No More Newly Imported Books in the Philippines; the Reason Why

(text of an e-mail I just composed)

This made me very very mad. You can help stop this outrage.

In the last few months, the importation of books into the Philippines has virtually stopped. (I've noticed it at Fully Booked) The reason why is explained in this McSweeney's article by Robin Hemley, a University of Iowa creative writing professor currently on a fellowship in the Philippines. If you have no time to read the article (and I suggest you do, and read his other dispatches as well), the essence is that because the Bureau of Customs has decided to impose duties on the importation of books into the Philippines.

This, despite the 1950 Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, scientific and Cultural Materials (which you can see here), which the Philippines ratified in 1979. The preamble of the agreement states: "Considering that the free exchange of ideas and knowledge and, in general, the widest possible dissemination of the diverse forms of self-expression used by civilizations are vitally important both for intellectual progress and international understanding, and consequently for the maintenance of world peace...", an indisputable proposition.

Towards that end, Article I(1)(a) of the Florence Agreement states:

"1. The contracting States undertake not to apply customs duties or other charges on, or in connection with, the importation of:

(a) Books, publications and documents, listed in Annex A to this Agreement;"

What does Annex A state?

"Annex A

Books, publications and documents

(i) Printed books. xxx"

Obviously, this new policy of the Bureau of Customs contravenes the Florence Agreement. More fundamentally, shunting aside the legalities, this is a tax on knowledge imposed by people who are not that smart. Only through intellectual progress can we have a fighting chance to succeed as a nation, and intellectual progress can only be possible in an atmosphere where information and ideas flow free and freely. And if you think that the problem will be cured by carving an exception for "educational books", then you are wrong. Ideas are not confined to textbooks -- they are steeped in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, pulp novels, and Mad Magazine. By no means, in 1887, would Noli me Tangere have been considered an "educational book", but it reeks of enlightenment and liberal ideas from which the reader can learn from. That is why the Florence Agreement is unequivocal in its prohibition of duties on books.

Please forward this or disseminate this in any way you can. In the name of reading.

UPDATE: Please read The Bibliophile Stalker's own take on the issue. He provides counterpoints to some of the factual statements in the McSweeney's article and on the practical impact of the duties, all of which are well worth considering.

I'd also like to add. With this issue, there has also been accompanying talk on how corruption may have motivated these customs duties. I think though that we should also consider, as a possible (if not more probable) factor, Republic Act No. 9335, passed in 2005. This law establishes a rewards and incentives system for employees fo the BIR and the Bureau of Customs if their bureaus exceed their respective revenue targets for the year. Certainly, this law highly motivates the BIR and the Customs personnel to increase revenue collections, and we have to be on the lookout that they do so without breaking the law.