea that the President dismissed in his SONA.
TAX PACKAGE 2
Up next on our lawmakers’ agenda is the second tax package, which focuses on lowering corporate income tax rates and rationalizing fiscal incentives. Businesses are burdened with the highest corporate income tax rate in the region at 30%, versus a low of 17% in Singapore. Even so, the efficiency in tax collections is still low. The country also has a complex tax incentives system, with fourteen different investment promotion agencies and over a hundred different investment laws.
In 2015, around P301 billion in revenues were foregone due to incentives. The DoF is pushing for the removal of incentives in certain industries, much to the chagrin of investment promotion agencies (IPA). While the government conceded that certain incentives are necessary to attract investments, several firms have enjoyed perpetual incentives without producing the desired benefits relative to its costs.
Following the same argument of providing for targeted subsidies instead of VAT exemptions under TRAIN, the DoF proposes the same logic as a more effective way of supporting firms. Yet, it remains unclear how the government intends to roll out these subsidies smoothly.
The upcoming 2019 midterm elections means that the legislative calendar will be shorter, as lawmakers head to their respective constituencies and begin preparing for their campaigns. This means legislators will be working within a tighter calendar compared to when the first tax package was deliberated upon in Congress. The House of Representatives has already started conducting hearings on the second package, but the Senate has yet to follow suit. Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman of the ways and means committee and a re-electionist in the midterm elections, said that the Senate is uncertain if it would pass a possibly “inflationary” tax package and is wary about the potentially adverse effects on jobs. The senators’ reluctance, however, may be overpowered if Malacañang decides to flex its muscles and push lawmakers to advance the bill.
As the President mentioned during his SONA, he hoped to sign the second package before the year draws to a close. This suggests the urgency with which the government is pushing for the passage of the next tax package, as lessons from the previous administrations have taught the current economic managers that reforms are most effective if implemented in the earlier part of a president’s term. Of course, this urgency is also prompted by the government’s need to raise revenues to finance its projects. However, does this mean that the government will introduce more new taxes? Will the rationalization of incentives be reasonable and fair? Unfortunately, the tight legislative timetable means that there wouldn’t be enough time to ensure that the bill is carefully studied. We can only hope that our officials have already learned from our TRAIN experience.
 
Weslene Uy is a Senior Economic Research Analyst of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

The SONA: a ranking of preferences


Rodrigo Duterte’s 2018 State of the Nation Address (SONA) addressed a lot of issues. And depending on your values, beliefs and advocacy, one would either slam Duterte or begrudgingly recognize parts of his reform agenda.
But it is not merely a question of counting what is good and what is bad in the President’s address. Duterte outlined his reform agenda: The Bangsamoro Organic Law, Universal Health Care (UHC), rationalization of fiscal incentives, increase in sin taxes, east of doing business Act, land use, and telecommunication liberalization. These are good reforms.
But we all have a ranking of preferences regarding the many issues we face. Some give attention to social reforms like health; others keep an eye on economic measures. And yes, the progressives are for the defense and assertion of human rights.
One, depending on her ranking of preferences, will give a much bigger weight to a particular concern, say human rights. Hence, even if the person supports the other measures, she would in the main oppose Mr. Duterte because of his bad human rights record.
Those who believe in the universality of human rights lambasted Mr. Duterte for his statement that “the illegal drugs war will not be sidelined. Instead, it will be as relentless and chilling…as on the day it began.” He even emphasized his disdain for human rights, saying that “Your concern is human rights, mine is human lives.”
To be sure, as many have pointed out, human rights and human lives are one. To quote Vice-President Leni Robredo: “We fight for human rights precisely because we value human lives.”
Hence, Mr. Duterte’s statement is a false dichotomy. Perhaps, Mr. Duterte was trying to make a nuanced statement, similar, for example, to how the former US President Barack Obama tried to justify the drone war to prevent terrorists from killing civilians. The US drone war is about targeted killing and signature strikes, even hitting innocent civilians. It’s a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Or perhaps, Duterte was following Deng Xiao Ping, who ordered a bloody crackdown of the Tiananmen student protesters in 1989. Deng’s calculation was that the spread of the protests would have rolled back the post-Mao Zedong reforms and ignited a civil war.
To be sure, the Obama and Deng examples were gross violations of human rights. But Obama and Deng and many other leaders are Machiavellian, cold-blooded and calculating, employing cost-benefit calculation, these leaders set aside moral considerations as they employ violent means to prevent huge or immeasurable losses for society.
The problem with Duterte’s reasoning is that even from an amoral “cost-benefit” calculation, he is wrong. Users of drugs are harmless people, and they do not constitute a threat, immediate or long term, to the peace and stability of the country. What is now recognized all over the world is that the drug problem is best addressed through a harm reduction approach.
The 2018 SONA gives as an insight into how people rank and weigh their issues. I am confident that our people support human rights. But many do not rank human rights a top priority.
It reminds me of a former US ambassador to China, Winston Lord, who rejected the reasoning of Deng to suppress the Tiananmen protesters. He harshly condemned China’s violation of human rights.
But ultimately, he said, “Human rights, as important as it is, cannot dominate our agenda.”
Sadly, this is likewise the outlook of many foreign governments and even the majority of our people towards Duterte.
 
Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III coordinates the Action for Economic Reforms.
www.aer.ph

Trademark ban and health alarmism


Health alarmism is the practice of frequently looking at health conditions pessimistically and then calling for more government regulations, taxation, and prohibitions supposedly to ameliorate the perceived pessimism.
Smoking is something that many people indulge in despite awareness of its dangers. The reason is that people own their body, not the government or doctors or NGOs. That is why many people also engage in dangerous activities like rock climbing, sky jumping, downhill bicycle racing, deep sea diving, full contact sports like boxing and UFC, and so on.
So aside from high and ever-rising tobacco taxes, advertising ban, smoking ban in public places, graphic warning in packs, the most extreme perhaps is mandatory plain packaging — no more branding and logos, only graphic warnings, pictures of damaged lungs, throat, tongue, etc. Their purpose is to further discourage people from smoking on top of existing measures mentioned.

One thing noticeable in the health alarmism of “more deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to smoking” is its inconsistency with data on rising life expectancy. From developing to developed coun- tries, people are living longer and healthier.
In addition, smoking prevalence among adults has been declining in many countries all these years even without plain packaging and related extremist measures.
When people have rising incomes, they also increase their appetite for travel, to live longer and naturally reduce substance abuse. Rising tobacco taxes and similar restrictions of course have also contributed to such reductions.
Based on the numbers, there seems to be little correlation between smoking prevalence and life expectancy. Japan has high smoking prevalence of 34% or twice of Australia’s 17% and yet Japan has higher life expectancy of 84 years compared to Australia’s 82.5 years. South Korea has smoking prevalence of 50% or three times that of Australia and yet they have similar life expectancy.
Australia is the first country in the world to legislate plain packaging in December 2012. Several tobacco-exporting countries like Indonesia and Honduras went to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to complain the measure as non-tariff barrier to trade. In late June 2018, WTO made a ruling that Australia’s law is valid.
If we bring in the above numbers to this case, it is clear that the plain packaging law is not really a health measure but a political measure to shut out some legitimate businesses while unintentionally aiding illegitimate businesses including criminal and terrorist groups whose main fund-raising activity is smuggling and illicit trade.
The decline in smoking prevalence/incidence in many countries all these years can be explained by (a) people’s awareness of the dangers of smoking, (b) effects of high cigarette taxes, smoking bans in public places, etc.
Another possible explanation is (c) people are smoking fewer products from legitimate manufacturers but actually smoking more products from smugglers and illegal sources as the latter’s prices are much cheaper.
In the case of Australia, a KPMG study last year showed that after the plain packaging law in 2012, the estimated share of illicit and smuggled tobacco rose from 11.5% of total tobacco consumption in 2012 to 13.5% in 2013 and since then stayed at around 14.2% average from 2014-2016 (source: KPMG, “Illicit Tobacco in Australia, 2016 Full Year Report,” March 2017.)
The Philippines has no plain packaging law or legislative proposal yet but only rising tobacco taxes: P30/pack under the Sin Tax law of 2012 (RA 10351), became P35/pack this year and P40/pack in 2020 under the TRAIN law of 2017 (RA 10963), then another push towards P90/pack as proposed by Sen. JV Ejercito and many health NGOs.
The impact on cigarette smuggling seems to be big. See for instance a BusinessWorld report on May 01, 2018, “DoF warns cigarette smuggling may be helping finance terrorism.” The report quoted DoF Secretary Sonny Dominguez as saying that “Illegal money can end up funding terrorist activities” while Customs Commissioner Caesar Dulay said that “smuggled cigarettes are currently flooding the market.”
The twin measures of more tobacco taxes and plain packaging policy are perfect formula to encourage more tobacco smuggling, more fake products that are cheap and can encourage more smoking and more smokers. And more money to criminal and terrorist groups that are engaged in illicit trade.
Newton’s third law of motion (“for every action there is an equal opposite reaction”) can also apply in economics and trade policy: For every taxation and prohibition, there is an equal and opposite distortion.
 
Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is President of Minimal Government Thinkers, a member-institute of Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia.
minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Where does loyalty to country begin?

One of President Manuel L. Quezon’s immortal quotables was, “My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins.” Sadly, both in the Philippines and in the United States, these are “famous lost words” — lost in the struggle for political survival.
Both President Donald Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte enjoy unprecedented approval among their respective voter bases, in sharp contrast to the criticism hurled by detractors. Duterte has been vilified as a killer and an uncouth potty-mouthed thug. And many Republicans privately concede that President Donald Trump is a congenital liar and prone to taking bizzare action, like insulting America’s closest allies, mounting a trade war, and siding with Russia’s Vladimir Putin against the entire intelligence and national security apparatus of the US.
But they have avoided frontally criticizing him for fear of a backlash from rabid Trump supporters. Even the way GOP leaders, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel, contradicted Trump on his position on Russian interference in the last US presidential election was muted and measured, at best.
Note that Trump’s public statements, following the Helsinki summit with Putin, were described by former CIA John Brennan as “nothing short of treasonous.”
But what some find difficult to understand is the attitude of Trump’s voter base towards allegations of collusion — or even conspiracy — between Trump and the Russians. According to one survey (by Public Policy Polling), 77% of Trump voters believed that he should continue to serve as president “even if it’s proven that he conspired with Russia to sway the 2016 election.” Only 14% said Trump should resign if collusion is proven.
However, this attitude does not necessarily translate into disloyalty to their country, as far as these Trump supporters are concerned. According to analysts, “party, ideology and race play key roles in Trump’s approval. Americans’ views of Donald Trump’s handling of his job as president are largely shaped by the same social fissures that have long divided the US.”
If you consider that Trump’s voter base consists mainly of non-Hispanic whites (including neo-Nazis and white supremacists), and if you consider, further, that the previous president, Barack Obama, was black, it becomes easier to understand the distinction between loyalty to Trump and to fellow whites vs. loyalty to the Russians.
In other words, these Trump supporters regarded — and still regard — the Democrats and Hillary Clinton as their “enemy” and going by the premise that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” because Putin and the KGB helped Trump defeat Clinton, the Russians, in effect, became friends of the Trump loyalists.
One rabid Trump supporter argues that this not make him disloyal to America. Of course, one can also argue that such a rationale is called weaseling and that, whether they are doing it consciously or not, when they approve of a foreign country sabotaging the very foundation of American democracy — its electoral process — that is an act of disloyalty.
Wasn’t it the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who said, “He who is not with me is against me!”?
Concerning Trump’s dalliance with a porn actress and a Playboy bunny, these Trump supporters don’t care because “that’s what powerful men do.” And they made references to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.
Trump’s latest approval rating among Republican voters, according to Gallup, is at a high 85%, although among independents and Democrats, he rates a measly 37% and 11%, respectively. Among all voters, Trump’s approval rating is just slightly above 40% and disapproval is upwards of 50%.
Those who hold Trump in high regard believe he has been good for the US. Tax reform is considered among his major accomplishments and the brisk US economy has been attributed to his administration. Apparently, for these, Trump loyalists have been willing to overlook his sins.
The question one is constrained to ask Trump supporters and the Republican leadership is, “When does loyalty to party, ideology and race end, and when does loyalty to country begin?”
In Philippine politics, asking that very same question is like talking to the wind. In a political environment where the quest for power and wealth is paramount, loyalty to the country sounds like too much mushy stuff.
While President Rodrigo Duterte more than matches Trump in terms of the near-fanatical loyalty of his supporters, that “loyalty” is, likely, more self-serving than selfless.
In the first place, there is no such concept as “ideology” in Philippine politics and a “party” is simply a basis for gaining official recognition, the better to forge alliances with whoever is in power. And that, in turn, is determined by who assumes the presidency.
Because of the power over the purse and the power to appoint people to high positions (as well as the power to dislodge them), President Rodrigo Duterte holds the reins, calls the shots, and cracks the whip. Everyone else jumps.
The last public opinion polls placed Duterte’s approval rating at 70% “satisfied” vs. 14% “dissatisfied” and 17% “undecided.” The question asked in hushed tones is “what percentage of the Philippine military is satisfied or dissatisfied with Duterte?”
After EDSA One and EDSA Two, the role of the military as power broker is generally conceded, although nobody dares to publicly rouse the men-at-arms.
Meanwhile, Duterte has, understandably, made sure that the members of the Armed Forces are significantly benefited under his watch. One press release issued by military quarters cheerfully reported, “Starting this year, soldiers and police will get the partial adjustment in their salary until 2017 and by January 2018, take home pay will be doubled according to Department of Budget and Management (DBM).”
The news item also announced that, in addition to the salary increases, “soldiers, and their families will also be covered by administration programs from medical, health, social services, and education benefits for the soldiers and their families,” including substantial cash benefits and even a monthly sack of rice.
It can be assumed that the benefits and emoluments for the military brass are even more substantial. Given these, why would anyone want to stay a military coup?
Yet rumors persist about such a plot and administration officials continue to accuse the opposition of trying to “destabilize” the Duterte government.
In the wake of the Watergate scandal, a Republican-controlled legislature told a Republican president, Richard Nixon, to resign rather than face impeachment. Will today’s Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives do the same and place duty to country above loyalty to their personal political interests? Or will it take the dislodging of the Republicans by the Democrats in the coming mid-term elections for this to happen?
That is a question that hovers over Americans like a soap opera cliff hanger. As for Duterte, forget about impeaching him or staging a coup against him.
In the Philippines, loyalty to personal interests trumps loyalty to country any day of the week, including Sundays.
 
Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.
gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

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