Filipinos are a funny people. We want change but we are not sure whether to look forward or to look back. Not surprisingly, we are again the butt of jokes of the international community. Just recently, I heard that a foreign news commentator from Australia remarked that politics in the Philippines is just like a swapping of seats between the Aquino and the Marcos clan. He came to this conclusion after announcing that Imelda Marcos just got voted in as a Congresswoman. The same Imelda Marcos who was accused of stealing the people’s money was voted in by the same people she stole from. Another foreign correspondent went on to say “You can’t make this stuff up” — an indication of how bizarre these circumstances are. The situation is so funny, it’s sad. We have to be prepared then for more comments about Erap Estrada’s famous near-win as soon as word gets around.
Who wants to be called Filipino nowadays?
Once upon a time, not so long ago, Filipinos found the name of this site offensive. They couldn’t comprehend why we would would call it AntiPinoy.com. To those who read beyond the title of the site, they were met with enlightenment and a vibrant discussion of the ills of Philippine society. Thanks to the election and Noynoy Aquino’s win, quite a number of Filipinos can now relate to our core message — that the Filipino culture is dysfunctional. This is evident in the way Filipinos throw away their freedom by voting for whoever the media is telling them to vote for. The number of Filipinos who were disillusioned with the outcome of the election may just be the same number of Filipinos who now want to distance themselves from being called a Filipino.
It is the right time to be asking ourselves the question: who are we? Are we just consumers? Are we just organisms whose main function is to eat and consume whatever it is the corporations are selling us? Are we just a bunch of fools being played by whoever are in positions of influence, be it the media or the politicians? As soon as we can accept who we are then it is easier for us to move on and live our lives. With Noynoy’s win and Erap coming in second, it is fair to say that we are a bunch of fools. Those who don’t want to be associated with the word “fool” have it in their power to do so. To distance ourselves from the word “fool”, we need to cut off the invisible barriers that prevent us from reaching an age of enlightenment. Whether it is religion or tradition that’s preventing us from moving forward, we need to be prepared to disengage. This is the only way we can move forward.
In every crises, there is an opportunity to be found. Now that we know that we cannot rely on anybody but ourselves, we need to use the head above our shoulders even more. We need to look at things again with a fresh set of eyes and consider these recent events as a rebirth. It doesn’t matter that the majority of Filipinos would rather live in the past, what’s important is that those of us who seriously want to change look to the future. It is us that matters now. We need to use our eyes to see our world for what it is, and act accordingly. Independence, ability, intellect, knowledge, and skill – those are the things that matter. We need not ask about anyone’s ranking in society, their profession, their religion and what region they come from, what is important is what the person can do.
We have the ability now to talk freely and openly debate and discuss the arguments and counter-arguments we put forth — at least in cyberspace and with anonymity, but then that is a start. We should be more interested now in everything around us. I know it sucks but we need to be aware of our surroundings. The best way to support any government is to regard their policies with a critical mind, a clear imperative considering these affect all of us. It is only in this way, that we can end the cycle of influential people treating us like fools and making us the butt of jokes.
Remove the guilt.
During his time (1452 to 1519), Leonardo da Vinci had to keep all his wonderful discoveries to himself. His curiosity led him to understand a lot about human nature. He wanted to know what it is like inside the human body – how the muscle, bones and tissues functioned, so he asked the hospitals to give him bodies of people who had died which he then dissected and examined. He was also the first to hypothesize that the Earth might revolve around the sun and not the other way around and also imagined the possibility of a machine that could fly. But unfortunately, such sorts of knowledge were considered heretic during those times. For that matter, anything that didn’t have a Biblical basis — like da Vinci’s discoveries — were considered false. You can be burned at the stake if found to be harboring heretical ideas. We all know that can hurt. So all these things were just kept in his notes.
We here at AntiPinoy.com are curious people. We want to dissect and explore what it is that constitutes the Filipino people. Every now and then, commenters here throw in a few guilt laden responses like “Where is your pride in the Filipino?” or “Why are you putting Filipinos down, where is your shame?” These kinds of questions are valid in the sense that, every idiot has the right to ask stupid questions. So in response to those questions, I too would ask more: Where can you find pride in the act of voting for someone mediocre like Noynoy instead of someone more competent? Where can you find pride in the act of voting for an accused thief like Imelda Marcos or a plunderer like Erap Estrada? I say we get rid of the guilt of mocking these kinds of decisions by so-called Filipino “patriots”. For by mocking them, the message just might, just might get through their thick skulls that it is wrong to be putting the same people in government over and over again.
Every now and then, commenters would tell Filipinos who live overseas that they have no right to criticise the Philippines anymore because they had “abandoned” the country already. Well, helloo! The recent events would be an opportune time to remind these kinds of commenters that Philippine society in general does not value ideas of intellectual consequence. This is why Filipinos with real talent and skills leave en masse. Filipinos who have talent get rewarded and recognised in foreign lands more than in their own country. This is evident in the way the Filipino voter had dismissed such high achievers as Dick Gordon and Gilbert Teodoro in this year’s elections. Filipinos who live abroad have as much right to complain about what is happening in the country because Filipinos who live abroad still have families and friends who live in the country and as such, still have a stake in how it is run. Perhaps some Filipinos who live abroad just don’t want to be associated with fools anymore, just ask Jim Paredes about this, he is now an expert migrant and a reformed “patriot”.
We are citizens of the world.
It is hard to be a Filipino. Being Filipino comes with a lot of baggage. You have to do this, you have to do that. People would come up and say, Aren’t you Filipino? How come you are not eating rice? There is no rule that says we need to behave in a certain way to be a “true” Filipino. We just need common sense and do what is right for us, for the people around us and for the environment. A basic understanding of how things work like our bodily functions, basic human needs, and how the environment works should already inform us of the proper ways to behave. If we understand that smoking is bad for our health, then we should quit. If we understand that throwing garbage in places where we are not supposed to throw them will cause flooding later on, then we shouldn’t do it. We need not complicate our lives. We have to get rid of this need to know someone’s ranking in society before we open ourselves to his or her ideas. Fixating on the inconsequential is not helpful. Let us channel our curiosity instead towards solving the mysteries of our existence. We might discover that we are not just here to consume what “they” are selling us.
| About: ilda: Ilda is agent provocateur. She wants to help people realise that things are not always what they seem. |
My Korean boss said to me during lunch today, “What are you [Filipinos] doing to yourselves?” and chuckles with that little evil korean laugh that he has.
hehehe…
[Reply]
Amino Acid Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 2:15 am
You should’ve replied “Don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for stupid.”
[Reply]
ben Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 3:02 am
lol… I said something similar.. I said, “I know right?” then looked at my office mates, “And who did you all vote for?” Only one of my officemates voted for Gordon. The others dnt wna say.
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brianitus Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 2:48 am
Um, another answer: “Taking it up the rear and pretending that we’re enjoying it.”
Another answer: “Ensuring the supply of cheap labor for your country.”
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:13 am
Comments like the one from your Korean boss are precisely the reason why I had to highlight the fact that it is our fault when foreigners make fun of us. They don’t even have to come up with a joke, they just laugh at our circumstances. Filipinos don’t have a right to be offended because what they say is true.
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Aegis-Judex Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:57 am
For that, ilda, I shan’t sleep well from here on out. God willing, when the opportunity to leave the country presents itself, I will take it rather than live in a country led by imbeciles.
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BongV Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Aegis:
I crossed my rubicon when Erap won.
i feel your pain.brodduh
As if we already aren’t the butt of jokes around the world because of our reaction to Adam Carolla.
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ChinoF Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 2:44 am
Oh yeah, good thing you mentioned Erap. There were comments from foreign newscasters stating that Estrada was deposed in 2001, and yet still he had a high number of voters in this one. It’s like, “you put him out, but you want him back? Make up your mind, Filipinos”
Wait a minute… is there a mind in Filipinos to start with?
Also, the surveys were wrong. Noynoy was tops, but it was Erap, not Villar, who came in 2nd.
[Reply]
ben Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Actually, 1 week before the elections, Erap was already 2nd. So they were right!
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helios Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 3:27 am
ChinoF, Erap coming in second just goes to show that EDSA II was a farce… it was the so called “civil society” that deposed him. Erap, after all was the most popularly elected president… if our system of government was parliamentary… i bet we’d have a hung parliament and Monsieur Aquino wold need a coalition government with Erap no less LOL…
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ChinoF Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Yeah, it was only a limited sector… “classy” sector if you will… who forced out the great Erapsyon… let’s see what kind of erapsyon happens these days. hehehe
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:17 am
Well, a lot of Filipinos get offended because they haven’t got a clue why foreigners make fun of us. They really don’t see anything wrong with voting for Noynoy or Erap. Totally clueless
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This one was really embarrassing when it happened in 2000…
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/26/world/filipino-hijacker-dies-after-parachute-fails.html
It’s about the Filipino Parachute Hijacker…
[Reply]
ben Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 3:06 am
lol’d!
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Anonylol Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:33 am
I thought that was just a joke
I didn’t know it really happened
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:21 am
Wow Shaddap
That’s incredible. I somehow failed to hear about that idiot but the news made it overseas though
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BenK Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Top choice for the year 2000 Darwin Awards. I’m surprised Filipinos didn’t make a big deal of the win.
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Dr. José Rizal II Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:33 am
Actually, that Parachute-Man incident was just one of many WEIRD STUFF that got totally publicized around the world thanks to CNN’s coverage within a span of JUST ONE MONTH!
It was almost like a string of badluck sh1t was happening in the Philippines at almost the same time, mostly timed one week after another!
1. April 19, 2000 – 131 People died when an an Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 crashed in Samal Island, near Davao City. The people were en route to enjoying their Holy Week holidays. NEGATIVE NEWS REPORT
2. April 21, 2000 – The Abu Sayyaf beheads two school teachers among hostages taken from a local Catholic school. NEGATIVE NEWS REPORT
3. April 23, 2000 – The Abu Sayyaf uses speedboats to raid a diving resort in Sipadan, Malaysia to take the kidnap victims to their lair in the Southern Philippines. NEGATIVE NEWS REPORT
3. May 25, 2000 – PARACHUTE MAN — NEGATIVE AND STUPID REPORT
4. July 10, 2000 – PAYATAS GARBAGE “LANDSLIDES” kill hundreds. NEGATIVE NEWS REPORT
Think about how it unfolded…
CNN repeats the stories usually within days to at most a week of something bad happening. So just imagine that CNN DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO when they were inundated with so many negative stories happening almost at the same time all coming from this miserable fcked up country called the Philippines.
It’s like CNN reported and then reported one mishap ONLY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER UNRELATED MISHAP.
The Parachute-man incident gave some respite and comedy relief to all the tragic stuff about beheadings and kidnappings going on… But then just after everyone thought the sh1t was over…
…PAYATAS ends up with the garbage landslides. (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20070811-81831/Memories_of_Payatas_tragedy)
That was a difficult time to be a Filipino.
I was in the USA just before the landslides happened, and everyone (non-Pinoys) I met who knew that I was a Filipino kept pestering me about what the hell is going on in my country.
Most of what went on was even UNRELATED!!
Sure, there were two “back-to-back” Abu Sayyaf events and even they were “unrelated” because one was a local thing (the school raid) and the other one was an international thing (the diving resort raid).
But you think about it:
1) Air Tragedy
2) Terrorism / Kidnapping
3) Petty Theft with a stupidly funny twist (Parachute Man)
4) Natural Calamity (storm) that exacerbated a Human Tragedy (people living below man-made mountains of Trash)
It was one of the worst times to be Pinoy.
Well, the results of the May 2010 elections are another one.
GIVEN THE CHOICE: WHO REALLY WANTS TO BE A FILIPINO?
The original Dr. José Rizal wanted to be a Spaniard.
[Reply]
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:03 am
Filipinos are really unique! We like our tragedies with rice dipped in patis
Anonylol Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
>”I was in the USA just before the landslides happened, and everyone (non-Pinoys) I met who knew that I was a Filipino kept pestering me about what the hell is going on in my country”
Everyone but Filipinos seem to be thinking this.
>”Most of what went on was even UNRELATED!!”
Ever heard of the butterfly effect?
We were the butt of jokes even before Noy’s win.
We’re known as butthurt, onion-skinned pangos.
Even in online games no one likes Filipinos.
Who would want to be a Filipino?
Ah man, but we can’t change the fact that we were born and raised in the Philippines. Denying that we are Filipinos is just as bad. The best we can do right now is carry on and try to undo the damage one little thing at a time.
Is the landslide win of the Marcoses in Ilocos Norte (Imelda as Representative, Imee as Governor) a way of showing that the Ilocanos have finally vindicated the Marcos family. Bongbong is also assured of a Senate seat and could become a much-needed ally in the Senate. Imee on national tv announced that their family is willing to cooperate and support the Aquino government. And Imelda telling the PCGG that they’re willing to negotiate and give government a share (40% being negotiated by PCGG) of their supposed-to-be ill-gotten wealth. Thinking about it and for practicality, the money that the government will get from the Marcoses is more than enough to pay our debts and finance anti-poverty programs.
With such developments, will President-elect Aquino soften in his position to pursue the cases against the Marcoses? Litigation will take more years, without certain outcome.
In politics, there is no permanent allies or enemies. Only vested interests.
[Reply]
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:35 am
I’m not surprised that the Marcoses are making a comeback. A lot of Filipinos are now saying that it was better during the Marcos years. If they make it back to Malacanang, people can then say that the Edsa revolution doesn’t really have any value. And maybe then we can be free from being indebted to the Aquino family for the so called “Edsa legacy”.
[Reply]
Mike Tan Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
@ilda:
We may be free from by demystifying the Edsa legacy, but it would be traded by the “Marcos was ok” crap. Another set of stupid for Da Pinoy.
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ilda,
The Philippine nickname “The Old Sick Man of Asia” remains. This time this Sick Old Man will be sicker than before. I agree with you when you said “The number of Filipinos who were disillusioned with the outcome of the election may just be the same number of Filipinos who now want to distance themselves from being called a Filipino.” As a Filipino living in the US, with my pre-election hopes that Senator Gordon will win because of his exemplary track record saying there is hope in the future. Our country will finally have a CURE for this Old Sick man. Now, I am ashamed to be called Filipino once again. Our presence in foreign land reflects how foreigners relate to Filipinos differently. Believe me if they start talking about our country, it is not pretty. Because of the outcome of the election, Filipinos have chosen another incompetent stupid leader. A blind man leading the blind…It is sad to say many of our kababayan who currently work in foreign shores esp. in the Middle East will continue to be treated like garbage. Teachers who were promised to earn P40, 000 per month will continue to work as Domestic Helpers (DH). If you think about it, how stupid are this OFW’s are? Aquino even won their votes by a huge margin. What do then expect Aquino will do to them? Nothing will change. From our government perspective, this OFWs will continue to be used as human exports to bring in more $$$ to the country. One candidate had promised CHANGE during his campaign he states “It is time to bring our OFWs back to there homes and be with there families once again by creating more jobs in the Philippines”.
I predict in 2016, when the saga unfolds and the true color of Noynoy’s incompetency started to become more evident, many Filipinos will surely seek another savior. Unfortunately, this so-called messiah can place another Marcos back in office. Then again it goes back to the original statement mentioned above from a “foreign news commentator from Australia remarked that in the Philippines is just like a swapping of seats between the Aquino and the Marcos clan”. Filipinos are Stupid…stupid ….stupid…stupid…..
[Reply]
Dr. José Rizal II Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 3:47 am
What you said, Jon, is exactly what this is about: http://antipinoy.com/noynoy-winning-enables-a-marcos-retur/
[Reply]
JOn Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:20 am
thanks Jose…..that article sayz it all.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:14 am
Well Jon you definitely prove, and I think the international pinoy community should be even MORE VEHEMENT that pinoys raised overseas are different breed than pinoys raised in the country. I’m somewhat of a result of the best of both worlds as I was born in Quezon City, raised as a child in Marikina, grew up as a young man in Boston and came back here to try make something for myself as a young adult and I still honestly love this country. I admittedly hate certain people with a passion.
If international pinoy communities, specifically in the U.S. with the Fil-Am community really want to show that they care, they, being the more educated, critical thinking of their kin (I’m generalizing but being raised in a different environment shows quite a bit) should pay attention more attention so stuff like this doesn’t happen. Especially if their pride for their country is on the line. You can’t just be selective and pick the Charice’s and Manny Pacquiaos’ to represent your pride, more so than ever now that these more intelligent pinoys have to accept that their countrymen/women chose a village idiot for head of state.
If they love the country so much, they shouldn’t let this crap happen. I hope the rude awakening gives those ‘influential’ communities something to think about for the next 5-6 years. Or resign themselves and succumb to believing the pinoy curse can’t be broken.
[Reply]
BongV Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:50 am
Jay:
Hate to burst your bubble.
But Fil-Am organizations are most likely to say, we are glad to throw you some morssewls – a few donations here and there.
But don’t expect us to think forr you – remember, we already did that before and you never listened. that’s why we left in the first place. you people didn’t listen before, why will you listen now – for short, you break it, you own it – manigas kayong lahat.
[Reply]
Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:03 am
I get your point BongV. I figure there were 2 mind sets to OFWs and overseas pinoys regarding this. There is one where the competitive, intelligent thinkers pursue their careers and skills overseas since the country wouldn’t really give a damn about them. My mother is very competitive and has made a name for herself personally in her line of work as a nurse, even rising to become a nurse practitioner. If the Pinoys back in the country can’t even help themselves, its their fault.
Then the others who sympathize but in the end, can’t always relate since the cultures are completely different.
Thanks for the point of views man.
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:48 am
Excellent assessment Jon and Jay
I expected Filipinos overseas to be more enlightened but no, a lot of them are still reminiscing the Edsa days. Instead of them helping to campaign against Noynoy, they where campaigning for a Noynoy win. Some of the bloggers from FV who reside in the US even came back to help poison the minds of vacuous Pinoys with their passionate “Why I am voting for Noynoy” blogs. They were long and crappy. I’d hate to be in their shoes nowadays really. They are probably nervous deep inside that Mar did not make it and and not knowing what to expect from Noynoy probably sucks.
[Reply]
Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:29 am
Actually Ilda there was a graph (and having trouble finding it) of OFW or overseas pinoys take on the Presidential candidates. Gordon led the results followed by Gibo and odd enough Noynoy who was 4th. I’m somewhat surprised that there was even support Noynoy. Maybe those same FV people are part of theconservative Fil-Am society there who feel obligated that their group has an impact to the United States and try make themselves look like some big deal. And probably voted McCain since they view themselves as conservatives and thus opposing Obama.
Anywho, too much speculation on my part since I’m not in touch with these communities. And with the current results of the presidency, it may have had more dissent from the people who supported Gordon and Gibo overseas to not care about the problem of the Philippines anymore.
[Reply]
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:06 am
@Jay
I actually thought most Obama supporters are for Noynoy too because they kept saying Noynoy is Obamaish.
BongV Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:09 am
Jay:
Just because they became Fil-Am they suddenly became smarter.
Kung bugok na yan sa Pilipinas pa lang, when they get to America, they will not be any less bugok – bugok pa rin.
Kung sa inuman yan. sasabihin niliang war freak dahil nakainom, actually kahit di nakainom war freak na yan – yun lang, napigilan ng hiya. pag tungga ng alak, tanggal ang hiya, labas ang natural.
yun namang ignorante, ok lang yun, because education cures ignorance.
but stupid or bugok – there’s no cure for that – ipadala mo man sa oxford o harvard, basta may pera, wala namang nakalagay na pasang awa after gumradweyt e.
Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:29 am
@Ilda
I was watching the boondocks 3rd season and I saw disturbing parallels of how McGruder’s idea of the black people had about Obama being president was the same as how the Pinoys who supported noynoy were. So maybe you definitely aren’t far off with that claim.
@BongV
I was insinuating those who were born and raised there. Of course that would be up to the parents if they taught them well and how they are raised in their environment. I understand Filipinos who go to America who still bring about Da Pinoy mentality aren’t going to be any different.
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:42 am
@Jay
You can’t really deny the fact that a lot of black people went out and voted during the last election and it’s not hard to guess who they voted for
This is just the type of scenario playing in my head right now. I’m more saddened that the fact that Filipinos haven’t seen the true nature of our problem. This is merely the tip of the iceberg that our ‘countrymen’, or whatever it is to call them because I now refuse to associate with a bunch of louts, have placed us. They dug their own graves, I’m afraid, and the cycle of idiocy, power transfer and utter incompetence will continue to circulate.
[Reply]
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:50 am
They will deny ever voting for Noynoy one day. I know who they are
[Reply]
This is an email that was forwarded to me by my friend in Facebook written by a Korean Student. I thought this is an interesting essay that I would like to share.
Korean Students view of the Philippines
MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim
Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption
is the problem of the Philippines ? I do not think so.
I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines. Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no
natural resources.
Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very rich in Asia . We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos.
Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.
40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.
In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, “President, when can we be well off?” That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea , and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.
My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood.
Have you cried for the Philippines ? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines .
Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children. When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines . Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.
My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.
My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.
I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a s mall scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let’s put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes. I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible.
Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others. That’s all I really want to ask you Filipinos.
[Reply]
Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:30 am
There is a video of it as well.
Sadly some pinoys still can’t get the grasp of the real issue and cling on the current (empty) idea of PInoy Patriotism. And the real forces of the country continue to play along this idea to the pinoy society as well.
I’ve played Civ 4 and I like playing the Koreans. As a people, they have always respected education and I love building Seowon’s and crushing through the middle and industrial age. Of course their politics may be a bit shady however no one there is complaining about their way of life and opportunities in the economy. They have many things even third world countries would envy but would rather show their pride for their growing love for football (for the englishize speakers, Soccer but honestly only one country calls that sport by that name).
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JOn Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:44 am
I always wonder, what went wrong with Senator Gordon’s campaign? I dismissed the notion other than Filipinos picked who is popular, the media, or Filipinos themselves wanted change but cannot comprehend and remain confuse where to go? I kept asking myself this question, how can they break this wall? if this wall does not go down Filipinos will continue to get caught in this cycle over and over and over again. The next thing they will wake up its the year 2025 and Filipinos are still struggling to complete the 1st level of progress.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:13 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE2gVV8KGyU
I’m trying to piece it myself what went wrong with Gordon’s campaign and in my opinion, he had one of the best messages but a very weak campaign. He had little or no political support, which I think many detractors (and disillusioned noynoy fans) accused him then for hisself centered mentality which he doesn’t listen and made a HUGE leap to trying to dismiss him as some form of a dictatorship, especially with his stance on discipline. So in the end, his campaign became a matter of taste (and raw emotion) as oppose to looking past what is in your heart and what you want for the country to become realistically 5-6 years from now.
He took a PR hit too with attacking the surveys companies in which he was trying to call them out on their blatant, Yellow Bias but of course no one listened. Its comparable to a grassroots approach in previous U.S. elections, however I was hoping it could work in the Philippines considering if change needs to take place, like anything long term you need a strong foundation to reach those short term goals that add up to something in the long run. Many more may add in about why his campaign was also realistically weak.
In short, Da Pinoy conditioning prevailed from the real truth and the masses resigned themselves to their Wowees, praying and hoping due to some unblemished legacy, and with wishful thinking like GabbyD that cha-cha is real change.
Anonylol Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:49 am
Do you have the link to the video?
And yeah, corruption isn’t as big a factor as everyone makes it out to be. Nearly all countries have corrupt politicians. The US, Japan, Korea, Russia, these countries have the same messy politics and shady dealings as ours do.
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ChinoF Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:52 am
One thing that this student mentioned that should be key to solutions… foreign investment. I wonder how Korea’s laws on property ownership compare to Article 12, sections 10, 11 and 14 of our Constitution.
And love for the Philippines… isn’t that why we’re writing in this blog site?
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JOn Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:07 am
Theres was one interview that I seen on TV with Noynoy, he was asked if he will travel out of the country to seek investments? The stupid guy said “No, I’m not really fond of traveling”. This contrary of what Senator Gordon’s vision. That should have been a red flag….Now its too late….really too late… I’m not even sure if he will consider running again in 2016. He will be 72 yrs old then…..
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Anonylol Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:19 am
>“No, I’m not really fond of traveling”
Wow. Way to miss the point there champ.
bokyo Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:41 am
tinatamad siguro lumakbay
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Obviously, the Koreans are very sincere people. In the first place, they vote for the right leaders to govern. These leaders act as good role models too by not pocketing the money that’s meant to benefit the public. It’s simple, really
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They may wait a little over few months and see if Noynoy really bring the goods. Otherwise, it will be the usual perceptions back to the fore again.
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:53 am
He will prioritise the reopening of the Garci case so that means puro intriga na naman ang aatupagin sa unang upo.
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May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Like Roman emperors did, Noynoy will entertain the Da Pinoy people with these things to distract them from this incompetence at fulfilling his promises of change.
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Big deal if the rest of the world makes fun of our stupidity! We do a fine job of that ourselves already! I myself, and all my pro-Gordon friends, we always make fun of us! XD (I’m sarcastic in case you didn’t notice -_-)
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 4:55 am
Except the stupidity is as blatant as it gets. Much more than the stupidity pinoys have engaged defending the honor of their country from obvious remarks. I mean the people have some form of what little pride they have left but with noynoy in office, national pride or whatever it stands for absolutely means nothing. Charice, Manny, Bautista, Efren Reyes, Jabbawokeez and whichever hip pinoy, renown cannot change that.
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Charmaine Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:59 am
Yeah… I know. Just trying to be optimistic… it’s as low as low can get. It’s Erap all over again… hell on this part of the Earth.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:05 am
Yeah, I’m taking the presidency and this whole election process as one big joke. I’m just waiting for someone funnier than me to make something out of it.
We only have to look at how many voters decided on “undeserving candidates” to realize the level of utter stupidity that we have reached. Even if those voters have enough brain capacity to know that some the problems we have lie within us, they will most likely wait for others to act first. Even then, clans and oligarchs still rule the country…and the jokes about us continue. So what’s new, eh?
I’ve given it some thought, and decided to return to my ol’ belief that this can no longer be solved by peaceful means. I gave this election a chance to prove that wrong…..but, sorry nalang tayo. I will take a break for a while and see how events unfold these next few weeks. Keep up the fight here and continue to inspire others. I would love to be proven wrong (no problem with that at all), but I’m not betting on it. In the meantime, there’s more life to live…and more work to do. Mabuhay, AP!
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ben Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 5:54 am
Good bye Homer *wipes tear*
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:04 am
Thanks Homer.
The number of people who are fed up just increased after the election. We saw this coming but failed to stop it. The irony of it all is that some of the Filipinos who are apathetic about the situation in the country are the same ones who voted for Noynoy. They just couldn’t be bothered to use their head. No win situation.
Enjoy your break. Get some sun!
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:07 am
I would have loved to be proven wrong too.
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:39 am
BTW Homer
I hope you are not planning on strapping some explosive device and detonating it somewhere…lol
AP will miss your wisdom.
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funny how everyone smashes Filipino’s. The characteristics of the regular pinoy is just a result of being in a poor economy that doesn’t give a chance of success to its own people. I believe sincerely that it’s not the person, it’s the environment he/she is in. Put that same filipino in a school in the UK or US you will see a different person as outcome. Same thing as when an American is born here in PH and grows up in a poor family he will have the same characteristics as a regular poor Filipino.
It’s easy to smash people from a poorer upbringing. Just recognizing the problem and laughing about it doesn’t make a difference. I wonder if any of you have the balls to make a difference, probably not.
It’s more likely that you’d rather sit on the sideline and point and make jokes about your own people.
What does that make you? Oh yeah, a stupid Filipino.
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ChinoF Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:38 am
Thing is, the people of the country don’t seem to be doing anything about the problems. Voting the wrong people to office means that the problems are still there… and they do it over and over again. Filipinos are fond of repeating the same thing over and over again, expecting the same result – which is stupidity.
By the way, is it only the poorer people we’re “smashing?” it’s everyone who votes these poor choices to office… this includes elite whose vested interests are in these candidates they help put to office.
If other countries joke about us, and they’re true, we have no choice but to accept. But sometimes, they’re not just jokes…. there are factual comments. If Erap was deposed, and yet he comes up second in the current election, what does that tell about us as a people? Probably we’re masochists.
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NBB Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Voting for the wrong person comes from being misinformed, from being influenced by the media not just from stupidity. A lot of people don’t have the means to do proper research regarding candidates, and when a tv is their only source of information they are likely to be influenced to vote for the wrong person.
When you plainly do not know better, your likely to go with what you know. thus Erap 2nd place.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
@NBB
I’m not even talking about being a wonderstory like Pacquiao. Just being rational about how the world truly operates, especially in a harsh environment like the Philippines. I know the people have felt betrayed for the longest time but as much as you want the government to intervene, it goes back to square one where we ask who voted these people in to represent the citizens and their best interests? The qualities my mother had aren’t just something for show, but something necessary if she were to survive in a place and time with that given opportunity. And now Noynoy is president, either the people prepare themselves for what real hardships there are to come or they join the depraved to rot in the gutters.
A caring government cannot emerge unless the people in some form of level want it. They say experience is the best teacher for those who don’t want to learn and the lack or desire for knowledge is like an epidemic to the people in the country. I’ll be honest even some of the elite aren’t intellectuals as you’ve already seen but the difference between them and us is their access to countless forms of resources. So either the people force themselves to persevere from their long string of failures and learn in this harsh environment or they perish. Thats how it has been for different countries in turmoil.
One of the big reasons why BongV uses other countries in the 50’s/60’s in Asia like Korea and Japan that were horrible while the Philippines was coming up. Now the roles are reversed, it isn’t about how low a country can go but what it takes for the group of people, as a nation, to finally start respecting the necessary steps in order to attain changes to empower people to help create a better democracy.
So I’ll leave you with a fitting quote from Irving Kristol: Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions – it only guarantees equality of opportunity.
May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:05 am
@NBB:
And yet Filipinos eat up EVERYTHING the media feeds them with gusto, Filipinos manage to consistently ignore those who beg to differ, and Filipinos don’t want REAL change to start from themselves.
There’s the real trouble with Pinoys: Aware of the problem, but doing nothing that actually addresses the problem. Pinoys like to do it half-@ssed, like with that Ako Mismo group where the predominantly mundane makes heroes out of mere mortals. Later today I will water the plants to save the environment.
And Pinoys hate criticism too. Pinoys would love to have “real change” at zero cost, not even the temporary humility of shutting up while being told “You’re doing it all wrong.”
Pinoys aren’t being “smashed.” Pinipitik lang namin kayo, napaka-OA niyo na. Lahat kayong may sari-saring excuse kaya nagkakaganito ang bansa natin ay hanggang diyan na lang. And you can’t prove that I’m wrong because in lieu of actually DOING something about it, Pinoys only have EXCUSES. Magugunaw na ang mundo puro excuses parin ang pinaghahawakan ng Pinoy.
Jon Abaca Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Yes. The limited avenues of information is in part to blame for the shoddy choices of many of our countrymen. However, alternate sources of information do exist.
Sadly a lot of them are too poor to even care. How can they care about learning more about politics when their basic needs of food and shelter are constantly under threat?
The first step really, is economic empowerment. The less they have to worry about tomorrow’s meal, the more likely they are to learn about culture and politics.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
because they have 6 mouths to feed with having 4 children? Why do have so many children when clearly your income cannot support even two? I have nothing against big families but if can’t support them, or better yet, INVEST in them why do they put themselves in that situation? Okay okay Family planning is part of education as well but its common sense that the more mouths to feed means the more your budget is strained.
Plus most of the poor in the country are in NCR. Simple, rural folk can still afford to eat 3-4 times a day with rice and vegetables.
I just want to add that part of learning is also learning from failure. The country technically has had the opportunity to make MANY mistakes under a democratic system and I’m just surprised at how they keep things the way they are. Maybe thats the reason there is a definitive brain drain.
NBB Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
@Jay
I understand and agree with your argument that a tough situation will define you as a person. However these stories of success are scarce, not every person can be as tough to break the system. We can’t all be a wonderstories like Pacqiao. That does not mean that everyone else who didn’t make the cut can rot in the gutters. Somewhere government should step in to re-establish an environment where success is achievable for everyone.
It’s not sympathy I’m after, but for you to understand that when a nation does not care about it’s own people it is quite understandable why people are behaving differently from the preferred standard.
Jon Abaca Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 7:56 am
I was once riding a jeep. The jeep stopped in front of a depressed area. A girl rode the jeep. The girl was drinking water from a plastic bottle. She finished the bottle. There was a trash can in the front of the jeep. She was sitting at the back of the jeep. Aside from us, the jeep was empty.
She threw the bottle on the ground. I picked it up and threw it in the trash can. She said “Salamat kuya.”
She knew that littering was wrong. She did it anyway.
Sir, many of these people really need to face the reality that they’re uncouth.
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NBB Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:59 am
That’s a very touching story. Again when your in an environment that is already polluted and your not educated about the effects of pollution. Action needs motivation, and the environment of the Philippines gives no such motivation.
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Mickey Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 10:15 am
do you really think that people are not educated about the effects of pollution?
“Action needs motivation, and the environment of the Philippines gives no such motivation.”
do you mean that because Philippines is already polluted, you are not motivated to keep it clean? isn’t it because it is already polluted that we must strive hard to make it clean even on our own little ways??
or maybe I didn’t understand what you mean..hmmnn
Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:59 am
@NBB
I understand where you are coming from however this has been going on for over 50 years now. Pinoy Society has been addled since Manuel Quezon’s time, certainly during Marcos’ bad time, and even more so during Cory’s time and beyond. Thing is you can only blame it on complacency so much until you have say to yourself that you need to take an initiative. My mother was no different from the rest of the pinoys born in her time in the mid 50’s, though some came from harsher upbringing that either broke them or motivated them as they got older. So you either were prepared, had a competitive attitude and were willing the make the necessary sacrifices for a better living, and kept learning and adapting to the world at large. Or some were wallowed by defeat and never took the initiative to get back on track with their lives.
So I don’t necessarily buy that the common people need sympathy because of their hostile environment or the environment keeps breaking them down to the point that they don’t know what being citizens mean anymore. If you want something, you want it bad and will do everything in your ability to get it. People with the initiative understood this and saw past their environment and sought out the opportunities around them. Then there are those still too complacent and still rely on wishful thinking to get what they really want. These are the people who still changes from the government through one person, giving them everything to help them get out of their mire. This applies even in education. Those who want it will fight to seek out a truth in a sea of propoganda and are rewarded for their time and effort. Those who don’t are too complacent and will rely merely on what these people and artistas and the media are saying about what government should be.
Some of these traits you don’t teach. You either do it or you don’t. And I definitely know first hand about that kind of attitude. BTW if you are planning to tell me I was born in a better environment and what I say doesn’t matter, I was born in Quezon City and raised by loving parents as a child. I’ve met people born around my time from harsh circumstances but understood they had to work twice as harder than I would to make it in life.
Shaddap Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:56 am
Stop being stupid, NBB. Stop making excuses for why Filipinos are stupid, lazy, losers.
Accept the fact that in other societies, even if people are poor, they know right versus wrong. In the Philippines even the rich and educated ones are the ones who “lead by example” in terms of doing all the wrong things and choosing all the wrong leaders.
What do you think about all those nitwit PhD academics from UP who were central to Erap’s campaign back in 1998? They weren’t stupid. They were “intelligent” people who held doctorates, but yet they chose to go for the path of least resistance and went for whom they thought was most likely going to win, rather than endorse who was deserving.
Stop thinking it’s all about poverty, NBB. The real issue ceases to be poverty and this “oppressive environment” once you see that a lot of middle class and wealthy people from highly educated backgrounds happen to be the promoters of stupidity in this country.
Did you know that Atty. Ricardo “Dong” Puno and numerous other “bright people” sided with Erap in “Edsa Tres?” He’s supposed to be smart.
But why the stupid choice of allegiance?
Pinoys are stupid and lazy to think. Stop making excuses for Pinoys!
brianitus Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Call it indifference siguro. Years of poverty can lead to that. At least she said thanks. Now she knows there are people who still care. That could soften her heart. She can drop the act in the future and be a model for people in her group. Just being optimistic.
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:11 am
@NBB
Why are you assuming that we are only talking about poor Filipino people here? If it’s just the poor people, it’s actually so easy to dismiss the problem as lack of proper education. But some of the most well educated Filipinos also voted for Noynoy. I know of one who grew up overseas, went to the best schools like Brown University but still campaigned hard for Noynoy. You can’t blame the behavior of that individual on economics. The problem is so convoluted that I have dedicated so many blogs analyzing their actions but it still baffles me.
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NBB Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Because when we talk about filipinos, I’m talking about filipinos. Not english speaking, US school educated people who return here for a mere vacation/retirement and some underage girls at beerhouses. I’m talking about the loud mouth Filipino who has a minimum wage job and drinks gin on the side of the road at night. You know what I mean? I’m talking about 90% of the voters and about 95% population of the Philippines (when provinces are included).
Aren’t they the ones that this site is dedicated to.
I’d love to read your blogs on the Filipino behavior, link please.
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May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:20 am
Then you have a completely MYOPIC view because the poor are not the only ones who keep making bad decisions that affect everybody else. Obviously the educated also did us all in this time. Noynoy, Erap and Villar on Top3 while Gordon, Gibo and Perlas trail them? – that’s millions of morons trumping the thinking few!
(Sorry AP guys. I’ve had it with my “countrymen.” They all effing blew it!)
ilda Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:54 am
No need to apologise May Party
Even the international media share your sentiments
Shaddap Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 5:08 am
See NBB? It’s not all about the poor. It includes rich and middle class people who are highly educated who make a lot of stupid choices. (In fact, it seems like they’re the ones who influence the poorer Pinoys to make stupid choices in the first place!)
Stop making stupid excuses for the stupidity of Filipinos!
Read this: http://www.getrealphilippines.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=291:key-to-social-change-enlightenment-of-the-elite&catid=58:context-and-considerations&Itemid=182
This is perfect. Everything I wanted to say but couldn’t find the words to.
Big thanks to the author.
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ilda Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 12:55 am
Feel free to share it
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hmmmm…. salamat mga kababayan ko sa mga pinagsasabi nyo… pero kc, alam nmn ntin kung sino ang pambansang bayani ntin hndi ba?? ang akin lang 75% kc sa mga pinoy eh hindi naiintindihan kung ano ang sinasabi mo…. napansin nyo ba.. kapag nasa “HEARING” ang mga may katungkulan sa bansa eh panay pasikat sila sa pagsasalita ng ingles. alam ntin na mayroon tayong sariling wika, ngunit bakit…. BAKIT INGLES ANG GINAGAMIT NILA…. ANONG PAKIALAM NG IBANG BANSA SA ATIN AT PURO SALITANG BANYAGA ANG GINAGAMIT NILA….. patawad pero kung gusto mong ilabas ang sama ng loob mo tungkol sa pilipino siguro alamin mo muna kung anong lenggwahe ang gagamitin mo para maintindihan ka ng kapwa mo PILIPINO.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Hahahah, pare baliktad talaga isip mo ah. Parang tinutukoy mo na kapag ingles ang salita, nawawala ang kahulugan ng salita? Lumaki ako mga 80’s at alam mo, respetado ang Ingles noon. Walang mga tulad mo na sasabihin mga konyo ang marunong mag ingles. Kahit bilungual walang problema dahil kinakaya namin at natutoto kami at dahil doon, marami rin kaming natututan dahil nakaintindi kami ng ingles.
Eh anu nang dinala ng FILIPINO/TAGALOG sa gobyerno? Wala. 75 Porceyento ay hindi nakakaintindi? Baka mas mababa pa. Mga taga Baguio at sa mga ibang lugar, wala naman problema kahit mag conversational English ah.
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Tekkie Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Though hindi ako agree sa ibang sinabi nya, actually may point siya. Mas marami ang nakakaintindi ng Tagalog kaysa English dito sa Pilipinas.
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Jay Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Part of it was a horrid conditioning back in Erap’s time I think that they decided to localize more of the tv programming. You’d be surprised how many shows had English dub in the 80’s. And so people like him look down on people like me who actually enjoy being bilingual and reap part of its benefits.
Tsaka sa totoo lang, ang ingles ay magaling mag pa communicate pag dating sa topic ng politika at negosyo. Lalo dahil sakto at tumpak lamang ang sasabihin mo para masabi mo na ang kelangang mo kailangan sabihin. Kung ikan sa salita natin, mabisa.
ChinoF Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
When we watched Voltes V back in the 1970s and 80s, it was dubbed in English… by Filipinos.
But I think Filipino dubbing started with Shaider.
Of course, I was disappointed, but I watched anyway.
bokyo Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Yup. Voltes V and other cartoons back then are dubbed in English
Kahit Batibot may alternate show (Pinpin ata yun) para matuto naman ng Chinese Mandarin ang bata
Ang sarap kaya maging bilingual. Tri-lingual , advantegeous! I have main Tagalog language at home, English for business, and now learning Spanish
Yo puedo hablar tres idiomas.
Ginawan kasi ng stereotype ang pananalita ng English sa PIlipinas. Di ko alam kung san nanggaling, kung sa mga mayayaman ba o sa mga kolehilaya mahilig lagyan ng ‘twang’ ang English.
ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
@Joseng Sisiw
1. English is my second language, I choose to use it and I have the right to use it.
2. Kahit tagalugin ko pa hinde rin makakarating sa mga hinde marunong mag-ingles ang mensahe ko dahit wala silang access sa internet
3. The message is mainly intended for the movers and shakers of Philippine society. This includes the media, the public servants and elite members of society. Siguro naman marunong silang mag-ingles. They are the people who can influence the illiterate and the so called “educated” Filipinos. The more discussions we have about the topics on this site, the better so they’ll know how ordinary citizens feel about stuff. That is, if they actually care.
4. Try not to concentrate on trivial stuff.
5. Feel free to translate it in tagalog if you can. Don’t forget to give us a copy.
Good day or magandang gabi, bayan
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helios Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I have a question, hindi ba ingles ang ginagamit natin madalas kasi ang tagalog ay wika ng tagalog region? sa pagkakaintindi ko kasi, ingles din ang naguugnay sa ating bansa na may mahigit sa 100 wika? sa aking pananaw masyadong presumptuous kung iisipin natin na lahat ng filipino ay nagtatagalog. (although it is just as presumptuous to think that majority of filipinos understand english)
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Ewan ko ba dito kay Joseng. It’s pointless to insist that tagalog is the main dialect in the Philippines. My Visaya friend and I can understand each other better in English. She is not fluent in tagalog and I am not fluent in bisaya but we are both ok with English. Narrow-mindedness lang ang pinapairal sa pag pilit na mag-tagalog na lang lahat.
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jethernandez Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
@ Joseng Sisiw…
Siguro tingnan na lang natin na ganito… isa sa mga “target market” ng Anti-pinoy website ay yung mga “articulate” o magagaling mag ingles na Pinoy na porke tama ang “grammar” nila; edukado at may PhD; nagkaroon ng mararayang posisyon at kabuhayan dito sa pinas at sa ibang bansa; kamag-anak ng mga hinayupak na politikong nagsamantala sa bansa… at iba pa… Itong mga hunghang na to kalimitan makikita mo sa ibang blog forum sites… yang mga sites na yan ay pinamumugadan din ng mga dayuhan na akala mo ay napakagaling na nila dahil ang lahi nila ay mas matino kesa pinoy.
Tanong…
Paano mo maipapahiwatig sa mga yan na ang pag-iisip nila ay baluktot, walang lohiko (logic) at ang daloy ng mga sinasabi ay katulad ng mga tao dun sa Mandaluyong Mental Hospital? Paano mo isasaksak sa ngalangala ng pag-iisip nila na ETO ANG ALTERNATIBO at hindi lang yung kababawan na opsyon (option) na dinukot sa kababawan ng utak talangka? Yang mga yan ay may diskriminasyon sa pag gamit ng salita. Di nila iniintindi ang sulatin na limbag sa Tagalog. Nag a alembungan yang mga yan sa isa’t isa sa pamamagitan ng katagang banyaga.
Pareng Sisiw… ayos lang yang sinasabi mo na ilahad ang kaisipan sa Tagalog… pero ang isa pang punto… ang paggawa ng salaysay o komento sa mga bagay bagay sa lipunan ay pwedeng ipahiwatig sa ano mang lengguahe… Ang ingles ay katanggap tanggap na pananalita sa buong mundo… na dapat ding pag aralan ang tamang paggamit… tamang panahon at tamang tagabasa.
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Therefore I conclude 90% Filipinos are stupid.
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helios Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
sana nasa 10% ako
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Mostly stupid Filipino from different provinces.
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Noynoy Aquino may not be your candidate but the people who voted for him believe that he deserves to be president. Whether this was because of the surveys leading up to the election, the admiration that a lot of people have for his parents, or because of any one of a multitude of reasons, the point is that people voted for him. And their numbers are apparently enough to make him the president-elect at this stage.
For better or for worse, damaged culture or not, that is still the essence of elections: you vote for the candidate of your choice.
Now, if you should happen to object to the way things turned out, then let me suggest something: do what Nicanor Perlas did. When he was complaining about the state of the nation one day, his son challenged him to do something about it. So he ran for president.
Why don’t you try doing the same thing? I’ll listen to you discuss your platform and, at the end of it all, if I believe that you deserve my vote, I’ll vote for you.
Or at the very least, come here and educate the voting public before the next elections. But insulting people who voted for someone in good faith is no way to show them the error of their ways.
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Anonylol Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
What insults? I don’t see no insults.
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ilda Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
@Marco Bustamante
Yes, the people deserve the president they elect. I and many others didn’t vote for him so I am entitled to criticize him.
What are those multitude of reasons again? You seem to have a hard time enumerating them but Noynoy topping the dubious surveys and being the son of Cory and Ninoy seems to be more important to Noynoy supporters.
Yes and that choice make him the butt of jokes of the millions of other Filipinos and make the Filipinos the butt of jokes of the international community.
Filipinos do not have real democracy. Religious leaders dictate who people should vote for. Media also manipulates the information and always give Noynoy positive exposure. This is evident in the number of times Noynoy appears on the front page of leading newspapers ever since he announced his candidacy. Noynoy is given more air time on TV as well. The owners of polling firms are related to Noynoy Aquino. These surveys are always saying that he is on top, this makes people believe that they will just waste their votes on other candidates. The essence of election is lost on the Filipino people. It is a useless exercise. All that wasted effort, sana hinde na lang nag-election after Cory died.
You want me to join the other 9 candidates to make up 10? You are not very observant. Filipinos don’t listen to platforms, debates and any other discussions about the issues. They are not even interested in how Noynoy will fix the economy. They believe in the slogan: “Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt”. The voters are not interested in what the candidates have to say. But they want to know your last name. I’ll try to marry an Aquino so I can change my last name. Maybe I’ll try to be an actress first, how about that? I can’t run using my last name but I can sure win with a famous name even without doing much. I don’t need to do all the work Perlas did. Just look at Noynoy.
The loss of Villar, Gibo, Gordon, Perlas and etc should tell you that you need the backing of the media giants like ABS-CBN, Inquirer.net and not to mention be friends with SWS and Pulse Asia polling firms to help give you an angelic image so you can win the vote of the people who believe in superstition and witchcraft.
Educating the “educated” public is what we have been doing for the last couple of years about the election. AntiPinoy.com may be new but the messages we post here have always been on the Get Real Philippines website (which has been around for 10 years), Youtube, PEX, and even before Filipino Voices turned yellow, we were trying to help people see the light through that awful blogsite. Sorry, but Filipinos are very arrogant. Their reason for voting for Noynoy is “basta he has integrity.” Where is his integrity when he was telling everyone about the possibility of failure of elections and where is his humility when he was warning people that he was talking about another people power if he loses the election?
Just in case you missed it, the international community find the political situation in our country ridiculous as well not just the bloggers and the regular commenters here. Matigas talaga ulo ng mga avid Aquino fans. Namatay lang si Cory, ginawa ng presidente si Noynoy. Only in the Philippines!
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jethernandez Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 1:14 am
@ Marco Bustamante
ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR… INCLUDING PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS… SO I CONCEDE…
BUT I insult the collective decision of the 13 Million voters to select Noynoy as the President. I insult and despise their mode of selecting willing and capable candidates… I DO NOT INSULT their right to choose… I DO NOT INSULT THEIR HUMANITY… Yeah life goes on after elections… Noynoy will be leading the executive branch of the government in the next six years. i will be having negative and positive perceptions on how he will be implementing those promises he’s made… and as a citizen of this country… a tax payer… and a useful labor unit for the last x number of years… nobody can deprive me to despise any move worth so insulting for the 13 million filipinos who voted for him.
Your absurd suggestion for all of us here to create platforms and run for Presidency is like a call for Nic Perlas to run again… that for me is illogical… lame… and stupid… why? you go figure.
You fncking prove us wrong!!! Don’t turn the ball on us… It’s your selected presidentiable… not ours… and it’s his turn to prove to the 13 Million voters that he is the “saviour” of the Philippines…. LIFE GOES ON AND WE CAN LIVE… with or without Noynoy…
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nakakahiya tayo
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@May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels
Like I said in my post MOST of the voters are poor. When I voted I could clearly see in the crowd that the poorer filipino outnumbered the richer more educated by at least 8 to 2, so nothing myopic about my view. Any more bitching and nitpicking? I’d love to hear it.
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May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 3:57 am
Oh I’m sorry nbb did I make you look like you missed Ilda’s point when I said “the poor are not the only ones who keep making bad decisions that affect everybody else?”
I did, didn’t I? Good.
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NBB Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:36 am
Once again, my main focus are the poor because they make out about 80-90% of the voters. Get a clue man.
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May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 4:48 am
That’s why it’s called myopia. It’s narrow relative to a larger picture that somebody else was trying to point out way ahead of your “focus.”
Shaddap Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 5:20 am
NBB,
Would those poor voters vote for stupid candidates if there were no stupid candidates in the first place?
See how this works: Supposedly Intelligent and well-educated “kingmakers” and “behind-the-scenes-schemers” from the wealthy classes decide they want more power, but they want a short-cut to it. So they look for some stupid actor or celebrity with name-recall and make him their candidate.
Who placed in the stupid candidate there in the first place?
Was it the poor people who are leadership positions within the stupid candidate’s campaign machinery?
It’s all led by educated and wealthy Pinoys!
In short, MOST Pinoys, rich, middle class, and poor, are STUPID. Stupid not because of low IQ. But Stupid because they have brains which they don’t use properly and instead lazily look only at the short term.
Again, stop thinking that this is all about the poor. The poor think stupid if rich/middle class people think stupid, because the poor are often out to emulate the rich/middle class.
Who runs wowowee? Poor people? NO! It’s oligarch-owned ABS-CBN! Rich, educated people spewing out **** so readily out to the poor masses because it yields short-term gains.
When the Filipino poor remain stupid (and it makes all Filipinos look stupid), then who is to blame?
Rich Filipinos who kept them stupid with the stupid shows they rich produced for mass consumption!
It’s not just about the poor, NBB.
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NBB Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 6:10 am
Isn’t that what Ive been saying the whole time. That people are not given a chance to better themselves properly in order to vote properly. Cmon guys read my post again. The environment (which is created by the rich) is to discourage the average filipino from making sensible choices.
The environment, the economy these are all in control of the rich not the poor. We are stuck with this attitude of making mistakes because we are not capable of achieving anything in our society. Discouraging people is the most effective way to keep your people down and dumb.
Even people with let say 30-40k salaries. that is still poor. This can not provide for a healthy life with a family. This includes middle class who are able to provide food and have a computer, but are no way living a successful life and have a secured future. So don’t just think about squatters when I say poor filipinos, by poor I mean people who are not able to live a successfull healthy lifestyle.
When success is so out of reach, people get tired of reaching. Which results in poor, uneducated and easily influenced people.
My whole point is that the environment we live in, is shaped in a way that the average filipino can not achieve, but can be easily influenced in to the wrong decision.
Shaddap Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 6:57 am
You still miss the point, NBB.
Those “rich” people whom you describe as “having created the environment” do not live in appalling circumstances. They had and still have access to information and education. They don’t live in garbage dumps.
But why are they doing stupid things, NBB? Why is it that they “created the environment” in the first place? This is an environment which, mind you, not only retards the poor, but also has the added effect of making ALL FILIPINOS LOOK STUPID to the rest of the world. That therefore makes these “rich people” end up looking stupid too.
The real verdict is that Philippine Society is ruled by STUPIDITY. The poor people’s stupidity is almost excusable in my book. But the rich and educated people WHO MADE THE STUPID DECISIONS is unexcusable.
But then again, the poor Filipinos don’t need PhD’s to think carefully about their own benefit.. You know what the real problem of Filipinos is?
It’s LAZINESS. Laziness to work (for many), and LAZINESS TO THINK (for most).
bokyo Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 7:41 am
Paano naging poor yung voters ni Noynoy eh puro yellow ribbon stickers nakikita ko sa Ayala Ave, Makati Ave, Ortigas, Edsa, Cubao, etc. Take note, sa mga “Big Daddy” SUV vehicles pa nakalagay yang mga stickers nayan. Di lang yan, check out your local taxi cabs and jeepneys.
Jay Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Will bring the quote up again: Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions – it only guarantees equality of opportunity. Even in American Democracy, there are many things people debate whether the state should run or the private sector should run, all for the long term benefit of the people, such as health care. Education is a privilege, not a right. Even more so in the environment those people are in, they either accept knowledge and use it to fight the injustice of their world or continue in their mire.
The environment created by the rich just means that the poor have to work twice-three times-five times harder to fight for the opportunities that other well to do countries already have access to those benefits.
You said you weren’t looking for sympathy for them early on? Whats is this I’m reading? If these people cannot see the mistakes, that there is a natural order in the simple hierarchy that exists and it is a disservice to them, find the necessary means to learn from the mistakes and correct it as a group of people to combat those with resources, then they deserve the discouragement if they cannot see the opportunities past that. Even more so in the environment that the rich have created, there aren’t much choices (as many would like to believe) to have access to opportunities. You either learn and become stronger and empowered or become gutter trash and give in to the emotions of shame and discouragement.
If they get tired of reaching, they deserve what is coming to them. The end justify the means. Plain and simple. If you think otherwise, you are letting your morals get the better of common sense between this obvious struggle. Experience is a harsh teacher and I can definitely justify that.
If the average filipino (and society as a whole) doesn’t adapt and evolve from the mess they helped create for over 40 years and with many mistakes unlearned, they are never getting out of their mess and join the rest of the world. You keep saying the environment is bad. It just means they has to work much, much harder in order to progress, plain and simple. And if they don’t want to hold up that end, they will lose indefinitely.
Any pinoy can refute it but in doing so, they are denying one of the sole reasons why the country has been like this for so long, and why pinoy society has degraded. This isn’t opinion. It is truth. And denying the truth means looking away at the real problem. And ultimately, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.
jethernandez Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 10:31 am
@nbb
You should go beyond your shallow understanding of your observable 8 / 2 figure… don’t you think that 80 percent are dumb, poor and illiterate and the 20 percent are educated but full of holes on their head? Try reading Wilfredo Pareto’s 80/20 rule… perhaps how Hitler’s Third Reich’s “arian race” got bombarded by Goebbels’ repetitive lies.
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I don’t see any reply links on some of the comments of my post. this might get confusing. Is there a forum on here or something
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benign0 Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 2:29 am
Some of your comments might already be too deeply-nested. I think the commenting system here only goes as deep as three layers. So you will have to expect a reply at a level that is a peer of that comment which no longer displays “Reply” links.
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Jay Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 3:55 am
yeah sorry about that NBB. Basically to simplify my response to yours:
Seek the Irving Kristol quote (ctrl + F). Now look at the mess the country is in, created from over 20-40 years of the same mistakes being made. Where in some countries where their democracy allows the choice for the poor accept the education or not, in ours education/discipline is the difference to a life that opens more possibilities, with the ultimate possibility of relocating to another place of more possibilities or being forever a gutter trash. That is the choice to make out of necessity, not just a want or a desire to become a success story. Also the uneducated aren’t only the poor but the elite as well, as you can see the poor voting the likes of tito sotto, bong revilla, lito lapid into the senate. The difference is the those elites have more opportunities and resources than the poor.
There is are articles here about pinoy behavior. I’m not sure which one suits the situation you are looking for but check either society or solutions. Never underestimate mistakes.
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@May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels
That’s why it’s called myopia. It’s narrow relative to a larger picture that somebody else was trying to point out way ahead of your “focus.”
LOL. I always said that the bigger part of the people voting are poor, evident by the different places to vote which are jampacked with financially unstable people. As you mentioned in your reply that there ARE people of richer standard that also make stupid decisions. YES this is true, but this is a small percentage of the whole.
So mister myopia when you look at the bigger picture
And you open your eyes and see that this is a third world country and that the majority of the votes come from people who are poor maybe then you can get in it your tiny brain that the majority of the voters are poor and mostly uneducated that the bigger part of the votes go the wrong candidates.
Please don’t reply with a comment that I already gave the answer to. Unless you want me to explain it in a way 8 year olds can understand. Perhaps then you’ll get it.
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May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Your Grassy Highness,
Please allow me to explain what my little brain could so easily process that your brontosaurus gray matter can’t in a few key points that maybe, just maybe, sink into your limited comprehension.
First, nobody disputes that there are more poor voters than non-poor. So I (and Ilda, separately), AUGMENTED your comment with the insight that goes something like “Hey, the poor voters aren’t the only ones who caused this whole mess” which you immediately answered with
to which I said MYOPIC!!! because that’s really what it is. It’s M-Y-O-P-I-C.
Got it? Do you know why?
Because this blogsite isn’t just about the poor with the terrible circumstances. This blogsite criticizes everything about the Filipino that screws all Filipinos over regardless of socioeconomic class.
Did you get that?
No?
Okay. I’ll repeat myself, but please try to follow by reading S-L-O-W-L-Y, okay?
I said
Got it? Okay, just read it again later if you didn’t. I won’t tell anybody.
Wait, have I told you that your view is MYOPIC?
Try harder NBB. Eight year olds comprehend way better than you do.
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ilda Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 9:48 am
@NBB
Just to repeat what I said to Marco Bustamante:
“Filipinos do not have real democracy. Religious leaders dictate who people should vote for. Media also manipulates the information and always give Noynoy positive exposure. This is evident in the number of times Noynoy appears on the front page of leading newspapers ever since he announced his candidacy. Noynoy is given more air time on TV as well. The owners of polling firms are related to Noynoy Aquino. These surveys are always saying that he is on top, this makes people believe that they will just waste their votes on other candidates. The essence of election is lost on the Filipino people. It is a useless exercise.”
In addition to the above:
There’s not much we can do when you are up against the giant media outlets. They have control over the minds of the Filipino both the rich and the poor. Part of the reason why media outlets can easily control the minds of majority of the Philippine population is because of our culture and tradition. We are a God fearing people and when columnists like Conrado de Quiros say that Villar is evil, then Filipinos who are scared to go to hell or are too lazy to think on their own, quickly believe what he says. When Conrado de Quiros say that Noynoy is good and we owe the Aquinos because of Edsa, the people will quickly believe him too. You add that with the Iglesia ni Christo endorsement, so panalo na si Noynoy.
The people behind the media and the religious leaders are educated Filipinos. They dictate what the poor people should do. So, tama si May Party sa Dasma, when he said you need to look at the bigger picture.at saka tama si Shaddap when he said laziness ang pinapairal. It’s not only the poor people who have a problem but the so called “educated” too. Both the poor and the elite are blinded by their self-righteousness: they think ok si Noynoy kasi mabait daw. Kung mabait na, ok na, no more thinking necessary. The oligarchs are blinded by their hunger for power and money: they produce stupid shows which bring in big profits but make people dumb and they campaign for Noynoy because they will benefit a lot once Noynoy is in Malacanang.