Something really weird is happening in the Philippines. For one thing, the result of the latest approval rating conducted by Social Weather Station (SWS) revealed that the Aquino administration has reached a record high. According to presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda “73 percent of respondents said they approve of the Aquino administration’s performance“.
It would have been easier for me to believe the result if the SWS survey was actually called “ranking for the highest level of incompetence and mediocrity” instead. I wish somebody could give us an award for “the society that enjoys its public servants’ mediocrity.” We have to at least get a consolation prize for such a distinction.
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Another thing that got me feeling odder than usual was an article in the Manila Bulletin online site Mb.com.ph that had a headline that reads: “Aquino likened to Singapore’s Lee“. Apparently, a group of Filipino-Chinese businessmen belonging to a certain Anvil Business Club thinks that President Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy) is like former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. I know, I know, I almost choked on something too. Unless I am missing something, P-Noy does not even share anything that remotely resembles the former Prime Minister’s vision, determination and statesmanship. I just fail to see the similarity.
Unfortunately, the article was not long on any elaboration on any rationale for such a comparison — a big logical gap, considering Elder Statesman Lee is credited wth the immense achievement of bringing Singapore From Third World to First World. The Anvil Business Club insists, though, that P-Noy is like Lee because he is “incorruptible”. They had me convinced — for all but a split second. For his sake, I hope that Mr. Lee Kuan Yew will not come across this news. The guy is already in his 80s. Goodness knows what a travesty such as this could do to him given his fragile state.
I’ve been seeing the word “incorruptible” being associated with P-Noy so often lately that I’m beginning to think that P-Noy’s supporters have given the word a new definition. Even disgraced advertising agent and staunch P-Noy supporter, Yoly Villanueva-Ong, used the word to describe her idol when she said that she will “always be on the side of an honest and incorruptible President” despite accepting that he is an “incompetent, weak and indecisive leader” in the same paragraph. Such are the ironies that escape P-Noy’s supporters! One does wonder too why P-Noy supporters like her do not even exhibit the same virtues that they keep insisting they see in their idol.
The word incorruptible as defined by the online dictionary means “1. incapable of being corrupted; honest; just 2. not subject to decay or decomposition”. Again, I fail to see any of the definition applicable to P-Noy or any of his aides.
Isn’t nepotism a form of corruption too? Survey firm SWS conducting the approval rating is already enough evidence to show that nepotism is rife in the second Aquino administration. The firm is owned by P-Noy’s family and friends just in case some Filipinos still didn’t know.
P-Noy may not be (blatantly) siphoning public funds but he did hire some of his close friends. Everyone knows that Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) undersecretary Rico Puno is his close confidant and shooting buddy. Let us not forget speechwriter Mai “the wine sucks” Mislang is also P-Noy’s drinking buddy.
Not only did he hire them, P-Noy has also been very protective of them during their very public displays of incompetence — with Puno’s involvement in the Mendoza hostage fiasco and jueteng scandal, and, likewise, with Mislang’s glib insults directed at the Vietnamese people. But apparently, if we are to believe the SWS survey, only a minority of the respondents thinks that nepotism is a form of corruption. Our society has definitely entered a new low in consistent flawed thinking.
I can’t help but think that a lot of businessmen are giving P-Noy top marks because they enjoy the status quo. Before he was elected, P-Noy delivered a speech before the Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, and Financial Executives of the Philippines. Not surprisingly, these members of the Philippine “elite” gave their thumbs up to the former non-performing Senator.
Could it be that the country’s businessmen want to ensure that protectionism remain entrenched in the country? Because by supporting the son of the former President who was instrumental in forging the protectionism clause in the Philippine constitution in 1987, they may have guaranteed benefiting from monopolizing the Philippine market even with their low quality products and services because of limited foreign competition.
It is understandable that the business owners would rather keep the market to themselves by retaining the protectionism clause because it means that only a select few will continue to enjoy a decent quality of life in the country. As Jesse Ang, country representative of the World Bank’s private sector arm International Finance Corp, said in a recent article, “Philippine gov’t asked to end protectionism“:
“The country should “open up” more, as many of its neighbors were doing that and in an aggressive manner.”
“We really need to open up. If the gates are open, then we should take advantage of it,” he said in a recent forum. “We as a country have used protectionist policies for far too long. That’s why our industries are not competitive. We should join the bigger market. This is the way the world’s going. We really need to learn to compete.”
From the same article it was mentioned;
Asian Institute of Management Policy Center associate director Lai-Lynn Barcenas added that the country also needed a “cohesive industrial development, trade and competition policy.”
To boost the country’s competitiveness, she said concrete steps would have to be taken to improve the country’s energy infrastructure, road networks, and other infrastructure needed to do business.
I wonder if the members of the Anvil Business Club or the Makati Business Club will agree with that considering it will be the end of their monopoly?
Philstar.com columnist Carmen Pedrosa in a recent essay, also wrote about how certain groups in Philippine society are benefiting from the status quo:
The economic agenda of Kamag-anak, Inc. (KG) and The Kapamilya, Inc. (KP) is to ensure that local consumers remain the captive market of local monopolists. This is done by protecting Filipino business interests against potential foreign competitors in strategic industries. The protectionist measures ordinarily come in the form of constitutional or statutory prohibitions against the entry of competing foreign investors. For example, the 1987 Constitution requires a minimum 60% Filipino equity requirement for public utilities# and agricultural land,# and a full 100% Filipino equity for mass media.#
With these protectionist clauses in mind, did you ever ask yourself how many among the 90 million Filipinos are financially capable of owning 60% of a public utility (like Meralco, PLDT and Globe), or 100% of a television and radio network or broadsheet (like ABS-CBN, DZMM, PDI and Philstar)?
Incidentally, the 1987 Constitution also requires a minimum 70% Filipino equity for advertising companies.# I could not understand why the so-called Cory-Bernas Constitution then would digress from previous constitutions and henceforth treat advertising as a strategic industry. I always thought advertising was mainly for commercial and non-political purposes. It would be totally different however if what the framers had in mind was advertising for political and non-commercial purposes. Ad agencies here can work to mold public opinion for or against elective candidates, destabilize government administrations, influence government policies and muddle national issues.
In passing, they probably forgot to impose Filipino equity requirements on survey firms (like SWS and Pulse Asia). As we now know, survey firms are also powerful tools in molding public opinion, when used in conjunction with mass media, under the over-all direction of an ad agency.
In both state and private universities, professors (who do not know any better) implant in the minds of their students the concept that Filipino business interest is synonymous with national interest. This is of course foolish.
In reality the opposite is true. By preventing the entry of foreign investors into the local economy, you actually prevent the creation of jobs, as well as the supply of competing goods. These protectionist measures ironically deprive Filipino workers and consumers, of alternative job opportunities and of lower priced or better quality goods.
Further evidence that the result of the SWS survey is way out of touch with reality can be found in the recent protests from thousands of unhappy students and teachers for the alleged cuts in the budget of more than 100 State universities and colleges (SUC) all over the country. It was even reported in the news that “In Quezon City, protesters booed and blocked the convoy of President Benigno Aquino III from entering the University of the Philippines-Ayala Technohub on Commonwealth Avenue before 1 p.m. Anti-riot police clashed with the demonstrators who were forced to fall back.”
But as usual, P-Noy apologist, William “The Chair Wrecker” Esposo of Philstar.com dismissed the rallies as a brainchild of the leftists. To quote the Wrecker:
A top intelligence official of the P-Noy administration had revealed to your Chair Wrecker recently that the agenda of the Left is to demonize the President and erode his public support. At a certain point the Left is hoping that the Opposition will be encouraged to join their destabilization activities.
Esposo even claims that “in the proposed 2011 budget of the P-Noy administration, the education budget actually increased. Not only that – the percentage share of education in the 2011 national budget is the highest in years.“. His statement contradicts a statement released by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad who confirmed in another article published by ABSCBNnews.com that “The government had to slash funding for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to give way to other pressing socioeconomic needs amid the swelling budget deficit” and that:
“If only our fiscal situation was better, we could provide additional support for SUCs. We ask for understanding that because our resources are lacking, we had to prioritize other more urgent needs, such as in basic education where more poor students will benefit from.”
He further clarified “the allocation for the country’s SUCs in the 2011 national budget has been reduced to P23.4 billion from P23.8 billion this year. No funds were earmarked for purchase of new equipment or maintenance of facilities. […] Abad clarified that some P2.8 billion in last year’s budget for the SUCs were actually Congressional Initiatives (CIs)”.
Frankly, we should be used to P-Noy’s minions contradicting themselves by now but it’s still amazing how one staunch supporter can get his figures wrong with his overzealousness.
I can’t help but compare what our current government is doing to our public education system to that of China’s plan to invest more on human capital. Beijing has set about doing a massive expansion of their education. It’s been said that they have nearly tripled the share of GDP devoted to it. To quote from an article from TIME magazine (October 7, 2010 Edition):
[…] the number of colleges in China has doubled and the number of students quintupled, going from 1 million in 1997 to 5.5 million in 2007. China has identified its nine top universities and singled them out as its version of the Ivy League. At a time when universities in Europe and state universities in the U.S. are crumbling from the impact of massive budget cuts, China is moving in exactly the opposite direction. In a speech earlier this year, Yale president Richard Levin pointed out, “This expansion in capacity is without precedent. China has built the largest higher-education sector in the world in merely a decade’s time. In fact, the increase in China’s postsecondary enrollment since the turn of the millennium exceeds the total postsecondary enrollment in the United States.
Obviously, China appreciates the importance of education. Contrast this with how the Philippine government saw an opportunity to nip and tuck more funds from the budget of our education sector. This is what we get from a government that is anti-intellectual.
Something really weird is happening in the Philippines. P-Noy’s government is still too preoccupied with their popularity, a product of the “hard work” of its army of spin doctors.
In life, things are not always what they seem.
sws and pulse are bias both relatives of the aquinos
“Allegedly” 😉
“Incidentally, the 1987 Constitution also requires a minimum 70% Filipino equity for advertising companies.”
Plus the rest of what’s described above, hints that media manipulation was planned from the start. They knew what to do. But it’s about time someone put a wrench in their works. Perhaps their own magnificent puppet will do it. :PÂ
Manipulation is just a walk in the park for the owners of a media empire.
i’ve read somewhere that he didn’t have a full cabinet meeting for the past 3 months.
He is a “hands-off” kind of boss.
you were right saying that he is not doing his job. read the daily tribune editorial 12-04-10 from the mouth of noynoy comment.
That’s actually a good thing favoring him. Meetings are notoriously bad and unproductive.
I’m quoting the Manila Standard Dec. 6 edition:
Carandang said the President preferred to preside over Cabinet cluster meetings that were “more efficient.”
Why should we waste everybody’s time when we can just meet in clusters?” he said.
“Any corporation will tell you it is not efficient to meet everyone at the same time. We are not going to do a full Cabinet meeting unless it is necessary. Otherwise, it is just for show.”
other excerpt:
“Normally you would talk about different things… and many of the Cabinet secretaries who are not involved in the discussion are just sitting there doing nothing.”
Survey results though… this was just plain bad. I had to check AP in case they have an article clarifying this.
Hopefully the quality journalists look more into this. The “In passing, they probably forgot to impose Filipino equity requirements on survey firms (like SWS and Pulse Asia).” is a start but I don’t like this whole probably forgot thing especially coming from a more objective news article. Maybe AP writers could even write a background explaining this further for those of us who aren’t quite up to the level of which group is which group.Â
A President who has no remarkable accomplishment; except to claim the false heroism of his parents, has to cling to: (1) contrived SWS Surveys, (2) Psychophant Yellow Horde Media people, who praise him to high heavens; and (3) outshow of being incorruptible; inspite of the fact of being in the opposite. He seems, not to have a knowing of himself…Comparing himself to accomplished leaders…shows a symptom of: Paranoia – a sort of delusional mental Illness. Noynoy Aquino is not interested in education: just look at him and her sisters. Are they highly educated? So, he wants us all to be ignorant like them…
It’s one thing for someone to say, “Hey you are like Lee” but it’s another for the person being told to not even be humble enough to disagree with the statement knowing that it has very little or no basis.
One of my teachers at college, a former employee of the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines (a pitifully underfunded and underappreciated branch of the DTI from my experience as OJT there), informed me that this “60-40” clause isn’t actually adhered to as much as people think it is.
Of course, that probably makes the situation worse than it sounds already. This means that any opening is technically “corruption” while this provision is in place.
I am beginning to get the drift that Malacanang and congress both have relaxed that 1987-constitution stipulation about percent-Filipino ownership. But they use it to extract
big-time concessions from foreign firms, like director- or vice-president or president or chairman-positions and salaries, plus percent-ownership given “gratis/ thank-you’s not necessary” to members of the Makati Business Club Pinoys as “gratis”.
It is not that Pilipino saying “… your credit is good, but we need cash”.
It is more of “One has to pay, to play.” 😛
I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s true Mr The Lazzo.
We are long on policies but short on implementation.
This is one reason for me to change the charter and allow 100% foreign ownership. It’s like jueteng: the more you ban it, the more “palusots” people will think of. So unban it, you can have greater control over it with regulation. So if the 60/40 rule is changed, it can be all legal and no more under-the-table deals have to be made just to allow more foreign ownership. Heck, even if the foreigner brings money but signs it under a Filipino name (or marries a Filipina) just to follow the 60/40 rule, that’s corruption too.Â
That 73%-approval from very recent survey makes Noynoy and his Malacanang inner-circle folks happy, which is only fair. They should be happy!
It also makes sense given the euphoria of the Yellow Army’s win during the recent elections. What really explains things is that the big mistakes by the current administration has not really cost Filipinos that much. So Coloma stole 👿 over 1 million “I like’s” from Totantes. This is small potatoes to many pinoys. Many pinoys will ignore since Coloma has not yet stolen over 1 Million dollars from GSIS or from a power-plant deal. (b) Quirino grandstand victims — hmmmm, maybe the victims were not Filipinos except for Mendoza. Plus — the deaths were from incompetence and weak leadership, not because Malacanang gave permission for govt troops to shoot at demonstrators in front of some hacienda or at some Oakwood-senatoriable-hopefuls. Metro-Manila residents also happy about the last typhoon results. College students are angry about budget cuts/tuition hikes at SUC, but college students are few. Many many many more are public elem and high school students. But “same-oh same-oh
, so why get angry”. Public education problems today are the same as last year and the year before. The classes D-and-E consider “pareho lang” where Malacanang is not building enough new schools nor hiring enough new teachers.
The real reason —- no one yet. No one yet in the Noynoy administration has been linked to plunder or plunder-type activities. There is jueteng, of course, but all administrations have had their shares of “jueteng-masterminds” and “jueteng-money pipelines/donations to the ones in power” that Pinoys say “… para lang dati, bakit pa tayo magagalit???” pagbigyan mo na, jueteng lang naman eh!”
No one yet in the Noynoy administration has been linked to plunder or plunder-type activities, and Pinoys-of-Pilipinas classes D-E and A/B/C are quite happy about that. Hip hip hooray for the approval rating!!!! 😛
Plus, Malacanang provides entertainment — evidence : chismis about romance … basted here, another girl next… oooops, mukhang pumaltos ulit… sino kaya ang next? The romance-chismis is great entertainment, and many Pinoys-in-Pinas give high approval rating when they get entertainment for free.
Mismo. I bet ya when the proverbial brown stuff hits the fan, they will distract the masa with ‘a wedding in Malacanang’.
I have about 3000 words rebuttal to the shallow happiness Pinoys feel now. It’s all here in my previous blog. Please click on the link below:
Filipinos and happiness: why we need to be serious about it
It’s like the public is saying, “robbers should be jailed, but liars are OK with us.”Â
I think UP nn grad has pretty much nailed the reason for his continuing popularity. He has only been in power half a year so the Teflon factor is still there. My impression is, though, that many people see him, because of his parentage and destiny, as the country’s last best hope. When that hope fails and reality starts to percolate through, we may get a mood of What Now? and this would be the opportunity for a truly radical leader to come through.
That’s my hope anyway!
John
I wouldn’t hold my breath for that judging from the way the approval rating keeps going up. Pinoys are a bunch of romantics. They still want to see P-Noy walk down the aisle.
It might happen. I doubt some of the masses are as dumb as initially thought. I’m sure more are getting disillusioned, like a taxi driver who hated the CCTs. There are even masa people who hate Erap, despite his pro-masa image. Media seems to be the only hurdle to getting people aware of the right choice to make.Â
I don’t know Chino…during the election campaign, I thought there were so many Filipinos who were finally getting enlightened judging from the number of times AP articles were being shared. But the election result revealed the true nature of Da Pinoy with Erap coming in second. Â
Yeah, media I guess is still strong in that department. Plus, many among the masses remain uneducated. Educated masses are still few. I’m hoping though educated masses are helping their fellows become more aware of the deceptions.Â
Of all the people in the world to compare PNoy to.. si SG PM Lee Kwan Yew pa.
It’s an insult to a great man who built a nation to be compared to a yellow dog who’s only claim to fame is his pedigree.
Some guys have all the luck…or the bad luck. He doesn’t know that he is being used to maintain the status quo.
Philippine journalists compare Noynoy to Gloria Arroyo. 😐 Pareho pa rin, despite the euphoria of the Noynoy campaign for Malacanang, says Philippine journalists. Despite the reforms promised by President Benigno Aquino III when he took office last June, “There’s a frightening trend right now” …. two killings per week were reported during the first two months of the Aquino administration — which is comparable to the rate of killings during Arroyo’s term.
“It’s all about guns, hoods, 👿 and motorcycles,” he said, describing the manner of most killings. He added that all the killings were “systematic and planned, not just some homicide on the street.”
Malacanang ;mrgreen: response? — Philippine National Police Supt. Alex Paul Monteagudo, deputy director of Task Force Usig, advised journalists to take extra caution if they sense that they are being shadowed.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/206727/despite-change-in-administration-threats-to-journalists-persist
Oh yeah…I forgot to mention the report by some human rights group in Hong Kong that said that PH is a “lawless nation”.
I guess the administration completely dismissed that as mere nuisance.
The song “Out of touch” by Hall & Oates comes to mind.
http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=52006966
good thing HK isn’t infested with Move On mentality of our kababayan.
This should be a big slap in the face of our lilipas-din-yan mindset.
This is going to be interesting…abangan ang susunod na sasabihin ni P-Noy!
HK is right in putting up the pressure. Injustice happened in this case anyway.Â
“But I’m out of my head when you’re not around…” – Prez to BFFs? lolÂ
Yes, I had a grim reminder of that last week. Â A friend, an electrician who wired up our house, and was liked by just about everyone locally, was shot 7 times in the head, it is thought by hoods hired by someone jealous he had been reelected as Barangay Captain. Despite some evidence, written death threats, motor cyclists asking directions out of our small town, the police have not stirred themselves.
Gee… 7 times in the head?!? As if one bullet wasn’t enough.
And it happened to someone close to you too…oh man that’s just not right. Life is just too cheap in the Philippines.
they go ballistic on GMA (ok, I was one of them before, thanks to Aquino Broadcasting Station) but are verrry quiet when it comes to Noynoy.
I only have to quote today’s editorial from the Daily Tribune to show his lack of substance:
“Word has already got around that Noynoy is never present during Malacañang’s daily flag ceremony which starts in the early mornings, as he does not want to be disturbed before 11 a.m.
Then too, one wonders what he gets focused on, one at a time, as he says one can’t focus on many priorities — only one priority is what he focuses on — since he has reportedly not even held a Cabinet meeting in the past three months or so. How then does he know what is going on in government and in his various departments? Through media reports? Pathetic, really, to have such an incompetent and inept chief executive.”
Of course they will dismiss this article as a brainchild of those who want to go back to the “old ways.”
As if “his way” is any better.Â
The Manila Tribune also suggests that Noynoy being so slow in pursuing the arrest of Ping Lacson is that Ping Lacson is also a Noynoy BFF. Here is the link:
http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101204com1.html
No wonder the bugger’s so bold. :/Â
I hope one day Filipinos realize that incompetence is worse than corruption.
Corruption involves a percentage of the budget going to private hands.
Incompetence lays waste to entire budgets, with the addition of corruption…
UP nn grad: The enemy of my enemy is my friend…
Cory and Pnoy were 💡 steadfastly saying “GMA 😀 is my friend.” until GMA turned legal and brought CARP onto Hacienda
Luisita. Then Cory and Pnoy yelled “GMA Talsik Diyan!!! // Garci! Garci!”
Pnoy’s is my friend is my friend until my friend wants to take my ha-ci-yyy-enda….
i really can’t understand why so many Pinoys are blind to this glaring fact. Cory is not a saint, she’s as selfish as the rest of us. Her whole family were ardent supporters of GMA until the Hacienda Luisita brouhaha. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if revenge was her only motive when she led thousands of Pinoys during the Edsa revolution. and we all thought she’s doing it for democracy, for our future, for our country.
They’re not blind but that point of view is certainly not being pushed and then there was a massive celebration for her death. Michael Jackson fame ikanga. Instant reversal of perspectives.Â
Let’s not forget that Cory was more of a neutral president even before then. Compared to Erap and GMA even Ramos… you can’t expect people to not have that type of perspective of NoyNoy but still I find the survey results too high. I do hope we don’t get bogged down in confusion though. I hate this whole guessing game behind wondering whether the survey results are rigged or whether the survey results just highlight the truth about Philippine perception of NoyNoy
“I hope one day Filipinos realize that incompetence is worse than corruption”.
Exactly Anonymous Bosch. It’s so unbelievable that people think that just because the president is not taking kickbacks, it’s all good.
Just imagine another 5 years and 6 months of just doing nothing but build up their image. We can’t take those six years back along with all the lost opportunities and wastage trying to correct their mistakes.
Lack of substance to get the job done and use of pogi-points via press-releases — these are the people that Noynoy likes. Just read this:
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/207592/bi-employees-told-to-stay-off-nearby-cafs-restos
They know where corruption is going on. Ano ba naman to call the NBI so that the NBI can set up cameras to build evidence and to observe to have more court-ready cases. Then corrupt 👿 goes to jail, right???
Malacanang- and Malacanang-appointees : Press release. “Employees, you are forbidden to go to Starbucks!”
Sus maryopes naman. Didiktahan kung saan puedeng kumain o hindi. All the empleyados need do is, OK, we’ll just eat somewhere else else. Tuloy ang ligaya.Â
I also know some shady deals happen in the Timog restaurants, since they’re near the government offices at QC Circle. Eh syempre, sosyal ang kurapsyon natin dito. :PÂ
Ironically, P-Noy’s image of being “incorruptible†does not inspire other public servants to be the same.
Im so frustrated with our country! What can we do? Really? Let me see, make youtube videos with decent animation and love-radio type narration? A video that sums up all the key points anti-pinoy.com is trying to promote?
Perhaps pen a graphic novel with subliminal messages about the benefits of being a critical thinker? That could work…Like Jose Rizal with his novels. But motorcycle hitmen are more scarier than guardia civils. Wag na lang kaya.
Hmmnn……..
Well, no one has done a film yet summarising the key points antipinoy is trying to promote. 😉
Actually meron na:
Just go to antipinoy writer Jose Rizal II’s Youtube channel : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KImMIzy-ec8. BTW, it was already posted here on AP. 🙂
Yeah I’ve seen that. But a film can reach a wider audience not just people who have internet access.
Actually I was thinking the same as you. The best way to wake up this country is to shock people. Stir up grand controversy. A film that parodizes the Philippines and shows it for what it really is. A film like Luke Wilson’s Idiocracy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy) a satire on Americans’ growing anti intellectualism. The newspapers would be furious for weeks and Filipino pride will swallow itself… Of course one can only dream… 😉
That’s a great idea–if you can get Pinoys to sit through the whole movie. Their balat-sibuyas sensibilities might get so offended within the first few minutes, they might just walk out on it. Unless you bar the doors shut and strap them to the chairs, a la Clockwork Orange. 😀
That’s why people use satire to hide the point.
The bigger issue is not whether someone will make it but who will pay for the distribution and advertising of the movie?
Awards don’t work at all in the Philippines.
Distribution especially targeted towards the international Filipino demographics but enough so that the buzz trickle down to the local scene that way you bypass the corruption and potential censorship of the film.
“That’s why people use satire to hide the point.”
Yeah, that’s another problem. Will the average Pinoy even get the point? Baka tatawa-tawa sila sa pelikula, di nila alam, tungkol pala sa kanila yun. The masses aren’t used to films that require a fair amount of thinking.
I think they can because the reality is a quality film is not about pandering to the average Pinoy but at the same time not to the elite Pinoys.
Think of American Shows like American Dad and the Daily Show. They “click” with average viewers not because the average viewers were thinking about them but because they targeted their messages to that fine line of thinking average people and once they hook those types of people, then the average people follow. Of course with those shows there’s two main factors:
1) Quality
Can anyone really say we have a political talk show here that’s on par with entertainment shows and they are shown on mainstream channels and scheduled at the right time? One could say: “Well we’re making movies not TV shows” but if you can’t hook people on TV – then you’re not hooking them in movies.
If you hook them in TV but not in movies then even if it fails at the theaters you could always opt for TV reruns of the movie or DVD sales.
2) The College Audience
Although not close to the truth, the political atmosphere of colleges over here do not match up with the political audience of richer countries. Even if they do, historically politically invested teens are antagonistically liberal which would alienate the balat sibuyas crowd.Â
I’m not saying I’m an oldie foggie but in my estimation the conservative students are often those who similarly would desire to push away “politics” because it’s either a boring discussion or a deep discussion that has nothing to do with their studies unless it’s a political complaint. So a political satire is far gone.
It has to be a social commentary satire but if we can’t even provide many options of quality movies, how do we expect to make a quality movie on one of the most difficult premise to make  which is social commentary satire with a hint of politics. I say difficult not just in the sense of entertainment and appeal but because when you make those types of popular movies the dramatization often leads to movies that are falsehoods and yet Filipinoes need something more than Hollywood liberal style propaganda type movies while at the same time that’s the key to appealing audiences to watch and react to it. Very hard to do especially with limited budget.
Nonetheless I feel as far as getting the point and not being alienated, it shouldn’t if the satire of it is really good that it transcends the message. It’s not like we’re not used to the classic movies with the corrupt government and the underdog action hero or the Dolphy type comedies with anvilicious type of good will messages. I’m not saying they are satire but they are elements that make up many great satirical works and they rarely offend balat sibuyas type of people IMHO.
I think it’s a fine line, indeed, sending a message that’s subtle enough not to offend people, but not so subtle that the average Pinoy fails to pick up on it. Can it be done? I don’t know. I sure hope so. And when people do go see it, let’s hope the message sticks this time around. We all know how short the collective Pinoy memory is. Like teflon. Nothing sticks for very long. So we’re doomed to keep repeating our mistakes.
Just wait until they see another El Filibusterismo and any Shakespearean play adapted to the Filipino social setting.
That’s why I cringe on Noynoy and his shenanigans when I watch the news. And I pity the people who still try to support him although it was proven that’s he’s incompetent. Mas mabuti ang corrupt na competent kesa sa hindi corrupt pero walang kaya. At least sina Gibo, Gordon, at Bayani ay alam nila kung ano ang ugat na problema.
A lot of Filipinos have become apathetic to the situation in the country so I doubt if they “cringe” the way we do when P-Noy commits his gaffes.
they prefer showbiz balita like the personal lovelife of the president, right now “Noynoy is dateless this christmas” and everybody went ‘Awwwwwww… kawawa naman’ (I bet the yellow horde does this)
P-noys Yellow Horde doesn’t cringe at his buffoonery the way everybody with a brain do. in fact they just blindly shrugs it off and have an orgasm at his little achievement (and his personal life)
What’s so “kawawa” about a 50 year old guy who goes out with beautiful women and then replace them as soon as he gets tired of them?
Ilda…..I don’t think he gets tired of them. It’s the other way around. They get tired of him…then dump him like a hot potato…or like a hot dog. 😉
Do women really find Noynoy a) guapo & b) (most importantly) merong laman?
Reminds me of Renato Pacifico’s quote. Basically, according to RP, Shalani dumped PNoy because his dong was small, impotent, and uncut.
I honestly don’t see what they see in him. It’s probably his money and power. Â But those are not enough to sustain a relationship though. Maybe that’s why his relationships don’t last.
For a woman to pick him (President or not) would be seen as “mababaw” in the eyes of many. But then again, it could also be an ego-booster for someone to dump a President. I mean, really…how often could a woman have a chance to do that? Hehe….
Here’s a piece of advice for women seeking an adventure with the Prez: Just play him like a yo-yo…..then cut the string when Kris and Boy aren’t looking. Watch the yo-yo spin.
(with all due respect for the elder sisters who aren’t mababaw in my book) 🙂
Wang wang… at wala ng iba pa… To think na pa-pogi move pa to.. Pure PR stunt… After that patong patong na gaffes at showbiz balita na… And to comment on those people who compare Noynoy to MM Lee…, Noynoy doesnt even come close.. Gordon has the likes of being an MM Lee… thats for sure.. Eh kung icompare ko nga si Noynoy to Gordon eh… walang wala din.. ni try pa nila icompare kay MM Lee… pathetic…
The traits we see in Gordon are ironically what put off most “balat sibuyas” Filipinos from voting him. They thought he had the potential to be a dictator. Â They are just scared that Gordon would force them to do real work.
Potential Dictator? they still suffer from that Post traumatic Marcos Era? unbelievable…
Sabi pa nila arrogant daw at mayabang si Gordon… Being strait and strict is totally different from being arrogant and mayabang… Ngayong gusto gusto nila icompare si MM Lee kay Noynoy… Alam ba nila na yung “arrogant” at “mayabang” na sinasabi nila about Gordon are some of the qualities that MM Lee has… Kaya nga Gordon has the likes of MM Lee eh… And I doubt Noynoy is incorruptible… How many years in congress and in senate??? What happened sa mga pork barrels nya? Was it allocated and used properly? I dont see any improvements in Tarlac or even in the district he represents before…
Interestingly, there was an article in the Philippine Star’s Lifestyle section entitled: “Does the Philippines need a benevolent dictator?”. A rare article on the papers. Discusses how Lee Kwan Yew (former Singapore PM) went to the Philippines during the Ramos era and held a speech in the Manila Hotel. Lee went on to enumerate the flaws of Philippine culture and society and why its undisciplined masses were preventing progress: Thhe Philippines has too much democracy and no discipline he said. Author of the article said that Pinoys in the audience were so shocked the room was so silent that “you could hear a pin drop”. Ramos was interviewed about Lee’s comments on the Philippines for weeks.
Years after Lee’s visit to the Philippines, Filipinos idolize people like Erap (failed president & convicted plunderer), Noynoy Aquino (never did anything to uplift the lives of Filipinos; became president just because he is the son of Ninoy and Cory) Trillanes (mutineer whose men brought several high powered firearms and explosives into Makati CBD and planned to standoff with govt forces), Jalosjos, etc. Lee is considered by some to be a liberal benevolent dictator (yes it’s an oxymoron). Does the Philippines need a liberal benevolent dictator?
Noynoy is no Lee Kwan Yew, definitely. Not even close. He has never helped any district progress and he has been the Senates biggest slacker (search it up here on AP). And even Yoly Villanueva Ong wrote that he is a “weak incompetent indecisive leader” but clings on to him like a puppy dog for a bunch of lame @SS excuses such as being “incorruptible” and being “honest” and as some of his yellow army staff say Mr. Integrity.
I mean get real folks. A guys who wusses out of his campaign promises, claims to be the change the country needs by invoking People Power but having NO experience track record whatsoever to show for it, taking credit for projects and other so called indicators of progress where he did no legwork (remember the MCCs?) isn’t an angel singing with a harp in mass. He sounds like a scammer.
Some Noynoy supporters who have had to swallow the cold fact that Noynoy isn’t the messiah they claimed he would be just mouth off lame platitudes and motherhood statements like :”I dont care if he’s incompetent and weak. He is da most honest of dem all!”That is the last line of the Noynoyista defense. From the primitive Noynoyista mindset, if the evidence that Noynoy is a lameduck leader who has nothing to show after all these years is too overwhelming they back of their claims of Noynoy Aquino being a messiah and are left with: “He is the most honest of them all!” “He is the only one among them with integrity!” (Do Noynoy supporters even know what the hell integrity means?!)
And that people, is the last bastion of the Noynoyista’s lame defense. Expose their motherhood statements and platitudes. Crush that last bastion and leave them hopeless for they can have no other supporting arguments.
And for that matter, I think an eternal question needs to be answered: Is Noynoy Aquino really the Mr. Honest and Mr. Integrity? Isn’t he the same dude who has been pulling our legs?
“Years after Lee’s visit to the Philippines, Filipinos idolize people like Erap (failed president & convicted plunderer), Noynoy Aquino (never did anything to uplift the lives of Filipinos; became president just because he is the son of Ninoy and Cory) Trillanes (mutineer whose men brought several high powered firearms and explosives into Makati CBD and planned to standoff with govt forces), Jalosjos, etc.”
Whoever is in power prefers to leave the masses ignorant and uneducated. Easier to brainwash them that way. They idolize these questionable characters most likely because of how the media paints them in a positive light while anyone who dares challenge the status quo is demonized.
I’d like to ask what AP (and other commenters) think of Rodrigo Duterte. Is he a ‘benevolent dictator’? I’m no expert on him, but from what little I hear, he rules Davao with an iron fist. BUT, it seems to be working. What do you guys think? Is Duterte the kind of leader the Philippines needs? Not him, necessarily, but someone like him.
I’ve only been to Davao once and I really liked it there. I know very little about him though. Some say he is good.
Certainly a benevolent dictator is a better alternative to PNoy. As long as his agenda benefits society. Most Filipinos are too lazy to bother using their own critical analysis so they would be happy to be dictated upon. This is precisely the reason why the late President Marcos lasted in Malacanang that long. It’s just a shame that his good policies were short on implementation. He and his minions got sidetracked siphoning public funds.
I wrote a relatively extensive piece on “benevolent dictatorship”; what it means, and what it entails, and for that matter if there really is such a thing. Check it out here.
Excerpt:
The viability of a democractic system therefore is characterised by a balance between the Cost of Democracy and the Cost of Potential Corruption of a Governing Entity. This means that the more benevolent a leader, the less democracy we need and the less benevolent a leader, the more democracy we need. In effect, we can, on one end, be comfortable sacrificing individual liberties in exchange for expeditiousness and decisiveness in governance if and only if we can trust leaders to act purely in the interests of the greater community. At the other end of the continuum we can be willing to shoulder the relative costs and complex bureacracy of an ultra-representative “democracy” (such as the Philippines’) when we absolutely cannot expect our leaders to act beyond their selfish interests.
Full article for your reading pleasure here. 😉
I’ll take the rule of law anytime – over the rule of vigilantes.
I’ll give up a bit of Liberty for more security. Pinoys wanted too much after Marcos and felt they were getting more of what was ‘robbed’ from them. Even now, especially during PGMA’s tenure where pinoys were sounding off how they were ‘robbed’ of ‘their money’. I mean look at what the Oligarch’s and Cory’s cronies pulled off at the heightened age of liberty: The rise of their own national microphone and even more monopolies on a national level that won’t let small or mid sized businesses ever rise to their level. And forget about foreign investments! If people think bringing in HP and a myriad of competing consumer companies is the best the country can offer and be competitive on that scale along with being late in the BPO race, they certainly see the glass HALF EMPTY rather than HALF FULL.
Yeah, ilda. Marcos could have been a great leader. Sadly, he was blinded by power and (ill-gotten) wealth.
Thanks for the link, Benign0. Cool website you’ve got there. I agree with your take on ‘benevolent dictatorship’. Was it Lee Kwan Yew who said democracy isn’t for everyone? Anyway, will definitely check out your other articles as well. Oh, can’t help but notice the pic you used for “The Elite: Uninspired and Unenlightened”. I think I saw it once in the society pages of the Philippine Star. God, I hate the society pages.
So that was the story on Lee Kwan Yew’s visit? Hahaha. Filipinos must have thought then, “Ang yabang ng matandang ito, bumisita lang para insultuhin tayo!” The truth hurt right there. What happened was, bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan ay tanga. :PÂ
latest blooper from Pnoy admin. Enjoy
abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/06/10/aquino-govt-makes-another-amnesty-blooper
Even ally Drillon is now frustrated with them. Pathetic.
That amnesty-blooper is dang unbelievable!!! You wish Malacanang was just trying to outsmart the Senate by adding to the amnesty list the names of Gringo Honasan and some communists. But “kung makakalusot” 👿 was not the reason. It is more that Malacanang is lazy.
Malacanang is sloppy. Malacanang does not pay attention to details.
Attention-deficit :neural: … inability to pay attention to detail.
Now Gringo is annoyed because na high-light tuloy na “former rebel” sya…lol
Pulse Asia: Aquino most popular government official
Philstar.com – Monday, December 6
MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino is the most popular government official among Filipinos, registering a 79 percent performance rating, according to the latest survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia.
Vice President Jejomar Binay followed closely with a 78 percent performance rating while Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile got 61 percent, survey results showed.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. garnered almost the same percentages of Filipinos who expressed their approval (45 percent) and indecision (43 percent).
Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, on the other hand, got a 35 percent approval rating as against 45 percent undecided. He also registered an 18 percent public disapproval.
The survey also showed that four Cabinet members and public officials enjoyed high approval ratings – Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman (65 percent), Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (60 percent), Manila mayor Alfredo Lim (55 percent) and Health Secretary Enrique Ona (52 percent).
> Aquino propaganda machine working double time. Brainwashing the public unrelentingly. Is this where part of our taxes is being spent?
Hi Jonphil
Thanks for the news. Unfortunately, all this “hard work” spent on building their image fail the “so what?” test.
Ang babaw pala talaga ng mga respondents. Even Lim got a high approval rating after all that fiasco during the Mendoza tragedy.. Tsk-tsk.
Anvil Business Club? hahahahahahahahaha!
What do you know about them? 😉
Congregation of Chinese community’s affluent spoiled brats!
Somehow I am too poor to belong to any of these obsequious group of Chinese-Filipinos. To whoever is the incumbent, they fawn, kowtow, smarm, ingratiate………symbolic of modern Quiroga! Hohohohoho…….
It shouldn’t be a secret that even the Filipino-Chinese community is divided on many things, even on the candidates they support.Â
6 years is not fast enough especially with an incompetent president at the helm…it drags so agonizingly slow, like little drops of water filling a lake…ang tagal! I’m so tired of the telenovela of kapalpakan this lightweight administration is dishing out, I’m also sick of the media smokescreen using his supposed lovelife to deflect the real issues the country is facing. It’s obviously a PR stunt straight out of the imagination of various scriptwriters and PR spinners, seems like showbizlandia has finally landed in malacanang, too bad for Pinas…
You have to wonder how his avid supporters like William Esposo and Conrado de Quiros sleep at night. Surely it would be hard to ignore his incompetence up close and personal.
Or they must simply be too delusional to notice it.
could anyone put an article why the prices of oil/gasoline/diesel rose as high as 46/ltr today and no media channel or paper even cared to discuss or exposed them… please. I recall before, our late little lady GMA freeze the prices of this oil/gas/diesel at 36/ltr by using her emergency powers.. i dont understand why PNOY cant do the same think..
Freezing gas prices is also dangerous. Gloria knew this, but she had to pander to the ignorant masses. In the first place, the masses use public transport, so as long as this sector (and cargo transport too) is protected, the gas prices can go up with minimal effect on them. Let the car-owning elite bear the brunt of high gas prices.
BTW, the little lady is not dead yet, so it’s not accurate to call her “the late little lady.”
This time PNoy seems to pander to the local corporations who love high prices of their commodities. Ang labas tuloy, GMA was more pro-masa. ;)Â
There are so many things we can’t understand Markus. We can’t understand why PNoy is the President even though he can’t do a lot of things 😉
Despite all the major booboos since Noynoy became president, he still has high approval ratings.
do we still need any further proof that the Philippines is a NATION OF MORONS?
Some prefer to use: “a nation of star struck ignoramus” 😉
SOS
Is it really the voice of the people we’re hearing here, or an imaginary voice written up on paper?Â
And dang, the 79% approval was repeated… three weeks after it was first announced. They ran out of news. :PÂ
Ten things that being popular among Filipinos proves about you
Crows the Inquirer.net at its top headline: “Aquino’s rating hits 79%“! It is indeed a celebration of the rise of a president who truly reflects the character of the people he leads.
But what exactly does being popular among Filipinos prove? Let me count the ways. Being popular among Filipinos proves…
(1) That you appeal to the vacuous sensibilities of a people who have an extensive track record of failing to prosper collectively for the past half-century;
(2) That a people who count Wowowee as their favourite television show see you as a person who understands their needs;
(3) That you are tops among people who vote for “prayerfulness” and pedigree over clear qualifications and proven experience in governance and politics;
(4) That you are tops among people who have time and again voted for characters like Joseph “Erap” Estrada, Antonio Trillanes, Tito Sotto, Joey Marquez, and Andal Ampatuan to be their leaders and representatives; and,
(5) That you seriously get your rocks off these popularity surveys.
I lied. I’ve listed only five things and not the ten I promised in the title of this piece. But then I’m not like President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III whose promises to his people are actually insults-to-their-intelligence in disguise. Then again, there is not much of any such intelligence to insult to begin with. And that, folks, is why Noynoy Aquino remains popular among Filipinos today.
===
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it’s a validation of the adage – ignorance is bliss.
Indeed. That one plus this other adage that applies to many politicians: the more you open your mouth, the more you reveal how stupid you are. 😀
Nice piece you have, benign0.
That’s why I love Arroyo. She’s the perfect example of a leader who shuts his/her mouth and does his/her job! Noynoy’s blame game on GMA is NOT what a leader should be.
Katotohan: Ang pagiging “hugas-kamay” (Pontio Pilato) as isang kasalanan sa ating Diyos.
That’s spot on, Benigs. We are doomed as long as we have a majority of voters who pick their candidates for all the wrong reasons. I’d be repeating myself again by giving credit to the media for shaping the public’s minds this way, but it can’t be emphasized enough.
This was the same survey reported over three months ago. They just repeated it. Guess they had nothing else to put in the news. If they pass it off as a different result from last time’s, that’s a blatant lie… though not the first one.Â
ang layo naman na ikumpara nila si noynoy kay lee kwan yew and i never heard of him doing worthwhile while he is a senator….
and about his popularity (i really dont get the point of popularity surveys, i mean this is not some kind of a contest isn’t it?)
its kinda like how 40% who voted for him is considered a “overwhelming mandate”
do this survey firms really did their research?
I may not be a fan of Pnoy; however, I give him credit for acquiring an investment commitments from the US and Japan. Lee Kuan Yew? I hope they are right. If he is the one to turn our country around then so be it. During the months that he spent in office, the only blunder that he committed was the hostage crisis in the Quirino Granstand. The Philippines had been ruled by such incompetent presidents and even though my candidate, former Senator Gordon did not win the election, I want to see Pnoy take a page from Gordon’s book on how he transformed Subic into an economic might. So far, I like the PPP and the billion dollar investment commitment that he acquired from Japan and the US. I would like to see the PPP government program go mobile to Europe and Asia to gather more investors to come to the Philippines to participate in the PPP.
Dunno if he can claim credit for these. He did steal credit for the MDC grant, which the previous admin worked for. But given he got these investments fair and square, I agree with your hopes.Â
Yes, Chino is correct. He does take the credit for the work that the past administration has been working on. Grants aren’t just given at a short notice. They take time to cook up. Those countries didn’t just give it to the Philippines because PNoy is now the leader. As far as I know PNoy hasn’t even introduced any new policies. It seems like he is happy to continue on with Arroyo’s policies.
The confidence people see now are just perceptions that were created by the media who are pro-Aquino. When GMA was in Malacanang, they made sure to highlight minor details they thought were shenanigans. Now with PNoy, they don’t do that. But unfortunately for PNoy this can’t last. Some people are starting to become vocal about his shortfalls.
This is what some people had to say about him:
“Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz said President Benigno Aquino had only himself and his advisers to blame for the debacle at the Supreme Court.
“He better reshuffle his Cabinet and get able ones. I pity them. They’re very incompetent,†the prelate said. “All these mistakes are because he has very poor advisers among his Cabinet members.â€
Cruz added: “The creator did not know what it was supposed to do with the truth commission and neither did it know how far it could go.â€
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101207-307608/Truth-Commission-members-very-disappointed-by-SC-ruling
“
Maybe a Cabinet from Ikea would function better. :PÂ
HAHAHA no need for one from Ikea, a cabinet from the banketas would do just as well.
Eversince I knew that Noynoy being president has nothing to offer. Walang corrupt, walang mahirap? Baloney! Good job in fooling millions of Filipinos though. Tsk tsk…
We cannot rely on media in order to know what’s really happening in the country particularly in the government. I’m not a fan of channel 7 but I can say that I do not really recommend Channel 2. It’s a good thing that we have the internet now. I hope that most who have access will be as vigilant in searching sources and resources to get a better picture of the truth. By the way, I’m glad that we have this site AntiPinoy.Â
Erap fooled many but it seems that Noynoy fooled more. I really want to cry for our country. I’m am still hopeful but very angry. For the mean time, my hope lies on people who strive to become productive and who are bold to make changes for the countries development. I hope these people succeed on their respective families. We cannot really rely on the government, especially the current one.Â
The people I mentioned, most of them are friends and a few are strangers. Their attitudes and persons are very admirable. Perhaps, it may be because of the fact that they have something to live for, their families.Â
PNoy is old and does not even have a family. Not that he’s required to but it just shows that he can’t even decide for himself. A friend priest told me once that there are three roads to look at “Family life, religious life, or single blessedness. Single blessedness is about devoting ones time to the service of others. This is a path that Noy could have chosen. I wonder what the heck is Noynoy living for?Â
These survey may stir things now but time will come when all will see what’s really going on.Â
Good on you outoftheblue.
We have to continue fighting the flawed thinkers. PNoy’s handlers are already feeling the pressure because the message of the online bloggers are already being expressed by some people from the mainstream media. His handlers are just very protective of PNoy and don’t want him to know that there are many people who are already disillusioned with him. But they cannot keep using the cuddly approach on him forever. He needs to get real and the only way to pull him back down to earth is to expose him to the truth that he is not everyone’s messiah.
We need people like you to spread the truth.
daaaang!… as long as flip gung gongs are the majority (90%), the surveys will always be in favor of their gung gong prez…. flips, puro kayo tunggaks!
We have classic idiots who associate great figures to the oligarch Aquino morons. Imagine Ninoy (the guy who died for political ambitions and not for the country)is compared to Rizal. WTF. Cory compared to Lincoln. WTF. And now PNoy to Lee Kwan Yew?!?!?!? Tung unu, they dont have anything in common, in terms of vision! Yellowed media, f*** them all.
i rather like the marcos era comparing to this so- called president. he doesnt know how to run the country and still there`s a lot of stupid filipinos who believe in him. the country will be in a black hole if they continue to elect stupid politicians.
if Bong Bong Marcos would run for presidency in 2016, i will vote for him.
P-noy’s popularity hides the true of substance of his own sexuality.