According to the latest Social Weather Stations “survey”, 93 percent of a 1,200 person sample of Filipinos look forward to the Year 2011 with “hope”. This is supposedly an improvement over the 89 percent found to be hopeful in a similar survey last year. True to form, the SWS’s partners in crime in Malacanang are quick to latch onto this little factoid…
Fireworks factory in Bocaue Bulacan
“We thank the Filipino people for their trust in us. They view our government as an engine of hope, that what we promised during the campaign, the eradication of graft and corruption and poverty reduction will bear fruit,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said of the survey results.
AS far as can be seen in the above PhilStar “report”, the survey made no mention of any specific aspect of this reported “hope” harboured by the survey respondents that could be directly associated with the nature of today’s leadership.
Indeed, the obvious question simply gets begged as usual:
Hope in what exactly?
First of all, what is a +4 percent-point change in a sample size of 1,200 that attempts to represent a society of 100 million? If I recall my college statistics right, such small samples yield a confidence level of anywhere from 90% to 95% at best. This means that even at its best, the “survey” leaves a 5% uncertainty in the results; that is, 93 plus or minus 4.6 percent points. This means that this “hope” reading for 2011 can swing anywhere from 88.4 to 97.6 percent. Guess what that makes that highlighted +4 percent-point change (a difference, that falls way below the uncertainty gap inherent to the small sample) in “hopefulness” from SWS’s 2010 survey to this 2011 survey. Quite simply: a nebulous assertion.
Who knows? Indeed, who cares? Who else, but the Yellow Horde of Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. After a campaign propped up by the illusion of celebrity drummed up by “social media” followed by six months of laughable (if it were not for the immense tragedy surrounding them) gaffes, one couldn’t blame an administration if it pathetically scrounged around for political capital.
This is an administration bobbing on a tide of popularity and not on substance. It is after all, the first Philippine presidency won with a significant part of its campaign waged in cyberspace. The irony in this fact lies in how astoundingly inept Noynoy’s “Communication Group” had been in the last six months. Add to this that other irony in how top “New Media” honcho during Noynoy’s campaign Enteng Romano is the first fallen top Cabinet official of the Second Aquino Administration.
So back to the question: Hope in what exactly? If we are to step back and regard this question from outside the square, we might pause and check out a different metric which (again, ironically) is actually quite close to what underpins the Noynoy presidency — Filipinos’ take up of social networking…
Rate of growth in the take up of social networking among Filipinos is among the highest in the world. From just 160,000 in July 2008, the number of Facebook users in the Philippines grew by huge leaps to 2.7 million in 2009 and then 14.6 million in 2010. The rate at which Filipinos are infesting Facebook is astounding, indeed.
In a nation where more than sixty students are routinely crammed in a single classroom (where there arethe ravages of OFW-ism), social networking is the beast that the first Facebook presidency needs to tame in its efforts to sugarcoat its lack of substance. And if the cyber-thievery so far exhibited by Noynoy’s “Communications” henchmen is any indication of how much Malacanang getsbright for the average Pinoy schmoe, that is. classrooms) and the fabric of families and friendships are held together by the fibre optic threads of modern network technologies (owing to “social media” the future looks quite bleak indeed — bleak for Malacanang, but
Perhaps, social media and its inherent truth-revealing properties will slowly — but surely — reveal, as 2011 unfolds, the true nature of the Government chosen by the Filipino people in May of 2010. The ability of this new media to influence Government — more than any street “revolution” had in the last several years — was exhibited in a small demonstration of its power back in November of 2010; a demonstration that resulted in the fall (I cannot emphasise enough — and again — the irony here) of top Filipino cyber-”revolutionary” Enteng Romano.
The future looks bright indeed for the Filipino — but not necessarily for Malacanang.
Happy New Year!
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[Image of fireworks factory workers courtesy DayLife.com.]
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benign0 has written 159 stories on this site.
benign0 is the webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
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22 Comments on “2011 is indeed a year of hope for the Filipino people!”
We’ll have to be educated on this fact: that the events of a certain year are likely to have their effects on the economy felt in the next year. For example, the impact of the Bus Hostage Crisis on the whole economy is not immediately felt in the following weeks, but is more likely to be felt in March of 2011. Same with the fracas with the Supreme Court and other gaffes of the admin. That for me is one thing that should guide us when we think of “hope” for the next year.
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I doubt it will be that bad for Malacanang. The Yellow Youth took full advantage of social networking to ensure the unwashed hordes could vote him in. Unless AP et al. can mount a serious effort to fight back, they’ll continue to stock the social networking sites with more of their horde. And if anything, I’d give it until after 2011 for the ‘hope’ to really start waning.
This isn’t exactly Anonymous we’re dealing with, i.e. a bunch of Philippine-basement-area-equivalent-dwelling nerds that think they’re l337 h4xx0rz for running a DDoS program. These are the average ‘Pinoy’ schmoes that speak the Jejemon and know how to use a computer to almost save their lives.
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dumb-oh Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 7:36 am
i heard that the orig BSAIII fanpage fans were transferred to Noynoy Aquino fanpage.
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ChinoF Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 11:47 am
After it was seized from Totanes and company, turning them against their former idol.
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There is this new trend called cloud computing and its gaining popularity. (The Lazzo I think you might be familiar with that term especially with the failure of the Anonymous to bring down Amazon.)
But it seems like the hope thing is like building castles in the sky. Quite ironic though, before I logged in the site I had a thought that some hacker cracked the Ph website and left a message saying “PNoy actually do something useful!”
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The future never looks bright for the Filipino unless he opens his eyes, ears, and mind. That is all.
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JOSEPH OPULENCIA Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 8:58 am
the only bright shining in 2011 is the forehead of P-noy… Nuo kay ganda,,,
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daaaang! … the fall of marcos dicktatorship was considered as the beginning of flipland’s rise from obscurity… flips’ hope shot into an unprecedented level…. well what did we know… santa ate corakot aquino, the serial coup coup coup de’ tae prez, turned out to be the “HOPE AGAINST HOPE” puppet… hay naku, flips puro kayo gung gongs…
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… daaaang!… HOPE is a hindrance… leave it to the hopeless…. DOING/ACTING ON is better and produce results… hope is like religion… keep hoping…. keep praying… y’all go to heaven… (moderator: is it more efficient if y’all open up the edit mode to add more stuff in the previous post which was posted in haste?… tenk yu)
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benign0 Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Next time, put a bit more thought into what you are writing before you hit the “Send” button.
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ulong pare Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 9:42 am
daaaang! … if i do that, my post will be a short story (like O. Henry) or a novel (like yours… oooopsie)… walang dilitan ha?
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Walang nakikitang liwanag PDF Print E-mail
by Vic Reyes
Wednesday, 29 December 2010 17:53
MARAMI ang nangangamba na titindi pa ang pagkilos ng mga militanteng estudyante, manggagawa at mahihirap pagpasok ng bagong taon.
Taliwas kasi sa inaasahan nila ang nangyayari ngayon sa administrasyon ni Pangulong Noynoy Aquino. Sa halip na bumaba ang presyo ng serbisyo at paninda, lalong tumataas ang mga ito, na lalong nagpapahirap sa mga mahihirap.
Pati bigas ng NFA ay tumaas ng P2 bawat kilo. Ang presyo ng asukal bago palitan ni P-Noy si GMA, P48/kilo ngayon P60/kilo. Kahapon naman ay nagtaas na naman ng P1 ang bawat litro ng gasolina at krudo. Ilang beses na bang nagtaas ng P1 o P2 ang presyo ng mga ito pero kapag nag-roll back naman ay P0.25 lang. Patuloy rin ang pagtaas ng LPG.
Sa mga supermarket, kahit anong bantay ang gawin ng mga tauhan ng DTI, patuloy rin ang pagtaas ng mga de lata at ibang pangunahing bilihin.
At lalo pang malulugmok ang taumbayan pagpasok ng 2011 dahil sa inaasahang pagtaas ng toll fee sa mga expressway, lalo na sa SLEX na halos 250 porsyento ang itataas.
Hindi simpleng pagtaas ng singil ito. Marami ang maaapektuhan.
Sa pagtaas ng toll, siguradong hihirit ng dagdag pamasahe ang mga kompanya ng transportasyon. Tataas din ang singil ng mga delivery trak na naghahatid ng mga produkto mula sa mga probinsiya.
Ang isa pang masakit, maraming estudyante ang mahihinto sa pag-aaral. Titiklop din ang maliit na negosyo.
Sabi nga ng ating mga kababayan, wala silang nakikitang liwanag dahil mukhang helpless ang gobyerno kung ang pag-uusapan ay pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing produkto.
Kahit na maganda ang layunin at sinsero si P-Noy sa kanyang pangako na tanggalin ang korapsyon, eh, kung ang mga nakapaligid naman sa kanya ay mukhang mga inutil at manhid sa totoong sitwasyon at pangangailangan ng taumbayan, wala ring mangyayari.
Ano sa palagay niyo?BY PEOPLES JOURNAL
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Hyden Toro Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
You must understand that, Noynoy Aquino is not a part of the solution. He is part of the problem.The Oligarchs, who control the Economy of our country; have to get the, Return of their Investment (ROI); expenses incurred, to make Noynoy Aquino win the election. They are just Smart Business People. You don’t have to invest, to lose…or you move Heaven and Earth to recover your investments, at whoever expense…”Natanso na naman tayo!!!”
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Renato Pacifico Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
HA!HA!HA!HA! The oligarchs has long got their investments back for generations. Lookit, the Aboitizes to Zobels are 2nd or 3rd generation. THEY GOT THEIR RETURN ON INVESTMENTS LONG TIME AGO. They just wanted more!!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA1HA1HA! MORE! MORE! MORE! FILIPINOS ARE DIFFERENT … HA!HA1HA!HA! THEY RETURN THEIR INVESTMENTS!!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA! TO GOD!!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA!
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Like what I’ve been telling ya’ll. Information in the hands of Flippinos is not goot information much more on statistics which involve math which involve logic which FLIPPINOS ARE VERY POOR AT. They can analyze grammatical errors DEFINITELY NOT THAT INVOLVES STRINGING NUMBERS TOGETHER.
Idiot peryodistas obviously will swallow SWS stats because noynoy is the diorama of their ignorance. And of course, they simply cannot analyze the statistics. They’re even having difficulty on simple mathematical equation.
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HOPE is like any other religious belief. You do this and that; after you kick your last kick; they claim: you go to Heaven. Or, they say: you get a vest full of explosives; blow yourself up and the Infidels; then, you will enjoy 72 Virgins in 72 Mansions, in Paradise. In Pandora’s Box story: Pandora released all the Evils to this world. As she closed the Box: Hope was trapped inside, imprisoned.
SWS Surveys; Sanitized News Media; Yellow Horde Nazis; are all tools of the imbecile President; to prop himself up, and the incompetence of his administration. Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, did that, with the help of his Propaganda Minister: Joseph Goebbels. The Yellow Horde “L” laban salute; is just like the Nazi’s “Heil Hitler” salute; derived from the “Heil Caesar” salute from the previous Roman Empire. History seems to be repeating itself.
If you really has accomplished something, to make a difference in the lives of the Filipino people. You don’t need those props. People have Eyes and Brains, to see the difference.
Happy New Year to all!!! The worst is yet to come in 2011!!! Hold on to your ears, you may levitate, laughing of what you will see from an incompetent administration… Happy New Year, Ricky Carandang and your Propaganda Staff. Don’t drink cheap Chilean wines, for celebration. Miss Mislang will grumble in her text messages…
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Renato Pacifico Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
HA!HA!HA!HA! noy2x is riding PANDAK’s economic momentum not what noy2x made!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA! See, economic stimulus is felt 1 year later, THAT IS IN AMERICA!!! Economic stimulus in the Philippines is felt within 6 months noy2x sat in Malacanang? SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!
WHAT HAS noy2x done to the economy of the Philippines? When all he did in the past 6 months are running after PANDAK’s ghosts!!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA!HA! ANTIPINOYS ARE BETTER ANALYSTS THAN PERYODISTAS!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA!
PERYODISTAS ARE AFRAID OF ANTIPINOYS!!!!! HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!
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Hyden Toro Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Peryodistas are mostly Yellow Horde minions. Some of them, are just lacking in sense. Some don’t even know, what they are talking about. Some just write to praise their Patrons, and whoever pays them. We don’t have any Patrons to behold to…our Blogs stand on their own…most of us are honest in our desire for the good of our Filipino countrymen…who have been deluded, time and time again by these dubious people…most of us are gainfully employed, and are holding good positions in our jobs…we just Blog…because we care…
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Rizal Day (2010) report of Noynoy to the Media – the real story
I noticed a few things in the latest “report” Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III issued to the Filipino public. “Gains are now being felt” was his “report” to reporters given after officiating Rizal Day rites in Manila. And what are these “gains”? He counts (1) a “budget surplus” registered now after a forecast of a P6 billion “deficit” when he first took office and (2) an “improved employment picture” mostly propped up by the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector. From all that he was supposedly given a thumbs up by certain interesting sectors of Philippine society which I will go into in the third point I make.
Noynoy’s dubious fiscal pronouncements
Firstly, I wonder how one can remain confident in Noynoy’s pronouncements about his “budget” if he cannot even understand the differences in key concepts surrounding fiscal management — specifically budget, expenditure, and allocations. Indeed, if we recall back in July of 2010 how he referred to “revelations” about the fiscal position he inherited from former President Gloria Arroyo as one that is “a ‘shocking’ ‘exposé’ of ‘awe’-some proportions”. The real revelation then became more about how pathetically inept Noynoy’s Cabinet henchmen were, prompting calls for more revelations — but this time around the question: “Who fed P.Noy moronic information?“.
Noynoy’s dubious hand in pepping up the BPO business
Second, initiatives to lay the groundwork to realise “gains” in employment prospects in the BPO industry don’t happen within six months — and certainly not these recent six months. So while Noynoy may be right about “gains” being felt in the BPO industry, those effects were certainly not a result of anything he had a hand in.
Noynoy’s cheering squad in the Catholic Church
Third, is around who is reported to be giving Noynoy their seals of approval. Notice how the entire latter half of the Inquirer.net report is devoted to all these quoted statements from a bunch of Catholic Bishops. The report crows at the beginning of that last half…
What’s up with that? More importantly: Who gives a **** what a bunch of men-in-robes who are in the midst of a campaign to keep the Philippines in the Stone Age have to say about the President’s “efforts” to build a better country?
Perhaps we all should see 2011 as a time for more thorough and critical evaluation of results as well as a more intelligent regard for what Noynoy and his cadre of publicists are telling the Filipino people. Even with those approaches alone, we may already find ourselves substantiating this “hope” we would like to harbour for the future.
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benign0, I believe the SWS data is fairly accurate. The 1,200 respondents are representative of the hakot mob that went to EDSA. not the entire Philippine populace
)
I can imagine the oligarchs chanting :”All Your Bases Are Belong To Us….”
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boombox Reply:
December 31st, 2010 at 8:32 am
I can imagine the oligarchs chanting :”All Your Bases Are Belong To Us….”
I say: NUTS..!!!
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Hope in what exactly?
Is like an implied saying of Mag dasal kayo…!!!!
No wonder why die hard Flip Catholics would keep on praying on winning their chances in Lotto.
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