Buencamino does political affairs analysis for Action for Economic Reforms. This piece was published in the newspaper Today, 6 August 2004, page 8.
AIG is one of the largest insurance companies in the world. It has somany subsidiaries in so many countries that it is literally aneverywhere company that can disguise itself for any occasion. It is arare bird of prey with chameleon-like qualities.
College Assurance Plan (CAP) was described by an editorial in thispaper as “the plan they (Don Enrique Sobrepena in particular)introduced in the country to ensure the college education expenses ofFilipinos who cannot afford to send their kids to Harvard or Bryn Mawrfor college.” In other words, if CAP did not exist it would have tohave been invented. How many Filipinos would have nothing but a highschool diploma to show if not for CAP?
CAP has probably done more to make higher education for Filipinos areality than any other organization in the Philippines and thatincludes the Department of Education. Yet, Lilia Bautista of the SECplans to give it away to a foreign company that has done nothing forthe Filipino that is worth measuring.
Every year, CAP holds birth anniversary programs in the different homeprovinces of our national heroes. It sponsors commemorative programs inorder to inspire our youth and instill a sense of pride in theirnation. It is a project that CAP’s founder believes in and cares for—hehandles it personally—and Lilia Bautista plans to take it away from himand give it to some company that will most likely hold commemorativeprograms for William McKinley and Adm. Dewey.
Lilia Bautista will give away a company founded by a Filipino for theFilipino to an alien conglomerate on the advice of agile consultants[pun intended] who said that a college assurance plan’s viability mustbe computed in life insurance terms.
One cannot even use the “comparing apples and oranges” metaphor in thiscase because at least that metaphor has fruit as a common denominator.No, the appropriate metaphor for this case is to say that it’s likeforcing Lilia Bautista of the SEC into the tight jeans of Cameron Diazof Charlie’s Angels.
This brewing CAP scandal brings to mind one recent one case. The ManilaHotel sale was cancelled by the Supreme Court because it was declaredpart of the nation’s heritage and had to remain in Filipino hands, evenif the Filipino possessed a three-letter name.
The hotel is part of our heritage because it is the gray lady ofPhilippine hotels. It hosted Mac Arthur, visiting VIPs, politicalconventions, wedding receptions, debutante balls, and dances for theKahirup. For generations, it was the meeting place of the rich whopatronized its restaurants, ballrooms and suites and their poor“chofers” and “yayas” who met each other at the hotel’s parking lot andwaiting rooms.
No, CAP doesn’t share any of those distinctions with Manila Hotel. Allit has accomplished through all these years is to insure and ensure thehigher education of our youth and promote programs that inspire them toemulate the greatest among our race.
In the name of national interest, the government can and does showpolitical will, and it can do so again in the CAP case—if it so wishes.In fact, on two occasions, government turned its back on internationalcommitments: when it decided to renege on a contract to keep the ManilaHotel in Filipino hands and when it was forced to save Angelo de laCruz’s head. Yet this time, the government, through Lilia Bautista,will stab a Filipino pioneer in the back and give his life’s work to afavored foreign company.
“Ave de rapina.” I’m sorry, but I can think of no better term todescribe a creature who will kill one of its own and feed it to a birdof prey, so that it can nourish itself from that bird’s droppings.
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