Mar Roxas should wake up

On several occasions, I have expressed my disappointment about Mar Roxas’ performance as DTI Secretary, the same disappointment raised by a number of business groups. However, let me make myself perfectly clear: I have nothing personal against Secretary Mar Roxas. In fact, I still consider him as a friend, although the feeling may not be mutual. In fact, very early on, I told him on one occasion that a large group of businessmen are very disappointed about his performance, and that he should meet them as soon as possible. He did not listen. That’s why these businessmen banded themselves together and came out with full-page ads to air their long-standing and unheeded complaints. They have reason to come out with these ads because it is apparent that the DTI Secretary is simply glossing over the issues. They desperately need protection because businesses are closing left and right, and jobs are already being lost on account of Mar’s indifference.

Very recently, Petronas of Malaysia and British Petroleum have decided to pull out their US$340 million dollar investment from Bataan Polyethylene. They were so disgusted because for the last five years that Mar Roxas sat as DTI secretary, he has done nothing to address their problems, particularly in the area of tariff. This is another big black eye on the country’s already volatile economy. This plant could have directly and indirectly employed over 300,000 Filipino workers. However, those jobs are now gone. Uniden also packed its bags and left, laying off its 2,000-strong workforce. JG Summit Petrochemical Plant may eventually follow suit. So, you’ve got Sec. Cito Lorenzo creating one million jobs on one side while Sec. Mar Roxas is cutting off hundreds of thousands of jobs on the other.

Now you tell me, who is protecting whose interests?

Obviously, the DTI has other concerns than the well-being of the local industry and the Filipino workers. Instead of creating jobs and protecting the local workforce, Mar is not doing anything to slow down the opening of our market, which puts at risk the local industries. Have you ever wondered why this country is always neck deep in a budget deficit? With more and more workers being laid off, and with more and more companies closing, the result is less taxes, resulting in a huge budget shortfall. What is more disturbing is Mar’s quick-fix solution to solve the budget deficit: by selling the so-called "crown jewels" – blue chip corporations like Pagcor – and by putting on the block Philippine properties abroad. This is a typical investment-banker kind of mentality.

The closure of numerous companies sent shock waves in the employment sector. In 2001, more than 71,700 Filipinos lost their jobs, while in 2002, more than 77,601 were laid off – an 8.1 percent increase in job losses. As of 2001, about 3.423 million of the country’s labor force were without jobs, while 4.625 million were unemployed. In the semiconductor industry alone, although 6,800 new workers were taken in 2002, more than 15,000 were laid during the latter part of the year. In fact, 16 percent of office spaces in the Makati area are now vacant – and it’s still growing. From 2000 to 2002, numerous investment companies have left the country: DBS Vickers Securities, Salomon Smith Barney, Merrill Lynch Securities, HSBC Securities, Citycorp Securities Inc., and Worldsec International Securities, among others. During the first five months of 2001, Merrill Lynch was the top broker in the area of market transactions. The following month, it suddenly closed shop.

What we have here are cold, hard facts and figures, permanent records of what had happened, and still is happening to the business sector since Mar Roxas became DTI Secretary. These are the very reasons why the local industrial sector is virtually up in arms. Their businesses are collapsing, while their efforts to improve the economy’s health are being ignored, or worse, spurned. Their cry for government to help them fell largely on deaf ears. They are also extremely worried about the thousands more of their employees that would be losing their jobs if nothing is done.

Instead of addressing these problems, what puzzles me even more is that Sec. Mar Roxas asked the help of this two-bit character, who calls himself a business columnist, but writes nothing more than cockamania tales, with no credibility whatsoever. Actually, a number of prominent businessmen have already started to pull their resources together and have hired the services of a top-notch lawyer to gather enough evidence against this character, whose been getting away with very malicious and vicious attacks for so many years now. One example was his unprovoked attack on a prominent businessman, calling him "a fat, balding gay who used to sell shoes in New York" – which makes one wonder why this character is so temperamental and emotional about gays. Before they take legal measures, I advised these businessmen to first try and bring their complaints to Inquirer owners Marixi Prieto, Sandy Romualdez, Charlie Rufino, who was a classmate of mine in school, and perhaps even Editor-in-Chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc. These are people whom I personally know to be fair, decent and reasonable. I have no doubt these people will listen to their complaints.

I have been consistent in my belief that our relationship with the United States is one of mutual trust, most especially in safeguarding the security of the country and in fighting off terrorism. The Philippines has very long and historical ties with the United States, and it’s about the only country who can, and is willing, to defend us from any internal and external threat, especially from terrorists and drug lords. But when it comes to trade issues, this is a totally different matter. Let me make it clear: I strongly believe in protecting our local industries and workers. Our own firm has steadily protected and secured the jobs of more than 300 of our employees in spite of the economic situation. And so, let me categorically state that I am NOT, and was NEVER an agent, nor a consultant of the United States government.

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