Sorry, I can’t “move on” from this incident, since I believe there are a lot of lessons we need to raise over and over again and pound into the consciousness of people.
The Manila Bus Hostage Incident/Massacre was no isolated incident. It was an effect of everything our culture stands for. Our Filipino values, our system, our beliefs and of course, our corruption, all played into the event and caused the massive failure that led to the deaths of eight Hong Kong nationals. Every step of the story, from the culture that led to the action of Mendoza to the reaction of our flippant president and our people to the incident, shows how destructive our cultural failures are and how these same factors are keeping our country from moving forward.
Misplaced Pride
First is Mendoza. He was certainly wrong. Filipinos want to say that he was not a Filipino that day he took hostages. But that is wrong; he is every bit as Filipino as every other Filipino is, and he represented us that day. He was born Filipino, raised Filipino and died a Filipino. He is a product of Filipino culture.
He was a good example of misplaced pride. He was sacked because of allegedly taking part in force-feeding shabu to a suspect, an unethical act. If he was there, why would he tolerate it, despite being a decorated cop? If he was not there, why was he unable to control his men, showing inadequate leadership? Was he “laissez faire” with his men (similar to our president with his people)? Misplaced pride is a sure factor in this.
Gregorio Mendoza, Rolando's brother (here being dragged by police), said something on air that hinted he provided guns for the hostage-taking - AP Photo/Pat Roque
Dysfunctional family values also played into Mendoza’s role. His brother when being arrested said something that revealed that the gun used by the hostage taker was actually his. One brother knew that the other was going to commit a crime; why didn’t he stop his brother, being a police officer himself? He was most likely an accomplice and it means that his values were twisted. If family values meant helping your brother even in doing wrong, then that probably reflects a problem in the values of society.
The Filipino Cultural Trinity
The Bus Hostage Incident/Massacre was a demonstration of our cultural faults as summed up in Benign0’s brilliant Filipino Cultural Trinity:
1. Pwede Na ‘Yan
a. Instead of sending the appropriately equipped and trained SAF; they sent pulis patola who knew zilch about hostage situations. A clear failure of command based on “pwede na yan” mentality.
b. It was clearly a national event, not a local one, since the hostage were foreigners. But the inappropriate local forces said they were enough, so the upper leadership thought, “pwede na ‘yan” and let it go, because they had “sosyal” meetings to attend.
2. Bahala Na
a. He knew that hostage taking was wrong to do; but Mendoza probably had “bahala na” mentality; “bahala na” whatever happens to him despite his wrong action; so typically Filipino, isn’t it?
b. The upper leaders let it go, even if they might have known better; so if the showboating local buffoons handle it, “bahala na.” They’re needed at their “sosyal” meetings.
c. Investigators raise the possibility that the Manila policemen were the ones who shot the tourists, and not hostage-taker Mendoza. They probably shot at random, thinking “bahala na” if the hostages get hit. See how the “bahala na” mentality costs unnecessary lives.
The negotiators were kakilalas of the hostage taker, which is not proper procedure. It was a decision based on pwede na yan and bahala na mentalities - AP Photo/Bullit Marquez
3. Impunity
a. Finger-pointing starts, everyone’s denying their part in it; in the end, no one may get punished for it.
b. Says the prez, “heads will roll,” but will they be the right heads to roll? And is head-rolling the right thing to do at all?
c. Reactions of Filipinos (as discussed below) imply impunity. It’s as if the Filipinos want to answer for nothing. They say, China is also responsible for a (purportedly) similar event. It’s also typically “Filipino” to try and escape accountability.
The Reactions – More Shame and Idiocy
The Filipino reactions to Hong Kong’s anger were riddled with unethical behavior and lame attempts at saving face. Perhaps these reactions show that Filipinos value face – amor propio – more than substance. It’s better for us to look good than be good – which is a failure of ethics. It thus leads to the following unethical reactions:
1. Victim mentality and Ad Hominems – A writer, purportedly Aurora Pijuan, circulated an article bringing up the murder of some Filipino tourists in Tiananmen, Beijing in 2005. It alleged parallels between this event and the bus hostage crisis. It was echoed by obviously biased columnist Billy Esposo in The Star. They held that China should also pay for this murder of the Madrigals in 2005.
This is another shameful reaction of Filipinos because it is smacks of ignorance and victim mentality. The Tiananmen murders were given justice and already paid for. The Madrigal family said that they never wanted it to become public. And they can never be parallels; the Tiananmen incident is just a sudden race-based murder without hostage-taking, while the Manila Bus Massacre is a hostage-taking where there was lots of time for proper solutions to be enacted. It’s comparing apples to oranges. Thus, the issue of the 2005 Tiananmen murders is invalid for the Bus Massacre. The Philippines still owes Hong Kong, not the other way around.
Esposo was one of the people who tried to turn public opinion against the Chinese and draw attention away from the incident, encouraging an unethical reaction along with playing down the facts.
In addition, this is the ad hominem fallacy – attacking the other person instead of sticking to the argument. It’s like the criminal who was caught red-handed by the police still has the audacity to point a finger to the policeman and say, “you probably committed a crime too!” Also, since the incident was already paid for by China, the people who say that it still needs justice may be lying! Thus, this raising of the 2005 Madrigal incident in Tiananmen is unethical. This applies also to Filipinos raising the melamine and lead paint in toys issues. They’re bygones. And they never change the fact that Filipinos are still responsible for the Manila Bus Massacre.
2. Taking Refuge in False Pride – Many messages have spread around telling Filipinos to step up self-promotion for their country. 2010 senatorial candidate Alex Lacson circulated his own message that Filipinos should actively promote and praise achieving Filipinos and try to snuff out the negative news about the country. Unfortunately, his message and the messages of the “Proud to be Pinoy” crowd relies on the old-fashioned but dishonest method of red herring – using a distraction. Also, as BongV explained, following Lacson’s suggestions is not enough (or is even wrong, like in the “Buy Filipino” and “speak only about the positive to foreigners” parts).
Many people say, “There’s Charice, there’s Arnel, there’s Pacquiao, there’s this and that achieving Filipino that we should be proud of… so forget the Bus Massacre.” Sorry, this will never undo the wrong done during the hostage crisis. It’s only done to take attention off the issue. This is also meant to build up false pride or fake pride. Just ask yourself: do other nations do this when a similar thing happens in their country?
Charice Pempengco's talent was wasted in her being reduced into an escape by which Filipinos can forget the hostage crisis and avoid responsibility
The fake pride approach seems to imply that the Filipinos are accepting disasters like the Bus Hostage Crisis as inevitable events. In other words, they have given up all hope in rightful prevention. All they will do is let these disasters go and just try to make up by drawing attention to this “successful Filipino.” It’s the same things drunkards do – drown their sorrows in Pleasantry Addiction. Thus, nothing gets solved; it actually gets worse.
3. Souvenir Picture Taking/Camwhoring – Perhaps the more flagrant and truly more shocking reaction of Filipinos is their taking pictures, smiling, in front of the crime scene. It was a truly inappropriate action that shows that Filipinos do not know how to respect the solemnity of an event. It also gave the idea that Filipinos are masters of schadenfreude – being happy at others’ misfortunes. It gives the impression that Filipinos are cruel and uncaring, and don’t care that someone else died for their own enjoyment. Schadenfreude – is that the trait of a “god-fearing” nation? Of course, the goal of souvenir picture taking is, “I’ll be part of history with this picture.” Still, it’s the wrong way to be in history – better do it with achievements.
4. The Government’s Reaction – Not taking Tsang’s call or not even calling back when he should, finger-pointing at the other factions, saying things like “our problems now, in two or three years we can say that they are laughable when we recall that they were not that grave,” and getting “insulted” by the HK government’s letter These are among the most irresponsible things anyone can say… and are clear signs of brainless arrogance.
Oh yes, don’t forget the extra flashy smile that made the Hong Kong people and Chinese angry.
How to Handle the Shame
It would be normal for any civilized person of the host country to be humbled by this event. But many Filipinos refuse to be humbled. They wrongly believe that humility is the same as shame. They believe in saving face to protect their pride – which is worth nothing at the moment. Thus, they show that they are uncivilized with the reactions stated above. And this lack of civility is the result of a highly flawed and corrupted culture.
With their pleasantry seeking and ad hominems against the Chinese, Filipinos again break this piece of good advice
You don’t need to be ashamed of being Filipino; that’s not the problem here. The incident itself is the main source of shame. But the Filipino reaction is a source of greater shame, because it hints to the shamefulness of our culture. It demonstrates the self-righteousness hypocrisy and whitewash mentality of Filipino culture. It shows how arrogant and callous Filipinos have become – the very opposite of the “God-fearing” people they claim to be.
Richard Gordon said, “We are a dysfunctional country.” I agree in saying, “We are a dysfunctional culture.” We have dysfunctional values, dysfunctional beliefs and dysfunctional practices. The Manila Bus Hostage Incident/Massacre demonstrated all of this in one event.
There’s only one thing to do after all this: accept that we are dysfunctional and fix ourselves as a country; we should fix our culture. Non-acceptance of this is blinding oneself from the truth. And if we don’t develop this acceptance, then we can expect far greater disasters in the future. As Adam Carolla said, “Get your **** together, Philippines.”
I just wonder, with all the arrogance and brainlessness of our culture, if we will finally admit our own mistakes and take action to correct them.
About the Author
ChinoF has written 31 stories on this site.
Chino, a freelance writer and aspiring artist, believes that Filipino culture is backward, repressive, corrupt and defective, so if you want to do something right in this country, you have to go against culture. He also knows that in doing so, you risk being called "anti-Pinoy" by the defective and deceived people, and hence he feels at home in this blog site. Chino is also a former Google Answers Researcher who went by the username techtor-ga.
Comments on “The Bus Hostage Crisis: A Failure of Filipino Culture”
Some people have even claimed that the hostage was set-up by China so it may lay larger claims in the Spratly Islands as well as push for unconstitutional demands.
The things that people would go through to save face.
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frustrated citizen Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
it only goes to show how far the dysfunctional Filipino would go when it comes to unsound reasoning.
If China would have wanted the Spratlys, they can actually get it with little resistance from the Philippines. Just take a look at our military strength – and look at theirs.
Most Filipinos can’t handle the heat when they are under fire due to their own mistakes. The mistake here is that its a Filipino policeman who took hostages, its the Philippine government who handled the crisis, and what’s the result? Shame on you, masses of Filipinos, not to even understand everything when you are presented with the facts. Indeed for these losers, ignorance is a bliss.
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Jay Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
@Silvercrest
Holy crap! I know its 9/11, which has some of the more interesting motherlode of conspiracies, which I also believe in but I don’t preach about it. But the fact that some Pinoys believe China initiated the bus incident is ABSURD!
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frustrated citizen Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
well Sir Jay, that goes to show that the deluded yellow hordes are even willing to spat out such lies and statements to defend their savior. look now whose creating rumors and conspiracies..haha
Mike H Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
I also heard na Versoza is the one that made pakana this Mendoza-thing. The eksena is that the PNP SWAT (and the negotiation team) puts a
peaceful closure to the hostage-taking. Mendoza gets taken out or Mendoza agrees to 10 years jail but the important points — that Magtibay and his boss gets glory. Peechur-peechur at palakpakan ang madlang people.
Closing scene — Robredo is given a scholarship to Stanford while
Versoza becomes DILG big-boss and PNP gets more 
money to get for more equipment (listening devices, crowd-control, bullet-proof vests) and training.
ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Yeah. This is among the things that make me hate the amor propio trait of Filipinos.
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Kotobuki Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 2:32 am
Ayan na naman tayo! It’s because some Pinoys give themselves so much credit than they are due, they think they’re so damn important that the universe revolves around them and the sun shines out of their arses! They have the guts, with their bloated pride, to believe that they’re some chosen race beloved by God and His angels and Tita Cory!
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bravo Sir Chino!
my friend who has anti-pinoy views remarked how diligent you guys are in writing articles and reiterating stuff. its really remarkable when someone indeed has the guts to write these kinds of articles amidst the flow of the current Filipino culture.. keep it up! hehe
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 5:19 am
Thanks. Culture is not necessarily the law. It is also man-made, so if you want to change it, you have the right to do so. Tell your conservative friends this.
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frustratedcitizen Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
will tell my conservative friends about it Sir. By the way my friend who gave the remark is on our side – only that he doesn’t have the time to read AP.com, so I’m the one giving updates.
(thank God AP is back online hehehe)
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If you have time, listen to the Youtube videos on the HARAPAN Noynoy-talking-to-panel of 3. Noynoy kept saying that he was
lied to —
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zry1J1M6uk&feature=related
that one of his reasons to go to Emerald was to
confront Puno and Versoza as why the things they had told him (e.g. SAF was in place, SAF will be used) did not happen.
Despite that, Noynoy’s loyalty to his shooting-buddy Puno is so strong that Noynoy says he still has
confidence in Puno.
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Jay Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
One of my reactions when I had watched the video:
And he wasn’t sure if Donald Tsang was a legitimate call from Hong Kong. What, as if HK had ideas to PRANK him? C’mon! Obviously when someone from a country calls (that usually doesn’t), something may be up!
Covering his ass he was.
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geeky Mary Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Would you believe that there are people who actually said the prescon showed how honest PNOY was? That’s sooper denial for you or it’s the kabobohan taking over.
Excellent post, ChinoF. I hope AP has another post on that major major trainwreck of a prescon (the one with the Friendly Fire) or on that Flak Finding commission report.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Thanks, all. For me, PNoy is exactly the example of what happens when a below-average Filipino becomes national leader. Proving that leaders should always be competent people.
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Thanks Chino for the blog you once again hit every dot on the dysfunctional aspects of the Philippine Society. I got to admit some of us are guilty one way or the another of the Filipino Cultural Trinity. Don’t forget the Hypocrisy nature of being religious while at the same time committing essentially the mortal sins which our beloved Catholic Church says is a no-no.
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Aegis-Judex Reply:
September 11th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
You can say that again. The fact that as a whole, Flips have a history of perverting the ethos of whatever creed they adopt still stands.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
I see it as a symptom of the economic poverty, which contributes to the intellectual and cultural poverty of the country. We probably could have better values if the economy did better, and we had more resources that enable more people to be better educated. And better if these resources were not spent in mainstream media crap like what ABS-CBN and GMA churn out.
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AlexL Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:16 am
It’s not just economic poverty but socio/cultural/political moral decay that pervades the country where the so called leadership display the worst in us …..how do you expect the people to do the right thing! You spoke of having competent leaders but the Filipino people are not competent voters…..they elected Estrada with his concubines…we thought Marcos/Macapagal were competent because of their intellectual superiority n look where they led us…..Change should come from the leadership for it to really work effectively through the majority of the masses….effective n efficient implementation of discipline in all aspects of our daily lives from traffic rules n government service should be a good starting point….I am still hoping that the Aquino leadership would succeed rather praying for it to fail…..after all he is there to lead us in the right path…..
Aegis-Judex Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Alex, intellectual superiority coupled with proven excellence are PRECISELY what we need RIGHT THE FVCK NOW. Considering the abhorrent stupidity of these animals, discipline is what is needed. After all, can there be progress without order? Besides, it has been established that Aquino will send this country burning to the ground. Now in the eyes of the world, he is a reflecion of the mentality of the Flip: Mindless, uncivilized, and barbaric bootlicking excuses for human beings.
a comment on Filipino culture. I’ve seen photos of Filipinos posing in the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin… and I mean posing like they were models of some sort…. talk about Filipino insensitivity. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if pictures of Filipinos posing, smiling and flashing a V/peace sign (ala Japanese/Korean tourist) at 9/11 ground zero start showing up….
I do think that Manila culture at least is on a downward spiral… we are starting to become disrespectful. Po’s and Opo’s just hollow symbols of the so called respectful Filipinos.
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Jay Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 1:20 am
Po’s and Opo’s are nothing more than a subjugation, similar with mano po. I still do it only because I was taught, as opposed to those who weren’t. Otherwise the best way of showing respect would be the less-direct ways you know. The same with how Filipinos don’t understand cultural sensitivity because they have been subjugated that outside of their own culture, there is nothing sensitive at all.
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palebluedot_ Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 2:20 am
po and opo are manila’s/tagalog’s problem. filipinos from other parts of the country do not give a damn about those words. it’s irritating to be told that we are not respectful when we go to manila and do not use those words when we communicate…opo! nakakainis pong gamitin ang po at opo…
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
The “souvenir” picture mentality is also based on the culture of “memories” or mementos.” We’ve been conditioned to believe that if you don’t have memories like these, you’re inhuman or something. As if being remembered by someone already isn’t enough. And Filipinos have a loose souvenir mentality, so they also purloin from tourist spots they go to… without thinking whether it’s OK or not to get such souvenirs.
Yeah, I’m guilty of believing once that all Filipinos should learn “po” and “opo,” not realizing that it’s only one of many cultures in the islands. It was also what my mom kept teaching our helpers at home… since they’ve left their provinces to work in Imperial Manila. Dang, it would be better if we do it all in English. There’s no such thing as a “Filipino” language.
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Aegis-Judex Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Okay, I see no reason why we can’t use “po” and “opo” in our conversations, but I have to agree, being obliged to do so somehow feels… hollow. It’s as if all we do is polish the backside of our superiors, if not lick their boots.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
See it from the perspective of someone NOT Tagalog… they don’t have po and opo… then imagine being obliged to use it… “di ako imperyalistang Tagalog!”
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Aegis-Judex Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Lest it be forgotten, Chino, I’m a Cebuano. It’s my PNoy-worshipping stepdad and his family who are Tagalog. Yes, there are times I feel obliged to using those things, but there are also times that I use them AND mean them. What use is obligation when you become a hollow shell, a mere extension of the will of other people?
Off topic: Like my new Zeratul avatar?
ChinoF Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Oh yeah, them Dark Templar are nasty.
En taro Adun!
AlexL Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Is it just me or everyone here can only speak of what is worst in being Filipino? I do not live there anymore but I am still hoping that things will change for the better for the Philippines…Although recent events can really drive you to ur breaking point! I am still proud of being one that is why I have not turn my back on my birth right….The Po and Opo is a tradition of instilling respect for the elders and I still believe it still hold it rightful place in our culture…..Again Respect begets respect and again it boils down to the individual to command respect….Unless we see in our leadership how to treat each other with utmost respect- things will stay the same in the Philippines…….
ChinoF Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
AlexL,
If we don’t fix what is worst in being Filipino, there will really be nothing worth being proud of.
Also, Po and Opo are Tagalog traditions… what is Filipino should not be exclusively limited to Tagalog culture, because the other cultures in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that don’t have Opo and Po will be discriminated against. There can be respect of elders without using Po and Opo. Of course, I don’t say we eliminate it, but we should put it in its right place: as only one of the segments of the culture, never enforced on everybody.
However, you are right about the leadership… they do not know how to pay proper respect… to the people who voted for them and yet they are still robbing… and even to foreigners whose nationals were murdered!
Jay Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
@AlexL
You can’t be proud of your genetic accident that you were born as a Filipino. You can be happy yes, but proud? Nonsense.
We already know the cultural significance of Po and Opo. We are discussing the problem with its lack of cultural relativity, as someone said, it feels much like an obligation than something noteworthy of respect. You probably never seen the wrong side of it so you defend it as what it is. Its a shackle for people to associate the word with something, but in the end what does it really mean to this day? Does it allow for better communication? I claim it as subjugation because when used wrong, it creates a rift for those ignorant enough to think the word has a meaning of status and infallibility.
palebluedot_ Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
“The Po and Opo is a tradition of instilling respect for the elders and I still believe it still hold it rightful place in our culture…..”
@AlexL
Just please emphasize Tagalog culture (or Manila culture, whichever is right). Never “Filipino culture” because NON Tagalogs (who are also Filipino) do not see the significance of using “opo” or “po” as a sign of respect. As I mentioned above, I hate being told we are disrespectful when we do not include those words in our sentences whenever we are in Manila….
If you folks visit your local SM Malls today just take a observation of the kids today the jejemon generation, all I can, “my god the abomination”.
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Aegis-Judex Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Correct. You can say that the jejemon are a quintessentially uncivilized excuse for a fad, and an insult to proper decorum and everything that is meet and just.
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Chino,
The habit of moving on makes everything seem like a fad here. This is the same reason that the sins of the past are forgotten without learning anything from them — MOVING ON.
Think of it as holding an uninsulated cattle brand or even a simple kawali without potholders. If it gets too hot, you let go and come back for it when it’s cooler.
If there’s one unifying idea that I got from your post, it’s the observation that people do not think things thoroughly before doing it. I do not know if it is out of insensitivity or just plain stupidity or a combination of both.
Cheers!
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 4:36 am
Filipinos move on from the ocho-ocho and spaghetti dance to other examples of glaring idiocy.
I agree about Filipinos not thinking things thoroughly. There are some things like choosing what to eat, choosing your ideal partner or other things you need to think about. What a fellow Filipino says: “Don’t think about it! You’re only causing pain for yourself by thinking!” Our culture’s anti-intellectuality is even being paraded as something good. And it’s also a result of having very little economic options. The less you can afford, the less “good stuff” you are exposed to that can raise your intellectuality and make you realize that God created you to think.
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Michel Paulos Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
I hope this is not a sweeping statement for all of us who have very little economic options. It’s like saying poverty breeds stupidity. There are actually some poor people like us who educate ourselves and try to educate those around us, and we find that living an honest , dignified and simple life is the key to building an ideal society. I agree with the article it’s just the statement above that I find disturbing. It seemed so elitist and discriminating. May I suggest that since we are all for transformation why don’t we all try to brainstorm and find ways to find solutions and act on it. We can not rely on the government anymore. We should do it ourselves starting with the communities. As you pointed out earlier, shouldn’t we be starting with “alternative education.” ps. We were so dirt poor we didn’t have a tv and so we rarely watch shows when we were growing up. I think that was a blessing.
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Jay Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
@Michael Paulos
In general poverty DOES breed stupidity. Its not just money but social and cultural awareness altogether. If all 3 criteria (food, water, shelter) were being provided for in general for the entire Filipinos in the country, then everyone can move on to concepts like HOW to make the process around us function better! Then the ethics/ideologies step in on whether more local government is better than federal government intervention, etc.
We can’t rely on the government that IS now! But we still need it as a form of organization, lest we all go back to tribal governments. So why set back with more control for people in general with your statement when we can push for changes such as FOIA, Charter Change, Protectionist Laws that not only benefits one but benefits EVERYONE.
an ideal society isn’t one with a bunch of blue/white collared workers. Its where you can be a blue/white collared worker, a prodigious progressive thinker, a misunderstood artist and even a man of the land. Simply put, opportunities.
If I may add another aspect of Filipino culture. “Silent mode” – don’t be accountable, don’t be found, don’t even acknowledge it’s happening , just be quiet. AKA “Emerald Mode”.
http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I think that’s also the culture of Deadma.
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Lorenz Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
That is because of the lack of true patriotism especially with the Bahala na attitude. Almost no one cares about the country actually. The pride and nationalism of Filipinos that AP is always talking about is fake, shallow, and unfounded.
Philippine nationalism is non-existent since the time of American colonial period. What we see now is contradictory and idiocy.
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Jay Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
@Lorenz
I think the care/passion that we talked about long ago is being mis-directed.
Remember the korean-kid-letter-written-to-the-Philippines video? Koreans cared about their country by doing what was needed and making the sacrifice to see things through for a better future. And this is also an attitude that permeated from the elites all the way down to the common people.
Pinoy’s idea of pride is the one we currently see as manufactured and creating symbols of them as oppose to knowing really where its from; collective achievements. In fact, you can say it was nonexistent altogether considering there is no real unity of the pinoy people.
ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
I believe such nationalism was already non-existent ever since Rizal’s era. Remember, Rizal and his fellows can be considered the few “nationalists” of his time. The truthseekers are always a lone voice in the din of the crowd.
When it came to MLQ1, that nationalism was twisted.
Lorenz Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
And so i say bring back the Philippine Revolution! Bring back the ilustrados! Bring back the true nationalists!
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Aren’t those nationalists already here at AP?
I’d rather see what we should do than deal endlessly on what we should not do.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Dealing endlessly on what we should not do.is still a noble act.
But I did say what we should do above. “Fix our culture.”
Another “what to do” is explained by BongV in his Eight Big Dreams article.
And another thing – boycott the local mainstream media institutions. Support only those that give alternative ideas to the mainstream – like Antipinoy.com.
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I find it silly people couldn’t grasp the value of our talented singers who are now start to get noticed internationally and use it as a feel-good escapade amidst the prevailing shame.
They’re instead cures to the sick pinoy brain heavily addled by missing to understand the dichotomy between facial asset and pure talent.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 12th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
I think it boils down to the values of people in dealing with hardship – specifically the one which says, “running from your problems is OK! Drown your sorrows!” I think people would not practice something if they did not honestly believe it.
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You are right, ChinoF. Awareness of our cultural dysfunction is the first step to change. From there comes acceptance and from then on, we just do not take it easy, but instead, strive to learn again to achieve a better society.
It scares me to know that many Filipinos have tunnel vision. I lost some friends promoting this website via email to them. I did not try to convince them to share my views. I only requested them to read Antipinoy and have their own conclusions. Instead, they become personal in their replies and cut off their friendships to me. It is saddening to know how closed-minded thinking preserves this country in its cultural stagnancy.
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helios Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:30 am
well baka natamaan sila…. pride after all can be a bitch
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ChinoF Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:52 am
Acceptance sure is hard. But it’s only the first step. That’s why so many self-help books have been written about a thing as simple as acceptance. If this first step indeed can’t be taken, how can we solve problems?
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Aegis-Judex Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:13 am
@mel:
Such is the bitter truth. If the lesser minds cannot accept it, it will eventually come back to bite them in the ass. HARD.
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On cross hairs Chino! Before the Filipino short term memory represses the pain of August 23, and lose another chance for the cancer of our society to go on full eradication. Let complete healing take place, but no remission will occur unless there must be admission of fault to begin the process of recovery.
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The article is misguided, lacks information, substitutes assumptions for evidence, and is racist making sweeping claims against FIlipinos either due to either a nihilistic lack of self respect or inherent hostility to the Filipino race. No wonder that the author uses pseudonyms. He has no balls to stand up to his article.
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anonymous bosch Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 5:24 am
Well, so be it if that is the case. He’s not generalizing all natural-born purely Filipino citizens. He’s pointing out the dyscfunctional aspect of the below-average Filipino.
Inherent hostility to the Filipino race. He has an inherent hostility towards the bad traits of Filipinos. That is better than Filipinos having inherent hostility to non-Filipinos because they can’t accept responsibility. It’s sickening to even think of this arrogance and stubbornness.
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Jon Abaca Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 5:34 am
I like being Filipino. I dislike a lot of other Filipinos though.
I dislike the students who posed in front of the bus. I dislike the cameraman who took the shot. I dislike the passersby that ignored the disrespectful cam whores.
I dislike the Filipinos who can consider the two examples similar.
Example 1: A crazy person stabs a Filipino to death in Tiananmen Square.
Example 2: It takes 9 hours to mess up a hostage taking in Luneta.
I also dislike people who comment, but not really take the time to actually add any arguments to their comments.
Eh, PolGas, if that is your real name.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 6:18 am
Hmm, I wonder if any of your observations can be proven by specific example citing. Though it’s your word against a host of others who agree with my article.
Pseudonym? Wow, I didn’t know my own nickname was a pseudonym.
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ilda Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 8:29 am
That commenter is misguided, does not understand the information given in the article, practices reverse discrimination and is very presumptuous in saying that you are using a pseudonym. He does not know that you are using your nickname like me.
Some people still don’t realise that even if we use our full name, it still won’t make a difference to them because they still won’t know us anyway. The fact that he does not believe that Chino is your name proves this statement.
Why do they keep shifting the focus on the author of the articles anyway? They just have to concentrate on the message and give a counter argument if they think we are wrong. It’s simple, really.
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Great article. It should be mandatory reading for every high-school student in the Philippines.
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ChinoF Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Thanks. Actually, every article here is worth reading by any serious student of current Philippine affairs… or at least anyone who wants to know the truth.
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We are really a dysfunctional country; lead by a dysfunctional family political dynasty like the Aquinos. Our leaders are SOCIOPATHS and AMORAL. A sociopath is a person who has no feeling on others; who has no remorse, when wrong is done. Sounds like our Smiling Noynoy Aquino, after the tragic incident? What has caused this degeneration of moral conciousness of the Filipinos? I blame it on the : “ME FIRST Mentality”, advocated by our leaders. Where the leaders go; the people will follow. Look at the family political dynasties, we have. Me, my family, my KamagAnak, my friends; first and foremost. Not the interest of the whole country; but mine interest, alone.This is the reason our politics are: violent; vengeful and full of nonsense. People put a candidate. If their candidate wins. These people will be sure to have good government jobs. Poltical Opportunism abound, because of this mentality. Problems of the country are not solve. Time and opportunity to make the most of it; while my candidate is in office.Unless, we try to take a good look of ourselves. Change the dysfunctional mindsets of our leaders. We will remain where we are…