Nick Naylor: My job requires a certain… moral flexibility.

From the film Thank You For Smoking (2005)

 

 

What were you doing on your 16th birthday? If you are as old as me maybe you were marveling at the recent implementation of indoor plumbing. Regardless of age I doubt you were addressing the United Nations. Malala Yousafzai was so committed to educating herself she got shot in the face for her trouble. Apparently the Taliban feel only men should be educated.  Very infuriating that armed goons unleash their insecurities on a teen aged girl for having the nerve to develop her intellect.

 

I find it weird that Ms. Yousafzai will hone her intellect under the shadow of an armed threat yet we in this country do very little to cultivate or exercise our cerebral capacity and critical reasoning. Looking at our mass media and our choices for politicians make me come to that conclusion. If education and cerebral achievement was valued would we have the mayor of Manila that we have now? Or even the President of the Philippines? The people who do bother to think out loud find themselves suppressed by the very government that claimed everything will be transparent and fair.

 

 

Threat perception is defined as a deep sense of vulnerability that is assumed to be negative, likely to result in loss, and largely out of one’s control (Dutton & Jackson, 1987; Jackson & Dutton, 1988).  You saw what the Taliban did to poor Ms.  Yousafzai.   There must be some school of thinking that if you are confident that you are doing well then outside perception should not matter. On the other hand if deep down inside you have no idea what you are doing and you have no idea what you will end up with then you do what you can to make it look like you are doing well. So when Ricky Carandang spends  lavishly on surveys or  buys 24 MacBooks yet you do no see any tangible benefits like a built bridge or an improved highway that is what I suspect he is doing.  As Ilda said back in 2010, that is a thankless job.  I always said proof that Noynoy could not lead this country is there is no unity even within his own camp. Carandang and Esposo at the time engaged in that childish exercise of  trying to look good by making  the other look bad.  Ilda’s 2011 blog  was discussing William Esposo’s discontent with Ricky Carandang’s inability to put himself and his group in front of bullets meant for Noynoy.

 

 

There is an expression it’s like putting lipstick on a pig. A pig is what it is. Putting lipstick is not going to change anything. Lipstick can enhance beauty but not be a substitute for it.  Oddly enough that is how I feel about the recent movement behind changing the name of this country.

 

If I may paraphrase Ilda’s point William Esposo was angry at Ricky Carandang for not shielding the public enough from Noynoy’s own incompetence. The bullets of criticism meant for Noynoy were richly deserved based on his numerous and consistent gaffes.  Esposo might have had an easier time expecting Kris Aquino to play Bashful in the next stage production of Snow White.

 

 

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”   is attributed to Aristotle. Somebody please tell me what Noynoy Aquino is excellent at? I mean a skill that is useful in his current job. Here is where the dichotomy of the Malacanang Communications Group gets interesting. Did Esposo see Carandang as a failure for not concealing ineptitude that is inherent in his boss? I am on record as saying Esposo    when he was writing for the Star was not producing a column but a drool fest whenever his subject was the current president. His loyalty to Noynoy went so far not only did it compromise whatever objectivity he had but I would not be surprised if he trolled GRP with his leftover zeal. In the eyes of the Chairwrecker,  Noynoy can do no wrong. Ilda’s point in her piece is that Noynoy handpicked the very guy that was annoying Chairwrecker in the first place. So even there at that time Esposo was making  his living writing an opinion column and to my knowledge  was not on the over the counter Malacanang payroll. In his columns for  all to see, William Esposo was Waylon Smithers to Noynoy’s Montgomery Burns.

 

 

Speaking of trolling GRP you can read this recent piece on Tricky Ricky Carandang.  Based on what I read there I am taken back to the movie musical Chicago. A particular scene where Billy Flynn performs evasive action in the court room.   Granted Billy Flynn is not the figure of ridicule Tricky Ricky Carandang is. Read the expense figures and their subsequent increases. Read the lack of detail and substance to justify those increases. Always keep in mind that you and I are funding this bush league excuse of a ministry.

 

 

Jojo Robles in his column titled Trolling As A State Function describes Carandang as someone  “whose actual work is shrouded in mystery. ”  It has been alleged in a few places that Carandang is the Nick Fury to all the trolls that inhabit Facebook groups like Showbiz Government and Gising Na Pinoy    as well as this site. I don’t need to name them. They all treat Noynoy the same way TV ministers invoke Jesus. Yes the same ones who months later cry while they admit their affairs.  If that were true how pathetic is that? Our government uses our own money to interfere with our right as a society to exchange ideas that does not endanger lives.       Hence the CyberAct that Noynoy was so enthusiastic about.         Enthusiasm I perceive as one might see from a often bullied child who suddenly gets permission from daddy to bring a bodyguard to the playground.

 

 

“It’s part of my function to know and understand public opinion,”    was Ricky’s plea to justify the astronomical spending. If you and I can get a decent gauge of public opinion by normal social  media, news websites and periodicals. All these things have been worked into any government’s budget years ago. Government also has something you and I don’t have. Numerous people on the ground in every populated corner of this country. Again an infrastructure that is already there.  What the heck was worth all that money that Tricky Ricky did not even bother to explain in the inquiry? No wonder Tricky Ricky has earned the nickname Imelda   for similar extravagance with OUR money as if I need to tell you. Statistics don’t lie but liars use statistics as the cliche goes. In case you haven’t already read how Ben Kritz takes that cliche and sees how it applies to the major news outlets that favor Noynoy and company I highly recommend it.

 

 

As Robles said Ricky Carandang’s work is shrouded in mystery. There is a physical law that nature abhors a vacuum. Ricky is so bombastic and self righteous with his big expense account and his don’t touch my Noynoy attitude that I for one want to fill that vacuum generated by that shroud of mystery. Robles then said

“Now, if memory serves, it was Carandang who got into trouble with the House of Representatives for purchasing high-end Apple gadgets and Blackberry smart phones early in his term as some sort of propaganda Mr. Fix-It of the Aquino administration. According to reports about that splurge at the time, Carandang was supposedly employing a virtual army of part-time propagandists who used the gadgets he had purchased (and charged to his personal credit card) to troll anti-Aquino Web sites and Facebook pages in high-tech defense of his boss.” –

Trolling As A State Function Tuesday, 25 June 2013 04:00

For somebody as smug as Carandang you would think he would be proud and gloat with all this. All that power, all those high tech machines and his staff. The reason why this arrogant doofus does not gloat is he painted himself into a corner. Every high school student knows this from the Constitution:

No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Bill of Rights Section 4 Philippine Constitution.

Tricky Ricky Carandang seems to want to have his cake and eat it too on so many levels. So quick to ride on Noynoy’s coattails as if Noynoy is really breaking ground. His group keeps chanting that catch phrase as if it is real. I love the Noynoy definition of justice. Ate Ballsy  and Grace Padaca are  instantly innocent. Renato Corona is told to resign before his day in court. Apparently the road makers of Daang  Matuwid do  not believe a  man has the right to defend himself.  They also do not seem to believe that there is an E Pass lane in the Daang Matuwid only accessible by family and friends of the President.  They don’t seem to believe in this country’s constitution either.

 

The Philippines with the problems inherent in it needs an over achiever as President. Not only did we get an under achiever I believe we have a nil achiever. Any troll that wishes to argue that please cite where this guy ever made a difference pre 2010. Where he galvanized a group any group to solve a challenge. This administration loves to hoist up illusions. Tricky Ricky I assume is paramount in that effort. Davos, Switzerland was  smoke and mirrors.  Noynoy  was never a key note speaker. Did he close any deals with all the movers and shakers there? The Give Peace A Chance headline ( Bangsmoro)  is once again only a  John Lennon song and the reality is closer to  “Imagine” than “Give Peace A Chance”. The Internet is the great equalizer to help point out excessive amounts of hooey ( as Sam Spade put it in Maltese Falcon) emanating from Noynoy’s Three Stooges. Every government conceals and deceives. The current Philippine government though tries extra hard because even they know Noynoy Aquino has no redeeming factors in his resume. He won the presidency on a rare combination of serendipity and an emo electorate.

A person with so few qualifications and a negligible history of responsibility is now in the highest profile position one can ask for in this country. His mistakes are inevitable and so are the critiques. They act like this is some sort of surprise.  Noynoy Aquino never prepared himself for the daunting challenge of leading this nation. Nor does he have any natural ability that makes up for the lack of preparation. No charisma, no decision making, no crisis handling. You put in a quarterback who has no athletic ability, no football IQ, no feel for the pass rush, no big game experience, no rapport with the receivers, doesn’t watch game film, throws his offensive lineman under the bus , I doubt your team will score any touchdowns let alone win the game.

 

 

The Taliban feel threatened when a female has the audacity to educate herself. Noynoy Aquino, Tricky Ricky Carandang, Edwin Lacierda and Lady Gaga ( as some columnists refer to her) feel threatened when thinking Filipino citizens question the moves and motivations of this administration.  They would have you believe that to doubt them is to be against your country. They want you to accept the words emanating from Edwin Lacierda’s podium at face value. The government apparently resents you for having independent thought. The government apparently resents sites like GRP for assembling fine folks like you who might question the alleged dreck coming out of the palace.     Our government rather us remain submissive, the same way the Taliban prefer  Malala Yousafzai remain submissive. To be fair to the local franchise of the Taliban, they will not shoot us in the face. They instead buy Macbooks and rack up huge communication bills.

The original Taliban is really really barbaric. The local version may not have the moves but they definitely have the mindset.   I had no idea questioning was frowned upon in the Daang Matuwid.    It is as simple as saying the government resents you for being smart since they are not. Because if they were smart they would have realized the best use of their brain cells is to solve the problems the country faces as opposed to worrying about the smart people that they are lucky to have.   All the Macbooks and huge cellular bills will not hide the fact that there is no meat in the Malacanang sandwich.  All the Macbooks and huge cellular bills are just applying lipstick on a pig. Applying lipstick on a pig is a waste of money. Guess who is paying for the lipstick?