Why does God allow the corrupt and incompetent public servants to stay in power in the Philippines? I wish I had the chance to ask Pope Francis that question in person. But it would have probably confused him because the incumbent Philippine President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino, in his welcome speech to the Pontiff, insisted that he is not corrupt like a certain two of his predecessors presumably. So although it is a good question to ask the head of the Catholic Church, expecting Pope Francis to answer issues about the Philippines’ local affairs would be expecting too much from him.
Anyway, I already know the answer to my question. Corrupt and incompetent public servants manage to stay in power in the Philippines because majority of Filipino voters keep voting them back in office again and again during elections. It has nothing to do with God or any divine being.
President BS Aquino: Shenanigans exposed to the international media
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Simply put, most voters in the Philippines don’t use their heads and it is unfair for them to think that God had something to do with their misery.
Take the case of Philippine President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino. Most Filipinos know that he was a slacker during his terms in Congress, first as a Congressman and then as a Senator. He did not pass a single bill and did not even use his position to speak against the cases of corruption perpetrated by his colleagues who were quite possibly pocketing pork barrel funds through fake NGOs during the previous government. After all, it’s not like he didn’t know that pork barrel funds were being diverted to non-existent projects. If he didn’t know, then that still says a lot about his cluelessness.
The point is, despite BS Aquino’s mediocre performance in Congress and lack of vision for the future, majority of the voters still elected him as President of the Philippines. One can’t even blame the election result solely on the uneducated voters because a lot of those who campaigned for BS Aquino back then are highly-educated members of Philippine society. Some misguided Filipinos even justified his win as part of “God’s plan”. If we follow their logic, God’s plan includes making Filipinos suffer under another Aquino Presidency. Therefore, God must be cruel.
That is not the case at all. The truth is, Filipinos should start taking accountability for their own actions. Shifting the blame to someone else for their bad leadership choices means the cycle of mediocrity in the country will not end. Some rabid Aquino supporters still cannot accept that they made a bad decision in supporting him even when it has become so obvious that he is already a lame duck. The longer some Filipinos support a leader who continues to divide the nation, the longer the Philippines will remain stagnant.
The Philippines has become a global laughingstock under BS Aquino’s leadership. News of the government’s attempts to hide the real condition of poverty during Pope Francis’s five-day visit is being reported by the international media. What kind of government rounds up homeless people and books them in a plush resort just to hide them from international guests? Only a government run by a bunch of hypocrites would do that. They probably wanted to show the international community that the current government has reduced the number of poor people in the Philippines.
DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman: Famous for inconsistencies
What were her excuses? Soliman said the homeless were taken because she was afraid that they would be “vulnerable to syndicates and discriminated (against)”. As if living in the streets for so long had not hardened them up yet. If anything, they were vulnerable to the government’s scheme to hide them.
Then Soliman said that the homeless received training as part of a government scheme and “part of the orientation (was) to familiarize them with a room that has a door and toilets.” We have to give her brownie points for that one. I guess it is true that people who live on the streets do not have to open doors and use toilets. They only know of open living.
Soliman also claims that this was not the first time the DSWD gathered homeless families for its program. The question is, why was the program held during the five days when Pope Francis was in town? Didn’t these poor people deserve a chance to see the Pontiff on his Popemobile too? And how come only poor people from Roxas Boulevard were included considering the “training center” was located in Batangas? Were there participants for the “training program” from that area? Probably not.
We have to thank the members of the international media again for highlighting the government’s callous activities. Weeks before the Pope’s arrival, I wrote an article in anticipation of the arrival of the foreign press who would cover his visit. I knew that they would be able to help expose the shenanigans of BS Aquino’s government just like how they exposed the incompetence during the height of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban.
Street children and their homeless families are normally a common sight all over Manila.
The problem is, this issue doesn’t seem to be a big deal to Filipinos. For one, some probably agree that the homeless are such eyesores and they are just glad not to see them for a change. They have become so used to poverty that they have become desensitized to the plight of the poor; and a lot of Filipinos do not bother to think of the consequences of the government spending millions just to hide the poor from the international community. Not only does this promote mendicancy, it also promotes resentment among the taxpayers. This is why poverty in the Philippines remains unresolved even under BS Aquino. You can’t blame that on God.
[Photo of street children courtesy Filipino Scribbles.]
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Homelessness is a nagging problem in our country. There are too many homeless people.
These incompetent politicians are elected; because of the incompetence of Filipino voters.
The Media makes people dumb; with nonsense programs, telenovelas and misinformation. It is even used by crooked politicians, like Aquino to promote their political agendas…
Unless, we learn to know the truth from the false, in media information…we will never get out from the mire, we are in…
And considering that the regular Philippine program has barely anything educational on it or something that forces them to learn English, its not happening anytime soon.
Hiding the street children may remind some of how the Marcoses put up walls to hide the squatter colonies during the 1974 Miss Universe pageant and during Pope John Paul’s 1980s visit here. It was repeated in 2012 during and Asian Development Bank conference, and now is done in a different way: the “spirited away” method. That reflects another aspect of the Filipino mindset: rather than correct one’s errors, cover them up instead and continue the error.
The Beatles also noticed this during visit to the Philippines in the Marcos era. (and the horrid mistreatment they experienced when they snubbed Imelda)
I think its safe to say that the Philippines has not progressed one step since the Marcos era.
Would’ve been a bigger mercy if they just “ethnic cleansed” them and subsequently dumped to Smokey Mountain.
I can’t argue much with this article, except for the fact that “majority of the Filipinos” didn’t elect him as president.
1. 15 million votes is not a majority of the more than 100 million Filipinos. It’s not even a majority of the electorate. He just got the most votes amongst the candidates.
2. of the 15 million votes, how many of that is from the PCOS abracadabra? for all we know, the guy barely got 1 million votes. Erap probably had more than him. Gordon, next.
So again, people should stop referring the 2010 election as a vote by the majority. It’s actually far from that. Until the ballots opened and recounted, we will never truly know. the Senatorial elections that followed with the 60-30-10 results proved that.
So, who won the election then? Is there a case filed questioning the result of the election?
What law was violated or was there illegality in the conduct of election to cast doubt on the result?
If none, I think we should stop being in denial. 😉
Well, we’ll see what the hypocrites will do agaim on Feb 26-27. France’s Francois Hollande, climate activists George Clooney, Leonardo di Carpio Angelina Jolie, Jeremy Iron and more big names are headed to Tacloban on said date.
what’s worse is, these poor people who got lucky are back in the streets after the pope left. at least they got to experience the high life.
but is this good use of taxpayer’s money? why am i asking this: of course not!
They brawled in the resort!
ARE TODAY’S BIG BROTHER MEDIA PARTLY TO BLAME?!
Gone are the days of the TV Talk Shows! Shows, that are usually aired around 10PM or after the late-night news, wherein the pros and cons issues of the day are tackled (though some are obviously created as a propaganda tool against Marcos at the time). To name a few:
-Louie Beltran’s Straight From The Shoulder
-Dong Puno’s Viewpoint
-Julie Yap Daza’s Tell The People
-Winnie Monsod and Oscar Orbos’ Debate With Mare and Pare
-Renato Cayetano and Gel Santos-Relos’ Compañero y Compañera
-Randy David’s Public Forum
-Teodoro Benigno’s Firng Line
Over the radio, it has:
-Pareng Rey at Pareng Caloy’ Metro-Manila Banat!
-Ka Totoy Talastas Liwanagin Natin!
-Others…
In today’s not-so-comparative available TV Shows are usually of public-service oriented and of news-type/magazine-type genre, for instance, the likes of:
-Mike Enriquez’ Imbestigador
-Jiggy Manicad and Maki Pullido’s Reporter’s Notebook
-Ted Failon’s Failon Ngayon
-Tulfo Brother’s T3 (Sayang Ang Tapang!)
-Mareng Winnie’s Bawal Ang Pasaway (Nawala Ang Anghang!)
Perhaps one the last standing show of this kind, who truly has the balls to speak infront of the tube, is the commentary show of Leo Obligar in Piskante ng Bayan (Net-25)!
ABS-CBN TV has Vice Ganda’s Gandang Gabi Vice, and on internet/social media Facebook, they gave us Tony Calvento, an investigative journalist, leading and fighting for the crusade of Big-Time Employer’s interest in such artist whose name rhymes with WRONG! Katotohanan… Katarungan… Katapangan ???!!! THE NERVE!!!
BIG MEDIA AT TIMES IS SELECTIVE IN NEWS COVERAGE AND HIDES HISTORICAL EVENTS FROM THE MASSES!!!
This is clearly more evident in these times:
-AT THE HEIGHT OF EDSA 3 PEOPLE POWER IN 2001, NO TV BREAKING NEWS CAME FROM BOTH ABS-CBN AND GMA-7 !!!
Both media giants completely AND INTENTIONALLY ignored an event of national concern!
-DURING EDSA 1 PEOPLE POWER IN 1986, NO PROPER ACCOUNT (IN VIDEO, PHOTO OR IN WORDS) OF THE THE SEIGE BY YELLOW REBEL SOLDIERS OF THOSE ARMY GUARDS FORCIBLY HOLED UP AT THE STAION TOWER IN DEPENSE OF THEN NMPC CHANNEL 4.
Those guards who are openly very vulnerable above the tower station have been shot at like target rats. These nameless men (who became part of the collateral damge between warring factions) were eventually killed defending the station as they are tasked to do in their line of duty. They were brought down to the grounds one by one via a rope tied to their dead bodies like animals, without respect nor honor, to the insensitive and callous clapping of the yellow masses down below. It was briefly broadcast live then! But now YOU CAN NOT FIND anything on this event in any MEDIA of any kind, up to this day! GOOD LUCK!!!
I think the question should be addressed to the voters…it is the people who voted for these incompetent and inefficient politicians.
It will be too morbid for us to suggest ethnic cleansing, but I would have to agree that it’ll be better done that way. However, there are other options that we could do as a citizen to eradicate these politicians, oligarchs who are continuously abusing and taking advantage of the people – KILL THEM ALL!
Hypocrisy insults our intelligence. And BS Aquino is so damn fucking good at it.
Anyway, I already know the answer to my question. Corrupt and incompetent public servants manage to stay in power in the Philippines because majority of Filipino voters keep voting them back in office again and again during elections. It has nothing to do with God or any divine being.
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Since we are on “questions” let me share my 2 cents on it.
The question is why do they keep voting them back? The answer is they are allowed to do so. The next question then is, so what’s wrong with that? Followed by, if no law is violated or no illegal act was committed why blame the people for exercising their basic right?
I know it’s a bit tricky but we have to be aware that such angle of the issue exists.
To quote a disgruntled expat;
“Democracy is bullshit if the voters are easily led by media.”
Its true that they are allowed to vote. Its legal. However, the problem is that these voters are exactly like sheep: blindly following those who offer them food and promises of greener pastures.
Yet these sheep fail to realize that they are being led to the slaughter and so they cry loud when they reach it. Each. Time.
Its true that they are allowed to vote. Its legal. However, the problem is that these voters are exactly like sheep.
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If they vote legally, then why take it against them? Don’t you think we should instead talk about those people who treat them like sheep and lead them to slaughter?
May I also add, will someone from congress pass a law preventing the culprits from running again? Will there be presidential decree that will correct the voting process? Not as long as there’s Pork Barrel Politics.
One event I cannot forget is Election 2013. While there’s an ongoing war in Sabah, here’s your President busy campaigning his kapartido. For a little moment then I had this distorted thought that maybe that war is just for show like when there’ll be big event like SONA or peace conference in the country, there’ll be war in Mindanao, bomb explosion or foreign abduction. But you’ll see Filipinos dying, thrown out of their lands, captured and criminalized. And here your president’s concern is to make sure Team PNoy will win.
@Ilda, that’s what most Filipino voters are made of: corrupt, egotistic, grossly irresponsible and uncaring. It would be more amazing if you’d discover that those in abject poverty are the ones having contemptible and rubbish mindset.
Whatta revelation…NOT!!!! is this article somehow purporting to say that the previous admins. of post ‘People Power’ Philippines have not be corrupt as shit too? That somehow the admins of E-RAP/GMA/ and RAMOS and the Late Mrs.Aquino were all not somehow corruption riddled to the bone?
GET OVER IT, and shit or get off the pot! The government of the Philippines has been corrupted since at least 1965, and horribly so…you want change? DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THINGS OR YOU WILL GET THE SAME SHIT YOU HAVE HAD FOR AT LEAST ONE HUMAN LIFE-TIME!
FILIPINO’s WAKE-UP, your leaders are all crooks and need to be removed, long ago too !
Okay, you’re Catholic and I am sure you are not reading your Bible. Read Romans 13. Do you think your pope, as human as we are, has all the answers in the world? It’s appalling that you clearly associate yourself with your Catholic beliefs and lambast, write negatively, biased, unsupported claims… That is why Christians are misrepresented…. people claiming to be Christians don’t act like one. Have you read news about priests’ corruptions too by receiving big donations from politicians? Write about that too. Authorities are ordained by God. The voice of the people are the voice of God. 15.2 millions who voted for President Aquino!!!! and you call them dumb? What a shame.
show me where it says in the bible that the voice of the people is the voice of God? when the crowd shouted “crucify him!” was that the voice of God? the article does not even mention religion and yet you ascribe to the writer her being “catholic” as the reason she wrote the article..and what do you call people who vote using their emotions rather than their God given brains… if not dumb..and you call yourself a Christian just because you read your bible? for shame..
Minsan po kasi hindi na tao yung bumoboto, mga patay na at gawa gawang pangalan ng tao, madalas din pakyawan na Gobernador na yung bumoboto para sa kabuuan ng nasasakupan nya. Sana naman next year Umpisahan ang bilangan ng boto sa Mindanao lalo na sa Maguindanao, Marawi, etc, last ay sa Metro Manila. Imagine sa Maguindanao noon straight ang boto ng buong lalawigan sa administrasyong Arroyo. Jusme!
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