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Ramirez formally turns over PSC flag to successor Eala

PSC turnover ceremony where Eala received the PSC flag from Ramirez — PSC

THE PHILIPPINE Sports Commission’s (PSC’s) leadership was officially turned over to newly-appointed PSC Chairman Jose Emmanuel “Noli” Eala today, Sept. 5, 2022 at the PSC Main Grounds in Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Malate, Manila.

Former PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez formally turned over the PSC flag to chairman Eala to symbolize the passing on of leadership in simple rites that was conducted right after the agency’s flag-raising ceremony which was also attended by Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo, members of the Management Committee, PSC heads, employees and staff.

Mr. Eala will serve as the 11th chairman of the government sports agency since its inception in 1990.

During the turnover ceremony today, the following were among the strong points mentioned by the agency’s top sports officials:

“I wish to thank chairman Butch [Ramirez] for coming over today. He is someone I always believed to display the leadership of a true public servant. Quiet yet firm and dedicated. He just told me that he was there to help us. And what he has done for this commission will forever be remembered. Maraming Salamat po chairman Butch.”

“I wish to thank Commissioner Bong Coo for taking charge of the agency for the past few months. Without you, I’m sure it would have been harder for us. I also wish to thank Atty. Iroy for his invaluable help.”

“Four years of working, two years disturbed by the pandemic. It was a meaningful journey. Mr. Noli Eala needs our help, our support. For, if he succeeds, Philippine Sports Commission will succeed, and Philippine sports will succeed.

Among the immediate plans of Chairman Eala are:

• Complete the board membership

• Ensure that we are able to complete the mandate of the PSC

• Ensure that all national athletes are getting prepared for 2023 competitions

• Continue grassroots programs that will be extensive in partnership with various agencies

• Give the national athletes their benefits, to care for the athletes and to make sure that they will be provided with everything that they need so they can be successful

• Select the best parts of Project Gintong Alay and make sure that it is modernized to the current situation

• Ensure equality in support to regular athletes and para-athletes.

Yeng Guiao to develop Rain or Shine youth-laden core into playoff-ready unit

YENG GUIAO — PHILSTAR/ JONATHAN ASUNCION

AFTER turning former team NLEX into a playoffs contender, coach Yeng Guiao’s next job puts him in charge of building up Rain or Shine’s (ROS) youth-laden core.

Mr. Guiao made his way back to his old team ROS just three days after parting ways with the Road Warriors.

He signed a three-year contract in the presence of team owners Terry Que and Raymund Yu yesterday, signaling his second tour of duty for the franchise he first served from 2011 to 2016 and steered to the 2012 Governors Cup and the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup championships.

At the ROS camp, Mr. Guiao is tasked to help the E-Painters’ young guns like Rey Nambatac, Anton Asistio, Mike Nieto, Gian Mamuyac, Shaun Ildefonso, Andrei Caracut and Santi Santillan grow and develop into a playoffs-ready unit after the group missed the post-elims stages of the last two conferences.

The seven-time champion coach will get help from veterans Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga and Jewel Ponferada, the remaining holdovers from his old ROS crew, in doing this.

Mr. Guiao’s re-entry created a shakeup in the ROS think tank with erstwhile head of basketball operations Caloy Garcia set to serve as first assistant and former head coach Chris Gavina sliding to second assistant.

“Yeng (Guiao) is happy to be back and we’re happier to have him back,” said Mr. Yu, who initiated a blitz negotiation with Mr. Guiao over the weekend.

Mr. Guiao is expected to hit the ground running for ROS with the Commissioner’s Cup firing off on Sept. 21. The E-Painters will be reinforced by 6-foot-10 American-Nigerian Daniel Ochefu. — Olmin Leyba

‘TNT battled through pain, injuries and lack of key players,’ says Jayson Castro

PHILIPPINE STAR/ RUSSEL PALMA
TROPANG Giga’s Jayson Castro — PHILIPPINE STAR/ RUSSEL PALMA

TNT veteran Jayson Castro is optimistic the banged-up Tropang Giga will come out of their failed title defense in the PBA Philippine Cup a lot wiser and hungrier moving forward.

The Tropang Giga bravely battled through pain, injuries or banishment of key players and the absence of coach Chot Reyes but ultimately faded in the final push against the San Miguel Beer juggernaut, 119-97.

“The Blur” said he couldn’t ask for more from his teammates, who soldiered on despite missing Reyes (health protocols), Glenn Khobuntin (MCL) and later Poy Erram (ejected in the second quarter) and even had the upperhand after three quarters, 89-84.

Assistant coach Josh Reyes, who stood in for his boss and father, expressed a similar sentiment.

“We’re missing bodies, we’re missing rotation players that we’re not expecting to be missing. But I thought the guys played their hearts out. Now there’s nothing to do but get ready for the next conference. Hopefully, we’ll get another shot at it,” said the younger Mr. Reyes.

Mr. Castro himself was not 100 percent coming off a right ankle sprain sustained in Game 6 but still produced 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the decider. He dropped 19 in the third, allowing the Tropang Giga to wipe out an 11-point deficit and enter the payoff canto on top by five. — Olmin Leyba

AE Bob chess team rules Senator Manny Pacquiao Tuna Festival Chess tournament in General Santos

AE Bob chess team routed Philippine Army, 3-0, and then edged Iligan City via tiebreak to rule the Sen. Manny Pacquiao Tuna Festival Chess team tournament in General Santos over the weekend.

Bob Jones Liwagon spearheaded the title-clinching triumph by stunning national champion and blitz king International Master Daniel Quizon on top board in snatching the champion’s purse worth a cool P200,000.

Also providing the crucial wins were Samson Lim, Jr. and Vince Duane Pascual, who turned back Vince Angelo Medina and Wenlan Temple on the lower boards, respectively.

Iligan caught up with Army on top with 12 match points apiece after edging GM Balinas squad, 2-1, on a win by Cecil Cuevas over Drigo Teves on board two and draws by IM Ronald Bancod and Julius Ablin with GM Joey Antonio and Michael Jan Inigo on boards one and three. They pocket P100,000 for their feat.

Finishing fourth and fifth with 10 match points each were Tiktokers composed of FIDE Master Arden Reyes and his younger brother Chester Neil and Rhenz Rheann Auza and Bukidnon comprising of Jeriel Manlimbana, Randolph Christopher Daluata and Bryan Jose.

Rounding out the top 10 were University of Santo Tomas, Ligon All Stars, GM Balinas, Negros B, MP Team and Army. — Joey Villar

Kyrgios stuns Medvedev to reach US Open quarters

NEW YORK — Nick Kyrgios crushed world number one Daniil Medvedev’s dreams of a title defense at the US Open on Sunday with a 7-6(11) 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory to reach the quarter-finals and ensure there will be a new top ranked player when the tournament concludes.

In a meeting worthy of a Broadway show between two of the game’s biggest servers and most combustible personalities, it was the fiery Australian who was the better in the match’s biggest moments, showing off a renewed focus and fitness.

“It was an amazing match,” Kyrgios said in an on-court interview before a sold-out crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Daniil is the defending champion so there’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but I played really well. I’ve been playing amazing the last couple months and what a place to do it, packed house in New York”.

Kyrgios delights in shunning the norms of tennis and did so again in a bizarre moment early in the third set when he ran around the net to hit a ball that Medvedev had sent high in the air, leading Kyrgios to celebrate.

The play cost Kyrgios the point but seemingly raised his spirits as he would break for 3-1 and take the set with one of his perfectly executed drop shot.

“I would have probably been out every night before but now I’ve got a great girlfriend. She helps me, and my team.”

The 23rd-seeded Kyrgios will be a heavy favorite to beat 27th seed Karen Khachanov when they meet on Tuesday. — Reuters

Gauff races into US Open quarters with win over Zhang

NEW YORK — American teenager Coco Gauff used her superior speed to overcome a second set deficit and pull off a thrilling 7-5 7-5 win over China’s Zhang Shuai to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time.

With Serena Williams’ loss on Friday night likely signaling the end of her legendary career, American tennis fans are eager to see someone emerge in her place and many have put their hopes on the amiable, hard-serving Gauff.

“It feels insane,” Gauff said in an on-court interview after sealing the win to set up a showdown with in-form Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia on Tuesday.

“I mean, Ashe Stadium chanting my name, I was trying not to smile on the bench on the last changeover, I was trying to stay in the moment. But in my head I was smiling.

“I can’t believe you guys were chanting like that. It’s crazy.”

In a battle between the youngest player left in the draw, the 18-year-old Gauff, and the oldest, the 33-year-old Zhang, it was the Chinese player who looked sharper at the outset, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the first set.

But 12th seed Gauff kept her poise to break back and fired a two-handed backhand winner to claim the first set and electrify the supportive crowd.

Zhang, a human backboard content to extend rallies from the baseline, grabbed a 5-3 lead in the second when she broke Gauff with a backhand winner of her own.

But Gauff again showed maturity beyond her years, winning the last four games highlighted by an electrifying point in the final game where she used her astonishing speed to slide from corner to corner to elicit an error from Zhang.

The crowd roared in approval after the point and Zhang covered her ears to block out the sound, which was amplified by the closed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium due to rain.

Gauff sealed the nearly two-hour affair on an error by Zhang and the two exchanged a warm hug at the net.

With the win, Gauff became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Melanie Oudin in 2009.

She can expect her fans to return when she battles red-hot 17th-seed Garcia in the quarters after she defeated Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-4, 6-1. — Reuters

Thriving in a world of in-betweens

JAVIER ALLEGUE-UNSPLASH

The pandemic continues to place the world in a constant see-saw with the global numbers going up and down. It may be too early to call it, but we are breathing a little easier because the swings have been manageable (so far) and the periods when they happen are getting a little longer too. The vaccinations helped a lot and hopefully, the proof of life is already convincing enough for the remaining pockets of unbelievers to brave the needlestick and opt for the health safety net.

Humans seem to have an unending well of hope that springs even in the direst circumstances. We are more than ready to live again, prepared to cope with the risks that may still be present in the air because the alternative of a world paralyzed with fear is no longer an option. There is growing certainty that the likelihood of achieving the goal of zero transmission is no longer possible, even with stringent measures. COVID-19 will co-habit our world and we will just have to learn how to adapt to this endemic state.

The process of adaptation will be a series of actions to bring us from shaky to stable condition. We are in that place of uncertainties coming to terms with living in a different environment, deciding which old we can bring to merge with the new, and how we can fuse them to create our realities. In this transition, we will see new patterns of behaviors emerging, new processes developing, and new roles evolving.

This period will be a metamorphosis of sort, where changes that are introduced can help us build a stronger, more resilient, and better version of what used to be. History chronicled the numerous turbulences experienced by those who came before us where the human spirit rose and overcame. This experience in our generation should again display this resilience as we turn our attention to the huge task of rebuilding our world.

Business will play a significant role in navigating our own transition in this generation. We have a gut feeling that the definition of what constitutes progress and development will radically change but right now, we are living in the world of in-betweens. That means we connect the metrics we know while we collectively figure out what comes next. The big challenge for business organizations is managing these interim phases so that every aspect of the operation is ready for the changes, both in strategies and structures. The goal is to strengthen the fundamentals to survive and be ready to thrive way into a changed future. Some thoughts:

• Keep a close watch on the external developments and trends to identify opportunities, and audit the readiness of the enterprise to be a player in these arenas.

• Determine the structural changes, processes, and practices that may need to be introduced, enhanced, and updated.

• Get people to expect changes as an offshoot of new realities, to learn together and to work as a team to weather the unstable period.

• Prepare the workforce to reskill, upskill, and retool their capabilities for the changing demands of their jobs, or to take on new roles that may be created.

• Embed innovation and creativity into the organizational DNA to stay ahead.

• Lessen complexity and keep things simple — steering the organization can be done faster if we do not put this in an unnecessary maze.

There is a Latin phrase — duc in omnia — that means “to lead in all things.” It is a tall order because leaders, just like anyone else, can make many bad decisions. Learning continuously, being data-driven, and, mostly, by listening to as many inputs as possible with an open mind are some steps we can take to minimize them. When the window of awareness is broadened, when we process information and feedback and verify them, we improve the chances of finding the best solutions under various conditions.

Kafka on the Shore, one of the most renowned works of Japanese author Haruki Murakami, narrated the stories of Kafka and Nakata, the two lead characters that appeared to represent the two worlds of the conscious and the unconscious. The story implied that most people inhabit these two worlds, interchangeably, living in the borderline. The famous passage in the book is a good description of our pandemic experience:

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

The crisis disrupted our lives, but from this disruption might arise clarity of thoughts to pave the way to do better. Ground zero is the best time to rise again. This is a chance to dismantle the barriers that hamper our shared purpose of living in a more just and humane society. We are in fertile ground to take risks, introduce innovations, support these with investments, and leave a legacy. The times call for leaders to rise to this challenge and be part of a better narrative for generation next. n

The 20th MAP International CEO Conference happens on Sept. 13, Tuesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Shangri-La at The Fort. This is presented by the Management Association of the Philippines in partnership with BusinessWorld, Converge ICT and First Philippine Holdings. We invite you to explore possibilities and identify new opportunities using the ideas and insights that will be shared by thought leaders from diverse backgrounds. We hope the “what ifs” will pave the way for innovations that can be part of the solutions moving forward. THE WINS OF CHANGE: Thriving in a World of In-Betweens.

 

Alma Rita R. Jimenez is chair of the MAP CEO Conference Committee, vice-chair of the MAP Health Committee, president and CEO of Health Solutions Corp., and former undersecretary of the Department of Tourism.

map@map.org.ph

alma.almadrj@gmail.com

Green skepticism: The bane of sustainable fashion?

TU TU-UNSPLASH
TU TU-UNSPLASH

Eco-friendly. Green. Sustainable. You have probably seen these words, or their synonyms, used to market and promote many consumer products that you use daily. We have even seen them in the marketing campaigns of several well-known fashion brands such as Bayo, H&M, and Nike, as well as new and up-and-coming fashion labels.

Bayo’s #JourneytoZero discloses the company’s textile waste reduction efforts (https://bayo.com.ph/sustainability/). H&M has a Conscious Choice collection, which supposedly contains at least 50% of the more environmentally friendly materials (https://www2.hm.com/en_us/sustainability-at-hm/our-products/explained.html). Nike’s Move to Zero initiative includes its Recycling + Donation program, which encourages customers to drop off used athletic apparel and shoes at participating branches. Nike then sorts these items and either cleans and donates them, or sends them out to be recycled (https://www.nike.com/nl/en/sustainability/recycling-donation).

Perhaps, like me, you also have mixed emotions about these campaigns. On one hand, we applaud companies that take responsibility for their environmental impact. But on the other hand, we wonder how much impact these efforts really have on the planet. These sentiments constitute green skepticism — a person’s hesitance to believe in the environmental benefits of products labeled as eco-friendly or green.

Any skepticism is usually associated with a decrease in a consumer’s interest to purchase a product. As a sustainable fashion enthusiast, I was curious to know if this green skepticism prevents consumers from supporting sustainable fashion. So, I did what any nerdy aspiring researcher would do: look through the literature and do my own survey to better understand which factors lead to consumer skepticism towards sustainable fashion, and whether green skepticism negatively affects the intention to purchase sustainable fashion apparel. I created my survey on Google forms and requested several business ethics professors to share it with the post-millennial (Gen-Z) undergraduate students taking their ethics class. Here are the insights that I have gleaned from the over 300 responses I received, which sustainable fashion brands may also find helpful.

Previous incidents of greenwashing increase green skepticism. Greenwashing is defined by TerraChoice as “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental performance and positive communication about environmental performance.” Consumers, particularly post-millennials in the Philippines, tend to be more doubtful of a fashion brand that has been previously criticized for deceptive or ambiguous marketing campaigns about its environmental and sustainability practices.

Perceptions that sustainability claims are self-serving increase green skepticism. According to a 2015 article published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management on the consequences of greenwashing, consumers tend to believe that company’s sustainability claims and campaigns are motivated by selfish intentions of corporate profits rather than genuine concern for the environment. In my own study, I have also found that post-millennial consumers who tend to believe that companies have self-serving motives are also more skeptical about these companies’ sustainability campaigns.

However, green skepticism does not deter purchase intention. Perhaps the most interesting finding in my own research is that green skepticism does not necessarily affect purchase intention negatively. The numbers showed a positive relationship between the two, i.e., a consumer with a high level of green skepticism is still interested in purchasing sustainable fashion apparel. According to a 2017 article published in the Journal of Business Ethics on the causes and consequences of green skepticism, this is because green skepticism may in fact prompt consumers to seek more information about the sustainability claims of a brand, which may in turn lead to purchase intentions.

How then should green skepticism be viewed? What I took away from my readings and my own study is that green skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing. It may even be the stimulus to get consumers to learn more about sustainable fashion. Thus, green skepticism may pique consumer interest, but sustainable fashion companies should allay any distrust in their claims. Sustainable fashion companies must be mindful of how they craft and disseminate their sustainability efforts and claims. Their messages must be clear and transparent to dispel any doubt that they might only be masking self-serving intentions.

 

Liza Mae L. Fumar is a PhD in Business student of De La Salle University, where she also teaches Human Behavior in Organizations and Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance. Her research interests include consumer behavior and green consumption.

liza.fumar@dlsu.edu.ph

Build-build-build, extended welfare, vaccine discrimination, and liberty forum

There are as usual four topics in this column and we go straight to them.

ASSESSMENT OF DUTERTE’S BUILD-BUILD-BUILD
Dr. Epictetus E. Patalinghug, Professor Emeritus of UP Diliman (and my former undergrad Economics teacher in the 1980s), wrote a good paper: “An Assessment of the Infrastructure Program of the Duterte Administration” (funded by the UP Professor Emeritus Research Program, published August 2022).

The paper assesses the end-of-term performance (2016-2022) of the previous Administration’s Build, Build, Build (BBB) Program. It observed that the scope of BBB changed from 75 big-ticket projects to 112 less ambitious and more doable projects. The huge gap between the actual and targeted infrastructure expenditures in the early years of the program was a manifestation of the weak absorptive capacity of the implementing agencies.

Among the 15 railway projects examined by the study, only two were completed, and among the 10 unsolicited airport public-private partnership (PPP) projects, none was completed. While Duterte’s BBB saw an all-time high in infrastructure spending vis-à-vis previous administrations, still its performance was low compared to its targets.

The Marcos Jr. administration should go back to the conventional PPP scheme in building huge infrastructure. The private sector bears most, if not all, of the financial and technical aspects while government arranges right of way and other property rights related issues.

ENDLESS WELFARE SPENDING CONTRIBUTES TO ENDLESS BORROWING
The heavy government-imposed lockdowns of 2020-2021 resulted in the large-scale displacement of labor and businesses. Government borrowed heavily, averaging P2 trillion a year, to fund new welfare programs on top of existing ones. We look at health welfare and social protection. Health insurance (via PhilHealth) continues to rise while public health services jumped big time in 2020-2021, and there is a new health program not elsewhere classified (n.e.c.) of P180 billion next year.

Social protection spending more than doubled in 2020 over the 2019 level, led by spending on survivors, street families, and protection n.e.c. The problem is that lockdowns have ended this year and yet the huge social spending continues in 2022-2023 (see Table 2).

“We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added… No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear.” — Ronald Reagan, former US President

May President Marcos Jr. and the economic team heed this advice from Mr. Reagan.

CONTINUING COVID VAX DISCRIMINATION
An unvaccinated Grade 11 student in one private school in Metro Manila was prohibited from attending classes for two weeks because one member of her choir group, who was vaccinated, tested positive. The school’s protocol for “Quarantine of asymptomatic close contacts of individuals with symptoms, suspect, probable, or confirmed cases: (a) Fully vaccinated asymptomatic shall quarantine for at least five days, (b) Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated asymptomatic shall quarantine for at least 14 days, from the date of the last exposure.”

This continuing vaccine discrimination by schools and offices is instigated by old, alarmist, scare-mongering, and heavy vax-pushing policies of the Department of Health (DoH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). A vaxxed student tested positive and the unvaxxed one who is not sick is penalized. This is typical of a riddle with an obvious answer, “What product on earth blames its failure to protect on those who do not use it?”

The parents are hesitant to have their child vaccinated for at least two reasons. One, a trend of declining births and fertility in many countries especially in 2022 after the mass vaccination rollout in 2021. In the Philippines for instance, the average births per month were: 139,494 in 2019, 127,390 in 2020, 113,728 in 2021, and 93,430 in January-February 2022.

Birth rates in Q1 2022 vs. Q1 2021 were as follows: Taiwan -27%, Germany -12%, Netherlands, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic -11%, Finland and Greece -10% (see https://petersweden.substack.com/p/birthrates-down).

Two, rising cases of heart- and thrombotic-related diseases post vaccination. There is one compilation that is regularly updated of about 1,000 studies and reports. For 1.) Myocarditis 226 studies, 2.) Thrombosis 150 studies, 3.) Thrombocytopenia 115 studies, and so on (see https://www.informedchoiceaustralia.com/post/1000-peer-reviewed-studies-questioning-covid-19-vaccine-safety).

These plus continuing reports of unexplained child deaths post vaccination should shake the DoH, the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., and Vice-President Sara Duterte, to stop the continuing vaccine discrimination, explicit and implicit.

Back to the school and the student. The school officials explained that they have to follow existing DoH and IATF protocols. They bent backwards and will provide one-on-one make up classes for the unvaxxed student who has been prevented from going to school even if she has zero symptoms, and was not sick the entire year. Good move by the school but continuing bad policies by the government.

ASIA LIBERTY FORUM, TAXPAYERS FORUM, ILLICIT TRADE FORUM
There are three international fora in Manila that I will attend: the Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) on Sept. 29-30 at Shangri-La BGC, sponsored by the Atlas Network and its local partner Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF); the Asian Taxpayers Regional Forum on Sept. 27-28, also at Shangri-La BGC, sponsored by the World Taxpayers Association (WTA); and, the Global Anti-Illicit Trade Summit, South-East Asia on Oct. 13, organized by The Economist.

The ALF is an annual event sponsored by Atlas that started around 2013 in Delhi. I attended only the ALF 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal; ALF 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; ALF 2017 in Mumbai, India; ALF 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia; and ALF 2019 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) sponsored all my participation in those events except in 2015, when Media 9 and Business 360 magazine (Kathmandu) sponsored me. Thanks again, FNF and Media 9. The last time that Atlas sponsored me was for the Atlas Liberty Forum 2008 in Atlanta, and 2009 in Los Angeles, USA, when Jo Kwong was still the Atlas Vice-President and she would look for funding so I could fly and attend the events. After Jo left Atlas in 2010, there was no sponsorship for me from their organization.

WTA’s main advocacies are low flat tax and limited government. I have been an observer-ally of WTA since 2006 when it co-organized with the Korea Taxpayers Association (KTA) the regional meeting in Seoul, South Korea and they sponsored my trip. I attended other WTA regional meetings after that and my last participation were the meetings in Bangkok in 2017 and in Sydney in 2019.

This will be my first time attending the Anti-Illicit Trade conference. More illicit trade means a country is becoming more corrupt because the smugglers, criminal groups, and their protectors in government are having their way. Weak rule of law, high taxes, and weakening brand protection are among the major contributors to more illicit trade. In October 2019, I wrote a chapter in the International Property Rights Index (IPRI) 2019 entitled “Banning brand: Consumer and economic impact of plain packaging.” I presented it at the IPRI 2019 global launch in Manila, then in IPRI presentations in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Jakarta, all in one week.

The global lockdowns of 2020-2021 were a triumph of Big Governments and a retreat for individual freedom. The irony is that many free-market groups have supported the global narratives that: 1.) Government-imposed lockdowns and government-mandated vaccinations are necessary; 2.) Only the virus evolves and humans do not evolve to deal with it; and, 3.) natural immunity from natural infection should be distrusted and only vax immunity should be trusted.

May the liberty forum and taxpayers’ forum awaken many people from a long slumber to realize that individual freedom should not be sacrificed on the altar of global advances of Big Government.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Should your buses, trams and trains be free?

ELIJAH G-UNSPLASH

LIKE EVERYBODY I know in Germany, I bought the so-called €9 ticket this summer. Three, in fact — one each for June, July, and August. I put the QR codes in my cell phone’s digital wallet, and was free to hop on and off all buses, trams, local and regional trains nationwide. In a country that specializes in making things complicated, getting around was suddenly simple.

This all-you-can-ride ticket — for about €9 — was a huge experiment that deserves a look from other countries groping for policies against climate change. The impetus was this year’s surge in inflation and, in particular, the energy shock. In response, the German government passed a raft of measures meant to soften the blow to people’s finances. The €9 ticket was one.

The most popular one, in fact. The deal expired last week, and everybody’s already talking about how and when to bring it back. So, the question — for Germany and other countries — is whether and under what circumstances it’s a good idea to subsidize public transport enough to make it extremely cheap or even free.

The numbers are intriguing. People bought some 52 million €9 tickets, and another 10 million who had previously bought an annual subscription got them automatically. I almost wonder about the Germans who didn’t avail themselves of the offer. Presumably, they include babies and people living in deep forests with no bus stops.

If early estimates prove correct, moreover, about 10% of buyers used the ticket to drop at least one of their daily car trips. This saved them a packet in gasoline expenses. It also kept big clouds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere — about 1.8 million metric tons. That — after just three months — is equivalent to the emissions from powering 350,000 homes for one whole year, or the savings that can be expected in one year if Germany introduces a speed limit on its autobahns. 

This comes as a shock. Cities from Santiago, Chile, to Salt Lake City, Utah, and Tallinn, Estonia, have also experimented with making public transport free. So has the entire small nation of Luxembourg. But they all found that their subsidies didn’t noticeably reduce car trips — either because the people who took more trams, buses, and trains were too poor to own cars and would otherwise have walked or cycled; or because public transport was still too inconvenient relative to driving for price to make much difference.

This points to a general problem with subsidies. Unlike price signals coming from markets, they usually distort rather than correct a sector of the economy. Making public transport free or cheap, for example, boosts demand for it but doesn’t do anything to also increase the quantity or quality of supply.

Operators of bus and rail lines, whether they’re in the private or public sector, can’t easily add capacity. In Germany, too, many frustrated €9 passengers were left on the platforms as their overcrowded trains departed without them. Nor were people much better off who live in places where the bus comes once a week, if at all.

In reality, therefore, public-transport subsidies are usually an answer to the problem of inequality, not climate change. The well-off keep driving, no matter how much gasoline costs. And they pay more in taxes to enable the cash-strapped to ride at little or no charge. In this case, a lot more: Germany’s subsidy, just for these three summer months, is estimated to cost the federal government — and thus the taxpayer — €2.5 billion.

The €9 ticket, however, suggests that a well-designed subsidy could yet make more people leave their car at home at least some of the time, thereby mitigating greenhouse-gas emissions as well as inequality. But for that, the subsidy would have to be combined with other policies.

First, governments must also provide more — rather than just cheaper — alternatives to driving, or design incentives for companies to do so. This is fiendishly difficult. Even in Germany, where mainstream politics is allegedly “pro-rail,” trains are best known for running late or not at all. And whenever somebody tries to build a shiny new station, the locals (very much including those labeling themselves “green”) protest.

Second, governments must deliberately make driving less and less affordable. The cost of gasoline or diesel must stay uncomfortably high long beyond the current energy crisis — in fact, forever. And the best way to ensure that is to put a high and rising price on carbon, as cap-and-trade regimes seek to do.

This is why demands from Poland and other countries to ditch the European Union’s emissions-trading system, the world’s largest cap-and-trade market, are misguided. Instead of sacrificing the ETS to temporarily dampen energy prices, Europe should instead strengthen and expand the system, and other countries should follow.

For now, even classical liberals like me must admit that transportation is an area of the economy that’s jammed by market failures, and bears much of the blame for climate change. This suggests that government should intervene with better policies. The €9 ticket doesn’t offer the whole answer — but a first glimpse.

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Singapore hotel prices hit 10-year high as city roars back to life

STORM CLOUDS gather over the Marina Bay Sands casino and resort in Singapore, April 5, 2021. — REUTERS

HOTEL ROOMS in Singapore are now the most expensive in almost a decade as the city-state seeks to position itself as the tourism and business destination in Asia with a slew of high-profile events lined up for the coming months.

At S$259 ($184) a night, the average hotel room rate in July rose nearly 70% year-on-year to the highest since Sept. 2012, as visitor arrivals continue to accelerate amid easing COVID-19 restrictions, the latest data from the Singapore Tourism Board showed.

Even as prices climb, luxurious stays in the Southeast Asian nation are still cheaper than in some of its big-city peers.

A five-star hotel in Singapore charges an average of S$344 per night, compared with S$387 in Hong Kong, S$522 in Tokyo and S$584 in London, according to data from Trip.com. Meanwhile, a five-star hotel costs S$318 per night in Sydney and S$256 in Seoul.

Visitor arrivals in Singapore rose for the sixth straight month in July to 726,601, up from 543,733 in June, according to the tourism board. This growth is likely to hold as the country plays host to a growing number of international business and sporting events.

Preparation is in the works for the Formula One Grand Prix from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 after a two-year hiatus. This year’s night race is set to see its biggest turnout since the inaugural event in 2008, with tickets expected to sell out, Singapore’s transport minister S Iswaran told local media at a community event in August.

Away from the track, the entertainment lineup includes performances by Westlife and Green Day. Other big names in entertainment coming to Singapore later this year include Justin Bieber, Maroon Five and Guns N’ Roses.

Singapore will also host the Milken Institute Asia Summit, Forbes Global CEO Conference and several crypto events in September, followed by gamescom asia in October.

The reopening comes as regional travel hub rival Hong Kong continues to require three days of hotel quarantine for incoming visitors.

In the first three months of 2022, Singapore hosted more than 150 local and international events attended by over 37,000 people, according to the tourism board.

About 4 million to 6 million visitors are expected in 2022. The nation saw 1.5 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2022, nearly 12 times more compared to the same period last year, the board said.

Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines were the top five visitor markets, accounting for 56% of Singapore’s total visitor arrivals in the first half. — Bloomberg

Jailed Malaysian ex-PM Najib seeks royal pardon

Najib Razak — WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM/WIKIPEDIA

KUALA LUMPUR — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has applied for a royal pardon, the speaker of parliament said on Monday, less than two weeks after he was sent to jail for 12 years for corruption.

Malaysia’s top court on Aug. 23 had rejected an appeal by Mr. Najib, 69, to set aside his conviction on graft and money laundering charges in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Mr. Najib, who has also been fined nearly $50 million, has consistently denied wrongdoing.

According to Malaysia’s constitution, any lawmaker sentenced to more than a year in prison will automatically lose their seat in parliament, unless they apply for a pardon from the monarch within 14 days.

Parliament Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun said on Monday Mr. Najib will remain a legislator until his petition for a pardon, filed on Friday, was decided on.

Mr. Najib would lose his seat “only if the petition was rejected” Azhar said in a statement.

A lawyer for Mr. Najib confirmed the petition had been filed but declined to provide further details.

The petition is expected to be reviewed by a pardons board headed by the king, which could also consider advice from the prime minister.

A son of Malay nobility, Mr. Najib is believed to be close to some of Malaysia’s sultans — the country’s traditional rulers who take turns to be the monarch in a unique rotational system.

A full pardon would allow him to return to active politics and even make a comeback as premier, as some of his supporters have called for.

Mr. Najib, however, still faces four other cases, all of which carry jail terms and heavy financial penalties.

Mr. Najib was hospitalized on Sunday but local media said he was back in court on Monday.

He was stable and undergoing routine medical checks, his aide told Reuters on Sunday, without elaborating on why he was admitted. — Reuters

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