Why morality, decency, and civility have been discredited in Philippine society

disente_crowd

To be ‘moral’. To be ‘decent’. To be ‘civil’. These are noble aspirations. Unfortunately for Filipinos, these three words were hijacked by Philippine politics’ Yellow Camp — people who are staunchly loyal (no, beholden) to the Liberal Party and its chief cast of characters, the Aquinos.

Perhaps this is the reason that the a majority of Filipinos now reserve their admiration for everything that is seen to be the antithesis of what is supposedly moral, decent, and civil — because the camp that took it upon themselves to monopolise representation of everything that is decent, moral, and civil in Philippine society had 30 years to prove that morality, decency, and civility work and, unfortunately, failed.

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Thus, morality, decency, and civility as embodied and applied by the Yellow Camp came to be seen to be associated with a fraying of the very fabric of Philippine society. Morality became a flaming sword wielded by the Roman Catholic Church against “sinners” — people who used condoms, had relationships with partners of the same gender, and chose not to go to Sunday mass. Civility was a virtue reserved for Filipinos who were members of “civil society” — people who rallied against Gloria Arroyo, flashed the “L” hand gesture at every opportunity, wore yellow clothes all the time, and pinned a yellow ribbon on their shirts. Decency is now attributed with scorn to the “disente” crowd — people who studied in expensive Catholic schools and, as such, see themselves as entitled to intellectual ascendancy.

This is further affirmation of the sad condition Filipinos as a people suffer — the Reverse Midas Touch disease. The erstwhile noble virtues of morality, decency, and civility, like most other things good in this world, had, in the hands of Filipinos, been perverted beyond recognition. They have now come to be associated with a camp that represents everything that is wrong with Philippine society. This condition had been recognised a long time ago but is coming to light only now because many who had once basked in the Yellow light had experienced first-hand taking the hard journey of unplugging themselves from the Yellow Matrix.

A veteran Get Real Post commentor posted an account of his own personal experience awakening from this mass hypnosis

Now, we’re living in the aftermath of Edsa. They had 30+ years to show real results. With all the freedom and opportunities they have claimed to have regained for us, it turned out to be a terrible lie.

Nothing personal, but AbNoy not only squandered opportunities, he also regressed the country–he and his supporters made partisan politics even worse, dirtier, and ever more decadent in this country–It’s not BS AbNoy Aquino alone as it is the whole LP Yellow lie being insidiously and continually spread through media connections (both local and foreign) that’s still infesting the country.

The virtues of morality, decency, and civility, like other things perverted by Filipinos’ Reverse Midas Touch condition join other formerly noble notions that now send chills up one’s spine whenever uttered. “Merry Christmas”, for example, when coming from a Filipino, is now seen to be a prelude to a mooch rather than a geniuine expression of well wishing.

What is missing in Philippine society is astute critical thinking. Perhaps Philippine society remains so irreparably damaged by colonialism that its people remain so accustomed to bandying around terms they hardly comprehend only because they are terms their colonial masters deemed associated to all things right and all things good.

13 Replies to “Why morality, decency, and civility have been discredited in Philippine society”

  1. lol, you are so blatantly biased by singling out aquino. From marcos to duterrte, all of them were immoral. Your hatred for Aquino is due to his mother’s outing of your saint Marcos, and Imelda the patron saing of hypocrisy.

    I love reading your piece when you sound like the voice of moral authority while sitting a pedestal. What a self-righteous hyoocrite you are but, then again, that is to be expected from an ilokano marcos apologist 🙂

    I wonder if you have looked in the mirror lately?

    1. *sigh* here you go again with your incessant, childish whining. Since you brought the Marcoses again, perhaps I can’t help but to post a helpful comment from Add:

      “No amount of ‘clorox’ can bleach the record of the ‘Marcos Years” >>> as no amount of chlorox can bleach the damage on the national psyche EDSA1 has inflicted. My friend who is an executive headhunter based in New York used to drop by Manila when he wanted to fill up a position requiring an Asian ….well, he stopped doing that by late 90s. He says he can’t believe how a pool of talents could just disappear seemingly overnight. I know what he is talking about, because I myself could spend about five days interviewing daily, and yet find not one candidate qualified. It wasn’t like that at all before. Before, you spent sleepless nights trying to decide between two or three fantastic candidates for an executive job, which you have been able to shortlist in just two days of interviewing.

      My Hong Kong friend who used to import container loads monthly of Trebel Pianos, a PHL made product, an old Thai friend who is an alumnus of UP, and a Korean friend who spent years in Loyola as a seminarian, but who eventually said priesthood was not for him and is now a VP in one of the big banks, and some more who are familiar with the PHL, all miss the old Filipino character, and the charm of the country. Most of them are unanimous that sometime mid 90s, something, somehow there was a change which amazingly was not gradual. My old man, he passed away five years ago, used to say while watching TV news: “Ano ba yan?. Anong nangyari sa atin? Puros pulubi na lang. Nun panahon namin, Tao, kahit probinsyano, ay hindi kakain, pero hindi ibaba and dignidad nya para mamalimos lang.” Since my teen age, I have been going in and out of that airport we now call NAIA, and there was a decade I was going through it every two weeks. Never have I seen so much number of shady looking characters, crooks, hanging around in the area as these days. Right there they kill the charm of the country, if there is still any.

      The Marcos, for all their faults, wouldn’t dare lower the dignity of a Filipino. In fact, this is what they were conscious of.

      I, myself, will not vote this election because I don’t like any of the Prez candidates and I really don’t care who is Bongbong (for what we need is a systemic change), but this I will say: win or lose this 2016, Bongbong, or the Marcoses, have already won. The mere fact that he was able to deliver an alternate SONA in front of the Asian CEO Forum, and be able to run for VP, is already a big slap in the faces of the Yellows. If he wins, then the people are saying: we are not happy with just slap, please spit on them when you have not yet brushed your teeth in the morning.

      P.S. Using emoticons doesn’t necessarily mean intelligence. Please pay at the netshop for once, Einstoned.

  2. It is Aquino who should look into the mirror…to see the image of a overgrown child…still tulo laway. Who love praises from foringer like a happy fool !

  3. I am writing this off-script and on the top of my head for I have lived all my 48 years unknown and relatively meek and quiet. My family emigrated from the Philippines when I was 10 and quite frankly have thought little of my home country since. However, as I grow near in retirement and have recently revisited the Philippines several times in the last 3 years I have grown fond in repatriating back. As much time I have spent away I have to admit that I am a Filipino through and through. It fills my heart me to see that finally there is a chance that the Philippine’s future and the future of its people have a real chance to take the next leap forward and attain an economy, lifestyle, and national defense in par with other industrialized nations. However, I am perplexed that the Philippine Congress and internal media’s actions seem contrary in wanting to move forward. Anyone with any common sense can see that the common Filipino deserve to have their chance of a lifestyle worthy to be called a “lifestyle”. It seems the Philippine society’s ails is lack of foresight. I say this because now we have a leader who is willing to lay down his life for the common good and the common man. I read somewhere recently that President R. Duterte is looking into bringing back mandatory ROTC participation. I applaud this move. Filipinos in general are hardworking, conscientious and proud and by reinstating mandatory ROTC participation, our youth may have in them a sense of citizenship and sacrifice for the greater good and the future of the Philippine country. Imagine a Filipino society that cares for its citizen, takes ownership of its resources and to look into a brighter future that will rival any industrial nation. A society built not mired in petty differences and short-term thinking but to actually own up to its problems and plan for future generations. So may I offer this unsolicited advice to the Government of the Philippines. Taking a note for the Character Counts web site, I would suggest that the 6 pillars of character should be mandatory training for all primary and secondary students. Filipinos in general value education. The public just needs good leaders to show them the right characters to emulate. Below is the summary of the 6 characters that every man, woman and child should have.

    Direct copy from Character Counts website: https://charactercounts.org/program-overview/six-pillars/

    TRUSTWORTHINESS

    Think “true blue“ • Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat, or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends, and country

    RESPECT

    Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant and accepting of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements

    RESPONSIBILITY

    Do what you are supposed to do • Plan ahead • Be diligent • Persevere • Do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act • Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes • Set a good example for others

    FAIRNESS

    Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly • Treat all people fairly

    CARING

    Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need • Be charitable and altruistic

    CITIZENSHIP

    Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment • Volunteer

  4. Filipinos in general value education.

    No. They value the appearance of education. Having the certificate is all that matters. Whether you’ve actually learned anything is irrelevant.

    You could be right about the ROTC thing. It depends a lot on how it’s implemented. If it’s run by professional and competent officers, it would be an extremely good thing. Such people do exist. If, on the other hand, it’s run by standard-issue Filipinos, it’ll just turn into another channel for indoctrination, and we’ll have yet another generation of entitled, ignorant, arrogant and useless kids unleashed on the country.

    1. Yeah, I had something to say about the way Filipinos regard education:

      A university degree is absolutely necessary to get almost any job here. If you don’t have one, your chances of getting paid employment become close to nil.

      This need to show credentials and proof of education has driven a certain part of the population to “embellish” their background and to have documents “prepared” just so that they have something to show. This also leads many to take courses that are considered “practical” or “easy” or “cheap”, but not necessarily the ones that they want, just to say that they finished something. Pwede na iyan, para lang masabing nakapagtapos.

      Credentials. Filipinos are obsessed with and can’t get enough of them; they chase after suffixes and prefixes to attach to their names like Wile E. Coyote chases after the Road Runner. The more “credentials” one has, the more one is considered to be “honorable” or “respectable”. Filipinos crave the respect (or is it attention) that credentials bring, but whether or not they can back up such credentials with actual wisdom, knowledge, pragmatism, and experience is another story altogether.

      Despite such inordinate obsession with credentials, titles, and finishing school, however, it seems that no amount of it will ever solve the Filipino condition. What is present in Filipino society is a cerebral and intellectual black hole – it sucks and pulls down what’s in its vicinity, and nothing or no one ever escapes from it.

  5. Mr. Aquino was lazy and soft, unwilling to take the necessary steps to solve the country’s problems,” NY Times said. AYUN SAPOL! Oh mga yellow, NEW YORK TIMES na nagsabi!

    New York Times Blames for Drug and EJK issue ‘It was Aquino’s and Liberal. Laziness and Unwillingness to Solve the Country’s Problems’

  6. Critical thinking in the Failippines, is a lost ‘art’ that has yet to be found, if it is even being looked for. Most Failipinos do not actually know how to think for themselves, and unfortunately that prevents them from even knowing it.

  7. EDSA and the YellowTard Aquino era have produced :illegal Shabu Drugs; massive corruption thru DAP, PDAF, Pork Barrel thefts, Drug Lords; Chinese Triad Mafia Drug crime syndicate; amoral politicians and cabinet members, like De Lima, Trillanes, Porky Drilon, Mar Roxas , Leni Robredo, etc…, massive cheating in elections thru HOCUS PCOS; massacres and murders; etc…

    EDSA and the Aquino era have degraded the morality of the Filipinos. The young, and we in this generation, can no longer distinguish, what is right and what is wrong.

    Kris Aquino was the paragon of virtues, and she was in the media frequently. De Lima, became the Justice Dept. Secretary; and she was having sexual relationship with convicts, inside the National Bilibid Prison. De Lima was deeply involved in the illegal Shabu Drug business. Pnoy Aquino and Mar Roxas may have been also involved , with the illegal Shabu Drug business. The Yolanda Relief Funds, disappeared, under their responsibilities.

    The Aquinos and their YellowTards oversold their supposed “goodness” , thru their Media Propaganda Machines.

    What they were showing in their Propaganda Machines as their supposed goodness. They were doing the opposite in the background…they lie, they cheat, they stole, they deal in illegal Shabu business, they murder and massacred people; they allowed people to be massacred; etc…

    We, the Filipinos swallowed their disinformation, hook, line and sinker !

  8. All Liberal Party and their yellow cult followers as well the media , and churchman, were all stupid , idiot, with RAT BRAINS..Dont mess up your people with us, civilized people..

  9. To me, being a good person is doing no harm to others and letting others live their life happily and helping others when you can. I am agnostic so do not support the Church version of morality. I am also against the Marcos legacy because I believe there is no justification for 20 years of rule. I voted for Mar but do not claim that I am better than others. The yellows are just people who believe like me that what Noynoy Aquino did is something to be continued and improved upon. Right now, I am opposed to Duterte for his foreign policy shift mostly. I support his progressive social policies and not sure about his war on crime.

    1. The yellows are just people who believe like me that what Noynoy Aquino did is something to be continued and improved upon.

      In relation to the idea of this article and your comment above, I think PNoy missed an important issue that has been bothering and actually dragging the country into abyss: true reconciliation.

      For all the things, negative/positive, that he has done as president that one issue could have been his legacy had he put precious hours into making it into reality. What happened was, instead of extending his hands for true reconciliation, he just extended the animosity and the division that has been simmering through the years because of hatred, neglect and political correctness.

      And I said that because of all the presidents after Marcos, he was in the best position to pursue and make true reconciliation and unity a possibility. It’s not easy but he could have at least try.

      So, we’re back in a situation as if Marcos just left last month. ????

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