PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must have already realized that leaders like him should not be afraid of being questioned by people masquerading as experts – especially if the real expert is already in his team.
Referred to as a gem in Marcos’ economic team, former Finance Undersecretary Maria Cielo Magno candidly admitted that she was “forced to resign” over her critical stand on Executive Order 39 imposing a price cap on rice commodities.
No less than Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that Magno, who holds a PhD in law and public policy from Northeastern University in Boston, was “clearly set on maligning” the administration using social media as her platform.
“Instead of working together with colleagues in government to address any concerns, Magno had constantly done so through public fora,” Bersamin said in a statement that was released in the wee hours of Friday, September 8.
“While we support anyone's right to free speech, it would be counter intuitive to have someone be part of the administration who was clearly set on maligning it to begin with. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors moving forward,” added the former Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Tweaky FB Post
Prior to Magno’s termination, the former University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE) professor in a Facebook post questioned Marcos’ price cap by uploading a chart depicting the law of supply and demand.
“Based on this basic theory, imposing price caps would lead to increased demand and decreased supply, leading to a shortage,” capped by a line which reads: “I miss teaching.”
Bersamin did not make a reference to a specific post but said: “While we support anyone's right to free speech, it would be counter intuitive to have someone be part of the administration who was clearly set on maligning it to begin with.”
“The termination of her appointment could only be expected as she clearly does not support the administration and its programs for nation-building,” he added.
Sizzling FB Wall
Revisiting Magno’s controversial Facebook post transformed the UP economic professor into a battleground between "trolls" and "scholars" who admired the tenacity of the former Finance undersecretary.
A netizen by the name of Primo Alex said in his comment: “The Marcos apologist has conveniently left out the fact that shortage does not only result from disincentive to produce but also disincentive to sell by retailers which was seen as early a day before the price cap was to take effect. Why the disincentive to sell? Simply because the rice in question was already acquired at a much higher price,”
However, another netizen – a certain Victor Dolphin argued that regardless of whether or not Marcos imposed the price cap, the risk of shortage being referred to by Magno is a consumer going home disappointed because the cheap rice ran out of stock.
Quite a number of netizens commented positively on Magno stepping down – but there is one comment that stood tall – “Let's set the records straight. Hindi kailangan ni Cielo ang gobyerno. Kailangan ng gobyerno si Cielo. Firing her is a loss to the government.”
The post has already garnered close to a thousand shares.
Unsolicited Advice
Even before Marcos issued EO 39, economic scholars urged Marcos to seriously consider other options which include “walking his talk,’ in apparent reference to the Malacañang chief executive’s campaign promise of reverting the price of rice at the level of P20 per kilo.
After the issuance of the controversial EO, several farmer groups expressed apprehension over the price cap, which they claimed will further burden the agriculture sector, unless the government goes after the traders “since the farmers are selling their rice produce way below 41 peso price cap.”
“Or better yet, instead of a price cap, the government should go directly to the farmers, buy their stocks and sell directly to the public.”
Where To, Magno?
Magno is returning to her teaching job at the UP School of Economics as soon as she wraps up the process of securing clearances from the Department of Finance, which to her was indeed "temporary".
According to Magno, she is just on “temporary loan or on secondment” to the DOF where she served as head of the agency’s fiscal policy and monitoring group.
“A wise man told me, if you do your job with integrity, you will be back in UPSE soon,” an ecstatic Magno posted on her FB wall.
She also expressed excitement over the idea of moving back her papers to UP, where “I will have more space to speak truth to power,”
“I am happy and excited to be back in UP. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Filipino people. I can sleep soundly at night knowing that I did my best to serve the interest of the public.”
Interestingly, the President has kept mum about Magno leaving his stable.
#CieloMagno #USecMagno #Fired! #Marcos #PBBM #EconomicTeam #Finance #EO39 #LucasBersamin #OpinYon
Photo Courtesy: Open Government Partnership