Leaders of today’s Philippine Opposition will have us believe that democracy is in crisis — even in decline (horrors!) — and, as such, heralding a coming era of doom and gloom for the nation in the coming years. They, of course, attribute this unfortunate prognosis to the government of President Rodrigo Duterte who, since Day One of his presidency, they have been painting as evil incarnate.
Why is Duterte “evil” according to his critics? Well, it’s because he is supposedly “undemocratic” in his style of governance. Okay then, let’s say for argument’s sake that everything about Duterte is “undemocratic” (despite the fact that no sound evidence to support this assertion has so far been put forth by the Opposition). Then ask: So what?
| SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY! Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider! Learn more |
If the Philippines under Duterte’s government becomes “less democratic” compared to, say, the way it was under his predecessor, former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III, is that necessarily a bad thing? The Philippines, after all, is a southeast Asian nation. Very few, if any, southeast Asian nations are democratic in the sense of the word that Duterte’s critics in the Opposition are comfy with. For that matter, no southeast Asian nation even aspires to be as democratic as Western Europe and the United States would like their former colonies to be.
There is a lesson here that the Opposition need to learn if they want to start winning elections again. Filipinos don’t really give a rat’s arse about “human rights”, “press freedom”, “gender equality”, polite talk, and all those chi chi Up the Hill ideals the Yellowtard-led Opposition keep harping about. What they do care about, however, is being a great nation. Being “undemocratic” does not necessarily preclude becoming a great nation. Ask Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and even Japan. These countries became great not on the back of democracy but despite pressure from the West to be “more democratic”.
It is, quite simply, not in the national character and, evidently, not in the regional character, to be “democratic” in the way Uncle Sam wants us to be.
Therein lies the lesson the Opposition need to apply to their strategy to win the next election. They should ditch the melodrama of the Yellowtard narrative and compete with a campaign platform that focuses more on national greatness and less on the prayerful rhetoric of “martyred heroes” who died “fighting” for “freedom”. The latter is, quite frankly, old and tired. More importantly, it is as obsolete as the ideology of the terrorist groups they foolishly ally themselves with today.
Democracy is a nice and peachy way of governing people. But there is the old colonial way of practicing democracy and there is the southeast Asian way. It’s time the Philippines become a real southeast Asian nation.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Democracy can be defined as: the government , by the people, of the people and for the people…
Our government has never ever been a democracy. We are Feudal Oligarchy. Almost all of our political leaders are landed feudal oligarchs… It is a government; “Buy the people”, “Fool the people” and “Off the people””…so help us God…
The YellowTards and the opposition group, when they were in power, had a government of “Kleptocracy”, not democracy. They had DAP, PDAF, Typhoon Yolanda Funds disappearing without a trace, etc…Illegal drug dealing was rampant, with Leila de Lima, making the Bilibid Prison, the “center of drug trade”, and the ” Las Vegas Entertainment center of the country”, complete with drinks and women… Mar Roxas, was the “illegal drug Lord “on the Barangay Level. Almost all the YellowTard cahoots of Aquino got rich, in all kinds of means. Porky Drilon, was the worst crook and the “restless swine” who gobbles every available fund…
If that is what they call: “YellowTard Democracy”…then, I prefer to live under the “undemocratic Duterte rule…
Democracy, My Ass …an often repeated word to get votes !
“The Philippines needs more of DISCIPLINE than democracy.” — former Singaporean PM Lee Kuan Yew, 1991.
“Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, DISIPLINA ang kailangan (For a progressive nation, it needs DISCIPLINE).” — Ferdinand Marcos, 1965
If the Yellowtards think that discipline is a way of tyranny & becoming ignorant can make Filipinos free, then let our country be rotten by that kind of “democracy”. This is what they want for our country, and no wonder after the 1986 EDSA Revolution in which they’d overthrown by a dictator who really want to discipline us, the Filipino people becoming more poor, ignorant, idiotic & lazy. They’re political ideologies are very evil that we shouldn’t trust it. Its time to change our constitution & our government from the corrupt & evil unitary government into a semi-presidential/parliamentary federal type of government just like in Switzerland so that we could see & feel the new Philippines [or we should change the name of our country from the Philippines into the Maharlika/Bangsalaya Federation]!!!
Democracy, dictatorship, communism. Communism is said to work when everybody does their thing, but all it takes to ruin that is one rotten apple in the seat of power. Dictatorship even works if the dictator himself is benevolent, but who in their right mind would put their absolute trust in one person leading the country for generations? Of course, Democracy still sounds the “best” on paper because there you can pretend that the officials actually listen to the citizens. As such, the country strives to be like their Western Big Brothers.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter what the Philippines take. It’s not the form of government that’s the problem. It’s the Filipinos themselves, and human nature in general. People have always used Japan as a role model for how citizens should behave, and throughout our modern history Filipinos have been told by countless people whether in school or in the news to “be like the Japanese” when it comes to proper discipline.
But how do we do that? Sure, you, me and the everyone here can claim that we’re doing our best towards being well-disciplined individuals, but what about the rest of the country? I’m not saying we preach others to “be like us” and be more disciplined. I myself really hate that sort of virtue signaling as if you think you have the moral high ground over others, so even I won’t listen to myself preaching that. That’s Social Justice Warrior methodology.
Change must come from within the person. He or she has to want to change. I know it sounds very cliche, but that’s pretty much the best case scenario for everyone.
But then again, why would Filipinos bother trying to be a “better person” if they are struggling to put the next meal on the table? Discipline and morality mean nothing to the hungry and the needy. Why would people bother with City Ordinance and keeping our streets clean when their excuse is “naghahanap buhay naman lang po kame”?
Here’s solid data to back up the fact that Filipinos should start rethinking this entire notion of “more democratic freedom/rights”…
https://www.oecd.org/pisa/PISA%202018%20Insights%20and%20Interpretations%20FINAL%20PDF.pdf
Filipinos are NOT stupid; they just need a Senate Inquisition on who to blame for PH ranking on page 6 of this sobering report.
Parental Advice: after seeing pages 7-8, quickly change the channel to the 2019 SEA games to avoid depression.
Now I’d found this video that will make those SJWs, Yellowtards & Commies to shame! If they think that DISCIPLINE is a way of tyranny as what I’d said on my post before, it actually DISCIPLINE can make you FREE!!! For as long as your ready for changes, challenges and get rid of your struggles and obstacles that could hamper you like being lazy, being dumb, arrogance and having a crab and colonial mentalities. So discipline is NOT a a way of tyranny but it is a way that makes you feel FREE!!! And this is what the Singaporeans & Japanese had done for their country for many years & many decades, and this should also be done to our country as well if we’ll change our thoughts on the use of “Freedom” & “Democracy” in our country.
Again for the last time, DISCIPLINE =/= TYRANNY but DISCIPLINE = FREEDOM!!! So here’s the video what I’m talking about & this is the best motivated video for humankind, IMHO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBmVv2P-v2s
I beg to disagree with you the Discipline = Freedom. In my understanding that discipline is a code of behavior which you have to control oneself from laziness and it is not freedom.
@waderer No, its true that Discipline = Freedom, and if you don’t use it, you’ll gonna go to jail or pay a hefty fine & your personal freedom would reduce it that’s because you’re violating a law that you shouldn’t commit it. Just ask Singapore on why they call it as the “Fine City”: https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Singapore-called-a-fine-city
Fantastic post. When I skype with distant cousins in Batangas and they tell me how some neighborhoods are better now, and that there is a decline in horrible drug related criminal activity , no amount of Western hogwash from our news here in the U.S. will convince me Duterte is a evil monster.
It seems like the “opposition,” like the mentality you criticize in Get Real, just copies U.S. “leftist” policies much like the crappy American media/culture. The “Common Core” curriculum in US public schools is abysmal and teaches kids to push buttons instead of teaching them to think. It is sad here too.
I don’t think that Filipinos do not care about human rights or press freedom. Just for Evidence, look at CHR or protests against Extrajudicial Killings