“Proud to be Pinoy” is an oft-heard phrase when it comes to world champion boxers and beauty pageant contestants. That’s because it makes perfect sense that the “winner” coming out of a couple of boys pounding one another silly on a ring or an array of girls strutting around in bikinis on a stage could be a source of national pride.
That’s on one hand. On the other hand, it also makes perfect sense that pride in one’s country needs to also appeal to some higher sensibilities — like an ability to stand on one’s own two feet, make one’s own decisions, chart one’s own destiny, and do all that by being true to one’s self. Apparently, that source of pride does not resonate with today’s Philippine Opposition. Led by the Liberal Party (a.k.a., the Yellowtards), the Opposition prefer that Filipinos bow to the rulings of a foreign court when it comes to deciding on the best approach to sorting out their internal affairs.
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Inquirer columnist John Nery in his article “Duterte to ICC: I’m beyond accountability” today contributes to the din of shrill cries of “outrage” over the withdrawal of the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC). Nery refers to this withdrawal as an “unmanly” act on the part of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that “only reinforces the impression that he has manipulated the instruments of the government so as never to be held accountable”. Nery does not cite specifics around how exactly Duterte had “manipulated the instruments of the government” to his ends, but he does assert that it creates the “very condition that would invite the ICC Prosecutor to investigate a sitting head of state.”
Nery says all that as if the ICC, by itself, has an intrinsic right to influence — even directly intervene — in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation like the Philippines. Of course, this is all lost in a corporate media talking head who is part of a political bloc who had, over almost two years, invited his colleagues in Western news media to slander his own country and its government on the back of dubious information he and his industry chums fed them.
The pattern is quite evident now. The Oppostion led by the Yellowtards, in their increasing desperation, are laying bare the perverse reliance on Western political and cultural power that had long served as pillars of their sick ideology. Unfortunately their scramble to regain power had stripped the colour off the ideological morsels thay have been throwing at Filipinos revealing, like M&Ms sucked clean of their yellow sugary coating, the sad little wet nuts at their core.
Nery, like the Western ideological parrot that he is, highlights the rather awkward word, “complimentarity” in ICC policy jargon to justify the imagined ascendancy with which the ICC is encouraged to meddle in Philippine domestic affairs…
The ICC policy paper again: “Complementarity involves an examination of the existence of relevant national proceedings in relation to the potential cases being considered for investigation by the Office. This will be done bearing in mind the Office’s policy of focusing investigative efforts on those most responsible for the most serious crimes under the Court’s jurisdiction. Where relevant domestic investigations or prosecutions exist, the Office will assess their genuineness.”
Nice try. One can easily tell that the ICC struggles from a monumental crisis of relevance today. It relies on pieces of “signed” paper and convolutespeak to back the vapourware that is its imagined “mandate” to serve as the beacon of Western goodness in a world of diverse politics. The Yellowtards, for their part, are using these texts much the way religious clerics use immense volumes of similarly-convoluted scripture to prop up their dying cults. Indeed, the Yellowtards have revealed themselves as no more than a cult — no better than organised religions that rely on a fear of damnation to keep their flock shuffling along the lines drawn for them from ivory towers up those “hills”. Thanks to the Yellowtards, the Philippines is currently ruled by two European overlords — one sitting in Rome and the other a laughable committee in judges’ robes in The Hague.
Does being a European colony well into the second decade of the 21st Century make Filipinos proud? Duterte, in fact, follows a tradition of Asian heroes who sought to free their people from European domination. He has become a reminder that the so-called “heroes” put on pedestals by three decades of Yellowtard rule under the watch of a Roman overlord has done exactly the opposite. Bozos like John Nery would like to convince Filipinos that this is good. That makes people like him liars.
It’s high time these liars are called out and exhibited not just to Filipinos but to all Asians for what they are — traitors to hundreds of years of effort to free Asia from Western European domination.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
“like an ability to stand on one’s own two feet, make one’s own decisions, chart one’s own destiny, and do all that by being true to one’s self.”
This is only true when the Philippines will refuse any aid from any foreign country when there is yet a natural disaster like typhoon Yolanda.
Since, I dont see that happen (refusing aid from other countries) its a bit hypocritical to use such eloquent words.
And perhaps we will stop hearing about the Hague decision regarding the South China Sea.
Why not throw in all contracts with foreign suppliers must be subject to Filipino legal jurisdiction as well.
And while we are at it, why not step out and leave the Paris treaty regarding climate change. I am sure the Philippines can solve its own mess.
That is what this means, right:
“like an ability to stand on one’s own two feet, make one’s own decisions, chart one’s own destiny, and do all that by being true to one’s self.”
@Robert Haighton :
If your aid is with strings attached. You can keep your aid. Being hungry and sheltering under a tree, is better , if I keep my self respect.
My dearest friend Hyden,
Sex always come with ‘no strings attached’.
But serious now:
All I can do is take Benign0’s words literally. And when the Philippines is about to say farewell to its diaper’s stages and become a real grown up mature adult/country – based on Benign0’s words – the Philippines should and must refuse every aid and every help from any foreign country when there is a calamity.
Personally, I know (based on personal experiences in the ‘field’) that the Philippines is still in its diaper phase/stages. It has not even started yet to develop itself.
Take a look at the latest divorce bill. Its a real joke. And then read the comments made by your fav president, Mr. Duterte. He is against a divorce law.
We gotta start somewhere. What, you’d rather we stay with international bodies that tries to meddle in our internal affairs using aid as a tool to advance their own agendas?
A smart kid (diapers) can skip a few school years during elementary school. Show some class and style and make some (or a lot) changes for the entire Filipino population. Give them real freedom. What is freedom? The option to have choices. Now, you have nothing to choose from. A poor 3rd world country still. And Duterte is not gonna change that.
The only question remains is, do you want to change AND do you want change? I guess, the answer to both questions is a big fat NO.
Oh and BTW and again: I am NOT a fan of the Philippine Liberal party.
Citizen,
What did Benign0 wrote? “To make one’s own decisions”. When a person has nothing to choose from, making decisions is void. One can only make a decision when he/she has to choose between at least 2/two variables. So, I am married, but she cant get rid of me bec there is no decent divorce law. You get my drift?
Not quite. True innovators create new options for themselves. They have the courage to see beyond obstacles to their goals and find ways to either overcome them or work around them.
Why should there always be obstacles (they blurr my vision) in the first place? So, okay, I will take the D-tour to avoid the obstacle even when that means taking the most in-efficient route.
Hyden,
I have a serious question for you.
Lets assume I am about to enter into a relationship with a Filipina who already has 2 kids from a previous relationship.
Can you suggest what I must do?
Am I supposed to work for both her and HER two kids and I also decide HOW the kids should and must be raised or is it okay not to work for HER kids and stay aside from how to raise HER kids?
The typical Pinoy mind would like you to support her, her kids, her family and all other relatives who are delusional enough to think you are that rich because you are foreign. ‘Abroad’ ka, eh. After they have milked you, they will murder you. Perhaps her ex-husband will do it.
KEEP SAFE!
Excuse me Mr. Haighton, but your aid argument is highly dubious. And so is the other comment about foreign business contracts.
About aid, it comes as a charitable gesture. Surely you don’t believe disaster aid comes with a conditionality as though it was an IMF loan? Charity by nature does not automatically give the donor country a direct say in another’s government, especially as it was in the throes of misfortune. That’s pretty unethical.
As for business contracts, foreign investors themselves seek countries with strong governments. Certainly China’s and Saudi Arabia’s disagreeable, especially to the West, rights records did not cut them off from global trade, even if foreigners did not have any significant sway in the way they run their country.
And treaties? Isn’t it that countries enter into agreements of their own sovereign will? They can even withdraw.
Sorry, your reasoning here is just crude.
Mr./Mrs./Ms. Guest,
Finally for the very first time I can say here “you are missing the point”.
The author states that “like an ability to stand on one’s own two feet, make one’s own decisions, chart one’s own destiny, and do all that by being true to one’s self.” and that leaving the ICC is part of that. (I disagree with the author but that is not important here).
In case the author is indeed serious then the Philippines should and must also refuse any outside/foreign aid and help in case of any calamity. Because once they (the PH) do accept aid then the author’s statement is flawed and hypocritical.
And as bonus, the Philippines should and must also leave the Paris treaty immediately.
Personally, I think and I know that the Philippines is still in its diapers stages and can not take care of itself.
Correct! what’s the icc doing is invasions of one’s sovereignty.
“It’s high time… liars are called out and exhibited… ”
And one of them, unfortunately, is now Malacañang Palace’s Presidential Spokeperson. The then Chairman of the Philippine Coalition for the ICC, phony Human-Rights Lawyer/Activist and former Yellowtard Harry Roque!
From the now protected blog of the opportunistic and dubious Harry Roque:
“To be candid, I never thought that membership in the ICC was possible, at least before I become geriatric. This is because of the many atrocities under both the Marcos and Arroyo regimes that remain unpunished. Well, it’s always a pleasure to be proven wrong. Here, credit should go to both the Senate and to President Benigno Aquino III. It was the latter who reversed the Arroyo policy of rejecting the ICC as a means of ending impunity. On behalf of all victims of impunity, I express my gratitude to both the Senate and Pnoy…”
Can the now Presidential Spokeperson Harry Roque really stand by his opinion on ICC blog post in 2011 but speak for President Duterte at the same time?
Perhaps, Truth, held by those in power, is considered as something they can always get away with. Politicos would not be so renowned for their thickened faces for nothin’.
Could Malacañang be sleeping with an Enemy? Well… Indeed, in politics, nothing is permanent. There are no permanent friends nor enemies, but only permanent selfish interest!
let the yellows exposed each other that’s what the pilipinos want to hear.
“Well, it’s always a pleasure to be proven wrong.” Roque said while with the PNoy administration. Could he not say the same now that he has crossed borders? We make mistakes and it is bravery to acknowledge and account for those mistakes. But it remains to be seen. PDigong knows who is and who isn’t a friend.
John Nery is another YellowTard idiot, who does not know what he is talking about. The International Criminal Court, allowed itself to be used as a political tool by self serving politicians and imperialist countries, to remove leaders, and Presidents. the ICC serves as a coup d’ etat, for politician’s purposes.
What did the ICC did with the Rwanda massacres ? The Hutu Tribes in Africa, were killing thousands to Tutsi. It was a nasty tribal warfare. Nobody was held responsible for the carnage. These were actual murders and killings.
What did the ICC did with Pres. Bashar Assad of Syria ? The civil war in Syria, has been going on for many years. Assad is killing his own people with bombs and poison gas.
The Aquino Cojuangco political axis used the International Criminal Court, as a tool to remove Pres. Duterte, and replace him with the phony and fake Vice President Leni Robredo. The crook, former COMELEC Chief Andres Bautista, manipulated the SMARTMATIC and HOCUS PCOS voting machines, to make Leni Robredo win the Vice Presidency , in the 2016 election. The Aquino Cojuangco political axis, bribed Bautista, to do such dirty work. It was an “insurance policy” for them, to grab back power; once Mar Roxas, their candidate lost the 2016 election.
The International Criminal Court, should have investigated thoroughly on the reasons, why these people who falsified reports of extra judicial killings in the Philippines , against the
sitting President Duterte. Their motive is as clear and glaring as it can be seen. They want to
grab power, using the ICC.
If foreign elements didn’t have a penchant for removing effective leaders who threaten their interest, and then interfere in our affairs through corrupt politicians, our country could’ve been able to catch up and actually stand on its own feet. We might be able to assert and give solid credence to our claim of sovereignty. We’re left with a situation where only a few are able to argue our way to claiming that sovereignty, But the fact that the people could unite and stand behind a leader means they identify with that leader’s cause. That’s something that gives some level of optimism.
Wait, what? You’re not seriously blaming “foreign elements” for the rabble of criminals sitting in Congress? How many of them, exactly, do you think were put there by foreigners? How about all those mayors and barangay captains skimming a bit off the top? Were they put there by the Americans? How about corruption in, say, the BOC? Is that because of Americans too? It couldn’t possibly be that Customs rules are deliberately written, by Filipinos, to enable corruption?
I’m not denying that powerful nations interfere with other countries. They do. And often with the exact opposite of the intended result. However, the Philippines is of very little interest to anyone except the Chinese these days. Until Filipinos stop blaming ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING except themselves from their own failures, exiting international organisations just makes them look like petulant children. It also makes you look like you have something to be ashamed of. Example: Japan, 1933.
However flawed these organisations might be, submitting to laws and rules is what drives progress. In any case the ICC has a very limited mandate; it does not have the right to interfere with sovereignty except in very specific circumstances.
The ability of people to innovate to actually create and make those laws and rules work for them is what will drive progress. Not mere submission.
Foreigners didnt put corrupt pol. there, but they sure had a hand in creating conditions for corruption.
What you call “submission” is the tradeoff that civilized societies make as a necessary precondition of social security. Without “submission” to Law, all you’re left with is anarchy.
While Filipinos would rather make up their own rules as they go along, content in the knowledge that they can do anything they like (up to and including murder) without censure, everyone else would rather submit to the Law because that represents their best option for protection and stability.
>> Foreigners didnt put corrupt pol. there, but they sure had a hand in creating conditions for corruption.
Of course they didn’t. Filipinos have been corrupt to the bone since the Spanish first started documenting their “culture”. So have lots of other nations. The difference is that, while others have made a conscious effort to build strong civil societies and stamp out wrongdoing, the Filipino deliberately chooses to wallow in corruption, sin and failure because he thinks it represents “freedom” and “independence”.
But of course, laws wouldn’t serve their purpose if not submitted to. My point was, that a system of laws would work best if people under those laws are capable of understanding how those laws came about, and be able to make laws adapt to their emerging needs. The validity of manmade laws ultimately depends on the people’s (or members’) consensus. If you’re implying that Filipinos supportive of the current govt are consenting to murder, without considering the facts that complicate the matter, then you may also appear to be judging from a myopic stance. Many of them understand that the process of enforcing laws can result to death.
“The Filipino deliberately chooses to wallow in corruption, sin and failure”? That’s the obvious impression, right? But then why is there an oversupply of drugs flooding the country? Aside from other factors destroying and retarding the culture…And yeah, it’s not just the Philippines, but I have an idea why the PH would be a target. So, really, you’d have to wonder WHY…
>> But of course, laws wouldn’t serve their purpose if not submitted to. My point was, that a system of laws would work best if people under those laws are capable of understanding how those laws came about, and be able to make laws adapt to their emerging needs.
Well, quite. I thought I said that.
We seem to agree (broadly speaking) that Filipinos really don’t understand what The Law is, or how it works. Look at the way lawmakers churn out bills about all sorts of trivial issues, things that most countries wouldn’t imagine to be within the remit of the Law. These bills are invariably written with incomprehensible language, vague or internally-inconsistent definitions, and no means of enforcement. They are, in short, not Laws at all, but statements of opinion from ill-informed brains.
The Law has to arise from common consensus of what is Right, or at least socially useful. Since the Filipino has very little conception of what’s socially useful (because he doesn’t give a crap about anyone except himself), and what’s Right is simply whatever he wants to do at any given moment, a consistent, strong legal system is impossible. Ultimately, Philippine society is defined by whoever shouts the loudest, whoever makes the biggest threats, and whatever the individual can get away with.
>> But then why is there an oversupply of drugs flooding the country?
That’s easy – because there are a lot of people who want to buy them. That, in turn, is a result of a society that values instant gratification, devalues hard work and intellect, and treats entrepreneurs as nasty, suspicious individuals who need the firm boot of the State on their necks to prevent them getting ideas above their station. When the State rewards you for being poor and helpless, it’s a logical choice to remain poor and helpless. Drugs help you forget that you’re poor and helpless.
Hi Marius,
what I dont understand about Americans (and America) and the Philippines is that they always seem to think in terms of “it’s against the constitution” (and ‘it’s against the law’).
I am sure, that before same-sex marriage was introduced in my country, it was against the (Dutch) constitution. So, we just simply changed the constitution.
I gather that most people think that the/a constitution is something holy and cant be changed or should never be changed. But like the bible, the constitution was once written in a complete different time setting.
But because changing the constitution takes time (in my country), the government came up with laws to accommodate gays and lesbians faster and sooner. A law to transition the time window from being un-constitutional to being constitutional. And hence,
a ‘living together contract’ and ‘registered partnership’ were born. Except for some minor details, they both have the same value/worth and guarantees as a wedding/marriage.
How difficult can it be to accommodate every individual citizen?
Well … personally I think it IS difficult to accommodate every individual citizen. There are always going to be some who can’t be made happy. The ones who think, for example, that it’s OK to steal stuff from their neighbors because they (themselves) are poor, and the neighbor is rich. Those people belong in jail. And they would be very unhappy about going to jail. They would complain all the way about how unfair it is, and how society should accommodate them.
Still, I do agree with you about Constitutions. Again, I think the problem is that most people don’t understand what a Constitution even is. It’s a meta-law: a law about laws. It’s supposed to describe the procedure for making laws, the moral basis for them (a very subjective judgement of course), and the construction of the government that enforces them. It is NOT supposed to embody unchangeable statute.
The Filipino Constitution is full of stuff that properly belongs in the Civil Code. Laws about family, divorce, and Filipino ownership of corporations should not be part of the Constitution. They were placed there to ensure absolute control of the masses by the oligarchs.
“the Filipino has very little conception of what’s socially useful”
Yeah, it has come to that point… something which invites- or rather a problem that would exactly need imperialist “intervention”. It’s up to one’s imagination what kind of “solution” that would entail. But perhaps something unexpected will defeat that assumption.
A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril.
Agreed with Benign0.
PH’s Withdrawal from ICC will need to bring back Filipino nationalism, patriotism under ideology of the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos.
This country/nation can be great again!
We are not referring to Pinoy Pride.
You’re absolutely tight, Propaganda Boy. The country was much better when it was run by the Americans via their puppet Marcos. Who needs pride when you have a colonial occupier telling you how to do things properly, right?
It all turned to crap after he kicked them out, of course. Quite surprising they even bothered to save his sorry hide and let him live in Hawaii.
I like Duterte’s nationalism and courage. He is like a walking middle finger to those who oppose him. It is really sad that people like him are quickly turned down or ganged-up so that the majority’s ideologies will retain its influence over the masses. I hope someday that the government will be purged of the elitist and the idiots who only serve out of selfish intent. I also hope someday I may grow up to be like him. If only our education system had stricter rules and harsh punishment for unruly children then maybe they would grow up to be disciplined, knowledgeable, and most of all not arrogant with the pinoy “pride” that they have when in fact there is nothing to be proud of.