“Free-market capitalism is a network of free and voluntary exchanges in which producers work, produce, and exchange their products for the products of others through prices voluntarily arrived at.” –Murray N. Rothbard

Government, back off!
If it is better for business, then, by extension, it is better for society as a whole.
Under the principle of laissez-faire, a French economic theory, business is better off if there is less government involved.
Politicians in Negros Occidental – composed mostly of sugar planters – are up in arms against the beverage behemoth Coca-Cola. No less than Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. has banned their products from the Panaad Festival, which runs from April 22 to 30.
Additionally, Hinigaran Mayor Nadie Arceo followed suit by issuing an executive order banning Coca-Cola products during his town’s Hinugyaw Festival from April 20 to 30.
According to reports, unless Coca-Cola starts using local sugar in place of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the ban will remain.

Message
The message is loud and clear: Bring Coca-Cola to its knees.
Intentions were first declared on March 20, when approximately 6,000 sugar planters rallied in front of the local Coca-Cola office to denounce their use of HFCS, which they claim is killing the sugar industry.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) issued Sugar Order No. 3, which places a cap on the entry of HFCS into the country and imposes stiff tariffs and duties on the commodity.
Sugar Order No. 3, however, was countermanded by Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who quipped, “I did not ask for the scrapping of Sugar Order No. 3, but simply recommended it be held in abeyance pending the resolution of the issues raised by Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola, which have been legitimate businesses operating in the Philippines for so long now.”
He added, “I believe if things could be worked out, the sugar industry could get a bigger share of the sugar requirements from both Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola, thus getting a better deal.”

Price
Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola have relied heavily of HFCS after the price of local sugar doubled.
The underlying belief that makes up the fundamentals of laissez-faire economics include, first and foremost, the natural world is self-regulating – natural regulation is the best type of regulation. Laissez-faire economists argue, because of this, there is no need for the complicating involvement of government.
Government involvement, according to this economic theory, includes any type of regulation, minimum wage, taxation, or oversight. Laissez-faire economists see taxation on companies as a penalty for production./WDJ