Flogging the country

By J R Ruaya

It can't be!

The almost surreal scene could have come straight from a scary movie wherein our supposedly esteemed senators took turns in exorcising the foreign demons during a hearing on the supposed intervention of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) on the legislative processes of the country. The JFC had been invited appear before the Senate after it has written to president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding its concerns on the moves of the legislative chamber to amend the EPIRA, the electric power reform act.

Led by veteran legislator Juan Ponce-Enrile, the senators take turns at lashing out at Hubert D'Aboville, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, who appeared as the spokesman of the JFC, for "intrusion into the domain of policy" of the Philippines.

Every time, D'Aboville tried to read the statement of the JFC, Enrile cut him off, insisting that he name the “legislators” the foreign business group, in their letter to Arroyo, said had made “unwarranted accusations against bedrock principles accepted in progressive countries around the world.”

This time, Enrile may have outdone Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chair of the senate energy committee, in spewing out tetrodoxin to perceived trespassers into their domain. She merely lectured the Frenchman on legislative processes and pointblankly told him when to and not to speak. She said later that the hearing injected a "sense of modesty" among the JFC members.

Enrile even dared foreign investors to leave the country if they do not respect its institutions.

“You may be a Frenchman, but you cannot outthink a Filipino,” the angry senator told D'Aboville.

To which D'Aboville replied: “I know sir. My wife is a Filipina. I live it on a daily basis.”

Pity the poor Frenchman. His wife would have made profuse apologies in behalf of her elected legislators. I myself, would like to hide under the mattress due to shame for what the senators did and said to the JFC members.

The crucifixion of the Frenchman is indicative of how we treat our guest-investors in this country. Those that are here are thinking of relocating to more pleasant environments, and those that are still looking in are having second thoughts. Those who have already left may have sighed a relief.

The list of those who have left for various reasons including our inhospitable environment is too long, and is growing longer by day. In the energy sector, the latest to bail out was Saudi Aramco. Prior to that, there was Union Fenosa, CalEnergy, Mirant, Reykjavik Energy Invest. Parcel delivery giants UPS and FedEx are moving out or drastically scaling down their operations. The less unlucky like Hanjin, ZTE, IMPSA, Fraport, etc. have already been condemned to hell.

After the bruising hearing, D'Aboville, ever the courteous Frenchman-guest, put up a brave face, even telling reporters that, as far as he is concerned, what he went through wouldn't affect foreign investments in the country. He did point out that Vietnam received $15-billion foreign investments compared to the Philippines' paltry $2.5 billion last year.

Those foreign investors that didn't speak merely voted with their feet.

All this time we proclaim we need them.

Oh, my, these senators are continually flogging this country.