The political mudslinging that is being amplified with gusto by headline news is good for the rating wars of media. It may be a whole class of unavoidable news they have to report. However, if the intent is the beguilement of the public to desensitize same to the real problems of the country, media is being stonyhearted in their business. They are pushing consumerism to its limits, and If they do not care about the limits, maybe, it is time to remind them that not being subtle with their greediness is damaging to the pedagogy of future generations. If the intent is to brainwash, they are being pernicious. If they are aware, as the populace is aware, that none of the presidentiables being paraded today for rumination possess any near semblance of a solution to problems and still push the antics of these personalities as headlines, then they are being treasonous.
What is the problem of the Philippines?
Experts and non-experts are almost unanimous in asserting it is about poverty. The oligarchs who have homes either in Los Angeles, Scottsdale, New York, London, Paris, Monaco, Casablanca, Marrakesh, or any of the favorites of our rich and famous and, who see the Philippines only as a place to make money, may not personally feel the problem, but still agree it affects their businesses. There is no need to tell the hoi polloi it affects them for they live it in varying degrees, even if all of them may have grown inured to the breadth and depth of the problem because it is the 24/7 sights and sounds they encounter.
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If we were a group of ten boy scouts on a hike, two to three out of ten are slowing down the hike to a snail’s pace (using statistics of poverty incidence). The reality is that five to six of the ten are admitting to themselves they could not keep up with the hike. One of a hundred (1%) has gone forward seemingly uncaring of the other ninety-nine, but the one percenters will have to stop, sooner or later, for they will realize that there is no point to the hike if they arrived without the rest. We are more like a school of fish in one aquarium, where the water could only be unpolluted and healthy if the weak, or sick, fish are kept to the possible minimum. Rich or poor, all of us are adversely impacted by widespread poverty.
Attempts of Governments to Solve Poverty Have Failed.
Poverty is very much a multi-dimensional problem, and if a candidate for 2016 starts talking only of dole-outs like the expanded Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), please don’t touch that guy with a ten-foot pole; run away. He is afflicted either with a contagious strain of bacteria, that corrodes the mind called Corruption, or with a virus called Laziness or Sloth. He wants an easy way out of the problem, but will not solve anything in the long run.
Gloria M Arroyo (GMA) tried to experiment with CCT, as it seemed to be working in Argentina according to Sec Dinky Soliman, but it was supposed to be temporary. BS Aquino (PNoy), who attacks GMA at every turn, hired Dinky, who was the proponent of CCT to GMA, but who led the Hyatt 10 against GMA — the enemy of his enemy has to be his ally. PNoy is a haciendero and is of the lineage of the Aquino/Cojuangco clans who seemingly are notable for rewarding those very loyal to them with a hacienda and those who betray them with a 3’x6′ land in some nice memorial park. It may be, even indirectly, why there is a Hacienda Binay.
Could Dinky be outdone by Binay when it comes to loyalty? To PNoy, Dinky must be a very loyal person because she was disloyal to GMA. An ordinary person would immediately be cautious of Dinky because she already demonstrated her capacity to betray a boss. But, PNoy is no ordinary person that is why he could be a President of the Philippines; the only person who could think that if you are anti-BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law), then you must be pro-war. (Aren’t we glad we don’t think as linear as PNoy does, otherwise we can’t be as sarcastic as now?) Thus, CCT became no longer an experiment, but expanded several times, it became a main feature of PNoy’s administration. What we don’t know is if there is now a Hacienda Dinky?!
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), from which PNoy borrows money to finance the CCT, has found out that 30 to 40 pesos for every 100 pesos of CCT money is not reaching the intended beneficiaries. This is very frustrating news, but something is wrong with us; we are not shocked. (Personally, I didn’t need ADB to tell me there is corruption with CCT. My part-time housemaid, who is enrolled in the program because of her special child, signs a voucher each time that she should be receiving Php3500 per month, but in actuality only gets Php1000. To my irritation, she continually refuses to complain. So, imagine all the other million of beneficiaries in the country afraid of losing a miserable1000, but foregoing 2500) Stolid and uncaring, we should not be shocked if one day the Philippines goes the way Greece went; this is simply not the way to borrow money.
But, this attitude of the people is understandable. If the government does not have any shame that they could not account to-date the millions and millions of dollars which came from the many donor countries following the Haiyan/Yolanda disaster in 2013, what is another case of criminal negligence as far as CCT is concerned? The UN rapporteur has just lambasted the PNoy government for its lack of progress in the rehabilitation of the Yolanda ravaged areas, and yet media has opted to put this in the inside pages.
To be fair with Joseph Estrada (Erap), if we could digress a bit, he had a deep ambition of leaving a legacy in which he would be known as the one who eliminated the problem of squatters. He had some success on this while Mayor of San Juan by not only relocating squatters, but providing them also with reasonably decent low cost housing. Moving into the national level, he realized it was not a municipal size problem, but a gargantuan one. He also realized he did not have the same flexibility as he had as a Mayor, budgetary-wise — he didn’t have a Sec Butch Abad then to scheme a Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) or Priority Development Assistance Find (PDAF) for him.
Not only that, Erap had an aversion to borrowing — to his credit, not a single sovereign guarantee was issued during his term — unlike today when they are not very transparent how projects, like the PPPs, are being, or going to be, financed. If government is issuing sovereign guarantees to loans and is the one exposed to all the risks, what is the use of involving the private sector that does not have any share of the risk? The government may as well undertake the projects on its own. Why involve an extra profit taker when the government could have all the profit, if there was a profit, or any kind of benefits, to derive? This is probably why the oligarchs did not like Erap at all; because they could not position themselves to milk the government. (But, Erap may have, by now, learnt a lesson. The City of Manila today is thinking of borrowing big to finance three proposed projects.)
But, it seemed Erap was serious about his ‘Erap Para sa Mahirap’. Precisely why Erap thought that if he could get financing via the expansion of the gambling and gaming industry, then his wide scale housing project for the poor would be a go — he didn’t need to beg Congress for money. Unfortunately, before it could take off, the turf war between gambling lords, Chavit Singson and Atong Ang, became unmanageable, and out of the mess it was exposed that Erap was taking bribes from gambling lords. In a way, Erap was telling the truth that he didn’t steal a single centavo from government coffers for indeed the monies that Chavit and Atong were talking of were not of government, but we suppose that a bribe is still a bribe, and it was the Waterloo of Erap.
What is apparent is that PNoy, by continuously playing with DAP, or by any label by which said go now, is committing crimes bigger than Erap’s, but that is for another topic. The relevant lessons are as follows:
1. Governments are one in conceding that Poverty is of top priority. Dole-outs seem to be the favourite approach to addressing this as it does not need any major rethinking in the bureaucracy, and seems to be the least disruptive on the other functions of government. But, that in effect contradicts any statement pronouncing poverty is of top priority. All measures against poverty can therefore be said to have been half-hearted all this time.
2. Dole-outs are very susceptible to corruption.
3. The problem needs a champion at the top level, as seen in the case of Erap. But, the full weight of the bureaucracy is also needed to support the champion.
4. The full weight of the bureaucracy may be present, as in the case of PNoy, but if a program is only implemented because there is propaganda value to be extracted from it, then the program becomes a very, very costly propaganda campaign and does not solve any problem.
5. The mere fact that we are talking of Erap, GMA, and PNoy hints that this is an inter-generational problem. Any envisioned solution should transcend the term limits of political leaders.
6. This is not about throwing a bread to those in the basement. It is about providing a ladder so that they could step-by-step join the middle class. That sounds simple, but it really needs a lot of rethinking and hard work. It is only a very large middle class (a real middle class, and not the kind seen in window dressed statistics) that could support a working democracy and a robust economy.
The Need for a Comprehensive Approach
Economists are slowly coming to a consensus that the trickle-down model is not working. Trickle down has been the favourite model of economies for decades, and this is the reasons why governments have been geared towards giving big businesses incentives, tax breaks, and the infrastructure to support efficiency in business. But, with 70 to 90 percent of wealth (depending on what statistics is being referred to) now concentrated in the hands of the Top One Percent, and no consensus on how to solve the great inequality, economists have been tweaking the trickle down model, and have been on look out for new models that could totally replace the current.
But, let us look at some examples to get a good appreciation on what is going on.
1. Having the discipline to regularly save a portion of one’s earnings in the bank used to be one way of ensuring one’s future. There was a time when interest rates allowed savings to grow exponentially. Today, interest rates just about compensates for inflation rates; so, in terms of absolute numbers, a savings fund may look like it is growing, but in real value, it is not. Yet, when one borrows from the bank, the interest rates on loans are punishing, which means that the systems today are only allowing the upward movement of money towards the top. Yet, an agency in UN has been pushing banks to get even those in the CDE economic class to all have bank accounts. So, some have asked: isn’t this just putting more money at the disposal of the Top One Percent? Wala na silang pinatawad?
2. Cannibalization in the stock market is now a common thing. Listed companies are buying their own shares in order to boost their share prices. So, for beginners or ordinary salary men, the stock market is not the place to be. How then could an ordinary bloke who depends only on his salary even think of growing his money when the stock exchanges and banks are not helping any?
3. Cannibalization is also happening in the construction industry. They claim, for example, that in Metro Manila the boom was the result of the rise of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. But, this is deceiving. A closer look shows that it is not the BPO employees buying the condominium units, for how could they afford them. It is the rich buying a couple of dozen units so they could rent out the units to the growing number of BPO guys, but, in the process, creating a bubble that makes owning property more inaccessible to ordinary folks. But, the end is not in sight as land banking has become the favorite pastime of the rich.
With a few examples, we can see that in solving poverty, what is needed is an overhaul of systems, structures, organizations, and more importantly, of mindsets. So, why is media leading us into discussing whether the TSONA is better than the SONA, or if a foundling could be a natural born (She was not born Caesarian, was she? So, she must have been natural is the joke going around)? Aren’t we being led wayward to a direction with no destination by media?
And, here we are already jumping the gun because we are assuming people are employed. Solving unemployment and underemployment may have to be the first step to solving poverty. But, that means, we have to talk of the manufacturing and agricultural sectors which are the biggest generators of employment. That would lead us to discussing foreign direct investments (FDIs), the high cost of energy, the pokey internet connections, traffic, infrastructure, mass transport system, etc., etc.
So, when will the candidates start talking about these things? We know why they can’t talk about these; it is because they are not clear about their philosophies. If they don’t have a philosophy, they can’t have a vision. If they don’t have a vision, how can they know what the priorities are? If they don’t know which comes first, how can they formulate policies? If they don’t know which is which, why are they campaigning to get elected?
I am no expert; so please don’t ask me for solutions. But, I thought there was a paper that seems to be a product of input from experts. That paper was the speech of Bongbong Marcos he gave in front of the Asia CEO Talks Forum. I was pilloried (refer to the combox and GRP Facebook page of my last article here) by some for even suggesting that Bongbong was a philosopher. That is okay, I have no problem with that for I understand where the anger is coming from. But, boy, I thought, aren’t they missing something. So, here is my suggestion:
1. Please go back to the speech of Bongbong. If you are so repulse by a Marcos, then think of it as a speech not of Bongbong. The link to that speech can be found at the end of my article.
2. Study it, reword it, plagiarize it, absorb it. In other words, steal the ideas therein. If you are so repulsed by a Marcos, isn’t this one way of getting back at them?
3. Write your candidates and make “kulit” so the candidates will own the ideas — there are 25 ways to Sunday, so they must have different ways of doing it (Now, your revenge on Marcos has taken its course.) If your candidates don’t like the ideas, ask for alternatives. Be makulit.
You never know, you might have just elevated the quality of debate for Election 2016 and fought back at the direction media is taking us. Is this fair enough? Let GRP know via the combox. Thanks!
[Photo courtesy NickyLoh.com.]
GRP Featured Comment hall-of-famer. Former executive of the Far East Regional Office of a US-based multinational company living out of a suitcase covering the market from Tokyo to Mumbai to Melbourne, and all the countries within that triangle. Got tired after logging 300k air miles per year. Now, I just have a little trading biz on specialty chemicals.
why should i address poverty and ignorance when it is the very thing that gets me elected? — all the philippine elite
Tell them to memorize this “my genuine concern: the common good” – from the Zaxxun creed
I know, @ice cube, that a majority accept what you just said as a fact. But, it is not exactly accurate; it is NOT ALL of the elite. There are many company CEOs who bitch, as we do, about the politicians that we have. When they talk among themselves, they compare notes on how this or that politician is such a low life — for indeed a good many of these politicians may look so respectable on the outside, but their brains are really full of garbage. I know of a CEO who carries extra medicine for his high blood pressure whenever he has an appointment with this Congressman or that Mayor. Another CEO always claims that he spends a long time in the shower after any lunch or dinner with any government person — he says it is a good way of feeling after being in touch with filth. I, of course, don’t know if he is just being hyperbolic and joking, but it should give you idea that there are CEOs who are sick and tired of the prevailing situation.
That many of the CEOs wish they just be left alone by government and if they have to deal with govt, it is just to pay the proper taxes is also a fact. Unfortunately, the Philippines is not a level playing field for business, especially big business. Laws, both national and local, can be so unpredictable and selective, giving this preferential treatment or that concession, and if you don’t watch it, you might just wake up one morning in a very uncompetitive position. This randomness of laws is one reason why Intel said goodbye to PHL; 27,000 locals lost their jobs when Intel left. You could say the same thing when Kimberly-Clark, Johnson & Johnson, 3M, and a horde of others, who all pulled out their manufacturing facilities; they are now either in Indonesia, Vietnam, or Thailand. These companies are just now maintaining sales and marketing offices in Philippines, and we are now importing the products that used to be manufactured here.
PNoy got something correct: kung walang, walang mahirap. Unfortunately, he thought of it only as an advertising gimmick. With his selective justice, we now know he actually didn’t intend to pursue the idea.
As one blog said: ” Poverty is the actual cause of ruin of a country, not to mention the desire of its ruler and officers to amass wealth and possessions, by any means. Corruption undermines the nation’s well-being. For corruption to thrive it needs self-centred and selfish politicians, suffering from obsession of grasping and accumulating wealth supported by businessmen who feed them for their selfish needs. To recover the bribes these businessmen often hoard their goods to get more profit out of them by creating scarcity and by indulging in black-marketing or get contracts by unreasonable means causing a loss to the public.”
This is the reason why UN came up with Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to highlight that governance is very critical. It includes targets to reduce bribery and corruption. But see, MDG cannot not now be found in the lips of PNoy and his ilks; he had a glowing SONA, but he didn’t mention that they didn’t meet the MDG targets. Thus, his achievements are all vacuousness, the same emptiness the candidates for 2016 are showing.
I don’t understand why people are not scared. ASEAN Integration is just around the corner. If Pinoys continue with their apathy, they will find themselves very much under the ASEAN bus — in three years, I guarantee, and situations will be much worse after that. We have to be angry now, people.
what about the business owners themselves? are they tired of this or do they just keep feeding the beast? i assume the CEO reports (crap that x politician said or more properly x politician’s extortion terms) to the board and the board to the owners. the owners do they ultimately say yes to the bribe?
desperate people are a good repository of votes, what better way to keep them desperate than to keep them poor. this is just the simple but destructive logic of the situation. the poor are also to blame since they tolerate such crap.
as a third world warlord/politician there would be little incentive for me to uplift their lives. i got an insight into this mindset when i talked to relatives of a small town politician. these asses were actually resentful of people who had relatives that made good abroad and balikbayans who made good and were continuing to make money when they came home. their success meant that they (grubby local politician) had lost a little control over them (successful balikbayans). its crab mentality at its finest.
maybe not all of the elite… but a working majority of the elite. what Marcos gave the philippines was a very destructive way of doing business. it was called crony capitalism. meaning rigging laws to favor your friends and family… creating monopolies and going soft on law enforcement that would create a fair business environment… monopolies and selective law enforcement as any normal person would tell you is a bad thing…the elite liked this set up and for all her alleged sainthood the so-callled mother of philippine democracy Cory never changed that setup (kamag-anak inc. was allowed to survive). it could have been done too. she had this thing called a revolutionary government.
our current crop er crap of politicians will merely continue this unless of course the people band together and demand a change or we become a de facto chinese colony. who knows china may wise up and just bribe its way into owning the philippines?
I can’t say I disagree with what you are saying, @ice cube, but I am still hoping the intelligentsia crowd does not give in to a feeling of helplessness. Revolution, changes, paradigm shifts, afterall, emanates from the middle class, and if this sector gives up, then the Philippines is doomed.
To say that there is today a gloomy and depressing atmosphere may be an exaggeration. I think we are not there, but I can’t explain what is going on. Haven’t you noticed that in canteens, during coffee or lunch breaks, people are not talking of politics, and it is the election period? Maybe, they still watch or read the news, but just to get entertain and then to forget about it. Maybe, there is the feeling that there is nothing to hope for after 2016, I don’t know? I think by this same time leading to 2010, there was a livelier political conversation. I will conjecture that it was probably that there was Gordon and Gibo then. Middle class knew these two were going to lose, but ya know, when hope against hope is present, people tend to be talkative, and maybe that is what made 2010 a bit livelier.
And, that is where I think the injustice that PNoy has inflicted on the nation could be found, more than his crime related DAP, BBL, etc. That he should aspire for a position that is way, way over his head is a total injustice. I understand why certain academics still continue to praise PNoy in public, when in private they admit PNoy is f*ck$d. I think they are doing it for the sake of the youth and the institution of the Office of the President. To admit that the presidential chair was occupied by an idiot is to cut the legs of any successor to the Office. At the same time comes the realization that if indeed the dignity of the Office has been damaged, you are looking at generations before that could be fixed again. But, look at those who are planning to file their candidacy. If PNoy was not an idiot and met the expectations of people in 2010, these presidentiables today would be ashamed of themselves to even think of getting to the Office.
You talk of China taking over, and I will take it that you are joking. Yes, that would be horrible situation. There is something fundamentally different with us and the Chinese, I would say at the very core. We are quite similar to the other ASEAN nations in that we were colonies at one point, Thailand is an exception, it was never a colony. But, that means we have the Western and thus, Christian influence. When one had a chance of observing Chinese organizations up close, as I have, I can tell you that their view of humans is at a very much lower dignity than Westerns do. There is something very philosophical about it, and yet is palpable. Think of the Chinese sweatshops; I have seen a couple, and it will stun you — a nauseating feeling, it repulses. Oh, we won’t want to be under them, I can tell you that.
We have no choice; we can’t give up.
And yet it cannot be doubted that the godless Chinese have brought more people out of poverty in the past 3 decades? I don’t know it may not be that bad on the red team?
Even the Japanese and South Koreans, whose philosophy and values are closer to China’s, would not want to end up as its satellite states and these two are successful countries in their own rights. Especially Japan, I assure you China will treat them like what they did in WW2 as “payback.”
“Haven’t you noticed that in canteens, during coffee or lunch breaks, people are not talking of politics, and it is the election period?”
That’s what I observed, too. But then again when people see Binay, Poe, Mar and the Liberal Party in their political zarzuela headlining for the election, they don’t get anything juicy or meaty out of it. See, in 2010, we still have the likes of Bayani, Gibo, Villar and Gordon running for VP and Pres; BBM, Santiago, Magsaysay, Hagedorn and other promising newbies in 2013 running for Senator bringing hope for the future with their platforms and their CV with list of accomplishments. But with the kind of candidates we have at present, for Filipinos, its far better to watch their favorite TV shows. Anything about politics nowadays don’t keep their hopes up, it don’t excite them. Finally, the selfishness is creeping to each and everyone. It’s better to deal with their own problems and their own happiness and what’s real for them. This Philippine politics offer nothing new, nothing great, it’s mind-numbing and people can’t have that spoiling their source of joy and income. It’s not for the reason that it doesn’t affect them it’s for the reason that it does them no good. So it’s just like everybody for its own. It’s like survival mode during great depression. You know you’re in a deep so you hold on to the only means you can survive. Freebies, sure. Vote buying, always happen. Pay for campaign, not new. No platform, fine. Will vote? We’ll see. The worst candidates will bring out the worst supporters. And we only have the worst candidates. Hope should be the emotion this election season will awaken in the people. But with the kind of political zarzuela happening worst than before and with the worst candidates running for President, the hope becomes indifference then its survival mode for each and everyone. If war ever broke up, nobody will fight for this government. Filipinos will only fight for their families and themselves and their beloved undeserved democracy. Being colonized again is not unlikely.
Other observation is that politics is only noisy in the government and news media because it’s our very own yellow government who are making the noise with their nationwide premature campaign (by COMELEC guidelines, this is supposed to be illegal) and these mediocre news media are obvious yellowtards and this government also let loose of their paid supporters of Daang Patuwad to show that they are popular with people. But like you say, it’s really not what the regular Pinoys are talking about. People in their free time are actually talking about South China Sea dispute and YayaDub fainting in Eat Bulaga! 😀
Thanks, @Naknak, for the well said rejoinder☺
@Add, Thank you, too. I’m learning a lot from you and the rest of the guys here in GRP. Can’t get enough of the intelligent conversation happening here. If only the government people will put their interest in discussing the ideas presented here instead of making mindless personal attacks and spouting nonsense, there will be a heightened level of thinking and performance on their part.
Good article on dissecting this half dead cadaver (PH system) to expose the infesting maggots at work in all their shameless glory!
To add to Add’s long analysis, people in PH have an attention problem called A.D.D. They can’t seem to notice the real issues because they are too focused on the 101 distractions that media, culture and society dangle before them.
This country is in such a convoluted mess that even the best managers of the first world would be at a loss on where to start.
But an intellectual from Africa said ” There are no poor African countries, only poorly managed ones”. Think about it: why is resource rich Africa poorer than Japan that just sits on a bunch of rocks and volcanoes?
Poverty is deeply rooted in a mindset. To solve poverty, the mind of all citizens need to be reprogrammed with the Zaxxun Creed – which is basically based on the Japanese formula for their success. That’s the hard part, but we have to start now in every elementary school in PH if we want to became a Singapore in 30 years.
>> Poverty is deeply rooted in a mindset
What he said.
Poor people are poor because they think like poor people. It’s really that simple. If they knew the fundamentals of financial management, or were prepared to educate themselves, they would cease to be poor. As it is, they wallow in their status as “poor people”, and use it as an excuse for all sorts of debased behaviour.
The Philippines is exceedingly rich, and most so-called poor people are also rich. I’ve lost count of the number of “poor” people who come up to me offering to sell 3,5,10 hectares of land. Anyone with half a brain could get a very nice living from that amount of property. Predictably, of course, they’ve either done nothing with it for decades or ruined it with chemicals (I do occasionally go to have a look).
As for the government solving poverty: they’re not going to do that because, as others already said, poverty is deliberately engineered so that the electoral machine is more easy to manipulate. They might spout the right buzzwords at the UN, but they have absolutely no interest in fixing the underlying problems.
Marius,
I totally agree with you.
I once suggested my ex to explore (to find out) if other crops would yield a higher revenue. She turned me down flat, saying that the lot (piece of land) had been there for decades/centuries growing rice. I was even thinking (suggesting) to build apartments, houses or oranges or bananas on that same lot. But the answer remained the same. So hardheaded. At least what she could do, is to see if I was wrong (or right).
Oh, rice. Rice rice rice. I’m sure it addles their brains, living on nothing but rice. I’m convinced the reliance on rice has a lot to do with poverty.
Those people who offer me land, I always ask them “what have you been growing on it so far?” (just on the offchance it might be worth buying, this tells me how badly they’ve fucked it up). The answer is invariably rice, if they’ve grown anything at all.
I’m a farmer, and I wouldn’t even consider growing rice, at least not for anything other than amusement value (specialist varieties, perhaps). I wish I could get this through to Filipinos:
1) Everyone is growing it. You NEVER copy what everyone else is doing, because the market is already saturated. You’re guaranteed a minimum price, and the buyers will screw you around because they’re spoilt for choice.
2) Its a shitload of hard work, at least the way Pinoys do it. Their soil is so wrecked they have to spend a fortune on fertilizers and pesticides. The net profit is zero or negative, even though the gross takings (about P15000/tonne, from what I’ve heard) may be quite high. That’s why farmers are endlessly in debt to 5/6 loan sharks.
3) Ploughing and flooding tropical soils destroys it. I’ve seen rice fields that look like the surface of the moon. You just can’t do it. You don’t even HAVE to do it: rice grows just fine without all that messing around. Google “SRI rice” if you’re interested.
But yeah, the Pinoy mindset in a nutshell: “this is the way we’ve always done it, and this is the way we’ll continue to do it, even though we know it doesn’t work”.
Sigh.
Marius,
I think the lot (piece of land) is a heritage from dad/mom to daughter (and from granddad/-mom to … etc etc.)
My EXs dad was head of the agricultural dept of her hometown (Argao, Cebu) and her mom was a state teacher. So they were not dependent on the rice fields for their livelihood.
So without ruining it (the lot), it was the best moment to experiment if proven that other crops would have a higher nett revenue.
BTW: the workers that worked (processing, seeding, harvesting) the land, always ate in my in-laws house. You wont see that in my country. Workers have their own canteen/coffee space/dining space.
I think, Robert, you already know that Filipinos are emotional. It is because it is really a matriarchal society, as Europe, or for that matter, Western societies are more patriarchal.
Let me say that the cause of this is that Pinoy consciousness of male is still the tribal kind of machismo. It is acceptable that men do not help in household chores, in changing the diapers of the baby, in doing the laundry, in washing the dishes, in bringing out the garbage, etc. In the rural areas, it would not be a surprise if a very much married man would have other mistresses. This gives you the idea that the men are very detached from the house, which makes the influence of men lesser in the mental development of children than the mother. (Exhibit A of a child more influenced by the mother than the father is President PNoy himself. There are so many mama’s boys at all levels of the Philippine society)
Daddy comes home from work and says: “Honey, do you know what I did in the office today….” Instead of trying to know what Daddy did which might proceed to some rational conversation, Mommy normally replies: “Okay, sweetheart, I cooked something exotic today. I’ll call the children, let us have dinner in 15 minutes.” Day in and day out, the children hear this, so it is about being emotional in life.
This translate to some of the society’s problems when it comes to inculcating independence on the children, and subsequently, what accountability and responsibility means in praxis. Mothers are normally very protective, so it is common that you see 30-year old singles still living with parents. The tough love of throwing the kids out of the house by the time they reach 18 or 20 years could only be seen in families very much exposed to Western culture, but this is not common.
When you broached to your ex about something with their land, several things were triggered in her mind: (a) wow, this will move to some rational talk, where are my parents I need their help. She may not of course realize that this is the thought process. It is the dependent mentality; (b) what does this Caucasian know about us. It is the protectiveness of the mother taking hold of the mind. People call this depending on the situation as Parochialism (they only trust those within the family), xenophobia, or different shades of it. (c) my accountability and responsibility is being put into question, they get scared and close up. This is what is interpreted often as the inferiority complex of Filipinos.
The way to deal with your ex is to go around those. Now, I have to collect from you, Robert, my consultation fee — hahaha.
Add,
1) Yes I know they are (very) emotional.
2) For me the proof of what you wrote is this:
I met a lot of Pinays online (Facebook and all that shit) who were abondoned by their husband/boyfriend while the kids are still in the custody of mom (the actual Pinay, I met online). It seems to me, from that picture, that guys are not at all interested in their own kids (genes and all that). They dont pay any child support and they dont seem to wanna claim some sort of custody over the kids.
If I would ever make a pinay pregnant then for sure she can come get my son/daughter every other week or so (in case the relationship ended somewhere)
3) every time when my partner and I visited her parents there was hardly any interaction (=conversation) between her parents and her and her parents and us. At least not very deeply, more shallow.
4) I met (online) a PH woman who brings her 14 year old son to school every day (talking about being protective). Going to school was not particularly dangerous (busy, dangerous roads) and it wasnt really that far. This is something you will hardly see in my country. By that age (<14+ and older) kids will bike to school.
5) She didnt cry for help from her parents (lol) but it was a flat NO.
6) pls give me your bank account # then I can transfer the amount stated on your bill. Thank god your consultation fee, is tax deductable. Pls send me 2 invoices, one with the right amount, and the other one with an much higher amount.
(Or am I now doing moral, amoral or immoral things?)
Hahaha, Robert. How’d you know that maintaining two books here is a common practice? Now, you are putting me on the spot. Of course, it is morally wrong — it is tax evasion, so it is cheating. And if something has to be done with the corruption in govt, then something has to be done in this area too, it is corruption in the private sector.
But, before I get accused by other business people of being holier-than-thou, let me move it to the ethical ground so motivation, circumstances, survival of the company, leveling the playing field, etc.could be considered. In that, we could say it is neither ethical nor unethical, so it may be amoral depending of course on the intent.
Still, something has to be done about it in the long run.
Add,
Most civilians are not in such circumstances to get 2 invoices (I am serious). Its a typical “white collar” crime. And as long as the Dutch IRS doesnt audit me its quite simple and easy to do. End of the day, its plain fraud.
I disagree that tax evasion in the Philippines is wrong. In general, taxation is an anachronism anyway: the globalisation of business has made it impossible to administer fairly; and because governments have no incentive to spend money wisely, taxation just creeps up and up. Tax spending is now around 40% of GNI in most advanced countries, which is ridiculous.
In the Philippines, the (relatively minor) faults inherent in Western tax systems are magnified to an obscene degree. If you read the Tax Law, it’s transparently designed to create fertile ground for corruption. The Law is written not with the assumption that taxation pays for the public good, but with the assumption that the State has a divine right to milk the maximum amount of swag, for purposes unknown.
For example, there are several clauses which state that, in case of disagreement, whatever the taxman says is correct. In other words, the assessor can decide arbitrarily how much tax is due. And that is precisely what happens. You may be aware that the BIR has a taxation “target”, which is mathematically incompatible with the stated tax rates. In other words, taxation in the Philippines is no different to protection money, and is spent in similar ways, and I suggest the citizen has a moral duty to avoid it.
Marius,
I didnt know about BIR and the way they do “business”.
When it comes to income tax everything here is transparent. The only downside of taxes in my country is that almost everything is taxed.
If you would take a look at – for instance – a box of cigarettes then you will find that that is heavily taxed. Same with car fuel. And the government encourages the people to quit smoking (lung cancer and all that; cost of health care) but that same government cant afford the lose those taxes on cigarettes.
In other words: if the number of people that smokes, would quit smoking then the government would have a serious problem in balancing their budget.
If I am not mistaken about 30% of the population smokes cigarettes and a box of cigarettes (containing 26 cigarettes) costs € 7,50.
€ 7,50 = USD$ 7,67
€ 7,50 = PHP 345,08
€ 7,50 = GBP 4,90
The consumer price is realized by adding 3 different components:
factory price, VAT plus excise. The latter 2 components go straight to the government. About 72% (VAT + Excise) of the consumer price goes straight to the government.
Hi, marius. Looking to hear more from you. Even I am baffled by having rice as staple food since I read that it is like sugar, just tasteless. Tried suggesting alternatives but kept getting the “Ito na ang nakasanayan.” (Uh, dunno the proper english translation lol) replies.
>> Ito na ang nakasanayan.
I think it basically means: this is what we do, and we’re going to keep doing it.
Yes, (polished) rice is poison if you rely on it for a staple: it’s one of the reasons the country has a sky-high rate of diabetes. However, the Philippine government is one of the few that still promotes rice as being healthy and good for you, despite mounting scientific evidence to the contrary.
Other Asian countries eat rice, of course, but observe a typical Chinese or Japanese meal. You’ll have four plates of vegetables, a little meat, and a hand-sized bowl of rice. The bulk of the meal is vegetables. For the Filipino, the bulk of the meal is rice, and there’s always a sort of unofficial competition to see who can cram down the most rice (isn’t gluttony supposed to be a sin?). Add to that a sugary sauce and a bottle of coke, and you’ve got a health crisis.
What annoys me most is that they even grow rice in locations where there isn’t enough water. The government then spends enormous amounts of money on irrigation projects to “help” the “poor farmers” – which in reality just increases water waste and creates problems in other areas.
If they really wanted to help them, they’d tell farmers to stop growing the awful stuff and plant crops more suited to the local climate.
@marius, have to thank you. The info you are giving are just so good..
Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.
Yup, exactly.
who ever you are, making reports or comments, you’re so dumb and so stupid. making so many examples that way far to the point. your examples are no good.like you. think you’re great? no!!!
And whoever the hell you are scumbag for trolling this site, please get lost. Whiny little kids like you don’t belong in this site because this is only for those who have critical minds that you don’t have. Wag ka nang dumada pa dahil halatang wala kang alam. Now scoot and go back playing with your precious toys puny kid.
To address poverty, you need jobs. To create jobs, you need to come up with world-class brands. To establish world-class brands, you need a winner mentality/mindset.
I’ll give you 80+ reasons why PH needs to adopt the Zaxxun Creed (Japanese winner mentality) if it doesn’t want to be left behind by Japan (the real benchmark in Asia):
Toyota Lexus Daihatsu Honda Acura Nissan Infiniti Isuzu Mistubishi Subaru Mazda Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha Takata MakitaShimano Komatsu Hino Fuso Toshiba Hitachi Sony JVC Kenwood TDK Tiger Kyocera Sanyo Fujitsu NEC Denso Star Micronics Brother Nintendo Canon Nikon Ricoh Minolta Fujifilm Sega Casio Seiko Olympus Citizen Panasonic Sharp Onkyo Epson Renesas Zojirushi Rohm Aiwa Akai Alpine Oki
Omron Clarion Daikin Denon Funai Konica Pioneer Eizo Fuji-Xerox Uniden Ajinomoto Yakult Kirin Suntory Lotte Meiji Uniqlo Mizuno Toto Nissin
Calbee Bridgestone Shiseido Asics Asahi
Compare that to world-renown PH exported products:
1.Chiquita Banana (actually not owned by PH)
2.Dole Pineapple (actually not owned by PH)
3.7D Mangoes (owned by PH)
And these do not even involve much intellect or technology to produce – which speaks a lot about PH.
So how about creating the “Zaxxun” open-source brand for PH – any takers? Anyone need extra income? Create your own Zaxxun product now!!! and bring real pride back to the PH
And by the way, for those serious about the offer of EXTRA INCOME, please visit zaxxun.com/brands-create-jobs/
Nice site you got there, @zaxx. I will go back to it later this evening when I have more time. Bookmarked it already.
@Add. Great, and btw my “book” is also out. I just wrote it up this afternoon (this is like my passion/hobby).
It’s called “The Filipino Mind Revolution”. I’m hoping it becomes the “Noli Me Tangere” of this generation.
Filipino Mind Revolution
Feel free to distribute to as many Filipinos as possible.
Thanks GRP for all the input and insight I get from all your articles and comments. Really appreciate it.
I would have liked to support your Filipino Mind Revolution untill you mentioned “adopting mind of christ (fully christian biblical principles)”.
So, I am out
I’m not convinced it’s a good idea to have students repeating stuff by rote. Sounds a bit Third Reich to me. OTOH, you’ve got some good ideas in there and concisely pinpointed the problems.
The main problem you’ve got is that the average Pinoy doesn’t read. Unless it’s posted on Facebook. You also have to get over the knee-jerk instinct to shoot the messenger. I’m surprised you haven’t been put on a persona non grata list already.
@robert. Of course – Christ is such a complete turn off. This isn’t an easy sell even in a Christian country. But we have to give even just an ounce of credit to the the programmer of the DNA.
Best guess is your agnostic. just search Howard Storm in YouTube. He may be able to offer some help to enlighten you.
Zaxx,
No, I am not an agnost. I am a 100% born and raised atheist. Was god able to code all DNA with 1s and 0s?
God is an invention from those guys (guys only, no women took part in writing the bible) who wrote the bible.
God created nothing.
God is a thing or a body that demands to be praised and worshipped. Those who dont will be punished. In human language that makes god the same thing/person as Idi Amin or Saddam Hussein.
@marius. Indoctrination. Brainwashing. Subliminal programming. Whatever you may want to call it. I memorized the multiplication table by constant repetition in my grade school years. Don’t tell me this method is not effective. 9×9 = 81. See I still remember with instant recall after so many decades. It works man. Or are you just not up to the challenge of memorizing 8 lines of code – getting rusty maybe?
Oh yes, it works. I suspect that’s exactly how those repeating phrases that we hear over and over again (“filipinos are family-oriented”, “filipinos are Christians”, “We are proud!”) get shoved into their heads. The first order of business would be REMOVING that shit from the curriculum. Then you can start inserting new ideas.
I just find it distasteful that such a thing should be necessary. But to be honest, I suspect you’re absolutely right.
I agree Marius. Erase the rotten. Reprogram with the new mindset. I will proceed to indoctrinate and brainwash Pinoys with the first- world winner mentality.
@robert. I actually like atheists. They use common sense and logic a lot, which I am fully a fan of. Logical reasoning will lead you to the conclusion a mind had to be behind the DNA – the finger print of God.
Btw, a mind does not need a physical body. Mind and brain are different. So many who have had Near death experiences were fully conscious outside their lifeless bodies while their hearts flatlined on the operating table or accident scene, observing everything from a distance.
God is not a physical entity. That’s why he had to incarnate in human flesh just to relate to us “ants” from his perspective – makes sense?
He’s not like a tyrant – why would he send a savior to save us from our corruption if he were so? It’s his justice that demands a punishment for sinners – he has to play by his rules.
Zaxx,
There are people born with deviated DNA. So god is the culprit of that? Fine, then lets kill your god so that all humans are born without defects.
But first lets make sure the global population decreases. We are heading for serious problems when the global population keeps growing and growing. But I dont read anything about that in your Charter.
I have read about NDE. Nothing new under the sun. I am sure the phenomenon can be explained somehow.
He is not a tyrant? What if I – as religious person – go against his will? Then hell is waiting for me. Excuse me?
Your friend god is not better than Idi Amin or Saddam Hussein or Ceaucescu.
How was a woman made? From a bone of a man. Yeah right. Pls keep on believing in myths and you will end up in heaven. You are a good boy.
Pls Zaxx, let me try to share what I think of the future of the Philippines.
If the unbridled procreation keeps on continueing then the Philippines will become unbearable for the own people (not for me).
Manila will become bigger and bigger in population.
It might even lead to a civil war fighting for the little food that is left. The middle class – if existent – will vanish. So what is left is a smaller richer upper class and a poorer but bigger lower class. You dont need to be a rocket scientist to see that coming. And you want to solve all problems with Zaxx-ism? Pls tell me you do not have pinned your hopes solely on Zaxx-ism?
@robert. As far as scientific evidence is concerned, only a mind can create machines, languages, and information, all of which are light years ahead of our understanding in terms of complexity and density inside the cell and it’s DNA. I am not using the Bible to prove God (a far superior mind) must exist.
No physical law can come up with the cell (gravity, light, heat, or any other force is dumb). So how can a cell that can procreate even get formed in the first place. Then you have the 2nd law of thermodynamics – things decay if left alone without a mind or machine to reverse the process.
It takes more faith to believe in evolution than it is to believe in a non physical almighty mind referred to as God.
Hey good point on overpopulation. I’ll think about it. Hope a GRP author writes an article about your doomsday scenario for Manila. But zaxxun creed can surely fix the mind of any stupid flip thinking making lots of babies he can’t feed will make his life any better.
Zaxx,
(How do I pronounce that? Same as sex and as sax(ophone)??)
Is the PH-land overpopulated?
1) No, when looking at the total area of land
2) yes, when we are looking at the rate of unemployment
3) yes, when we look at the futre and how to feed all those mouths
4) yes, when we look at who procreates most (the lower class) => not the smartest bunch of all => so quite useless for the economy
And what does god has to say about that? (go and multiply) as the almighty superior mind.
What does god say about stem cell research? And why is god against abortion? Pls dont come back and say that that is killing a human being. That must be your cheapest shot.
I always thought that god loves everyone but then why does he exclude same sex marriages?
Personally, I think what is stated in the bible is quite fucked up, written by a bunch of guys 2000 years ago. And you want us to live according to rules written 2000 years ago. The world around us is evolving while that ancient book is old.
I will move forward and not go back to the Stone Ages or Middle Ages.
I really think, you are brain washed and indoctrinated. Poor boy, thinks he comes in heaven.
Robert, since it seems our discussion here has migrated to the population issue, here are my thoughts on this. So Is abortion OK? well I will just use common sense, not the Bible since you seem to be allergic to it.
A mother wants an abortion. So she goes to the clinic and the doctor starts tearing off the little creature’s arms and legs and shows it to the mom. Mom throws up and realizes “ohhh my baby!!!! – what have I done???” Goes home depressed and finally after months of guilt — commits suicide.
question #1. was that technically murder?
question #2. was that a loving thing to do?
Atheist’s answers:
#1 No it’s not murder because the baby is not registered in the country’s records yet, even if he/she was fully formed with the only thing separating him/her from the outside world being a thin layer of skin.
#2. Yes, it was loving because it allows the mother the chance to undo a mistake. And ripping the limbs and head off is loving because we spare the kid the possibility of facing a not so bright future.
But my question is – why did the mother get horrified and depressed after seeing the tiny baby on the pan all torn apart?
Why would she feel a love and affection for the little creature if it were not a human being?
Common sense will lead you to the right answer. And you’re right I am so indoctrinated and brainwashed with common sense and logic. That’s what keeps me fired up.
-Zaxx (as in Wax)
Okay Wax (lol, pls smile),
What do I – as male – know about abortion? When it comes to the actual emotion when the fetus/zygote is removed? Nothing.
The very first question we have to ask ourselves is why did it get that far? The 3rd pregnancy within 3 years while being in an abusive relationship, being poor as hell and being in emotional rollercoaster and unemployed. I am not a doctor so I am entitled to ask those questions.
Were the pregnancies planned (I doubt it), are there sufficient monetary tools/means to support 3 kids, is she an emotional perfect stable mother (or maybe the father can be better as custodian). How is she situated regarding a roof over her head? Are there enough bedrooms for each kid? What weill the future be of all 3 kids? Or are the poor raising the poor?
Maybe not your standard ethical questions but I also have to think about the future of the country but mainly about the future of those 3 kids as individuals. She is probably NOT the only woman with the mentioned problems.
And why didnt the woman and man use any contraceptives.
In short, I think its best for all parties (woman, kids and country) that we terminate at least 2 out of 3 pregnancies. Or we can give 2 out of 3 kids up for adoption.
Why must poor parents raise kids for poverty without a bright future??????
Its like the blind are leading the blind. Its useless and never leads to a win-win situation.
Now this was just the introduction covering every angle.
We covered:
– use of contraception
– giving the father custody
– poor raising poor
– saving 1 kid
What I cant fight is ignorance (bahala na mentality). Every time, a guy sticks his penis in a vagina, it can lead to a pregnancy. If there are people in PH land who doesnt know that, I suggest we give them the DP first. In 2015, one can not get away with such kind of ignorance. Maybe we should make such ignorance punishable with the DP.
My mom – god has her soul – had an abortion once. I wanted to have a little brother (back then) but boy what was I dreaming. It would have been stupid to go along with the pregnancy. We – the kids – were almost all adults. I think I was 15, maybe a little younger. Now – as we speak – I cant remember much anymore of that moment but it would have been stupid to have that little brother bec most likely it would have been born with an abnormality (Down syndrome). And I can tell you that its no party to have a kid with Down syndrome. It puts everybody’s life upside down. Abortion is legal in my country till the 25th week (of the pregnancy) or so.
What do I know further about abortion in my country?
A couple comes to the doctor and tells him or her that they want to have an abortion. After some chit chat (not really chit chat) the doctor sends away the couple to think things over and come back within 2 or 3 weeks (regardless what will be done or not). Maybe the couple will be screened thoroughly about their genuineity, psychological tests will be done. So it wont happen over night. It is NOT a quickie. The doctor wants to establish that both parties (or even the mother alone) is sincere, honest and realistic in what she wants. The act itself is probably a 5 minute operation where the actual fetus/zygote is destroyed (or later used for scientific research) (if given permission for that by the parents).
All of the above will be explained to the couple. So again, its NOT a quickie. And its NOT free of charge.
@Robert Bob, what ? you voted to have your little baby brother killed? shame! You must have been totally brainwashed pretty well yourself to think that was the RIGHT thing to do.
Should have just given him for adoption to any of the unmarried professionals who could well support a kid.
Down’s syndrome may be a risk but you should have given him a chance. If indeed he came out of the womb to be a downs. You can do the honors of hacking off his head since he wouldn’t be considered a human yet while he still has an umbilical cord attached right – am I atheistically thinking right? And you wouldn’t feel an ounce if guilt right – because your an atheist and an unregistered fetus or baby is not a human and therefore you are not murdering anybody right?
If abortion is your solution to overpopulation you are no different than Hitler who had the weak and outcasts culled out of Germany.
You are correct. The problem is the dumb irresponsible parents who made the baby in the first place. That’s where the need for a mind revolution comes in. You are still welcome to join the movement to bring enlightenment to the PH masses, if you repent for having voted to Murder your little brother.
Zaxx,
pls relax and calm down.
My mom told us – kids – what was going on (the pregnancy) and in a way asked us our opinions. I was thrilled bec I wanted to have a brother (while I am sure I didnt even knew back then what the gender would be).
If – back then – I was 15, then my sisters were 16 and 18 respectively.
Looking at the age gap between my sisters and me on one hand and the new born on the other hand it would be stupid to continue the pregnancy.
Another reason to terminate the pregnancy is any possible abnormality in the new born.
And we also have to consider my mom’s age at that time.
An other important reason is the quality of life (or lack thereof) for the new born in case of abnormalities.
The opinion’s of us – as kids back then – was also important bec it could mean that my mom had to take care of the new born all by herself. We all were about to spread our wings and leave home (this is very normal in my country by the age of 18).
What I cant remember now (today) is what the deciding factor for my mom was to terminate the pregnancy.
I must admit that it was stupid to get pregnant in the first place. So, I guess that getting pregnant was not anticipated, not intended and not planned. So thank god, we had very liberal laws which gave my mom the choice and option to have an abortion.
Taking your response into account, it seems to me you are against masturbation (killing sperm cells), that you are against any form of artificial contraception. BTW: every time a woman menstruates, an egg cell is also lost/wasted. And a woman doesnt have that many egg cells.
Pls Zaxx, try to read something about how an abortion is performed in modern western countries. It doesnt come close to what you stated earlier.
What I would like to see in countries like the Philippines is that people (in this case) were/are given a choice, a legal choice between continue the pregnancy or terminate it. But you know what: The Philippines is not a country with choices. Hence for me the Philippines is NOT a free country.
As long as the RC church is so powerfull in your country, a legal abortion will never see the light of day. And that is why the seperation between state and church in your country is phony.
Having the legal option for an affordable abortion will not make your country become a member of the 1st world. It needs more than that, much more than that. But it is a beginning, a start.
Maybe you should try to find some figures/statistics how many abortions are performed in a western country compared to the number of total births. I dont think you will find high figures.
On the other hand behind each percentage there is always a story to tell. And maybe that story tells it all.
All you do is mention the word “killing”. You are not capable to look into the story.
And yes, we also have our share of teenage-pregnancies (without abortion). Happy now? But pls know this: that kid (the mother as kid and the new born as kid) will have no future whatsoever.
Hey Robert. Sorry for my overly delayed response. Thanks for laying out your views on this topic of abortion. I fully understand your view as an atheist and can’t blame you for taking killing a human as an acceptable solution to any practical problem. Btw, I define human to be the fertilized egg.
As an atheist you actually have No real basis for defining any moral code other than what you see fit for survival. This makes a debate on moral issues rather pointless unless we agree on foundational issues – which I think will be difficult on your end unless you experience an NDE yourself like former atheist Howard Storm. So I will hope you experience one soon before it’s too late.
Cheers
Zaxx,
so you think I will change my mind/opinion when I experience an NDE?
Maybe that is possible but I dont think so.
To be very honest, I dont care about your definition re what a human being is. I use the law to my advantage. It gives me THE opportunity to undo a stupid mistake. Although, I rather prefer NOT to make such a stupid mistake (making a girl/woman pregnant unplanned, unwanted, untimely, unconsented).
If you are consistent, you probably also never will divorce/anull/seperate. You rather stay in in a hopeless situation with a partner you dont like and love anymore.
Yes, that is your freedom, liberty and right. But it looks very stupid to me.
Hey Robert. I sure had fun debating you. I don’t mind if you call me stupid. My logic does not really appeal to everyone – especially easily butthurt Pinoys.
For me, I believe you don’t fix a stupid mistake by committing another stupid mistake. Ever heard of the story of David and Bathsheba, and how David made the mistake of murdering Bathsheba’s husband to fix his original problem?
If someone makes the mistake of forming a baby, why does the baby get punished (aborted/executed) for the fault or crime of the parents? Why not just give the baby off for adoption? There are smarter solutions.
Going back, you never really answered the fundamental question – who/what programmed the DNA? Certainly not dumb random forces of nature. Believe me – I have done Monte Carlo simulations and you will nowhere get a language-based code or simple machinery formed – not in a trillion years running in parallel on all the computers in the world.
So here’s a little booklet / article I wrote just for atheists like you:
http://zaxxun.com/abstraphysics/
I dedicate it to you Robert. The first honest to goodness atheist I had a healthy challenging debate with. Feel free to comment.
“Give a man a fish, and he will have one meal.Teach him how to fish, and he will have meals thruout his life”…Welfare, CCT, or any name are cash transfers/libre pera to “poor” people, by the government. They are subject to massive corruption.
The people processing the “cash transfer” are the ones getting rich.
We have politicians, who just wave and smile, look and act like “Rock Stars”, with empty heads. And, we elect them. Look at how many ShowBiz people, we have elected to public offices. Most of them are barely educated or drop outs. “Mga inutil”…
Borrowing money will never solve problem in the economy. If we borrow; the lender, demands interest…
The Philippines is the “basket case” of Asia. It is a sick country; lead by sick incompetent leaders…
Always wondered, Hyden, what those numbers in your handle signify. Are you with NSC, CIA, Marine Seal? Are you sending some coded message to some asset of yours here? ☺????????
Add,
you disppoint me now. He is sending a secret code to a Al-Qaeda cell in the Philippines to start their mission. LOL
Robert:
They are not “Enigma Machine Codes”. I assure you…I do not believe in Organized Religion.
I do not want to send people to die; so that they can go to “Paradise” to have eternal sex with 72 virgins. I have no contact with any of those Jihadists….they stink…
I know Hayden.
Bwa ha ha ha.
*gasp*
No, not Al-Qaeda. Put perhaps, are you a member of Cobra, the Brotherhood of Not or maybe the Joui Shishi?
The only Cobra I know is the energy drink
Those numbers, do not mean anything. They are just to make the YellowTard Hackers guessing; while they hack my blogs.
I am not a CIA, NSA, ICE, etc…agent.
Give a Pinoy a fish, and he’ll whine that you haven’t cooked it for him.
Teach him to fish, and he’ll sell the fishing rod to his cousin and buy Red Horse.
i read and watch the clip of BBM at CEO Forum.
here is the clip of Senator BB Marcos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmcpAlOI_l4
Mayor Duterte clip at CEO Forum last june:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEmQwaeFxIQ
these are the only people i would consider IF they’ll run for the office.
Good for you, Andrew. The way to go, man.☺
your comments and reports and mostly your examples are so dumb and stupid, why not go straight to the point? your examples don’t match and too long. just to make and let people know that you’re great? no, you’re dumb and so stupid.
Yet, here you are resorting to insults and not having decent counterpoints to what is written?
What is so dumb and stupid about the article when it’s already stating facts? Lemme guess, you’re just another failipino who is still stuck in the lala land because you prefer to see fantasies that you are too coward to see the harsh reality. Look who’s stupid and dumb now dimwit?
@rafael. You so have a point on long winding articles. You know, the authors here are trying to out impress each other with their command of English, depth of vocabulary and cutting- edge insight to entertain all of us. So if you don’t like it, just go to the other channel PH fail blog – and there you can be as condescending as you want. In GRP, there is some level of respectful tolerance – which is why I like it here.
Import tariff reforms and the correction in the electricity prices (thru the elimination of the entrenched ‘ENRON’ scam) would be a good place to start. Without a significant wage increase across the spectrum of all workers in the country nothing will be improved,NOTHING !
Ground up sounds right to me. Because that could said about corruption – it comes from the bottom-up, not the top-down. Because the government was corrupt, ordinary people were corrupt. When ordinary people as employees are used to pilfering stuff from their offices to bring home, when they get to government, it will be the same habit, only they get to pilfer bigger things.
Poverty in the Philippines has rooted in some discreet causes that many people severely overlooked even the government. It is the reason why, with all the known solutions to poverty you can read anywhere online, still the problem has not been addressed in a right way. Philippine poverty is a man-made catastrophe that was created out of greed for power and control. It poisons every Filipinos way of thinking that makes us live in fear and scarcity, which reflects the way we think and act, and the result it brings strengthens the corrosion it has created in everyone’s personality. The problem lies on the inside never on the outside. To end poverty, we need knowledge, not money, not the help of our government or whatever. We need to heal ourselves and become a person unworthy to become poor..