FPJ understands globalization!

I was not expecting much when I sat down with a group of columnists and editors with FPJ, the special guest for last Thursday’s lunch at Myther’s. We started off asking a lot of easy questions if only to get the special guest at ease. He confessed early on in relation to his presidential quest "he had never been more scared in his life." I wanted to ask about the "g" word soon as I sat down but didn’t have the heart to see him sweat through it.

Soon enough, someone else had the nerve to ask what FPJ really thought about globalization. Well... what do you know.... It turned out FPJ knew the concept of globalization better than those college educated ideologues at Ibon and Freedom From Debt Coalition. He understands it even better too than those rent-seeking Ivy league grad school degree holders who are forever seeking tariff protection for their inefficient, uncompetitive enterprises.

In so many words, FPJ said globalization is not something we can accept or reject ... because it is a reality... what we need to do is to manage our response to it... ensure a level playing field. In his words "Nandyan na yan... ang importante ay paano natin dapat harapin..."

So it seems that Inquirer headline is totally wrong. FPJ is not against globalization. He knows enough about the problem to realize that the solution is not as simple as making a headline-baiting declaration against globalization. Only stupid politicians, shamelessly out for votes, do that sort of thing.

We followed up with a question on the fiscal deficit. We asked him why he wants to be President when he knows there is very little he can do on account of the fiscal deficit problem. Isn’t he afraid of disappointing the masa? He smiled and said that he is aware of the problem and is dismayed that several post-EDSA administrations have failed to be more creative about it.

He knows we have just about reached the limits of our borrowing capacity. He said he intends to offer a novel way of addressing the problem but declined to give us details for now. He said some well-meaning supporters have written out a platform for him but he rejected the document as too technocratic. "It isn’t me," he said.

He kept on saying that he joined the presidential contest because he wants to serve the people and make a real difference in their lives. He sounded sincere enough to me and ex-banker Ray Orosa commented that FPJ’s innocence is refreshing. I said I also found it unbelievable. On the other hand, he may just be the one who can make difficult non populist decisions, ask the masa for more sacrifices while he fixes government, and get away with it.

But given that the masa is pouring out all their hopes on him, he is setting himself up for a dangerous confrontation with reality. The masa could be very impatient and be very disappointed with him because he cannot deliver the services, the jobs, the livelihood they are expecting from him pronto. How could he? How could anyone?

There is simply not enough money to go around. That’s what the fiscal deficit problem is all about. Besides, the bureaucrats and the politicians will prevent him from doing anything that threatens the status quo. His elbow room for reforms will be limited. His idealism will last six months, maximum.

We asked him what he thinks of the old politicians who are clutching on to him and he just smiled. His biggest advantage, he said, is that he is not a politician and he insisted he never would be. This is probably why he suggested he would rather have the non politician Legarda (Katrina, not Loren) as running mate. If he pulls that off, he would send a strong message about his brand of new politics as well as settle once and for all the suspicion that he is a puppet of the old politicians.

He nurtures the hope that it won’t be business as usual in Philippine politics in an FPJ administration. He implies that because he had not been a part of the problems and he is not beholden to anyone, he will be free to implement appropriate solutions.

But, we pointed out, the old politicians behind him, the same ones who proclaimed him, have been this country‘s eternal problems. Not to worry, he said, because he knows better than to just listen to them… he listens to them just 10 percent of the time. He said he talks to a lot of different people and he assured us he wouldn’t take the dictation of the Angaras, the Enriles and the Macedas.

And he has no intention of being a transition president who will give way to a parliamentary government as some of the politicians supporting him are saying now. He intends to serve his full six-year term as President. And he said he is very healthy too. Does this mean neither "cha cha" nor "con ass" will see the light of day under his regime?

I asked him what he has learned from the mistakes of Erap. He must have found the question a bit tricky because he was speechless for a long while. I guess he was trying to measure his words to be honest and yet not be judgmental of his kumpare. The silence was getting awkward so I offered to help. Choice of friends? His face brightened and he said, yun yun nga...he has a soft heart for his friends...too soft.

He said he has a lot of kumpares too and he won’t hesitate to ask help from them but only if they could really be helpful. He said he knows who to avoid... that he is most discerning of people and their ulterior motives. I guess his many years in showbiz make him an expert in detecting ka-plastikan. After all, he did warn Erap on precisely this same thing and his advice was ignored. He said he leads a pretty simple life. We can be sure there won’t be any midnight Cabinet meetings and the pretty young stewardesses of Philippine Airlines need not worry about ending up as well...you know....

He wouldn’t tell us who his close advisers are, at least not yet and that’s a real bummer. It is important for us to know, specially for someone like FPJ. I would also like to have a second chance to talk to him after he has made his platform public. I heard from other sources that AIM president Bobby de Ocampo is one of his economic advisers. That probably explains why he didn’t panic when asked about the fiscal deficit problem even if he won’t give us details on his plans to control it.

Maybe he has also consulted his cousin, Dr. Mahar Mangahas. If he hasn’t, he should. That would at least give me enough comfort that he would get the right stuff from someone we can trust and respect. Mahar is a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago, a school with quite a number of Nobel Prize winners in its faculty. Maybe he is talking to Mahar. That’s why his answer when asked about globalization, though preliminary, made sense.

Maybe I don’t have to migrate, after all, even if he wins. But I don’t really know that for sure based on what we heard from him thus far.

Reindeer fact

What is worse than finding out the truth about Santa Claus? Well, finding out the truth about Santa’s reindeers. I just got this one from a good friend, Gina Alejandro who is now keeping warm in Reston, Virginia.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.

Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa’s reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen – had to be a girl.

We should’ve known. Only women, while pregnant, would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]