EDITORIAL – Shameless business and shameful government

Just in case you have not noticed, prices of virtually all goods continue to go up despite appeals by the government, particularly the Department of Trade and Industry, to bring them down. The government anchored its appeal on the continued drop in oil prices. There are already moves to trim transport fares, with transport players themselves apparently willing to go in that direction.

But as far as prices of goods are concerned, businessmen would have none of it. Business leaders, particularly in Manila, said in television interviews that while oil prices have indeed gone down (at least they noticed), oil prices are not the only factors that bear on the movement of prices. How appalling those supposedly respectable and honorable businessmen can lie so brazenly when their profit margins are threatened.

Each time oil prices move up, businessmen respond by jacking up prices. And bitter a pill to swallow that may be, the consuming public cannot help but try to understand. But when oil prices go down and these same businessmen are asked to make corresponding cuts in the prices of goods that they jacked up because of oil price hikes, they quickly sing a different tune, saying oil prices are not the only factors to consider in the pricing of goods.

In other words, it is like this to the businessman: When oil prices go up, the prices of goods must also go up. But when oil prices go down, the prices of goods cannot go down because they are not dictated by oil prices alone. Either businessmen must think everyone else is dumb, or they have grown smug and abusive over the inutility of government, especially of a corrupt government, to crack down on their excesses.

Such a ridiculous argument by businessmen about prices of goods being dependent on oil prices when it comes to upward adjustments but not when oil prices are going down and there is a need to make corresponding downward adjustments is born of a sense of certainty and self-assurance that it can always have its way with the public for as long as government is willing to eat out of its hand.

Just take a look at how the government chose to deal with the situation - it is actually begging on bended knees for businessmen to make corresponding downward adjustments to the plummeting oil prices. What a pathetic sight this presents of government. How low has it descended before the mighty presence of abusive businessmen. Ours is probably the only government that has to beg instead of enforcing what is right and just.

Actually, this government can force its way if it wants to. But the only time it wants to is when it wants to intimidate and harass into submission those it considers to be the political enemies of the current government. There are many ways to skin a cat, like the way the BIR is cracking down on businesses identified with the vice president. But if the businesses are close to the president or are huge contributors to his kitty, the best government can do is pussyfoot and beg. For shame.