People are now lamenting the sad social divide supposedly laid bare as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages Philippine society. This comes across as mere quaint virtue signalling within the current context — one that provides fertile environment for that sort of behaviour.
The fact is, the social divide has always been there for all to behold even in the best of times. Even in the midst of a festive Christmas season in Manila, for example, street children eat, sleep, and work amidst the bustle of chi chi shoppers taking selfies with their haul. While truly progressive countries boast rich and poor alike taking the same public transport facilities in their daily commutes, Filipino motorists take to the roads they feel their SUVs are entitled to while the peasants scrunch themselves into dilapidated buses, jeepneys and trains. Indeed, more than a Century after the Spanish empire let go of its biggest far eastern colony, its people continue to latch onto the very same emergent social divide that was an outcome of the island natives’ response to colonial rule.
Calling this a “social divide” is putting it mildly in the Philippine context. No other reminder of just how quaintly glib this euphemism is stands as starkly as the fortified residential enclaves that the Philippines’ upper middle class and above circles inhabit. Within it, the chi chi classes have long permanently social-distanced themselves from the majority population and its permanent pandemic of social diseases — lack of discipline, unsanitary practices, and superstitious victim mentality.
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The emotional public laments and the collective sighs of frustration noisily broadcast over social media nowadays are just begging to be given the obvious response — told ya so.
The reality is that people have time to go cluckity cluck about the ins and outs of the COVID-19 crisis because it happens to be one that is unfolding in slow motion compared to the flash disasters more familiar to Filipinos — the routine typhoons that visit the Philippines that kill thousands of Filipinos every year, for example. The only difference the COVID-19 pandemic presents is that it is unprecedented in its scale and the behaviour of the pathogen itself and, as such, has taken much of the world up a steep learning curve. However, in the context of the overall way Filipinos “prepare” for known risks — such as the typhoons that cross their islands every year — it is easy to see why Philippine society is dismally failing its most vulnerable members.
The fact is, the Philippines remains woefully prepared to deal with known — even routine — risks, so expecting a world-class response to an unprecedented event like the COVID-19 outbreak is a stretch. Much of the community risk mitigation measures and emergency response capabilities available are managed at local levels — which is why we see a lot of grandstanding local government officials like Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto each with their own little fans clubs backing them with social media cheer rallies nowadays. More importantly, the best of these measures and facilities are maintained within the richest residential enclaves many of which are enjoy private armies and emergency services.
The class divide has always been there and is an outcome of an equally stark thinking divide. At the upper end is a class with much to lose and a commensurate capability put in place strong measures to secure all those assets at risk. At the lowest end is the overwhelming majority of Filipinos with nothing to lose and this is mirrored by a commensurate lack of foresight and resolve to prepare for rainy days.
As usual, times of disaster are occassions for the all-too-familiar victim mentality of the underclasses and the commensurate virtue signalling of the “woke” products of chi chi private schools to complement that. Ultimately nothing of any lasting consequence comes out of any of these — nothing learned from the experience that could be applied to the next crisis. The only thing going for victims of what could be preventable catastrophes is an enormous supply of noisy “for the people rhetoric” that serves not much more than providing a temporary opiate for both people impacted by disaster and the chi chi communities of latte-sipping wokes who find comfort in self-inflicted emotional blackmail.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
i agree.
The solution is just infront of us: a socialistic revolution of some kind. Although many hate that idea. Even among the poor.
LOL!
Because socialism worked so well in Venezuela and Cuba?
Oh wait, scratch that. I mean capitalist US, Japan and *gasp China are the ones developing/fighting the vaccine.
Your thinking is another result of benign0’s GARBAGE ideas he generates while living in capitalist AUSTRALIA
Darth,
No, I was thinking more in the line of scandinavian countries like denmark. High tax rates; High unemployment/cash benefits.
Your post is another result of benign0’s exposing the truth; The truth hurts when you are one of the egocentric.
You mean like denmark whose PM said they were capitalist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO7wgS5tdz4
You just exposed your ignorance.
Go home you damn red commie. And take your ridiculous bernie sanders schtick with you. Your toast.
Yes captain obvious its tough to be poor mahirap maging mahirap. Do you have suggestions or are you content just lambasting them as victim mentality or inferior thinker to you? Also the “woke” that you ridicule are the first of their class to sympathize they’re the initial steps. Do you think the slaves in america would have gained equality by themselves? No, it required some of those in power to “wake up” and surrender some of their power so the poor blacks could rise. is that so hard to understand? How to be woke = just dont be an asshole
The point is ( which you completely missed as usual ) these so called pa-woke government critics are just full if noise. Pro-poor lang naman sila in the context of criticizing the government. Pero outside of that, ano nagawa? Are they the ones going to poor areas for feeding programs when there’s no calamity.
Funny thing is, those who actually help the poor through civic works, fundraising, and volunteer works are (based on my observation lang naman since volunteer ako sa mga ganyan) are usually the ones encouraging people to help the government when THERE IS a calamity.
Mga “pro-poor” thought leaders seem like they’re only noisy when they want to bash the government.
Actually, you do have a point that more practical suggestions to help poverty is yet to be made, but the offended way you expressed the point while throwing more immature insults shows that you are saying this out of a need to be right than actual genuine concern. Though I’d argue that just donating more and more money or resources without having a strategy of where and how to apply them well isn’t going to solve much without understanding much of the root cause. This article has showed much more insight than just you complaining that it isn’t practical. Helping the poor in practical ways is fairly obvious, I’m sure we’ve all been taught manners or how to volunteer to society growing up already. It’s just that either doing that isn’t working considering it’s more complicated than it seems, and people who don’t clearly need to be reasoned with more to be motivated.
If you or anyone reading this desires more practical solutions to help the poor then go to this article.
>>>> https://faq.ph/100-ways-to-help-the-poor/
“100 Ways to Help the Poor,” as said by the site FAQ.ph. Try at the very least one of those if you want to prove that you really care for this country and not just for egocentric reasons of being so butthurt. A search online for “Filipino charities to donate to,” or “Filipino charities to volunteer to,” is not hard either. The problem is that these ideas are easy to search, but there needs to be some deeper thinking on why more people aren’t doing them, especially if they have more resources being in some kind of power or influence in the Philippines.
Sometimes it makes you wonder how GRP’s differing views, through its commentaries, should be rightfully appreciated.
Like in this apparent perceptive divide on the tale of two mayors:
What makes a Mayor’s action in Manila, in GRP’s eyes, described in this site, as something revolutionary and the other Mayor’s deed in Pasig seen as grandstanding?
We have one leader who doesn’t rely heavily on social media to act and the other one who doesn’t want to make pronouncements without a camera in front, employs and maintains social media accounts to self-promote, even something of the the most mundane, and has time joining tv game show and tv magazine show (in this case, to accompany a paranormal expert to investigate strange and spooky places).
@web
It’s pretty easyto “bucket” GRP’s differing views. Marcos + China paid hacks equals good press from GRP because these guys butter benign0’s pockets while he lives in Australia.
Politicians who don’t pay GRP = bad press regardless of what they do.
Do something in public = grandstanding
Do something in private = #nassan ang (*blank*)
benign0 despite portraying himself as an “intellectual” with big boy words is morally and intellectually dishonest and closed-off to debate and ideas.
All benign0 cares about is those $$$$$ that come from MARCOS and CHINA are able to sustain his first world lifestyle in AUSTRALIA
Nope, all you care is self-gratification and your own egocentrism under the guise of false nationalism and being emo over some dead person who is totally irrelevant.
BTW, you’re also getting $$$$$ from AQUINO and your fellow commie cucks.
Set your priorities for once. Next is that you’re gonna get banned for your obnoxious spamming.
benign0 bans me for speaking truth to power.
@Pinball Wizard you are just a dumb sheep. Perfect audience for benign0 to spew his non-sense CHINA agenda. Think about it, you so stupid to believe the recommendations of a person who DOES NOT LIVE in the country.
benign0 is enjoying the cushy life is Australia while spewing non-sense about the philippines. If we die, we die. Right benign0?
F U benign0. Mind your own damn business.
Pinoy. Pride.
if you have a flu vaccine then you are safe against this covid scare immune ‘ cuz flu and covid are the same they’re one.
What medical school did you go to?
I don’t think that blaming people, or anybody will solve anything…Social divide has been always with us; even in communist/socialist countries. The ruling class communist politburo, dress better, eats better, and lives better than the ordinary “state slave”. Kim Jung Un of North Korea is as fat, as a swine; dresses well, and lives better, with “slave servants” catering every whim of his needs…
In our country, the oligarchs, the feudal oligarchs, and the crooked politicians, eat better, live better and are served well by retinues of servants. Those “serving the poor” fake news of politicians, are hyped by the fake news media , to get your idiotic votes. They also have “photo opportunities” to delude us, ignorant masses, that they are serving us well…
We, the ordinary Filipinos, have to : live from paycheck to paycheck, in order to survive…some Filipinos, live beside the garbage dumps, to survive on garbage or recycled materials. Some go as OFW, to feed their families. Some are peasants, who live from crop harvest to crop harvest…
I don’t believe in socialism, or communism…it is a failed political ideology…I believe in freedom, opportunities and capitalism !
You believe in opportunities eventhough you do not have the same equal opportunities as the rich? It boggles my mind that you accept this.
@hyden
We, the ordinary Filipinos, have to : live from paycheck to paycheck…….
Except for benign0 , who migrated to AUSTRALIA. Now lamenting the social divide in a country HE DOESNT EVEN LIVE IN.
benign0 wants to stroke the fires of social division for the benefit of CHina. So they can come in and take over quickly. benign0 is a paid CHINA hack who is paving the way for a MARCOS return.
GRP is becoming a breeding ground of commies who want to take the Philippines down the north korea route of being a poor vassal of CHina. F U benign0, I am on to your schemes.
?
This instability caused by this extreme class divide seems to be resolving on its own. Unless the few at the top are able to leave the planet. .. which is a wonder why they haven’t yet.
It’s interesting to see how non -socialist systems of government resort to socialist strategies in a time like this. I guess a main take away is to build up the people themselves so they can help others as well as they can make it on their own.
@Ely
Corporations dont exist in North Korea and Venezuela dumb ass.
Bail-outs are part of the Capitalist process.
What social divide? The division for me is between the city people and the provinciano culture, and the vested interests vying against each other for control of the country. Everyone else just wants to survive, and want to take it easy while doing so.
@ChinoF
The only vested interest is China and its slimy tentacles which control CCP puppets like benign0 and GRP.
To Darth,
Yes. And Denmark has taken much more socialistic measures to combat class divide than most countries. And because of that they have only few that can be considered poor.
You sound american… its no wonder then that you also sound like a snob.
@socialisticfighter
LOL Socialism is a turd that has been repackaged again and again. The youth love it because they are dumb without any life experiences. Your just a damn SNOWFLAKE. If you love socialism so much why dont you go join the breadlines in Venezuela.
The scandinavian countries are among the most capitalist. Look at the ease of doing business score of Switzerland. The DAMN PM of DENMARK just said they are not socialists.
You damn commies take facts and appeal to “feelings” instead of picking yourself up by your damn bootstraps. You expect government to keep handing out to you free stuff , paid for WITH MY TAXES.
Take your bernie sanders crap to the trash bin where it belongs.
Take GRP and benign0 with you…… These CHINA DICTATOR loving bozo who lives in Australia , but wants to sell the Philippines to China by running this China-paid website. The only reason GRP stays afloat while you live in Australia is because of all the damn CCP you take in benign0.
To Darth again. Its because you, the former PM of Denmark and so many others have no clue of what socialism is all about. Just because the ease of doing business in Denmark is so high does not neccessarily mean the country is not socialistic.