We all have to deal or transact with hired professionals or employees on a regular basis. Most of us would rather see the good side of the individual we are dealing with than their bad side because the alternative would be hard work. For example, when we find a dentist who was highly recommended by a person we know, we tend to believe that that particular dentist could do a good job of taking care of our teeth than a dentist whose reputation is unknown and who charges more. Since we can’t be bothered or are too “lazy” to find out if there is a better dentist out there as an alternative, our mindset automatically switches to “I guess I can trust this guy” mode.
President BS Aquino’s popularity made it easy for Filipinos to trust him.
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It is the same case in dealing with a doctor, lawyer, carpenter, driver, housekeeper or any help we need to hire. It is easier for us to look at the good side of these “professionals” and turn a blind eye to their “quirks” than question their abilities. We justify looking at the bright side of things by telling ourselves “no one is perfect” or “at least he is cheap and popular” and because our hectic lifestyle does not allow us to keep looking for the perfect one.
Sometimes, in our haste to move on with our lives, we ignore the warning signs that give us a clue that the person we are about to hire could be a crook or dishonest. Because he or she can be very charming at first impression, we can’t be bothered to check if he or she is just overselling himself or herself. Unfortunately, in the end, not being very thorough in the hiring process or even just ignoring our basic instincts that warn us not to hire someone can result in unnecessary expense to say the least.
Putting too much trust in someone without checking if he or she has the right skill for the task can have devastating consequences for any business owner. Just because someone vouched for a job applicant doesn’t mean we should skip the screening process. Hiring an accountant with a secret gambling addiction won’t be good for the bottom-line. Which is why everyone would be better off doing their homework first like conducting a background check, character assessment and evaluating the results of the candidate’s past work before employing or hiring the services of said candidate.
The same rigorous approach should be applied in voting for public servants. After all, the public will become the public servant’s “bosses” during their entire term in public office.
In fact, public servants who will handle public funds should undergo a thorough lifestyle check and psychological test to ensure that they are of sound mind to handle the pressures of the job under intense public scrutiny. Obviously, someone who is onion-skinned and cannot take criticism is not the right man for the job. The result of their previous posts in the public or private sector should also be taken into consideration before they are voted into office. Putting an incompetent individual into a powerful position can be both devastating and demoralizing to an entire society.
Take the case of Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino. Filipino voters ignored all the warning signs that indicated that he was overselling himself for a job that is beyond his skill level. They ignored the fact that he was just pushed to run as a Presidential candidate immediately after his popular mother passed away – taking advantage of people’s raw emotion. They ignored the fact that he was an underperforming Congressman and Senator during his stint in Congress. They ignored and keep ignoring his vindictive nature and that he is only good at putting his political opponents down in order to lift his status up. In other words, Filipino voters ignored the fact that BS Aquino does not even have the right skills to handle the problems that have been plaguing the nation for decades.
It was very convenient for the voters to think that BS Aquino can be trusted because for one, he was the only son of popular personalities, Ninoy and Cory Aquino who they consider “heroes”. It was also very convenient for them to just vote for someone with a popular name than continue looking for an alternative candidate. The task of following the process of doing a background check, character assessment and evaluating the results of a candidate’s past work before voting for him was and still is, considered a daunting task for a lot of Filipino voters. And since the voters could not be bothered or were too “lazy” to look for an alternative candidate, their mindset automatically switched to “I guess I can trust this guy” mode. Even worse was when some thought that they were prepared to settle for the “lesser evil” even when they were aware of his average abilities.
Of course some of us already realize the consequences of voting for someone who is not qualified to lead a nation of 100 million people. Unfortunately, a lot of Filipinos are still in denial that he made promises he could not keep and that he oversold himself using the slogan “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap”.
What is so appalling is that even though corruption under BS Aquino’s term is more blatant than ever and even though the number of poor people keeps increasing, his staunch supporters still say that his critics should “cut him some slack” and to go easy on him as if he was a baby. But that’s what they have been saying since Day One of his term. You would think that by now they can accept that he is not going to improve his performance considering his promise to ignore constructive criticism and considering he only has less than two years to finish his term, which he will spend campaigning for the Liberal Party candidate in the 2016 Presidential election.
One can’t help but question where the loyalties of some Filipinos lie. Are they fighting for the good of the nation or are they fighting to keep the ruling dynasty in power? It seems like they would rather turn a blind eye to BS Aquino’s violation of the Constitution and abuse of power just to please him. Even in the best of times, he still manages to botch the way he handles every crisis that lands on his lap.
Crisis after crisis, BS Aquino showed that he lacks diplomatic skills and is just trying to wing it by telling the media – both local and international – that everything is under control even when it is not. During the super typhoon Yolanda, the coverage that was being shown by the international media was grim, with bodies uncollected for days and starving people roaming the disaster zone but BS Aquino kept reassuring the rest of the world that his government was on top of the situation. He did confirm one thing to his critics though, that he is a bad liar.
The extent of his deceit is still unknown. There could be more information that the public is not aware of aside from what Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla had already revealed — that he gave 50 millions pesos of taxpayer’s funds to the senators and secretly met those who convicted former Chief Justice Corona at the height of his impeachment trial.
Malacanang mouthpieces can insist that they have stopped allocating funds through the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP, but it still doesn’t change the fact that its use is not covered by the law. And the fact that they dropped the use of DAP as soon as the public found out about it means that deep inside, they knew they were doing something wrong.
BS Aquino’s eagerness to find something good that could define his legacy through the peace agreement with the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) likewise forced him to ignore the Constitution. A lot of people have noted that for the Supreme Court to approve the Bangsamoro Deal, Congress has to amend the Constitution. Obviously, giving away part of Mindanao to a rebel group to create a separate state is not in the Constitution. The deal doesn’t even guarantee that other rebel groups would honor the peace pact.
All that is just a tiny fraction of the way BS Aquino mismanages the country and possibly promotes further instability in the future. Although he only has less than two years to go, he can still do a lot of damage if allowed to continue abusing his position. The Filipino people need to cut their loses immediately to reverse the effects of his failures. It’s a choice between putting up with his substandard performance and finding an alternative leader. Like I said before, life is too short to put someone’s trust in people like BS Aquino who waste people’s time learning on the job while millions go to bed hungry every night.
In life, things are not always what they seem.
the international business community does not trust pnoy aquino.
why investing in the philippines is bad news
An article in bloomberg news makes for interesting reading, but for obvious reasons i don’t think got any exposure in the philippines due to the good news/bad news ‘censorship policy’ in mainstream media.
“Sidharath Kapur, president of GMR Infrastructure Ltd.’s (GMRI) airport unit, ignored Fraport AG’s advice to avoid investing in the Philippines. He may rue that decision.
GMR, India ’s third-largest builder by market value, discovered earlier
this month that the decision to award the project to build and operate an airport terminal in Cebu island was being postponed. The government asked the company to respond to concerns raised by
other bidders, adding GMR, which submitted the highest bid, to a growing list of foreign companies that have seen their efforts to invest in the Philippines delayed by policy U-turns and legal roadblocks.
“They have been warning us: don’t go to the Philippines,” Kapur
said in a Jan. 10 interview in Manila , referring to Fraport, GMR’s
joint-venture partner in the New Delhi airport.
President Benigno Aquino ’s quest to overcome decades of depressed investment and rid the nation of its tag as the “Sick Man of Asia ” risks being undermined as he faces pressure from
consumer groups to put the public’s interests above those of business. The latest holdup, a reminder of contract disputes and regulatory flip flops in the past that led companies from Fraport to
Suez SA to leave, may threaten the country’s ability to compete with
peers from Malaysia to Vietnam for investors.
“These sorts of developments, as far as the business environment goes, are of course negative,” said Taimur Baig, Singapore-based chief Asia economist at Deutsche Bank AG.
To add to Aquino’s challenge, growth last quarter probably slipped to a two-year low after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck in November.
The peso this week slumped to a three-year low, one of Asia’s worst-performing currencies in the past month. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index has dropped more than 10 percent in the past
six months.
While foreign direct investment to the Philippines almost doubled to
$2.8 billion in 2012 from 2008, the country drew the least FDI in Southeast Asia , just a fraction of the $19.6 billion in Indonesia in
2012, according to World Bank data.
An estimated $9 billion in public-private partnership projects form the cornerstone of Aquino’s growth push. As GMR waits, another aspirant, Ayala Corp. (AC) , which had the best bid in a rail-ticketing
project, is also standing by after a Dec. 23 decision was delayed indefinitely.
In the past seven months, the Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier ruling that FedEx Corp.’s operating permit in the Philippines is unconstitutional.
The Japanese Chamber of
Commerce & Industry of the Philippines said it views the government’s actions with “grave concern.”
It “sends a very strong message to the business community about
the level of commitment of the Philippine government in upholding
the sanctity of contracts,” chamber President Takashi Ishigami said.
Fraport and a local partner had almost completed building an airport terminal in Manila when the government in 2002 declared the contract invalid and seized the building. Fraport took a 293 million-
euro ($401 million) charge, leading to a loss.
“Fraport would never consider a new investment in a jurisdiction
where ongoing disputes with the government remain unresolved,”
spokesman Robert Payne said in an e-mailed response this week.
While Aquino’s pledge to curb corruption and spur faster economic growth has drawn companies from Changi Airport Group Singapore Pte. to Spain ’s Globalvia Inversiones SA to the PPP program, the
government has struggled to implement the biggest projects that could yield the most economic benefits.
Of the 51 planned projects in the PPP program that was rolled out in 2010, the Philippines is nearing completion of only one — to build about 9,300 classrooms in Luzon. A 64.9 billion-peso ($1.4 billion)
extension of a rail line to the province of Cavite from Manila has been delayed by wrangling over terms and concerns from some bidders over the risks.”
Bloomberg
Jan 24 2014
the Interntional business communtiy doesn’t trust FILIPINO’ Businessmen PERIOD. After seeing what has happened to corporation after corporaton that has done business in the country and the result being nothing short of breech of contract/theft of services,materials…..NO SANE CORPORATION will invest in anything more than call center operations which are pretty safe investments as it involves services that can not be stolen.
This is a pretty obvious predicament. That is why, until now very few people is enjoying the investment grade ratings that our government keeps on boasting. It annoys me a lot about these ratings because these are given by those same companies in the US that have big roles in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Well, I observed that Aquino administration is really very good in making false hope and propaganda. And it is also pretty obvious why they do this, that is to primarily protect their personal interests and agendas. With this kind of people, well, why do care about the masses, anyway the masses can be easily fooled around and what the Filipinos masses need is short term and shallow solutions just like 1,000 pesos or lesser amount during election. Well, we cannot blame them because their needs will be attended for that moment and hunger is relevant constraint to vote wisely. That is why some provinces vote buying is just part of their activities before and during election. So, if there is no institution or organization that will help these poor Filipinos to understand the consequences of voting popular candidates, familiar personalities, or the so called trapos I don’t think change would be in near future. And one thing more our Constitution should be amended, it needs a very stringent overhaul. Since, we copied it from the US Constitution, I think President should not be given 6 years make it just 3 years so, that if the President is just like PNOY our agony would not be that long. But if the President is performing excellent then another 3 years would be fine for reelection. Our Constitution that states about making business in the country difficult should also be amended so that foreign investors will not be hesitated to invest. Why do we need to protect the industry of the few that keeps our people on poverty?
The entire gov’t. is CORRUPT. There is not a single congressman/senator/executive/mayor/baranguay capitan/GOCC CEO,CFO that is not tainted by what has become the national scourge.
Every single industry in the country is controlled and manipulated, from SMART/GLOBE stealing ‘loads’, to the GOCC electricity companies extorting the people with their sky high prices that are nothing more that total bull-shit stories based on fantasy,in short THE ENRON scandal tweaked filipino style…and on and on and on…throughout the entire country.
To single out ONE person, is to miss seeing the bigger picture, which is: THE ENTIRE COUNTRY HAS BEEN SOLD INTO SLAVERY AND THE 1% at the top are laughing ,while robbing, the rest of the population(99%, for the mathematically challenged).
the author suffers from myopic tendencies and would likely excuse a thieving GMA or Corona, who are just as guilty as the rest of the Aquino’s/Enrile’s/Estrada’s etc,etc,etc….who are nothing but a bunch of criminals who could only be successfully prosecuted by RICO STATUTTES as they exist in the USA and a remedial change in the banking laws and put forth by a Military Junta who would not stand for the choreographed antics of a Santiago or Lapid or a Joker(pun intended).
BUT,Alas, it is too late. Everything worth stealing has been stolen and now it is merely clean-up time and keep the currency healthy so as to purchase the remaining ‘goodies’, the few that are left that is.
@SacreBleau:
How about Aquino? Is he not the corruptor?
I will believe you are not a Yellow Tard Wolf in sheep clothing…if you tell people…that Aquino is the source of corruotion, himself…
@HydenToro, R U KIDDING?? WHAT do you think the statement :”The entire gov’t. is corrupt” means???
you should really take the authors advice or MAYBE go back to school to improve your reading comprehension level.
btw, I do not care what you think I am either.
THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT IS CORRUPT, figure it out…..DUH!!!
The entire government is corrupt, yes. But BS Aquino allowed this to even flourish, in fact, he encouraged it.
I beg to disagree… Mr. BS Aquino and his abuse of power is not the result of the Filipino people’s laziness. It can only be attributed to the yellow dictator and his followers. His propaganda machinery fooled the Filipino people. This was apparent from the election campaign to the present time. His main pitch propaganda slogan like matuwid na daan which I now call baliw na daan was swallowed by many. His psychological reports were called fake and the people also believed. His glib talking in the vernacular was a factor in convincing people and this contributed to his rising popularity. The window dressing, manipulated surveys and continuing black propaganda was effective in deceiving the Sovereign Filipino People. Then the boo boos started… The Luneta Hostage Crisis, the incompetence, arrogance and abuses of his own KKK, the massive corruption generated by the PDAF/DAP bribery during the impeachment trial of then CJ Corona began to open the people’s eyes. BS Aquino’s cruelty to his perceived enemies in blaming them for everything shows his dark side. His delays in responding to disasters are duly noted by the public. The dictator BS Aquino is still trying to control the entire government. He is a dictator who ignores the Constitution in giving all the benefits and advantages to the MILF terrorist, bandit, criminal group. The Bangsamoro sub-state is patently unconstitutional, the framework agreement patently unconstitutional and the moro basic law patently unconstitutional. Giving away the Moro Gulf and the Sulu sea as part of the maritime territory of the Bangsamoro is not only unconstitutional as it is also in violation of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). BS Aquino is destroying our country in Mindanao. He is destroying the status quo of our territories by what he did and failed to do. He is the worst iconoclast and hypocrite that was ever elected to public office! Down with the yellow dictatorship!!!
I forgot… BS Aquino is a traitor to his sworn oath of office, the Constitution, the motherland, the Filipino nation and the Philippine national flag. Hindi palulupig! Hindi pasisiil!
Who put the man in power? The People. Who choses not to do anything about the problems that our country faces irregardless of the head on top? The People.
Who enjoys complaining and not doing anything? The People.
So one can’t blame ONLY the government.
Hello! See, its like MJ’s song Man in the Mirror. Change starts from within.
Of course PNoy probably hasn’t heard that song since he enjoys throwing the blame around and back to his predecessor and his mother’s predecessor.
Laziness begets laziness. Noynoy was unaccomplished at 50. Only sheer laziness will allow one to make the leap of faith that he will somehow find the fountain of success and good results age 51 to 57. I heard all the excuses to vote for him ” he is good”. ” He won’t taint his parents legacy.” blah blah blah. Since when was being too lazy to succeed a synonym for good???? Only in this country. Too lazy to examine for the pros and cons of a product/ service / public servant. I know, let’s go solely on last name or name recognition. This just totally describes the voters Juan Tamad attitude when it comes to examining qualifications and results. Hence they elect a reflection of themselves. A Juan Tamad.
One of the other reasons why the balding baby was voted into power was because the other candidates had ties to the previous administration’s dwarf of a presidente.
I used to say that it was dangerous to voice an opinion that was not pro-Yellow where I live, but apparently the stauch yellow supporters that I have to live with, and in formerly in political fear with, have seen the light…or at least refuse to talk about politics altogether.
An old Russian proverb states: “Trust but, verify”…Filipinos swallow every; Hook, sinker and bait; the politicians give them…
You’re missing a lot:
Majority of the uneducated and undereducated massess swallow not only the hook, bait and sinker. They swallow the hook, line, bait, sinker, rod, fisherman, boat, tackle, dock, etc. The list just goes on and on and on.
In short, the “ordinary” Filipino is a sucker, not by birth, but by choice.
Haha. Nice pic. Birds of the same feather f*** each other-este-flock together, ika nga! XD