Rage

There is rage sweeping across the capitals of several Middle Eastern countries, with protests centered on US diplomatic missions in these cities.

In Benghazi the other day, heavily armed radicals using the protesting mob as cover, fired rockets into the US consulate. The attack killed the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, along with three other American diplomats.

Stevens is a courageous diplomat. During the Libyan civil war, he was sent as US envoy to the provisional rebel government set up in the city where he was killed this week. He loved the Libyan people dearly and worked hard to help in the difficult transition from tyranny to freedom. He was optimistic about Libya’s prospects as it rebuilds from the ruins of civil war.

American authorities believe the attack on their Benghazi consulate was planned by terrorists linked to Al Qaeda. For days, rabble-rousers created a frenzy in the streets over a crude right-wing film that is said to insult the Prophet Mohammad. The film is said to be available for viewing via YouTube, although few of the demonstrators interviewed actually saw it.

Initial media inquiries about the people responsible for the bigoted film brought out few results. It is said that it distorted the facts and made statements about the Prophet that devout Muslims might consider blasphemous.

At this point, the actual film is not important. It is an idiotic piece of irresponsible propaganda. It is what is being spread by word of mouth that is important as violent protests spread like a deadly virus across the Islamic world. Because this crude film was produced in the US, the protests have targeted American embassies. Washington has ordered security in all its diplomatic posts beefed up.

At some point, hopefully soon, the angry street actions should begin to die down. The outraged mobs should begin to sober up as it becomes clear the frenzy is probably disproportional to the provocation, probably driven by agitation from fringe groups nursing a violent agenda.

I am not in a position to make an intelligent evaluation of the hair-trigger sensitivities among Islamic populations at this time. I am curious, however, about what these protests indicate: the peril of widespread political surges triggered by the pervasiveness of new information technologies.

The strong undercurrent of militant Islam in the Middle Eastern countries is probably most vulnerable to provocations carried through the digital media. There are, however, other strong sentiments and beliefs in other cultural communities that are similarly vulnerable to provocation.

There is no way to effectively police the internet to prevent hate groups from taking advantage of it, although some jurisdictions might want to do that. In this world of pervasive communications technologies, each global citizen needs to exercise greater introspection. The world of the internet needs stronger ethical communities.

Perilous imports

The Bureau of Customs (BoC), it appears, is utterly inutile to stop the potential tsunami of undervalued or simply smuggled steel products coming from China’s huge overcapacity in steel manufacturing. Although many complaints have been presented to the BoC over many months, undervalued (and very likely substandard) imports flow in unimpeded — particularly through vulnerable ports of entry such as Cebu.

In the face of apparent lack of will on the part of the BoC leadership to stop the blatant smuggling, Filipino steel manufacturers have now brought their concerns to the Department of Trade and Industry. The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI), representing our steel manufacturing sector, wrote the Trade Secretary last week complaining about the increasing flow of substandard steel products from China.

The Trade Department, for many years, has been encouraging Filipino manufacturers to invest in new capacity to supply rising domestic demand. The Trade Department is also responsible for protecting consumers from substandard products.

Last week, PISI president Roberto M. Cola called the Secretary of Trade’s attention to a recent shipment of 3,000 metric tons of steel billets from China. The billets were falsely declared “square bars” in order to qualify for the 17% rebate China gives its exporters to help manufacturers in that country to unload their ballooning inventories.

Steel billets are actually raw material inputs used by our manufacturers to make a range of finished products, such as reinforcement bars used in construction. The collusion between Filipino importers and Chinese exporters translates into the entry to our market of billets priced below global industry prices because of the rebates. While cheap, they may also be dangerous since some of the imported billets are of poor quality.

For public safety, DTI maintains standards for tensile strength in steel products. This is important for assuring the integrity of buildings and infrastructure.

Remember that building the listed, bent over and finally collapsed on a Binondo street a few years ago? That happens when the reinforcement bars used were substandard.

If the BoC cannot stem the tide of smuggled (probably substandard) steel products, then the DTI should step in to prevent local manufacturers who benefit from illegal trade practices from bringing substandard finished products to the market. We do not want any of our high-rises to list, bend over and collapse even without an earthquake like that pathetic building in Binondo.

It is the DTI’s responsibility now to protect our consumers. They must expand testing finished products derived from substandard inputs that were brought in through illegal trade practices. It is also their responsibility to protect Filipino manufacturers from unfair competition due to rampant smuggling.

Life for the people at the DTI might have been easier if only the people at the Bureau of Customs were doing better at their job of checking technical smuggling — especially of substandard steel inputs.