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| The own-goal that cost Andre Escobar his life. |
I just watched ‘The two Escobars’ (2010) [new tab], a documentary about two
Escobars (naturally) from Colombia who died violent deaths related to the drug
trade in the 1990s. Pablo Escobar was a billion-dollar drug lord, and Andres
Escobar was Colombia’s football team captain, most famous for scoring in
his own goal, costing Colombia the 1994 World Cup. Andres was shortly after
killed in an altercation with mobsters furious at his mistake. These events
weren’t that long ago; you might have read them in the papers when they
happened.
SUPERFICIAL GIMMICKS FOR SHOW
It struck me that the Colombian situation related quite
well to the Philippines. Here was a country whose own government was intent on
cleaning up its image via superficial means, that is, by aiding in the success
of their football team.
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| Pablo Escobar |
I don’t know how it would have mattered if Colombia went
on to win the World Cup, if underlying factors made for a perpetuation of
violence and instability in the country. But apparently, politicians like then-president
César Gaviria were satisfied with having their football team overshadow harsher
realities, or perhaps they hoped that a champion football team would translate
to a growing economy.
In the Philippines, the situation isn’t too far off. We
have a Department of Tourism which managed to come up with “It’s more fun in the Philippines” [new tab], but what is there to show for such a claim? How long can
Filipinos bank on the country’s natural wonders, when much of it remains
undevelopable (due to lack of capital)? Add to that the fact that most
Filipinos are in poverty; conflict rages in Mindanao; journalism is an
especially dangerous profession; traffic sucks; etc.
And then there’s the Manny Pacquiao phenomenon, where
being ‘proud to be Filipino’ is supposed to make a difference in people’s
lives. Heck, there’s that semi-successful football team, the Azkals, behind
which Filipinos rally. At least Colombia managed to make it past the
qualifiers.
SPORTS FUNDING VIA FREEDOM, NOT MOB SUBSIDIES
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| Traffic. More fun in Colombia! |
The success of Colombia’s football team is attributed to funding
by Pablo Escobar, a football fanatic. After Pablo’s death, much of the
financing stopped. Many in the documentary believed that sans drug money,
Colombian football was doomed. To me, this is a rather myopic view of the
situation.
With a community largely in poverty, it is only natural
that people’s priorities will not be recreational activities like sports. But
as prosperity grows, so does demand for ‘non-essentials.’ One would be mistaken
to believe that it takes coercive funding for programs to succeed.
Football doesn’t need a drug lord benefactor or
government subsidies; it needs the growth of capital, which is best achieved by
leaving businesses alone to seek ways to satisfy consumers. From this profit
motive comes employment, output and a better standard of living.
Some analysts are bullish on Colombia [new tab], partly due to increasing
economic freedom in the area. If such freedom and progress are sustained, I’d
wager that the country’s soccer program would take off once again.
Similarly, the Philippine government should lay off on
funding sports. It can very well abolish the Philippine Sports Commission, and
should just get out of the way of markets. If a certain sport succeeds, this
should be on account of consumer preferences, and not the whims and guesses of
politicians.
BEAT DRUGS BY HEALTH AWARENESS, NOT CRIMINALIZATION
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| drugpolicy.org |
Like most governments, the Philippine government is on a ‘war
on drugs.’ Such a war is futile, even counterproductive. If politicians were
really sincere in stopping the violent operations of drug lords, they would
stop prohibition.
Who do you think suffers the most when drugs are
legalized? Is it the youth? The mothers?
No, it’s the mobsters themselves, who find their monopoly
in jeopardy. They now have to face legit competitors, which brings prices down
and makes the business far less lucrative. With competition also comes higher
quality and safety standards, and more openness to seek assistance in cases of
addiction. Whatever horrors society faces by a legalization of dangerous drugs,
the alternative, of market capture by violent elements, is always worse.
FINAL WORDS
Stability of a community rests on more than popular memes
and celebrity teams. The Philippine situation may not be as bad as what goes on
in Latin America, but this shouldn’t lure us into complacency. Alas, it may
take a crisis of some proportion for Filipinos to see beyond cheap gimmickry
and ethnocentric diversions.
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