By Hilarion M. Henares Jr.
THEY are called by many names: Council of Trent, Holy Mafia, Opus Diaboli, Harvard-Wharton Axis, Makati Business Club (MBC), Bishop-Businessmen's Conference (BBC), SGV Mafia, Phil-Am Cabal, Ateneo Rah-Rah Boys -- but each name really describes parts of the whole network of old boy relationships that control our destiny as Filipinos. This spider web extends into every important part of our lives -- in our government and our economy specially -- and decides the quality of our lives and the extent of our livelihood.
Most of them are professional managers as distinguished from entrepreneurs and landowners. They do not even own what they control. They are the pro-consuls, surrogates and overseers of foreign capital.
Most of them are educated in Ateneo, La Salle, Harvard, Wharton, MIT. And they consider themselves Citizens of the World rather than Filipinos, and as such they are pro-American, anti-nationalistic, rightist, clerico-fascist, and control freaks.
They had their first taste of power under President Marcos’ dictatorship and survived its fall with the help of the Americans.
During the Aquino Administration, they set up a power structure all their own, so entrenched that it can be said President Cory Aquino is hopelessly their captive.
During Martial Law, they held the positions of Prime Minister, and Ministers of Finance, NEDA, Central Bank, DBP and BOI.
During the Cory Administration, they consolidated their hold on these same positions, plus many more, including the BIR, PAP, the banking system, the APT, the business sector, the business schools, and choice positions in the diplomatic corps.
At the highest level are foreign interests, specifically the American Insurance Group (AIG) headed by Maurice Greenberg; Arthur Andersen group of accounting and management firms; IMF-World Bank and the private bank network; Royal Dutch Shell and the oil companies; and lately the IBM the largest computer firm in the world.
At the second level are the native overseers: Philippine American Life Insurance, fully owned by AIG, and their affiliate companies, Far East Bank of Jobo Fernandez, PDCP of Vicente Jayme; Sycip Gorres Velayo which is affiliated with Arthur Andersen; the local executives of Citybank, Manufacturers Hanover (Money Honey) and Filipino banks associated with foreign banks; Pilipinas Shell and Caltex; IBM and the local branches of the foreign corporations.
At the third level are their operatives who infest all power centers and decide on our destinies as a people.
At the last level are Front organizations, allies, and support groups: Bishops-Businessmen's Conference (BBC), Makati Business Club (MBC), Harvard-Wharton Club, the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), PHINMA management group, Romulo Law Offices, the Sycip Salazar Law Firm, Makati Rotary, Manila Rotary, now even the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Ateneo Social Weather Station, and newspapers owned by oligarchs, all excepting those owned newspapermen: Daily Inquirer, Star, and Malaya.
The one shining characteristic of this elite is their ability to project themselves as professional managers untainted by greed unlike owner-entrepreneurs -- as a gifted individuals rising on their own merits and capabilities, unlike nepotistic firm owners -- as the Mr. Clean of the business world, the true believer in Free Enterprise and a competitive economy.
This is of course arguable. The Mr. Clean image of the power elite comes from their ability to avoid going to jail for such penny-ante crimes as murder, estafa and armed robbery.
But their crimes of treason, of delivering the nation’s economy to the dictates of the IMF and the monopoly of foreign corporations, their sabotage of our industrialization program -- all result in the abject poverty of our people, the rise in murder and street crimes, prostitution of our women and children, rebellion and subversion, and the murderous rampages of the military, -- high crimes for which the power elite is effectively insulated and absolved.
And those who commit the impropriety of serving dictators and their cronies are somehow laundered in the IMF and companies abroad, before being sent back and recycled. The Elite is a self-perpetuating cabal.
Big Businesses for which they work, are not agents of Free Competition. True competition in a Capitalist economy consists of having many small firms competing in a big market. Big Business is an aberration of the Capitalist System -- called Monopoly, where a few firms dominate the market by cartel arrangements, price agreements, patent monopoly, interlocking directorates, and the old boy networks.
THEY are called by many names: Council of Trent, Holy Mafia, Opus Diaboli, Harvard-Wharton Axis, Makati Business Club (MBC), Bishop-Businessmen's Conference (BBC), SGV Mafia, Phil-Am Cabal, Ateneo Rah-Rah Boys -- but each name really describes parts of the whole network of old boy relationships that control our destiny as Filipinos. This spider web extends into every important part of our lives -- in our government and our economy specially -- and decides the quality of our lives and the extent of our livelihood.
Most of them are professional managers as distinguished from entrepreneurs and landowners. They do not even own what they control. They are the pro-consuls, surrogates and overseers of foreign capital.
Most of them are educated in Ateneo, La Salle, Harvard, Wharton, MIT. And they consider themselves Citizens of the World rather than Filipinos, and as such they are pro-American, anti-nationalistic, rightist, clerico-fascist, and control freaks.
They had their first taste of power under President Marcos’ dictatorship and survived its fall with the help of the Americans.
During the Aquino Administration, they set up a power structure all their own, so entrenched that it can be said President Cory Aquino is hopelessly their captive.
During Martial Law, they held the positions of Prime Minister, and Ministers of Finance, NEDA, Central Bank, DBP and BOI.
During the Cory Administration, they consolidated their hold on these same positions, plus many more, including the BIR, PAP, the banking system, the APT, the business sector, the business schools, and choice positions in the diplomatic corps.
At the highest level are foreign interests, specifically the American Insurance Group (AIG) headed by Maurice Greenberg; Arthur Andersen group of accounting and management firms; IMF-World Bank and the private bank network; Royal Dutch Shell and the oil companies; and lately the IBM the largest computer firm in the world.
At the second level are the native overseers: Philippine American Life Insurance, fully owned by AIG, and their affiliate companies, Far East Bank of Jobo Fernandez, PDCP of Vicente Jayme; Sycip Gorres Velayo which is affiliated with Arthur Andersen; the local executives of Citybank, Manufacturers Hanover (Money Honey) and Filipino banks associated with foreign banks; Pilipinas Shell and Caltex; IBM and the local branches of the foreign corporations.
At the third level are their operatives who infest all power centers and decide on our destinies as a people.
At the last level are Front organizations, allies, and support groups: Bishops-Businessmen's Conference (BBC), Makati Business Club (MBC), Harvard-Wharton Club, the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), PHINMA management group, Romulo Law Offices, the Sycip Salazar Law Firm, Makati Rotary, Manila Rotary, now even the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Ateneo Social Weather Station, and newspapers owned by oligarchs, all excepting those owned newspapermen: Daily Inquirer, Star, and Malaya.
The one shining characteristic of this elite is their ability to project themselves as professional managers untainted by greed unlike owner-entrepreneurs -- as a gifted individuals rising on their own merits and capabilities, unlike nepotistic firm owners -- as the Mr. Clean of the business world, the true believer in Free Enterprise and a competitive economy.
This is of course arguable. The Mr. Clean image of the power elite comes from their ability to avoid going to jail for such penny-ante crimes as murder, estafa and armed robbery.
But their crimes of treason, of delivering the nation’s economy to the dictates of the IMF and the monopoly of foreign corporations, their sabotage of our industrialization program -- all result in the abject poverty of our people, the rise in murder and street crimes, prostitution of our women and children, rebellion and subversion, and the murderous rampages of the military, -- high crimes for which the power elite is effectively insulated and absolved.
And those who commit the impropriety of serving dictators and their cronies are somehow laundered in the IMF and companies abroad, before being sent back and recycled. The Elite is a self-perpetuating cabal.
Big Businesses for which they work, are not agents of Free Competition. True competition in a Capitalist economy consists of having many small firms competing in a big market. Big Business is an aberration of the Capitalist System -- called Monopoly, where a few firms dominate the market by cartel arrangements, price agreements, patent monopoly, interlocking directorates, and the old boy networks.
Hernares, Hilarion Jr. Beggar and King – Make My Day Book 19.
No comments:
Post a Comment