Teachers should be teaching children how to think, not what to think. There is enough evidence to suggest that some teachers in the Philippines are not teaching children how to use their critical analysis faculties and are not nurturing them to become more independent thinkers. Recent statements made by the members of the Ateneo de Manila University faculty are proof of this.
The Ateneo community has yet to condemn atrocities and thievery perpetrated by the Aquino regime.
A news report says that “more than 400 faculty members and formators of the Ateneo de Manila University have signed a statement refusing the historical revisionism of the Martial Law years. The act is in response to Sen. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s statement that history should be left to historians and those who study the country’s history.” Here are excerpts from their statement:
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“We vow as teachers and formators to continue to tell the stories of the brutality and corruption of the Marcos family, regime, and closest allies,” the statement reads. “For as long as we remember and share these stories, we believe that future generations of Filipinos will learn the lessons of the years of struggle leading to the overthrow of the dictatorship during those historic days of the People Power Revolution in 1986.”
Before we dissect the above statements, first of all, I think the faculty members are overreacting. I searched the Net and did not find a statement from Senator Bongbong Marcos denying that the atrocities during the Martial Law years happened. Second, the so-called atrocities that transpired during his father’s term, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos, should not be blamed on the Marcos children. They were not in control of the Philippine military and the police then. To blame it on the Marcos children is tantamount to saying that children of criminals should be blamed for the atrocities their father or mother committed. As columnist Emil Jurado of the Manila Standard mentioned, Filipinos did not blame the late senator Ninoy Aquino for his father’s treacherous activities during the Japanese occupation in World War II:
Santa Banana, I cannot believe that BS Aquino does not remember that his grandfather, Benigno Aquino Sr., father of Ninoy, was the head of the Makapili Movement during the almost four-year Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
The Makapilis pointed to and turned over alleged collaborators for the Japanese Kempeitais to arrest, imprison, torture, and then killed. My family was afraid that we, too, would be pinpointed.
Did we, as a people, take against the late Ninoy Aquino that fact that his late father headed the Makapili movement? We did not. In fact, we honor Ninoy as a political martyr when he was assassinated in 1983. And the Aquinos—the late Cory and her son, BS Aquino —became the beneficiaries of Edsa 1.
I still recall when my family saw two well-known Abra personalities beheaded by the Japanese. Members of the dreaded Makapili Movement identified them as collaborators.
Some people are saying the blood of a traitor runs through current President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s veins. And this is evident in the way he negotiated with a Muslim terrorist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, without Congress’s approval. He almost got away with giving parts of Mindanao to a terror group allegedly as a front for a Malaysian takeover of the territory.
Now let us begin to dissect the statement from the Ateneo faculty members. In their statement, they mentioned “brutality and corruption of the Marcos family, regime and closest allies.” Which family members are they talking about? Do they have proof that the children, Imee, Bongbong and Irene had something to do with the extra-judicial killings and thievery that happened during their father’s term? If they do, why can’t they bring them to court? Some of us are also curious to know if they should be held accountable once and for all.
Illustrious Ateneo alumnus: Should Filipinos blame President BS Aquino for his grandfather’s treason in World War II?
Otherwise, the Ateneo faculty members come across as a desperate group of people who do not know who to run to anymore. Their action says a lot about the lack of justice in the Philippines – lack of justice for both the victims and the accused.
How can supposedly educated people like them go on and on accusing the Marcoses of atrocities when the latter haven’t been tried in court? I know what some of you are going to say. You’ll say that just because the court hasn’t found them guilty doesn’t mean they are not. But what has become of Philippine society when Filipinos are reduced to judging others based on hearsay? At least BS Aquino’s grandfather was actually tried and found guilty of treason. It is something that media owned and operated by Aquino allies do not want to highlight.
And which closest Marcos allies are the Ateneo faculty members talking about? As far as I know, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and former President Fidel Ramos were Marcos allies during the Martial Law years but both also became Aquino allies after Marcos, Sr was ousted. As Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao wrote, “Enrile served officially as Martial Law administrator and Defense Secretary in charge of all the armed forces’ services during that time. Fidel V. Ramos, who later became President of the Philippines, was director of both the Philippine Constabulary (PC) and Philippine Integrated Police (PIP) during the Martial Law days”.
Suffice to say, the members of the Ateneo faculty are not using their critical analysis skills in dealing with the Marcoses. They are, instead, allowing their irrational bias towards the Aquinos to rule their thinking. A lot of people are baffled as to why they are not speaking out against the atrocities committed during the two Aquino regimes – Cory and BS Aquino’s term. It’s not like the extra-judicial killings had stopped after Martial Law. Military and police abuses still happened during Cory’s term and are still happening today during her son’s term.
Ateneo students seem to apply a more open mind to the Marcos family than their teachers.
Again, media allied with the Aquinos do not highlight the atrocities enough for some reason we can only guess. Just recently, members of the indigenous group known as the Lumads in Mindanao have been crying out for help against abuses allegedly committed against them by groups said to be trained and armed by the military. The Lumads are being systematically forced out of their native lands allegedly to give way to a mining company.
Make no mistake; there are a lot of Filipinos who are still struggling today. Unfortunately, we hardly hear from groups such as the faculty members of the Ateneo de Manila University speaking out against atrocities and methodical thievery by current public servants including BS Aquino’s own Cabinet members. They choose to advocate something they can’t do anything about. Some say they can’t speak ill of BS Aquino because he is an alumnus. That says a lot about the kind of people running the University – they are into patronage politics. In other words, they don’t seem to be fighting for the interests of Filipinos but only for the interests of their own kind. I would advise the students enrolled in that school to avoid taking what members of the faculty say seriously outside of their course curriculum. It’s not good for their own mental faculties.
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Well,lets see: Which is worse? Being imprisoned for speech against the government? or freedom of the Press?
If Ilda here wrote this story during Martial Law she would be branded a communist and imprisoned,YES? What will the consequences for her writings be now? OH,nothing? Count your blessings before you lose them, dearie.
Things are not what they seem,indeed,and people are never as clever as they think they are.
Excuse me, but you missed the point of the article. I didn’t say I prefer the Martial Law years. Neither was I praising the Marcos years. If you are implying that BongBong Marcos will declare Martial Law if he wins, then you do not understand why Martial Law was declared in 1972 and you do not know who was the architect behind it.
Ilda, this isn’t one of your better articles. I honestly can’t figure out what your point is. Are you saying the university shouldn’t be allowed to teach historical facts (as far as they can be known)? That’s not quite the same thing as teaching them “what to think”.
As for them keeping quiet about the Aquino administration, it’s rare for ANY university, anywhere, to comment on current affairs. The STUDENTS might well do so, but faculty will generally remain neutral. The reason is that facts are submerged under the noise: often, the truth only comes out many years later. Any comment they made would (correctly) be viewed as partisanship, not scholarship.
Let’s face it, ALL Filipino politicians are crooks, liars and cheats. Every single one of them. They couldn’t stop lying and cheating if a gun were held to their heads. It’s what they do. If Ateneo were to “fairly” criticize every single bit of wrongdoing by Filipino politicians, they’d have to set up a whole new department with full-time staff to do it.
And F. Marcos Jr.? If he wants people to take him seriously, it’s not good enough to deny personal responsibility for what happened, or to say: hey, look at all the good stuff my dad did (with American money). He needs to TAKE responsibility. That’s the mark of an honest politician (if there even is such a thing).
Of course he knows what happened; of course he knows where the money went. He was a young man during the 70s: plenty old enough to understand where the money was coming from, and to have conversations about politics with his parents.
Right now, he needs to start making phone calls to certain Swiss banks and getting that money back again. He needs to make an apology on behalf of his parents EVEN IF he was not directly responsible. Otherwise, he’s just a hypocrite making fine speeches.
The point of the article is the statement of the ateneo faculty biased. In what way??? It is mentioned in the article, they condem the “Marcos Family” (note family insinuating the family as a whole and targeting bong bong as well.) For changing and manufacturing history… Where according to the article we cannot find any where were bong bong nor his family members actually tried to change and or deny anything already proven as fact. And saying that BB marcos needs to call swiss banks and return the money (allegedy stolen by his father) is not how swiss banks work.
And yet the ateneo faculty (well most educational institutions)in no way at all condemned the skewing of history by the Aquino family by propagating the immaculate image of the Aquinos.
It’s unfortunate that you do not get the point of the article. I made several points. Let me paste the most important ones:
Of course the university can teach historical FACTS. I didn’t say they can’t. But the operative word is facts, not tsismis. Frankly, they give too much credit to Bongbong. He doesn’t have control over history books. He has his opinion though. You can say it is biased by it is hardly a revision of the Martial Law years.
WHOEVER YOU ARE ,TO ME YOU’RE JUST A DAMN SHIT.HOW COULD YOU MAKE A PERSON APOLOGIZE FOR SOMETHING HE DIDNT DO? SO SIMPLE AND YOU CAN’T EVEN THINK STRAIGHT.COME ON BE A RATIONAL BEING.
neurtral my ass
@marius: As you said, “it’s rare for ANY university, anywhere, to comment on current affairs.” The problem is that these faculty members made their statement whilst identifying themselves as a part of the Ateneo de Manila institution. In that sense, they are taking a categorical position on a current issue and attaching the name of the Ateneo to it.
You are right, perhaps — that BBM needs to do all those things you said; i.e.
Why then is not the same thing being pushed across to other more direct conspirators in the Martial Law machine — guys like Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile? If these Ateneo people are truly for “justice for Martial Law victims”, they should also highlight in their manifestos the accountability of Ramos and Enrile.
So who’s being the hypocrite then and/or exposing themselves to speculation on a possible underlying political agenda?
Note, specially, how the massive pork barrel issue that hangs over much of BS Aquino’s administration is now conveniently languishing under the rug. As long as this sort of two-bit activism is built around people rather than systemically around the issues themselves, it is difficult to take the people and organisations behind these movements seriously.
>> How can supposedly educated people like them go on and on accusing the Marcoses of atrocities when the latter haven’t been tried in court?
Eh, Ilda, I wouldn’t trust the courts of the Philippines to judge a spelling bee, never mind an issue as complex and emotionally-charged as this. The Marcos era has been extensively studied by respected academics with no axe to grind. They might not have got everything correct, but it’s fairly well-established what the Marcoses did, how they did it, how much they stole, and where it went. You can’t just dismiss all this research as ‘tsismis’.
>> Why then is not the same thing being pushed across to other more direct conspirators in the Martial Law machine — guys like Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile?
I quite agree. Nevertheless, failing to comment on the entire sorry list of criminals, traitors and scumbags who still walk free is not the same thing as supporting them. State institutions have to pick their battles carefully – very carefully. As you correctly pointed out, the current administration is really little different to the Marcos regime (it even recycles the same faces!). The Aquinos understand what Marcos didn’t: you don’t have to imprison and torture people to maintain power, because there are always enough idiots who will support you regardless; however, power is power, and people still disappear for saying the wrong things.
Anyway were Ramos and Enrile not under the command of the President? If they were not doing his bidding, did they not at least have his tacit approval? The populace trust and revere Enrile today. God knows why, but reminding people who and what he is – via the Marcos story – can’t be bad thing.
It may well be that BBM really is a better man than his father. He may well do good things in public office. However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, as they say. It is not unreasonable to treat him with a certain amount of suspicion; what’s beyond belief is that people don’t direct the SAME level of suspicion at (say) Enrile.
@marius
Oh my…are you sure the military abuses were sanctioned by Marcos Sr? There were Military abuses that happened after Marcos left but the incumbent President then wasn’t implicated in the abuses. You should read this:
Missing UP students tortured, sexually molested, witness tells court
That should help you understand that there are members of the military and PNP who abuse their authority without the President’s consent.
Your hatred for the Marcoses is a bit irrational. It’s clouding your judgement. I am not a supporter but I do fight for the right to presumption of innocence.
You acknowledge that the Aquinos are scheming but seem to think they are better than the Marcoses because they don’t kill or torture anyone. That’s wrong. Their incompetence and arrogance have resulted in thousands of deaths and suffering.
“Excuse me, but you missed the point of the article.”
Well, DUH! One look at this article and you’ll get the gist of it from the caption on the photos.
“The Ateneo community has yet to condemn atrocities and thievery perpetrated by the Aquino regime.”
Ma’am hindi po PIP ang mga pulis noon – INP po tawag sa kanila – Integrated National Police. Kaya PC-INP ang hawak ni Fidel Ramos noon.
And yet look at the result of your so-called “democracy” now. Yes the likes of Ilda and all the authors of this site have freedom to write articles about our country’s sorry state but failipinos like you lack critical thinking and you done nothing but abuse your freedom too much. I bet you’re one of the commietards/outlaws who done nothing but trouble.
@ DOMO,HA, you make me laugh. My response was deleted.The writer’s here have no clue and can not stand up to the scrutiny and facts I present so they just delete my comment.
@ DOMO I will respond one more time, and see if it is not deleted,AGAIN.
@ ILDA, you do not now, and can not know(because you were not there!) the following:
1)Who was behind Aquino’s assasination or Marcos exile.(CIA,USSR,George Shultz,CHINA,NPA,etc etc…or a combo of them all)
2)You do not know anything I know OR think or say as you do not know me. FACE IT,you just CAN NOT know.
Im sure there are lot of things u dont know coz u werent there as well during marcos’ time. But i guess i know better than u do even if i wasnt there. But my grandpa was there…in his office.(FM office) my aunt was also there.. In his office. And Marcos was indeed a good man and a leader.served the country at its finest. Well his very well respected name was just stained by traitors. I really hope philippine history would be go back to default and truth published.thats all i can say.dont need to elaborate things to close minded people.
I think why your post was deleted was because you don’t make sense.. I’m sorry.
@Malay Pinay… lolz so you know all? So you know the Cojuancos very well too?
As well as who orchestrated the assassination of Ninoy the father of BSA.
What the article is focussing at, is all about BIAS. I repeat BIAS. Be of the media and the sympathisers who were fed and supported by a prominent FEM crony and a very powerful businessman .. I am sure you know since you claimed to be the “know all” person. IMHO only.
It is indeed ascertain that with too much freedom together with lesser-than-thou logical thinking of the people, perhaps it is a deadly combination for us to see the sloppy viewpoints of those who simply judging based on rumors.
Disturbingly you seem to imply this veiled threat that anyone who “dares” to give the Marcoses the benefit of the doubt should somehow, “hypothetically,” experience imprisonment, rape and torture. Another lame attempt to silence any discourse just to have a cheap shot at the so-called “evil” Martial Law.
Yet there are still mediamen that were almost got arrested because of Kidapawan massacre coverage. There are many media personalities that were massacred in Maguindanao. Blame it to Marcos and Martial Law as well?
Ilda, if i may correct you, aside from being the chief, pc, it was the integrated national police where ramos was also the director general of and not the philippine integrated police as you have written.
Thanks, pio!
The teachers there are fucking cancer.
Oh, so you mean the teachers there are fucking you?
LOL! This made my day!
Atenenians are the quintessential Failipino aristocrats with rich parents—and one of the many things wrong with the Failippines.
That is one, prejudicial statement you have there. Scholars, who are not-so-rich people are still part of that population…
Without the scholars, the Ateneo student population can be generalized as a rotten bunch of upper class dimwits
I second that. My friend, who is a former student of Ateneo, was a witness to these people you call the upper class dimwits. Generalization aside, there are still a few Ateneans who have to deal with this kind of BS pretty much everyday, as well as share those same thoughts with most of the GRP readers here.
Lol neither am I rich dimwit nor a scholar. Why is it suddenly now about the school? I bet you didnt get in that’s why you sound so bitter.
Dimwit lol have you even contributed anything valuable to this country? I believe I have. Working on improving the Development sector in our own small way, i believe is something i’m proud to say that I’m doing for my country.
Whilst ignorant bitter pills like you is probably on his couch eating leftover pizza still pondering why Ateneo didn’t accept your application
@Derp,
Credentialism much, eh?
Do you even know the person?
Mr. Pitz,
“Scholars, who are not-so-rich people are still part of that population…”
By merit (scholars) and far in-between; and it’s only a matter of time before they, too, acquire the aristocrat attitude. The rest of Atenenians are from pedigreed families who think their shits don’t stink.
I repeat, Atenenians are a bunch of aristocrat whose parents are rich, and one of the many things wrong about the Failippines. What I said is a fact and not an opinion.
Aeta
before you say something, get your shit together. correct your spelling and all.
one more thing, not all ateneans are rich and powerful, there are some that are accepted because of their academic prowess. i think they are called scholars.
“Without the scholars, the Ateneo student population can be generalized as a rotten bunch of upper class dimwits”
“I repeat, Atenenians are a bunch of aristocrat whose parents are rich, and one of the many things wrong about the Failippines. What I said is a fact and not an opinion.”
Hasty generalizations.
I know Ateneans (get your spelling right) and have been one for over a decade (currently in UP now). In that span of time I’ve encountered some of the best, smartest, most service-oriented, compassionate, and humble people around.
I’ve seen and been part of many of the school’s programs which help the community (GK builds, immersions, educational programs, etc.) Yes, even the richest ones do that.
So yeah, a lot of ateneans are rich. That’s not a bad thing at all. Also, a lot of ateneans bring about positive contributions to society. Way more positive change than you think.
So yeah, could we not be so quick to generalize? We’re too mature for that.
Cheers.
I am a student from Ateneo. My parents are rich, although not financially, but in humility as they work blue-collar jobs and encouraged me to still attend a very good school believing in the school’s good will and my capabilities. I currently am receiving financial aid from the school with regard to my studies. This validates the fallacy present in your statement.
Truly, there are bunches of self-entitled students attending the school having parents who are rich and poor alike, but I’m sure so does yours. Nonetheless, I am still thankful to be part of this community where respect for the other is fostered regardless of social class. This is in comparison where you have been taught that hasty accusations and non-constructive criticisms are the best ways to actively participate in this world.
My shit stinks as bad as yours. However, I am aware that although differences are present among people, we are equal in dignity. Rich and poor, the school teaches us that we can rise from every situation and contribute greatly in positive self and nation-building.
Maybe your parents, like mine, aren’t rich too. I understand your remorse for the rich as well, thinking that they signify injustice. However, between us, your perspective is in more need of development and your time is yet to be well-spent. Bashing and criticizing does not do any significant change. I’d suggest that you just spend your precious time making something out of yourself and the situation instead of immersing yourself in this growth-impeding hate.
It is such a fucked up name anyway–Ateneans or Atenenians or Aristocranenians–and who the hell cares?
Failipinos are so hung up with their Latin and Greek titles, as if having one will elevate them to greatness and nobility for all posterity. Bullshit!
You Assholenians are so concerned about the correct spelling of your pedigreed name that you’ve failed to realize that your smugness is contributing to the continued disparity among our people.
And why are you repeating what I have already said about those ‘aristocrateans’ who became one based on merit are few and far between? What is the point of your redundancy?
Rational,
I am not bashing you. I am just telling you the truth that your parents worked hard to get you into Ateneo, because they have a pre-conceived notion that it will increase your chance of making it in life.
That if you were exposed to the top 10 percent of the population who,for most Aristocranean parents, can afford to pay for their children’ quality education.
This attitude goes to show how little faith we Failipinos have for our ‘non-exclusive’ educational system.
bE1,
It is such a fucked up name anyway–Ateneans or Atenenians or Aristocranenians–and who the hell cares?
Failipinos are so hung up with their Latin and Greek titles, as if having one will elevate them to greatness and nobility for all posterity. Bullshit!
You Assholenians are so concerned about the correct spelling of your pedigreed name that you’ve failed to realize that your smugness is contributing to the continued disparity among our people.
And why are you repeating what I have already said about those ‘aristocrateans’ who became one based on merit are few and far between? What is the point of your redundancy?
Aeta
[Correction]
Rational,
I am not bashing you. I am just telling you the truth that your parents are working hard to get you into Ateneo, because they have a pre-conceived notion that it will increase your chance of making it in life.
That if you were exposed to the top 10 percent of the population, whose parents can afford to pay for their children’ quality education, will give you and your family a stronger tie with some of the most influential segments of our society.
The examples above seem to be the popular notion among our people, and it goes to show how little faith we Failipinos have for our educational system that is completely imbalanced by the “haves” and the “have nots.”
BothSidesofKatip,
Who is generalizing (except maybe for the spelling of Ateneans or Atenenians or Aristocraneans)?
I am only telling the truth that Ateneans are getting the best education–and extracurricular activities (sports and music) and social service (volunteering) programs as part of their overall educational experience–that money can buy because their parents (the school) can afford it.
We do not have these types of enrichment programs available in public school settings because either the government will not set aside the funding, or, the private school tuitions cannot afford extracurricular activities other than academics, respectively.
Given this imbalance on the working budget between Ateneo and the public/other private schools, it does not take a genius to figure out why the Ateneans can be “the best, smartest, most service-oriented, compassionate, and humble people around.”
It all boils down to money.
Aeta
[Correction]
BothSidesofKatip,
Who is generalizing (except maybe for the spelling of Ateneans or Atenenians or Aristocraneans)?
I am only telling the truth that Ateneans are getting the best education–and extracurricular activities (sports and music) and social service (volunteering) programs as part of their overall educational experience–that money can buy because their parents (the school) can afford it.
We do not have these types of enrichment programs available in public school settings because either the government will not set aside the funding; or, the other private schools’ cannot afford extracurricular activities, other than academics, in their tuition budget.
Given this imbalance on the working budget between Ateneo and the public/other private schools, it does not take a genius to figure out why the Ateneans can be “the best, smartest, most service-oriented, compassionate, and humble people around.”
It all boils down to money.
Aeta
ad hominem pa more
Aeta,
Thank you for recognizing us not only as quintessential, but also as aristocratic bearing. Although, I should correct you as the proper spelling should be “Philippines”. I also assume that by saying our parents our rich, you mean to compliment us by telling us that with the knowledge we have gained, aside from the biases of our teachers, we will too become successful in the fields we pursue. Moreover, I would like to ask you, though, why you would say that we are “one of the many things wrong with the Failippines [sic].” I hope that you would respond to this and, again, many thanks for this beautiful compliment of yours!
Sincerely,
An atenean
Miggy,
In case you have yet to notice, I meant to spell Philippines as (Fail)ilippines,–just like what other commenters have done on this blog–to satirize the total failure of our country and its people.
Ya-di-ya-di-yah to everything you have just said about how I portrayed Atheneans to be the quintessential aristocrats, who came from wealthy families, as well as the likes of other wannabe Athenians who had joined–or will be joining–their ranks.
The only reason you had gotten the “knowledge” you have is because someone else was deprived of the same privilege that you consider a God-given right; and, I blame the Failippine government’s incompetence for not willing to provide the same access to a quality education for the rest of our people.
So, do not assume you are fortunate to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth; or, you and your parents worked hard to get you into that school.
Remember, our country’s failure is also our failure–regardless whether you are an aristocratic Atheneans or like the rest of us Failipinos who did not come from privileged background.
We are still the laughing stock of the whole world–who have failed our country and each other–for being arrogant and selfish people.
Aeta
Aeta, I agree with you. The Philippines is a failure. The fact there are citizens like you who walk and breathe moreover are allowed to post comments is proof of that failure. Check and compare economic indicators such as GDP growth which nearly doubled from 2010 to 2015 compared to 1973 to 1986. Consumer spending has never been higher evidenced by luxury brands setting up shop in the Philippines. Further evidenced by the heavy traffic we have to endure everyday due to more and more Filipinos with the capacity to buy cars. Filipinos are able to travel and to stay up all night partying. Sure these are excesses of democracy but the way to curb it is not to bitch and attack institutions or anyone else for that matter who do not share your view. It is curbed by self-discipline, by not enabling and patronizing corruption, not running that red light, performing your job conscientiously, not cutting in line or taking advantage of other people. It is not curbed by paying your taxes then sitting back to wait and see what your government will do for you.
To the author, Bongbong was 29 in 1986 so he could not claim innocence. It is not for the sins of his father that we should not put him back in power. It is for his own sins. He was equally culpable for the extra judicial killings of innocent Filipinos, for spending money that belonged to the Filipino people. I do not condemn him for what his father did. I condemn him for what HE did and what HE allowed to happen.
ADMUPoS,
Don’t pretend to agree with me and defile that agreement with ‘bullshit’ GDP data about consumer spending being higher than it was in 1986, luxury brand items becoming more readily available, and that the heavy traffic is due to Failipinos having the capacity to buy cars and allowed to stay up late to party.
You sound like a rejected character from the cast of “Back to the Future,” where American actor Michael J. Fox was able to travel back and forth to the past and the present to fix life. That was a movie, but you probably believed it applies to reality, too.
Don’t tell me, you’re also an Ateneans who talks shit out of his ass because the expensive education he had gotten from his old “alma mater” didn’t teach him the harsh reality of life.
Of course you’re not going to share my view–and the reason why I’m attacking you and your institution–because I empathized with hundreds of millions of our people who have been suffering in the hands of oligarchs and elitists for as long as anyone care to remember.
Whether or not it’s the masses fault for not using their brain, nor being disciplined enough to do what is right, the responsibility and blame of a ‘sinking ship’ still fall on the captain and his officers (the leaders and elitists of our country) for not setting a good example for their crew (and people) to follow.
Therefore, my dear ‘elitist skipper,’ you will have to take the brunt of the blame long after you have gone down with the ship; it comes with the territory, or, in you case, the ‘status.’
Aeta
[Correction]
Miggy,
In case you have yet to notice, I meant to spell Philippines as (Fail)ilippines,–just like what other commenters have done on this blog–to satirize the total failure of our country and its people.
Ya-di-ya-di-yah to everything you have just said about how I portrayed Ateneans to be the quintessential aristocrats, who came from wealthy families, as well as the likes of other wannabe Ateneans who had joined–or will be joining–their ranks.
The only reason you had gotten the “knowledge” you have is because someone else was deprived of the same privilege that you consider a God-given right; and, I blame the Failippine government’s incompetence for not willing to provide the same access to a quality education for the rest of our people.
So, do not assume you are fortunate to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth; or, you and your parents worked hard to get you into that school.
Remember, our country’s failure is also our failure–regardless whether you are an aristocratic Ateneans or like the rest of us Failipinos who did not come from privileged background.
We are still the laughing stock of the whole world–who have failed our country and each other–for being arrogant and selfish people.
Aeta
No, you’re just too stupid to pop out of your “I-can-generalize-every-group-as-what-I-think-it-is-because-Im-so-smart” bubble.
What is the matter, Rein, am I hitting an aristocratean nerve? I cannot help but generalize about us Failipinos; we all think alike: arrogant and selfish.
Yup, and they can leave anytime cause they got the money, the education, the will, the brains, the looks… you can have the Failippines while they have the whole world…
I’m going to bake a whole batch of “Humble Pie” and give you some. You need it.
You’re so brave lobbing grenades left and right here in the forum because it affords you anonymity 🙂
Why don’t you submit an article to the Opinion section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, or better yet, an international media outlet like the Herald Tribune or the New York Times to share to the greater Filipino public, or even to the world, your wise views on this matter?
You blame us Ateneans of being smug, but don’t you realize what you’re doing here also reeks of smugness?
Reading through all your posts, I determined, via the psychology training I received so graciously from my beloved alma mater, that you are:
1) Insecure in your identity. You may have come from an aristocratic family yourself, but found it to be either idealistic or cool to go against your own class because it offers you a “superior” standpoint. Then again, your roots may lie in the middle- or upper-middle class, as someone who resented the aristocrats because you may have had bad experiences with them, or secretly, you envy them.
2) Narcissistic. You preach here as if you are the Master Debater of the World: you have complete confidence in what you’re saying, even though many have already countered, or even reduced as fallacy, many of your assertions. When you can’t answer an argument point for point, you refer instead to popular culture and pluck a trying-to-be-witty remark. Your relentlessness in answering every comment stems from the fact that you want to wipe the silver surface of this forum clean, so that you may see your own reflection, which you perceive of as being most handsome and incorruptible.
3) Lack of sexual contact, or inability to initiate sex. Actually, I have no basis for this. I’m just guessing by gut feel.
Ah, and in order not to feed your narcissism (you may be deriving gratification every time someone addresses you), this will be my first and last post addressed you.
Take a good look in the mirror first. It might help you a lot 🙂
Knight of Cervini
“You’re so brave lobbing grenades left and right here in the forum because it affords you anonymity”
Those are pretty weak euphemism you’re firing back at me, to protect that tender spot of your elitist ego that has received a lot of pounding lately.
You made it sound like I am just an irrelevant stranger, with nothing better to do with my time, other than arbitrarily lob insulting “grenades” comments at innocent bystanders—in this case, the unfortunate victims happens to be an Atenean like yourself.
If that was not enough, you also suggested that I unload my sentiments on the opinion section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, or the international publications, so I can get the opinions of Failipinos worldwide on how they feel about the elitists in the Failippines—notably, some of them being Ateneans.
I have a better idea. Why don’t you do those ridiculous ideas you have suggested, and explain to the Failipino communities the ephemeral contributions that you and your fellow Ateneans have made to the country: how you could have used your influential positions and connections to help fight poverty and corruption, but didn’t; and, how you could have been the fervent example to decrease the ever-widening social-economic gaps between the elites and non-elitists, that have been plaguing our nation for generations, but didn’t.
It seems to me you Ateneans are content of having the status quo run its course as long as you get to keep your highly regarded status to rub shoulders with the “who’s who” of the country—since everyone, or everything, below or outside that social circle you run around in is considered trivial?
Stop trying to second-guess who I am. One thing I will tell you, though, I am narcissistically insecured; but, so is every “Tom, Dick, Harry, and Jane” who had walked this earth—including you.
And please, “Knight of Cervini” or “Night of Linguine” (Ateneans do love their titles), allow me to give you—a psychologist who had “graciously received” that prestigious title from his or her equally prestigious alma mater (Ateneo University)—a tidbit of advice about sex.
Next time you try to lecture me on how to “initiate sex” with a partner, do not try to do it from the pages of your old Psychology books on human sexuality. It is very hard to refer to those pages if they are still stuck together after all these years, because you did not cover them with plastic or timely aimed your “tool” away, when you got too excited from reading those books to learn about sex.
Aeta
First Koreans and Chinese now Ateneans? What’s your deal man? Why do you have so much hungups, playing the same blame game as the idiots who run the Philippines? Is your ideal country run by some brown Aetean commune while putting the lighter skinned rich people “in their place?” If so, then you’re a prejudistic ass combining the hate of both Hitler and Stalin to form one ugly meatbag.
The ruling and oppressive class. The Chinese, Koreans, and Ateneans (with their pitbull politicians who do the dirty deeds for them) have been fleecing the country and oppressing the people for generations. That’s my hangup. Now what’s your next question?
You’re so fucking deluded by all the facade you see of an improving country, that you don’t see the shit falling on top of your head and blinding you. Are you going to wait until that shit falls in your mouth and you start eating it, and thinking it’s good?
You only answered half of it. I’m still waiting for confirmation if your dream state is one in which Pol Pot tried and failed which you seem to be advocating for.
I’m nkt denying the Philippines sorry state, but you make it sound like it’s the next Somalia which is far from it. Your arrogance also hides you from your hypocrisy of crying for “higher standards” when you accuse those who are in it as “elitist rich kids.” Make up your mind.The “school of hard knocks” in the PH is one of inadequacy which doesn’t magically produce the street smart badasses you think they do.
At the end of the day, you’re just coming off as a hateful POS who’s self grandeur makes him deluded to the fact he belongs to the same pile of garbage he looks with disdain. Can’t believe people like zaxx keeps enabling you.
Hey Chris,
If that’s the case then allow me to answer the other half. You’re just pulling shit out of your ass by comparing me to Hitler, Stalin, and now Pol Pot, who all preached a Utopian nation through violence.
What I’m trying to make you and our people understand is all the stupidity we Failipinos (elites and non-elitists) are doing to our country, and each other, to make life that much harder to live every single day for all of us.
Things don’t necessarily have to go “boom” every single day like it does in Somalia for atrocities to take place in your own country. You only have to wake your lazy mind up to consciously see who is raping your country and oppressing your people.
The problem is you’re too damned afraid to open your eyes because you might find out what kind of bullshit these oligarch/elites are shoving down your throat. However, even if you did find out, you’ll probably deny the reality of it because it feels so good and you don’t want it to end.
Zaxx is “enabling” what I’m saying because he probably sees something you don’t, since you’re too goddamn arrogant and selfish, and have become too complacent with your comfortable status and don’t want anyone or anything to put it through a litmus test for validity.
In spite of some of the differences in our approaches, one thing that zaxx and I have in common is we both see the same stupid mindset and country-destructive ways of our people.
And guess who helped put our people in that continuous primitive state of mind with their mind-numbing programs? Your aristocratic and self-serving oligarchs and elites—whether they’re Chinese, Koreans, corrupt Failipino politicians, or the ‘country-club mentality’ Ateneans in which you’re probably a member of.
Truth hurts but fuck it anyway, huh?
Aeta
As someone who’s been royally screwed by virtue of being born in the Philippines, you couldn’t be anymore wrong. Filtering through your angry teenager rhetoric, I can say that no, I am not happy with how thongs are going there and yes, I know about all the hypocrisies and the atrocities that are just brushed off as everyday routine. You keep assuming I don’t. Try coming don off your high horse why don’t ya? Arrogant? Selfish? Perhaps look at yourself in the mirror and also make sure your own shit doesn’t stink before you label me.
Yeah, you’ve signed yourself under the cause of enlightenment, but using scapegoats and insults to do so is contradicting your goals. What gives you the right to judge on and generalize groups of people merely because you want to sound so politically incorrect it earns you cool internet street cred?
Let’s say all these evil and greedy Chinese, Koreans and rich kids just up and left the country. Would the country be magically clean? Of course not. In fact, the society will regress to medieval levels. Yet you’re so short sighted, you’re under the delusion that the Philippines should only be about the downtrodden Brown Indios or whatever. Thing is, these people you criticize still prop up the country and contribute through numerous charities, projects etc. There are many good people among them But nope, gotta paint them all on one brush and make them be Sat. morning cartoon villains. Someone here is in dire need of Getting Real and that someone is you.
Hey Chris,
Bitch, where do you get your Disneyland version of how life really is in in the Failippines? If you’re not one of the elitists, then you’re probably a snotty nose Failipino expat who lives in another country, and whose annual pilgrimage back to your own country—like vacationing in Boracay and blowing your money at SM malls and owning a condominium—suffices as doing your part of touching base with your Failipino heritage and helping the country. Bullshit!
Like I said you keep pulling shit out of your ass and throwing it up in the air, hoping it will hit your intended target. Instead, what’s happening is you end up eating your own shit because it keeps landing on top of your head.
I’ve been on that road before of telling myself of being “royally screwed by virtue of being born in the [Failippines]” and being a Failipino, and had this deep-seated frustration about how “I am not happy with how thongs [sic] are going there.” I finally gave up and learned to let things go and just resigned myself to the fact that I cannot do anything to change our “Fliptard” ways.
However, I knew I could not completely sever my ties with the Failippines because it’s my homeland, and, regardless of how much I’ve learned to hate our people’s arrogant and selfish ways, I couldn’t stand to see my country being sold out to and devoured by the Chinese and Koreans, or, the socio-economic gap widened by our aristocratic “Fliptards” like yourself.
Guess what, millions of our impotent “Fliptards” around the world have done exactly the same thing you’re doing now: let things pass and ignore all of the stupid things that are going on (and their causes) in the Failippines, because they’ve already saved their family from that ‘Hell Hole” in the Far East.
The Failippines’ problems persist because assholes like you have already washed your hands of all the bullshits that are destroying your country and people today. Now it’s someone else’s problem to solve and not yours. Well, if we had more Failipinos like you, we’ll continue to have more of the Failippines that we have today.
You also have a poor reading comprehension issue. Scapegoating only applies when you blame others and not yourself. If you had bothered to read any of my previous comments, I’ve also included myself among our aristocratic and selfish people. Now it’s your turn to include yourself in the same picture and stop playing the victim that has done no wrong.
Just the fact we’re Failipinos already put us in a ‘Blamable’ category because we’re just a bunch of primitive and feudal tribal people who were unduly westernized, and now we think we’re a hot commodity to the rest of the world because we can speak a passable English, and know every tricks in the book of how to take advantage of a situation.
No one is suggesting these Chinese, Koreans, and elitists to leave the country. Where in the hell did you get that notion? I just want you and our people to realize that we’re all responsible for shitting on ourselves and each other by the way we deny and refuse to change our arrogant and selfish ways, of trying to outshine one another for that imagined “pie in the sky,” and allowing our country and people to be exploited beyond their limits by other countries and our own oligarchs and elitists.
Look around you, for example. Our agricultural farmlands, that once fed millions of our people at an affordable price, have been turned into a fucking wasteland of subdivisions, malls, condominiums, and other commercial properties. Our narrow roadways are clogged up by privately owned vehicles because no one wants to campaign to improve our mass transit system to reduce traffic and clean up the air of carbon monoxide poison.
Yea, let’s Get Real all right; and let’s start with you humbly admitting to not only are we “Fliptards” fucked up, but so is every oligarchs and elites (Chinese, Koreans, and Ateneans) that helped get us more and more fucked up each day—and you and millions of our thick-skulled people are leading the charge to “fucked-up-ness,” with your plausible deniability that our nation’s problems are only caused by our fellow “Fliptards” and no one else’s.
Now if you’re ready to engage me in a verbal warfare and try to knock me off whatever pedestal you’ve imagined me to be on, go right ahead. I’m ready since I have nothing to lose, especially that stupid “Pinoy Pride” you and the rest of our countrymen seem to have enamored yourselves with, to hide your inabilities to live as one people, while we “sell out” our nation to any country or groups for the right price. So bring it on. I’m waiting.
Aeta
Actually, Bongbong has been implicated several times of trying to hide his parent’s wealth. And I don’t see the problem with the Ateneo faculty broadcasting their testimonies from the Martial Law era. They’re simply telling what they know. That doesn’t mean that they’ll prevent anyone from making a different testimony of the past. I view the reaction of the faculty, more to what the Marcos supporters on the net have been saying, rather than just what Bongbong said. https://raissarobles.com/2012/02/25/senator-bongbong-marcos-confirmed-he-had-a-direct-hand-in-trying-to-withdraw-us213m-from-a-swiss-bank-in-1986/
>>Using a Raissa Robles link
>>the same Raissa Robles who went tsismis mode against former chief justice Renato Corona
That’s downright FAGGOTRY right there.
Wow are you ateneans really THAT dumb to just believe on that BS “social” media? Did you just want to finish that alma mater only to have huge scores to pretend that you’re intellectual but in fact you never learn anything at all?
The thing is, my generation was not alive during that dark period in our history. Our professors are making a statement against Bongbong because my generation cannot fully comprehend/understand what the older generations went through to give us the Philippines we have today. It may be flawed and incredibly imperfect, but at least it’s better than the Philippines they group up in under the Marcos regime.
Personally, I think YOU missed the point of our professors’ statement, merely using it as an opportunity to add fuel your hatred for PNoy. PNoy may be an alumnus but no professor I have encountered in Ateneo has shown bias towards him nor do they show any bias in favor of any currently running candidate. If anything, I am personally against Pnoy and his so called “daang matuwid” initiatives. I hate how this administration is lacks inclusivity for our brothers and sisters from the masses. But just because we are against Marcos, does not mean we are for Pnoy or his affiliations. And contrary to what you said, our profs DO teach us how to analyze critically (and perhaps you’re the one who needs a little lesson on that). They don’t just spoon feed us their opinions; you’re guaranteed to fail out of Ateneo if you just repeat exactly what the professor says. Our holistic education means we are critical of all aspects of our everyday. Including our history. Including every administration.
If you want to talk bias, I think your bias against PNoy and the current administration fuelled this article. The fact that Bongbong Marcos is running is a slap in the face to those who fought for our independence. The fact that the Marcoses still hold positions of power shows how unapologetic they are for those years. We are not blaming Bongbong for the sins of his parents. But remember. His parents stole billions from the Philippines. They caused scars — physically, psychologically and spiritually. There are still existing residual effects of the Marcos regime, injustices still unresolved — things that Bongbong Marcos should be more sensitive, if not responsible towards. By running as VP, he is doing the opposite of that.
@jp: Looks like you are the one who missed the point.
The point is in highlighting the selective nature of the way so-called “activists” launch into these quaint outrage fads. Perhaps, instead of making an emo song-and-dance about their crybaby position on the strong presence of the Marcoses in Philippine politics today, these “professors” should, instead, hold academic dialogues and encourage debate in their student body using the facts and reasoning surrounding today’s key issues as the underlying currency for those exercises.
That is what the officers of a true learning institution should be focused on.
If they want to air their political views, these bozos are free to do so but should leave the name of the Ateneo out of it.
Sa huli kong pagkakaalala, malakas ang diskurso at mga debate na sinasabi mo sa Ateneo. Sana man lang mag “sit-in” ka sa sa mga klase ng Kasaysayan at Agham Pampolitika sa Ateneo. Isinasabuhay ng pamantasan ang sinasabi mong “hold academic dialogues and encourage debate in their student body using the facts and reasoning surrounding today’s key issues as the underlying currency for those exercises”.
At isa pa, inuulit ko, hindi po kami kumakampi kay PNoy (sana’y makita niyo ang mga adbokasiya at kilusan sa loob ng Ateneo. Malalaman niyo kung gaano kagalit at kritikal ang mga mag-aaral sa kasalukuyang administrasyon.
Who’s saying they’re being selective? Who says they don’t “hold academic dialogues and encourage debate in their student body”? We do those on a regular basis inside the classroom. We have had initiatives for the SAF 44, RH bill, the Dumagat tribe and many more. More Ateneans than ever are now moving away from typical corporate jobs and moving towards government service, NGOs and social enterprises, all of them wanting genuine, inclusive change. If you don’t think that’s the effect of our professors doing their job, then I don’t know what to think anymore.
They chose to make a statement on Marcos because there’s a uniting factor for them. They may disagree in some issues that exist today but for those professors, they experienced suffering under the Marcos regime. Sure, are pros and cons to putting the Ateneo name on their statement; the pro is it gives them influence. Would you listen or pay attention to a statement made by random people you don’t know? Of course not.
I get the point of this article. But the thing is, people like you are judging our institution based on one statement made by our professors. I suggest you try and understand what we do as an institution before you make any generalizations. It’s just hard to take this article seriously when it’s an undeniably biased, sad piece of “journalism”.
Ironic, then, that you actually took the time to compose a lengthy response, much less look at it again. Admit it, deep inside, you agree.
@jp see, you miss the point again in my previous comment seeing what you say here…
Precisely. Those “professors” made a statement in the name of the Ateneo as an institution. In doing so, they exposed the institution itself to scrutiny and judgment. If you don’t want the Ateneo to be dragged into this moronism, I suggest you tell your “teachers” to organise their political advocacy in their personal time and outside of the bannership of the Ateneo.
Exactly, benignO. Why use the name of a premier learning institution to push a political advocacy. Every learning institution in the world that I know of tries to stay out of politics for the risk it entails, and that should specially be true in the Philippines, where politics is so dirty. PNoy is not interested in the correct history, he is about pushing a political agenda of hatred. He has done so, right from the get-go. Look at GMA, he will not listen to UN.
I cannot believe it is the entire Ateneo faculty who signed that letter. Something does not hold together. I think it is just maybe one, or maybe three, who have drafted that letter who have connections with the Palace. Catching the other professors in their unguarded moments, or using pakikisama, or other aggressive methods, these selected one or three got the others to sign. This is what Tiglao was insinuating, and Tiglao should know because I think he is still a faculty member of Ateneo.
This administration, once it wants to push an agenda, doesn’t care about collateral damages, even if such damages have lasting effect. Look what they have done to the Supreme Court, the HOR, the Senate, etc. One only has to recall the hearings on Mamasapano. To cover up the stand down order of PNoy with regards to the massacre of the SAF44, they would rather make a public spectacle of the generals of the AFP and PNP quarrelling among themselves. What does that say about our uniformed people. Shit, this PNoy will run down this nation to ruin, and he does not care provided he gets what he wishes, never mind if that wish is using a tunnel vision, a Daan Matuwid straight to doom. That is a much worse than anything this nation has seen. But, worst is that there are some people who still does not see this. There is something outrightly evil in the corruption of the best.
Bitch, one cannot help, but be mad.
@Add, yeah it’s funny how one side is quick to accuse the other that they are engaging in “historical revisionism”. Who’s to say the the earlier isn’t?
One specific case of historical revisionism that the Yellowtards are seemingly guilty of is the idea that the Marcos government was a murderous regime that wantonly laid waste to the lives of thousands of people for the heck of it. This is the point of positions made by DLSU professor Antonio Contreras and Manila Times columnist Bobi Tiglao which I summarised/synthesised into this article. Tiglao and Contreras point out that many of these “victims” were themselves “combatants of their chosen ideologies”. A state places itself under martial law precisely to give it the power to go after and suppress dissent in much of the way Marcos’s army and police did.
And, guess what, the commanders and administrators of those state forces are still alive today. How come they are not part of the scope of the indignation fads being mounted by these so-called “activists” then?
Hi benign0,
As a matter of fact the Ateneo does hold rich academic dialogues and debates among the students. They never impose ideas. The faculty does have its own belief but it much respects the belief and opinion of the students as well. The Ateneo teaches the student to think and challenge ideas presented to them, actually. This is so that they can properly assess these ideas and suggest new and better ones to help build society more positively.
I don’t hate PNoy. I hate the mediocrity he embodies.
Oh, gosh. I think I just lost 30 IQ points just by reading this article. There are a LOT of logical fallacies, hasty generalizations, and clear manifestations of the writer’s bias I couldn’t even think where to start. If you, ma’am Ilda, think that Atenean teachers are “not using their critical analysis skills” because they are blinded by their bias towards Aquino, and their apparent strong misgivings against the Marcoses, in their statement, then you missed the essence of what they did. Why not use your own correct “mental faculties” and do your research correctly this time? Good day.
Why don’t you cite specific examples of those “logical fallacies” you say exist in this article then?
Saying they exist is not the same as proving they exist.
The other people (particularly JP) who have commented here already made my point. Did you listen? Did you understand that being against the atrocities of an administration IS NOT THE SAME as being for the Aquinos? Did you see now that you know NOTHING about the way we hold “academic dialogues and encourage debate in [our] student body using the facts and reasoning surrounding today’s key issues as the underlying currency for those exercises?” No, of course you don’t. Good day, sir/ma’am. 🙂
It is imperative that Filipinos, especially members of the academe, strongly speak out against atrocities and blatant thievery happening now while those who should be accountable are still in power. The purpose is to educate the voters that they should not be tolerating such actions. Furthermore, speaking out now before evidence is buried or witnesses are silenced is better than complaining about it 30 years after crimes have been committed like what the faculty members are doing now.
What you just commented ma’am Ilda goes to show that even you cannot make up your mind.
Ano po ba talaga? Your bias reeks off your comments and from this article. You call Ateneans out when they (at least the faculty members) speak out, and you call them out when they don’t. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. Please stop writing your pieces of “journalism” if you can’t leave your bias (anti-Ateneo, pro-Marcos, or otherwise) out of the picture. Filipino readers need more intellectually stimulating material, not emotionally loaded pieces of brainfart.
@ICannotBelieveThis:
You’re barking on the wrong tree, son. I think you’re much more referring to ABS-CBN. 🙂
@ICannotBelieveThis
Way to miss the point!
I did not say they cannot speak out against ML years. What I am trying to advocate is balance and fairness. If the faculty can issue a collective statement against the Marcoses, surely they can issue a collective statement against the Aquinos or any other politician who commit wrongdoing.
@ICannotBelieveThis
Proof that you show your monopoly of opinion. What are you a dictator who wants to hear only “positive”?
Ah, yes, nothing like a little Hate on Martial Law or Marcos=Bad/Evil orientation to prepare the youth for life in the Philippines where Aquino/Conjuanco=Hero/Good.
Ateneo should offer a PhD in Marcos Hateology in it’s college courses.
I won’t be surprise if a backlash against the anti-Marcos or hate campaign is coming soon (inevitable).
http://www.manilatimes.net/virata-and-technocrats-run-the-martial-law-economy/248318/
The late Joker Arroyo called PNoy’s government a Student Council. If only for this, we can see why PNoy totally ignored Joker’s passing away and never showed up during his wake; never mind if Cory, his mother, was so dependent on Joker as her Executive Secretary. How ungrateful, how vindictive. Maybe, PNoy never really appreciated the contribution of Joker to the cause of the Yellows because it is said that during the incumbency of his mother, all he did was goof off with Gazmin and Purisima and the PSG, instead of learning what her mother was doing. Calling therefore PNoy’s administration a Student Council does not mean PNoy is an academic. Known as a below average student, he is in fact the very anti-thesis of an academician. I don’t know why a school would give him an honorary degree. It’s crazy.
It therefore confounds why academics seem to want to be part of this administration. Or, is it a realization that PNoy’s KKK needs help? The Cabinet Secretaries of FM, Cory, FVR, Erap and GMA never seem to have such publicized help from the academe. Or, is it simply because past administrations always went for the best and the brightest as a policy that there was no need to borrow the MSs, MBAs, or PhDs of outsiders? But, who is the academic who would want to be associated with the KKK when KKK has become such a derogatory term?
Let us look at a couple of examples. Lacierda looked like he was struggling with his job. Coloma, an MBA and a professor at the prestigious AIM, steps in to help. Look where Coloma is now; he is perceived to have the IQ of a janitor; this is not to belittle janitors because they may in actuality be more intelligent than Coloma. Then, there are Leonen, Deles, and Ferrer. Well, to start with, we are not sure if they are really academics, or crackpots. They think that peace can be achieved by reversing history as if American Indians or the Australian Aborigines could get back the US or Australia if we followed their logic. But, let us say they are indeed academics, where are they now? Is not the public now convinced that they are the traitors in our midst?
And here comes the Taguiwalos who are trying to lead the newly formed CARMMA. I know someone who knows this couple. She says she does not understand the complaint of the husband and wife against the Martial Law years. During those years, she says these two were full time at AIM finishing their MBAs. After that, they were in some scholarships in some Ivy League school in the US. She sees, however, a connection of these two to the Palace because the husband was an undersecretary of the Department of Health, as the wife was a consultant to the same department, during Cory’s time. I would not therefore be surprised if Tiglao finds out one of this day who drafted that letter of the Ateneo faculty and what is his/her connection to the Palace. I think Tiglao still teaches at Ateneo up to now.
The other thing that I think these academics are willing to risk their reputations is because not a few of them have been hired as consultants by the KKK. This administration has been quite generous with honorariums, professional fees, and other perks as far as consultants they hire. Recall Walden Bello felt so bad that he had to dissociate himself from the Palace? Being the anti-thesis of academicians, KKK are probably dazzled by things like PhD, not knowing that there are theories that don’t have practical applications. They are called theories for a reason.
I have heard from the grapevine, however, that these consultants won’t be found in the department’s or agencies they are servicing. In the case of rice smuggling, for example, they don’t hold offices at the DA or NFA. They have an office exclusive to them in an unmarked room at the premises of the Manila International Airport. And they seem to be very foxy consultants because even COA couldn’t find where there could be kickbacks in the legally imported rice. A friend says there is, even up to USD100 per metric ton. It is hidden in the freight cost, arrastre, port handling cost and trucking. At the same time, if you want to look for the consultants of all the crazy projects of DOTC, don’t look for them at DOTC, or LTO, LTFRB, MIAA, or any agency of DOTC; they are in unmarked rooms at DBP and Central Bank. There in those rooms they could have coffee if they are not teaching in school. And so forth and so on, in the case of other departments and agencies. No FOI will ever be approved with PNoy because there are so many unmarked rooms.
I don’t know why they have to talk about a dead man. Have we forgotten all what the old politicians said, shocked at the extent corruption, at the scandal of Napoles, PDAF, DAP? And that is certainly just the tip of the iceberg. And yet media does not spend much time trying to find out about Eric Gutierrez, the big time miner, who is the bag man of Mar Roxas? Why are the stories about Lumad killings so sparse? If Daan Matuwid could poison the academe, is this the reason why Mar holds on to this hypocritical slogan? Is Daan Matuwid like a drug that creates addicts of anybody who gets quite close to it?
PNoy will leave his successor a debt of six Trillion Pesos. He is directly accountable for four trillion of that. That is about US$89 billion (4T÷ 45), which means in six years, he borrowed three times what FM borrowed. FM left Cory a debt of US$28 billion. Dept of Finance says we should not compare apples with oranges, but rather look at percent of that to GDP. Fine, but where are the projects to which this USD89B went? Everybody knows that by June 2016, there will be one trillion Pesos in the budget unspent. So, why did we borrow?
All the time they talk of CCT or 4P, but ADB already said that that this program has a leakage of 40%. So even if we just conservatively say that there has been a “leakage” of just 10% on the USD89B, that is already about USD nine billion. They say FM plundered USD 10B. They are right, we cannot compare apples and oranges, one was accomplished in six years, the other, in 20 years. But see 9B is almost 10B, isn’t it? So okay, Ateneo, let us talk about the dead man, but please shut up first so that we can also talk about PNoy after he steps down in June 2016. All accounting is not finished, we still have to know what PNoy will do with the one trillion peso so far unspent. By June 2016, the chances of comparing apples to apples would be much better.
Thing is, Joker may have been totally wrong. No, PNoy’s is not a student council. It is worse than the Mexican drug cartel. On that alone, FM looks like an amateur.
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WoW!D ko tinantanan na binasa ang post mo, kahit mahaba. Habang tumatagal lalong lumalalim ang mga bitaw na katotohanan! Sana ipagpatuloy ang pagsisiwat sa inyong kaisipan!
Hi Add
Thank you for your comment. As usual, very insightful. Sorry, I don’t mean to ignore you. It’s just that there are so many point-missers I needed to attend to.
Thanks again.
Wow! I can’t help but read it to the end. Endless true. Parang gusto Kong ipost to with your permission. Thank u.
Sir can I have permission to forward your comment .thanks
The “YellowTard” disease is really communicable. It spreads easily : to people, to university faculties, to political groups, to churches, etc…and to you, if you are not that smart, and careful.
The faculties at Ateneo University, have taken themselves, not to the “Gutter politics” , but to the : “Toilet Septic Tank politics”. It is the first time, I have seen university faculties, have promoted a political propaganda. And have taken sides, in Philippine gutter politics.
Maybe, Aquino gave these faculties some portion of his : loot, from the DAP, PDAF, Pork Barrel Bribery, Missing Typhoon Yolanda Relief Funds, Lag Lag Bala scam, etc…
People should drag: Enrile, Ramos, Honasan, and the rest of the Martial Law brutes. Torture them, like what they had done to their victims…until they
will shout to us us: how many people, they had jailed; how many people they had tortured; and how many people, they had murdered. They are still alive and kicking. They are even active in Philippine politics.
Are these people (Brutes), the “Sacred Cows” of Aquino; and the faculties of Ateneo University?
I think, this is the reason, why most of the Filipinos are mentally retarded. Their leaders and their university faculties, are also mentally retarded. What a country, we have!
Well, some Ateneans are immune to the yellow sickness that is rampant inside the university. As a friend of mine once said “mga Atenistang pulpol sila”, based on his experience as a former student there.
These professors tells us as it is. One of our history courses touches upon the Japanese War. Several collaborators were discussed, one of them was Benigno Aquino Sr. (There’s even a joke when Noynoy was swore in and he was about to give a dinner to dignitaries and reporters alike, people were joking if the menu was going to be Japanese)
These professors teach that, no sugarcoating or exaggeration. Also, martial law was a constitutionally valid move by the State. That the Marcos family did both good and bad. But along the road they turned a blind eye on the abuses of the constabulary and the military on the masses. Cronies exploited as much as they could under his rule which resulted to economic ruin. To the point that all the bad had outdid all the good or so called “achievements” that he did.
I would advice students to listen first then ask questions if they want to clarify any issues about that time of history. There are facts that cannot be overlooked. Facts that Bongbong Marcos has consistently kept on denying.
The Ateneo faculty and its students have also spoken against the Lumad killings. Something this article has failed to research upon because it is more focused on imposing a hidden agenda when there is in fact none to speak of. The university does not take sides when it comes to politics. Aquino could die in a ditch for all I care. But do not spew bullshit like this in order to deceive other people and misconstrue a statement which is grounded upon moral integrity and historical truths.
You know, all that Lumad killing and “Anti-Noynoy sentiment” you guys proudly espouse went down the toilet the moment those bright folks you call your professors decided to get a piece of the limelight by making a PUBLIC announcement about one and zero PUBLIC announcement about the other.
Hate the negative attention? Then shut up and get back to your classrooms discussing the “horrors” of the Lumad killings you proudly espouse.
I stand for what I have written , as I have read from this Web Blog article. If the Ateneo professors, have said : “there were many tortures and murders in Martial Law era”; and not talk about the massacres of the Aquino era. Then, they have taken sides , in gutter politics.
The only thing to resolve the issue is; to drag : Enrile, his son in law: Honasan and Ramos. Torture them, as they had tortured their victims, until they shout, what they had done during the martial law days.
These people are the “Sacred Cows” of Aquino…and maybe , the Ateneo faculties…Dare to do that?
The Ateneo faculty members parise the Aquinos…How many Millions or billions of funds donated by Abnoy in your schools?Face the truth behind the edsa 86…..wrong doctrines by the aquinos.
haha nagpapahalatang walang isip!
Kaya nga dito kayo bumaksak sa getrealphilippines.com eh. Yung mga prof na iyun nakikilahok sa dikurso ng pirma pa nila ginagamit habang kayo, kasama na ang author, tago ang pangalan tapos putak ng putak. Kung handa kayo lahat maninindigan sa mga pinagsasabi niyo, sa ibang lugar kayo makipagdebate (FB, tawag etc.). Pero kung magsasalita man kayo para kumampi o kumalaban sa ginawa ng mga prof na yun dito sa getrealphilippines.com, pinapakita lang na nagnanais kayo ng pagbabago habang nakataklob ang pangalan niyo.
At wag niyo ako paandaran sa “Eh mas importante pa ang magturo na lang sila” o “Mga tuta ng administrasyon” dahil kung talagang binasa niyo ang mismong dokumento na binigay sa media (Binigyan rin kami sa lupon ng manunulat sa UP Baguio), makikita dun na hindi lang nila inaatake si Marcos, kundi pati na rin ang mga pulitikong gumamit at gagamit sa Martial Law para mangampanya lang. Malinaw na nakasulat sa dokumento na yun na “Whoever might use this document with their individual motives in mind are also the reason why this historical revisionism is happening”. Pero natural, hindi papansinin yun ng media. At kung ganito ang argumento, hindi mo rin naman masasabi na tinapat pa nila sa panahon ng eleksyon dahil inaatake rin nila yung mga taong basta-basta na lang ginagamit ang martial law para mangumpanya tulad ng administrasyon, kung saan talagang halata naman kay PNoy na ginagamit niya si Marcos para mangampanya nung People Power Day. Pero hindi niyo rin naman malalaman kasi itong blog lang na ito yung nabasa niyo o di naman kaya sa media niyo lanh narinig imbis na humingi kayo ng kopya gamit pangalan niyo. Kaya kung ako sa inyo at pati na rin sayo Ilda, hingin niyo muna yung kopya ng dokumento bago niyo busisiin kung tama ba o mali yung ginawa nila.
puro ka reklamo basa ka naman ng basa. nag koment pa. dami mong oras sa mga “walang kwentang bagay”. susmaryosep. matulog ka nga lang.
Pakingan ang mga sinusulat ang mga mensahero…hindi kailangan malaman ang mga mensahero.
Mga nagsusulat o bloggers, ay may mga “pen name”…parte yan sa arte ng pagsusulat.
Si Jose Rizal ay sumusulat noon sa “pen name” na: “Dimasalang’…
Shoot the message, not the messenger.
Shooting the messenger not the message. Jeez iyan ba ang tinuro sa iyo ng alma mater mo bobong atenean?
Know what is sad? People are still stuck in the Marcos Era. People are still bitter over Marcos, some are still defending Marcos. What’s the point? PH is not about Marcoses or Aquinos. It is about the Filipino. Why is it that Filipinos have to make Marcoses and Aquinos as a household name? Their minds are still stuck in the past.
And not only their minds. Look at who is in command of the country? Former Marcos associates and cronies. While other Asian countries are progressing. PH is still stuck.
Stop making Marcos and Aquino names be a part of your everyday lives. People Power should have given PH a chance to start all over. Do they even know what starting all over mean? Instead of fighting over the legacy of the corpse or defending the current administration (let them defend themselves it is their jobs since they are politicians), the people should start figuring out ways to do their part and make the country a better place. South Koreans did it… It got them out of poverty… Why not Filipinos?
(1) Have you even considered that this issue isn’t black and white? Choosing to stand by their statements about Martial Law are not considered as pro Aquinos. They’re merely stateting that what happened in Martial Law should be remembered as is and should not be tampered with. Hindi po nila sinabi ang mga nabanggit para pabanguhin o pabahuin ang mga pangngalan ng mga politiko.
(2) You’re not a student of Ateneo. Students are free to express what they think (4 Philo subjects aren’t just for show). Don’t assume things unless stated.
(3) I know that you think that the teachers/faculty members are overreacting (as stated above) and are siding with “the other side” but they’re actually not. Some of them might even vote for Bongbong Marcos in the coming elections. My point is that your thoughts are fallacious (Please read the definition of Non sequitur). If you actually read what you quote, it doesn’t say anything about the teachers standing against Marcoses. They just want people to know the truth (obviously, the atrocities). Plus, their statements actually doesn’t speak ill of Bongbong Marcos. They simply wanted to share the truth.
(4) I want to rebut your statements but I can’t because I have a life. Please read and understand all of the logical statements and fallacies. It will help you write essays in the future.
Actually you yourself do not know who in this forum is or isn’t a student or alumnus of the Ateneo. So don’t go about making assumptions here too.
@Juan Tamad
Atrocities are still happening today. Why can’t you make a public statement against it as a group just like what you are doing with Martial Law years? You come across as biased towards the Aquinos when you don’t highlight atrocities during Cory and Noynoy’s term.
Yes, I’m not a student of the Ateneo. Unfortunately, the Ateneo students are getting the wrong message when the teachers are only making a strong statement against Martial Law years.
Which part of the article are “fallacious”? Please be specific.
LOL…they are not speaking ill of Bongbong, you say? Maybe you need to read their statement.
Oh right, I’ve found the logically fallacious part(s) of the article. Check this link: http://getrealphilippines.com/2016/03/ateneo-de-manila-university-engaging-patronage-politics-siding-aquinos/
What makes you think it’s fallacious? Please be specific. 😉
Sadly Ilda he can’t be specific thanks to his name alone.
Ilda, isa akong estudyante ng Ateneo. Kilala ko po ang nagsulat ng nasabing dokumento. Ang masasabi ko lang po, pinag-isipan po iyon at isinulat ng walang pagkiling sa kung sino man. Kung yaon man ang lumabas, pasensya na. Ngunit sana naintindihan ninyo ang mensahe noong naisulat. Nakikibaka rin po at tumutuligsa sa kasalukuyang “Daang Matuwid” ang mga nagsulat niyan. Kung nagmukha man siyang “patronage” politics, hindi po iyon ang nais iparating ng mensahe. “The Ateneo students are getting the wrong message when the teachers are only making a strong statement against Martial Law years” – nililinaw ko lamang po na hindi po iyan totoo. Hati rin naman po ang pamantasan at ang mga estudyante nito sa opinyon nila sa politika sa Pilipinas. Nag-iisip din naman po kami, hindi po lahat sa amin elitista at lalong hindi lahat sa amin, anak mayaman. Maganda naman po ang punto ng inyong artikulo. Nakikita rin namin ang pangangailangang ng kritikal na pag-iisip sa tunay na naiambag ng Aquino admin noon (kung meron man, maraming kudeta ang naganap at nanatili ang mapangaping sistemang iniwan ni Marcos, lumala pa nga). Ayun lamang po! Salamat!
Dapat imbestigahan kung ang mga nakapirma ay
nakikinabang sa Aquino Admin. Sa mga jornalists natin, may mga kapamilya sila na appointed ni PNoy sa pamahalaan.
@Ilda, the Ateneo does speak out against the Aquinos’ terms. Check out our movements on agrarian reform and indigenous peoples’ rights before making a hasty generalization.
Can they also issue a public statement against atrocities happening today?
” They were not in control of the Philippine military and the police then. To blame it on the Marcos children is tantamount to saying that children of criminals should be blamed for the atrocities their father or mother committed.” well if you searched thoroughly, you will see that bongbong marcos is a government official that time and he refuse to accept to surrender because he thinks that martial law is right.
Where can I find that? Please provide the link.
Ateneo want their student to become certified stupid. Well even the yellow media working hard to make all filipino stupid. This is a clear case of brainwashing. Wawa mga pinoy. Gising na mga rich kid. Gamitin na talino’t yaman sa paglilingkod sa bayan. Great analysis ilda.
Gising din po, Ginoo. Kung tinatanggap niyo ang mga bagay-bagay nang ganun-ganun lamang at nang walang sapat na ebidensiya, huwag na lamang po kayo makilahok sa diskusyon. Kung mag-aakusa po kayo, ipakita niyo po na bunga ito ng masinsinang paniniliksik. Siguro sapat na ang 50 pahinang papel para masuportahan at mapatunayan ang kredibilidad ng inyong diskurso.
Have you ever studied at Ateneo? (of course not, based on your grammar)
Based on a number of studies, Ateneo is one of the best educational institutions around. Add to that the fact that Ateneo has more socially helpful community projects than I can mention and I can assure you that Ateneans spend a lot of their time and knowledge helping the nation.
Gising yung mga “rich kids” na ‘yan, brad. May ginagawa pa para sa bayan. E ikaw?
Anyway, I can’t say anything about this “yellow media brainwashing” that you’re talking about, but if you think that Ateneo is trying to make all its students stupid, it’s failing miserably.
Well if “Ateneo is one of the best educational institutions around”, why can’t you even use your critical thinking instead of your emo mindset about marcos? And baaaaw did Benjie shattered your dysfunctional pride as an atenean? Baka naman nag-aral ka lang para may malaking grado ka’t magpanggap na matalino ka.
The problem with some people is they think their so-called outreach program is enough to help society more forward. They don’t realise that the problem with Ph society has more to do with dysfunctional thinking. Group think is part of that.
That problem ma’am is that you view is as outreach. I admit that it is required for us to go through institutions, to immerse ourselves in the context of the poor, to simply give back, but what these programs do for us is that it enables us to see that what we study is worth more than just a grade and that if we work hard we can make a difference. Not everyone will have this mindset but that’s the thing the Ateneo DOES NOT IMPOSE ideologies rather it allows us to think of the things that we will accept and things that we should be more critical about. Many Ateneans would let go of high paying jobs here and abroad so that they can be with the poor to help alleviate their conditions. Some teach in public education, some help in poverty welfare so ma’am to see that what we are just mere rich kids being brainwashed by faculty members who have their own agenda is an insult to what we go through to be able to help.
@Franc Alvin Doloroso
I’m not saying that you should stop your advocacies in helping the poor. I’m just saying that you should couple it with helping change irrational thinking in our society.
My advocacy for example, is helping Filipinos think outside of the square or box as some prefer to call it.
Since when has being true to history about being pro-Marcos or pro-Aquino? The people who died still died regardless of one’s political inclinations. The country was still buried in debt regardless of one’s political inclinations. Human right’s were violated, cronyism and corruption ran rampant, and public funds were stolen regardless of one’s political inclination.
I can give two shits about PNoy. He’s not that good of a president. And I can still be angry at Bongbong at the same time. He denies any wrongdoing committed. That doesn’t make me two-faced. That simply makes me true to reality. It’s not about which side you’re on, it’s about acknowledging what happened and dealing with the consequences.
And right now, a certain Mr. Marcos is not doing any acknowledging nor consequence dealing. That makes me angry.
AND it should make your blood boil ! This guy and his family want the keys to the treasury again? THE ARROGANCE IS ASTOUNDING.The country needs to rid itself of all Aquino’s as well as Marcos’s….. and the rest of the entire Political class. They are the most corrupt group of people in S.E.Asia.
It doesn’t matter if you are not a PNoy supporter. You allow public servants to get away with crimes committed today as a consequence of giving too much focus on Martial Law years. It’s as if the public servants today are such angels. In other words, you are deflecting the blame on others for PNoy’s shortfalls.
It’s been more than 30 years but Filipinos are still talking about effing Martial Law.
Just because a faculty refuses Bongbong so-called revisionism doesn’t mean they automatically side with Aquino. Ever heard of Morton’s fork? That’s exactly what you are doing in this article. This country’s politics isn’t just a choice between red or yellow. It is not an either-or situation, where you are for Marcos if you are against Aquino or you are for Aquino if you are against Marcos. There’s an entire spectrum of political colors out there. Someone can be both anti-Marcos and anti-Aquino at the same time. We do exist, you know.
Why do you call it revisionism? Of course Bongbong would highlight nice things about his father’s Presidency. He’s Bongbong’s father. Why can’t you simply call what he is doing being biased? Saying he is revising history is equivalent to saying he is rewriting the history books using his own version. Has he done that? Has he recalled the current history books to change it? No, he hasn’t.
You guys are overreacting.
You dodged my point. My point was not about his revisionism, it’s the fact that just because one does not side with Marcos does not mean one side with Aquino.
“What is the advantage of speaking out against atrocities committed more than 30 years ago over atrocities being committed today?”
People have been speaking out for those thirty years, it why we have commemorations. And as a matter of fact, I have been speaking out against both Marcoses and Aquinos, one for their revisionism and refusal to at least acknowledge that they did wrongs to this country, the other for their pro-American imperialism and shitty neo-liberal policies.
You still used the word “revisionism” and that is what a choose to highlight. It’s not revisionism when the current text books haven’t been revised.
There is an imbalance. I want to see the faculty release a collective statement against atrocities committed today under PNoy regime and until I do, I will assume they are engaging in patronage politics.
And the awards for fastest hasty generalization and most dodged bullets go to you, ma’am Ilda. Great job keep it up.
>> My point was not about his revisionism, it’s the fact that just because one does not side with Marcos does not mean one side with Aquino.
Ilda, that was precisely my point earlier.
>> Of course Bongbong would highlight nice things about his father’s Presidency. He’s Bongbong’s father.
If he aspires to power, he doesn’t have that privilege. He has a hard road to follow if he truly wants to do something good for the country: he must admit that his Father was a bad person. Unless he can do that, he’s going nowhere; he does not have the strength of character to lead 100 million people out of the mess they’re in.
What is the advantage of speaking out against atrocities committed more than 30 years ago over atrocities being committed today?
There is blatant thievery today and crime rate is going up. Why can’t you speak out against current government’s ineptitude and hypocrisy?
These sycophants to the Aquinos are simply sucking up to the yellows that’ll put a vacuum cleaner to shame. You’re right. It’s patronage politics. That’s why they “hate” on Aquino daw in the privacy of their classrooms but then you wonder why the hell that “hate” or “criticism” do not go public.
“Hate Noynoy kuno”
Mga urur. Di kami pinanganak kahapon.
I studied in ADMU (’73-75) and discovered that its faculty, like in most schools hereabouts, has no exclusivity to the Truth. It’s a Catholic institution,after all, with its own peculiar elitist/absolutist stance. It could well be that,insofar as the Marcoses are concerned, these educators gave vent to their own collective innate fears,biases, prejudies, and they do actually engage in patronage politics which, for the most part, is a rather Cultural thing, like kutuhan,tsismisan, panlalait, pang-aapi, crab/tayo-tayo mentality and other endearing native idiosyncracies.
This is not unlike the behavior of mainstream media, i.e. PDI, with its own shrill demonization of the late president Marcos and entire clan (for 30 years now) and/or unfortunate others who happen to be hated, targetted, and bullied, like Erap, or GMA.
The common denominator between these institutions is their vast capacity to influence the impressionable youth sector and/or anyone gullible, naive, or foolish enough to believe in their propaganda.
Bongbong, with his own truth, will proly have his turn in the enfolding drama.
It should be clear that the Ateneo professors wrote and released the article as individuals not as representatives of the university. As people who have experienced the atrocities of the Marcos regime and as informed scholars who have studied it for years, they simply presented the truth and renounced any distortions in such. It’s not about promoting the Aquinos, nor forcing Ateneans to think the same way they do, nor living in the past while failing to recognize the injustices in the present. It’s simply written to tell the people that present accounts about the Marcos era, those that pertain to human rights violations and others, are true and to remind us of what happened just so that it might not happen again. Reminding us of our history is not similar with neglecting the present. Similar with stating facts against the Marcos era does not equate to promoting the Aquinos. Let’s not take the article out of context.
@Ilda
If you read the article closely, you would notice that they used “members of the Ateneo de Manila community” and not “representatives” to pertain to themselves. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. Also, they repeatedly used “we” and not “the Ateneo” when presenting their claims. Those are just minor details but it is important in trying to understand the matter. I wouldn’t be noticing those if I wasn’t using my “critical analysis faculties”.
“We, the undersigned members of the Ateneo de Manila community, vehemently oppose and condemn the ongoing willful distortion of our history,”
If you read my article, you should have realised that I did refer to the group as “members of the Ateneo de Manila University faculty”. I don’t see what your problem is.
The fact that they published it on the school’s official website means that the university has approved of their stand against Senator Bongbong Marcos. Their statement seem to imply that they believe Bongbong should be accountable for the atrocities that transpired during the Martial Law years, back when he was still a teenager and even when he was not in command of the military and PNP.
I think you have missed the point of the article. They are not condemning Bongbong of anything except distorting history. Below is a write up made by one of the Ateneo professors who wrote and signed the article. Read it so you understand their part.
Some initial clarifications regarding the statement released by some members of the Ateneo community on martial law and Senator Bongbong Marcos’ attempts to distort our history:
1. The statement was signed by administrators, faculty, professionals, and staff who agreed with the message it contained. It made no claim of speaking for the university itself as an institution, and no effort was made at persuading community members to sign as the document itself was mostly circulated online for people to read, assess, and decide on whether or not they supported the statement.
2. Great care was made to keep the statement non-partisan and on point. It did not advocate for other personalities or parties, nor did it resort to personal attacks against Senator Bongbong Marcos, Jr. As a matter of fact, the statement was produced by his own invitation for the academe to weigh in on martial law. But I understand that it doesn’t take a whole lot of idiocy to think that being critical of the martial law regime or Senator Marcos, Jr. automatically means becoming a supporter of other politicians.
3. Students were not included in the statement precisely because their right to express their own views on issues is a value that should be held sacred in a university setting. But I dare say that many of our students are smarter, more critical-minded, and hold more conviction than many of the pseudo-intellectuals who have expressed concern for our students’ intellectual growth under our care.
4. It was not our intention to make the statement a comprehensive treatise on martial law, or Senator Marcos Jr.’s complicity and attempts at distorting history, or the principles of democracy because an overwhelming body of data and evidence, as well as research and publications already exist. Our role as academics, professors, researchers, teachers, formators, administrators, university professionals and staff, is to signify that there is a broad academic consensus on the oppressive and disastrous nature of the Marcos regime exists.
5. The oppressive and disastrous nature of the Marcos era is not a matter of opinion. My favorite color is a matter of opinion. My preference for kaldereta over kare-kare is a matter of opinion. The hundreds that were disappeared, the thousands of lives that were taken, the tens of thousands arrested and tortured, the billions of dollars that was loaned and subsequently plundered—these are not matters of opinion.
Five hundred twenty-six of the most intelligent, well-regarded, earnest, honest, and patriotic people that I could imagine currently stand by the statement.
@Ikalabaw: I find this gem in the above statement interesting…
I don’t think so. It is a matter of opinion as much as any judgment about historical fact. This, in fact, is what keeps historians employed. Just because one bozo makes an assertion does not make said assertion immune to challenge.
First of all, the statement is hosted for download on the Ateneo website here underneath a news report of some kind that summarises its salient points. That makes it a document officially recognised in principle by the Ateneo de Manila University.
Second, the caption on the accompanying photo begins with the sentence “Ateneo faculty take a stand.” This implies that the authors and endorsers of the statement intend to be collectively identified as Ateneo faculty (and not “as individuals” as you assert).
Third, this is part of the statement highlighted in the article: “We vow as teachers and formators to continue to tell the stories of the brutality and corruption of the Marcos family, regime, and closest allies…” Senator Bongbong Marcos is part of the Marcos family. So, in a sense, the faculty of the Ateneo de Manila have published a serious allegation against a Philippine Senator. And so the onus to prove these allegations is on the Ateneo faculty members who have authored and signed this statement.
Facts are bitches, aren’t they? 😀
Yes, it was published in the Ateneo website however you should’ve noticed that it’s under the news section. The professors asked the permission of the Ateneo if they could publish the article in the official website. However Ateneo, being careful, answered “we cannot post it in our website as an official statement coming from the school but we can put it in our news section as a story and an event currently happening within our campus but, again we stress, not necessarily the statement of the whole institution”
And again, it says Ateneo faculty. It’s still a separate entity from the university. If it was referring to the institution, then the word “faculty” wouldn’t be there.
Please don’t tell me that you believe that Sen. Bongbong was so innocent back then. Although he might’ve not directly contributed to the corruption and crimes and all, he certainly reaped benefits and did nothing.
@Ikalabaw: I’ve done you a favour and collated my position on the matter in this article for your reading convenience: Ateneo faculty accuses Senator Bongbong Marcos of committing acts of brutality.
🙂
They signed and released the statement collectively. They even used the name of the Ateneo university. Impressionable students will follow their lead and think that what they are saying as a group are all accurate.
What is the truth? Who is distorting the truth? How?
Why are they not signing and releasing a statement against atrocities and thievery committed during PNoy’s term?
There is no sense of urgency from the group to catch the thieves of today while they are still in power or while evidence is still available.
You expect too much, Ilda. How is a university supposed to reverse the tide of institutionalized thievery that exists today? The best they can do is hold up one of the more egregious examples, because Filipinos today are so inured to graft, theft and treason that they don’t even recognize it when they see it.
I strongly agree with you marius
@marius
Que horror! You mean I cannot expect objectivity from one of the country’s leading universities? The country is really screwed!
And yes, it seems the members of the faculty are contributing to group think – a serious problem in Philippine society.
Ilda – Can you point out a particular statement which is demonstrably false? I’d say they’re being pretty objective. If BBM wants to dissociate himself from the Marcos legacy, he’s at liberty to do so.
And incidentally, I’d say groupthink is a good thing if the meme in question is true. Would you accuse Germans of groupthink because 95%+ think that Hitler was a terrible person, and tell their kids how terrible he was? [Note: I’m not comparing Marcos with Hitler].
Anyway, I simply meant that you can’t expect a single organisation, however famous, to do much by itself to correct the breadth and depth of failure in Philippine society.
They’re doing what they can, which is reminding people of one specific dark time in the country’s history. As many other posters have pointed out, their focus on Marcos doesn’t necessarily mean they approve of everything else that’s occurred before or since.
I agree with you that the present is far more important than the past, but it’s still important to remember what the past looked like: it’s human nature to look at the past through rose-colored glasses.
That’s the problem: Always looking at the past with zero regard to the present much less the future. That’s the Pinoy for you. And Ateneo isn’t helping reinforcing that fixation.
Hear, hear! Joey.
It’s funny how certain people are going “apeshit crazy” and trying to explain the Atenean side that “just because they’re anti-Marcos doesn’t mean they’re pro-Aquino”. But where’s the collective statement condemning the incompetence and atrocities that have happened after Marcos, which includes both Aquino terms?
It’s also funny how some of them try to explain that “just because they’re anti-Marcos doesn’t mean they’re pro-Aquino” while insisting that anyone who questions anti-Marcos rhetoric is automatically a paid hack, and insinuating that Get Real Philippines is backed by Marcos and allies.
Hahaha. All that expensive education, and yet stupid thinking still exists among them.
Like I said before, just because that alma mater is one of the best universities of this country, the failipinos just want to finish college there only to have high grades to pretend that they’re intellectual and geniuses when in fact they never learn anything at all because they actually don’t have critical thinking.
Hell, your last line is like a “AAA” game like every call of duty release in which it’s just a generic video game with nothing but explosives and recycled plot unlike, let’s say, Bioshock Infinite.
Why are we stuck in the binary thinking that when one disagrees one side, it is automatically assumed that he sides on the other? I get your point. What I failed to catch up is your transition between debunking the Ateneo faculty’s claim on Marcos and his atrocities and your assumption that the Ateneo advocate the Aquinos.
Congratulations on this article, Ilda. You have successfully turned a political topic into straight-up hate-mongering against Ateneo, as if it is a monolithic hivemind of Pro-Aquino apologists. Nevermind that that a lot of us have also condemned the “Yellow Fever” brainwash that is currently happening. Nope, none of that matters, at all. Hate Marcos? Studied in the ADMU? You’re a yellowtard, nothing will ever change that.
I hope you’re proud of yourself.
Now whose fault is that? It’s not my fault some members of the faculty are overreacting. It should have been easy for them to clarify their position but some of them resorted to name-calling and swearing at me on Twitter and Facebook. That says a lot about their upbringing and the exposure they get from their “mentors”.
If you read my article, you should have realised that I referred to the members of the Ateneo faculty and not the entire school.
“Ateneo de Manila University Engaging Patronage Politics Siding Aquinos”
Mmm hmm, sure, use a click-bait title to get views from Ateneo-haters. And when they finally come knocking (just look at all those “Ateneo = Elitist” posts up there), you just go, “No guys, I’m talking about the faculty.”
I had no idea there are Ateneo “haters”. Who would have thought…
And yes, I am talking about the faculty. My article is peppered with reference to them.
Also love how you just wash your hands clean of this whole drama, when you opened the floodgates in the first place. You don’t even try to mediate the discussion, nay, you just let your hound dogs bash away at Ateneans while you bask in the afterglow of your own handiwork. So much for “two sides of the story.”
Because “Ateneo = Elitists” amirite?
I washed my hands? What do you want me to say when others accuse Ateneo of being elitist? It’s their opinion. Some would consider that a compliment. 😉
Mediafag,
Just the fact you are an Atenian already categorized you within a certain class of our society that is immuned from most hardships of day-to-day life; and, that perception alone should be reason enough to warrant a separate article of its own to find out why.
Stop complaining about who opened the “floodgate” and did not close it by “mediating the discussion.” What are you afraid of anyway? That the commenters might start pulling skeletons out of your mental closets and find out what Ateneans are really made of?
Hearing all these opinions/beliefs about Ateneans is,in fact, showing “two sides to a story.” It’s up to you to try to “null and void” these opinions/beliefs with your own arguments, instead of bitching about how unfairly you’re being portrayed on this site.
Man,I thought you Ateneans are much smarter and tougher than that, with all that money your parents spent on you to get a “world class” education.
Perhaps someday, once you are finished knocking the Atenean chips off your shoulders and “come down from your high horse,” you may want to consider enrolling in the school that most of us went to, to bring humility and reality into your life: “The School of Hard Knocks”.
Aeta
Boom. Atenistas are a bunch of crybabies. Thanks to the example of some morons here. =) Yes Im generalizing. Sue me.
By your logic, if I don’t like chocolate ice cream, my favorite ice cream flavor must be strawberry.
When you declare you don’t like chocolate ice cream, people will assume that you like another flavour.
This is why Baskin Robbins ice cream does very well; it has 31 flavors—not just chocolate and strawberry.
Just because members of the Ateneo community spoke out against Martial Law does not mean that the Ateneo de Manila University itself is against Marcos. This does not mean they are passing on their sentiments to their students and to the classes they teach. These are professional scholars and educators. Many of them do their research and form their opinions and dissertations filled with their thoughts in their free time. In class, they follow the curriculum they have created and execute it. Also, please give credit to Atenean students. Many do not blindly absorb their professors’ teachings.
Just because members of the Ateneo community spoke out against Martial Law does not mean that they are pro-Aquino. If you dislike pizza, does that mean you like pasta? If you dislike the beach, does that mean you like mountains? If you dislike Leni Robredo, does that mean you Chiz Escudero?
They spoke out against Marcos because he challenged scholars to write about history. It is a relevant issue of the time. Just because they talked about Marcos this ONE TIME does not mean they will never talk about Aquino. Your argument of “why do they not condemn the Aquinos the same way they condemn the Marcoses” is equivalent to the argument “why do people say Black Lives Matter instead of All Lives Matter.” To give it a more localised and relatable context, think of it this way: at a dinner, everyone is given food except yourself. You say “I should have food.” Everyone chimes in with “we should all have food,” yet continues eating while you have nothing. Basically, it is not the point, the topic at hand, and the relevant inquiry at the time.
I admire the attempt at critical thinking and analysis of a popular and often biased topic. However, the hasty generalisations and assumptions made in the article are more slanderous than they are thought-provoking.
Yup… she does need to take english 101, the part about fallacies…
@Discourse: Guess again. It seems that it is the Ateneo faculty who are making slanderous statements against a Philippine Senator. Check out details of this new development on this issue in my recent article here.
This is good to know. Like I said in my article, “I would advice the students enrolled in that school to avoid taking what members of the faculty say outside of their course curriculum, seriously. It’s not good for their own mental faculties.”
If you don’t understand why the Ateneo faculty made that stand… well you guys are on the outside looking in, you will never get it because you won’t understand The Ateneo way…
Lol! You make it sound like the Ateneo is some kind of mysterious club of intelligent alien life forms.
Aren’t they? Wait…maybe they’re heaven-sent. Sad, one will never know for sure. Ateneans are such an enigma.
Ok. Then forgive us for giving the finger to something “we don’t understand” because they chose to put in a public forum something that “we don’t understand”.
By all means enlighten us with that skewed and “intelligent” PUBLIC position and announcement
And what “ateneo way” is that? Being a emotard over a person’s dead father because of his “pure evil” acts? Andami nyong drama!
First ma’am let me ask you to re-read the memo released by the group of professionals. Not once was there a mention of the Aquino’s nor did the statement attack the person of Mr.Marcos. It was simply a response to a statement that Mr. Marcos made. He made his opinion and by all means he is entitled to have his own opinion to certain matters. We do not condemn the person of Mr. Marcos nor blame him on the “sins” of his father. What we are addressing is the lack of humanity in how we continuously deny the things that happened during the Marcos regime. You might say that these things are mere hearsay, mere opinions by Elites like us so that we can continue to enjoy whatever it is that we have. First of let me say that what has happened during that time is not simply hearsay. To say that the atrocities during that time are mere “tsismis” is like adding salt to the wounds of the thousands of people who lost family members, friends, mentors etc. Yes the Marcoses were never tried in court, but in a society where even MMDA officers can be paid off who can say that the same thing didn’t happen in the case of the Marcoses? What is troubling here is that power and influence dampens our critical thinking. We live in a time wherein information is available readily through the internet. So are organizations such as the world bank, government firms, and foreign financing organizations reduced to hearsay information?
The faculty released the statement so that what happened during the EDSA revolution won’t be put to waste. We don’t deserve another dictatorship. For the people who would say that an iron fist is the solution to the Philippines, the bitter pill for teh cancer of our society, they merely recognize a short term and to be honest a lazy solution to the problems of our society. The problem with Mr. Marcos is not that he was directly involved in the killings, the thievery, and even his upbringing of wealth and stature. His fault is that he is not even apologetic nor does he recognize the problem with the Marcos regime. The Marcos regime is not the golden age of Philippine society. It only appeared as such because it was in the context of blind obedience and fear, the economy seemed booming because results were seen but then the reason for such results only led to us being deeper in debt, debt that even my kid will have to pay for.
To conclude the faculty will gain nothing by releasing the statement. They won’t gain any accolades or reward. But i believe that it was their civil duty to address the people who blindly subscribe themselves to the notion that human rights violations are justifiable by an increasing economy. It was directed to the people who believe that losing their liberty is equal to discipline and obedience. The problem with our nation is not corruption, it’s our lack of self-recognition. If we live in poverty we blame the higher-ups but at the end of the day ma’am, after attacking the faculty of the Ateneo, what did you do to alleviate poverty? We should stop blaming people for what’s happening and just take a stand and do something.
It was indeed the “civil duty” of the Ateneo faculty to air their grievances about an issue they feel is of broader consequence to Philippine society. The question is, should they have associated the name of the ADMU in this quaint advocacy of theirs?
Perhaps we should hear what the management and trustees of the ADMU themselves have to say about the actions of their employees.
We will recall a similar incident where the Ateneo faculty also issued a public statement on their position on reproductive health. The Ateneo de Manila University, if I may remind, is an institution administered and governed by officers of the Roman Catholic Church. Every officer of said Church from top-echelon cardinals down to ordained priests took a vow of obedience to their Church.
So it seems the Ateneo faculty have quite the track record of misrepresenting their employers on some of these pressing concerns.
Let me get this straight, Miss Ilda. You’re accusing Ateneo professors of overreacting, and that they only make their overreactive statements because they’re secretly pro-Aquino. And you try to prove this point solely by pointing out wrongdoings under the Aquinos that the institution apparently keeps silent about?
Where to begin, where to begin?
First off, even if we were to concede that Bongbong Marcos never directly denied the atrocities of Martial Law, there are plenty of more indirect and roundabout statements of him refusing to acknowledge it. But that alone doesn’t even scratch the surface of what people have against him, or of the full statement on the Ateneo petition. The historical revision, for example, also involves attempts to paint a rosy picture of the Marcos era as being some kind of golden age, when in historical and economic fact it was Marcos’s policies that ran our economy to the ground and drove the country into debt. Being selective of what you present about the issue to make it appeal less controversial than it really is… I put it to you, Ms Ilda: who’s the one trying to manipulate information here?
And on the topic of manipulative presentation, you pretty much only backed up your claim that the Ateneo professors are being partisan towards the Aquinos(despite the petition statement never directly saying anything in support of the Aquinos) entirely on the grounds of how they’ve supposedly kept quiet about some “inconvenient truths”. I don’t take it that you’ve actually been to an Ateneo history or political science class? Because plenty of Ateneo professors will openly discuss the wrongdoings of administrations that came before and after martial law. I won’t make judgments about educational background here, but please don’t assume to know what Ateneo professors actually teach students without at least trying to find out the content of actual Ateneo classes, thank you very much.
Finally, how intellectually honest is it for you to try dampening criticism of Marcos by pointing to wrongdoings done by the Aquinos? Does the fact that the Aquinos were also guilty of wrongdoings make Marcos any less guilty or worthy ot criticism? Didn’t think so… That, my dear, is what we call a “Tu quoque” or “You too” fallacy.
I’ve always held that this site is full of nothing but contrarian garbage, making uninformed arguments and conspiracy theories purely for the sake of argument. I mean, the Bangamoro peace process and BBL being a front for Malaysian take-over? Really? It says a lot about this site full of wannabe critical thinkers who think they’re hot sh!t just because they learned to use the word “critical”. Please, get real.
Thing is, this is a public statement issued by the Ateneo faculty we are discussing here. So using what is discussed in closed classes within the campus hardly counts as an argument here. Apples-to-oranges, kung baga.
It’s also interesting that you accuse us of being “selective” in what we point out considering that this statement made by the Ateneo faculty was itself a case study of selective activism that focuses on people rather than ideas.
@BoyBalastog
And this is where I say you are overreacting. You admit that BBM made “indirectly and roundabout” statements but the faculty members rushed to release a collective condemnation and called it “revisionism”. Gees…
BBM did not ask the DepEd to recall history books and demand that they “revise” the text to reflect his “rosy” picture of the Marcos era. You can call his statements biased towards his own father but that is expected of a son who adored his father. It is similar to the concept of a guy who thinks his girlfriend is the most beautiful woman in the world even when she’s not.
You give BBM too much credit. He has no control over history books. He has his opinion. You can say it’s biased but it’s not a revision.
I say that you have been trolled by BBM. You guys overreacted to his statements and he is now getting free publicity because of it.
Which part of my article do you consider “manipulation”? I did not say that the Martial Law years were better or that the atrocities did not happen.
Where is the statement from the members of the Ateneo faculty condemning the atrocities committed during the Aquino years (Cory and PNoy)? You guys thought that a formal statement against the Marcos family was needed to highlight your stand. You wanted it known to the public for the sake of people who do not go to your university. Now you should also make a formal statement against PNoy regime at least, for the sake of people who do not go to your university.
Just because I call out the seeming imbalance in the way you treat politicians doesn’t make me “intellectually dishonest”. For over three decades, Filipinos have been focusing on the Marcoses and forgetting to highlight that atrocities and thievery continued and still continues after the Marcoses were no longer in power. Pork barrel, anyone? It was during Cory’s term when pork barrel was initiated – the act of indirectly bribing congress to do what she wanted during her term.
I am of the belief that it is imperative to give focus on the corruption committed by those in power today before they get rid of evidence, witnesses and more importantly, before they have time to distort the truth.
This site is not full of garbage. This site is the only site brave enough to tackle issues that most Filipinos are too scared to discuss in Philippine society. We are not beholden to anyone.
>> I say that you have been trolled by BBM. You guys overreacted to his statements and he is now getting free publicity because of it.
Ilda, there’s the point right there. That’s how politics works. BBM doesn’t have to rewrite the history books. Chinese Whispers will do the job until his words become truth. How many already do think the Marcos era was a golden age? I know plenty of people (who have been poor all their lives, were poor then, and are still poor now) will say that it was. That’s why it’s important for people to speak up.
The Philippines is the land of bullshit. I’ve never seen a country so awash with the stuff. Lies and truth swill around together with nobody attempting to discriminate the two. At least Ateneo are making an attempt.
Again…you give BBM too much credit for the sentiments of the people today. You should also give credit to PNoy. People have become disillusioned with his inutile government to the point that they are giving Marcos years a second look. It’s not all BBM’s doing. Like what I said in my previous article, Bongbong Marcos has become popular because Noynoy Aquino sucks!:
There is too much focus on the Martial Law years that today’s thieves are getting away with their crimes like they are some kind of angels. The society is screwed because the country’s supposedly “thought leaders” are suffering from a bad case of tunnel vision.
Ilda: >> Bongbong Marcos has become popular because Noynoy Aquino sucks!
You’re quite right there. People do tend to think, hey, maybe that mediocre guy back then wasn’t really as bad as this mediocre guy we’ve got now. It happens all over the world.
That, as I said earlier, is precisely why people need reminding of the facts. They skate over the bad bits and dredge up the good bits to justify their beliefs.
Incidentally, I wish you wouldn’t use that word ‘allegedly’ with respect to Marcos Sr. It’s a weasel word. State your beliefs clearly. The reality of his administration is not in dispute. Many trustworthy witnesses have given first-hand accounts of their experiences, including people who were very close to the family or were highly-placed in government. Their accounts are congruent. By implying those things didn’t happen you diminish your hard-won credibility.
Returning to what BBM does or doesn’t know: he was in his 20s when that American helicopter whisked Ferdie off to Hawaii. He has had a whole lifetime to find out the truth about his father’s administration. If anyone knows exactly what happened, it’s him. Or do you think fathers and sons don’t have conversations about such things? A frank conversation about it with the Philippine people – I’m sure he could arrange an hour or two on TV – would put the whole matter to rest, and perhaps then we could all move on.
Certified Yellow Troll. 🙂
“I think the faculty members are overreacting.”
Overreacting? Bongbong is basically telling the Filipino people that the way we choose to see an event is invalid because “history should be left to historians.” It’s a big deal to tell people that we should move on from something terrible just because it is not in our field of study. Aren’t we all affected by history?
“…the so-called atrocities that transpired during his father’s term, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos, should not be blamed on the Marcos children.”
I cannot find in the statement the part where the Ateneo faculty blamed Bongbong. What I did find in the statement was that the Ateneo faculty will not forget the history that Bongbong is trying to make people move on from. They’re not asking for an apology, they are rejecting Bongbong’s opinion that history doesn’t belong to the Filipino people.
“Is the Ateneo de Manila University engaging in patronage politics by siding with the Aquinos?”
The answer is obviously no. Just because one is against Marcos, doesn’t mean one is for Aquino. There was nothing in the statement glorifying the Aquinos. There was no mention of Aquino. Nothing at all.
You claim that the Ateneo faculty is teaching us what to think, and not how to think. This is uncalled for considering the whole basis of your argument is misinformed. I back the statement by the Ateneo faculty, not only because it is grounded on reason, but also because the statement fights for the right of the Filipino people to have their history.
P.S. When Imelda came to visit, we treated her with respect because she was a guest. Just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean you treat them badly. Common sense po.
Logical: why was Imelda even visiting at all? If there’s any justice in the world she should be living in a homeless shelter and buying her shoes from ukay-ukay stores. She has no business as a guest at Ateneo.
@Logical
That is your own interpretation and I personally think that is not what BBM meant by “history should be left to historians”. You guys read too much into it. A bit paranoid, I should say.
Bongbong Marcos is still entitled to his opinion just like you and me. Of course he is going to romanticise about his father’s term. Wouldn’t you do the same if Marcos Sr was your father? C’mon, be honest.
Here it is: “We vow as teachers and formators to continue to tell the stories of the brutality and corruption of the Marcos family, regime, and closest allies…”
BongBong is part of the Marcos family.
When the members of the faculty focus too much on atrocities committed 30 or 40 odd years ago, it deflects from the atrocities committed by current administration. The incompetence of current administration has been detrimental to the country’s progress. A lot of Filipinos have died and are suffering because of current admin’s neglect of duties. People like you do not realise that because you are being distracted from seeing what is in front of you.
Just because you don’t agree with my views doesn’t mean I am misinformed. The statement from the faculty is not grounded in reason. It is mostly based on emotion and belief that EDSA revolution was the best thing for the country. EDSA 1 provided a precedent for succeeding power grabs because certain bozos had an excuse to throw the rule book out of the window after Cory and her allies did it the first time. See, this is something that your school probably failed to teach you.
How else are you to interpret “history should be left to historians”? Please enlighten me because I don’t know how to take it any other way.
If Marcos were my father, I honestly wouldn’t know what to do. What I’m sure of is that I wouldn’t forget what he did and have the audacity to ask other people to leave it at the past.
People focus on what happened years ago because we know how these events are related to the present. You are missing the point of the statement. The point was that the EDSA revolution, the fight for justice, is not yet over. To forget this crucial period in our history is to forget a part of our national identity.
You are misinformed mainly because you think that the statement is pro-Aquino, when it is merely anti-Marcos. You can’t oversimplify politics into a binary.
30 years with no achievement and abundant evidence that Filipinos were screwed over by Cory Aquino, who went into sweetheart deals with the two chief Martial Law henchmen Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile, sends a strong enough message to all that this “fight” has been over a long time ago; in fact just days after that so-called 1986 “revolution” 30 years ago.
And that is why when Filipinos now see that idiotic “L” hand gesture flashed in the next rally, the word Loser comes to mind rather than the word Laban.
The fact is, there is no “fight”. It was over a long time ago. Only losers remain fixated in an imagined past glory.
Gee…why do you need to interpret such a simple statement? It just means history should be left to historians.
Don’t forget, Marcos Sr wasn’t convicted of the crimes he is being accused of, which could explain why he still has so many loyal followers 30 years after his death. You can blame the lack of conviction to the Aquino family as well. They were not dedicated enough to resolving the issues. That is another baffling phenomenon. Why are the Aquinos not motivated enough to see the Marcoses behind bars?
You’re not being honest. If it was your father being accused of something that wasn’t proven, you’d defend him to death.
You guys should do yourselves a favour and give it a break. There are so many current issues plaguing the nation. China will invade the Philippines soon but you are still stuck with Martial Law. Goodness gracious. When will you move on?
You are falling for the Aquino trap. They want you distracted from his gov’t shortfalls. Can’t you see what he has done to the country?
You’re afraid of BBM as if he is running for the Presidency but you should be more afraid of the current President. His incompetence has caused so many preventable deaths.
Ilda/Benign0: as both of you have pointed out many times, the country’s problems run far deeper than a single man. Aquino is an idiot. Replacing him with another idiot will change nothing. Is this not obvious from the country’s recent history? Systems of government rumble on around the president, entirely under their own steam, and carry human detritus along with them. Many of those systems were set up by Marcos Sr. (although since you will neither “take my word for it” or do your own research, there’s nothing more to say on that matter).
This will continue until those systems are modified by the people who run them. That’s the tax collector, the army officer, the policeman, or the customs drone, who collectively make the country what it is. Presidents who are sufficiently clever can milk this for personal gain; those who are not can only sit and watch it degenerate.
You make it sound like GRP is the kingmaker in the Philippines. It is not up to us. It is up to the people. Sorry to say but you cannot read the people properly. The tide has turned against the Aquinos and now the people feel they have been duped into thinking that the Marcoses are “evil”.
There you go again blaming Marcos Sr even when he has been dead for more than 30 years. Why can’t you blame the people who replaced him? Your obsession with the Marcoses is irrational.
Talk about “Laban”, ano talaga ang ipinaglalaban ng Ateneo faculties and how again will that help our nation in a grip of another inutile and corrupt political parties and ignorant electorate that will vote based on their own biases because frankly, if we judge the candidates base on their ad campaigns and limited views in their last debate, which is mostly all they have, what we’ll all get is NOTHING! Walang laman. And yet I rarely hear any angal about it from our top educated sectors to warn the masses.
What I understand about the ADMU faculties’ pledge is it will somehow prevent people from bringing back another Marcos in high post, to prevent a repeat of those dark days, because “the Marcos family, regime, and closest allies” are “brutal and corrupt”, and as such cannot be trusted, which is funny really because BBm is already a Philippine senator and a strong contender in VP post and a competent one at that.
And say, without another Marcos in the government (actually the dictator is long gone) what will change? What has change when the man who committed “brutality and corruption” has been ousted? Why wasn’t there a highly convictive pledge to bring justice to the death of 44SAFs in Mamasapano massacre, farmers victimized in Hacienda Luisita and Mendiola massacre, journalist murdered in Maguindanao Massacre, thousands of deaths in whenever typhoon hit the country and corrupted Yolanda aide? And those victims are not even communist.
>> Your obsession with the Marcoses is irrational.
As is your refusal to consider current events in the context of the country’s history.
The Spaniards left 400 years ago and took the Catholic Church with them. Their poisonous ideas are with you still. Dead men don’t always stay dead.
No need to look too far back to see what’s wrong with Philippine society today. The solution to our society’s problem is simple but it does require a people with a strong will to achieve it: Filipinos need to follow the rule of law.
Unfortunately, it is a simple concept that a lot of Filipinos do not understand. Even you do not understand why it is important to follow the rule of law. You keep denying an individual’s right to due process. It’s no surprise the country is screwed up.
@BENIGNO, NO 50 YEARS OF NO ACHIEVMENT.SINCE 1965 every single POLITICIAN THAT HAS HELD OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY HAS PILLAGED THE TREASURY.It is one big Criminal Syndicate. OR DID YOU SOMEHOW CONVENIENTLY FORGET?
@ ILDA, “PROVE IT” is EXACTLY what the thieves say after they steal with impunity, then write laws to protect themselves from being prosecuted.
PHONY MUCH?
Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no fibs.
Nakakasuka ang artikulong ito at nakakatuwa na nakakainis ang sagutan dito.. Nose bleed pa. Ang tanong ko lang sa iyo Bb.Ilda naranasan nyo ba ang naranasan ng pamilya ng mga biktima ng Diktaturyang Marcos? Siguro hindi, dahil kung naranasan mo, sampu ng pamilya mo ang naging karanasan namin, magiisip ka ng maraming beses bago mo husgahan ang paninindigan ng Ateneo Faculty.
Nasuka ka pala e nakuha mo pang magbasa ng mga comment. Balik ka, suki.
@Grace
LOL…that’s what happens when you encounter genuine democratic discussions about real issues for the first time.
No, but this article is not about the victims of Martial Law atrocities. This article is about fairness, which is not evident in the statement of the members of the Ateneo faculty. They should issue a similar statement against PNoy govt.
pinoy nga naman oo gimagamit palagi ang puso hindi ang utak. Sobra na iyang kapapanood mo ng mga telebasura bobong drama queen.
Yup, mind-numbing movies and televison programs, designed by the oligarchs/elitists to dumb down the Failipino population:
“mababaw na kaligayahan” = ‘mababaw na kaisipan’
Being batch ’97 AB Humanities, I’ll weigh in on this issue.
– What revisionism is Bongbong doing? Based on his statements, what he means is, let people decide for themselves. Basically, if people want to vote for Bongbong, don’t try to stop them. You can express your opinion to them, but don’t stop them. Based on what other things Ilda revealed, people will go for Bongbong because of how terrible things became under the Aquinos.
– The assumption is that Bongbong, being the son of the Marcoses, is guilty by association. It’s like saying, if a man is a murderer, then his son is also immediately guilty for being the son. That’s ancient backward village logic and a fallacy. Bongbong should be tried on this own merits, not because of association. That is, if you can prove he did incriminating things.
– Are we denying Marcos atrocities? I don’t think so. Well, for the son, you still have to prove he gave such an order. All we know is that he is the son of Marcos. Is all.
– Ateneo faculty seem to be selective, calling out Marcos, but not calling out Aquino, who has atrocities of his own. This is being pointed to numerous times above, but is being selectively ignored by some. Or let me just say it, something Ilda said a long time ago; the Marcoses are running free because the Aquinos welcomed them back with open arms. They never even revealed who was responsible for killing their father. Really, that’s it. So the case should be taken up with the Aquinos as well.
Greatest fallacy of all:
– This site is pro-Marcos and is paid for by his funds.
Really now? Where did we say, seriously, that you should vote him? And that we’re paid by Marcos?
PROVE IT.
The fallacies are all driven by assumptions, and as they say, ASSUME makes a ASS out of U and ME.
>> It’s like saying, if a man is a murderer, then his son is also immediately guilty for being the son. That’s ancient backward village logic and a fallacy.
“Fallacy” is the wrong word, ChinoF. Fact is, if your father is a career thief, you’re far more likely to become a thief yourself than if you father had been, say, a doctor. That’s not to say you will be a thief, with no control over your own destiny. But, statistically speaking, that’s what happens.
>> Bongbong should be tried on this own merits, not because of association. That is, if you can prove he did incriminating things.
Absolutely. But on his own merits, he’s a halfwit. Example: http://getrealphilippines.com/2016/02/bongbong-marcos-has-become-popular-because-noynoy-aquino-sucks/#comment-1635448
As for the Aquinos: perhaps their failings are so obvious, and so frequently commented upon, that Ateneo didn’t think it worth weighing in? Pointing out that the Aquino administration is a failure is a bit like pointing out that Manila Bay is polluted.
How judgemental. If that were true, then the citizens of Australia, which was a penal colony between 1788 and 1868, should be full of criminals today.
I don’t think so. Mainstream media tend to gloss over PNoy’s failures and they highlight the supposed gains of the economy more. Never mind that economic growth was not solely due to his “hard work” but due to a lot of factors including former President Arroyo’s policies during her term.
In fact, mainstream media’s glorification of the Aquinos is one of the reasons I started my advocacy – to highlight their shenanigans and the Philippine society’s dysfunctional culture.
It is baffling why faculty members of Ateneo have not issued a collective statement against PNoy’s failures and blatant disregard for the rules.
Ilda: After all the to-and-fro, I’m still not entirely sure what point you’re trying to make here. What on earth is “selective activism?”. Ateneo’s statement was in response to remarks made by BBM and therefore focused on those remarks. You seem to be castigating them simply for staying on-topic.
Why would a statement specifically about the Marcos administration have to include anything else? If you were writing an article about Aquino, would you feel the need for a detour on the oppression of the Aeta or extrajudicial killings in Davao? That’s not balance – it’s a distraction.
>> Marcos Sr was not convicted of the crimes he is being accused of so technically, he is not a criminal.
There are thousands of government officials with pockets full of dirty money who will never be convicted of a crime. Presumably they – technically – are also not criminals? Say it clearly Ilda: do you believe that Marcos Sr. is the victim of a put-up job, that the billions of US$ lent to his administration were spent honestly, and that the hundreds of eyewitness accounts of wrongdoing are lies?
>> I’ve “jumped to the defense” not just of Marcos but of any candidate who is the subject of what I regard to be a vilification — or support — campaign premised on sloppy thinking.
The problem with that, Benign0, is that most of the sorry excuses for human beings in public office deserve every bit of the vilification aimed at them. A vilification escalation might be in order. For example, do you disagree that the BBM-sponsored bills I quoted read like the work of a nine-year-old?
@marius
LOL…it’s not my problem anymore if you still don’t get my point. Maybe you should read the article over and over until you get it.
What I am advocating for is fairness. If the faculty can issue a collective statement against the Marcoses, surely they can issue a collective statement against PNoy. That is, if they are really against criminality and are not just against certain personalities.
Some members of the Ateneo faculty overreacted to a simple statement from BBM. That is my opinion. You need to accept that I am entitled to an opinion.
Are you a member of the faculty? You seem to be taking this too personally. Be careful, your arrogance is showing.
Oh man…you are focusing way too much on the Marcoses when billions of pesos of public funds were siphoned off by public servants even after he left through mechanisms such as PDAF and DAP. You need to get a grip on reality.
>> Some members of the Ateneo faculty overreacted to a simple statement from BBM. That is my opinion. You need to accept that I am entitled to an opinion.
Well, of course you are. But it seems there are a lot of commenters who think your argument is uncharacteristically weak. Worse, it’s in danger of turning into a debate about historical facts.
>> You are focusing way too much on the Marcoses when billions of pesos of public funds were siphoned off by public servants even after he left through mechanisms such as PDAF and DAP. You need to get a grip on reality.
Here’s reality, Ilda: Marcos did what he did by setting up lots of governmental, quasi-governmental and private organisations which were a cover for his asset-stripping activities. Why do we need to be reminded of this? Because The Aquino government uses the exact same modus operandi, and has even recycled some of Marcos’s inventions (the Philippine Coconut Authority, for example) to continue where he left off. Marcos created a model that worked (for him, not for the country), and subsequent administrations decided that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
We all know that “Projects” like PDAP are simply a vehicle for theft. Here’s the problem: it’s hard to talk about current events because (as I said earlier) it’s hard to get the real facts. Also, people will accuse you of partisanship. History, on the other hand, is much easier to examine. Show the people what Marcos did, and maybe they’re smart enough to recognise that the government is STILL doing the same thing.
As for BBM, he is a representative of the Nationalista Party (as was his father, of course) which espouses a fascist State model: that is, one which involves complete state control of the economy for the primary benefit of the state. This model inevitably involves a proliferation of pointless, money-wasting, corrupt government departments: its raison d’etre is the strength of the state at the expense of the public. For that reason alone, he can be dismissed as irrelevant to the country’s future. Nobody needs to care if he’s being slandered.
@marius
Seems the only commenters who disagree with my views on this issue are folks who defend the Ateneo faculty members, which includes you. I don’t have a problem with that. Of course they will stick with their stand. Unfortunately, you guys can go on and on about Martial Law years for another 30 to 50 years but not much will change unless you actually file charges against Bongbong and his other sibblings. As some wise man once said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Why don’t you try doing something new for a change like speaking out against atrocities of the incumbent President? I am confident you will succeed in making those in power accountable for their misdeeds because the evidence is still available and the witnesses haven’t “disappeared”.
Marcos did this, Marcos did that…blah, blah, blah…sigh. As if we don’t already know what he did. We have been bombarded by information about Martial Law atrocities for the last 30 years. It’s time to focus on the here and now. Some people are getting sick of hearing it to the point that it is actually creating the opposite effect of what was intended – some people are now siding with the Marcoses because of the lack of progress in the country. There is such a thing as saturation point, ya know.
What that…your statement doesn’t make any sense. Why would it be hard to talk about current events while it is happening? You prefer to talk about it 30 years from now? Oh I see, you are saying you guys are scared to be seen as siding with the enemy. That’s nonsense. That’s being a coward. It’s easier to talk about current shenanigans while it is happening, while the hand is still in the cookie jar.
I will not take your word for it. Period.
Just to wrap this up because we keep going around in circles: You don’t like Bongbong and the rest of the Marcoses. I get that.
Just to be clear: I am not a Marcos supporter. I am just advocating for everyone’s right to presumption of innocence.
>> Just to wrap this up because we keep going around in circles.
Fair enough, but just to be clear:
>> You don’t like Bongbong and the rest of the Marcoses. I get that … I am just advocating for everyone’s right to presumption of innocence.
I’m advocating for the public’s right to presume politicians guilty until proven innocent. In the case of Filipino politicians, doubly so.
You possibly haven’t heard of an author called Terry Pratchett, but he writes books about fantasy worlds that look at lot like hours. In his caricature of Australia he describes the political system, in which politicians are jailed as soon as they’re elected, because “it saves time”.
An excellent model for the Philippines to adopt, it seems to me.
Ilda: Of course it’s judgmental. It’s also true. Ask any policeman who has to deal with the criminal offspring of criminals. Kids learn from their parents. Some kids are smart and learn what NOT to do. But a lot don’t. It’s only a newspaper quotation that I found on google, but you can easily do your own research: http://www.smh.com.au/national/parents-can-pass-criminality-on-to-children-20110509-1efw2.html
Quite frankly, I’d suggest one of the things Filipinos need to learn to do is to judge, and to judge correctly. I hate hearing people say, “who am I to judge?” as if this is somehow virtuous. Evil persists because good men do nothing.
>> It is baffling why faculty members of Ateneo have not issued a collective statement against PNoy’s failures and blatant disregard for the rules.
It isn’t baffling at all, for the reasons I mentioned: 1) they have to tread carefully when dealing with the active malevolence of the current administration and 2) if you want them to address the failings of every living politician, they’d have to publish a book, in six volumes.
@marius
I’m sorry but I have to stop you right there. You are going a bit off topic already. Besides, Marcos Sr was not convicted of the crimes he is being accused of so technically, he is not a criminal. Furthermore, your logic only applies when the father exposes his children to criminal activities.
Oh you hadn’t noticed? Filipinos ARE judgemental. This is evident in the statement released by the members of the faculty. It hasn’t done Filipinos any good so far.
Unless you tell me that you are part of the faculty who signed the statement and that you have authority to say the above, I will not take your word for it. I will not accept your excuse for their selective activism.
@Marius re what you say here…
That’s speculating on the intentions of the Ateneo faculty’s omission. Kind of shaky ground to be using as a foundation for arguments now, don’t you think?
Besides, you can’t really invalidate the position of the person you are arguing with using the same flawed logic of the subject of the author’s piece. Just like those Ateneo faculty, you are also accusing BBM of a crime and passing summary judgment on your own accusation.
BBM’s supposed a priori guilt based on the DNA he happens to carry is your opinion. But being so does not make it fact.
If you are into posting links to prove your point, well, anyone can play that game.
This is an excerpt from an article where the author, albeit grudgingly, attests to that fact…
You can tell that this whole game of providing links to other people’s opinions on the matter of qualifications simply escalates the argument to extended levels of pointlessness. As a matter of fact, the superiority of one candidate’s qualification over another is not even the point of the above article.
>> That’s speculating on the intentions of the Ateneo faculty’s omission.
Of course it’s just speculation. I’m simply saying that there are a million reasons why Aquino need not be mentioned in every press release about Marcos (or any other subject, for that matter). The short attention span of the average Filipino voter, for example.
>> You are also accusing BBM of a crime and passing summary judgment on your own accusation.
My only accusation is that he’s an idiot, which he proves by attempting to pass retarded bills.
>> If you are into posting links to prove your point, well, anyone can play that game.
It’s not a game. I was not providing links to another person’s opinion: that comment contained references to some of BBMs bills. I was hoping you might read the bills yourself and draw your own conclusions, i.e., BBM is not very clever, and shouldn’t be in charge of anything more complicated than a karaoke machine.
Come on benign0, you’re at least 50 IQ points smarter than BBM. Ilda likewise. Why leap to his defence? He’s a nobody, with nothing to offer to the country. It depresses me that standards are so low in the Philippines that someone who isn’t in actually jail or mentally subnormal meets the minimum qualification for public office.
@marius: Indeed, whatever we think of a candidate who “isn’t in jail” is irrelevant to the matter of said candidate’s being qualified to run for office. I’ve “jumped to the defense” not just of Marcos but of any candidate who is the subject of what I regard to be a vilification — or support — campaign premised on sloppy thinking. That general position is consistent with the fundamental charter of GRP which is to call out idiotic thinking.
Sorry benign0, response above. Posted in the wrong position.
Marius, let me tell you that your use of “statistically significant” is dangerous. Those statistics are themselves in a way assumption, and they only count numbers, but do not go to the real reasons behind why some children become thieves like their parents. They do not do in-depth study. Perhaps what I’ll describe below is a likely finding of some in-depth studies.
Let’s say a son of a thief is not a thief. But the townspeople still bully and castigate him for being the son of a thief. They keep on telling him “you will be a thief yourself because you are the son of a thief.” Isn’t that like goading him to become a thief? In other words, they are trying to turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. So if he becomes a thief, isn’t it the townspeople’s fault and not his because they goaded him into it? This isn’t farfetched isn’t it?
This is the mentality of “little villages” that is keeping the Philippines backward. Basically, mob mentality. It does not give the son a chance to be himself. It wants him to CONFORM TO OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS about him. Thus, he is deprived of some freedom by society. This could be considered a social sin. Thus, some people will use that “statistically significant” thing as an excuse to mistreat some people. And it is still a fallacy.
Now I’m not saying Bongbong is not entirely free of fault, and his dismal performance is not free from criticism. However, declaring him guilty simply because he is a Marcos is a continuation of faulty thinking.
And, we’re not defending Marcos per se. We are saying that the mindset leading to fixation on him is harmful to the nation, because it distracts people from the real issues. I’ll have an article on that shortly.
ChinoF: I didn’t say “statistically significant”. That’s an unrelated concept.
Let me put it another way: if you have 100 boys who live with fathers who are thieves, some number “A” of those sons will grow up to be lawbreakers. If you have another 100 children whose fathers are upright, law-abiding citizens, some number “B” of those sons will also grow up to be lawbreakers. B will be much smaller than A. This is not prejudice or a statistical sleight-of-hand. There is ample research on the subject; Google it. And it doesn’t matter what reasons underlie this observation: if we discover reasons, we can attempt to correct them, but doing so will not change today’s data.
>> Let’s say a son of a thief is not a thief. But the townspeople still bully and castigate him for being the son of a thief. They keep on telling him “you will be a thief yourself because you are the son of a thief.” Isn’t that like goading him to become a thief?
I agree … up to a point. That scenario not farfetched. It may in fact be one reason why sons of thieves do grow up to become thieves. However, I wouldn’t say it’s the reason); and the son-turned-thief can’t blame his lifestyle on the townspeople. His destiny is ultimately in his own hands. He could, for example, move to a different town where nobody knows his father.
I am fully prepared to accept that BBM is not like his father. For better or for worse, though, he has a handicap: F.Marcos Sr. was his father. Unfair? Hell yes. You can’t choose your parents. What you can do – at least if you seek public office – is to proclaim loudly that you hate what they did and will spend your life attempting to make amends.
BBM hasn’t done this. And even if he did, he’s still a nonentity. He doesn’t have the brains to make any useful impact on the country.
Ah yes, it was “statistically speaking,” not “statistically significant.” Although the concept of assuming sons who grow up with thieve fathers have a higher chance of being thieves themselves is based on statistic significance. That should never be used though to judge someone even before they do something wrong. Neither because of his father.
And yes, perhaps Bongbong Marcos has little to offer to the plate. His father is indeed a handicap. Indeed, judging him because of his father is wrong. It’s no reason to remove him from the race, though, if that’s the purpose of the Ateneo Faculty. Problem is, their claim is serious, because of the world “brutality” and it must be tried by someone who will investigate. And if the investigation turns out nothing that can convict Marcos, that will have to be accepted.
ChinoF: Statistical significance is relevant only in relation to sample size. If you look at five sons-of-thieves and five sons-of-non-thieves, and discover that there are three thieves in the former group and one thief in the latter group, your result is not statistically significant: there is a high probability that the result could have arisen by chance.
If, on the other hand, you look at 500+500 people, your results are statistically significant at a high level of confidence: you can be almost certain that you’re looking at a real effect, not a chance aberration.
>> Problem is, their claim is serious, because of the world “brutality” and it must be tried by someone who will investigate. And if the investigation turns out nothing that can convict Marcos, that will have to be accepted.
Certainly one has to watch one’s words when making serious allegations. However, they did not specifically accuse BBM of ‘brutality’. At worst, they made a poor choice of words (‘family’) which is vague enough to be construed as ‘Marcos and Imelda’.
Trying to bring the Marcoses to liability is going to be hard, because evidence seems scarce in such a case. I read that the Trajano case against Imee Marcos was thrown out in 2006 by the Supreme Court due to some inadequacy by the accuser.
Well, as I said to Ilda, I’m not concerned with whether justice is served. Justice is never served. How many of the world’s worst dictators ever faced a jury? 1 in 10 maybe? How many lived out their twilight years in relative comfort? Maybe 5 out of 10?
Here’s the problem: I’ve never come across a people with such an appetite for masochism. They’re endlessly keen to give the benefit of the doubt to people who simply don’t deserve it, and the results are plain to see.
If a stranger comes to your door and starts a fast-talking sales pitch, you don’t invite him in for a cup of tea, do you? You don’t assume he’s a lovely guy unless you actually see him stealing your jewelry. You’re on your guard. You know he’s not there to do you any favours, any he may be there to defraud you. Likewise with politicans. All politicians. Not just Marcos Jr. or Sr.
I still meet people who think F. Marcos was the best thing that ever happened to the Philippines (and perhaps ever will). Given the attitude of the electorate, I suspect he was.
Well, if you want to call a spade a spade, it’s simply this: what was bad now looks good, because the supposed good that came after was actually worse! Now that the worse was exposed for what it is, the worse is trying to get the bad to look bad again, but they don’t realize they helped the bad look good! So the answer is simple if you want to know why Marcos is regaining popularity or is looking “good;” because the Aquinos and allies did so.
Justice my ass.
The communist insurgents are playing the hero before and during the martial law years, and now they are playing the victim.
Pathetic.
What Ilda highlighted in her post is the inherent hypocrisy of all anti-Marcos advocates. And this is evident in every post that you can read from them and every justification they had with regards to celebrating Edsa and flashing the #NeverAgain hashtag.
You must be pro-Marcos to have said that. And your article is so full of it. For you to infer a pro-Aquino stand of the Ateneo faculty is a giant leap from their original statement. All they wanted to state was that they were against revisionism of the Marcos years. That’s all.
Are the kids of Marcos to blame for what he did? Nope, but the fact that they don’t acknowledge that these happened and that they still so desperately cling to their stolen wealth is a large cause for concern. What’s even worse is that despite factual data showing our economy’s drastic decline during these so-called “golden years”, Bongbong has the audacity to claim that we were on the road to becoming another Singapore. It’s kind of revisionism that the Ateneo is standing up against. That’s all they wanted to say. For you to blatantly attack them with baseless accusations is to diminish their cause and impede their campaign against revisionism of the Marcos era.
If you just want to talk about the Aquino eras, fine, but you can do it without diminishing another worthy cause.
Acknowledge what? That all those who died during Martial Law where innocent victims? And that all of the atrocities where directly linked to Ferdinand Marcos Sr?
The factual data there is that there was indeed an economic decline. But there is no factual data to establish that the direct cause was Martial Law.
That’s from Google. Care to tell us how BBM’s personal opinion reinterprets historical records? Also, if we would refer to records and facts, which academics should do, or better yet since you seem to be from Ateneo read Edgar Jopson’s biography, you will know that it’s not just about unwarranted killings and corruption.
History is written by victors and it doesn’t help that academes are taking side and not allowing the series of events during Marcos era to take precedent as the source of people’s judgment.
@Randy
No, I am not pro-Marcos. And yes, my article is full of rational ideas.
And their basis in doing so was BBM’s simple statement “Let historians, not politicians, judge Marcos rule.”
Geesus…I’m sorry but what they did was so over the top. Their statement is also damaging the country’s already fragile institutions. The faculty members should be advocating for their students to respect rule of law, which includes the everyone’s right to presumption of innocence.
When did BBM deny the atrocities that happened during Martial Law? What stolen wealth? I’m also curious to know if they stole from the public but if you don’t have any evidence, then you are the one desperate for attention. This is also why I strongly recommend that you guys focus on the thieves of today so we do not lose the “evidence”. Crying about thievery that happened more than 30 years ago is pointless. It’s hard to get evidence and the witnesses are either too old or already dead.
Like I said to some of your friends, BBM is entitled to his opinion. You don’t have to believe him. If you have the facts to support your claim that he is wrong, there is no need to feel insecure.
Attack is such a strong word. I’d say I was criticising the faculty members, not attacking them. There is a big difference.
For the faculty members to say BBM was revising history is an exaggeration. He’s just stating his opinion. The history books still says the same things about Martial Law. It hasn’t been revised.
Now, stop overreacting. I can tell this is giving you useless anxiety. It’s not good for your health. 😉
Is toppling the Philippine Government and spreading communism a worthy cause?
Communism and anarchism are completely different beasts and I love how Filipinos became indoctrinated into thinking the former and any mode of socialism is the spawn of Satan. Guess the PH is still stuck in McCarthy mode.
For most of my contemporaries who had first-hand experience of the Marcos Dictatorship, the notion that the Marcoses ought to be tried for unspeakable human rights abuses and gargantuan ill-gotten wealth is insulting, dehumanizing. . . utterly revolting.
As clear as the light of day, the Marcoses are guilty as charged and the entire family and their brethren should have been convicted for the record and beheaded in public before they had a chance to escape like cowards. That would have been a perfectly justified massacre.
The recent statement of the Ateneo Community is perhaps one of the most truthful and thoughtful representation of the Marcos era, EDSA People Power and what remains an unfinished revolution. Yet, there are a those who twist, convolute, deflect the issue. Shame on you for your pseudo-intellectual mastubation that does nothing to rid our society of awful scoundrels like the Marcoses.
The only silver lining in the victory of Bong Bong as the Vice President is the resurgence of our unfinished revolution that, this time around, will not be so peaceful. In fact, it ought to be downright bloody and cruel, particularly towards the Marcoses, the Romualdezes, the Enriles… It’s about time these traitors had their heads served to the satisfaction of the Filipino people they have screwed, raped and sodomized all these years.
@Virtual Vigilante
You are no better than the people you accuse of brutality when you refuse to give the Marcoses their right to presumption of innocence.
You see, I don’t know you outside of the Net. Why should I trust your words that the “entire family and their brethren should have been convicted for the record and beheaded in public”? The Aquinos and their allies have been in power for 30 years but they couldn’t put the Marcoses in prison. I can provide a few theories as to why but one should be enough: they do not have enough evidence to convict them.
Like I said in my previous comment, are you sure the military abuses were sanctioned by Marcos Sr? There were Military abuses that happened after Marcos left but the incumbent President then wasn’t implicated in the abuses.
You should read this:
Missing UP students tortured, sexually molested, witness tells court
That should help you understand that there are members of the military and PNP who abuse their authority without the President’s consent.
Your hatred for the Marcoses is a bit irrational. It’s clouding your judgement. I am not a supporter but I do fight for the right to presumption of innocence.
A couple of old folks who were part of the communist movement back in the 70s like Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao and filmmaker Mauro Gia Samonte already admitted that those who were part of a group who were wreaking havoc during Martial Law years should have seen it coming to them. Meaning, some of those who died during the Martial Law years weren’t exactly angels. Samonte even said in his recent article that he already had a granade in his backpack but decided not to throw it towards the riot police during a rally. His action saved lives and now he is telling the truth. He found out later on that the grenade was supplied by Ninoy Aquino. I am not making this up. You should read his article in the Manila Times.
Unfortunately, you are also suffering from a bad case of tunnel vision. Of course there were genuine victims of atrocities but atrocities did not stop after Marcos left.
It’s pointless with these anti-Marcoses. Like for example, Rigoberto Tiglao. They are demonizing him instead of addressing his claims. Typical dishonest people, they are.
@Toby
Seems some of them just want to pepper the comment thread with the same things over and over just to make it look like they are winning the argument.
The anti-Marcoses’ real problem is really intellectual in nature. They are oblivious to the the fact that despite their claims that evidence and history are on their side, it has not succeeded in ending the political careers of the Marcoses. That was supposed to be the logical conclusion. As we rational individuals say, let reason be silent when experience and history gainsay its conclusion.
The result is that they are left with just rhetoric, nothing more.
But even that is ineffective as proven by recent events.
And you Ilda have no sense of the gravity of the Marcos crimes relative to all the other crimes committed by other administrations; otherwise, you wouldn’t be comparing the others with Marcos–the trap that the Marcoses and their publicists would like every Filipino to fall into.
The fact that those in power for the last 30 years – the Aquinos and their allies – failed to bring justice shows how pathetic they are. You can’t just blame the Marcoses for the lack of “justice”. It’s simply ridiculous.
Seems you cannot accept the fact that members of the revolutionary were also hell-bent on harming other people. You can’t expect everyone to sympathise with those kinds of “victims” of Martial Law.
You should read this article. More proof of corruption during Cory admin and beyond:
After 30 yrs SC lifts wrongful sequestration of Philcomsat that PCGG looted
http://www.mlchronicles.com/
A must read/view/visit website for those of you who still have an iota of gray matter left in your head. Bong Bong Marcos and his whole family/clan should be eradicated from the face of the earth–much less occupy and/or run for public office.
Most of the so-called “victims” you refer to were combatants and active participants in armed conflicts. They knew the score when they signed up to it. Between you and someone like Bobi Tiglao (despite the vilification of yellows like you against him), I guess it’s no contest.
Thanks for the link. Just a reminder that I don’t think anyone here is denying atrocities happened during the Martial Law years so there was no need to provide it. Mainstream media and organizers of the recent EDSA celebration have provided enough reminders of it to a nauseating point.
The problem with some people is they do not know how to market their advocacy. They should realise that they have approach this #NeverAgain movement using another style because the old style has become ineffective. People are now tired of hearing sob stories. People in general want to hear success stories that can uplift their mood and inspire them to move forward.
And not those in power right now? They should be eradicated too. Just as bad. If what I suspect is true, your selectivism is sooooo in the open. You and the faculty of my alma mater have made a deal with the devil, and will regret it when the truth comes out.
It seems Ilda’s suspicions are true. A deal was made, an institution was bought and became partisan, and so they help cover up one truth by over emphasizing another.
‘Historical Revisionism’ is a dangerous endeavor. It is described as a re-examination of historical data with a view to arriving at a better understanding and appreciation of historical events. It also involves rendering long accepted fact to make them ‘more accurate’. It is said that it can take two forms. One has to do with just tweaking certain data to make the ‘facts’ more consistent with the ‘truth’ ; the other, has the intent of rebutting the same ‘facts’ with a view to ultimately denying these in order to arrive at a ‘different truth’. This latter form is called ‘historical negationism’. I would suspect that these theories apply only to ‘times and eras’, knowledge of which could only be obtained from history books and archaeological archives. I would conclude further that these scholarly theories do not apply to the recent past; or, to events to which there are living participants and witnesses.
The second world war which had impacted several countries and which spawned many earth shaking events in them has just a handful of actors and witnesses left surviving. It might not (yet) be subject to the schemes of certain interested ‘revisionists’ in, presently, powerful countries. The first world war, on the other hand, which ended barely two decades before, and which spawned the ‘Sykes-Picot Agreement’ is now fair game for such ‘historical revisions’. This agreement set the post-war geographical and political boundaries of the Middle East; ie Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. Saddam Hussein was the first to attempt his own ‘historical revision’ when in 1991, he occupied Kuwait, claiming that it had, heretofore, been a province of Iraq. Today, with the incursions of ISIS, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, could very well have their borders obliterated in favor of one Muslim Caliphate; in fact, the way it was before Sykes-Picot. On a smaller and more local level, the Sultanate of Sulu is now all but forgotten; although it may survive still in the dreams of the Sultan’s heirs and in the nightmares of those who had jeopardized the Sultan’s legal proprietary claim. This historical modification and territorial reshaping constitutes the earlier stated ‘historical negationism’. It was caused by the duplicitous Malaysians and their allies, the ‘British East India Company’, and was abetted by the casual and cavalier attitude of some of our Presidents towards the properties of Philippine citizens.
For us, now, to think of initiating some kind of ‘historical revisionism’ in the case of martial law is absurd. There will be those, of course, who could have a lot to gain and who might take a crack at it; but, there are just too many still living and breathing witnesses who would surely, and strongly, oppose this. To this latter group, certain events then, so affected them, that they still take these personally to this day. There might be no proportionality in comparison, but to these people, martial law was a microcosm of a ‘holocaust’.
LOL…Martial Law is not being revised around here, that’s for sure. Some people are simply asking the right questions about the events that lead to and that transpired during Martial Law. Some answers have brought light into why Marcos Sr is not solely to blame for so-called atrocities. And to blame the children for what rogue members of the military and PNP did at that time is preposterous.
I just read this and I agree with your position author.
In my mind as I read their position as Faculty carrying the name of an academic institution, I thought to myself that they shouldn’t be teaching history or be involved in these political matters as they have tainted history with bias and impartiality. In religious terms this is like sacrilege to the academe and the scholarly approach to history. The study of history should be approached with a moderate thinking and analysis to take ALL facts into consideration without omission.
Because they like patronage politics and are obviously actively campaigning for one side as an academe which is so wrong, let’s get to the facts why Martial law was declared in the first place. It was the height of the red movement because discontent against the government and the state was high. The CPP and NPA sought change in the system of government and they believe that a revolution in the form of armed struggle and destabilization is needed. It is accepted fact that Ninoy was involved directly with the CPP-NPA and this is according to Joma Sison himself. Terrorist bombings including Plaza Miranda was conducted by the CPP-NPA, Victor Corpuz said it was Joma who ordered it. Because they were the political rivals of Marcos, Marcos would be blamed. The ‘star’ and the most popular of the liberal party, Ninoy was not present and ran suspiciously late for a very important LP miting de avance. This was why in later years Jovito R. Salonga suspected Ninoy to be involved in that particular incident. In Marcos’ speech during the martial law declaration, he also mentioned the MV Karagatan incident where Victor Corpuz was directly involved. The MV Karagatan incident was a foiled plot by the NPA where in direct support by Mao ZeDong in the form of thousands of arms for the communist movement. These incidents forced the hand of the head of state to declare martial law to save the integrity of the current government and to prevent the nation from plunging into a long drawn out insurgent civil war or quite possibly the victory of the communist revolution. Had reds won, the American bombs might fall here like they did Vietnam and Korea. The declaration of Martial law is with Nixon’s American approval as this was the height of the cold war and the red scare. Of course it did save the integrity of the state but the state still had a very bad system like before martial law but now it is coupled with a now American supported dictatorship and corruption still flourished like before only this time, it was Marcos and his cronies who controlled it. As for the Martial Law victims, I know some people personally who are martial law victims and they are not innocent journalists or students they are involved one way or another with the CPP similarly with what Rigoberto Tiglao said. Author you can email me about this to confirm.
My opinion is that Marcos challenged both the far-left and the far-right with this. As the strongman head and face of state, he was the centerpiece who the communist movement used for propaganda and recruitment. To the Right and the current oligarchy, he challenged the status quo and their interests. The most prominent are the Lopez clan, and Cory Aquino’s side of the Cojuancos.
Now tell me, who are the revisionists? Ninoy your hero is a politician as ambitious as Marcos. Your hero supported terrorist acts against civilians and was directly involved with the CPP-NPA which gave Marcos reason to declare Martial law and had hold on to power. It is my opinion that he himself wanted Marcos’ position to further is so-called “Christian Socialism” ideology but used unethical methods to do so.
Thanks.
We believe that you are a true pro-Marcos Loyalist.
@FAGBoy:
Yeah, we believe that you’re a true shitposting autistic faggot. Fact.
I was once an Atenean. I got kicked out. But this is just stupid of them.
Argumentum ad hominem or Argumentum ad baculum. Either way, it is vilification and denigration to the point of zealotry.
ADMU is just an overrated university whose students and alumni are afraid of board exams and technical courses. Their engineering alumni are quack engineers with no professional license and completed fake and QUACK engineering programs invented in ADMU. They are just good in English because they grew up in households speaking English. But they are not street smart and have very low IQ and poor in common sense. That is the main reason their cream of the crop alumni aren’t capable of solving the Laglag Bala problem, BOC problems, solving government corruptions, don’t know anything about solar and wind power technologies, proposing to regulate sale of hammers in malls, proposing color coding of LRT passengers, sacrificing SAF policemen to earn a Nobel peace award. LOL