The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines (CDP) - Ang Partido ng Tunay na Demokrasya will conduct its 12th National Council Meeting on 25 November 2016 in Makati City and 7th National Congress on 26 November 2016 in Silang, Cavite.

“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” This famous adage embodies the core economic principle that it is impossible for a man to get something for nothing. No resource is free because no resource is limitless.

If the government hands out cash to a so-called poor household, it’s free for that household but it’s not free for everyone else – Filipino taxpayers had to pay for that dole out. If a toothpaste company gives out free samples, it’s free to those are lucky enough to get one but it’s the consumer who ends up carrying the cost of that marketing gimmick. Nothing is free.

P is for PUTting the Filipinos First

While checking my newsfeed on Facebook this morning, I came across a celebrity-economist who happens to be a self-proclaimed elitist. Celebrity because he has been in a guesting spree lately explaining the president’s statements; surely, Duterte’s profanities has dragged him to fame. He has lambasted President Duterte in his Facebook posts several times, but this morning he again pointed out to Duterte’s un-stately disposition.

We have been in an imperial hangover for a long time, that only an F bomb stint from that big guy at the helm can jolt us out of this long overdue somberness.

 

First of two parts

President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent visit and diplomatic detente to China and his proclamation of a military and economic “separation” from the United States was like a nuclear bomb detonated on a peaceful Friday afternoon.

 

THE ship of state is leaking and sinking as its captain, President Rodrigo Duterte, has been oblivious of the danger signs, former President Fidel V. Ramos said Saturday.

“Because we are all together onboard Ship Pilipinas—which is still leaky and slow-moving, because of internal strife and disunity, we all need to pull an oar or plug a leak [instead of adding more holes],” Ramos said.

 

A national conference of Social Market Economy as a guiding framework for the future Federal Republic of the Philippines had gathered individuals and experts to discuss the ideologies and the possible application of its principles in the Philippine setting.

Organized by the Centrist Democracy Political Institute or CDPI, the national conference and workshop towards a Social Market Economy framework was held on October 21 in City Garden Grand, Makati City. The objective of the conference is to assess the Philippine economy, go over the critical challenges for Social Market Economy under a Federal System, to make a blueprint of the Philippine-style SME, and develop a draft policy statement towards SME.

Federalism, governance and, autonomy have been the specimens in glass slides being scrutinized and discussed in the two days colloquy by global experts carrying with them varied and pertinent lenses in the field of governance. All placing their microscope frames on the burgeoning concept of federalism as the latter gradually warming up in the consciousness of the Filipinos. As soon as President Rodrigo Duterte pronounced his plan of shifting to a federal-parliamentary system of government, different groups conspired in a single agendum of educating the citizens about federalism and what future may hold our nation guided by such system.

In a forum on federalism I attended last week, some 50 experts on autonomy, governance and federalism came together for the first time to exchange experiences and perspectives. The idea was to present an opportunity for Filipinos and other nationalities, especially the policy makers dealing with various societal and political problems, to learn from each other. What crossed my mind in this forum and another conference I attended subsequently on market economy was that a change in the political and economic structure of our government is urgently needed. The clock is ticking fast and unless progress and growth become inclusive in a bottom-up process, there might be a violent collapse of the Philippine economy.

A federalism forum was convened by the PDU30 CORE in Bulwagan ni Tito Marcs, Bacaca Road, Davao City last October 15, 2016.

The forum gathered around Hugpong ng mga Barangay leaders (local government officials) and Alpha Phi Omega (APO) members, private individuals, and non-government organizations such as Centrist Democracy Political Institute or CDPI being one of the resource speakers of the federalism forum, to discuss about the prospects and process of shift from unitary-presidential to modified parliamentary-federalism form of government.