Third World poverty: Threat to US security

Nothing will ever change the fact that 9/11 was one horrible event. But bad as it was, the one good thing that seems to have come out of it is a growing realization in America that Third World poverty is a serious threat to American security. Most reasonably informed Americans realize that even if they are able to eliminate Osama bin Laden and his gang, the threat of terrorism will remain for so long as the mass of the world’s poor remain hopelessly mired in poverty amidst America’s profligate plenty.

Indeed, despite the ferocity of America’s war in Afghanistan and the almost jingoist rhetoric from some rightwing American politicians, American trade negotiators surprised everyone at the recently concluded WTO conference at Doha. As a Washington Post editorial observed, the Doha conference showed that the trade talks need not be a slave to corporate interests. Hope was rekindled at Doha that open markets could be the best hope of Third World countries to export their way out of poverty.

It was surprising that Doha did not end like Seattle, as the hundred or so nations managed to pass a fiercely debated resolution that opened another round of trade talks that will focus on the needs of developing countries. Giving credit where credit is due, the United States played a key role in working out the compromises that enabled the developing countries to win key concessions in the final draft of the agreement.

Of course we all realize that all they agreed upon was the agenda. But the fact that they got this far and the language used in the approved draft satisfied the developed and developing countries should be achievement enough. Before 9/11, I couldn’t see the United States trade ambassador going against the position taken by Corporate America on such issues as drug patents.

I however think it is too early to celebrate and declare the arrival of a new more compassionate America, ready to help the developing world trade its way out of poverty. While Doha may give us reason to think that globalization can also be used to help fight poverty in the third world, we should not expect too much at this point.

We still have to remember that a Republican Administration is in power in Washington DC. It is a party that is ready to screw ordinary Americans who are most in need of help in this time of economic crisis even as it provides extremely generous tax cuts to the wealthy contributors to its political war chest. And if the Republicans in Washington are ready to sacrifice working class Americans, it is expecting too much to think their conscience will even twitch as they write off the poor of the world as unworthy of America’s concern. It may eventually turn out that Doha was just an aberration, a day after phenomenon to 9/11.

For now and against my better judgment, I will take Doha as a hopeful start. Doha might have become just another Seattle if 9/11 didn’t happen. I know that’s a horrible thought. But it might have really required a shock as horrible as 9/11 for rich and powerful America to start thinking of fighting world poverty as a means to protect its national security. Fighting poverty is also less messy and a whole lot more wholesome than dropping $20,000 bombs on every imaginable cave in Afghanistan.

Poor UP

Speaking of poverty, my fellow UP alumni should be saddened by the news that UP is now so poor it cannot afford to buy a second hand truck to help it collect garbage in the campus. In fact it is so poor, a fund drive had to be undertaken so that its College of Arts and Letters can build enough classrooms for its students.

I just got an e-mail announcing the launching of a fund campaign, at the request of UP Prepian Gil Gotiangco Jr (vice chancellor for community Affairs, UP DIliman) so that he could buy a garbage truck. His classmate Ana Urbina (UP Prep Class 65), is now trying to get 500 Prepians to give Gil a Christmas gift – the princely sum of $18.99 which is the price of a toy Tonka Mighty Dump Truck at Toys R Us.

But that is not the only thing concerned alumni can buy for UP. I understand the UP Integrated School, the successor school to UP Prep, UP High and UP Elementary, is badly in need of microscopes. Seems like UPIS has less than 20 microscopes and vintage 1950s at that. Another Prepian wrote in that e-mail chain that a group of them also recently gifted the UP College of Medicine a few microscopes.

How can the country’s premier institution of higher learning maintain high scholastic standards if it cannot even buy things like microscopes, build classrooms and buy a garbage truck? Maybe some UP alumni in Congress can earmark a portion of their pork barrel to good use by helping UP address some of its basic needs. Or convince Sonny Osmeña to set aside his problems with fellow Cebuano UP president Dodong Nemenzo and allocate proper funding to UP.

What a stupid way to run a country. But because we elected these politicians and it is the only country we have, we have to adapt. We are left no recourse but to help our alma mater, for starters, to buy a garbage truck. Alumni can deposit their contributions to two accounts that were opened for the purpose.

For alumni residing abroad and who want to contribute in dollars, the account to send your money to is to Philippine National Bank (PNB), Account Name: Gil G. Gotiangco Jr, Account Number: Dollar SA 275-701453-2 at PNB-U. P. Campus Branch, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City.

Or if you want to contribute something in pesos, you can deposit at any Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) branch to the following Account Name: Gil G. Gotiangco Jr, Account Number: Peso SA 6866042509, BPI Loyola Heights branch. Then, e-mail Ana Urbina at aburbina@nfa.gov.ph and inform her of your deposit. Mukhang self-help na lang tayo dahil walang pakinabang ang ating gobyerno.

Division of wealth

Dr. Ernie E, also an alumnus of UP who will probably use some of his dollar-based wealth to buy a tonka for UP’s Diliman campus, contributed this one for today.

The 6th grade teacher, posed the following problem to one of her arithmetic classes:

"A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what does each get?"

After a very long silence in the classroom, Little Morris raised his hand. The teacher called on Little Morris for his answer.

With complete sincerity in his voice, Little Morris answered, "A lawyer!"

(Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is bchanco@bayantel.com.ph)