Last year, our Police were pushing for the passage of a Firearms Control Act which would greatly restrict the right of citizens to one guns and increase the power of the police to regulate gun ownership and sales. One rationale for the passage of the bill was that it would allow the release of more foreign aid from Japan. Thus, our police were following the “japan model” of stringent firearms restrictions and right of inspection, and were pushing for legislation to this effect, in exchange for aid.
There is nothing wrong with receceiving foreign aid. But when such aid is given with “strings” or conditions attached, such aid partakes of an ominous nature. It reeks of foreign domination and control of our internal affairs and our values. It strips us of our freedom and our choice to chart our own destiny.
Receiving foreign aid in exchange for gun control seems illogical. The basis for such aid is “developmental aid”, which tells us, albeit erroneously ,that more gun control equals more development. That simply does not make sense when you think of first world countries like Switzerland, Finland, Israel, and other Western European Countries, which allow practically unregulated gun ownership but which have among the highest per capita incomes in the world. The United States itself is none the worse for development in spite of its freedom to keep and bear arms.
Let’s put foreign aid where it should go: to insfrastructure projects and alleviation of poverty, and not to gun control!
There’s a word, defined if I recall correctly where one sells out his own country’s interests in exchange for a foreign nation’s favor and/or money.
“Treason.”
Unfortunately, our very sovereignty was sold out by the GMA government in favor of more aid and better credit ratings with the international banking institutions, IMF and world bank. Consider that the EVAT law, Violence against women act, Human security act, and others were passed by our congress with the sponsorship of the Chief Executive in exchange for more foreign and grants. We must realize that oftentimes these foreign lending institutions require us to pass certain laws and adopt certain policies which they link to “development”, as a pre-condition for the release of foreign aid. GMA essentially was able to get all that foreign funding in exchange for selling out the Filipino people by raising taxes and passing laws which those foreigners wanted. Quid pro quo.
The latest law which they wanted passed, particularly the government of Japan, was the increase in firearms penalties law (HB 6776) which was supposed to be passed early this year but which was blocked by Progun.