Minimal 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.


Chinese friends, from left to right: Xingyuan Feng of Cathay Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA)-Beijing, Zhao Xu of Unirule Institute of Economics-Beijing, Yiquiao Xu of Donors Trust-Washington DC, and Da Jun Zhang of Transition Institute-Beijing. The event was the Atlas Liberty Forum 2009 in Los Angeles, USA.


Atlas' VP, Tom Palmer, in a talk at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus last July 15, 2010. The reactors were Prof. Alex Magno and Prof. Temario Rivera, moderator was Prof. Amadong "Bong" Mendoza, all from the UP Political Science Department. The event was jointly sponsoed by the UP Third World Studies Center (TWSC) and the Pol. Sci. Department. MG Thinkers arranged the event with the 2 sponsor organizations.


Tom Palmer also talked at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Manila office, attended by many participants, August 15, 2010 evening. MG Thinkers also arranged the event with FNF staff.


Dr. Palmer also talked at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, July 16, 2010, attended by around 200 students. The event was co-sponsored by the Social Research Center (SRC), Social Sciences Department, and the Artlets Economics Society, in partnership with MG Thinkers. In the above photo, Dr. Alvin Ang, Economics Professor at UST, giving Dr. Palmer a gift of appreciation. Looking on was Dr. EJ Lopez, another faculty member of Economics at UST.


From left to right: Feng Xingyuan and Mao Shoulong of Cathay Institute for Public Policy (CIPA), China; Chung-ho Kim of Center for Free Enterprise (CFE) and Kim Sun-taek of Korea Taxpayers Association (KTA); Jargal Dambadarjaa of Mongolians for Fair Taxes and Wise Spending (FTWS), Mongolia, and Jamie Story of Grassroot Institute, Hawaii. Picture taken during the 3rd Pacific Rim Policy Exchange in Singapore in Septermber 2009. The 4th Pacific Rim Policy Exchange will be held in Sydney, Australia on September 28-30, 2010.


A "Post-election summit" was organized by the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG) last June 18, 2010 at Astoria Plaza, Ortigas. In the picture are Mr. Oplas, and Byron Abadeza of the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) were among the civil society leaders who participated in the event.


Leaders of other member-institutes of CSCCC: Ms. Kelsey Zahourek of Property Rights Alliance (PRA, Washington DC), Dr. Barbara Kolm of Hayek Institute, Austria, Wolfgang Mueller of IUF, Germany. To his right is Dr. Henrik Svensmark of the Danish National Space Center, Denmark. Dr. Svensmark is not a member of the CSCCC, but he's a known physicist who studies the Sun-Earth climate, among his various researches. Picture taken during the Heartland's 4th ICCC in Chicago, May 16-18, 2010.


Some leaders of member-institutes of the Civil Society Coalition on Climate Change (CSCCC). From left to right: Barun Mitra of Liberty Institute, India; Jose Luis Tapia of ILE, Peru; Margaret Tse of Liberdade Institute, Brazil; Julian Morris of IPN, UK; Martin Krause of CIIMA, Argentina, and Mr. Oplas of MG Thinkers, Philippines. Picture taken during the 4th ICCC in Chicago, May 16-18, 2010.


Members of the Coalition on Health Advocacy and Transparency (CHAT) met with visitors from Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) Jordan and MeTA Zambia, last April 29, 2010 at the PRRM building, Quezon City. Some officials of MeTA Philippines also joined the meeting. The visitors from Jordan and Zambia learned how civil society groups like those from CHAT would engage government leaders and conduct public education on certain health issues and debates. CHAT Chairman Angelito Mendoza is seated 3rd from the left. Mr. Oplas is standing 3rd from the left.


Bjorn Tarras-Wahlberg, Sec-Gen. of the World Taxpayers Association (WTA, www.worldtaxpayers.org), left, Grover Norquist, President of the Americans for Tax Reforms (ATR, www.atr.org), center, and Mr. Oplas. This was during the 3rd Pacific Rim Policy Exchange in Singapore last year. The 4th Pacific Rim Policy Exchange will be held in Sydney, September 28-30, 2010.


Cong Minh Nguyen, center, Editor of www.doimoi.org, a Vietnamese language platform featuring news reports, book reviews, web videos and related materials that highlight the rule of law and individual liberty. Beside Minh are Hiroshi Yoshida of the Japanese for Tax Reforms (JTR) and Institute for Public Sector Accounting (IPSA) in Tokyo, and Ms. Yiquiao Xu, previously with Atlas, now with Donors Trust, USA. Minh, Hiroshi and their respective think tanks are among the close friends of MG Thinkers in Asia.


University of San Carlos (USC), Cebu City, forum on RA 9502 or the Cheaper Medicines Law, March 6, 2010. The 4 speakers in that forum, from left to right, were Dr. Sophia Mancao of DOH Region 7, Mr. Jun de Luna of Prosel Pharma Inc., Cebu City, Mr. Oplas, and Prof. Yolanda Deliman, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, USC.


Dr. Willie Soon, 2nd from left, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Boston, recently co-authored "Avoiding Carbon Myopia". To his right was Barun Mitra of Liberty Institute, India. To his left were Mr. Oplas, Mr. Jose Luis Tapia of ILE, Peru, and another participant during the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change (2nd ICCC) held in March 2009 in NYC.


Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Chief Executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS, http://ideas.org.my/) in Kuala Lumpur, seated leftmost, speaking in a panel discussion on Constitutionalism at the Malaysian Freedom Academy, 7 Feb 2010. Wan and IDEAS are among the close friends of MG Thinkers in Asia, advancing free market and individual liberty among our neighbors in the ASEAN.


Ms. Victoria Strokova, author of International Property Rights Index (IPRI) 2010 Report. This is a comprehensive report and survey of how countries protect private property rights. Beside her are Chris Butler of the Americans for Tax Reforms (ATR) and Mr. Oplas. Picture taken last November 2009 at the ATR office.


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.