One thing remains clearly evident today: elections remain an emotional exercise. As such, it is unlikely that the outcome of this year’s election will be an intellectual one. Whilst “debates” have become a more normal feature of campaigns in Philippine elections in the last several years, it still remains to be seen whether these exercises have succeeded in uplifting the quality of the public chatter. The sorts of debates seen so far and, certainly, the ones exhibited of late came across more like sabongs (cockfights) than duels between deep minds. To be fair, wit was on exhibit but it was not applied to addressing important points using logic.
The wit (in varying levels of quality) Filipinos see on TV “debates” is applied more to rousing an audience out for blood than inducing careful thinking. Here we see again the conflict in the perceived goals of an election and the campaign lead up to these. The lofty aspiration of a “democracy”, we are told, is to serve as a system to ensure that a government represents the interests of the governed. We see now that this is a merely shallow play on words as there is a deeper meaning to this aspiration that the words fail to capture. The “interests of the governed” are not necessarily in line with how the governed are “represented”. Democracy succeeds when it results in leaders who represent the character of the people. However, it fails when this representation is inconsistent with their interests — what is good for them.
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In short, what Philippine democracy revealed thus far is that the character of Filipinos is incompatible with what is good for them.
Elected Filipino leaders are emotional choices. Unfortunately, achieving sustainable national progress is an intellectual journey. In the film The Martian, marooned astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) was faced with a choice: think his way through his predicament or perish. The most important aspect of the challenged ahead was that survival was up to him. This is not too different from the journey the late great Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew guided his people through. Singapore, at the time of its forced independence, was alone. History was to show that much of what the Singaporean people achieved is owed to their resolve to help themselves and overcome emotional responses to their challenges.
The trouble with Filipinos is that they are an emotional people as many studies and surveys have revealed. This is not good news considering that much of the challenges that lie ahead are technical problems. Poverty, the single biggest problem that plagues the Philippines and the epicentre of much of the emotionalism that clouds the National “Debate” is one such technical problem. But rather than approach the problem with a technical mind, the Philippines’ foremost “thought leaders” prefer to engage in shrill sloganeering.
Recent debates between Opposition and administration-backed candidates demonstrate this national character flaw. Having long taunted the administration camp to stepping up to their challenge to a debate, the Opposition all but set themselves up for failure when the occasion finally presented itself. They brought to the table the same tired old references to “tyranny”, the “Marcos dictatorship”, and, their greatest hit, the “Martial Law Era”. This is not surprising considering much of the Opposition rhetoric remains built around their inability to move on from these old “activist” relics much the same way that their communist comrades remain stuck in Cold War rhetoric. The Opposition led by the so-called “Otso Diretso” coalition (though they are a coalition of seven and not eight) were, as a result, soundly-beaten as far as popular opinion goes. The administration only needed to respond with equally-emotional sound bytes to the tiresome crybabyism tabled by the Otso Diretso candidates.
This year’s administration candidates only needed to lean on a rock-solid defensive position thanks to the backing of a government that remains popular with the majority of Filipinos. The onus was on the Opposition to mount a clever campaign to overcome the formidable challenge presented by that reality to convert voters in the audience. The Opposition failed to step up to that challenge and their candidates, instead, chose to remain within their comfort zones of Martial Law Crybabyism and old narratives of freedom-fighting “martyrs”. The really big failure of the Opposition is their inability to come to grips with what is real — that there is an election to be won, and, to win an election, you need to capture the popular sentiment.
The Opposition need to read the memo. Elections are emotional exercises. Filipinos need to get above their emotions in order to build a truly thinking society that applies intelligent solutions to their problems. But, for now, winning an election is the only legal means to acquire the power to change the Filipino Condition. The Opposition have, so far, failed to appreciate that fact.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
>> what Philippine democracy revealed thus far is that the character of Filipinos is incompatible with what is good for them.
Indeed. Very quotable, that 🙂
You’re quite right about the mechanism of winning elections in the Philippines. However … given that that it is all just a cockfight, does it even matter who wins? After all, in a cockfight, the only people who actually win are the shady characters who run the show.
I can’t help noticing that the Philippines looks exactly like contemporary descriptions of pre-enlightenment Europe. And I mean exactly. In every detail. Living here is the closest anyone can get to time travel. The emoting and lack of rational debate is merely what humanity looks like with a missing cultural invention: formal logic and rhetoric. It is not innate. It has to be learned, and taught.
Different cultures invented this gadget independently. In The West, the Greeks kicked it all off, it was forgotten for a few centuries, and then rediscovered in Europe (less so in the Middle East). India developed (copied?) similar ideas around the same time as the Greeks, and then forgot about them permanently. Japan and China got there through a very roundabout route, with a few centuries of dead-end philosophy in the middle. The Philippines [i]never[/i] discovered logic; and they refused to copy it for the same reason they reject all foreign ideas (Pinoy Pride). I doubt anything is going to change until thinking skills are taught to children in schools – but that can’t happen, because there are so few people who would be able to teach it.
I like that film The Martian. The story had a balance of reason and defying the odds.
Philippine politics might have a chance at redemption.
Sad but true.. And after 30+ years of facade by the yellows (useless telenovelas and many garbage tv programs, fake and more celebrity news), Pinoys has grown back in time!
Real life One Punch Man versus the It so Diretso senates who would win the boxing match? Surely Bato will win in spite that he’s a lone fighter a what he said on a Senatorial Debate on CNN Philippines last week. A strong minded guy who are ready to fight no mater what the consequences unlike the crybabies Otso Diretso. And that’s a proof why we should never take him for granted. Kudos to Me Bato & let those Dilawans put to shame on national scene.
This country is so divided that its growing weak and therefore becoming more susceptible to bigger opportunists.
Much is said about the options of what ifs- like who ever conquers us, if which either sides of opposing parties dominate the government, but very very few talks about how we can boost industrialization. Infrastructure costs through debts is slowly but surely eating up our future for rarely ‘how it is to be paid’ is brought to the table; we think progress is about building infrastructure without ever considering and knowing what solid products we could offer our neighboring countries and so to ensure this infrastructure will be put to good use and profit.
I know this for a fact. When you are putting up your own business, you see how less these officials put deeper thought on supplies and demands, how they can support entrepreneurs, how to develop science and technologies and researches on utilizing natural resources- they are busy keeping their positions for bigger loots.
Trillions of budget allocations without clear agenda and hidden budget allocations made by officials with bad records we vote again and again, and we dont dare say anything if hes part of our favourite political party.
Integrity of a nation lies in understanding eachother, but we chose to be divided and belong to either side not realizing the huge consequences. Until we learn that each party is merely using us for their personal gain, we will never be free from that which goads us towards the unthinkable.
Until we let go of our partisan mentality, we will not be able to vote properly and chose those who truly possess the heart for real progress..
@Raul Hermosura:
I fully agree with you, Dude. This should be the purpose of any political debate. Not to “OUT TALK”, the other idiotic candidate dude, who does not even know, why he /she is running for public office position. This is the reason, candidates use: political slogans; fake academic accomplishments; fake accomplishments; HOCUS PCOS; SMARTMATIC; revised their works records to feed to us gullible voters; use scare tactics; use the idiotic Roman Catholic: bishops, priests and nuns, etc…
We need the candidates to present to us the : POLITICAL PLATFORMS, and program proposals on how they can improve the country, and our lives as a whole. What I see now, the is the election of 2019 is turning to another “Political Fiesta” .
After the election, we will find out , that what we have elected are: people who are “brain dead” like Fake VP Lugaw Robredo, the same crooks, useless people, scammers, cheaters,under achievers like Pnoy Aquino, etc…
Partisan promotes blind, prejudiced and unreasoning allegiance to a party.
Perhaps if we can for once look at each candidates profile regardless of their affiliation, we can begin to have a clear view and look for qualities thats fit to work on industrialization- which is the backbone of every progressive nation.
Sad to hear some of the intelligent pinoys would consider just being invaded by other powerful nations while others can just berate their own culture without realizing that we as a nation is teeming with skillful and talented people, bursting with natural resources just waiting for creative leaders to set the guide. Some of our supposedly intelligent fellow pinoys are the ones putting us down, when theyre the first ones supposed to see this nations potential.
I hope these smart people wake up and start doing something other than blamung their fellow pinoys..
Creativity entails everything and nothing is impossible if you will it.
Voters have a common idea of what they need. It’s the lying, duplicitous leaders and their media that cause much of the division. And the more qualified Filipinos let the SOB’s call the shots.
If we want PH to be innovative, then let the innovators take the lead.
They can probably start with the traffic and waste pollution.
Corny that quote “everything starts within yourself” but its true.
Creativity entails everything, and that pollution and traffic becomes a minor problem when every potential from all natural resources, talents and skills all accross the nation is harnessed.
The creative mind itself creates a network of its own, building avenues that which can ease its process to gather its own needed materials to create something. Needless to be told it has a discipline of its own.
Sorry to disagree on a belief that it must be taught to the yougner generations; this creativity is innate and is natural to every humans regardless of culture and educational attainment. We just need to snap out of these Bshits and start realizing our own strengths and start doing rather than just saying.
It will take time, but when you discover your own strengths, you thrive in your chosen field and you begin to see others potential and begin to push and inspire them. All these negativities dissipate and you begin to see cynicisms as ones reflection of his own failures.
This isnt tale telling it is a common principle to all successful organizations accross the globe. Theres no need for a blueprint; tapping your own potential is original not needing a pattern to copy.
Many people in many poor countries do not realize this, and its no different from the smart people in poor countries- they just do all the talks that merely reflect their characters- they are the beautiful flowers that is yet to produce the seeds.
It makes sense. Creativity isn’t taught if it is one’s own nature. It’s the condition that resolves the “chicken or egg” problem. Or maybe the “determined or random” question…
@RaulHermosura, I agree what you say here:
That goes back to a long-observed problem with the Filipino character — a focus on the retrospective and hardly any insight on the prospective.
Benigno allow me to share my views in the simplest English I know.
We are so engrossed and bewildered at how other culture works, and we tend to compare and feel sorry for our own predicament, but we do not realize that this rawness of our culture and abundance in natural resources is what attracts these giant opportunists who just exhausted their own reserves. This is just one of the many facts we should feel good about. We are a great nation in the making if we can only see within our own qualities and strengths. We cannot go to war to protect ourselves but we can begin to unite as a nation, prepare a solid consciousness as a nation that detests warrantless intrusions, and allowing this kind of partisan that is dividing us, cheering and adding to this division is never gonna help.
While its true that pinoys may have these negative qualities, they also possess qualities that are undeniably impressive, but why point out the negative traits? In any successful organization it is essential to harness the best qualities of the people, rather than criticize them.
In this time of crisis, you people who are gifted with sheer ability to express and influence are the ones most needed to encourage unity and not division. You may never know how much difference this can make.
Benigno,
Nothing will ever be resolved by simply pointing out these flaws and worse by simply accepting it.
These endless debates is enough proof that retrospectives are only making it worse. Retrospective itself is playing major role in our current predicament. This is the truth of our current situation- we are lost and both partisans were successful in this mission.
Now we are left with no choice but to look at this present situation from above, otherwise we become part of the rigmarole without end.
We decide.
Do we take part of the endless grapple and take sides, or for once step back and take it on a different view?
Any clear prospective require a view of the current situation in which huge part of it is the hazed past.
One needs to stand up, and yes, beg to differ.
we cannot do it here who we want to sit as representatives. go out on the streets and shout it there. nobody gonna listen to us here, they’ll just read.
Agree benign0. Those yellows are doomed to fail!
“Elected Filipino leaders are emotional choices. ”
LOL like this article benign0?!?! And your own emotional bias. Unfortunately pinoys are gullible to emotion. When the liberal party was in charge GDP growth was in the 7%, inflation was low and we were defending the country’s borders
But now. INFLATION is sky HIGH. There is NO WATER. GDP is slowing. And the Chinese are everywhere!!
You made the emotional choice of selecting “macho” leaders who like fake bold action. Instead of thinking leaders who had DECENCY, MORALS and COMPETENCE.
If pinoys had brains Mar Roxas would be president and it would be Otso diretso.
But now we get actors and washed up cops. NO BRAINS! NO BRAINS! NO BRAINS!!!!
KEK like you, Yellow Citizen #2? And your OWN emotional bias. Pinoys are already gullible to emotion back then… when they voted the Liberal Party. Look, the 7.6% is just that, numbers. Minimal impact, no inflation means less government spending, thus also an indication of low growth. And the past administration is to blame for the mess they created with China.
But now? Despite of inflation being “sky high” kuno, the economy is improving, lots of infrastructure on the rise. No water? You just can’t blame the government for the El Nino phenomenon but Maynilad and Manila Water were owned by private companies so they use it as act of sabotage against the government. And the Chinese everywhere??? That’s some stupid-ass Sinophobia right there. Why don’t you go to Binondo and incite a mass genocide against the Chinese there?
You have the nerve to talk about “morals, decency and competence” when the Opposition neither represent those. More like they’re a bunch of shady characters with their own agendas.
And no, Filipinos are still idiots when they vote Mar Roxas as president; he’s a Hillary Clinton in a man’s body. And it will be Ocho Diretso… sa Inidoro.
And we got trolls like you who are washed up and failed actors. Upon looking your comment, you literally have NO BRAINS. EVER.
Another day, another NPC to be banned.
@CHase
Yur face is a troll. HAHA coz you don’t know anything. You have NO EVIDENCE , NO NUMBERS TO BACK you up.
FAKE NEWS! FAKE NEWS! FAKE NEWS!!!
Says you. Clearly your source is what? Any Yellow Media outlet right there? Like say, Rappler? Vera Files? Inquirer? They’re nothing but a joke.
You’re the one who’s spreading FAKE NEWS kiddo.
For Yellowtards, any news that they don’t like or doesn’t fit to their tastes is called “fake news”.
News flash: Donald Trump reffered CNN as “fake news”… and he is right. Due to the fact during the 2016 elections, CNN, MSNBC and PBS conducted a smear campaign against him, just like what they did to Bernie Sanders that made Hillary Clinton being the top Democrat nominee. And guess what happened…
Before you cry “FAKE NEWS” please look into the mirror yourself. Because you’re basically doing the same thing. That’s why I look for alternative sources and not from the mainstream media.
That is one of the funniest jokes I’ve ever heard. Ocho Diretso NEVER had these kind of qualities so in a sense, they’re just nothing but lame leaders. Keyword: LAME.
Florin Hilbay is a soyboy and a narcissist. Gary Alejano is a washed up and an opportunist soldier who would resort to to lame stunts to prop up their flagging campaign. Like Hilbay, Chiel Diokno is a joke and the only thing he is good at is fault-finding. Samira Gutoc is just, well, ‘gutom’, as she is prostituting the public worship of the mass to whore votes. Mar Roxas? Well, that tells me you’re totally ignorant about his shenanigans during the past administration. Erin Tanada is the lackluster progeny of illustrious lawyers and politicians and that’s it. Bam Aquino is just using his name AND face for his personal advantage, w/ the “free college” used as a smokescreen. MacRomy Makalintal is also a master opportunist himself.
And you, of all people, are trying tell us, that these people are thinking leaders with “morals, decency, and competence”? Take your stupid shit to somewhere else.
@Hiiro Kagami
Hahaha and the admin bets are any better? You would rather sell the country to CHINA because your admin bets are fake.
Freakin Bato. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That police chief that pretends to be “macho” but was reduced to a CRY BABY the moment any pressure is put on him. Easy to be tough when you have a gun.
The PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD! People wake up wake up!
This is the last chance to right this sinking ship. Next you know Philippines will have 3% GDP and be a PROVINCE OF CHINA.
WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!!
@pinoy citizen
These people are paid. But its more than just the money or the admin winning major seats in the gov, theyre prepping the nation for china invassion. They knew even if they get the seats in gov its the people they will have to deal that will be the most difficult.
These bastards are givinh us the clues as how theyre doing it. Kepp your eyes open and I mean observe that the people you are debating with are sharing the same thoughts and same line of attacks.
Your obnoxious Sinophobia makes you hilarious and pathetic that everything you’ve said is fake, just like your Ocho Diretso bets.
Freakin’ Alejano. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? Heck, that guy is a shady character and a crook just like his buddy Trillanes. A washed up soldier who would resort to lame stunts and cries away in a corner when someone asked for proof of his accusations but noooooo, he just said “We don’t have any evidence but we will get one.” Hey, that’s not how things work.
And no, you guys want us to return to that sinking ship that you yourselves created. Next you will know Philippines will still be is and everyone will know that this Sinophobia nonsense is just a Yellow manufactured bogeyman just to get yourselves back in power.
If someone should wake up, it’s Yellow Trolls like Abnoy Citizen #2. And all you need for YOU to wake up, not us… is a punch in the face.
And what if these people aren’t paid? Or if these people are just here to comment and make a discussion?
And you still wanna go with the China invasion stuff? Don’t tell me that you’re gonna fall from this Sinophobic scaremongering that these Yellow trolls are doing. I’m utterly disappointed if you do. BTW, it was the past administration who created this mess and not the current government.
Read the link this article just provided Standford Chronicle
This is so much more than Yellowtards and the Dutertards its all Theatrical.
Read the entire Standford Chronicles and see how they were founded,
how they mastermind the bombing of plaza miranda so Marcos gets the blame.
Read how Sison up to now is still alive and the activities of the cpp npa.
Ever wonder how Duterte is connected to Sison and how China is connected to the two? How Dutertes mom an anti Marcos and ever wonder why Bongbong didnt get the position despite allianve with Duterte?
The objectives and nature of the communists, how they kicked Marcos, the Americans and now how theyre trying to discredit the Catholic church and the Mass Media.
All these cannot be coinsidences..
This site is a subtle way to condition the minds of the intelligent pinoys..
Now I know why people here use the same line of thoughts and the same style of debate, even the same phrases. See how they accuse the Lp of doings that are simply baseless?
This is the same tactic that brought the Marcoses down slowly- first by the Miranda massacre that which recruited hundreds of students, then the assasination of Ninoy that which totally wrecked the Marcos administration.
This is horrific…
You are back!!!!! It is election time and yellows are in turmoil and even try to ditch dilawan connotation. . You need to hit quota so back to GRP where you are worshiped. Might as well face it you’re addicted to love.
Gogs, I bet he’s not the same guy. The present “pinoy citizen” AKA INSANE Pinoy NPC #2 went full-blown Yellowtard + obnoxious trolling and Hilbay-Alejano obsession when the previous one is a closet one.
So he is a different nutcase.
Still sick with yellow fever. And to think the original has copycats.
Some things are compelling, but not convincing; some things are convincing, but not compelling. If you have to say or do something controversial, aim so that people will hate that they love it and not love that they hate it.
The key to holding a logical argument or debate is to allow oneself to understand the other person’s argument no matter how divergent their views may seem.
When I saw the article photo, what came to mind was “Battle of the Roll-Ons.” lol. Might as well be an analogy about Philippine politics.
Incidentally, a thinking society of Intellectual Yet Idiot fullards is what breeds the lolcow failures that the Yellows and Communists are.
What we need is a society in line with truth and the spirit of the Filipino people. That requires a recognition of the spiritual component that you rationalist failures often ignore.
Still, it’s good to see that you faggots have learned something.
There may be hope for you yet. Now just cast aside democracy.
very aerodynamic hairstyles allied to efficient drag coefficient 🙂 🙂 🙂
To develop and articulate groundbreaking and INSIGHTFUL ideas as this site’s mission is quite the exact opposite of Partisan as one to consistently endorse blind, prejudiced and unreasoning allegiance to a party. Im sorry but Insightful and blind allegiance dont work together.
How can one relentlessly point out the hypocricy and ugliness of his own culture and his own people and say its for their own good, when clearly not seeing himself absolutely betraying his own mission even worse than hypocricy?
You can change your mission and be bloody honest about it, you know. Its ok. Atleast anyone looking for plain honesty and non-partisan article wouldnt have to be disappointed. And pls, might as well change that “we beg to differ” as well.
You just made yourself one of the so many things you hate about this country. Get real!
Just because when someone is writing about the Opposition and their evident failures doesn’t mean they’re favoring a political party or something.
And again, this is a blog. It’s either you take it or leave it. No need to do’ power and authority’ stuff here.
To the communists, traitorship is worth beheading.
These people you love to ridicule, theyre not in their position right now for no reason, and the reason why youre kept here in your tiny little shack has just become pretty obvious.
Those people possessed qualities you dont have, and perhaps thats where your problems are coming from.
Your mission barely speaks for yourself. Your like this small enterprise struggling for not being consistent with its mission, and youre hardly making a sale.
In your current situation, the best thing you can do maybe is sniff even just a bit of reality and so from being a little honest you might get yourself somewhere better.
If youre to apply in my company, after seeing your profile and read your thoughts, you wont get near shortlisted.
This is traitorship not even to anybody but to yourself.
Like the Opposition candidates? Trust me, I’ve watched a LOT of news and I can’t help but laugh at their antics because they have the the most media attention. In short, they’re ridiculing themselves.
For example, Florin Hilbay, who is Noynoy’s Solicitor General back then. You said that he possess qualities that I don’t have? Meh, that’s the same guy who blocks people on Twitter since he can’t handle dissent and two years ago, he made a dangerous and disturbing proposal of a government body that would help on dealing with fake news. In reality, what he is proposing is an “information police = censorship” in favor of the Opposition and its only use is not for integrity but for political attacks on the administration. It will be a vehicle for the opposition to launch information attacks on the incumbent, whoever he or she is. In fact, his proposal is purely totalitarian or Orwellian in a sense. Bets is that he will do this if he gets a Senate seat. This is one of the fine examples.
And please, stop with the strawman arguments you yourself made.