Does the Philippines need a broadband?

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has a penchant for signing agreements with foreign countries while attending conferences. But her recent agreement with communist North Korea defies logic. What does she gain by entering into a contract with a rogue state?During the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Manila last July, two agreements were signed by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Romulo and his North Korean counterpart. They signed an agreement to establish a "bilateral consultation mechanism" between the two countries. They also signed a cultural cooperation agreement to "further enhance ties between the two countries."But, as one diplomat was reported to have stated, what seems to take a more important aspect of the two agreements is in the area of "security." The rationale being advanced was that "closer ties between the two counties could prevent any transfer of firearms from North Korea to armed groups" such as the communist insurgents, Muslim separatists, terrorists, and criminal elements. Now, this is really stretching someone's imagination to the extreme. Does anyone really believe that North Korea would stop sending its only exportable product -- weapons -- to its clients in the Philippines? Or would it be reasonable to believe that North Korea could possibly send its handlers under the guise of "cultural cooperation" to further its arms business?According to news reports, North Korea's foreign minister, Pak Ui Chun, promised to "abide by his country's commitment to end its nuclear weapons programme." However, Pak did not specify when his country would dismantle its nuclear facilities. Clearly, there is a big difference between a "promise" and an "action." As an old adage says, "Promises are made to be broken." The bottom line is: If North Korea is going to dismantle its nuclear facilities, it would use that as a leverage with the nuclear powers -- the U.S., England, France, Russia, and China -- to gain political and economic concessions. It certainly would not do that in exchange for "cultural cooperation. "William C. Triplett II, in his book "Rogue State: How a Nuclear North Korea Threatens America," stated that *"*North Korea is a 'gulag nation' where millions starve under the cult of 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-Il." He explained that "North Korea functions as Kim's 'family-run criminal enterprise,' with his henchmen (and -women) responsible for terrorist attacks and assassinations, as well as sidelines in narcotics trafficking, counterfeiting and kidnapping." And here is the scary part: "Worst of all," Triplett wrote, "North Korea has, or will soon have, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States." Healso contended that "the real culprit is not so much the Kim dictatorship but Communist China, described as North Korea's 'master' and 'enabler,' if not co-conspirator and participant in crime." His book is described as "a stunning documentation that North Korea is not the crazy, unpredictable terrorist state of myth, but in fact the terrorist branch of the People's Republic of China."We need to be cognizant of the fact that with the collapse of the Soviet Empire almost two decades ago, China is now the political center of world communism. North Korea, Cuba, and a few other countries are beholden to China. With the proximity of Cuba to the United States, China is incapable of exerting military pressure on the U.S. from Cuba. However, it could tip the balance of power in the Far East by using North Korea to do its "dirty work" while it does all the good public relations work. What a better way to pursue their hidden agenda than using "cultural cooperation" to disguise their ultimate goal; that is, to destabilize the non-communist countries in Asia, particularly the third world countries. It is interesting to note that the Philippines is the only country in the whole world that has an active communist insurgency. To China and North Korea, the Philippines is just ripe for the plucking.Not too long ago, in April of 2007, the Philippine government awarded a $330-million project to a Chinese firm, ZTE Corp, to design and install broadband connections to more than 22,000 government offices throughout the Philippines. President Arroyo hopes that this ambitious high-tech project would bring the rural areas into the 21st century.But it is not the feasibility of the project that has attracted a lot of flak, it's the anomalous way with which the project was awarded. It appears that the contract was hastily executed -- signed in Boao, China at the sidelines of President Arroyo's speech at the World Economic Forum -- without public bidding, although two companies have submitted bids for the but were ignored. U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney stirred a hornet's nest when she sent a letter to the Philippine government on behalf of two American companies requesting the Philippine government to reconsider its decision to award the project to ZTE Corp. She said that an "open competition and transparency is the best interest of all." Another interested party was a company founded and owned by Jose de Venecia III, son of Speaker Jose de Venecia. One of the American companies, Arescom, claimed that its $135-million bid should have won the contract. AHI's bid was $242-million. Recently, the Philippine Senate announced that it will investigate the awarding of the contract. Well, let's see how the new opposition majority in the Senate would perform. This would test their mettle.The ultimate question that would come to mind is: Does the Philippines need to spend this huge amount -- the equivalent of 15 billion pesos -- for the luxury of implementing high-tech capability to the vastly undeveloped rural areas? A large portion of the Philippines is still trying to get into the 20th century. Why the rush to bring them into the 21st century? As the old saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day."What President Arroyo should do to achieve her dream of an "Enchanted Kingdom" in 20 years is to address the basic needs of the people. With insufficient housing, widespread poverty, high unemployment and underemployment, and mediocre educational programs, $330 million would go a long way if spent wisely. The last thing that the people would like to see is another fiasco of the magnitude of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant which was never put into operation. It took the Philippine government 20 years to pay off the $2.3-billion loan plus interest of $155,000 a day. Instead of wasting $330 million on another white elephant, President Arroyo should spend it on projects that would uplift the lives of the Filipino people.