His detractors insist that, yes, the rise of Rodrigo Duterte to the Philippine presidency will mark the beginning of the country’s descent to the Dark Ages. What would be the nature of this dark age? That’s also obvious to these detractors. It will be a period marked by a return of the nation into the shadow of authoritarian rule and police abuse. An atmosphere of doom and gloom will envelop Philippine society and choke out any remaining glimmer of hope of a prosperous future.
If we are to believe the legions of Duterte detractors who are spending megabucks on demonisation campaigns delivered via mass media, Duterte represents the Philippines’ single point of failure.
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Think of the logic behind that rhetoric for a moment. That is like saying that an entire 100-story high rise building is built upon a single pillar and that, given where these elections elections are headed, Filipinos are on their way to replacing that single pillar with a toothpick. In short, here is the question Filipinos need to ask themselves:
Will President Rodrigo Duterte be the singular cause of the destruction of the Philippines?
The irony that seems to be flying above peoples’ heads here is that it is the very people who worship the family of the late former President Cory Aquino — to whom the current 1987 Constitution is credited — that is now inciting a massive campaign to deflate people’s confidence in the soundness of the democratic institutions built upon that Constitution.
In insisting that the Philippines will fall apart under President Rodrigo Duterte, we are assuming that the democracy and the checks-and-balances baked into it will be completely inutile at keeping the President in order. Then again, perhaps this fear is justified. None other than current President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III has demonstrated how easy it is for a sitting president not only to encroach into but to stomp down the powers vested upon the other two co-equal branches of government. Indeed, the administration of President BS Aquino has exhibited unparalleled abuse of executive power to attack and undermine the Legislative and Judiciary branches of the Philippine government. Aquino, over his term as Chief Executive, has demonstrated a talent for railroading, bullying, bulldozing, blackmailing and, most effective of all, bribing congressmen and judges alike.
Perhaps, then, what the Duterte alarmists are saying is true. The Presidency is, in fact, an insanely powerful office. It has the power to unilaterally effect destructive political and administrative force over the entire country. President BS Aquino proved this assertion right over the last six years. And so, by this logic, Duterte’s detractors insist, it will happen again over the next six years. Duterte’s detractors insist that the Philippines’ Congress and Supreme Court will both be utterly powerless at keeping the president in check. They insist that Filipinos will be powerless at keeping the president in check. They insist that there is no point in continuing to invest in democratic institutions and due process because all of these will be powerless against the “evil” devices of the coming Duterte administration.
Well how about that.
We may as well scrap the 9th of May elections then. Because there is no further point in being a democracy!
One single man, we are told, will wield the atomic capability to sink an entire nation of 100 million.
When it comes down to evaluating the logic of all these social media “activists” running around Twitter shrieking like little girls about the Dark Ages that are at hand following the impending rise to power of Rodrigo Duterte, we get a better idea of the cringe-worthy character of Philippine society. The Philippines, we are seeing now, is the result of a hundred years of consistent failure in thinking — because we’d rather go into girly fits over monsters we imagine are lurking underneath our beds and not apply the courage to actually shine a flashlight into the darkness.
Filipinos need to get a grip and act like men for a change.
[Photo courtesy CNN Philippines.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
“We all need to get a grip and man up for a change”
Half the population is women so they don’t need “to act like men.”
Why do you have to be so sexist in your language, Benign0? It does not help your effort in projecting an ‘intellectual’ and ‘logical’ persona.
What’s so sexist about it?
“because we’d rather go into girly fits” and “get a grip and act like men”…
if you’re happiness is based on reading “because we’d rather go into manly fits” and “get a grip and act like women” then you are effing sexist…
What about it is sexist?
I think Chrrles is subliminaly asking you to write “Filipinos need to get a grip and act like ‘homosexuals’ for a change.
Whats wrong with acting like homosexuals? I thought we accept them for what they are?
If you continue to discuss stupid political correctness, instead of the actual write-up, you are all girly baklas…
You mean, the darker ages, surely?
Here’s the basic problem with Duterte: he’s a Filipino. He has never, as far as I’m aware, been outside the country and seen how life is lived outside of that dysfunctional hellhole. Everything he thinks, says and does is therefore quintessentially Filipino. Crucially, he sees rules as something to be enforced by violence on the basis of “because I said so”, rather than because rules are (or ought to be) for the public good. The idea that following the rules might make life easier for the individual completely goes over his head. No rule in this country has EVER been formulated with that idea uppermost in mind.
Violence itself is the main tool in his toolbox because that’s the go-to tool for every Filipino. And when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Do not ever underestimate the repairing capability of a hammer.
I hope you’re not referring to the Pinoy predilection for fixing everything with a hammer, nails, and bits of inner tube instead of actually doing the job properly?
To my 25-ish-year recollection I have never used a hammer to successfully repair something. Put something together with nails, to be sure. Remove nails too, although those leave some nasty holes.
Granted, woodworking is not my forte. But when it comes to repairs, hammers are only for specific scenarios. You’d probably get duct tape, superglue and software patches for more common scenarios as well as multi-step procedures although those can be a tad more sophisticated for the average “I want change now!” voter.
Marius, why not just say what you are incorrectly implying, that Duterte is a stupid person.
Let me tell you that knowledge has nothing to do with intelligence. Therefore, even if he has not travelled a lot, does not mean he is dumb.
Just because you read a book that I did not read does not make you smarter than me.
I didn’t say that at all. I said that he is a limited person. He says he wants to fix things, but he doesn’t know what “fixed” looks like. He has never seen a functioning society. So how would he know how to create one?
The same problem exists on a smaller scale for 90% of ordinary Filipinos. Because they have rarely seen competence, or honesty, or professional pride, or social cohesiveness, the very concepts are alien to them. Foreign employers who come to the country expecting to hire people who have these basic ideas in their heads get a rude surprise.
So, as I said, Duterte’s problem is that he is a Filipino, and his intellectual toolbox is limited to whatever he learned in Filipino society.
Whenever reading the comments under rach article here in GRP, I always notice yours, and I tend not to take them seriously, because you’re always talking out of your ass.
“He has never, as far as I’m aware, been outside the country and seen how life is lived outside of that dysfunctional hellhole.”
http://www.google.com.ph/search?sclient=tablet-gws&safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=Duterte+korea&oq=Duterte+korea&gs_l=tablet-gws.3..0j0i22i30.1014.5155.0.5371.13.12.0.0.0.0.307.1744.0j2j4j1.7.0….0…1c.1j4.64.tablet-gws..6.7.1740…0i131i46j46i131j0i131.zocvH7P63NM
I remember he has also mentioned somewhere that he has visited a number of other countries when he was a congressman.
Well, I’ve never noticed yours. I guess you never have anything remarkable to say.
OK, I stand corrected. He went to visit some businessmen for a couple of days. That wasn’t my point. He hasn’t lived ordinary life in a functioning country and seen how and why ordinary life is supposed to work.
OFWs who have done this nearly always come back to the Philippines completely disillusioned with their country. They’re disgusted by their countrymen’s behavior and frustrated by the complete inability of public services and businesses to achieve anything close to what they’ve experienced. They know it’s not difficult to provide power, water and government services without endless interruptions, delays, or piles of paperwork. They know laws are supposed to make life worth living. Does Duterte really grasp this?
The last thing the next president of the Philippines needs is more hubris of the sort Duterte is famous for. The country has plenty of that already. If elected, I hope he’ll show a little humility and talk to other governments who have successfully fixed what he is faced with.
Contrary to what they believe, we have seen how Duterte respected the state institutions and a private institution during the BPI debacle. Why accommodate that numbskull who’s using a PNoy staple, using illegally acquired “evidence” which turned out to be dubious, and violate a citizen’s own lawful rights? While Digong legally waived his right, he wanted to legalize it to hold Trillanes accountable for attempting violate these rights that every single citizen should have. These Martard asses just don’t get it. They just want the accused to just show his bank books immediately after he was accused with proven false evidence without respect to law and due process enforced by our societal institutions to protect citizen’s rights.
By now I think people should realize that these particular articles aren’t necessarily pro-Duterte. No, the country won’t suddenly collapse into a dictatorship and honestly probably won’t. At least on the national level.
Remember that the Filipinos get the elected officials they deserve as a reflection of society – one that already gets away with rape and rape comments as well as resolving even superficial conflicts at the barrel of a gun.
Frustration will eventually build up again when Duterte finds that what applies to a city level doesn’t always extrapolate up to the labyrinthine system on a national level, and the cycle will begin again. 😉
>> Frustration will eventually build up again when Duterte finds that what applies to a city level doesn’t always extrapolate up to the labyrinthine system on a national level.
I suspect he knows this. But perhaps even he doesn’t quite realise the depths of depravity this country has actually sunk to.
The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.
The Philippines is in the “Dark Ages” now. It starts with the way the ABS-CBN and GMA-7 are keeping the population in the dark, with their biased news reporting, mind-numbing “teleserye” programs, and brainswashing campaign of being “Proud To Be a Filipino.”
The Lopezes and Gozons are determined to keep blowing smoke up every Filipino’s ass with their pretentiously stupid “Pinoy Pride” campaign of taking false pride on selfish accomplishments and try to make it look like it’s beneficial to the whole country; keep the people “starstruck” (envious) in the aristocratic lifetyle of their favorite celebrities, so they will resort to extreme means–including illegal and unethical behavior–to achieve the same enviable objective; and compel the workforce to become Overseas Foreign Workers and expats (by calling them “the country’s new heroes”), so their money remittances can be used to enrich the Chinese “Bamboo Network” of shopping malls, restaurants, and condominiums.
It’s time for Filipinos to wake up from their stupid aristocratic and self-serving delusions, and see all the dirty deeds that have been going in their own society, as well as the devious and scrupulous people behind these schemes.
Filipinos courage and resillience is not in question our dysfunctional society gave us that edge to be in 24/7 survival mode. Courage is not in question here, its the kind of leadership and governance we are about to face. Its being a part of the problem and being part of the solution, and the solution is extermination. LOL
Camara,
I disagree that it is only our “kind of leadership and governance” that is to blame. You said it yourself. The Philippines is a “dysfunctional society” that puts its people in a “survival mode 24/7.” Well, you (if you’re a Filipino) and I came from the same dysfunctional society; and so did our leaders.
Therefore, it’s our nation’s moral compass that is in question here; it keeps producing corrupt people. Given the same opportunities to fleece the country, we’d probably do the same thing that our leaders are doing. Unless we overhaul our society’s moral values, the Philippines and its people are doomed forever.
Just a thought to keep in mind.
Aeta
I was born and raised Filipino, if my Nationality is in scrutiny Iam not oblige to divulge it here. I agree with you in all level but the level of assumption cant surmise to solve the problem of indeterminacy. We can nuke this country into smitherines and repopulate but morals are personal choice. Rich or poor, Oligarch will always have the upper hand.
Camara,
I don’t expect you, nor our fellow “Fliptards” living abroad, to divulge your nationality. Our scapegoating people will just use your citizenship status as an excuse to challenge you on why you’re criticizing the Failippines when you’re not even a citizen of that country.
We also don’t need to “nuke” the Failippines and re-populate it. That’s not realistic and the same seed of corruption will still be in place to mutate itself someday.
What our country needs is a revolution, not the EDSA-kind of revolution that tricks the country in replacing one tyrannous administration (Marcos) with tyrannous ones (the supposedly heroes of the EDSA Revolution), but just as thieving and conniving and oppressing, and have made life harder for the average Failipino each passing day for the past 30 years.
The kind of revolution I’m talking about is a ‘Revolution of the Mind,” of overhauling the way we Fliptards think and live our lives, and make us ‘aware’ of how our country-destructive way is sending our country and people on a direct path of self-annihilation.
This ‘overhauling of our moral values’ can only be achieve through a concerted effort on every Failipino’s part to stop patronizing the brainwashing schemes of those in power.
The first scheme is the mind-numbing “teleserye” television and movie programs that portray the regal “sosyal” lifestyle of “mestizo celebrities, while making us “kayumanggi” masses feel helplessly insecure with the way they look and hopelessly envious (“star struck”) of the glamorous lifestyle that they don’t poses.
The second scheme, is the brainwashing tactic that entices our workforce to become OFWs and expatriates, especially those who came from financially-strapped background, in order to send remittance money to the Failippines—not only to lift their respective families out of poverty, but to match (perhaps even try to surpass) the lifestyles of the aristocratic elitists.
What our OFWs and expats don’t realize is their endless effort to emulate the elitists—by spending their money on Chinese and Failipino political oligarchs’ condominiums, automobiles, shoppoing malls, restaurants, and etcetera—only increases the cost of living in this country in which the poor Failipinos have to shoulder.
This is the reality of life in this country that has been going on for far too long under this oppressive system.
Aeta
Have a question for everyone!!! Just like Mr. Marcos, Mr. Duterte, also, wants to start a revolution!
Mr. Marcos did his REVOLUTION FROM THE CENTER guided by the principles and concepts he laid out in a book he authored entitled, AN IDEOLOGY FOR FILIPINOS.
http://www.gov.ph/1984/03/21/address-of-president-marcos-before-the-graduates-of-the-ideology-seminars/
http://chrisbonoan.blogspot.com/2013/06/ferdinand-e-marcos-revolution-from.html
In any decision making, Mr. Marcos says he considers the following:
Is it legal? If it is legal, is it moral? If it is legal and moral, will it be acceptable to the people? If it is legal, moral and acceptable, will it benefit the greater number of those who need it? He understands that the nation’s resources are scarce, and in every decision (its impact!), what is viewed as a blessing to some sectors might be a reversal to others.
Mr. Duterte, on the other hand, is a different breed! If he considers himself a revolutionary and takes the lead from his former teacher, Mr. Joma Sison, he is, what others called, LEFT OF CENTER. Some years back, he already declared that, should he becomes president, he will setup a Coalition Government! That Power-Sharing-Coalition will include all Rebel Groups – Muslim Rebel Groups (MNLF, MILF, ABU SAYYAF), Leftist Groups (NDF, CPP, NPA)! He has plans also of releasing political prisoners and then giving them pardon. Incidentally, the Cory Administration is the one responsible for the release of Mr. Joma Sison from captivity! Will he include personalities from the military… say Ex-military Major General Palparan who’s captured and jailed during Noynoy’s Administration and now running for Senator?
His intentions are good and it looks promising! Will the ENDS justify the MEANS?! What are your thoughts/expectations?
Well I guess a lot of people will be laughing and jeering during the coming “dark ages”…
Duterte hits Roxas and Trillanes about 211M Deposit (Watch so Funny) 2016
ganda nung chick sa baba. yeah baby! hehehe. . .
bakit ung clip na ni-upload natin hindi kasya sa box? weird. 🙂
@andrew haha! I guess there’s more to political rallies than meets the eye.
Yeah, Youtube videos posted in the comments section don’t auto-resize unfortunately. Looks like some settings need tweaking (SOS GRP hotline!).
To make up for the inconvenience, let me do you a favor andrew –> please see the bottom of this LINK
wahaha! that’s your website and there’s the pic of the chick!
Special mention pa ako. 😀
See that GRP folks!
let me share your site on twitter and G+
here is the website of FlippinFlips:
http://www.flippinflips.org/
Definition of the Term IAF = Idiot Aquino Followers
Well if “andrew’s chick” gets discovered by some talent scout – she’ll definitely owe you one.
cool! i saw one of those toto bee videos before. i should peg a permanent LINK on that.
IAF – finally end of the road for these folks! Now for some real progress…
how about this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UstECfiXKA
😀
medyo creepy lang ung nag-video sa kanya. lol!
Toto Bee’s a die hard anti-aquino. we need him.
looks like there’s more from where that came from… here’s one with a pretty good message
We have to change the Cory Aquino constitution. It gives too much power to the Feudal Oligarchs.
Look at Aquino, for his 6 years term. He bought the Legislative Branch, with Pork Barrels. He undermined the Judicial Branch, by impeaching the late CJ Corona, with Pork Barrel bribes… Aquino and Abad have too much power to appropriate the funds of the government.
Dark Ages was the Ages of the Bubonic Plagues in Europe. While Europe was in Dark Ages. The Islamic world was in golden ages, discovering: Science,mathematics, Technology, classic literature of the old, etc…
It remains to be seen, if Mayor Duterte will be a good President. Meanwhile, Aquino’s YellowTard minions are in panic; because their government jobs, are in jeopardy.
And their Yellowtard master will no longer be in power.
I urge also Mayor Duterte, to prosecute those who abused their power. Recover what they have stolen…
Pinoys need to get a grip of reality. Personally, every citizen needs to MAN UP and A SWIFT KICK IN THE ASS!!! The boat is sinking or has it already sunk.
Only Rats and Ghouls will be jumping from a YellowTard sinking ship!!!
captjoe25,
I agree. Every assholes in the Philippines and abroad–from the president to the poorest person on the street–should take responsibility for why the Philippines and its people are fucked up, if they want to save the boat from sinking.
Aeta
This American would vote for Duterte if I could, and here is three reasons why. 1. He is the only person that understands that Filipinos must fix their own country. (America, China, and Korea are not going to fix the Philippines. 2. Intellect is not the problem in the Philippines it is discipline. Many OFWs go work in America and change their behavior in our country. This country needs someone to stop the not caring attitude about breaking laws. 3. He actually knows the problems of the poor. The fact that during a debate was the first time that two candidates pretended or did not know t healthcare and the 6 month job termination practice problems exist is very scary. I would vote for Grace Poe, if she was not too much like our current president Obama with no plans to enforce discipline or her goals
That’s because enough Americans were convinced to elect a violently hostile Congress that pretty much shoots down every plan he puts to enforce those goals. Then they take advantage of the lack of knowledge on the roles of different branches of government to make sure the public only blames the executive, not the legislative.
Duterte might actually make a genuinely competent leader up top, but the “families” will still be there in the legislature and provincial levels down. And none of that will change if the Filipino people aren’t then inspired to replace their dominant provincial “clan” in local elections.
Frank US politics knowledge failed you. Fact, a president can legally authorized military action without the approval of congress for 30 days. He has done this to go and get Bin Laden (which was allied country that he perform illegal action that American’s did approve). He also has the use of executive privilege to sing pretty much anything and law and wait for congress to hold very long debates to overturn it. he has done that many times by other presidents.
IF FILIPINO’S EVEN HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION, WELL, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? FILIPINO’s have a Congress that is robbing everything , they need a corrpttion commissar that will prosecute thievery, not sandiganbuttfuck.
Laws that prohibit,and enforcement of these laws, like littering,pissing in public etc…are enough to chastise the people, but thethievery going on at the top is the problem.
the country is about as fucked as it can get, this guy Duterte…..BAD NEWS NEANDERTHAL ! Go ahead elect him,I DARE YA !!
Yes, we’ll elect him because we want to see him shut down congress hahaha
GRP IA S FRAUD,
This country needs a “Neanderthal” (Duterte) to run a country full of Neanderthals. Perhaps Duterte is right for the primitive-thinking Filipinos.
Aeta
the uncivilized people of this country needs an uncivilized mouth to civilize them. like what Duterte always say, “the people here are still in Feudal times.”
This is what the Economist had to say:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/05/daily-chart-5
A guide to the Philippines’ history, economy and politics
May 6th 2016, 15:30 by The Data Team
The Philippines is one of Asia’s two archipelagic states (Indonesia is the other), comprising more than 7,000 islands dividing the Pacific Ocean from the South China Sea. Those islands are divided into three broad groups: Luzon, the largest and northernmost grouping (and name of its main island), home to the sprawling, beguiling and often infuriating capital city of Manila; Visayas in the centre, anchored by Cebu, the Philippines’ booming second city; and Mindanao, home to a sizable Muslim population in the south-west. Mindanao has long been underdeveloped: average GDP per person in the Autonomous Muslim Region of Mindanao is less than a fifth that of the wealthy capital and surrounding area.
Mindanao has been in the news recently thanks to Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of its biggest city, Davao, for most of the past 25 years, who is now favourite to win the country’s presidential election on May 9th. Assuming the outgoing president, Benigno Aquino, leaves as planned on June 10th, he will be the first Philippine president since Fidel Ramos in 1998 to enter and leave office via orderly democratic transition. Mr Duterte, who has never held national office and evinces only passing interest in policy, has ridden a wave of voter discontent. People are fed up with narrow, cronyist politics dominated by a few prominent families. They want an outsider to shake and clean things up.
But to judge by the economic data, the insiders have managed the economy pretty well in recent years. The Philippines has grown much faster than Thailand or Malaysia since 2010, though it still lags behind them in prosperity. And while Thailand struggles under an inept military dictatorship, and Malaysia suffers under its scandal-ridden leader’s increasingly unhelpful hold on power, under Mr Aquino the Philippines has seen improvements in economic management, transparency and governance.
Mr Aquino has built on fiscal and budgetary reforms begun by his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and brought the country’s credit rating above investment grade for the first time, making it cheaper for the Philippines to borrow. He has also increased social spending, rolling out a cash-transfer programme modelled on Brazil’s Bolsa Família. He has also increased spending on infrastructure to around 5% of GDP this year, up from 1.8% when he took office in 2010 – and as anyone who has spent hours trying to cross Manila knows, the country needs it.
For a country trying to take advantage of its demographic bonus, this is sound strategy. Unlike Japan, China and even Thailand, the Philippines enjoys a young population, like Indonesia. But unlike Indonesia, much of the population speaks good English, which has helped the Philippines to build a booming service sector built on business-process outsourcing (BPO), a category that takes in call centres, data transcription, software development and back-office services. At current rates of growth, revenue from BPO is expected next year to overtake revenue from the remittances sent home by 2.3m Filipinos working abroad and equivalent to about a tenth of GNP.
But many complain that the BPO sector has fuelled growth that has failed to trickle down. Nearly a third of Filipinos live on less than $3.10 per day – one measure of poverty. Employment in agriculture – often the only source of income in the countryside – has fallen. As investment picks up in Mindanao, where arable land is cheap, employment in agriculture may rise. But talk of economic growth leaves many rural poor befuddled, just as poor infrastructure is still a blight on the lives of many of the urban poor and middle classes.
Mr Duterte has capitalised on this sense of discontent. When he tells people that the system is broken, and the trapos – short for “traditional politicians”, of which he is not one – have let them down, they don’t have to look far for evidence. But winning an election is one thing; governing is another. Mr Duterte would enter office with minimal party support. Ordinarily that would not be hugely important: Philippine politics revolves more around personalities than parties. But he would also enter without the sort of political connections that help presidents form coalitions. His campaign was based on insulting the type of politicians who fill both houses of Congress. It could be a long six years, both for Mr Duterte and for everyone else who hoped that the Philippines had outgrown his brand of strongman politics.
I would like to believe whoever wins the presidency, the change is still dependent on the “people”. This illusion of good change when duterte wins is somehow a ridiculous mindset I see among the supporters. I hope everyone is aware of the responsibility it entails once duterte brings down his iron fist to everyone. Could the Filipinos who doesn’t mind the simplest rules go cold turkey and be disciplined just with the flick of duterte’s fingers? I will not vote for him because I have my reasons and opinion, but I already set myself that if he wins, I have to look out more and be alert because the worst case scenario is the facsimile death squad will become Philippine death squad. And based on a research I’ve read they have killed some out of mistaken identity.
One more thing you have control over your life, I work hard, I save hard as well and compare 6 years ago, I could say I’m richer than before, and it is partially thanks to government but most of it is self effort, so anyone using the poverty victimhood, evaluate yourself why are you still struggling today, not just blame someone. Though I know some people are poor because of circumstance (war and tragedy for example) but for those lazy whiners, yeah please evaluate your life.
CCC,
I will give Duterte my vote (mind you: I am not allowed to vote) when he gives me his plans for the next 6 years. What should be in his plan?
– what does he want to achieve?
– how does he want to achieve it?
– when is he done? When does he accomplishes his targets?
Can he alleviate my poverty? If so, how? Or am I the only person who can do something about my own poverty (regardless of who the president is)?
CCC,
I will give Duterte my vote (mind you: I am not allowed to vote) when he gives me his plans for the next 6 years. What should be in his plan?
– what does he want to achieve?
– how does he want to achieve it?
– when is he done? When does he accomplishes his targets?
Can he alleviate my poverty? If so, how? Or am I the only person who can do something about my own poverty (regardless of who the president is)?
“I could say I’m richer than before…”
Life is not always about becoming richer financially. I put more value on well-being and welfare.
Robert, for once I am going to disagree with you and here is why. I grew up poor in America. All I had to do when I got older was to go and get any job. There are always many jobs to be had. Here there are people here who want to work and cannot find jobs and you have to have money here to get a job. How does that work. My sister in law paid 5000 pesos to work in a factory in Angeles City. She had to get a physical exam that was more indepth than my US army physical. She had to wait for 6 months for the job to finally, start getting rid of people who are reaching the 6 month mark. That is another discussion. So here we are 9 months later and she has barely now made enough money to pay me back and will be unemployed in two more months for reaching the 6 month mark.
William,
Not once did my pinay GF talk about having to pay money to get a job. And she changed employers (as teacher) a few times.
I did experience the application process of her brother for joining the PNP. Wow, that was really a shock to me to witness that process. And he had to buy his own service gun.
If what you say is true – and I dont doubt your words for a second, I would be even more cautious what I will do with my penis (if I was a pinoy). And even much more cautious if I was a Filipina woman. But that is not what I see around me. The poorest of the poor keep on effing. It seems to me that poor people dont think ahead while they better do so to keep things floating. Hence, the sound foundation was never there to begin with.
I am just wondering how a president – any president – can change that. I just think that no president dare to burn his fingers on that topic bec he/she will lose a lot of support (and thus votes).
BTW: what is Duterte stands on the RH law?
Aeta, I was surprised by your statement about OFW’s. You need to get out where the real poor people are in the provinces outside the cities. The young here dream of becoming OFW’s that are maids or factory workers to help put food on the table. Come to the Porac area where most families that have OFW’s may or may not even have electricity this month. The fact that many of these people go work overseas then get cheated out of pay and the recruitment agencies take advantage of them is a everyday normal life thing here, because they do not have a education because they did not have the money to finish at public high school because of book and paying testing fees. People die here, because they cannot afford a 250 pesos doctor bill and medications. I am a american that has lived here for less than a year. How did you not know this?
William E. Jackson,
Read my last comment to you on why I believe Failipinos are stupid and you’ll see why I said those things about OFWs. Rich or poor, we Failipinos all came from the same aristocratic (arrogant) and self-serving (selfish) society. This is why is doesn’t matter whether Duterte or Roxas or Binay wins the presidency (those candidates’term in office are limited and they’re not going to be there forever), we Failipinos are always going to revert to our arrogant and selfish ways, unless we change our country-destructive ways of thinking and living.
Yes, I have lived among the poorest of the poor in the Failippines, and they all have the same attitude as the richest of the rich. The only difference is who has more money and power and who doesn’t. We Failipinos–rich or poor, powerful or powerless–are products of the same culture. If our culture is corrupt, then we Failipinos will also be corrupt. It can’t be any other way.
Aeta
Aeta, I like your thinking. I just pray that this nationally pride that his followers appear to be showing will stay forever, changes will be made, and that you are wrong about it will go back to the old ways. False hope is better than no hope at all.
William E. Jackson,
I am one of those people who live in the “Here and Now,” and does not put a lot of weight on a hopeful future. However, I do believe in “Karma.” What I do today might save–or bite–somebody’s ass in the future. “What goes around, comes around,” as the saying goes. Might not be my ass, but it will definitely be someone else’s.
This is why Failipinos need to get it in their thickly arrogant and selfish heads that what they do today will have a “karmic” affect on their country and people someday. Perhaps some of those people that will affected by the legacies they create today might be their own future generations.
Something to think about.
Aeta
In a culturally damage society such as Philippines it is a cycle where the abused becomes the abuser, its basically its an inherent nature of self preservation. It’s the law of the jungle, the will to live and survive, that’s why I see that most Pnoys did not develop a sense of social conscience because of practical reason. Cultural revolution can only start with healing the mind and the soul, to free the ambitious mind and learning the art of dying to one self. I’m referring to all Filipinos and the Filipino global community. Its a sacred duty we owe ourselves and the Almighty. God Bless
What do you call death penalty by hanging then, so 2016?