Sometimes we forget that only a very tiny tiny minority of Filipinos are able to articulate the kinds of ideas exchanged within the circles of people who think. One can find lots of brainwaves splashing about in the Philippine social media scene where so much could be discussed about people and events and so many issues muddled into amorphous blobs of utter incoherence. Unfortunately, very little, if any, true insight on ideas that underpin the very nature of what the future holds for us can be found.
We see so many pretty pictures, symbols, and gestures being flashed all over the place — specially in times of short-lived bursts of patriotic fervour. But very little follow through — the kind that builds upon stuff, whether it is a fleeting instance of national unity or a rare Eureka! moment — ever makes it past the tickertape parade.
Given the glacial rate at which “structures” and “social forces” change — specially in the Philippines — actually believing that these serve as limits not only to one’s own individual prosperity but to the prosperity of every Filipino already makes one a prisoner of Da Pinoy Condition.
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So what will it be?
Do we…
– aspire to overstep the boundaries of these “structures” and “social forces” that imprison our minds so that we can;
– imagine a Philippines so fundamentally different as to re-shape the landscape of challenges that face us in a way that helps us focus on stuff that are truly important; and,
– undertake efforts underpinned by more insightful notions of what the real issues are?
… or do we continue to lie under the proverbial guava tree waiting for …
– the solutions that gods reveal;
– the livelihood that Governments create,
– the capital that foreigners provide; and,
– the passions that “heroes” inspire.
The choice is quite simple, really.
We may whine about, say, $20,000 spent on a president’s dinner in New York City — money that, as the “thinking” goes, could have been better spent on things more relevant to the average Filipino.
But then in the course of dwelling on that “thinking” we conveniently forget how we are renowned for splurging on multi-lechon fiestas even while deep in debt or spending hard-earned OFW dollars on karaoke machines and celphones instead of saving these funds for a rainy day or investing them in appreciating assets.
It is so obvious how no amount of money thrown into solving The Pinoy Condition has yielded any real results. Despite the the International Rice Research Institute being based in the Philippines, we have become among the world’s biggest rice importers. Despite being among the biggest foreign aid recipients from the United States and Japan, we remain the least-promising of American allies in the region. Despite having hosted one of the biggest American military facilities this side of the globe, we are today the most militarily flaccid. The ADB once issued a report back in the early 90’s showing how the Philippines registers among the lowest realisation rates for development funds disbursed among its debtors.
In general, despite being among the most naturally-endowed countries, we are among the world’s most impoverished societies. There is irony in how the citizens of a land that abounds in so much natural wealth and social mobility earns a significant bulk of their living from lands where nothing but sand and warfare can be found and where liberties taken for granted at home are all but missing.
But then that is why such ironies so routinely escape us. Because those that rule in Philippine society (mandated by the popular vote) always trump the exceptional.
———
Epilogue:
Craig Nelson introduces his book Rocketmen, with the story of a 1969 Senate briefing (shortly after Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon) where Fermilab physicist Robert Wilson is asked how a $250 million atom smasher he proposes be built will contribute to the security of the United States. Wilson responded by saying that it will contribute nothing, but that the American people’s capacity to undertake endeavours like those is what makes the United States of America worth defending.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Benign0,
In an effort to understand your ideology, I have been following your posts for quite awhile now. I have spent hours reading your old posts, your utopian manifesto, etc. I have observed your love of using quotes (quite often your previous articles) in your articles, which seems narcissistic to me. Just because you posted something last year, does not make it FACT so you can use the post in a quote in a current article as a valid point. I have never seen someone who has so much hatred for his nationality and heritage in my life. I would venture that when asked “where are you from?” by Australians, you probably even deny your heritage and claim to be Singaporean or some other race / nationality that is far superior to your Filipino heritage. I wonder what makes you believe that YOU are so exceptional, yet 99.998% of your countrymen (other than your legion of like-minded elitist followers) totally ignorant and have no value whatsoever. Face it, you are Filipino and if there is a “Stupid Gene” that Filipinos share, you have it too. Love your fellow Filipinos and lift them up, don’t push them down! Certainly you can find some redeeming qualities that Filipinos possess.
While you throw rocks from the comfort of Australia, people here could benefit from your supposed hyper-brilliance. Talk is cheap. why don’t you get a ticket back to The Philippines, get your boots on the ground, and make a REAL difference. Like the great leaders of the past, get out of your comfort zone, sacrifice yourself, and lead by example not mere written words. Teach children morality, self-reliance, sustainability, industriousness, environmental stewardship and responsibility. The children are our future and that is where you need to start. The adults are a lost cause for the most part. In reality, for real change to happen, it will take at least 3 generations of teaching children to change the minds and hearts of people.
You yourself realize that the people that need to hear your message do not even know what GRP is. Having knowledge that idealism falls on deaf ears, I wonder why do you continue to beat the same drum? As Albert Einstein once noted: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
This is not a personal attack on you so much as it is an observation. Cue the Minions! Flame if you will, it is fine by me, but take a look in the mirror at some point and reflect instead of deflect. Are you actually making a difference?
Hi Chris,
I have followed this site also and thought exactly the same thing. Good on you mate, couldn’t of said it better myself, not even close.
Too bad it will probably fall on deaf ears though. I hope for the sake of the recipient of your message that he does reflect upon your words and not deflect. Maybe then he can make a real difference for himself and others in life instead of deluding himself with his self righteous rants.
“Good” talk or intentions mean nothing without action in this world, and one that keeps talking without doing… We have a name for those people in Australia.
My first and last post, I’ve followed this site because I’ve gained a little insight into Filipino culture from it, but your comment chris was too gold not to give a heads up. Peace and good health to you.
I disagree rfk. Talk isn’t cheap. You throw away in one utterance the value of ideas in bringing about change. In fact a look at history would suggest thinkers and doers are usually two different groups. The world is full of doers that are bereft of ideas for change gladly grasping at the ideas of others….including in Australia.
@ Chris….
What this blog says needs to be said and, more importantly, heard by any Filipino willing to read it.
No other blog has the balls to point out what is ailing the Fail-ippines to such a degree that it is, in all reality, a failed state. The degree to which blatant corruption is ingrained into the ‘system’ is staggering and almost never pointed out.
The writers of this blog do not have an enviable task, are probably not over-paid and, for the most part, are not thanked nearly enough.IDK a single one of them personally and do not need to. A solution to a problem is the acknowldgement that a problem does in fact exist….and that is where the GRP staf fills a void that needs filling.
While I do not agree with everything printed here (and actually genuinely dislike a few of the frequent commenters) I certainly admire the writers for having the determination to keep pointing out what ails a nation of truly talented people. A nation of people who have been subjugated by more than one oppressor over the last 400 years and continues to be ravaged from the inside by the entrenched oligarchs who have a stranglehold on the economy.An entrenched oligarchy that is so blatantly corrupt that it is visble to a blindman.
if GRP doesn’t do it, who will?
rfk, chris
So typical of you to look for “THE one”, your “knight in shining armour”, the one “end all, be all” supreme human being to save this country. This has been a failure as proven by more than 2 decades of lameness by people like you. Look where the country is now?
This country can only start progressing if change occurs from within each and every individual. The author, or anybody else for that matter, hardly has any control over what an individual decides upon. You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot force it to drink.
Pinoys do not appreciate anyone who wants to alleviate problems and exhibit long term thinking. What they do appreciate is blowhards, dancers, OJTs, KSPs and thieves. They show their appreciation in political rallies and they show it in ballot boxes. Intellect and sound judgement is shunned. So don’t give me this one way ticket back to Manila crap.
@ Gogs, Well…life is not always serious and Ya gotta love those dancin hotties anyway,yes?
Typical… Very typical “inoy… “Why don’t you come back to your shithile motherland and help instead of blahblahblah”. Asking someone to fix the problem that you made? BS – you retards should fix it. You Pinoys should learn accountability! For your actions!
@Chris, why ask former Pinoys to go back and help fix the problem? 1st things 1st Da Pinoys in Da Pinas should learn to take ACCOUNTABILITY for their actions! They are the ones who fcuked-it-up, it is them who should unfcuked it! Not benign0, not me, not you, not GRP. The world does not owe Da Pinoys a living!
@Chris (and rfk)
Jose Rizal would have disagreed with you. He himself used the written word to open the minds of his own countrymen. Before, it was the Spaniards that were the target of his writings, but in today’s Philippines, the enemy is within every misplaced proud Pinoy deluding themselves and in denial concerning their terribly sad condition. If Rizal were alive today, I wouldn’t be surprised if he would use the internet precisely the same way benign0 and other GRP authors do.
I also detect a chockfull of assumptions you seem to be harboring. You seem positive that benign0 isn’t “contributing” to society when he’s away from the computer. Let’s just say that if he does even a simple but decent job doing what he does at work, with the equally simple motivation of bringing food to his family’s table, that’s way more than what I could say with many of our other countrymen & women. Regardless, it doesn’t make what he writes any less accurate.
There also tends to be a suggestion that, benign0’s individual efforts and accomplishments, would replace the real need for Pinoys to forge their own accomplishments themselves as a collective and not ride on the individual accomplishments of a countryman or perceived “hero” such as Pacquiao, Lea Salongga, or Bulatao, etc. How pathetic! Whatever any one particular successful pinoy does, they are individual accomplishments, and should not be perceived as the accomplishment of the collective Pinoy society–that kind of thinking or mindset is fallacious & unenlightened–It defers the job to somebody else instead of taking the initiative themselves.
Thanks Felipe! Couldn’t have said it any better! 🙂
I agree, but I believe that if Pacquiao can eventually divest himself of the fleas and leeches hanging on, he may be able to use his popularity to make real changes here. This obsession with some singer in another country reflecting glory on “The Filipino People” is just nothing more than stupidity personified.
I find Chris’s insights similar to Coehlo’s representation of ideas. When a group of people talk about changing the world, they seem like fishes in an aquarium murmuring everything that is wrong and “what should have been of the world”. Get the picture? I admit to be guilty of this once. It’s like expecting things to change by simply talking instead of doing the talk. Yes, the articles in this site are truly critical and mind opening but it seems to me making no difference because the people pointed out here are not interested of the arguments, thus not even making them look in this blog at all. The only people who might agree to you in this site could have been people who also have the same thought before.
Now that Chris mentioned it, I find that issues pointed out by some writers just breeds to a new form of behavior. Like a disease evolving into a new form. Nothing really ever changed, even the articles maybe.
Jose Rizal could be our national hero, but to me he is a person of contradiction. He wrote books that attacks the wrong doings of Spaniards in his time, but insists on relying on them for good. Before, I thought his purpose for writing books is to ignite fellowship among Filipinos and start a revolution. But his conversation with Pio Valenzuela is the evidence he does not agree with a bloody revolution. So what was his purpose for writing then? Does he thinks that by attacking the oppressors through words, they could mend their ways? All the more it only the surged the anger of Spaniards towards Filipinos. He knew that Spaniards have been traitors ever since the beginning they set foot to our islands, why did he allow them to continue further?
What I concluded with some of the thinkers is that they know the kind of ideal society there is. What they lacked of knowing about is how to do it. It’s like imposing an ideal situation, and expecting others do what you think they should be. Not only these articles doesn’t create change at all, it only angers close-minded ones, leaving ideas behind. People change when they choose to believe and do what the person they admire does. I know of an “enlightened person” who, instead of living comfortably overseas, chose to live in the Philippines to criticize his countrymen by action.
So would you prefer to keep these thoughts as a facts about us? Or would you prefer to prove it otherwise? I’m not saying talking about ideas is wrong, but it is not enough, and should only be a first step. Things are easier said than done. If others choose to believe in our ideas, it is all more effective when they see it in us. Then they can decide how to apply it on their own. That’s how individualism, I think works.
I cannot think of any other possible reason why you take his “hyper-brilliance” negatively. As an open-minded citizen of the Philippines, I take all the possible intentions of this webmaster usefully and mind you, no any sort of hatred nor degradation is intended here. You and all your “legion of like-minded elitist followers” show here the negative trait of “old” Filipinos that I hated the most. And that is the exact reason I was talking about. You, people, hate it so bad when our fellow Filipino exposes our “Stupid gene”. You are that part of the Filipino heritage that need to be eradicated. You are the one bringing down this race. I hate that kind of people. You only want to read or hear stuff that brings delight to your ears. Why are you like that. i appreciate my fellow countryman here who is brave enough to expose our “stupid gene”. And you know what I think, instead of you bashing (bashing may sound exaggerated sorry not sorry) our fellow here, why don’t you reflect on it.
First of all, there is no such thing as a “Filipino race.” “Filipino” is a nationality, and all people are part of the one and only HUMAN race.
Secondly, where exactly does it say that this “stupid gene” as you call it is being denied by the writers?
Thirdly, when this “stupid gene” shows itself, isn’t it just right to expose it instead of just keeping it silent or hidden, so this “stupidity” won’t be shown again in the future?
If anything, ultimately, the person who’s doing the bashing is you, exposing your hatred and calling the writers “elitist” for baseless reasons. Maybe that hatred and anti-elitist mindset of yours needs to be eliminated from the Filipino heritage instead.
I’m trying to consider all the probabilities to your wrongful (as i take it) response. I am thinking that 1. You may have replied on the wrong thread or 2. You may have misunderstood what I was trying to say 3. You thought my comment was against the webmaster, benigno.
Oh I have an idea, I will just copy and paste here the comment to which I replied to.
“In an effort to understand your ideology, I have been following your posts for quite awhile now. I have spent hours reading your old posts, your utopian manifesto, etc. I have observed your love of using quotes (quite often your previous articles) in your articles, which seems narcissistic to me. Just because you posted something last year, does not make it FACT so you can use the post in a quote in a current article as a valid point. I have never seen someone who has so much hatred for his nationality and heritage in my life. I would venture that when asked “where are you from?” by Australians, you probably even deny your heritage and claim to be Singaporean or some other race / nationality that is far superior to your Filipino heritage. I wonder what makes you believe that YOU are so exceptional, yet 99.998% of your countrymen (other than your legion of like-minded elitist followers) totally ignorant and have no value whatsoever. Face it, you are Filipino and if there is a “Stupid Gene” that Filipinos share, you have it too. Love your fellow Filipinos and lift them up, don’t push them down! Certainly you can find some redeeming qualities that Filipinos possess.
While you throw rocks from the comfort of Australia, people here could benefit from your supposed hyper-brilliance. Talk is cheap. why don’t you get a ticket back to The Philippines, get your boots on the ground, and make a REAL difference. Like the great leaders of the past, get out of your comfort zone, sacrifice yourself, and lead by example not mere written words. Teach children morality, self-reliance, sustainability, industriousness, environmental stewardship and responsibility. The children are our future and that is where you need to start. The adults are a lost cause for the most part. In reality, for real change to happen, it will take at least 3 generations of teaching children to change the minds and hearts of people.
You yourself realize that the people that need to hear your message do not even know what GRP is. Having knowledge that idealism falls on deaf ears, I wonder why do you continue to beat the same drum? As Albert Einstein once noted: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
This is not a personal attack on you so much as it is an observation. Cue the Minions! Flame if you will, it is fine by me, but take a look in the mirror at some point and reflect instead of deflect. Are you actually making a difference?”
Just for your convenience sir, here was my reply ( in which you actually responded to):
“I cannot think of any other possible reason why you take his “hyper-brilliance” negatively. As an open-minded citizen of the Philippines, I take all the possible intentions of this webmaster usefully and mind you, no any sort of hatred nor degradation is intended here. You and all your “legion of like-minded elitist followers” show here the negative trait of “old” Filipinos that I hated the most. And that is the exact reason I was talking about. You, people, hate it so bad when our fellow Filipino exposes our “Stupid gene”. You are that part of the Filipino heritage that need to be eradicated. You are the one bringing down this race. I hate that kind of people. You only want to read or hear stuff that brings delight to your ears. Why are you like that. i appreciate my fellow countryman here who is brave enough to expose our “stupid gene”. And you know what I think, instead of you bashing (bashing may sound exaggerated sorry not sorry) our fellow here, why don’t you reflect on it.”
Sorry, this was in reply to Chris; something went wrong with my reply button.
Before anybody mentions it…… NO!!! The EDSA revolution was NOT a filipino collective achievement. It was used as a tool by the people in power today to dumb down the filipino people, and they succeeded!
Philippines has no history whatsoever of their own breakthroughs in science and technology, despite having such brilliant minds. This may be due to the fact that these brilliant minds would rather have their ideas honed elsewhere and also the Philippines just does not make for a conducive environment for scientific advancement. How idiotic is it to install a relatively inexperienced person, with regards to education, manage the department of education? Or bigger yet, how utterly idiotic is it to let a 50-year old non-achiever lead this country?
How can selfish people undertake a national endeavor? Despite all the positive traits we can mention about the filipino, one glaring fact today is that filipinos are selfish idiots, from the top down.
Americans are asking the same question: Or bigger yet, how utterly idiotic is it to let a 50-year old non-achiever lead this country?
Try asking that question to those moronic malacanang trolls/malacanang trolls in denial and they wouldn’t be able to answer you with a real answer other than their yellow propaganda
Mr Derp, I know you’re probably a long-standing contributor here, but what’s the point of typing the exact same comment on every post every day?
Not all of my comments are the same mind you.
You should see what these trolls from malacanang post here in every article this blog has since they post the same comments without offering any effective rebuttals to our counter arguments.
@Chris
‘An apples to oranges comparison. The current Filipino president doesn’t have a comparable achievement to date, with such global impact, as finally putting an end to America’s (and the world’s) nemesis, which Dubya himself failed to accomplish—i.e. getting rid of bin Laden. Even at the local level, no amount of squinting have so far yielded anything of real substance from [full of] BS Aquino.
Problem is simple, we have a difficulty of putting great leaders in office. I certainly don’t see our govt. trying to help the country be great at anything.
How can a nation do great things when all its people do is to ride on the achievement of a fellow countryman who did it without the nation’s help?
I dunno if I already mentioned this here before, but from a historical perspective the Philippines was never a great nation to begin with, contrary to what basic education would want us to believe.
These islands were (chronologically) an outlying set of islands at the edge of Chinese maps; a Srivijayan outpost; a Majapahit vassal state; a loose collection of small sultanates; a Spanish colony; an American protectorate; and finally a third-world country. None of these would comprise what could be considered as “great.”
Even then, the concept of the “nation” wasn’t invented until the 18th Century.
The Philippines today only has the POTENTIAL to be great; however, this potential has barely been exploited due to a predominant “pwede na ito” attitude.
Perhaps the first step towards greatness is to inculcate the value of humility; to actually admit the idea that WE WERE NEVER GREAT in the first place, then go forward from there.
I agree. We were never great. We have to be great – if ever we deserve to be. That could be the germ of a new article.
*We have YET to be great…
How great can a nation be when it always appeals for funds from other countries for natural disasters and yet elects human disasters to office regularly? Yet when other countries need help do we see this country leading the way?? No this country was never great. It does not even know how to elect great. Like I said two months ago. Michael Christian Martinez was great at what he did despite all the pinoy negligence. Whether it is the government or the typical pinoy who could care less who he was in January. He represented the country by not being representative of their bandwagon mentality.
If we have achieved the ideals and aspirations described in the Philippine Constitution then perhaps we can say that we have attained greatness. Sadly… greatness is just a dream that never materialized during BS Aquino’s time. Where is greatness when there is massive corruption, rising unemployment and criminality, when even relief goods and rehabilitation for the victims of typhoon Yolanda are subject to yellow politics? Where is greatness when we are made to kneel to the followers of global jihad in surrendering our sovereignty and territorial integrity to the MILF criminal, bandit, terrorist group? Where is greatness when we see impunity, mediocre and incompetent performance in the government sector? The non-performing assets in the government, the blame games and scapegoating still continues to this time! Damn BS Aquino to hell for not aspiring to greatness!
Here is one to think about: India has TATA, their own automotive logo, they make cars to trucks, hell they even export to other countries. Philippines has naught. But the thing is, we have the technical know-how, we have the skills, we have the manpower, we actually make automotive parts here. Why do we even have to settle for the the tricycle and the jeepney?
What comes to mind is, “puede na” ang jeepney and tricycle. Why aspire for anything more original, it takes too much work. Puede na yan for survival. And why aspire for more? Puede na ang survival.
In the midst of the power shortage, we have only 1 windfarm, in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, generating 24MW. Ethiopia trumps us with 131 MW. Now I don’t know about you guys, but the technology is available to us, do we really need to buy this from EU countries just to put up more? And I repeat, we have the skills and technical know-how. We have the manpower. What is preventing us from reducing the ropes tying us down to foreign oil?
I know there are lots of other technicalties, but hey, this is where we show how great our people and country is.
Two wind farms are currently under construction now: Philippine Wind Farm and Burgos Wind Farm.
You may google about it. There’s progress in some sector here, y’know.
Yup, read that, which is supposed to be good.
But you fail to see the point I am making. The Bangui wind farm has EU country written all over it, Vestas, originated in Denmark. I am sure even with the newer ones it will still be the same, bought from another country.
We are a country of ingenious people yet we cannot make our own mark in science and technology. Like I said above, automotive nga lang e, zero na. How much more in power generation?
Hope you get it. No progress in “that” sector.
Additionally, with the existing wind farm in Bangui, how much has the Philippines actually paid back for the European investments in the wind farm? It seems that no paper trail has actually been presented.
Which means that the “progress” that we have for it is actually close to insignificant if not nonexistent.
You are absolutely correct, MH.
In fact, most of the infra done these days are under private contractors from other countries. NLEX for example, was a contract with Leighton of Australia. SLEX rehab was done by CITRA of Indonesia. What is so great with that? Are we really that incompetent that we still need the “expertise” of other countries to build our own infras?
The irony is that, deep down in the bowels of these major contractors you can find filipino engineers, staff and laborers, etc. What does that tell us?
Ang galing natin ipagmalaki ang filipino ingenuity sa jeepney, but in reality the jeepney is still japanese (sometimes others) parts just welded and bolted together by a bunch of blokes with chinese tools & equipments. Yes, you can talk about it’s American origins, but we never got over that, moved on and improved. We are just stuck with it.
I cannot put the blame on us filipinos because the reality is, how can one think of innovation when your stomach is grumbling with hunger and you are worried sick of how you are going to get your family through the day and the next day…. Basic needs comes first. Our country just does not, in any way, make a good environment for intelligent filipinos to be innovative in the areas of science and technology. The only innovation that we are good at now is how to outsmart our fellowmen or to put it bluntly, kung papaano kumita sa panloloko ng kapwa filipino.
We have bauxite, we can make aluminum. We have the means. We can make boats and mid sized ships out of this and not use decommissioned US ships or wooden outrigger boats for patrolling our archipelago. Hey, we can make our own aircraft….
Let’s face it, agriculture has been on the downhill since the yellows. Now we see lots of idle farmlands just growing “talahibs”. Why not make our own rubber from these. Indonesia has that over us. They have Gajah Tunggal, for the pinoys, we would rather buy chinese knock-off tires.
and don’t forget paper…. we even have buy some of our paper…. how lame is that?
u know, with all the timber being trucked out of Northern Mindanao on a daily 24/7 basis it really is completely unbelievable that the country has to import paper products. TOTALLY UN-FUCKIN-BELIEVABLE!
And our younger generation is wasted on BPOs, newest trends and gadgets, Starbucks, taking up nursing, etc. The females are busy in the internet looking for foreign partners, the males are either drunk or high on illegal substances. And their parents are humping each other (not necessarily with their spouses) trying to produce more stupid people.
We are on the process of becoming a great nation. In fact, the process is like evolution and it needs a bit of time. The change started by this current administration is evolving into something worthy of becoming the next emerging economic powerhouse. I would compare us like the status of China in 1980’s. Chinese were poor and helpless back then, but they started to evolve in 90’s, the trend continued and they yield the real results in 20’s. I see the achievements of Aquino administration in the last 4 years, though far from the ideal ones that we all aspire for but we are going there. And if this will be continued by the next presidents, then I bet we would reap that harvest in less than two decades. The Local Government Units and the Bureaucracy must follow the way the National Government is doing. Change must start in their territories. They must create best practices that would promote growth and development in their places and offices. Ordinary Filipinos especially uneducated ones which comprises the majority of population, most of them, do not care about politics and environment. They only care about how to sustain their income to feed their families and survive for another day. True public leaders responsible and are concern of their plight must teach them or create to them the opportunities in their respective areas towards prosperity. This may be in a form of livelihood programs, technical skills and development, manufacturing and agribusiness, while stimulating business growth, free market competition, peace and order, infrastructures and services in their localities among many others that are also helpful.
Jigs, do the society a favor, can you pls rip your balls off? The world will be much better place with 1 retard failipino off from the gene pool.
Jigs, unfortunately I could not see the Philippines prospering under BS Aquino’s administration as you see it. For one thing, he’s seemingly basically following almost everything that his mother did when she was President, and the results of such are essentially the same; it’s almost deja vu.
Even the circumstantial events are eerily similar in both administrations (e.g., a heavily centralized government, the increase in Communist rebels despite the arrest of its leaders, bungling after a huge natural disaster, rotating blackouts in major areas of the country).
I won’t compare the Philippines today to China in the 1980’s; I prefer to see it more as Haiti after the fall of Baby Doc.
You have to check the facts. Every department under Noy’s government has achieved significant measures much better than his predecessors. If you tint your glasses to see only poverty around the corner then that would be unfair. We are still a developing country and that development would take years to solve. Not to mention the hurdles this administration is facing like those corrupt politicians and those lazy bones Pinoys who are hindrance to development and don’t have plans for their future.
China, even in its decades of progression, is still far from the ideal. There are many poor Chinese in China that have the same ordeal in the Philippines like living in squalor areas. The Philippines would be like that I guess even whose the president in another six years of his/her term. We could not shortcut to become the status of Japan and Singapore.
Inclusive growth would not be immediate, we are not promoting radicalism here and emulate the likes of Stalin and Hitler on what they have done to USSR and Germany before the wars broke out. Since we are a democratic country, we must understand first our position. Of course, there are plenty of rooms for improvement in present times but at least this incumbent administration is doing something. Examples are in the manufacturing, agriculture, education, military, services and infrastructure areas. Many more to come for this year onward.
So far, we have a stable economy in spite of the global crisis. Our budget deficit is reducing and our dollar reserves and inflation rate are almost steady. We have to help ourselves if we think the government cannot do everything for us. That way, we are doing our country a favor. We must be positive on the outlook of life despite our differences and biases.
For somebody who said walang corrupt walang mahirap. All his allies are never investigated.
“Kung walang corrupt walang mahirap” – it’s actually aspiring for greatness. Previous presidents also have their slogans but they did not even try to stick to it. This administration has done several investigations and litigations non-stop since 2010. Not just against the opposition but also the allies. Several congressmen who belong to the Liberal party have been implicated to the misused of discretionary funds. It’s up to the anti-corruption institutions to decide and charge them later on.
Jigs,
You really should STOP LYING!
The guy was an unaccomplished 50 year old yet he promised to eliminate corruption and poverty. Oh, he was in Congress and the Senate. He was part of the corruption causing the poverty. Don’t tell he was a crusading cop. The Pinoy Elliot Ness. Your infatuation with him knows no bounds.
@ Jigs:”We are on the process of becoming a great nation”……
ROTFLMAO @ YOU!!!! R U BLIND? the counrty is a total mess, a failed state. AND YOU SAY THAT? WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!
You did not realize that we are a third world country and the mess which I think you mean is actually existed and continue to exist in other third world countries as well. We are a weak state and that’s a fact but what I’m trying to point here is the process either we are going backward, stagnant or progressing and I think that in current trends, we are heading towards development. We could not appreciate that scenario for now because we are redeveloping at the moment but let’s look at the statistics of the economists, banking institutions and political leaders in the world. They are all saying that the Philippines is heading towards the right direction. And if this will be continued relentlessly in the years to come then we will have a bright future ahead of us.
@Jigs, that is much different from what you stated first.
BUT LOOK, if you want to kid yourself, go ahead……BUT,RIGHT NOW:
the Philippines is a failed state, it is that simple and no amount of bullshit statistics is going to change that.
@Jigs, again, check the indices. You focus too much on politics and economics. Despite the bragging about “recovery” and “economic turnarounds,” the Philippines is now a near-failed state:
http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2014/03/07/1298078/phl-failing-state-12-signs-show-so
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Failed_States_Index
The Philippines will stay as a “near-failed state” and a “weak-state” because of the fact that we are third world and developing country. Those challenges mentioned by the authors of the links you have shared are the results of the long decades and deeply rooted problems accumulated by the negligence of past governments.
The new evolution arise, the Philippines is now trying to break-away those gaps obstructing our growth while producing vibrant results for our economy and governance — these views came from the foreign investors, renowned credit rating agencies such as Moody’s, S & P and Fitch Ratings, renowned lending banking institutions; World Bank and ADB, economists local and foreign and world leaders.
Though they did not dismiss that the Philippines has a lot of improvements to make in present time but more importantly, they are not discounting the fact as based on their studies, that we actually improved a bit under PNoy administration. They no longer called us the “Sick Man of Asia”, instead replaced that as “Rising Tiger of Asia”.
Now, those who don’t agree with the experts I mentioned above should come up instead with their reliable study of our present economy. In the first place, what can you offer? you are no experts, why should I believe in you. I think you are all just random people who are merely expressing their opinions but in reality are bitter of BS Aquino’s winning of presidency and until now cannot accept the fact that’s why you are always critical and nitpicking.
More on the Philippines’ teetering failed-state status:
(Manila Times, 10 Apr 2014)
http://www.manilatimes.net/phl-a-near-failed-state-used-by-the-us/89100/
(Huffington Post, 19 Apr 2013)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-javad-heydarian/why-the-philippines-faile_b_3106136.html
@Jigs: If what you say are facts, then can you show us reliable citations to what you just said about these “experts”? Or are you just, as you call it, nitpicking on only what the perceived positives are?
Close to two months and no reliable citations. I thought so.
Don’t expect a malacañang troll like Jigs to show anything other than his yellow propaganda.
He’s only kidding himself if he thinks his propaganda is shielding his precious boss in malacañang from any criticisms.
1. Great corruption in government!
2. Great cruelty in persecuting perceived political enemies!
3. Great blame games and scapegoating!
4. Great delays during natural disasters!
5. Great laziness in government!
6. Great incompetence and stupidity in government!
7. Great inaction from a suffering people!
8. Great propaganda, manipulated surveys and window dressing!
9. Great over taxation without tax reforms or tax reductions!
10. Great lies and coverups in government!
11. Greater criminality and outlawry!
12. Great deception of a Matuwid na daan!
13. Great campaign promises that were never delivered!
14. Great betrayal of Mindanao to the great benefit of the followers of global jihad!
15. Great pretenses of political greatness!
16. Great violations of the Philippine Constitution, the rule of law and due process.
17. Great inaction from bobotantes who do not know how to select great leaders!
18. Great bullshit in history books.
Name your own…
One thing, I wonder what Filipinos mean when they say “great.” What do you mean, great as in being an imperial power, taking over other countries and pillaging their resources? Count me out. Once the Philippines becomes something like that, I’ll become like the anti-imperialists during the late 1800s in the U.S. We’re complaining about the imperialism of other countries on us, but if given the chance we would do the same thing? That’s hypocritical.
Another thing: how could Filipinos think of being great when their first worry at the start of the day is whether they’ll have enough to eat? This applies especially to the really poor Filipinos in the far-off provinces.
the irony isn’t it?
i’ve often commented on this, on the respect filipinos give, and received.
mostly the respect given is only towards those who oppressed them, as such i often wondered why so?
when treated with equality, they often sought dominance instead of accepting equality.
maybe filipino culture thrives on oppression?
Greatness is a State of Mind…I’m a Filipino…I may have that Filipino dysfunctional genes on my DNA…however, I desire my country to be great…the people to be wise, prosperous and happy…
The Philippines can be great, IFF (I borrow from the language of those Computer Programmers…IFF means : if and only if)…
The President or any President can stop their thievery on the national treasury. Thievery masqueraded as : Pork Barrels, Disbursement Funds…etc…
The Senators, Congressmen and President can STOP their “Showtime” ; and really do their works/jobs, by which they are elected to do…
The Commision on Election can stop the electoral frauds, in the form of “dagdag-bawas”, HOCUS PCOS, and other kinds of Magics that make dumb and incompetent people get elected..
The Senators and Congressmen can pass laws that benefit the country ; and the Filipino people. Instead of themselves and their vested interests.
The people can vote for political leaders, who can really lead; and have good visions for the Filipino people.
The political leaders that are elected will deliver and fulfill their election promises . After elections: “bahala na kayo sa buhay ninyo”…is their prevailing attitude…
The candidates for political offices can put a working platform…and impliment them, after they get elected. Most candidates, put stupid slogans, songs and dances, mga pa-charming, etc…to get elected…
When will the day; when the Philippines really becomes Great? With Great people…I hope to see that day in my lifetime…
The country had the same opportunity that other S.E. Asian countries/economies had at the end of WW2.
What went wrong? A long line of ne’er do well leaders plundering the treasury, reliance on miltary protection from outside entities. IDK? that pretty much sums it up,YES?
How to correct it?
Better to dismantle/annihilate and start from sctrach?
Fuck if I know….BUT,
The Filippines has had what it needs to succeed but hasn’t utilzed it correctly. How it can be importing rice is just un-believable. The IFugao rice terraces for instance.
We’re not a nation..since we don’t want to be.
For one we don’t care about our national identity, we’re just fine with the moniker “nation of servants”..I mean I still see terms like “fail-pinis” and all those 4chan talk here describing the country so yeah. Just a unknown entity. Seeing as how most of the people belittle the importance of local dialect then forget about aspiring to be a nation.
That’s why in a way I support the eventual long-term balkanization of the Philippines. Read “A Country of Our Own: Partitioning the Philippines” by David Martinez.
http://www.tomandcathymarking.com/reviews/a_country_of_our_own.htm
I also fully support the balkanization of the Philippines. If you notice, more and more nations now are becoming their own sovereign countries. This trend will continue and hopefully Philippines is not a late comer as it always use to.
Im up for Balkanization or Fedaration of States. Best solution so far. Or ala UK / United “Great” Philippines . lol
Benigno’s ideology reminds me of Sir Thomas More’s “Utopia.” The only difference is that, in the case with Benigno, he was able to bring it closer to reality than what More’s Utopia could ever be as a sort of an escapist fantasy novel. His idealism is based on facts suggestive of the real situation of the present Philippines and calls everyone involved to act.
http://www.nnalcot.blogspot.com/