Aquino government claim to 7.1 percent GDP growth all hollow BS

November 29, 2012

by benign0

There are a lot of things that account for changes in a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and even more that account for movements in the rate of change of that change. Certainly the quality of the government may have something to do with where the GDP goes. But then who knows? Considering that even the brightest hot-shot economists failed to anticipate the abyss that the global economy plummeted into in 2008 and that the mightiest nation on the planet would be facing a “fiscal cliff” in 2013, haven’t we learned yet that no small finite set of people much less one person can really be credited — or blamed — for any hiccup or convulsion an entire economy undergoes?

The lesson is obviously lost in presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda who still believes that a single government and, presumably, one president can be given credit for a “surge” in an entire nation’s GDP…

[...] Lacierda attributed the high growth rate to “sustained confidence in the leadership of President Aquino and his administration, which has consistently equated good governance with good economics.”

He was of course referring to the much-celebrated 7.1 percent growth in the Philippines’ GDP over July through September of this year which reportedly put the Philippines second only to China in the list of fastest-growing economies in the world over that period.

The Philippines’ third-quarter growth rate—just behind China’s 7.4% rise—made it the best performer in Southeast Asia, where economic performances during the period ranged from a 6.17% expansion in Indonesia to a 5.9% contraction in Singapore.

The country’s services sector, which accounts for half of gross domestic product, expanded 7.0% from a year earlier, while construction and manufacturing growth pushed industry up 8.1%. Agriculture, which accounts for a fifth of GDP and employs four out of 10 Filipinos, rose 4.1%.

The Wall Street Journal report also highlights that this result underscores “a shift toward domestic demand and away from a reliance on exports to keep the economy ticking over,” which of course is good as such an outcome shields the economy from the weakness of the overall global economy, particularly that of the United States and Europe. However, that report fails to mention that up to 12% of the value of the Philippine economy is accounted for by the remittances of hundreds of thousands of Filipino overseas foreign workers (OFWs) and a vast expat community residing in North America, Western Europe, and Japan. Considering that OFWs can arguably be considered a form of export — human export — we could reasonably conclude that, contrary to that report, the Philippines’ reliance on exports remains largely the same

This also puts the Journal‘s assertion that the Philippines is “one of the most resilient economies in Asia” to question when we consider that the country’s aspirational peers in the region — Malaysia and Thailand — both enjoy very negligible dependence on the remittances of an overseas workforce to buttress their economies.

If the bright boys of the Journal can get it so wrong about the Philippines, what more the famously-clueless presidential spokesperson?

Indeed, back in early 2011, Lacierda also made a similar albeit even more daft assertion when he claimed — just four months into the term of President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III — that an improvement in the Philippines’ ranking in the global corruption index reported by Transparency International that time “somehow reflects the Aquino administration’s determination to promote good governance.”

You gotta wonder: perhaps all the President’s men just sit around their offices waiting to pounce on and lay claim to the next positive statistic to come along. Then again, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Perhaps the Philippine economy is best left alone. After all, as I have for so long maintained:

Great nations were not built on good intentions. They were built on business sense. Real change in Pinoy society will never be achieved through the “sacrifice” of altruistic “heroes”. True change will be driven by people who find no shame in expecting a buck for their trouble.

For whatever we gain in our GDP, perhaps we have more to thank our demonised “greedy” businessmen for than our “prayerful” politicians.

So What if #Philippines GDP Grew by 7.1% in Q3 2012? Jobs Market and Seasonally Adjusted Figures Tell a Different Story

I was amused to read about the Philippine economy “soaring away” with 7.1% GDP growth in Q3, 2012. For all the talk of a “soaring economy” just like the “surge in investments” – I watched OFWs in Israel and Syria refusing to return to the Philippines. After all with a “soaring” growth – there has got to be lots of jobs for the picking, right? Obviously, ordinary Filipinos sense a disconnect and feel no improvement in their lives.

Aquino’s economic managers will of course hire the best PR agencies they can buy to spread the good news of “Aquinomics”. The question remains though – has the growth translated to improved economic conditions for majority of Filipinos?

Recall that a few weeks back – the Philippines was supposedly facing an investment surge – while Singapore faced a 2.96% decrease in investments. Based on these percentages – Noynoy, Purisima, and Balicasan were ecstatic about the “surge”. Well if we actually bothered to check the Philippine “surge” of $1B in investments against the 2.9% decrease in investments of Singapore – the difference was something like $58B in investments because despite facing a reduction – the investments that went to Singapore was in the vicinity of $59B!

Thus, before buying the spiel of Aquino’s “growth”, let’s kick the tires, unwind the yarn for a drive, give the 7.1% the benefit of the doubt and dig deeper.

A Grain of Salt

According to the NSCB:

“The beyond expectation third quarter growth was driven by the Services sector with the robust performances of The beyond expectation third quarter growth was driven by the Services sector with the robust performances of Transport, Storage & Communication, Financial Intermediation, and Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities supported by the five consecutive quarters of sustained accelerated growth of the Industry and the seemingly weather tolerant Agriculture sectorby the five consecutive quarters of sustained accelerated growth of the Industry and the seemingly weather tolerant Agriculture sector”

Let’s break each of these industries that supposedly drove growth, and identify the dominant players and see where the rest of Filipinos come in.

• * Transport – Tan, Aboitiz, Gokongwei
• * Storage – Ayala
• * Communication – Ayala, Pangilinan
• * Financial Intermediation – Ayala
• * Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities – Ayala
• * Agriculture – Ayala

So where are the rest of the Filipinos? Still lining up for jobs overseas – that’s where!

Just the Numbers: Did the GDP Growth Translate to More Jobs?

So what if PHL GDP grew by 7.1% in Q3 2012. Let’s look at the numbers:

The indicators show that:

1. Employment has not increased and remains at 93%.
2. Of the people who are employed – there is an increase in underemployment – from 19.3% in Q2 to 22.7% in Q3.
   Labor that falls under the underemployment classification includes those workers that are highly skilled but working in low paying jobs, workers that are highly skilled but work in low skill jobs and part-time workers that would prefer to be full-time. 
   For example, an individual with an engineering degree working as a pizza delivery man as his main source of income is considered to be underemployed and underutilized by the economy as he in theory can provide a greater benefit to the overall economy if he were working as an engineer. Also, an individual that is working part-time at an office job instead of full-time is considered underemployed because they are willing to provide more employment, which can increase the overall output.
3.  Unemployment has not decreased and remains at 7%.
4. The price of goods has increased. CPI of 131.4 is higher than previous year’s 126.8 (2006=100)

To make a long story short, joblessness is still high, and more people are being compensated less, but have to pay more for goods.

Adjusting for Seasonality: *Pop* goes the Bubble

When one factors in seasonality – the 7.1% GDP growth becomes a mirage. As pointed out by the NSCB itself

“On a seasonally adjusted basis, GDP grew by 1.3 percent from 1.2 percent while GNI grew at a slower pace of 1.2 percent in the third quarter from 1.4 percent in the second quarter of 2012.

Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry and Fishery sector grew by 0.2 percent, a slowdown from the 1.7 percent in the previous quarter while Industry accelerated at 2.1 percent from 0.2 percent with all subsectors except for Mining and Quarrying contributing robustly to the growth.

On the other hand, the Services sector recorded a 1.0 percent growth for the third quarter of 2012 from 1.7 percent in the previous quarter with the positive growth of all its subsectors.”

Why is the seasonally adjusted rate important? As pointed out in the Investopedia site:

A rate adjustment used for economic or business data that attempts to remove the seasonal variations in the data. Most data will be affected by the time of the year. Adjusting for the seasonality in data means more accurate relative comparisons can be drawn from month to month all year.

****

These adjustments are more often used when economic data is released to the public. The ice cream industry tends to have a large level of seasonality as it will sell more ice cream in the summer than in the winter. By using seasonally adjusted sale rates, the sales in the summer can be accurately compared to the sales in the winter.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/saar.asp#ixzz2DaOmDY8f

Which one would you rather believe? The 7.1% yarn? Or, the seasonally adjusted 1.3%? 

Business as Usual

Let me spell all these out in layman’s terms. Let’s have a thought experiment.

Consider a pie.

- 90% is owned by 10 people

- 10% is owned by 90 people

If the 90% owned by the 10 people grew – then total pie grew, even if the 10% owned by 90 people did not grow.

Under these circumstances – only the 10 people who own the 90% benefited.

Meanwhile, the 90 people who owned only 10% of the pie are still as poor as f*ck – and in 2013 will pay a bigger tab for Noynoy’s P2.006 trillion budget that awards tax-funded projects to Aquino’s cronies.

Aman Futures’ executives can eat their heart out – they are in the wrong profession, they should run for Congress, run the same scam and be called “Honorable”.

About the Author

BongV has written 458 stories on this site.

Science and Bonifacio’s nation

Written by Giovanni Tapang, Ph.D.

Tomorrow, November 30, marks the birth date of the founder of the Katipunan Andres Bonfacio and is a holiday for most of us. There will be mobilizations and marches of rank and file workers, ordinary men and women, as well as different sectors near Liwasang Bonifacio and the adjoining shrine. It will also be the start of the 150th year celebrations of the great plebeian’s birthday.

According to our history books, Bonifacio was the son of a tailor from Tondo and a cigarette worker mestiza. He was orphaned early in his life and sold various items he made himself to support his siblings. He worked in various trading firms as a bodegero carrying different goods that passed through the port of Manila. He joined La Liga Filipina and continued on even after Rizal’s deportation to Dapitan. Later on, Bonifacio established the Kataastaasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or the Katipunan.

Together with Emilio Jacinto, Gregoria de Jesus, Pio Valenzuela and other heroes of the revolution, they put out the Kartilya, the newspaper Kalayaan and expanded the membership of the Katipunan to different parts of the archipelago. He gained strength for the Philippine Revolution as it shook the Spanish army and sparked resistance in different provinces around Manila.

It was after the Tejeros Convention where we lost our hero due to internal strife and the shift of leadership in the revolution but his legacy was the Philippines as a nation itself. His dream of having to free our nation from Spanish colonizers was denied from us at the turn of the 20th century and resulted in our neo-colonial situation.

We find ourselves in a largely backward agrarian economy with a lack of basic industries to support manufacturing and growth. We have a large service economy and nearly ten percent of our population away from our shores as overseas contract workers. Our ability and potential to provide the basic needs of our country is impeded by the current social setup despite the availability of the knowledge of how to manufacture these things.

The land monopoly in the countryside by the elite runs hand in hand with the control of the import and export trade dominated by comprador bourgeoisie to limit our economy, deny us domestic industrialization and stunt the growth of science and technology. Current Bonifacios remain bodegeros for importers of manufactured goods and exporters of our natural resources.

Agriculture remains largely unmechanized and irrigation remains a problem throughout the country. We also do not have an industrial base that generates capital goods. Heavy and basic industries are non-existent except for semi-processing of metals for export. We lack a strong machine tool industry, basic metal and chemical industries, engineering industries and the like. 

Existing industries merely reprocess components from abroad and are mainly dependent on technologies from advanced countries. Vital industries such as power, oil and mining have been liberalized and deregulated.

In a forum series on “Remembering Bonifacio” which started last Wednesday with its opening salvo on nationalist economics in the University of the Philippines Diliman, speakers tackled the relevance of nationalism in our economic development. The speakers included National Artist Dr. Bien Lumbera, former UP Student Regent Ms. Krissy Conti, CCP Thirteen Artists Awardee for 2012 Ms. Kiri Lluch Dalena and IBON Executive Editor Ms. Rosb Guzman. The series is spearheaded by IBON together with the Dean’s Office of the UP College of Mass Communication, the Associate Dean’s Office for Student and Public Affairs of the College of Science, the UP Center for Nationalist Studies, SOLIDARIDAD, AGHAM-Youth and the Bonifacio 150 Committee. Many more of these lecture series will be offered in different colleges in the University.

In order to fully realize Bonifacio’s dream of freedom, we need to engage in altering the neocolonial pattern of production, investments and trade based mainly on the export of agricultural and extractive raw materials, the import of finished goods, agricultural commodities and capital, and the re-export of reassembled or repackaged imported manufactures.

We need to embark on national industrialization and agricultural modernization and development that judiciously utilize the rich natural resource base and the skilled personnel available in the country. This industrial base would provide the basic needs of the country including our food, mass housing, clothing, education, healthcare, communication and transportation services. It will in turn boost the development of science and technology. We would need more and more scientists and engineers to meet the needs of such a dynamic local industrial base.

In remembering Bonifacio, let us put our sights on a clear vision of economic growth based on domestic needs, potentials and capability. His pen name, May Pagasa, is truly a source of inspiration for those of us who realize that a better future for us is in the hands of those who dare to shape it today for the many Filipinos who desperately need change.

Dr. Tapang is the chairperson of AGHAM-Advocates of Science and Technlogy for the People.

Penalties of a strong peso

Editorial

FOR most of us Filipinos at home whose incomes are in Philippine pesos, it could seem to be a great boon that our currency is now at its highest level against the US dollar in 56 months.

Yesterday, the peso rate ranged between P40.754 to P40.915 to the dollar. P41 to $1 was thought to be a record. The peso could even strengthen to P40 to $1.

The peso continues to strengthen because of: (1) the continuing bad health of the US and European economies, and improvements in the US economy, (2) the never-ending increase in OFW remittances to their families, (3) the continuing surge in Gross Domestic Product, which in the third quarter this year grew by 7.1 percent, more than twice the GDP figure of the third quarter of 2011, (4) the good news that the latest Forbes’ “Best Countries for Business” List has raised our ranking to 87th among 141 countries, ahead of China (96th) and India (97th), (5) the large foreign exchange reserves of the Bangko Sentral ($82 billion) and the P2.95 trillion in deposits (savings) held by the Philippine banking system, (6) the relatively low inflation rate, and (7) many other indicators showing, as the government and the Bangko Sentral love to boast, that ours are “very sound fundamentals.”

The continuing frailty of the US and European economies—which makes their stock and money markets weak—drives American and European players send their money to the Philippines (and China and India and our fellow Asean members) because their peso and Philippine stock holdings earn more here. 

At the same time any sign that the US economy is regaining health also drives up the Philippines because the USA is the most steady and largest buyer of our products.

Everybody knows that the remittances of our OFWs to the families have, through the decades, been the most solid foundation of our country’s economic stability. That’s the reason the OFWs have been called our economic heroes and saviors. Whenever things have gone bad with the world economy, and Philippine banks and corporations were hit by global economic crises, they have survived, as did our central bank, because of the OFW remittances. These even increase, whenever there are global problems. Why? Because the OFWs are abroad working their butts off to keep their families fed and supplied with essential necessities and some luxuries.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure of a country is the cash value of all the “final goods and services” produced inside that country within a year. (The government, following internationally accepted principles, defines the “final goods and services” are.) Our GDP has been growing—not shrinking—as the GDP of some wealthy industrialized country are. And growth is limited to 1 to 2 percent in those rich countries that are still registering GDP growth. 

Our GDP has been among the fast growing ones—3 to 5 percent. And, great news, the latest figure shows that our GDP in the 3rd quarter of 2012 is more than double—7.1 percent—than growth in the third quarter last year, which was only 3.5 percent but still impressed the World Bank and others institutions monitoring the global economy because other countries were not growing that much.

These factors feed each other and result in more economic indicators showing that our economy is all right. 

The Philippine government, banks and private corporations whose debts are denominated in dollars will spend less pesos paying off these debts. That’s one of the greatest good effects of a strong peso.

Our imports of supplies, medicines, machinery, rice and other food imports cost us less in pesos.

Our massive poverty problem
All of the positive effects create the perception that we are truly on the way to prosperity and solving our massive poverty problem. 

Poverty is a massive problem: Some 25 to 35 percent of our families live below the poverty line. And the 10 to 15 percent of our families who are just slightly better-off than these dirt-poor and hungry ones are also bereft of the essential things that make for a sound existence. So it is really about 50 percent of our families that are poor and needy.

Is the fact that the peso is very strong against the US dollar going to make our poor less poor?

Not really. It might make imported rice cheaper so the government can give more to the destitute or price cheap rice much cheaper so the poor can afford it. But the penalties can wipe out the advantages of a strong peso.

Disadvantages of a strong peso
Yes, there are disadvantages. And that’s why the Bangko Sentral is watching the rate and ready to intervene and take steps to weaken the peso—if necessary.

One of the most undesirable effects is the hardship the strong peso causes our OFWs, the economic heroes whose remittances support the stability of our economy and the huge foreign exchange reserve of our central bank.

The strong peso makes it more expensive for OFWs to support their families. Because the OFW families pay all their daily needs—food, rent, school fees, etc.—in pesos, OFWs have to send more dollars to buy the same amount of goods and services their families consume.

That is the reason OFWs’ remittances keep surging.

Exporters hurt too
A strong peso also makes Philippine products more expensive to our customers abroad. As a result, importers of our food and handicrafts, and even of the IT and other high-tech products assembled here, are now buying from other countries. This means the strong peso is killing some of our export industries.

Even our most profit-making industry, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), has become more expensive to clients. So there’s a danger that they would get their needs filled by BPOs in other countries.

SOMETHING TO OFFEND EVERYONE

What is a Yankee?
The same as a quickie, but a guy can do it alone.

What is the difference between a Harley and a Hoover? 
The position of the dirt bag.

Why is divorce so expensive?
Because  it's worth it.  

What do you call a smart blonde?
A golden retriever.

What do lawyers use for birth control?  
Their personalities..

What's the difference between a boyfriend and partner?   
20  kgs.  

What's the difference between a boyfriend and husband?   

45 minutes.

What's the fastest way to a man's heart?  
Through his chest with a sharp knife.

Why do men want to marry virgins?
They can't stand criticism. 

Why is it so hard for men to find men that are sensitive, caring, and good-looking?  
Because  those men already have boyfriends.  

What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog?
After a year, the  dog is still excited to see you.   

What makes men chase men they have no intention of marrying? 
The same urge that makes dogs chase cars they have no intention of  driving.  

A brunette, a blonde, and a redhead are all in Grade 9. Who has the biggest balls?
The blonde, because he's 18..  

What's the difference between a porcupine and a BMW?
A  porcupine has the pricks on the outside.

What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant? 
'Are you sure it's mine?' 

Why do men find it difficult to make eye contact?   
Breasts don't have eyes.

What would you call it when an Italian has one arm shorter than the other? A speech impediment. 

What's the difference between an Australian zoo and an English zoo?
An  Australian zoo has a description of the animal on the front of the cage along with a recipe.

How do you get a sweet little 80-year-old man to say the F..... Word?

Get  another sweet little 80-year-old man to yell *BINGO*!   

What's the difference between a northern USA fairytale and a southern USA fairytale?
A  Northern fairytale begins 'Once upon a time..'  A southern fairytale begins 'Y'all ain't gonna believe this  shiit...'   

Why is there no Disneyland in China ?

No  one's tall enough to go on the good  rides.

Time for a little humor.

O x y m o r o n s  1. Is it good if  a vacuum really sucks? 2. Why is the third hand On the watch Called the second hand? 3. If a word is misspelled In the dictionary, How would we ever know? 4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, Where did he find the words? 5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? 6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing? 7.. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" Mean the same thing? 8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges? 9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" When we are already there? 10. Why are they called " stands" When they are made for sitting? 11. Why is it called "after dark" When it really is "after light"? 12. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" Make the unexpected expected? 13. Why are a "wise man" and A "wise guy" opposites? 14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" Mean opposite things? 15. Why is "phonics" Not spelled The way it sounds? 16. If work is so terrific, Why do they have to pay you to do it? 17. If all the world is a stage, Where is the audience sitting? 18. If love is blind, Why is lingerie so popular? 19. If you are cross-eyed And have dyslexia, Can you read all right? 20. Why is bra singular And panties plural? 21.. Why do you press harder On the buttons of a remote control When you know the batteries are dead? 22. Why do we put suits in garment bags And garments in a suitcase? 23. How come abbreviated Is such a long word? 24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them? 25.. Why doesn't glue Stick to the inside of the bottle? 26. Why do they call it a TV set When you only have one? 27. Christmas - What other time of the year Do you sit in front of a dead tree And eat candy out of your socks? 28. Why do we drive on a parkway  And park on a driveway?  I dunno, why do we? SCROLL DOWN  God Saw you Hungry & created McDonalds, Wendy's, and Dairy Queen. He saw you Thirsty & createdCoke, Juice, Coffee and Water.  GOD saw you In the dark & created Light. GOD saw you Without a Good looking , Adorable, FRIEND......... So He created ME     Send this on To your good friends Who are sooo lucky To have YOU For a friend also!!!! Hope you're having a Terrific Day !

Why Pinoys Need Pride Deflators

November 26, 2012

by ChinoF

I have already written much on the point that Da Pinoy’s attempt at projecting Pinoy Pride has only served to “shoot oneself in the foot.” The more Da Pinoy tries to project pride, the more Da Pinoy actually earns shame. Da Pinoys are probably saying, “enough of the shame already, please!” They’re probably sick of hearing me call out against Pinoy Pride, asking them to put a lid on it or at least tone it down by a great deal (Or perhaps they’re just too emotional and easily hurt even if they shouldn’t be). I’m sure I’ve earned the ire of people for my anti-pride remarks. Perhaps they’re wondering if I have anything better to do.

But I still say pride deflators are still necessary. Why?

Because they still don’t get it. Pride deflating events will continue as long as Filipinos fail to mend their ways.

Basic principle: all the failures and mistakes of our lives are there to remind us of what will happen if we do something wrong and that we should do our best to avoid them and do the right thing. Pride-deflators are part of life. They show us our mistakes. They all teach us that pride can be a real problem. In literature, nearly all classic fictional stories that portray the human condition highlight pride as a common cause of tragedy and disaster.

But why is pride so bad? People really need to be proud, right? Nothing bad happens anyway when one is proud, right?

Wrong. Pride, hubris, arrogance, can lead to actions that harm others. Isn’t Rolando Mendoza’s hostage act itself proof of that? Or Senator Tito Sotto’s futile defense of his plagiarism? Of course, I can say that pride led to the Carabuena slap, or the incident with the woman ranting in the LRT (perhaps it’s also bad pride to refuse the bag check at the LRT station) and those who attacked her online. They are all a reflection of Filipino society.

The obvious reason why pride-deflators are needed: pride itself is a hindrance to doing right. The Greeks have a different word for it: hubris. People have this kind of pride when they’re so full of themselves, want the attention of others and actually want to hurt others while saying they are doing right. Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot I’m sure had enough pride to say that what they were doing (massacring millions of innocents) was right.

But look at it from our side, the pridists say. Our people are wallowing in poverty and suffering. They need something to make them happy. Pinoy Pride is what can cheer them up! Pride puffs up one’s spirit and increases happiness! Isn’t that right?

Nah. Not for me.

Why? Because I believe this:

Pride is NOT a key to true happiness.

Wisdom articles on the Internet and wiser, experienced people that I personally know say almost the same thing: pride does not give real happiness. Many Internet tip articles on happiness don’t include pride as an essential. They give me the idea that we can be happy without pride.

Of course, I agree with the idea that true happiness comes from the inside and is an attitude issue. One of the most common tips I’ve seen is to be happy with what one has. Being satisfied and free of unnecessary want can lead to happiness. Pride is connected with unnecessary want.

Of course, this does not mean that one should be complacent with mediocrity and dysfunction. These need to be addressed and fixed (And not being able to do so does chip away at our happiness, I admit). You’re not being satisfied with what you have if you keep making mistakes and allowing the wrongs to perpetuate in society without complaint. That’s a totally different thing.

But I agree that true happiness is free from unnecessary want – and pride. Besides, aren’t unnecessary want and pride among the causes of corruption?

One popular piece of advice I’ve heard from some people – “dapat meron kang ipagmamalaki sa buhay mo (You should have something to brag about in your life).” Thus, the lives of some Filipinos are dedicated to finding something to brag about. And if they find nothing, they’ll still brag. Braggadocio for its own sake. This has undone the Filipino once too many times. Besides, if all you’re looking to do is to brag, doesn’t that mean your life is meaningless? Forget something to boast of, forget “pagmamalaki.” That’s exactly what leads people to the path of hubris and error. Instead, do your best to be upright, so that people can’t find fault in you and bring you down.

So I say, look not for pride, and look at and listen to the pride-deflators in your life. Aside from humbling you, they can teach you to be a better person. And a better Filipino.