MAHARLIKA INVESTMENT FUND & ICC: TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

 

(The following scripted episode is an original creation inspired by the television show “The Simpsons.” This content is a fictional parody and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the creators, producers, or distributors of “The Simpsons.”)

Scene: Exterior of Springfield’s newest establishment, “Simpson’s Savings Bank.” There’s a modest crowd gathered for the grand opening. A stage is set with a podium. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are on stage, with a banner above reading, “Grand Opening!”

Homer: (grabs the mic) Welcome, everyone, to Simpson Savings Bank! Your money is safer with us than a donut in my hands! (chuckles)

Marge: (smiling nervously) We are here to serve you and your financial needs with the utmost respect and…integrity.

Lisa: (in a whisper) Um, Mom, are you sure Bart should be part of this?

Bart: (grinning) Relax, Lis. I’ve got this.

Lisa: That’s what worries me.

Homer: Springfieldians, we know money stuff can be boring. But not with us! We’ve got a special announcement for all you potential depositors out there. Drum roll, please!

Lisa: (rolling her eyes) This is going to be good…

Homer: We are open for business!

Ned Flanders: (raising his hand) Uh, I’m a bit concerned about the, er, transparency and ethics of your operations!

Marge: (stepping in) Oh, Ned, don’t worry! We’re just having a bit of fun. We take your money very seriously.

Audience Member: (calling out) But isn’t Bart known for his, um, questionable activities? 

Homer: Folks, let me put your worries to rest. Sure, Bart pulled a prank or two in his day, but when it comes to your money, I promise to keep our hands clean.

Audience Member: But you did nothing to deal with Bart’s wrongdoing?

Homer: Okay, let me put it this way: We are open for business, but if you think we’re doing something wrong and will judge us, leave us alone.

Crowd: (murmurs of confusion and laughter)

Mayor Quimby: (scratching his head) Well, as the mayor, I must say – this is the most intriguing bank launch I’ve ever attended!

Homer: (grinning) That’s the spirit, Mayor! And remember, our vaults are as secure as Mom’s secret ingredient in her meatloaf. So come on in, everyone! Have some snacks, open an account, and we’ll make some money together -- Simpson style!

Maggie: (sucking on her pacifier, a speech bubble appears) “Welcome to the Simpson Savings Bank!”

Narrator: (voice-over) And so, Springfield gains a new financial institution, run by the most unpredictable family in town. Will their savings soar, or will it be another classic Simpson’s catastrophe? Stay tuned!

End Scene.

A striking contradictory signs on the PH door

Simpson’s new financial institution faces a dilemma mirroring the one confronting the Philippines today, stemming from two crucial factors: Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). I wrote about this in my July 22, 2023, ATABAY article MIF & ICC: How Two Notices Reveal the Contradictions of President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) Economic Vision.

“Open for business”

“Leave us alone”

What impression do you get when you see these two notices on the front door? Confused?

The first notice “Open for business” signals the intention behind the following headlines:

“Marcos signs Maharlika Investment Fund bill into Law” – Philstar 

“Marcos backs Maharlika fund: ‘We need added investment’” – Inquirer

The second notice “Leave us alone” reflects the defiance of the following headline:

“Marcos: PH ending all involvement with ICC” – CNN Philippines

Due to the glaring contradiction, we must ask the same question as in Simpson’s case: Will the MIF investment soar, or will it be a classic catastrophe?

Let’s be fair, PBBM tried to make the MIF soar. Let’s recall PBBM’s words:

“Magpapakilala muna tayo. Kapag hindi tayo bumiyahe at nagpakita sa mga conference na yan, hindi nila tayo iniisip. Wala sa isipan nila ang Pilipinas. Kailangan natin ipakita kung ano ang atin para mapaganda ang POTENTIAL INVESTMENTS nila na dadalhin dito sa Pilipinas.” (Underscoring mine)

Globetrotting PBBM's travel escapades. Source: Wikipedia

Rigoberto Tiglao spotted the handwriting on the wall in his December 18, 2024 column Foreign Investment Drastically Falling…:

“FDI into the Philippines has been halved in the second year of the Marcos, Jr. administration. Add to that the reduction in Philippine exports by $2 billion in the same period, and the Philippines faces a foreign exchange crisis on the horizon.

"Obviously, Marcos’s 10 visits to capital-rich nations – after each he announced billions of dollars in investment pledges – have been fictions of his mind.”

ABS-CBN bared on August 14, 2024, Maharlika Fund ‘Still Scouting’ For Investment Opportunities: DOF. It reported the Department of Finance’s stance, revealing that the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) has yet to make any investment nearly a year after it was set up. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said the MIF firm is still setting up shop.

No doubt, that’s a head-scratcher. We don’t need rocket science to connect the dots. Like in the Simpson’s crowd, the world market has taken the contradictory signs with “murmurs of confusion,” hopefully not “laughter” by such a striking contradiction on the PH door:

On MIF: “We are open for business”

On ICC: “Leave us alone”

Rightly and not surprisingly, the following latest developments have grabbed the headlines:

Latest headlines on ICC

“Philippines to ‘respond favorably’ if ICC seeks Interpol” – Reuters

“Philippines to cooperate if ICC issues warrant” – Rappler

“PH may hand over ICC suspects to Interpol” – Inquirer

For sure, the Philippines has decidedly figured out its contradiction. Inevitably, the House quad committee recommended that former President Duterte, along with his close confidants and Senators Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, be charged with crimes against humanity.

This latest turn of events paints a picture of a promising “step in the right direction towards achieving justice for the thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings” under the Duterte administration.

In retrospect, I recounted in my January 27, 2024, ATABAY article ICC Cryptic Message: The Stone Will Cry Out the following excerpts of Bato's dramatic disclosure in an interview:

“I am afraid of going to jail. Takot ako na makulong dahil kawawa ang mga apo ko at hindi ko na makita.”

I’ve conjured up an image of Bato watching his immovable wall slowly collapse, piece by piece. We recall that Duterte erected such a preemptive wall during his reign. No less than the New York Times bannered in 2019 Duterte’s self-protected act: Philippine Officially Leaves the International Criminal Court.

ICC cryptic message

In my ATABAY article, I shared an uncanny optical illusion image that plays tricks on readers’ vision. For an intuitive mind, one could make out the following cryptic message: The stones will cry out. Strangely enough, it was taken from Jesus’ words in Luke 19:40 of the Bible: “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.” All at once, we could, without question, figure out “they” for the drug war victims.

I concluded my article with the following reassuring statement:

“If Senator Bato truly loves his apos, he must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Then he will know the Truth, and the Truth will set him free. (John 8:32)”

Be not afraid. (Luke 2:10)

Content and editing put together in collaboration with Microsoft Bing AI-powered Co-Pilot

Head collage photos courtesy of Shutterstock, iStock, MIF, and Canva

MIF & ICC collage photos courtesy of Graphix Place, Signs & Lines, Sound Cloud, Shutterstock, Business Mirror, and Vector Stock

Other still photos courtesy of iStock, Pngtree, Vecteezy, & Facebook

MADE IN USA UNWELCOME OUTCOME

 

(The title above has nothing to do with the 47th US president. Any meaning suggested is purely a coincidence.)

“My next piece will be penned in the Philippines.”

That was the line in my December 30 ATABAY article, which I wrote during our vacation in the U.S. This piece, which I am now writing, is the “next piece” I had meant to pen after my wife Cher and I got back to our homeland, the Philippines, two weeks ago.

The weary load of the actual long air travel, along with the psycho-emotional build-ups, has made returning to my normal writing mood quite an uphill climb. Additionally, the usual challenge of sparking my writing in a different setting further compounded my dilemma.

The moment we arrived home after a long absence I was confronted with the sight of a house worn out by the forces of nature and the passage of time. The front yard garden needed trimming and a makeover, the long idle car in our garage required restoration to working order – a new battery to be installed, a broken luggage compartment cable to be replaced, a defective passenger door lock to be repaired, an air-conditioning system to be fixed, a flat tire to be vulcanized, and an expired registration to be renewed.

                                  Our front yard                                                      Our car

But none of those distractions could have turned off the flow of my writing juices like the glaring reality of my one missing front tooth. "This is Made in U.S.A." – I grin as I quip each time Cher teases me.

Looking back, a week before we flew home to the Philippines, I broke and lost one weak front tooth jacket when I munched on a tough grub in Texas. (Thank goodness, it didn’t happen right after we landed in the US. Dental care procedures there would cost anyone an arm and a leg. I realized this when our friend Edith broke and lost her lower front tooth chomping a macadamia nut while watching Queen Esther play in Branson, Missouri. Fixing it was sky-high.)

Losing and eventually living with one missing front tooth feels self-conscious, socially awkward, and uncomfortable, especially when interacting with people. It may look cute on a smiling toddler, but for a senior, it adds more years to one’s appearance. On top of that, it affects not only your eating pleasure but also your karaoke singing, particularly in songs with lots of “f” words in the lyrics.

            That's not me. That's Tom Cruise with a missing tooth. And neither is the cute child.

The other day, I went to the bank and was glad to find all its staff wearing face masks – a pandemic health precaution hangover. I would stand up for such a precautionary health practice anytime and anyplace, as it would hide my one missing front tooth by wearing a face mask myself.

Yesterday, on a sunny morning, I began the first session of the root canal three dental procedures to restore my one missing tooth. As I sat comfortably on the ergonomic dental chair in the typically cool and tranquil clinic, the masked dentist smiled (I could see it in her eyes) and gently started to prepare for the procedure. The room was calm, with a hint of lavender in the air, and I could hear the faint hum of the dental equipment.

I took a deep breath (heeding the tip: Focus on breathing. Practice deep, slow breaths to maintain a calm state) as the dentist approached. She made a small opening in my tooth to access the pulp. I could feel it (heeding the tip: Educate yourself. Knowledge is power. Understand the procedure you’ll undergo. Knowing what to expect can reduce anxiety.)

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander (heeding the tip: Visualize success. Picture yourself going through the procedure calmly and successfully. Visualization can help train your brain to approach the experience with confidence. Set reassuring drift: “I am calm and in control. I trust my dentist”).

My dental team

The sensation was strange but not painful, a gentle pressure that felt distant and almost surreal.

She began to remove the damaged pulp. I could hear the sound of the files working inside my tooth, but it felt like it’s happening in a different world. I imagined tiny miners diligently clearing away debris, making way for a new, healthy foundation. (As a civil engineer, I know full well the value of a strong foundation. Heeding the tip: Stay positive. Remind yourself of the benefits of the procedure and how it will improve your overall dental health.)

With the pulp removed, the canals were cleaned and shaped. Her hands moved with precision, and I imagined a sculptor chiseling away, creating smooth and perfect pathways inside my tooth. Each movement was careful and deliberate. She confided to me later that she ensured that every bit of infection was cleared away.

Then she filled the canals sealing them securely with a filling that acted as a protective shield, guarding my tooth as it healed.

I knew full well this was just the beginning of the restoration of my one missing front tooth, but I already felt a sense of accomplishment and relief.

As I sat up and thanked my dentist, I felt a wave of gratitude. The procedure was long and intricate, but it’s a testament to the wonders of modern dentistry and the skilled hands of my dentist. 

Leaving the clinic with a lighter heart, I clicked on the top stories on my mobile phone and came across the following headline:

“Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and division”

It tells of the historic return of Donald Trump to the Oval Office with his promise to end America’s decline. On the flip side, his radical shift in policies, including aggressive actions on immigration, economic nationalism, and cultural conservatism, are expected to create substantial upheaval and polarization within the country.

I was surprised by how bland such breaking news felt compared to the personal triumph of having my tooth given a new lease on life.

Thanks, Doc Angel. Any meaning my dentist’s real name suggested, I hope, is much more than purely a coincidence.

Content and editing put together in collaboration with Microsoft Bing AI-powered Co-Pilot

Head photo courtesy of Cruz Label

Still photos courtesy of E! News, Alamy, FB Smile Concepts Iligan, Shutterstock, and Getty Images