A decade of agnotology
| DIE HARD III |
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| Herman Tiu Laurel |
\"You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.” — Joseph E. Levine
That may well be the guiding tenet of those at the helm of the Philippines’ energy sector today. But after 10 years of running circles around millions of power consumers and taxpayers, many now seem to be wising up to their grand scam.
A chorus of indignation against RP’s privatized power industry is now echoing from almost all sectors, including major business groups like PhilExport (Philippine Exporters Confederation) and Ecop (Employers Confederation of the Philippines), as well as others who have joined anti-power oligarchy crusaders in condemning the “highest power cost in Asia.”
Provincial power consumers are also up in arms. The Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (Agap) party-list, for one, recently concluded an hour-long “lights off” campaign at 9 p.m. last Friday to protest the illegal collection of millions of so-called MCCs (members’ contribution for capital expenditure) by the electric cooperatives.
The biggest electric power swindle abetted by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), however, is still here in Metro Manila, together with the adjacent towns and cities under the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) franchise area.
Under the cover of the post-Edsa II power privatization law, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), both the ERC and Meralco have created the highest power cost in Asia almost with impunity. It seems the duo has almost proven wrong the P.T. Barnum adage (“You cannot fool all of the people all of the time”) by a decade of near total “agnotological” management of media information. For those who still don’t know, “agnotology” is the science of creating ignorance.
Like the electric cooperatives, the ERC and Meralco have been charging consumers the power distributor’s capital requirements in advance each year amounting to some P8 billion to P9 billion, with claims of increasing electricity demand. Yet in last Friday’s edition of The Daily Tribune, Meralco was said to have disclosed that recent “power demand went down one percent year-on-year.” Now isn’t that damning evidence against them?
Soon, the ERC and Meralco will be caught in their own web of lies, as Frost warned in his poem, “When we first learn to deceive…” While other power crusaders’ groups prepare more “lights out” campaigns (the Freedom from Debt Coalition will have its own on Oct. 11, 2011, from 7:30 to 8 p.m.), the power advocates group with Sulo ng Pilipino (my mother organization) and individuals like former Mayor Jun Simon (Quezon City Electricity Consumers for Reforms), former Assemblyman Bono Adaza, Mang Naro Lualhati (our P39-billion Meralco refund champion), columnist Butch Junia, Jimmie Regalario (Kilusan para sa Makabansang Ekonomiya), and hundreds of others will be filing a series of court cases in late September against the power predators. In the end, truth will prevail over advertising and its budgets.
Meanwhile, another major lie the past 10 years (deemed the largest lie in all of human history) that we must train our eyes on is the 9/11 World Trade Center “terror demolitions.” As it was an event blamed on 19 terrorists, few actually know that 14 of them had Saudi passports arranged by the CIA.
Also, we must recall that in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, George W. Bush said in a chance interview, “I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you.” And while brandishing a golf club, he continued, “Now, watch this drive.” Before long, the whole world was made to witness a progression of wars, from Afghanistan to Iraq. And now, with the Western powers’ push in Libya underway, can Syria, and then Iran or Venezuela, be that far away?
The 10 years of deception surrounding 9/11 could have been an unquestioned success if not for the architects and engineers for 9/11 Truth, with over 1,500 qualified members, and the families of 9/11 victims. You can learn more by watching on YouTube, “Architects and Engineers — Solving the Mystery of WTC 7” by AE911Truth.org.
A May 2011 poll by Siena Research Institute extended to 643 New Yorkers, including respondents in all of New York City’s five boroughs found that 48 percent were in favor of a new investigation into the collapse of WTC (World Trade Center) 7. The survey was commissioned by “Remember Building 7,” a transparency group led by 9/11 family members, NYC Coalition for Accountability Now (NYC Can), and Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth).
Building 7 is a vital key to understanding the fraud that is the official US government investigation. As the third major, almost 50-story, building in the WTC complex, Building 7 collapsed hours after the North and South towers, despite it not being hit by any airplane. And although a minor fire did occur, it had already been put out before Larry Silverstein (the WTC’s new buyer), in his words, issued an order to “pull it” (in controlled demolition lingo).
Truly, we live with created ignorance everyday. We get it on TV, on radio, in print and on the Internet. Agnotology abounds on a host of subjects — from Libya, Syria and Iran; to our local issues on privatization and escalating rates, or the real reasons why the MRT/LRT, tollways, and government fees will be raised by the PeNoy government even when these are unjust and unnecessary. We are not being told, for instance, that such measures are all because of the dictates of the US Embassy and IMF-WB — the same way the US generics framework was maneuvered into our cheaper medicines law to apply patents where none should.
In response, we should turn this second decade of the 21st century into a decade of “sciometology” (a term I coined) to allow everyone to say, “I know.” This can only be achieved with the help of non-commercial, dedicated, truth-seeking journalists and media. And that’s why we’re here.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m. on 1098AM; Talk News TV with HTL, Saturday, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8 on “WTC 7: The Tell-tale Mystery”; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)
(Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laure)
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110912com4.html
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