Economics of Tupig and Ph President Noynoy

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When I taught Economics in college more than a decade ago, I explained to my students what was inflation and its exception where the seller maintained the old price of the goods at the expense of the product’s quality.

Tupig delicacy is a long sticky rice logs wrapped and cooked in banana leaf.
Bundles of tupig can be found being sold along the highway in Pangasinan and Tarlac provinces.

“Sabi nila ang donut daw dati wala namang butas iyan. Pero dahil sa pag spike ng cost of production ang merchant gumawa ng malaking butas para maka menos gastos,” I jested.

In case some of my students swallowed that joke hook, line, and sinker that was their intellectual indiscretion by juxtaposing a joke and a jerk.

I thought my “Donut Analogy” was the best I strutted to those who care to listen. But last Monday, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III shamed me with his antics on the Economics of Tupig (Long sticky rice logs wrapped and cooked in banana leaf) here’s the excerpt when the president, an economics graduate of Ateneo de Manila, spoke before the hoi polloi in the turnover of shared service facilities (SSF) in the province of Pangasinan that was held at the world class stadia owned by Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez.

“Iyong nag alaga po sa akin, kung umuwi sila sa kanila sa Paniqui, Tarlac parate po ako pinapasalubungan ng hinde isa o dalawang piraso ng tupig kundi bundle bundle po. Siyempre ang tupig okay ito. Sumulong po kasi ang kung saan nangaling ang aking lolo, noon po nauso po iyong suman. Iyong suman pinapalagyan ng (asukal) para sumarap. Iyong tupig, matamis pero crispy pa, crunchy na, mas kumpleto ata. So, tuwang tuwa tayo dahil mahabahaba iyon noong bata pa tayo mga one foot.

Minsan po nagpunta po tayo, papunta ata ako sa Baguio, nadaan tayo sa Pangasinan nakita ko ang nagbebenta ng tupig, tinanong ko bumili po tayo ng bundle bundle, binuksan ko andaming balot (diyaryo) may balot sa ilalim na papel, may balot sa ilalim na papel uli (crowd chuckle). Natatandaan ko kasi isang balot lang ng papel ang tupig. Noong nakita ko ang tupig (sa Pangasinan), parang pastillas sa laki. (Crowd laughed).

Sabi ko sa nagbebenta: Brod, halika ka nga bakit iyong balot madami? Bakit?

Sabi niya: Sir walang nagbago. Ang presyo pareho dahil tumaas ang bilihin sa tupig pero ang presyo pareho lang!

Baka puwede natin maibalik sa dati ang laki ng tupig? (Crowd chuckle).

***

When we were waiting at the coffee house for the three helicopters of President Benigno Aquino III to land at the huge helipad near the mall owned by the city mayor, over the huge cup of brewed aromatic Café Amerikano one of the two radio commentators told me Grace Poe could not be a natural born because she is a foundling.

ME: The ponencia (essay) written by Justice Jose Perez said: First, she was a natural born because the 1987 Constitution only provides two kinds of citizenship natural and naturalized;

Second,Poe's repatriation results in the recovery of her original nationality where I cited the case of Bengzon vs House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal. The SC said "repatriation results in the recovery of the original nationality; Third, domestic and international laws on foundlings say foundling enjoys the presumption of being natural born. Moreover, these laws do not permit discrimination against foundlings. Poe's reference to adoptive parents as birth parents where the SC said the Domestic Adoption Act of 1998 allows Poe to state that her adoptive parents are her birth parents. Adoption Act says all adopted children are natural born.

“Section 2 Article III of the Constitution says The Philippines… adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality. That’s Pacta Sunt Servanda”.

REPORTER: (One of those who were milling around when commentators conversed) What is Pacta Sunt Servanda?

ME: Istorbo ka na naman naguusap kami ng seryoso dito. Pacta Sunt Servanda kuwan yan, iyong nabibili sa Mercury Drugs, punta ka doon!

Seriously, Pacta Sunt Servanda is a Latin word “that promises must be kept”. An expression signifying that the agreements and stipulations of the parties to a contract like those international agreements must be observed.

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)