recent documentsMinimal Government Thinkers, Inc.
We are an independent think tank advancing five core principles: small government, small taxes, free market, rule of law, and personal responsibility. We believe that society will be more peaceful and dynamic if individuals, parents, firms and their voluntary organizations will assume more individual and voluntary responsibility of their lives, their families, and their communities. This is the essence of “civil society”. People who are afraid of responsibilities are afraid of freedom itself.
First forum for the year of the Coalition for Health Advocacy and Transparency (CHAT), held on January 28, 2010, Diamond Hotel, Manila. Mr. Oplas (5th from left, front row) participated to represent MG Thinkers. At his back is CHAT Chairman and former DAR Secretary Obet Pagdanganan. Two staff from MeTA International Secretariat also participated, Ms. Carolyn Green (to the left of former Sec. Pagdanganan) and Wilbert Bannenberg, standing at the last row.
Las Pinas Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Mohammad Yasin Badr, giving the certificate of recognition to Mr. Oplas, as guest speaker in the chamber's general assembly last November 24, 2009. Mr. Oplas talked on "Warming time out amidst climate hysteria
Mr. Oplas joined the "Think Tank 101" seminar last November 10-11, 2009, at Mayflower Hotel, Washington DC, sponsored by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. About 20 leaders of young independent think tanks from several countries participated in the seminar. Others in this photo are the resource speakers and event facilitators.
The 2009 Freedom Dinner and Conference was successfully held by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation last Nov. 9-10, 2009, at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC. On day 2, Mr. Oplas was among the panel speakers in the conference. From left to right: Ms. Cindy Cirquetella of Atlas as panel moderator, Mr. Oplas, Mr. Paulo Uebel of Inst. Millenia, Brazil, Ms. Ms. Natasha Srdoc of Adriatic Institute, Croatia. Not in the photo but part of the panel were speakers from Ivory Coast and from Egypt.
Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education, Inc. (FUSE) general assembly and conference, October 27, 2009, at FUSE office, Pearl of the Orient Tower condo, Roxas Blvd, Manila. Mr. Oplas was the guest speaker. To his right is Rep. Salvador Escudero III, FUSE President.
3rd Pacific Rim Policy Exchange, Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore, October 14-15, 2009. Mr. Oplas presented a paper on the drug price control policy in the Philippines. To his right is Tim Wilson of IPA Australia as panel moderator, and to his left is Philip Stevens of IPN UK as the second speaker.
Man-made warming: is it the truth? This was the presentation of Mr. Oplas as guest speaker in the regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Makati Dasmarinas (RCMD), Rockwell Club, Makati City, Philippines, last October 21, 2009. He was introduced by his Rotary classmate, RCMD Past President Rodolfo "Inky" Reyes, 2nd from left.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) seminar on "Property and Freedom", co-sponsored by the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF). From left: Mr. Oplas, Dr. Emmanuel de Dios, Dean of the UP School of Economics; Ms. Ellen Cain of FEF, and Mr. Siegfried Herzon, Resident Representative, FNF Manila office. Mr. Oplas and Dr. de Dios were the panel speakers on September 7, 2009, of the 3-days seminar, held at Millenia Suites, Pasig City, Philippines.
Panel speakers in the "Social Dialogue on Health Care" last August 17, 2009 at PRRM, Quezon City. From left to right: Edel Hernandez of 3CPNet, Mr. Oplas, Mr. Rene Magtubo of LABOR, former DAR Sec. Obet Pagdanganan (standing), former DOH Sec. Alberto Romualdez, Mr. Ernesto Beltran of PhilHealth, Mr. Reineer Gloor of PHAP, and Ms.Joyce Filomeno of AGAP.
Mr. Oplas with officers and members of Rotary Club of Rizal South West, RI D3830 after he gave a talk on "Global cooling vs Global money and power" last May 28, 2009, Heritage Hotel, Manila. To Mr. Oplas' right is club President Lynette Velasco and Past President Maritoni Gonzales.
Mr. Oplas attended the Atlas Liberty Forum in Los Angeles, April 24-25, 2009. In the picture, left to right, were Mr. Oplas; Peter Holle of FCCP, Canada; Jo Kwong, VP of Atlas, USA; Margaret Tse of IL, Brazil; and Xingyuan Feng of CIPA, China. Nearly 300 participants from more than 30 countries came.
Mr. Oplas giving a talk on "Global cooling reality vs Global warming politics" at the joint meeting of the Rotary Club of Makati McKinley (RCMM) and Rotary Club of Taguig-Fort Bonifacio, April 22, 2009. Looking on were RCMM President Bing Icamina, Manila Observatory Executive Director Toni Loyzaga (black suit facing the projector), and D3830 Asst. Governor Jay Tambunting.
Mr. Oplas in his talk last March 27 on "The Sun vs CO2". The event was sponsored by the Economics Department, DLSU, Manila.
Mr. Oplas with President Vaclav Klaus of Czech Republic. during the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC) sponsored by Heartland Institute, March 8-10, 2009, New York City. President Klaus was signing his book, “Blue Planet in Green Shackles (What is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?)” after delivering his Keynote Speech, March 8.
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) held its "Congress Briefing on the Global IT Industry" last December 3, 2008 at Edsa Shangrila Hotel. MG Thinkers President, Nonoy Oplas, was one of five speakers. He presented a paper, "ICT in the Philippines: Growth Amidst Mixed Government Intervention" (http://www.minimalgovernment.net
/media/mg_20081203.pdf). Looking on was Mr. Michael Mudd, CompTIA's Director of Public Policy, Asia-Pacific.
MG Thinkers President, Nonoy Oplas, attended the international seminar on "Local Government and Civil Society" last October 26 to November 2, 2008, at the International Academy for Leadership (IAF) by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF), Gummersbach, Germany. He was the only Filipino among 23 foreign participants from four continents -- Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America.
Dr. Emmanuel Lopez, Chairman, Department of Social Sciences, University of Santo Tomas (UST), ManilaMr. Alec van Gelder, Network Director, International Policy Network (IPN), London, UK; and Mr. Barun Mitra, Director, Liberty Institute, New Delhi, India. They were the speakers in the symposium, "Rule of law and Entrepreneurship: Where is the limit to State Intervention?" held last September 17, 2008 morning, at the UST. The event was jointly sponsored by the Social Research Center (SRC), Social Science Department, UST, and MG Thinkers.
"PDE-MG Thinkers symposium on 'Improving access to health'. From left to right: Nonoy Oplas, President of MG Thinkers, Alec van Gelder of IPN, Barun Mitra of Liberty Institute, Dr. Aleli Kraft of UPSE, and Dr. Rene Azurin of UP CBA, program MC and forum moderator."
