Without a doubt, Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr is doing his country proud. He has saved the Philippines from the clutches of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (in the current form President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III and his minions railroaded through the House of Representatives). He has, in the process, demonstrated an ironic allegiance to the Philippine Constitution — a national charter that was crafted under the watch of no less than President BS Aquino’s mother, former President Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino.
As chief Senate reviewer of the proposed BBL, the junior Marcos exhibited the sort of statesmanship and diplomacy that the original Malacanang negotiating team led by Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles and Miriam Coronel-Ferrer utterly lacked. Over the course of the review, Senator Marcos tirelessly travelled all over the country to consult with everyone potentially affected by the proposed law that would have seen a vast chunk of Mindanao ceded unto the hands of the terrorist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The outcome of the investigation is nothing short of conclusive. The BBL is unworkable and would have resulted in an outcome the opposite of what its authors promised the Filipino people.
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Despite these achievements, however, many Filipinos continue to hate Senator Bongbong Marcos. Why? Because of his surname. Senator Marcos’s father was the late former President Ferdinand E Marcos. Filipinos cannot seem to see past that fact. That is strange, because many of these people are the same people who are advocates of “voter education”. A cornerstone of this initiative to develop an intelligent vote in the Philippines is to change the way Filipino voters evaluate candidates running for office. Voter education champions encourage Filipinos to ditch their traditional practice of voting on the basis of name- and face-recall in favour of qualifications and record of achievement.
Clearly, Senator Marcos has achieved a lot in the last couple of years. In fact, he’s achieved a lot more in the last six months than many Philippine senators have achieved over the entirety of their term in office.
Yet, to his detractors, he is still and only just “a Marcos”. That’s, quite simply, being small-minded.
Then again, it makes sense of course. Filipinos are predominantly Roman Catholic. Catholics live by the baffling notion that babies are not born innocent. They believe babies are born guilty of Original Sin. To erase that “sin”, no less than the Son of God needed to be put up as human sacrifice to appease his own father.
That explains the primitivist way Filipinos continue to regard Senator Bongbong Marcos. In Filipinos’ minds, Bongbong is guilty of his father’s alleged sins.
So for arguments’ sake, perhaps we should ask ourselves: What does Senator Bongbong Marcos need to do to absolve himself of his father’s sins?
It seems saving the Philippines from President BS Aquino’s version of the BBL was not enough. Bagging the Nobel Peace Prize following a possibly successful enactment of a new version of the BBL perhaps?
Seriously (not to say that the Prize in Marcos’s hands is an impossibility), unlike the divine intervention needed to absolve Catholic babies of their guilt, no miracle is really needed to erase the stigma of being “a Marcos” that Bongbong bears. Senator Marcos simply needs to work harder and deliver more results. And so far as we’ve seen, he has demonstrated that stepping up to those challenges does not faze him at all.
Perhaps it is time to regard our politicians using a different way of thinking.
You see, it is only when Filipinos become pro-achievement first before being merely and only pro-[insert politician’s name here] that we can hold hand to heart and claim to be a real democracy.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Bongbong’s surname is a double-edged sword. It could be a gift, or a curse.
As history already suggested, the name Marcos has become synonymous to tyranny and corruption, but at the same time it is also synonymous to greatness/ excellence and effectiveness (at least, to the Marcos loyalists).
All in all, we shouldn’t immediately scrutinize a politician just because of his surname. We must examine what he can do, instead of who he is.
The Aquinos are good in DEMONIZING their political opponents. Look at Gloria Arroyo; the Binays; the Marcoses; etc…their Media tools are in place: TV, Newspapers, radio broadcasts, troll bloggers, etc…
However, if you look closely at the Records of the Aquinos. They are enemy’s collaborators; Thieves; Political Opportunists of the worse kind…etc…the Hacienda Luisita is a Concrete Evidence of their Greed. Add them to Aquino’s : DAP, PDAF, Pork Barrel Bribery; now the BBL Law…
The Aquinos shelved the Land Reform Peogram, to protect their Hacienda Luisita. They want to keep the Philippine in Feudal Oligarchy…
Many cahoots of Aquino grew rich, during his term.
I am no Fan of Marcos…We need New Faces, with Plans and Visions for our country . I am tired of TRAPOS…it is more of the same..
do you know that benigno aquino the father of pinoy is NPA my friend went to tarlak to visit thier relative and at midnight when he woke up nobody is home all the relative are out when he look out side the house he saw aquino sr.providing guns to all resident when his uncle saw him outside he told him to back ti manila because if they see himm they will kill him my friend told me that aquino is comander dante
You don’t have to tell that story that the Aquinos are NPA supporters.
Aquino in his term RELEASED the Morong 40, who were suspected NPAs, for No Valid Reason. Tarlac is the hot bed of NPA activities.
The Aquinos have to do this NPA support to protect their Hacienda Luisita.
It is IRONIC, that a COMMUNIST IDEOLOGY that championed its fight against Feudalism; is being used by a Feudal Oligarch family to promote their political agendas.
Jo Ma Sison,who lives like a King In Amsterdam. The NPA Supremo has been Silent for many years; since Aquino took over…
I like the way you write benigno, I don’t know how old you are, but you sometimes remind me of Phistar’s Max Soliven.
I disagree with you on this one; being a catholic and original sin as the reason why some filipino’s still hate not only him, but his entire family.
I hated them before because that was thought to me by the teachers in schools and also by the media.
I was told that Meralco and MWSS was acquired by the Marcoses for personal gain.
As I grow old, and started paying my own bills, I realized that, electricity and water services should have been left in the hands of the government.
From hate, it turned into curiosity. I did some critical thinking and have concluded that truly the victors does write our history.
Sir, i have this same notion…that as long as those who were behind the downfall of FEM Are alive and continue to use all avenues (the ACADEME for one ) continues to inject into the minds of the youths negative impression upon the Marcoses, the stigma that was caused by the events during the Marcos Regime will linger for so many years. The sin of the Father cannot be transferred to an innocent Son. However, as It was stated in this niteworthy commentary or whatever people may call this, THE SON HAS TO SUFFER FOR THE PITFALLS OF THE FATHER. But to my mind, this illogical concept shoyld end. To GREAT MINDED PEOPLE, they may understand this, to the INTELLIGENT MINDED ONES…they cintinue to seek the TRUTH…to the AVERAGE MINDED PEOPLE…as ever, they won’t really care and, to LIW MINDED PERSONS…as long as they exists, they will be forever used by people who know how to take advantage of their liw mindedness for thei purposes and advantages. I won’t liken the Young Marcos to Jesus because he can never be Jesus….but BBM,Jr.’s situation and position is. In the end I can say BBM, Jr. Is not doing the things he doing to erase that STIGMA, but he is working based on tge mandate of his function/duty of a Senator And as he has sworn…TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES. Thank you sir…your balance comment has inspired me so much to write this lengthy reply. God bless our beloved country, The Philippines and God bkess us all!
The sin and wealth of the parent is transfer to their children.
There have been other countries in Asia (I can think of two off the top of my head) where the son of a dictator has been instrumental in turning their country around, and others where people linked to dictatorial parties have made good politicians. I’m not convinced someone who calls himself Bong Bong is likely to be the sharpest tool in the box, but as you said, people should judge on results, not appearances.
well, if he’s not helping to return all those ill-gotten wealth back..
Really!? The Marcoses are the most pathetic excuses of all human beings. Just see Bongbong, Imee or Imelda’s faces on TV living the life of Riley disgusts me, knowing that all the money they’ve stolen during their plunder from the Filipino people during 1965-86 they hadn’t return yet. I will never vote for any them, the moment I heard one of them once said, that the nearly 10,000 victims of torture, murder, rape and forced disappearances during Martial Law were merely “collateral damage”.
Ask the poor farmers of Hacienda Luisita how they were treated since after the Philippine Revolution.
There was no Philippine “EDSA Revolution”. It is a Disinformation spread by the Aquinos.
It was a coup d’ etat by Ramos and Enrile. Aided by the U.S. /CIA ,and the Philippine Roman Catholic Church.
Cory Aquino was hiding in Cebu. After all was cleared up. She came out from her hiding hole, and claimed “victory”…
I read one of those Aquino’s History books. I nearly vomitted for what they have featured. They described themselves as: “Heroes and Saints”…
You hit the nail exactly on its head
Eh bkt di na ipakulong nung mag-inang Aquino yung pamilya ng mga Marcoses.
Walang logic, presidente ka na nga eh di mo parin na ipakulong yung alleged na si nasabi nyong magnanakaw and killer ni Ninoy, unless hinde totoo.
Puro propaganda lang. Incompetent yung mag-ina dahil wala silang nagawa. Now who’s pathetic…Kawawa ang Pilipinong katulad mo.
BBM2016! and No to Aquino version of BBL.
Move on na! Kung wala si BBM, batas na ang BBL. Ano sa tingin mo ang nangyayari na ngayon sa Mindanao? Magpuputa na naman ang mga Filipino para sa kapakanan ng mga dependent at magnanakaw. Buti nga sa kabila ng maraming incompetent at corrupt sa gobyerno may hope pa sa Pinas e. Kailangan din nating buksan ang mga mata natin para sa mga nagtatama ng bulok nating sistema kasi kung mabibilang na nga sila sa daliri at matatabunan pa ng mga propaganda, sleeping beauty na naman ang peg natin. Daang taon tayong natutulog at ‘pag gising natin advance at maunlad na lahat ang mga kaharian sa paligid natin, tayo taong sinauna pa rin.
wake up bugbunny iknow that you are paid blogger of aquino ..what can you say about the people that die in the rally in cory aquino when she was the president..???people die intarlak and memdiola and the people killed by the NPA aquino sr is commander dante of NPA do you have evidence that the marcos family stollen money ???how about the money that pinoy stollent from, the donation of the other country ??what happen to the house that they build ???GMA donate about 300 house already lacson resign because aquno will not released the fund (money) for the house to build for the people of visayan region
I’m not paid. In fact I even have some complaints for the Aquinos, like the shady origins of the Cojuangco wealth (Cory’s family). Or Cory’s initial encouragement for the deadly, anti-communist, right-wing vigilante groups, like Rock Christ and Alsa Masa, the latter of which related to a certain Davao City mayor (Although later she wanted them to disband, but without effect). Or PAL Building scandal. Or the Cory government’s giving in to imposing the US influenced-neoliberal economic policies on our country, which is limiting industrialization.
You may not be paid but you sure are stupid. Learn to differentiate between ferdinand marcos and bongbong marcos. Whatever the father has done should not be blamed on the son. You are such a Typical filipino moron.
“…the nearly 10,000 victims of torture, murder, rape and forced disappearances during Martial Law…”
_____________________________
What kind of evil would be capable of that, indeed!? Ten thousand victims in all. The number and heartrending description alone make one blood boil in hate of whoever could have been responsible. Until you find out who they are and what they represent.
” (It)… is a consolidated case of three groups who sued Marcos in the Hawaii Court in 1986. The three groups were the SELDA group of 9,539; the group of 21 Filipino expatriates in the US led by Vic Clemente and Fluellen Ortigas and the group of three of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, the parents of the former representing his disappeared brother, Francisco Sison and Jose Piopongco, whose radio station was ordered confiscated by then Pres. Marcos. … all three groups won the historic class action suit and therefore, all three must be included in any settlement agreement or recoveries to collect on judgment. That is why it is not only 9,539 victims who must benefit from the recovery of Marcos’ wealth but the three groups who won in the landmark case.”
https://seldapilipinas.wordpress.com/tag/human-rights-victims-reparation-and-recognition-act-of-2013/page/2/
Better victims than victors.
“…all the money they’ve stolen during their plunder from the Filipino people during 1965-86 they hadn’t return yet…”
__________________
All the evidence that money were stolen comes from the Supreme Court decision that essentially asserts “unexplained therefore plundered”. In any case, Marcos wrote about his so-called wealth as early as January 1970 in his diary and also about specific acts he did to divest himself of it through a foundation.
https://philippinediaryproject.wordpress.com/1970/01/01/january-1-1970/
The Marcoses should be asked if this is true or just a joke.
Read about the Mendiola Massacre in 1983, which is before the 1987 Mendiola Massacre. And Escalante Massacre. In fact 10,000 victims is a conservative estimate. According to Amnesty International, the number could be as high as 35,000. That doesn’t include the number of people who were jailed without due process (during Martial Law when there was no habeas corpus), which number in the 70,000s. Victims range from students, professors, journalists, priests. Like some of the radicals you’d see demonstrating against PNoy. I heard Marcos was allegedly quoted, “Hooray, hooray! Now we had to deal with one individual!” Whoever that is. Marcos is no Hitler, but IMO his achievements cannot outweigh the number of lives lost and the grief their families are experiencing. About the wealth, you might also read more about it. After 1986, it was discovered that 4 Marcos-controlled foundations had deposited large sums in Liechtenstein, Panama and Swiss bank accounts. Due to Swiss bank secrecy laws, the PCGG had difficulty in recovering them. After some anti-secrecy laws were in place, in 2004, Switzerland returned about $683 million from one Marcos’ bank account, stated by them to be of “criminal origin”, to the Philippine government. That leaves many more millions to recover.
It is nice to quote numbers, 35,000… 70,000 yet how did they arrive at those, you never ask. In any case, a comprehensive accounting of those who died, lost, tortured, jailed without due process, and detailing of the “crimes” committed on them and the circumstances surrounding their cases should be conducted. The perpetrators should be identified and their commanders and why did they commit such crimes. Did Marcos order directly or indirectly their rape, torture, killing and disappearance?
As for those wealth, unexplained or hidden does not necessarily mean plundered or as having criminal origins. There is a basis to suspect it could have criminal origins, but that is all. Anyway, if you are so confident with your accusation who am I to say you are wrong? Just remember this: wrong accusations eventually condemns the accuser and exalts the accused.
Kinuha na ng PCGG( cory’s administration) lahat ng mga ari-arian ng mga marcos since they left malacanang, and up until now hinahabol pa ng current administration ang iba nilang ari-arian, abo gusto ng gobyerno, msisams ang mga marcos sa mga beggar? Pati damit ns sout nila gusto pa nilang kunin. Only the frozen accounts of the marcoses sng Hindi nila makuha kuha. Sorry nalang sila.
How about the million dollars from the marcoses that peping conjuanco claimed he lost in his baggage in new york? How about the billion worth of jewelries, accessories and other things imelda left in malacañang that are now publicly being used by aquino sisters?
For me Bongbong Marcos’ desire to seek redempton shall bring forth good results to our nation. Just imagine putting yourself into his shoes and you where given the chance to lead the nation, of course your going to make it good to all the best you can in order for you to redeem the bad image not only our nation thought but the whole world thought about you & your family. After all Bongbong Marcos is a good senator and for me he is qualified to become president someday.
Im sorry I should have said “redeem your name from the bad image the whole world thought about you & your family.”
I am not a Catholic but Im a Baptist and I just want to remind those unforgiving Catholics to the Marcos familiy that St.Paul who is one of the most important disciples whom Catholics prayed and worship was once of the worst enemy of Christians. He was a Roman officer who was assigned to persecute and behead Christians until Christ found him and turned him into a disciple. Yun lang po!
Sen Bong Bong Marcos is a person with dignity generous and sincere who among them to all senators who delivered to their constituents a projects wherein they enjoyed like the electricity maybe the lowest rate compared to the Meralco (CROOKS) and that is the Windmills that produced electricity in Ilocos Norte the good roads and bridges and other worthy projects, now he is fighting for the BBL because its unconstitutional he really deserves to become the next President in the Philippine Republic,
EX President Marcos is still the greatest President and no one can surpassed him when it comes to his greatest achievements during his term open your eyes and see the difference who among them is the Greatest President!!
yes only ex president ferdinand marcos is the best lots of projects that all filipinos is using only fools is not appreciating ,,so his jr bbm even they are destroying his image every body knows he is doing well is job as senator ,,he is saving our country especially now the bbl ,,so lord must bless him protect him for 2016
The windmills are not supplying cheap electricity here in Ilocos Norte. The power they generate from them are being sold to another electric power company and not directly to INEC. Our monthly electric bills are very far from cheap. These windmills are more of tourist attractions rather than generating cheap electricity for the people of Ilocos Norte.
i think the main purpose of the windmills are not immediately for cheaper electicity but to generate more power to ease brownouts. ilocos norte is at the end of the power grid and the electricity supply reaches the province w/ lower power.the windmills i think eases the more frequent brownouts coz at least the province has supply of its own. business is also better now after the windmills were installed.
Bong Bong’ Ftaher’s ‘alleged sin’s’. PLEASE, with that one dude. That is like saying Charles Manson,although he murdered no one,is not guilty of conspiracy to kill 9 people, HE DID IT ! AND FERDINAND MARCOS WAS A CRIMINAL DICTATOR.He stole almost everything that was worth anyting and when the fury of ’86 subsided,just lke his maters promised him would happen, he ans his family slithered back into the country.NEWSFLASH:Their money NEVER LEFT though.
Look, until these dynastic oligarchies are abolished and done away with,once and for all, and some new ‘FRESH BLOOD’ and a new way of doing things is implemented in the Fail-ippines nothing will change.BANK ON THAT. WHAT IS NEEDED IS SOMETHING LIKE Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s ‘NEW DEAL’ reforms of the mid 1930’s USA,higher wages,lower taxes/electricity rates and stop the goddamn thieving by these lying thieving weasel politicians.U kno, IDGAS what their last name is:If its a Filipno politician, he/she is full of shit and a crook,nothing less.
I don’t think it is about Bonget being “guilty of his father’s alleged sins.” It is just that this is an emotional issue for a good many. In my case, it was my family, or our clan to be exact, that was one of those that was directly hit by the systematic grab by FM of profitable businesses. Our old people in the family owned the magnetite iron mines in the North. The business was no near in size to say, those of the Lopezes, Jacintos, etc, so it didn’t warrant any headline when it was grabbed as say when ABS-CBN, Meralco, Iligan Steel Mill, San Miguel, Metrobank, Security Bank, etc were taken over by Marcos henchmen. No, we were never in that league, and yet it was taken over — maybe, Marcos saw its future potential.
It was one of those that pioneered in export business and counted big names like Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, etc among its regular and satisfied clients. I was very young then, but I can remember it afforded us comfortable living. I can talk like this without emotion, maybe because I am of the generation of grandchildren. But, you only have to watch my uncles when they see Imelda on TV or the broadsheets, and you’d know the hurt is deep. They almost would want to throw a shoe at the TV set. Half of the clan went to the US with nothing in the aftermath; some living in mobile homes, scraping the bottom for years before things got better. One of my uncles, the president of the company, contemplated suicide; the other, trying to find a professional hitman with his last bottom pesos to do FM in. Luckily, he didn’t find his hitman.
We are also acquainted with two families, as the fathers were employees of the company, who had sons, one each, who can be counted among the deparacidos. One mother just spent all her savings going around the country pursuing leads in search of her son. When she ran out of money, she borrowed heavily. She died heavily in debt and totally heartbroken, if not almost insane. Yes, we can’t blame FM directly for this. There were Palparans then like General Ver, Kabise of Metrocom, the boss of the young Ping Lacson, Berroya, Catapang, etc, who might have been overzealous in following FM and overdone things.
Yes, I am trying to think of this objectively even if I will also admit that I have this subconscious aversion to the name Marcos. So, I don’t know if I can be believed if I say I have been trying to get hold of that privilege speech of Bonget re BBL that they claim was fantastic and brilliant, worthy of a senator in the traditional sense when Congress was still occupied by giants in statesmanship. I could believe it for his father was without doubt an oratorical genius who mesmerized the English speaking world. Unfortunately, it was a speech that didn’t get headlines as it was eclipsed by the interest of media re the foundling issues re Grace Poe.
The point is: if I have this, which I hope is an understandable, aversion to Marcos, I feel this unexplainable hatred now for the Aquinos, specifically PNoy. Although I didn’t vote for PNoy, for I voted Gibo, I must admit I kept some kind of a yearning inside that I hope he would succeed if only to prove the Marcoses were totally wrong. Maybe, if PNoy succeeded, then the Marcoses might be urged to apologize to those they have wronged — actually that is all we want to hear from the Marcoses, any one of them.
But alas, PNoy has proven to be a total disaster. What makes matter worse is that he is demonstrating this mentality that PHL owes the Aquinos. Since when did Ninoy and Cory demand payment for their sacrifices? — they didn’t, because they knew they were also acting in their self interest — PHL’s needs then just happen to coincide with that self interest. So, how can PNoy act like he owns PHL? That is worse than the Marcos mentality. At least, the Marcoses had a dream of a “Nation Great Again”. In the process, they incurred collateral damages, and my family happen to be one of them, but I can also see in retrospect there was nothing personal about it. PNoy, on the other hand, has no dream except for an entitlement to the presidency. As far as I am concerned that is double betrayal, he failed a worthy cause and he degraded the presidency. Maybe it is triple betrayal, he also failed on all his promises. All in all, he miserably squandered a golden opportunity. Of course, he is full of shit and hypocrisy, for that is the traitor’s character. His loyalty is to himself alone. Outside of that, he can drop anybody like a hot potato. Look at what he did to Purisima and Napeñas.. His is a mind of a pure utilitarian, undiluted. Bonget has now put him to shame, instead of the other way around, if you got the drift of what I have been saying.
Yes, I will agree with you, Benign0, that we should judge our politicians by their accomplishments, their demonstrated ability to perform and deliver. And, that will have to include Bonget Marcos, despite what I feel subconsciously. (From a practical point anyway, Bonget seems more qualified than Grace Poe, Duterte, and Mar Roxas combined.)
Yes, let bygones be bygones.
The only thing I don’t understand is what has Catholicism got to do with this. As far as I can remember, my family in general have long forgiven the Marcoses, i.e., especially after things got better for us. I will of course count a couple of exceptions, but these are older family members, the emotional ones. But I know we have forgiven, because we could even now laugh a lot about the past in family get- togethers. I don’t think we can be that forgiving if we were not a Catholic family. Lee Kwan Yew, in fact, said that this is the problem of PHL, we easily forgive and have short memories. His is the other way around of what you are saying.
Be that as it may, I will repeat, let bygones be bygones. History is interesting for its twists. We still don’t know if ours will be a farce, tragedy, comedy, a saga of resurrection and reconciliations, or just plain politics at its worst, or at its best. Maybe, it is time to be surprised after a pathetic six-year by 2016. Let us allow the mind to over-rule the heart.
When Politicians are in Power; they use their Power to: Steal ; confiscate properties/businesses of others; protect what they have stolen; commit murders and atrocities;do dictatorial acts; etc…
Power corrupts…Absolute Power corrupts absolutely. Look at the “railroading” of the BBL Law…
Keeping an open mind is key here. For so long, Filipinos have voted on the bases of anything but issues-based platforms. The ascent of President BS Aquino to power was the culmination of a growing tradition of blindness to achievement track records. Hopefully the disaster of his presidency will serve as a lesson and, hopefully, contribute to helping Filipino voters see the importance of taking their votes seriously.
We cannot afford not to be OPEN-MINDED these days, Benign0. It is now very common for Malacañang to lie thru their teeth. We have to look at every angle, otherwise it would be very easy for them to hoodwink us. IDK, it must have been their close association with MILF that the Palace have now learned the art of Taqiyya. Oh boy, have they learned!! They are putting to shame even Muhammed at the way they apply Taqiyya. Even Machiavelli would not have imagined there could be a science in lying.
I am not sure if I am exagerrating, but PHL situation today is dire. You get to talk to barbers, drivers, etc and you can now hear things like: “Eh de guerra kung guerra, bakit MILF lang ba ang marunong manakot?”, or Eh binabastos na tayo pag ganyan, patay kung patay, lalaban tayo kahit Tsina pa sila.” How did we come to a situation as such things could even come out of the mouth of these humble people? Would such be a topic in 2010? So why can we even think today that there might be the possibility of war? Even a shade of war would not even be in the psyche of people in 2010, if I recall.
Malacañang can tell all the lies they want, but the moment they sent Trillanes to China to talk of Spratlys and Panatag Shoal, we were toast. You know I have been going to Beijing and Shanghai for business, and I think I kind of know their culture and psychology. I don’t know if Trillanes was briefed, but the Mainland Chinese are very, very sensitive to non-verbal languages of the ones they are talking with, especially foreigners. They are little things actually which we here in PHL don’t pay attention to. We are very Americanized and want our meetings to be casual. Well, Beijing meetings may look no different to outsiders. But, there is something formal, structured, hierarchy conscious underneath the way Chinese deal or transact, from seating arrangements to the way you wave your hands while talking, etc.
Looking at some of the reports of what transpired, it must be, and I am now adding my speculation here, they must have asked Trillanes for his name card as they gave theirs. They got seated, and the host must have said a very brief welcoming remarks and allowed everyone to exchange pleasantries for maybe 5 mins, or talking of anything under the sun. As in the ways of Trillanes in Senate hearings, I can imagine he wasn’t interested in these initial small talks. If he jump the gun and immediately proceeded to the purpose of his visit, that would be insult #1 on the host. If he just kept on talking and was not prepared to listen, as he is wont in hearings that would be insult#2. The host must have looked at the name card again, and it says Senator. He then must have asked himself why is this guy then spewing garbage. If that was the case, that would not be insult#3 by Trillanes, but insult#1 by PHL — why would PHL send a garbage to negotiate?
I am not saying that that is what transpired, but I am imagining things because the news report says that China started playing games and tricks after Trillanes’ visit. Knowing the Chinese, I can only interpret that the Chinese got insulted, plain and simple, and this time I think I am not speculating. No wonder DFA Sec Del Rosario wanted to strangulate Trillanes when he learned of the latter’s secret trip.
All these may initially look like trivia in the news. Secret meeting with Murad in Tokyo. Secret ops to get Marwan. The good intention, but secret, to replace the maintenance provider of MRT. The secret to tamper with the computerization of LTO. Secret this and secret that. These have been the ways of PNoy, and PHL is in deep shit because of all these secrets. No wonder Malacañang has to lie when these things are uncovered. But, you see why war has appeared in the national psyche.
Open your eyes. Open your ears. And yes, as BenignO says, let us open our minds, especially now up to 2016.
Yeah, the idea of being “open-minded” in the Philippines needs to be qualified further.
One cannot simply be open-minded without applying a bit of intelligence to said openness.
The sort of “open-mindedness” that led to the presidency of President BS Aquino, for example, is characterised more by recklessness than by mindful consideration. The irony here is that there was really no openness then (in the same way that there is none even now) because the choices are still limited to the same tradition that frames Philippine politics — dynasties, oligarchs, and shallow rhetoric that passes off as political “debate”.
God bless you and your family add. Your story is quite inspiring. Thank you. And thank you for defending us Catholics. I love everything that you said. Forgiveness is indeed synonym tp freedom. Your family was free the moment you learned to forgive. Thank you for the inspiration. Mabuhay po kayo.
His Senate CV contained the bare faced LIE that he had obtained a degree at Oxford. In fact he was awarded a “special diploma” – the lowest category of FAIL.
The son of Lee Kuan Yew, the current prime minister of Singapore, was a contemporary of mine at Cambridge and obtained the highest pass in the most difficult subject.
And you commented but didn’t do research. Man up! Special Diploma in Oxford is equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree in the Philippines. The like of this man made the country in deep shit. Basta may masabing lang!
The reality is that the people have no desire for an empire. This is not to say that they don’t want the benefits, both economic and strategic. It simply means that they don’t want to pay the price. Economically, people want the growth potential of open markets but not the pains. Politically, they want to have an enormous influence, but not the resentment of the world. Military, they want to be protected from dangers but not to bear the burdens of long-term strategy.
There is usually a moment in the life of a new president when he begins to see himself not as an aspirant desperate to win but as a statesman above the squalor and sweat of actual vote getting. Rising men do not like to be reminded of the smell of the stables; dignitaries dislike recollections of the dust through which they have come.
Politics is an art and not a science, and what is required for its mastery is not the rationality of the engineer but the wisdom and the moral strength of the statesman. A profound common sense is the best genius for statesmanship. The challenge was that it was harder to be subtle than strident. Statesmanship is developed in the hard knocks of general experience, private and public.
Idealism is frequently another word for self-righteousness, a disease that can only be corrected by a profound understanding power in its complete sense. The kind of president we need has little to do with ideology and more to do with a willingness to wield power to moral ends.
I am a Conservative to preserve all that is good in our constitution, a Radical to remove all that is bad. I seek to preserve property and to respect order, and I equally decry the appeal to the passions of the many or the prejudices of the few.
Well said…how true is it…a politician can never be a statesman/stateswoman…unless , he/she desires it…
Power has many temptations…
It is like the tempting of Jesus Christ in the desert by the “Devil”, before his sacrifice…
oh common haters. when will you EVER learn? 2 Aquinos in the highest position in our country and yet, wala man lang Marcos na nakulong? Kung si Arroyo, Estrada,Revilla,etc. kya niyang ipakulong, ang mga Marcos pa kaya? well, let BBM do his job and let the Ilocanos prosper. ganda kaya ng Ilocos Norte compared to stinking Tarlac… yak
To live in Yesterday’s past is the wisdom of a Fool. Let us all live in the present…the Aquinos have many baggages in the past…
Filipinos Japanese Imperial Army collaborators, led by Benigno Aquino,Sr., were the cause of many death of Filipino guerrillas fighting the Japanese occupation. There are also many murders committed in the name of Hacienda Luisita and the NPA.
Marcos dictatorship caused many death and disappearances. Marcos made many rich Filipinos suffer.
If we remain to be stuck in the Past. Then, we cannot solve our problems. Let us all MOVE ON, and live in the present…
You are right about that BT, been to both places and the difference is just overwhelming. The Marcos family did a good job preserving our history.
Fear makes wise men foolish.
That is the glaring problem with my fellow pinoys /pinays. Every issue becomes a personal attack, be it the name, who associated with or the worse-hearsay. With the opportunity I have to learn and understand history and its participants, I have understood every historic relevance attached to our politicians. FM was who he was, BBM I believe has a lot more knowledge and intelligence to surpass his father granted he will be given an intellectual chance by the people. Of course, there are other equally experienced and younger politicians but, it does come down to ” What can you do that’s better than the previous admin “. Our country has vast finanacial and natural resource to survive and progress for the next generation to enjoy. If each politician today are rich beyond one’s imagination, just imagine if those money goes back to the country. If the future financials will be actually used for the country, I don’t see why we can’t be the tiger of asia again. China is rich because the world is feeding it from cheap goods by the billions. Binay will just put the country in financial distress and even deeper, Roxas can only show and steal ( a one trick pony ), MDS can do the job if she can control her temper, Duterte will be accused of inhuman tactics while getting rid of the countries cancer, everyone else is just there to make money.
The only redemption Bongbong can Make is to return the I’ll gotten wealth his Father took from the Philippines. I don’t see any clear statement in this article what Bongbong Marcos achievements are.
Natatawa ako sa mga commenters na talagang may beef kay Marcos as if sila mismo nakaranas ng krimen.
Guys, have you ever give a CAREFUL thinking about what really happened back then? Lagi niyo sinasabi na “HE DID IT ! AND FERDINAND MARCOS WAS A CRIMINAL DICTATOR.” Yada yada yada. Man, that’s very very biased POV. It’s bullshit.
Have you ever thought na may third party pa na pwedeng gumawa ng mga killings then they can easily blame FEM for it? Hindi no? I’m sure it’s a no. Di nyo naisip na a third party can benefit for ruining Marcos’ reputation.
And besides, why Marcos, a pro-poor since he supports the farmers would ever kill the people who support him? Greed? Nope. Power? Nope. It really doesn’t make sense. Why bother doing something that can cause ur own downfall?
What I’m trying to say is, MAKE A FUCKING RESEARCH FIRST. ACTIVATE YOUR SHERLOCK SENSES AND DON’T LET YOUR EMOTIONS CLOUD YOUR JUDGEMENT!.
And another thing, if you check all his projects back then, you’ll realize kung ano ang ultimate goal ni Marcos para sa bansang Pilipinas.
I remember, base sa mga nabasa ko, meron ding gustong magpatupad ng communism noong mga panahong iyon e tapos ‘yong Muslim rebel group gaya ng ginagawa nila ngayon gustong mapunta sa kanila ang Mindanao tapos ‘yong economic elite nakita ang Martial Law bilang opportunity para palaguin pa lalo ang negosyo bukod sa walang freedom of the press, ‘yang mga mahihirap noon at mga maliliit na trabahador kung walang magre-represent sa kanila ‘di makakarating sa gobyerno kung anong pananamantalang ginagawa sa kanila ng employer nila. Hindi ako nabuhay noong Martial Law kaya siguro hindi tainted ang pag-iisip ko ng nakaraan pero kahit nabuhay at nag-suffer man ako noong mga panahong iyon, si Marcos matagal ng patay at halos tatlong dekada na ang nakalipas mula ng mapatalsik sa “EDSA Revolution” sa pangunguna ng mga taong nagpalakad na ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas pagkatapos. So lumalabas nagtagumpay ang yellow propaganda sa tulong ng mga komunista. Pagkamatay ni Ninoy madali ng pamunuan ang Pilipinas dahil kapag papapalpak o mangongorrupt ang mga pinuno, tatabunan lang ng issue kay Marcos, sa kamatayan ni Ninoy. Maa-appease na nila ang mga tao pagkatapos no’n at wala na silang kailangang panagutan. Kaya rin siguro sanay sa blame game si PNoy e. Basta mapaniwala mo ang tao na wala kang kasalanan, basta mapaniwala mo ang tao na nag-fail ka o mayroon kang ‘di nagawa dahil sa kagagawan ng iba, ligtas ka na nasa’yo pa simpatya ng mga tao. Solusyon? Parang nabasa ko sa post ni Add. Hehe.
If Bongbong Marcos files a candidacy for the presidency in October, that act by itself (just the filing) will be a symbolic slap in the face of PNoy. It would an insult on the Aquinos, even if Bongbong himself is married to one who is of the Aquino clan. The downside of that is that 2016 will deteriorate into personal attacks. Because it will be personal, media will focus on Bongbong vs PNoy’s candidate, but really, directly or indirectly, on PNoy himself. Binay and all the rest of the candidates will be fighting for air-time, but would end up as bystanders to the whole drama. This drama could only play out in 2016, not in 2022.
If that drama plays out, Binay could say goodbye to all his ambitions. If he is smart, however, he will kind of wiggle his way that it will be made to appear he is on the side of PNoy, but still deliver the message that he is his own independent self. But, that would be a tricky proposition, very complicated for tacticians and strategists. If Binay manages that, Bongbong will have a hard time in the campaign. It will be two against one.
Civic groups will have to do their part, so that discussions will remain focus on BBL, South China Sea, unemployment, agriculture, infrastructure, and of course, corruption. They will have to be doubly creative as they will fight for air time that will be pulled like magnet to all the personal drama. They have to, or 2016 campaign will just be another exercise in futility, wasted on irrelevant issues, as before.
If Bongbong gets back to Malacañang, it will of course mean the complete trashing of the Aquinos. PHL can count it as a new era, a new phase. Maybe, it may also be looked at as the office of the president getting back its dignity, justified or not — it is just that the atmosphere or the ambiance of Malacañang had this marketplace feel to it for more than a couple of decades now. Whatever, for good or bad, Bongbong will mean a new ball game in the Philippines.
That is my two cents worth of political analysis, hehehe.
Let us all FOCUS on the real issues of our country. The Problems that are needed to be solved. The BBL Law railroaded by Aquino, that will fund MILF/ISIS/Al Queda. The DAP, PDAF, Pork Barrel bribery, Aquino did in his term. His virtual hold on the Congress and the Judicial system.Making him a “virtual dictator”. China’s grabbing of Philippine territories, one at a time.
Candidate’s Plaform/Plans, and vision for our country. How to solve the transport system; yearly floods; the Squatter problem. Runaway inflation… How to control the Filipinos, multiplying like Rabbits. How to increase rice production, and not import rice.
These are the issues. Not the egos of Aquino,Roxas, Binay or Marcos…or whoever the “devil” is. We are not interested in them as a person. We are interested, on what they can do to solve these problems. And, what plans they have, in case they are elected. We are not interested on who runs, or who do not run. If you are able to run, whoever you are… We ask: what can you do for us, and for our country?
We are also interested on the Land Reform Program; shelved by the Aquinos to protect their Hacienda Luisita. Most of our ruling “politicos” are “hacienderos”.
We are interested on how to get our country out from Feudal Oligarchy. Feudalism must go, it has no place in the 21st century…
@Add, The instinct to hold a grudge against someone who did you wrong and extend that to their kin and descendants is very powerful and profound. It is probably one of the key aspects of the human condition that shaped most of our history.
How those of us who fell victim to atrocities and injustices that happened during Marcos’s time move on or, in this case, deal with a possible rise of BBM is a personal choice. The words you put forth in your other comment articulated one such journey and you gotta be admired for the thinking and reflection you put into that journey.
We can only for now, observe and evaluate on the basis of the objectivity and clarity of mind that I am hoping every Filipino will get around to aspiring to. It’s gonna be an interesting trip!
Forgive? Forget ? IDK? Turn the other cheek? IDK? but if you stole my Ftaher’s anything, or even worse murdered him,OH FUCK !!!! Look out Mu-fugga, your gonna have a mad MAN after your ass, oh yes you are.That is why I think ‘BS’ Aquino is a pussy, he let Marcos kill his Father and did not even beat the shit out of Marcos son.That being the least he could do. IDK if I could sit in the same Senate chamber with the guy whose Father killed my Father without going after the the Son of the guy who killed my Father,I THINK,right now, I AM incapable of it.
The Filippnes is such a fuedal oligarchy that to break up the strangle hold that the oligarch’s have on their ‘fiefdoms’ and that the USA has on the entire govt.,is near impossible. The country is fucked and is no place to want to grow up, and actually live in, in order to have any chance of a good life there, unless your born into it.
Thanks, BenignO.
It’s funny. PNoy is trying to extract or force a legacy out BBL, but in the process and at the rate things are going, he is actually giving Bongbong that legacy, that is, if Bongbong comes out with the best BBL ever.
If that happens, PNoy’s legacy would be that of a bungling fool.
Sen. Bongbong has his father’s face and slight intellegence but don’t have his mother and father’s charisma which he needed right now. But as I far as I can sense; Sen. Bongbong really walking slow not because he wanted to be but because he is just waiting for the right time. Politics is all about timing, he needs patience in able to hit the nail right and to at least not to look back. In short, he’s very careful, intellegent and he knows what’s he wants and definitely he needs Media to boost his image. Good luck!
Aquino already destroyed MARCOS name and made it synonymous with Evil. So why run President? it’s better to concentrate on being a King maker by secretly support a candidate that can effectively defeat, overthrow or destroy their nemesis (Aquino) and clean his family name.
Also, he’s father FM was to blame for our predicaments in the past (20+29yrs b4 & after EDSA), present and future.
FM served the longest President. He was very bright & a strongman that he forgot he’s only mortal. FM failed to create a pool of Leaders to succeed him mainly due to poor vision & planning which typical to most of our leaders. He was too old & very weak to oppose the EDSA revolt or coup de eta and eventually was overthrown by Aquino’s.
On otherhand, maybe it was a grand plan between FM & Ninoy to take full control of the Philippines amongst themselves, since no clear culprits for Ninoy’s Assasination (real or fake?) despite of both Cory & Noynoy taking the highest position as President.
People should really be recognized for what they do, not what they are. That should apply in any field, not just politics. Too bad the Philippines is a KKK (ka-pamilya, kakilala, kabaro lang) society.
The younger generation has a different attitude towards the Marcoses. In fact, Bongbong is runaway winner here:
http://www.theranking.com/who-is-your-most-trusted-to-become-our-next-philippine-president-2016_r39607
The Filipino’s let that family slither back into the country,just like his ‘Uncle Sam’ told him they would, after the hub-bub quieted down.All the money was squirreled away from ’82-’86 and what they couldn’t take with them was waiting for them when they went back and they sure had enough where they went during the ‘exile’,LOL!
Bongbong Marcos might be doing this to make his reputation sound good among the Filipinos. After all, BBL lost significant support from the people after the death of SAF44. He might as well establish himself as the rationality to cleanse the BBL from its irrationalities.
I’m no supporter of Bongbong Marcos, I doubt his sincerity, but I’m glad that he keeping the senate from becoming another Malacannang’s rubber stump.
You’ve misunderstood the doctrine of original sin. First off, it’s not a uniquely Catholic doctrine. Almost all Protestant denominations teach it too, as do the Eastern Orthodox. Second, the doctrine DOES NOT teach that we are guilty of our parents’ sins, and that our children are guilty of ours. What it teaches is that we inherit a bias towards sin.
.
For example — have you ever told a lie? Your parents taught you to do that, right? Probably not. More than likely, it just came naturally. Have you taught your own kids to swear, fight, and be mean to each other? Do you see what I mean — bad things just come naturally, while parents and teachers have to invest a great deal of time and effort to instill good habits in their kids. That’s what original sin means — we are born with a bias towards evil. It’s a bit like a car with one of the front wheels a bit flat. Take your hands off the steering wheel and the car will inevitably go that way!