Disastrous disaster capitalism
Disastrous disaster capitalism
By JUSTIN UMALI
Bulatlat.com
Crises are always unpredictable regardless of preparation. The current Taal eruption has given us multiple stories – haphazard responses from the national government, heartwarming acts of kindness, and heartbreaking tales of animals left behind in the evacuation.
But none are as infuriating as reports businesses, and corporations putting their personal profit above the needs and safety of other people.
One example is how retailers bumped up the price of face masks in light of the ash fall. Old prices of P25-50 suddenly spiked to P200, P300, or even P500 in a single day. Even regular cloth face masks, which usually sell for far less, have risen to what can only be described as criminal levels.
It’s easy to dismiss this behavior as “the law of supply and demand” in action, implying that it is as natural as the next sunrise. But the truth of the matter is that “supply and demand”, and the profit-driven force behind it, is anything but natural.
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