Beyond Binondo and Ma Ling
Am in Baguio for a conference, but here’s an article I’ve been long wanting to point out: Beyond Binondo and Ma Ling by Clinton Palanca. His essay, the fruit of his research for a Master’s Degree in Sociology at Oxford, tackles the question of how different generations of the Chinese in the Philippines have approached the idea of integration into mainstream society. He points out that Chinese Filipinos, and Chinese in the Philippines, are confronting this question all over again at present:
THIS IS not intended to paint an overly rosy picture of the situation, though, and neither the ethnic Chinese nor the mainstream Filipino population should be lulled into a complacency regarding their situation. The ideal of the ethnic Chinese who is integrated and thinks of himself or herself as Filipino while retaining Chinese cultural identity does exist, but so does the bigot who sees Filipinos as inferior and adopts a “sojourner” mentality and an instrumental attitude toward the Philippine economy. These two figures form the endpoints of a spectrum along which the Chinese in the Philippines are ranged. A fragile coexistence and acceptance exists now, but may not continue to do so. It is of more than theoretical importance to understand what the factors are, or were, that allowed the Chinese who did so to integrate into Philippine society at a structural level.
Read the whole thing.
The Business Mirror editorial explains what’s fishy about the ZTE deal.
In blogdom: Ricky Carandang says Suspect Number One in the Hello, Garci business is no other than Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.
Has the Bastille moment’s arrived? Tingog.com and Now What, Cat? (who originally opposed calls for a boycott, but joins them now, for reasons she explains in her blog) vows a battle to the death with The Manila Standard Today. The icon of the new campaign’s already been posted by Touched by an Angel and Stacked. This is a battle royale Vic Agustin, chair of the paper’s board of editors, will relish (to be perfectly frank, this escalation makes me worry for the column security of MST columnists I follow, but all three post their columns in their blogs or websites). The Philosophical Bastard is not impressed.
Carla Montemayor is furious, but not just at one lifestyle writer; sari-saring kulay has things to point out, too. But Manuel Buencamino has a different take on the whole thing:
Malu wrote something politically incorrect. She did not write hate speech.
…It’s obvious Malu did not incite violence or prejudicial action against OFWs who preferred Axe and Charlie to Jo Malone, so she didn’t deserve to be banned like some hate-mongering swine.
Political incorrectness is offensive when it’s not making us laugh; but its opposite, political correctness, is lethal when it’s not merely stifling.
He then makes a connection between Malu Fernandez and Jose Ma. Sison:
Take the case of Joma Sison, who tried to impose political correctness on his party during the 1980s. His rigor may not mean much to us noncommunists, but imagine censors board chief Consoliza Laguardia and Manoling Morato with guns instead of scissors and you’ll see the diabolical side of political correctness.
Returning to his initial point,
Political correctness is the reason why so many people were outraged by Malu’s mocking remarks about OFWs.
Our government says OFWs are the bagong bayani… so, in a manner of speaking, Malu was guilty of the most extreme case of political incorrectness: lese majeste.
But I dont buy this bagong bayani stuff. OFWs are Filipinos who were faced with a choice between a job and no job, a measly salary at home and a better-paying job abroad. There is nothing heroic about the choice they made. Sorry.
Besides, the concept of Bagong Bayani does disservice to Filipinos, who, for whatever reason, continue to work here at home.
Bagong Bayani is a cheap political gimmick concocted by cheap inept politicians who cant create jobs so they make heroes out of the victims of their incompetence.
For every hero abroad, there is a heel in Malacaang who lies and steals credit for the strong peso.
The truth is money will flow from abroad whether its Gloria Arroyo, Noli de Castro, or Kim Il Sung running the show, because OFWs will not allow their loved ones to starve to death
Speaking of Sison… .Manila Bay Watch has an interesting take on Jose Ma. Sison’s investigation and the national characteristics of the Dutch (a spirited defense appears online by Gary Leupp of Tufts University: it’s certainly more coherent and possibly, convincing, than other defenses: but as reading Conceptual Stunt Double indicates, it requires accepting certain basic premises, e.g. the undesirability of the Philippines being “capital compost”, or the wrongness of the US anti-terror efforts, in one of the few countries on earth that still likes Dubya and America very much). And here’s an interesting entry in in Literature in a Hurry, a blog by a Filipina TV journalist recently moved to the Netherlands:
My brother was actually the one who told me that the Dutch embassy issued a warning to Dutch nationals in the country and to those who would like to go for a visit. The embassy is afraid that the NPA will retaliate against the Dutch nationals. This after the NPA issued a statement that they are not planning to harm nationals coming from The Netherlands.
My sister teased me saying that story is following me wherever I go. I never actually thought of it that way. Maybe that’s callousness on my part. Or just insensitivity to the importance of a story due to a long relationship with the government network. They don’t want stories about Joma. Because as they say, it just makes him famous.
And here’s a jolly little development: The Jovito R. Salonga Journal. And a rebranding: the blog formerly known as Stepping on Poop is now reason is the reason.
Technorati Tags: history, philippines, society
oh, no – Bastille hasn’t come yet. Not the true one, anyway. Give it 3 more years to coalesce, then a few more years to finally explode.
I also hold with MB’s view abt OFWs not being heroes. They are heroes, only to their families, not to the nation. Selfish, not selfless interests (frm the patriotic pov) moved them to leave the country and their families to work abroad. The dollar remittances propping up the economy were only a side-effect of their decisions to leave, and not their direct intention. Heroes, in my eyes, are those who have the capability to leave, yet continues to stay here despite not being financially rewarded. Heroes, are those who teach in far-flung communities, doctors who leave lucrative fields to give care to tribal people, citizens who, despite the overwhelming signs of hopelessness, continue to foster hope with their actions.
It is a govt cop-out who continues to go by the easy way- promote migrant employment, prostitute our nation’s manpower, sell our national patrimony…
These are a village idiot’s idea of governing. Let reform fall by the way side, anyway, they’ll all be dead by the time their actions and decisions catch up and punish the nation.
Who’s complaining? I’m watching time tick. I’m waiting patiently. When the conflagration starts, let those who filled their bellies greedily while the nation suffered be swept aside, burned at the stake, and left for the crows. Leave no corrupt official alive (past or present)
I’m ticking my list…
On the icon of the new Boycott MST campaign, I have this persnickety comment: The OFWs portrayed there look sad. As if theyre going for a ‘pity’ appeal.
Clinton Palanca’s essay demonstrates the wisdom of Carmen Guerrero Nakpil’s no-nonsense minimalist definition of being Filipino i.e. citizenship that you linked to sometime back in this blog (but unfortunately is no longer active).
The concept Filipino which was formed during a time of opposition to Empire, should not be reduced to an ethnic or a purely linguistic one. I don’t think our national hero intended it to be that way.
On the ‘Bagong Bayani’ tag, I take it that MB’s point is to beware of flattery and its hidden costs. As an OFW myself, I also do not agree with the OFW being called a ‘hero’. I prefer ‘Saviour’ (‘Bagong Tagapagligtas’) instead which focuses on the results. This term does not apply to any individual OFW, but to the phenomenon as a whole, which Abe Margallo compared to (borrowing from Nick Joaquin) “little drops of water that make the mighty oceanâ€Â.
“Heroes, in my eyes, are those who have the capability to leave, yet continues to stay here despite not being financially rewarded. Heroes, are those who teach in far-flung communities, doctors who leave lucrative fields to give care to tribal people, citizens who, despite the overwhelming signs of hopelessness, continue to foster hope with their actions” – Devilsadvc8
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I beg to differ.
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.
“This term does not apply to any individual OFW, but to the phenomenon as a whole, which Abe Margallo compared to (borrowing from Nick Joaquin) “little drops of water that make the mighty oceanâ€Â.”
cvj, the full context of that quote from Joaquin reveals that he was highlighting how our little quaint individual “successes” don’t necessarily translate to monumental-scale achievements befitting TRULY great nations. As you will find below (I emboledened the phrase for your reference):
==============
About the one big labor we can point to in our remote past are the rice terraces–and even that grandeur shrinks, on scrutiny, into numberless little separate plots into a series of layers added to previous ones, all this being the accumulation of ages of small routine efforts (like a colony of ant hills) rather than one grand labor following one grand design. We could bring in here the nursery diota about the little drops of water that make the mighty ocean, or the peso that’s not a peso if it lacks a centavo; but creative labor, alas, has sterner standards, a stricter hierarchy of values. Many little efforts, however perfect each in itself, still cannot equal one single epic creation. A galleryful of even the most charming statuettes is bound to look scant beside a Pieta or Moses by Michelangelo; and you could stack up the best short stories you can think of and still not have enough to outweigh a mountain like War and Peace.
— Nick Joaquin, “A Heritage of Smallness”
==============
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Devil’s is being a devil’s advocate or speaking with tongue in cheek.
As per past comments…his mom and sister are both ofws.
Benign0, i don’t think Abe appropriated that phrase to agree with, as much as to subvert, Joaquin who in turn was subverting Rizal. As Abe explained in the conclusion to his blog entry:
I encourage you to go to his blog to read the entire entry.
a hero is someone who does things BEYOND the call of duty. tama si mb, what is so heroic about being an ofw? nothing, because truth to tell they’re just out there to do things primal to their survival–that of their own and their family. the tag was a sugar coating concocted by the government (did this start with ramos?) when it could not generate the job markets they promise year in and year out [asan na ang 1-million promised jobs a year, aver?]. that makes the goverment the ultimate linta! a government full of vision, which, in reality, are mere illusions.
The comparison of the rice terraces to the Filipino diaspora today is very apt. There was no grand design but the end result is quite visible.
The farmers who as individuals built the terraces were not considered artists or whatever, same with the OFWs as individuals who can’t be really called heroes. Collectively however, the effect of the moneys sent by them is there. It helped save the Philippine economy in recent turbulent times.
“Heroes, in my eyes, are those who have the capability to leave, yet continues to stay here despite not being financially rewarded”
no devils, in this context, sila’y mga martir!
Individually,they may or may not have selfish motives at the start,but once they get to stay and continue the sacrifice, dahil alam nila na di ito basta basta, they become heroes,to their families and to themselves.Since tinawag na din silang bagong bayani,that is a long overdue recognition to them,for those who treasure the recognition let us not take it away from them.
On another perspective,I also agree that it is be the agregate effect of remmittances that saved our economy many times.
mlq3,
Coincidentally, I’ve been reading up on the topic “minority-dominated economies” or “market-dominant minority”:
“Market-dominant minorities can be found in every corner of the world. The Chinese are a market-dominant minority throughout Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, ethnic Chinese, only 1% percent of the population, control as much as 60% of the private economy.”
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew97.php
Please, please check this out: The same author’s Aunt is a Chinoy murdered in Manila.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/hate.html
And an interview with the author:
http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people4/Chua/chua-con3.html
“The farmers who as individuals built the terraces were not considered artists or whatever, same with the OFWs as individuals who can’t be really called heroes. Collectively however, the effect of the moneys sent by them is there. It helped save the Philippine economy in recent turbulent times”
.
Well for that matter, it seems the Philippines is a country that merely STUMBLES into outcomes rather than STEER its way into fortune.
Kung baga, our fortunes (whether they be bad or good) are merely accidents or by-products of some random event or circumstance. We are not masters of our destinies. We don’t make things happen. We merely coast along on bahala na.
I also do not agree with calling the OFW as bagong bayani. This is just a monicker created by the government to fool us that leaving the country is a heroic deed. Collectively they are heroes, but let’s admit that OFWs leave the country because of their selfish needs, the needs of their families. Being selfish is not bad, sometimes we need to be selfish so that we may survive.
I would agree that OFWs leave the country because they were driven by the hopeless situation they are in back home. I for one have a stable job but having stable job is not enough. I was driven by a dream, a dream that i would leave someday a legacy for my offspring who would soon be the next generation. A generation with better prospect in life and who will have a choice that sadly for most of the OFWs haven’t. Selfish its true, and can hardly be called heroic. But isn’t that the context of being a hero, to sacrifice for the love one’s deliverance? True change can only come from within..And making a sacrfice for a change within the family lifestyle can create a change in a nation. Thats when a true progress can onlybe achieved…Now that sounds heroic
Benign0, i find your analysis to be inconsistent. First you say, “True change will be driven by people who find no shame in expecting a buck for their trouble.” Then, when Jon describes something that essentially agrees with your statement, you counter by saying that “our fortunes (whether they be bad or good) are merely accidents or by-products of some random event or circumstance.“. Ano ba talaga? The only thing consistent seems to your bashing of the Filipinos which is bordering on the irrational.
BTW, the miracle of the free market is likewise the miracle of collectively stumbling into outcomes. (Remember Adam Smith’s invisible hand?) If you want a system that tries to ‘steer its way into fortune’, then go to a socialist country. Then again, i suppose you already knew that, but only temporarily forgot it because of your prejudice against us Pinoys.
The OFWs may have left for their families’ sake, but let’s not belittle their sacrifice. Being away from those you love for extended periods isnt easy especially if you value your family. As a parent you’d want to be there to guide your children, and youd want to be the strength of your spouse. You are giving that up for their material welfare. Im sure that choice gives a lot of OFWs sleepless nights, wondering if they did the right thing.
“Heroes, are those who teach in far-flung communities, doctors who leave lucrative fields to give care to tribal people, citizens who, despite the overwhelming signs of hopelessness, continue to foster hope with their actions”
.
Jeez. Life’s too short to be a martyr for people who are simply incapable of helping themselves. Even Mother Theresa spent the better part of four decades wondering what the whole POINT of what she was doing in India was (refer to a Time article about her last week).
Doesn’t anyone here even wonder whether Ninoy Aquino’s “sacrifice” was even really worth it? Anong na pala niya? Naging stariray pa tuloy ang bunso niyang anak. Worse, his wife became a no-results president then a fizzled out Edsa revolution has-been chump in 2005.
mlq3,
Doesn’t allowing Communist China’s aggressive entry into the into the local market aggravate and complicate the ‘minority-dominated-economy’ problem? The ideological factor itself is a complicated and complicating factor. The national security issue, it seems, is being swept under the rug. On top of the economic, social and cultural issues in minority-dominated economy, the ideological issue was recklessly mixed into the hot pot of the Philippine social-economic-political crisis.
While we have to accept the present realities we must be very careful and try to manage the things that are still within our control.
Already, Mainland Chinese corruption has spilled over the region and corrupt Filipino officials are having a bonanza. That’s aside from the ideological problem these officials couldn,t care less about.
To reiterate, doesn’t allowing Communist China’s aggressive entry into the into the local economy aggravate and complicate the ‘minority-dominated-economy’ problem?
“You are giving that up for their material welfare. Im sure that choice gives a lot of OFWs sleepless nights, wondering if they did the right thing.”
.
I’m sure their “wondering” will end as soon as they fly back and find their remittances squandered on cellphone trinkets, Starbucks lattes, and pilgrimages Wowowee land. They will also find their kids grown up deprived of close parental supervision, dropped out from school, sentenced to a life of mopping floors or flipping burgers whether in Manila or Dubai (the latter, thus, propagating the next generation of orphans to OFW-ism).
Benny: Jeez. Life’s too short to be a martyr for people who are simply incapable of helping themselves.
I take it benny, that you are against helping people have the capability to help themselves? You are against “doctors who leave lucrative fields to give care to tribal people” and are all for them to 1) give medical care to themselves, or 2) die? I remember someone post something from your recommendations. Something about forced sterilization of undesirables? I forget.
Jeg: “You are giving that up for their material welfare. Im sure that choice gives a lot of OFWs sleepless nights, wondering if they did the right thing.â€Â
I’m sure their “wondering†will end as soon as they fly back and find their remittances squandered on cellphone trinkets, Starbucks lattes, and pilgrimages Wowowee land. They will also find their kids grown up deprived of close parental supervision, dropped out from school, sentenced to a life of mopping floors or flipping burgers whether in Manila or Dubai (the latter, thus, propagating the next generation of orphans to OFW-ism)
Mlq3, thanks for the link.
Just read Manuel Buencamino’s article that you linked here. Manuel,
I was relishing every word he wrote in that wonderful peace, taking in the seriousness of the article to heart and the ‘severity’ of the situation, until I read the ending:
†It’s like she has no fear of harpoons. â€Â
I went into a fit of laughter! My dog panicked! Hahahahahahah!
Actually Benign0, there is no point. Our actions are an expression of who we are. Mother Theresa continued to do what she did even if she no longer got her spiritual fix because that’s the kind of person she was. Ninoy chose to go back despite the personal risks because that’s the kind of person he was. You, on the other hand, would choose not to help those who are incapable of helping themselves because that’s the kind of person you are.
Leo, how do you define the ‘minority-dominated-economy’ problem? You’re right to criticize corrupt practices and i’m also opposed to them entering into rent-seeking (instead of value creating) activities, but other than those exceptions, isn’t the increased business activity coming from the Chinese mainlanders a good thing for the economy?
If they are coming in at the top-end (as big businesses), isn’t that a good thing since maybe they can do what our lackluster local elite haven’t been able to do for decade? If they are coming at the low-end (e.g. small scale business), isn’t that also a good thing because they increase the over-all level of entrepreneurial activity? To me, that’s a better form of foreign investment rather than the ‘hot money’ that can go in and out in a few strokes of the keyboard. Shouldn’t we be trying to assimilate them so at least some of them will eventually be Filipinos just like us?
Jeg, not sure if it was from Benign0 himself but the proposal to forcibly sterilize parents of street children came from someone who belongs to his ‘Get Real’ team – a certain Manuel Gallego III. (What’s this about the name ‘Manuel’ and punditry?
)
Thanks, cvj.
This Get Real team, what is its underlying philosophy, benny.
(Yeah Manila Bay. Im a fan of MB’s frequent forays into comedy. MB, if this punditry gig fails to pan out, you can have a successful career as a political comic. Move over, Lewis Black.
)
‘Doesn’t anyone here even wonder whether Ninoy Aquino’s “sacrifice†was even really worth it? Anong na pala niya? Naging stariray pa tuloy ang bunso niyang anak. Worse, his wife became a no-results president then a fizzled out Edsa revolution has-been chump in 2005. benigno”
If it were not for Ninoy Aquino,the Marcos/Imedla/Ver kleptocracy would still be lording over this country.Maybe” Bong Bong Marcos” would be the the new dictator.
Beningno: Have a life!!!
“If it were not for Ninoy Aquino,the Marcos/Imedla/Ver kleptocracy would still be lording over this country.Maybe†Bong Bong Marcos†would be the the new dictator.”
So what? Life under Marcos for the average schmoe wasn’t too different from the life of the average schmoe today.
Jeg, I’m sure their “wondering†will end as soon as they fly back and find their remittances squandered on cellphone trinkets, Starbucks lattes, and pilgrimages Wowowee land. They will also find their kids grown up deprived of close parental supervision, dropped out from school, sentenced to a life of mopping floors or flipping burgers whether in Manila or Dubai (the latter, thus, propagating the next generation of orphans to OFW-ism).
“So what? Life under Marcos for the average schmoe wasn’t too different from the life of the average schmoe today.”
You would not even be posting today in this blog under Marcos!
for Benigno:to inspire you tonight!
” The Philippines is a nation of 40 million cowards and one son of a bitch.”
o by unnamed ranking cabinet member of the Reagan administration, 1982. (attributed to Secretary of State George Shultz)
Taga de cebu,
Not sure Taga de Cebu. Maybe Benigno would be serving as minister of racial cleansing under Marcos for all you know.
“I beg to differ.
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 “heroesâ€Â. True change will be driven by people who find no shame in expecting a buck for their trouble.
”
Ah benign0, for once, I agree with you!
Jeg,
“(Yeah Manila Bay. Im a fan of MB’s frequent forays into comedy. MB, if this punditry gig fails to pan out, you can have a successful career as a political comic. Move over, Lewis Black. )”
Thank you. And I love Lewis Black. If only there was a way to capture his comedy in print…
Manila Bay,
Thank you. To tell you the truth, I was afraid the harpoon line would fall flat. I’m glad it made someone laugh
“I take it benny, that you are against helping people have the capability to help themselves? You are against “doctors who leave lucrative fields to give care to tribal people†and are all for them to 1) give medical care to themselves, or 2) die?”
No I am not against them (who said I was?).
What I do rail against is implying that such people are NECESSARILY superior human beings compared to those who are law abiding, look out for Numero Uno, quietly ACHIEVE, and, in the process, make a tidy sum for themselves.
As I keep harping about before: we are a society that is averse to celebrating WEALTH and instead put the poor and pathetic and the people who pander to them up on a pedestal.
Name ONE succesful society that was built by such people. The greatest nations on the planet were built by opportunists, profiteers, and adventurers — not by martyrs and charity organisations.
“The greatest nations on the planet were built by opportunists, profiteers, and adventurers  not by martyrs and charity organisations”
As a matter of fact, what I say above IS consistent with the particular circumstance that surrounds da Pinas today.
It is the very people I talk about above, OFWs and migrants — people who looked to themselves for SOLUTIONS (by pursuing opportunity, profit, and adventure) — who TODAY prop up the pathetic economy of the country.
I agree with manuelbuencamino’s article… I am beginning to totally hate the “Bagong Bayani” thing. OFWs are not heroes, they’re just workers, they just happen to need to work farther away.
But what’s the difference between them and me? I work and toil hard too.
I’m just feisty enough to do it *here* and not abroad. My monthly tax payments can buy mid-range cellphones every month, if only for the little scraps of service I get from this government. How dare people tell me that I am not a hero because I’m not paying it in dollars and depression.
As a matter of fact, what I say above IS consistent with the particular circumstance that surrounds da Pinas today.
It is the very people I talk about above, OFWs and migrants  people who looked to themselves for SOLUTIONS (by pursuing opportunity, profit, and adventure)  who TODAY prop up the pathetic economy of the country.
Exactly!!! I couldn’t agree more…
i don’t think they are intentionally “pro(pping) up” the economy, benigno. they are just helping themselves instead of just relying on the government. their net effect in the overall economy is, one could say, unintended consequence in a positive sense.
come to think of it, ofw’s are indeed modern “heroes” as were the farmers and local laborers were the talked-about heroes of yesteryears. without denigrating these farmers and laborers, ofw’s comprise what is now the primary wealth producing sector of the country’s labor force. who cares what their personal intentions are? they are helping their country immensely and we, the people, should thank them for it. its part of the market forces in play. the government is not to blame for their desire and effort to improve their lot and that of their loved ones. that’s their God-given right.
Clinton’s insights are great.
A couple of comments on some of Clinton’s observations regarding Chinese in Malaysia, Singapore and here.:
1. On coherent and hermetic ethnic community:
Singapore is chinese so they don’t have to integrate themselves to a bigger ethnic group.
In Malaysia, the Chinese along with the Indians are forced to keep to themselves because the government is racist. The NEP policy is an affirmative program for the dominant majority. Also, the Malaysian government wants to keep the Malay identity pure.
In both Singapore and Malaysia, chinese is the medium of communication among the chinese – much, much more than over here. For example, in Greenhills, which I call the new Chinatown, I see chinese families conversing in Pilipino among themselves. I’ve even seen couples out on dates speaking in Pilipino. These would be rare sights in both Malaysia and Singapore.
2. “The Chinese in the Philippines, as opposed to the Chinese who migrated to other Southeast Asian countries, are ethnically homogenous; they come mostly from the same region of China and consequently speak their own dialect, which increased their cohesiveness as a community but reduced the relevance of institutions such as Chinese schools, which teach Mandarin.”
Chinese in southeast asia come mainly from the southern part of China. If dialects are any gauge of homogeinity, I believe one will find a similar proportion of Chinese speaking the same dialect in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia as they do in the Philippines. I attribute this to migration patterns. A family member emigrates, finds a better life, family follows, townmates follow and pretty soon you have a tong (in the good sense of the word). In other words, chinese communities in all of the above asian countries tend to come from the same areas in china. look at the map and you’ll see that travel times or convenience, in addition to “advance parties”, is basically what determined why “they come mostly from the same region of China and consequently speak their own dialect”.
“i don’t think they are intentionally “pro(pping) up†the economy, benigno”
I didn’t say they intentially were. They just HAPPEN to be, simply by looking out for themselves — which is precisely my point. You don’t have to INTENTIONALLY help at the expense of any opportunity for your PERSONAL GAIN in order to ACTUALLY help.
We lionise “heroes” who sacrifice themselves to intentionally help. But if you think about it, those who had no intention of helping are actually the ones who turn out to help the most. I think OFWs, and most law-abiding profit-focused people fit in this category.
Bill Gates had to be the most selfish, self-centred, and self-absorbed people in the world in order to achieve what he achieved. Now he is employing, enriching AND helping FAR MORE people than those “self-sacrificing” nuts we’d like to believe are our “heroes”.
Benigno, you must mean the richest nations, not the greatest. And if you mean to deride our fixation with martyrs and saints, well I must tell you that there’s no such thing. Put the people who pander to the poor on a pedestal? pray tell, where are those people you are talking about? do you see them being fawned over by the nation? are they even being noticed and given recognition?
aversion to people who are looking out for NUMERO UNO? and what do you call pinoys aping Manny Pacquiao and Bata Reyes’ wealth? martyr lovers?
And OFWs are not the only ones who looked to themselves for “solutions.” they are merely the ones lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so. do you think that if there was suddenly a bonanza of free US visas, someone would still be left here? “ang mga korap, ang mga walang kakayahan, at ang kumikita lamang sa koraptong bansang ito ang matitira..” words I’ve written a long time ago.
how in effin hell can Pinoys succeed elsewhere and stagnate right here in their own country? because mediocrity is rewarded here. rewarded, promoted, and given jobs. and they corner the market amongst their kind, elbowing out those better than them, knowing they’ll be shown up for the untalented fools that they are. Take Malu for example. Her column could have been given to someone else far deserving than her. Yet such crap is allowed space and published. Can it be that Pinoy management is unable to identify real talent from fake ones? Compare companies managed by Filipinos and those by foreigners. foreigners treat our countrymen better and give them their dues more than their Filipino bosses ever did. WTF is THE PROBLEM? under a foreign boss, a creative, ingenious individual, good at problem solving would immediately be scooped up and promoted to a supervisory position. compare that with bossing Juan. he sees such kind a threat to his own position, and would try his darndest to obstruct these individuals from shining. given a choice between these individuals or a sip-sip employee, bossing Juan would immediately choose hands down the sipsip employee to be promoted rather than the more deserving individual.
is this the Pinoy’s “collective” fault or the ruling elite’s? topple them, pull the rug from under their feet, burn them to the ground. lay waste to the whole system and start anew. The Filipino nation is waiting to be born. Not this one. Descendants of the friars and their ilk still rule us. In fact, it is their blood mixed with the natives that are behind the unnatural Pinoy char faults you so love to hate. I say unnatural, because these char faults were never innately ours. Never originally Filipino. Like a disease, we were merely infected by the damn colonials who came here. It was theirs to begin with, and they bred it in us, passed it down from generations to generations. Well, I’m saying enough! These faults do not make me who I am and I am a far better, TRUER Filipino without them. In that sense, I refuse to be the SUBJUGATED FILIPINO and would rather live like the FIRST FILIPINO.
Bencard,
Following your lead, I guess we can call them Accidental Heroes.
How does that translate into Pilipino, Disgrasyadong Bayani?
Benigno,
You sound like Ayn Rand. I;m not qualified to say whether that philosophy is right or wrong neither can I make a judgement as to whether it;s good or bad.
All I can say is this :
I wouldn’t want to live in your cold and heartless world.You have a mean and nasty way of living life.
“So what? Life under Marcos for the average schmoe wasn’t too different from the life of the average schmoe today.”
What? and you can say that because you’ve lived all your life here? under both (Marcos and GMA) administrations? how do you draw comparisons? jz asking.
“Doesn’t anyone here even wonder whether Ninoy Aquino’s ‘sacrifice’ was even really worth it? Anong napala niya?”
Anong napala nya? e di mamatay. was it worth it? only for those who valued what he gave us. if his sacrifice seems naught today, hindi na nya kasalanan yon. kasalanan na yon ng madlang pinag-alayan nya ng buhay.
hane, pag namatay ako, tanungin ko rin si Kristo if his death on the cross was worth the hassle. mas lalo pa yatang dumami ang namamatay at pumapatay, all in His name.
don’t you worry. if there’s one lesson I learned from our heroes, it is: never, ever, offer to give my life up willingly to a nation not ready to be saved from their very own selves.
“Heroes, in my eyes, are those who have the capability to leave, yet continues to stay here despite not being financially rewarded.â€Â
Maybe stupid heroes. Mahina sa diskarte. Mahina ang loob. O baka hindi marunong maglaba. Kailangan pa ng katulong.
Tanga lang ang nagpapaka-martir. As they used to say in the US Army “Be all you can beâ€Â. Life is short.
benign0, i think your creating another false dichotomy, that between a completely selfish and completely altruistic individual. people are a mixture of both, at least most of us are. To a significant extent, the’greatest’ (aka richest) nations today were motivated by selfish ends, but that is not what distinguishes us from them. We also have more than our share of selfishness.
What distinguishes South Korea, Japan, the United States, France, Canada from us is a sense of nation and the love of country that comes with it. You should read that open letter by that Korean to us Filipinos that was circulating sometime back.
I believe one other way of building a great nation is first working for yourself and family and along the way contribute to the society by giving what is due and making sure they go to where they intended to. whatever you do after that may qualify you for a hero recogniation or a medal or even a statute in the nation’s capital…
Malu already admitted her insensitivity. Some had felt that her reaction rendered the OFWs as cheap, and kadiri. While they are nameless, the experience of the indirect insult was felt, by some, to the bone. Only the poor knows the shame of being poor, and to say their taste is cheap is to add salt to the wound. These OFWs left the country to avoid the shame of being poor, to regain some dignity.
As for OFWs being bagong bayani. It is an overstatement, imo. The government could do better by making sure the airport staff are respectful of OFWs– and their things, and to protect them from those who are taking advantage of them. Service is what the OFWs need, just as they serve their family who are the direct recipient of their remittances but also benefits the country.
“I wouldn’t want to live in your cold and heartless world.You have a mean and nasty way of living life.”
Awww. Tough luck then if I don’t give you that warm fuzzy feeling you seem to crave from commentors here.
Love of country? What is it exactly? Love of country is just a concept concocted by old relics back when “revolution” was the only option for many societies. This feeling (sometimes called “nationalism”) induced in the vacuous minds of the masses was romanticised and often used towards the perverse ends of many leaders (if you think about it, nationalism’s close cousin — organised religion — also has the same effect).
Both concepts — “nationalism” and “religion” — were used as rallying cries for some of the most horrifying atrocities humanity had ever seen.
I agree with Manuel Buencamino regarding Malu Fernandez. No matter how offensive her attitude and her article were regarding her trip, she has the right to say it. Her snobbery is obnoxious but it is more obnoxious to censor her for expressing her views. Let the world see what kind of a person she is. There is one recourse that OFW’s can take and that is to campaign for readers to drop their subscription or stop buying Manila Standard and Peoples Asia altogether. This is more powerful than censorship.
I agree with benignO that nationalism nowadays are oftentimes romanticised, even given topmost priority. While I find nothing wrong in giving love to your homeland, I find it disturbing that people are willing to trample on individual rights in the name of “the common good” or the public.
But who is the public? What defines the public?
There’s nothing wrong in helping those who are in need. But to actually consider those altruistic people as better persons than those hardworking individuals who focus their time, knowledge, and effort in mere survival is troubling.
If we’re going to promote a society wherein those who have the most ability are punished by working more for those who would rather languish as “victimized” and perpetually in need persons because they think they deserve it, then we’re going to fall (as what is slowly happening nowadays) because everyone will just aspire to be beggars, since you’ll get the same amount of result with little hardship.
If the Ayn Rand universe means working to the best of my ability and being rewarded with what I deserve for it and not looked upon with disdain because I dedicate my life to enriching my own, then I wouldn’t mind living in it. Actually, I’d aspire to have such a universe.
“Jeez. Life’s too short to be a martyr for people who are simply incapable of helping themselves.”
jeez, too, benigs–you are selfish. if these people are happy serving–no matter how short they think life is– let them be: that is quality living to them.
action speaks louder than words, benigs. life is short, indeed: now get your getrealphilippines prescriptions into action, quick before it gets dissipated in the haystack of blogs created by millions everyday!
i inadvertently posted this in the wrong thread:
no, buencamino. “disgraciado” means disgraced. ofws are not disgraced in any way shape or form. maybe we can call them ‘bayaning di sinasadya’.
Bencard,
Thanks. Disinasadyang Bayani sounds better.
Unfortunately, sinadya silang gawin bayani ng mga gunggong na politico natin para matakpan ang kanilang kakulangan.
I think the deliberate bayanization of OFWs started with Ramos, after the demos in the Flor Contemplacion case panicked him into throwing two cabinet members off the ship.
It’s really much better just to call them OFWs and give them the kind of service that’s due to every taxpayer.
Ooops….they’re exempted from taxes nga pala.
That guy might be correct that nationalism may be romanticized,by what or some historians want to tell us.(included are biographers,pr guys of the personalities of recent history,include media as well)
But to equate false nationalism for honest to goodness love of country is plain bs.
Porket kalat na tayo or to begin with kung san san nagmula ang mga pinoy mabura na dapat ang concept ng love of country?
bakit ang us at australia at ibang mga bansa na may ibat ibang ethnicities, ay dapat walang concept of love of country?
To say that there is no such thing as love of country,and actually mean it,should be the one to getreal!
********************************************
Another time to get real issue.
To say that the heroes or martyrs themselves have second thoughts while doing their deed or before martyrdom.
And even quoting an article that Mother Thersa even wondered what she’s doing there at one point in time.
And his other example Ninoy before coming home. Bale wala daw lahat ng ginawa nila.
Even if that is true,they are only human! Get real! Displaying their human side erases their heroic act or acts? come on. For Christians they might say,even god had second thoughts or agonized before deciding to push through.
Ok, a hero depends on the beholder,as discussed here before.
Hero vs, Terorrist.
Mother Theresa might be a heroine to those who got touched by her through their lives, and a plain who on earth is she?for those ignorant about her,for those against her or to those who simply do not care.
And Ninoy maybe a hero those he touched but a nobody to those ignorant,for those against him or to those who simple does not want to give a damn.
Benigno,
“Awww. Tough luck then if I don’t give you that warm fuzzy feeling you seem to crave from commentors here. ”
Sori…I forgot you live in a former prison colony. I forgot your adopted country was built by criminals.
And really, what are criminals but hardworking people who put PERSONAL GAIN AND SELF INTEREST beyond the laws that govern the lives of civilized human beings.
Every man for himself, victims deserve their fate because they are weak. Let those with the most gall and the biggest gun rule, eh mate?
On the china mano po type essay.
What the Chinese did way back,the Koreans are doing now.I I suddenly recalled about the Koreans that when CVJ mentioned the open letter.
But not this is not about love of country.
Certain retailers are made examples by the BID by vilolating the law.
They are doing business here,for korean tourist,korean students and Korean families.Korean ventures strictly for koreans.
I don’t know how long this would go on,or if there is any parallelism from the chinese’s china town, only a modern and bigger version.
I am so clueless,I would not know how to get real in this one.
benign0: What I do rail against is implying that such people are NECESSARILY superior human beings compared to those who are law abiding, look out for Numero Uno, quietly ACHIEVE, and, in the process, make a tidy sum for themselves.
Ok, clearer. I dont know about ‘implying’ but I am stating unequivocally that in my opinion they ARE superior human beings. Those who ‘are law abiding, look out for Numero Uno, quietly ACHIEVE, and, in the process, make a tidy sum for themselves’ are merely okay human beings. We need poets and artists, we need look-out-for-numero-uno business people, we need doers and thinkers, we need people who deny themselves in order to help others. We need them all to become a GREAT nation, instead of a merely wealthy one.
manuelbuencamino: Ooops….[OFWs are] exempted from taxes nga pala.
What? Really?
Benigno,
Maybe, “nationalism” is too big a word for you to grasp. Let me try to explain it to you in simple terms.
Look at a nation as a team and nationalism as team work. National heroes are stars of the team – they are the ones who forget about their individual glory and give their all for their team’s glory.
Ang hirap sa iyo kasi, nakabasa ka lang ng ilang libro na maliit ang type eh nagdadakdak ka na kahit hindi mo pa na digest kung ano yun binasa mo.
That’s why you regurgitate undigested ideas.
At least man lamang hinayaan mo sanang tinunaw muna ng utak mo yun binabasa mo para naman pagisinuka mo ay magmukhang naiintindihan mo ang sinasabi mo.
Eh sometimes you even forget to put quotations marks around words that don’t belong to you. That only goes to show that you adopted a concept verbatim without understanding what it means.
Remember “Memorization is good but comprehension is better.”
But I must congratulate you. Your mind has grown – from bumper stickery to Powerpointery.
Of course the most succesful people in the world have to give back most of what they’ve accumulated because they realized in the end that they can’t bring their riches in their graves. Those who realize that earlier in their old age become philanthropists! They give because it feels better than receiving (when there’s nothing more to receive that can make you happy, when you’ve seen and done it all).
So if people decide to give their lives for others, let them be because that’s what makes them happy.
Jeg,
Oo naman they are exempted.
Don’t you think this government with all it’s problems collecting taxes won’t take advantage of the propaganda value of pictures of OFWs lining up to pay their taxes at Embassies if they are being made to pay taxes?
The government may even start calling them Super Heroes – “Nagmalasakit na Nagbabayad pa ng buwis!”
Or “Nagmalasakit na, nagpapabuwisit pa!”
OFWs used to pay 2% of their gross income. It was done away with in Erap’s time. We pay taxes to our host countries so the 2% before was double taxation.
“Sori…I forgot you live in a former prison colony. I forgot your adopted country was built by criminals”
Considering that Australia was a country “built by criminals”, I think it’s done pretty well for itself, wouldn’t you think? Just to refresh my memory, which country nga ba has a sizeable chunk of its population living and feeding off mounds of garbage?
.
“Ok, clearer. I dont know about ‘implying’ but I am stating unequivocally that in my opinion they ARE superior human beings. Those who ‘are law abiding, look out for Numero Uno, quietly ACHIEVE, and, in the process, make a tidy sum for themselves’ are merely okay human beings”
Really now, Mr. Jeg. And who do you fancy yourself to be presuming to be the JUDGE of which human being is “superior” to another?
Tsk tsk.
Sad indeed.
benign0 Really now, Mr. Jeg. And who do you fancy yourself to be presuming to be the JUDGE of which human being is “superior†to another?
Same way youre presuming to be the JUDGE of which human being is “superior” to another, Mr. Benny.
Here’s a tissue.
Jon Mariano is right. OFW’s pay taxes to the host country. Those taxes go to smoothly paved roads, clean airports, and courteous government bureaucracy. What do we get if we pay income taxes in the Philippines? Simply the opposite of what I just mentioned.
So, benigno is sad about the Philippines, so he dreams for it to get real, and launched a website.
What a sad story!
Tagakotta de Cebu, give him your ten things to do… before you die list.
If I may add, paying taxes earned in the country where you did the “job” is reasonable. So OFWs should not be made to pay taxes to the Philippine government when the earnings were made outside of the country. It seems that this is the norm to avoid double taxation.
We pay taxes for our transactions in the Philippines. e.g. real estate, cedula, goods and services (vat), etc.
“Same way youre presuming to be the JUDGE of which human being is “superior†to another, Mr. Benny”
When did I do that?
Cite examples please.
To be fair to benny, KG, there are things about the Philippines to be sad about. I few comments back, I asked benny what the underlying philosophy is for his Get Real group. That should inform us how he could make judgements on which human being is “superior” to another. The fact that his group advocates forced sterilization gives us nothing but an inkling. I’d rather he state it himself.
For the record, my underlying philosophy is simple: call it Christian humanism.
benign0: When did I do that? Cite examples please.
Naka! This is getting tiring. Anyway, to indulge you…
When you said “What I do rail against is implying that such people are NECESSARILY superior human beings compared to those who are law abiding, look out for Numero Uno, quietly ACHIEVE, and, in the process, make a tidy sum for themselves” you were making a judgement on the relative superiority of one kind of human being over another. In this case, you are saying in effect either: 1) the altruistic one is not superior to the selfish one, i.e. they are the same in ‘superiority value’, or b) the selfish one is superior to the altruistic one. Either way, youre making a judgement on their relative superiority. No worries, we all do. Which is why I asked about the underlying philosophy of your Get Real group. That way we can understand where youre coming from.
It is amazing how for the scarcity of silver the demand for tea was accomplished by turning opium into the currency of choice that propelled the empire that ruled the waves.
The Spanish and Portuguese savaged the Americas for their silver and gold which the English privateers took from them by force which gave them the wherewith all to organize the most powerful navy in the world from timber in the New Colonies of North America.
They had run out of wood in their own country so they turned to coal and then needed to pump out water from coal mines and they accidentally started the world on the road to mechanizing the output of human labor in their part of the world.. Then they discovered how to mass produce steel from iron ore to produce more artillery pieces and they had mastered the art of modern warfare so they decided to try to dominate their own neighbors in competition as to who would rule their part of the world and the less advanced countries all for community self interest. They got tired of killing each other so they figured that instead of war they could simply talk about disputes on how to divide the world amongst themselves and consolidate their steel and energy resources under national monetary systems.
The greatest driving force is self interest and that is why fear is the most potent force in regulating markets. That is at the heart of political economy. Who controls the fear and greed factor in markets. Who?
But to dispense mutual fear all nations must have the equal power to destroy each other so as to force respect amongst equals. The human animal in his natural best and worst still has to learn how to control his nature.
It is sad in our country that the monopoly of imposing fear and violence (military and police) are in the hands of people who owe their allegiance to rulers with whom they trade their loyalties for currencies in public positions of power for them to enrich themselves. Very much in substance a feudal set -up where the king dispenses economic favors to the palace guard who in turn exchanges favors for their loyalty. Unfortunately for the Philippines the people who should know better don’t know whether they are Europeans, Americans or whatever. The only group that know who they are are the Indios themselves. Tragically the people who rule the country are not Indios. Substantially there is an implicit apartheid culture prevalent in the Philippines. The tragedy was there for all to see in the substance of the class distinction of the columnist Fernandez. She compared being amongst OFW’s as akin to being in hell. These are the very same people who provide the foreign exchange for people like Fernandez to enjoy their foreign branded goods and their foreign brand of standard of living.
“To the natives, however, both of the East and the West Indies, all the commercial benefits which can have resulted from those events have been sunk and lost in the dreadful misfortunes which they have occasioned. These misfortunes, however, seem to have arisen rather from accident than from anything in the nature of those events themselves. At the particular time when these discoveries were made, the superiority of force happened to be so great on the side of the Europeans, that they were enabled to commit with impunity every sort of injustice in those remote countries. Hereafter, perhaps, the natives of those countries may grow stronger, or those of Europe may grow weaker, and the inhabitants of all the different quarters of the world may arrive at that equality of courage and force which, by inspiring mutual fear, can alone overawe the injustice of independent nations into some sort of respect for the rights of one another. But nothing seems more likely to establish this equality of force than that mutual communication of knowledge and of all sorts of improvements which an extensive commerce from all countries to all countries naturally or rather necessarily, carries along with it.” Adam Smith
“Love of country? What is it exactly? Love of country is just a concept concocted by old relics back when “revolution†was the only option for many societies. This feeling (sometimes called “nationalismâ€Â) induced in the vacuous minds of the masses was romanticised and often used towards the perverse ends of many leaders (if you think about it, nationalism’s close cousin  organised religion  also has the same effect)Benigno.”
Benigno :How pathetic! No love of country!No respect for religion!Disdain for true heroes like Ninoy Aquino.Longing for the days of Marcos’dictatorship.
Behind all your sound and fury is a very sad,lonely person in Down Under eagerly craving for attention in his fromer country.
May you find true peace one day!meantime,have you visited a therapist lately?
BTW,I want to remind you again there will be no blogs like this if Marcos and his kleptocracy were still around!
GOD is GREAT! MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS! Mabuhay si Ninoy Aquino.
“Behind all your sound and fury is a very sad,lonely person in Down Under eagerly craving for attention in his fromer country.
May you find true peace one day!meantime,have you visited a therapist lately?”
All I can say is this:
Keep on guessing!
“All I can say is this:Keep on guessing!
”
God bless you my friend!
Benigno:fair warning :I will never allow you to hurl insults
on my country,religion,our heroes!
“When you said “What I do rail against is implying that such people are NECESSARILY superior human beings compared to those who are law abiding, look out for Numero Uno, quietly ACHIEVE, and, in the process, make a tidy sum for themselves†you were making a judgement on the relative superiority of one kind of human being over another. In this case, you are saying in effect either: 1) the altruistic one is not superior to the selfish one, i.e. they are the same in ’superiority value’, or b) the selfish one is superior to the altruistic one. Either way, youre making a judgement on their relative superiority”
Tsk tsk. Sounds like you are struggling a bit there to make something out of nothing.
In any case, compared to whatever you read into what I say, you still made an “unequivocal” statement asserting the SUPERIORITY of one group of human beings over another.
Tsk tsk. Pinoy nga naman talaga.
“Benigno:fair warning :I will never allow you to hurl insults
on my country,religion,our heroes!”
I guess I’ll consider myself “warned” then, dude.
“Tsk tsk. Pinoy nga naman talaga. Benigno”
tsk.tsk lonely man.have a life !
benny: Tsk tsk. Sounds like you are struggling a bit there to make something out of nothing.
Did I? Youre turning ‘legalistic’ on me, benny? Asking for concrete, tangible proof and such?
you still made an “unequivocal†statement asserting the SUPERIORITY of one group of human beings over another.
Yep. Now it’s your turn. Underlying philosophy for Get Real is…?
“I hope this doesn’t sound awful, but why do I sometimes feel like I want to stand on my chair and scream, “I’d like to have a life too, you know, benigno”
Benigno:Come down off of your chair. I hear you and there is nothing wrong with how you are feeling. You are voicing something that others are experiencing, but don’t know how to articulate. Relax lang!
I strongly believe that OFWs did not solicit the Hero label. It was conferred to them by the the government and the media and the the people themselves, as a token of appreciation for their contribution tp the economy
And no they are not “accidental heroes”. At mas lalo naman hindi “disgrasyadong bayani”.
They are just people who did what needs to be done!
Benigno,
“Considering that Australia was a country “built by criminalsâ€Â, I think it’s done pretty well for itself, wouldn’t you think? Just to refresh my memory, which country nga ba has a sizeable chunk of its population living and feeding off mounds of garbage?”
Talagang para kang langaw na nakatungtong sa kalabaw.
“They are just people who did what needs to be done!”
rego:I agree with you! I think I would call them the “True Survivors!”
“I hope this doesn’t sound awful, but why do I sometimes feel like I want to stand on my chair and scream, “I’d like to have a life too, you know, benignoâ€Â
tsk.tsk.Si benigno naman talaga!(-:
“Yep. Now it’s your turn. Underlying philosophy for Get Real is…?”
It’s ironic that you fail to realise that the answer to your question already lies within the question itself.
And which Australians are doing “prettu well for itself”?
The descendants of convicts of dispossessed aboriginals of their land and looted their natural resources or the aboriginals who don’t have even garbage to live on?
Or some wannabewhite pinoy struggling with his inferiority complex?
“Talagang para kang langaw na nakatungtong sa kalabaw”
Depends on who’s kalabaw is better. Mine or yours.
“Or some wannabewhite pinoy struggling with his inferiority complex?”
Maybe this is true and maybe it is not. The fact is, whether it is true or false won’t change how valid or invalid my assertions are.
Kawawa nga naman ang Pinoy. It seems only appeals to emotion and speculation on personal circumstances constitute her best defense against the TRUTH.
“I hope this doesn’t sound awful, but why do I sometimes feel like I want to stand on my chair and scream, “I’d like to have a life too, you know, benignoâ€Â
Tsk tsk.Sad indeed.
All I can say is this:
Tsk tsk.Sad indeed.
Keep on guessing!
Kawawa nga naman ako. It seems I really appeal only to emotion and speculation on personal circumstances constitute my best defense against the TRUTH.
Beningno”
All I can say is this:
Tsk tsk.Sad indeed.
“Depends on who’s kalabaw is better. Mine or yours. ”
“Mine” na pala ang Australia sa iyo?
Mate, until your Likas and Papaya juice soaps show results, you’re still the shrimp in their barbi.
Get Real!
“rego:I agree with you! I think I would call them the “True Survivors!—
MB,
I dont think we really care on what ever labels conferred to us. There are far more important to us than labels or hero worship.
Even that Malu Fernandez bruhaha, I dont think the strong reaction really came from us….
TDC,
Napa google search mo ako dun ah…
At least ngayon, he uses the word guess intsead of conjecture.
wala lang, trying to make something out of nothing.
I learn from the master of the schism called Get Real.
Yung ten things na ni refer ko sa yo….naka quota ka na ba?
Kawawa nga naman ako. It seems I really appeal only to emotion and speculation on personal circumstances constitute my best defense against the TRUTH.
Beningnoâ€Â
Inferiority complex lang iyan!
Here are the five signs:
1)Hypercritical Attitude
2)Always Blaming Others!
3)Negative Feelings About Country,Family and Others.
4)Tendency Toward Seclusiveness And Timidity.
5)Feelings Of Persecution
BTW, as a follower of Tennis, I been watching the US Open teh past two weeks. And I cant help but wonder how is this sport going over in there. The last Pinoy tennis star I remember following was Felix Barrientos and Dyan Castellejo?
Basketball is stil the “national sport” of Pinoys? or is it boxing? or my other favorites Billiards, bowling, soccer na ba?. Oh yes, di pa rin ako maka relate sa Baseball and american football ( all I see is brawls sa sport na to, weird!)
Come to think of it, kahit yata sa sport medyo misplaced pa rin ang adulations nating mga Pinoy. Kulang sa height pero baskteball pa rin ang pinagtutuonan…
For historical accuracy: Sison was captured in 1978 and would be in solitary confinement until the ouster of the much hated dictatorship Marcos in 1986. The CP chairman during the early 80s was Rodolfo Salas.
Rego,
I wrote in my article that Bagong Bayani was dreamed up by cheap inept politicians. I didn’t say it was solicited by OFWs.
And you’re right, and it’s great that many OFWs don’t care about labels. But many do, unfortunately.
I don’t want to sound condescending but I really feel sorry for those who buy into that cheap propaganda gimmick of turning victims into heroes.
Like I said, becoming an OFW is a choice based on personal circumstances. I don’t know how many OFWs are out there working their asses off so they can send money to the government for crooked politicians to steal.
By saying kawawa for the nth time, it seems that the circumstances appealed to your emotions, or not.
Circumstances are circumstances,nagkataon lang.
Your assertions,as you call them is no understatement,for obvious reasons.
But what group of people your assertions appeals to,if I may ask? In this thread, more are appalled rather than appealed.
Keep on guessing,as to why.
Benigno:Ten things you could do before you die!
1)Lose weight
2)Read ANOTHER book.
3)Stay healthy (don’t eat all the canned goods you brought there)
4)Become debt free (pay all you remaining utangs here!)
5)Exercise naman!
6)See Austalia(get out of your lonely room naman!!!)
7)Visit the Philippines(I know you crave for it!)
8)Forgive your self!
9)Have sex naman! (with others ,naman)
10)VISIT a THERAPIST (for your latent inferiority complex!)
We love you !Smile!
* Add it
* Done it
8 Retire 1782 members
* Add it
* Done it
9 Travel to Europe 1676 members
* Add it
* Done it
10 Pay off my mortgage 1530 members
KG: hope you are taking care of your high blood and diabetes!
Take care.Hope you are enjoying your Senate job!
Rego,
In sports Korek ka dyan!
Basketball pa din! Not even biodiversity and genetics can make them past the Asian championships.
Soccer,I understandd is making a much delayed push in the US,all they need to do is hire Mexicans as naturalized players to make it to the world cup…Just kidding.
Dito soccer pag dating ng high school,nawawala na ng interest ang mga players. Napansin ko kasi yung mga elementary nakakaabot pa past eliminations sa Europe,pag tapos nun wala na.
baseball,pwede din sana..
Sorry,no sports program to speak of,pagpalit ng bagong sports head,tabula rasa..back to scratch again.
Unfortunate circumstance=Politics.
I wont say kawawa or pathetic,that won’t solve anything.
Even in school the teacher would just say:needs improvement!
benign0: It’s ironic that you fail to realise that the answer to your question already lies within the question itself.
No it doesnt, benny. What is ‘real’? This depends upon the underlying philosophy. Does the ‘real’ in planet benign0 have a value system, for instance? Does planet benign0 have such as thing as art? What is ‘true’ in planet benign0? What is a human life worth? Is there such a thing as freedom of choice? Etc.
This is a fairly easy question. But since youd rather skirt around it than face it head-on, I would respect that and leave you alone (also because I find the weaseling and evasiveness in answering the question tiring).
Romanticization is indeed an element of nationalism, but far from being merely ‘romantic’, love of country has had a practical value. It is the sense of collective identity that enabled those countries that i mentioned to get their act together. The Americans, Koreans, French and others worked for something beyond themselves, their families and their own communities.
Nevertheless, i’m not suggesting for us to love our country because of its proven practical value alone. I guess just like other forms of love, it’s either you have it or you don’t. Given this, it’s a good thing that you’ve chosen to leave the Philippines, but what i can’t figure out is if you don’t have love of country, why then don’t you just leave the Filipinos alone? I can’t believe that you’ve gone through all the trouble of putting up a website, a wiki, maintaining it for all these years, writing a book, just to troll the Filipino people.
Karlo,
For historical accuracy, refresh our minds about the whole “Reaffirmists versus Rejectionists” issue.
Didn’t that issue peak after Marcos was deposed?
Didn’t the purges happen because the post Marcos democratic space allowed communists to continue their struggle parliamentarily so many communists decided to reject armed struggle even as Joma continued to reaffirm it?
Kau naman. Hanggang ngayon ba ipagpipilit mo pa na walang purge na nangyari? Isang tambak na bangkay ang nagkalat at isang katutak na kwento ang madidinig mo sa mga dating followers ni Joma na marami talagang napatay dahil iniwan nila ang armed stuggle.
Admittedly, it remains to be proven in court that Joma ordered the purge. But proving that in court is one thing.
The other thing is to ask yourself:
Sino kaya ang nagsisinungaling? Si Joma o yung mga dating kakampi niya?
At ano kaya yun, nagusap lahat ng mga dating kakampi ni Joma at pinagkasunduan nila na magimbento ng kasinungalingan tungkol sa purge?
Yun ba ang reason kung bakit halos pare-pareho ang kwento nila?
O baka naman kasi totoo nga yun sinsabi nila?
Karlo, yun namesake mong si Karl Marx matagal ng kinain ng uod. Si Mao din. Ang natitira na lang ang uod, si Joma.
Kung gusto mo iyang kainin eh bahala ka. Pero huwag mo ng aksayahin ang panahon mo na kumbinsihin ako na masasarapan ako sa lasa ni Joma.
Hindi ako kumakain ng uod.
TDC.
Nilulubos lubos ko lang ang commenting time dahil babalik na naman ang pasulpot sulpot ko.
Re: job sa senate:(nagmukha naman akong senador sa description mo)
Bilib nga ako sa erpat ko kung pano nya nagagwa ng manu manu ang mga pinagagwa sa kanya dati.
Di ko alm na ganun pala ang impluwensya nya sa decision making dito sa pinas.
Ang dami pa din hands off sa akin and for their eyes and ears only,dati ba naman me pinost ako sa blog ko,nagulat ako naboljak ako ng erpat ko,di naman marunong mag internet yun.
Eto ngang Coup warning ko sa thread na ito…akala harmless di pala. So last na ito..Who are they afraid of?
First they sent the marines to the wolves,then they do it again by sending fresh PMA graduates to the snipers,tapos boodle fight boodle fight pa.
Tapos,they make Norbert Gonzales a prime suspect of launching a coup? Oh,they did damage control alreadyand said the visit was voluntary,and no one called whom…
So now,the ghost bustds busted the self created ghost.
And everything is under control again. So it seems.
Even in the wire tappings,kampante sila me constitutional law expert naman daw sila eh.
*******************************************
About health,ang gastos Hesus Ginooo! Kung magtiwala naman ako sa herbal,mahal din di pa sigurado.
Thank you TDC,
ang ikli ng tanung mo, ang haba ng sagot ko.
Ingat.
Oh no no, MB.
I am not criczing your article. Di ko pa nababasa eh. I was only commenting on the dicussion on OFW hero labels based on what I read in this blog.
I agree with you though na meron ding OFW na conscious dyan sa mga label label na yan. Pero doon sa tintamabayn kong Pinoy karaoke restaurant ( with Pinoy band every weekends), bibihirang bihirang nabbanggit yang mga label at malu Frenadez article na yan. I guess we are just there to really relax after a very tiresome week. So walang panahon para magmayabang o mag malaki bilang “Hero kuno”. I tried before to open up a discussion about the political situtations sa Pinas. But they just wont take it eh…
“Soccer,I understandd is making a much delayed push in the US,all they need to do is hire Mexicans as naturalized players to make it to the world cup…Just kidding.”
——————————————————-
Karl, I more into sports that is universal. Gusto yung iba ibang lahi ang nag lalaban. Di ko type yung country specific sports. Katulad ng baseball at american footbal na yan. Puro kano lang ang mapapanood mo.
Also Karl,
come to think about it. Sports can be naother source of income or international fame…so kung wala masyadong job opportunities. Why not sports.
I was looking at the country distbution sa mag tennis players. Some of them are coming from third woorld counries too. Like Argentina and Chile and thos former USSR nations.
Pero napansin ko rin. Bihirang bihira talaga ang asian sa Tennis at soccer. Its like its not really Pinoy specific mukhang Asian issue eh….
“This is a fairly easy question. But since youd rather skirt around it than face it head-on, I would respect that and leave you alone (also because I find the weaseling and evasiveness in answering the question tiring).”
Just when I thought the conversation was getting interesting. But suit yourself then.
As to the philosophical underpinning of “Get Real” which seems to escape you, well, let’s just say that if you find the need to weave a complex and intricate philosophical framework around what is really a simple thing as an effort to understand the simple truth about the nature and character of Pinoys well, sorry to say that the answers will indeed continue to escape you.
““Mine†na pala ang Australia sa iyo?
Mate, until your Likas and Papaya juice soaps show results, you’re still the shrimp in their barbi.”
What makes you think you or anyone for that matter is anyone “special” in the Philippines? The fact that the quality of government service given to Pinoy citizens DEPENDS on WHO YOU KNOW and WHO YOU ARE merely highlights how clueless Pinoys are about how badly they are treated IN THEIR HOME country.
Compare that to societies who treat ALL human beings with respect regardless of who they are, where they come from, and who they know. Your statement “‘Mine’ na pala ang Australia sa iyo” is very telling, dude. It shows that people like you tie your self-worth to affiliation with a nation/state or concept (the latter is evident in people who identify blindly with philosophies as well). That’s ironic considering the Philippines is progressively becoming a society of mercenary workers who’s only allegiance is to the community that pays them the best returns for the skills and talents they have to offer. The fact that many of them even choose war-torn desert kingdoms over their home country (if you can even call it that) speaks volumes about how PATHETIC the Philippines has become.
I suppose this does not apply to your Get Real team since your group advocates forcibly neutering parents of streetchildren.
Benign0, just to clarify. It doesn’t mean that by working overseas, OFW’s don’t love their home country. In fact, my stay here overseas has made me value and appreciate my country more. I look forward to every visit and am hoping for the time when i can support my family even while working locally. I’m sure that feeling is shared by many fellow OFW’s.
Rego,
I think it’s Pinoy specific, ie. football.
Football seems like the number one sport in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
European soccer teams, notably the English Premier League, have imported some players from Thailand,
South Koreans and Japanese players have also played in Europe and England.
There are two brothers, Filipino-Brits, who might break into the international scene. One of them trained with the Chelsea youth squad (Chelsea is one of the top football teams in England.) Last I heard one of the brothers was being given a look-over by the LA football team that British Football star David Beckham joined.
America is one of the few countries in the world that does not follow football. What they call football over there does not involved ball contact with feet. Realize that the Olympics, in terms of global viewership, is sandwiched between the World Cup and the European Cup.
Size sa tingin ko ang reason kung bakit bihira ang Asian sa football.
During off season, some European and English premier teams go to Asia on promo tours and play in exhibition cups against Asian teams, Thailand, Japan, China and South Korea for example. The Asians are really good players pero tulad ng Thailand that has beaten and drawn with English premier league clubs bugbug sarado ang players nila. Everytime time you have major body contact, the Thai players are carried out off the field while their opponents just brush off the pain.
Pero South Koreans matigas ang katawan.
Also Europe and England are loaded with players from Africa and South America. Para na ngang baseball o NBA kung minsan. Mas maraming may kulay laysa sa mga puti in the top teams.
Pero size seems to be the bottom line in most competitive team sports. Kung sabagay maski sa golf yun malaki at malakas lamang na kaagad, all things being equal of course.
Puwera si BoA
Benigno,
1. “Compare that to societies who treat ALL human beings with respect regardless of who they are, where they come from, and who they know.”
Give me ONE example, mate. Find me one country in the world where your statement holds true.
2. “Your statement “‘Mine’ na pala ang Australia sa iyo†is very telling, dude. It shows that people like you tie your self-worth to affiliation with a nation/state or concept (the latter is evident in people who identify blindly with philosophies as well).”
You said “yours or mine” when I said “para kang langaw na nakatungtong sa kalabaw”
So it’s you who ties your self-worth to affiliation with a nation/state, not me.
Signs #1 and #2 of inferiority complex yan according to TKC . You project your smallness on others, mate.
ng hang-ups mo sa ibang tao.
benign0: As to the philosophical underpinning of “Get Real†which seems to escape you, well, let’s just say that if you find the need to weave a complex and intricate philosophical framework around what is really a simple thing as an effort to understand the simple truth about the nature and character of Pinoys well, sorry to say that the answers will indeed continue to escape you.
Naka! More weaseling. Oh well. I can only live in hope. Im not sure I even want it, benny, if it exists. Im just giving you the chance to present it here, where more people will see it than from visiting your site. Im beginning to doubt you even understand what an underlying philosophy is.
You dont need to weave an intricate metaphysical framework around it since I doubt you could come up with something original. (Forced sterilization? That’s so 19th century.) If it’s just whatever you fancy, I’ll accept that. We’ll call it benign0ism, because fascism has already been taken.
But I’ll give you one more chance to present the underlying philosophy of Get Real to the thousands of visitors who come to MLQ3′s site from all over the world. If there is one, that is. Go.
MB: 1. “Compare that to societies who treat ALL human beings with respect regardless of who they are, where they come from, and who they know.â€Â
Give me ONE example, mate. Find me one country in the world where your statement holds true.
Sus, si MB. E di sa Planet Benign0. The!
“Pero size seems to be the bottom line in most competitive team sports. Kung sabagay maski sa golf yun malaki at malakas lamang na kaagad, all things being equal of course.”
——————————————————
O yes MB,
But I believe, malaki pa rin ang pagkukulang ng gobyerno. Wala kasing matinong sports development program na katulad ng sabi ni Karl.
We can not pick on the business sector naman. Kasi syempre they want their ROI din. So kung anong sports ang kumita eh doon sila. So it will always be basketball for Pinoys.
If we’re sticking with basketball, what the BAP could do is to lobby support for height divisions in basketball with the IOC and FIBA, the same way there are weight divisions in boxing.
Rego,
Hindi pa kasi nakikita ng mga kurakot kung papaano pagkikitaan ang sports. Hindi nila makita an “=” between fame and revenue.
Pero yun mga businessmen yan ang problema. Sa kanila dapat manggaling ang entrepreneural spirit pero takot sila maginvest kasi puro rentista ang utak.
Nakita mo naman dyan sa America every season may major sports. Ang tatapang kc ng mga negosyante magumpisa na bagong liga. Nakikita nila kc ang potential returns kung pumutok ang isang sport.
Magkano lang ang major sports franchise thirty years ago? Tignan mo ang NBA. Linalangaw yan noong sixties. Kc magaling magpromote ang franchise holders at malakas ang loob nilang maginvest, ang laking rgosyo na ngayon.
At tignan mo ang bayad sa players ngayon. Ang sweldo sa isang suoerstar ngayon mas malaki pa kaysa sa presyo ng franchise twenty years ago.
Jeg,
Simubukan na yan dati. Nagkaroon ng tournament na may height limit. Pero walang nangyari kc siempre slams ang hinahanap ng fans. (Yun pinsan kong bansot kasama pa sa team na nagpunta sa Spain)
Siguro mas okay kung mas maliit ang bola at mas mababa ang basket para sa maliliit. Para may slam pa din
“Give me ONE example, mate. Find me one country in the world where your statement holds true.”
Tsk tsk. It’s actually sad that you are not aware of any. Well, to be fair, I guess that’s what happens when people’s minds are so desinsitised by justice as to actually think that injustice prevails EVERYWHERE.
Jeg: One more chance ba? Very well. Why don’t we call the underlying philosophy of Get Real “getrealism” then? But before I go on, why don’t YOU explain first what an “underlying philosophy” is so that we can see if we are singing off the same page.
“You dont need to weave an intricate metaphysical framework around it since I doubt you could come up with something original”
Who said I was being original? I never made any claim to have invented any of the ideas I assert. In fact they are ideas that surround you and I everyday ready for picking. The tragedy is that Pinoys are simply oblivious — no, in DENIAL — of these quaint truths.
Then again, I doubt even if you scour the Web, that you’d find a site that PACKAGES together the dysfunctions of Pinoys into a neat little website and delivers it in that in-your-face style that GetRealPhilippines.COM is world-renowned for.
“Simubukan na yan dati. Nagkaroon ng tournament na may height limit. Pero walang nangyari kc siempre slams ang hinahanap ng fans. (Yun pinsan kong bansot kasama pa sa team na nagpunta sa Spain)
Siguro mas okay kung mas maliit ang bola at mas mababa ang basket para sa maliliit. Para may slam pa din”
This is actually a microcosm of some of the arguments I encounter whenever I emphasise the need to ACHIEVE in the arena of WORLD standards of EXCELLENCE.
Most Pinoys would rather have the standards DOWNGRADED to suit the limitations of our abilities to achieve in the world arena of just about ANYTHING.
Benigno,
Me – “Give me ONE example, mate. Find me one country in the world where your statement holds true.â€Â
You – “Tsk tsk. It’s actually sad that you are not aware of any. Well, to be fair, I guess that’s what happens when people’s minds are so desinsitised by justice as to actually think that injustice prevails EVERYWHERE.”
AMININ MO NA WALA KANG MAPAKITA. HUWAG KANG KENKOY.
Next time be careful na lang about making sweeping hot air statements so you don’t have to weasel out of an embarrassing jam.
“Siguro mas okay kung mas maliit ang bola at mas mababa ang basket para sa maliliit. Para may slam pa dinâ€Â
Hijo, sarcasm ang tawag dyan hindi “a microcosm of some of the arguments I encounter whenever I emphasise the need to ACHIEVE in the arena of WORLD standards of EXCELLENCE.”
Eh maliliit tayo eh. Anong gusto mo mangyari, level the playing the playing field by cutting off every tall person at the knees?
Gets mo na, mate?
Benigno,
Ayan ka na naman gumagawa ng universal rule – “Most Pinoys would rather have the standards DOWNGRADED to suit the limitations of our abilities to achieve in the world arena of just about ANYTHING.”
Ayusin mo ang utak mo para maging malinaw ang isip mo. Your head is full of straws. Assert a fallacy then use it as a soapbox to propagate wrongheaded ideas.
Pull your head out of your ass once in a while, mate.
“AMININ MO NA WALA KANG MAPAKITA. HUWAG KANG KENKOY.”
Let’s say for argument’s sake that Australia is such a country then.
“Eh maliliit tayo eh. Anong gusto mo mangyari, level the playing the playing field by cutting off every tall person at the knees?”
Nope. We chose the sport, therefore we should play it to standards agreed at the larger global community.
Problema sa atin, papasok pasok tayo sa alanganin and then we have the nerve to be asked to be given a break.
Pinoy nga naman talaga.
Jeg, i think you’ve given him enough chances. I agree with MB that Benign0′s philosophy resembles that of Ayn Rand’s. BTW, with regards to your blog entry (on elitism), he’s just the kind of person who will present himself as the ‘elite’ which is why i’m wary of any real-world system that operates on the basis. Marami pang katulad niya, hindi lang siguro ganoon ka-’in-your-face’ ang style.
benign0: Why don’t we call the underlying philosophy of Get Real “getrealism†then?
Which doesnt really say much, does it? (How about weaselism?) I dont think I have to explain to you what underlying philosophy is, benny. You went to high school. I give you license to assume it to mean whatever it means to you. Then I’ll get on that page. How’s that? In fact, youve given me and everyone else enough clues already. Which brings me to this question, which set off the whole line of inquiry in the first place: Do you, benny, personally endorse the idea of forced sterilization of the parents of street children? I understand the idea wasnt from you but from a member of your group.
I doubt even if you scour the Web, that you’d find a site that PACKAGES together the dysfunctions of Pinoys into a neat little website and delivers it in that in-your-face style that GetRealPhilippines.COM is world-renowned for.
I will have to take your word for it, mein freund.
Oh this: Most Pinoys would rather have the standards DOWNGRADED to suit the limitations of our abilities to achieve in the world arena of just about ANYTHING. is not about the limitations of our abilities. It is about Pinoys being so damn short. Unless you believe looks = abilities?
Benigno,
“AMININ MO NA WALA KANG MAPAKITA. HUWAG KANG KENKOY.â€Â
Let’s say for argument’s sake that Australia is such a country then.
Oh sige, argue your case.
If you will refer to my donation page, you will find the following passage at the last paragraph:
“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”
As to personally endorsing sterilisation of street kids, well, to be honest, I never really gave it much thought. If you think about it, parenthood is a responsibility. To choose to have kids (in this day and age of available CHOICE) and then not having enough resources to raise them right is IRRESPONSIBLE. I find the question in light of this hypocritical coming from someone who belongs to a society that tolerates the existence of children living and feeding off mounds of rubbish. The question then becomes: Which is the greater evil – forced sterilisation or ALLOWING children to live and eat off garbage mounds?
.
“is not about the limitations of our abilities. It is about Pinoys being so damn short”
Sorry to burst your bubble but basketball requires not only skill but collective HEIGHT in order for a team excel in it. You can’t choose basketball as your sport THEN go around whining about how short you are. That’s just pathetic.
Marami pang katulad niya, hindi lang siguro ganoon ka-’in-your-face’ ang style.
I dont know about you, but I love it that he hangs out here. Maybe we can get Malu Fernandez to join in. That should be fun. Im sure she’ll do it after she sees how we’ve treated benny with the utmost respect.
“Oh sige, argue your case”
I thought you’d never ask, dude.
For starters, between the Philippines and Australia:
(1) In which country would you be more likely to trust the police when you are in trouble?
(2) In which country would you be able to rest assured that your taxes are being spent REASONABLY wisely?
(3) In which country would you be able to trust a government official to do the right thing IN MOST CASES?
Benigno,
“Eh maliliit tayo eh. Anong gusto mo mangyari, level the playing the playing field by cutting off every tall person at the knees?â€Â
Nope. We chose the sport, therefore we should play it to standards agreed at the larger global community.
Nampucha di mo nga gets.
I guess you’re someone who has to be told “joke lang itong sasabihin ko, mate” before a joke is told. At kailangan pang ipaliwanag sa iyo kung bakit nakakatawa yun joke.
Ganito yun mate. May isang tao na pumasok sa maling pinto. Di niya akalain mga higante pala ang makakatapat niya, Eh so sabi niya sa sarili niya “Napasubo na din lamang ako, gamitin ko na lang ang utak ko para hindi ako ma-agrabyado.”
Mate, yun ang joke dun. Stupid does as stupid gets, ika nga. Kuha mo na ba?
Para bang, how do we solve the problem of street children? Well we sterilize their parents.
O di ba hindi na nalalayo ang utak mo dun sa puputol ng hita ng matatangkad para pantay ang laban?
Please, follow my advise. Get your head out of your ass!
MB, a jok ba? Sometimes kasi I forget na hanggang patawa na lang ang Pinoy e.
Benigno,
“Oh sige, argue your caseâ€Â
I thought you’d never ask, dude.
For starters, between the Philippines and Australia:
(1) In which country would you be more likely to trust the police when you are in trouble?
(2) In which country would you be able to rest assured that your taxes are being spent REASONABLY wisely?
(3) In which country would you be able to trust a government official to do the right thing IN MOST CASES?
ARGUE YOUR CASE NGA. DON’T MAKE ME ARGUE IT FOR YOU. MAKE ASSERTIONS SUPPORTED BY FACTS.
benign0: Which is the greater evil – forced sterilisation or ALLOWING children to live and eat off garbage mounds?
Good question but there is really no choice. If I were king of the world there would be no forced sterilization and there would be no children living off garbage mounds.
If you think about it, parenthood is a responsibility.
It is. And in Planet Benign0, all parents are responsible, all people are rational, “ALL human beings with respect regardless of who they are, where they come from, and who they know”. On planet earth, that is not the case. Not all are rational, but not through choice. If everyone were responsible and rational, we wouldnt be having this converation.
Sorry to burst your bubble but basketball requires not only skill but collective HEIGHT in order for a team excel in it.
Huh? Says who? Have you ever played basketball? Do you even go out at all? All basketball requires is a ball a basket with a backboard and players. There is no height requirement for excellence. The other teams just happens to be taller, and as mb said, divisions were tried before but no one watched it because they couldnt slam the ball. (Slamming the ball isnt a requirement, by the way. It just increases marketability. Nothing to do with skills.)
Benigno
“MB, a jok ba? Sometimes kasi I forget na hanggang patawa na lang ang Pinoy e.”
Pati ba naman ang pagkadense mo sisisihin mo pa sa Pinoy?
Pero yun joke ko at yun sterilization campaign mo pareho, di ba?
Kaya lang ako nagbibiro pero ikaw serious. Pagkaganun, mate, ikaw ang nagiging joke.
Re ManuelB to Benigno: “Pati ba naman ang pagkadense mo sisisihin mo pa sa Pinoy?”
Oo nga naman. Hehehehe!
Really, if Australia – and what goes with it, eg, their government, their values, their courage, etc. – is the measure of all that is the best in the world (I know, I know, you never said it but that’s how you come out saying things…) for you Benigno, I suggest you travel more, visit other countries and after doing that, publish a recipe of sorts that would be more palatable to Pinoys.
The Aussie recipe you’ve got may not taste bad to you but boy, the way you mix your ingredients produce a dish that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and so makes your dish or what you dish out completely unacceptable to the palate of even the most willing Pïnoy ‘taster’.
Also, I have a suspicion that your view from down under is most likely blurred if not warped by the looking glass you use…
You just may be right, but at the end of the day, you ain’t right because people don’t get you right.
Or you can’t make people see you right… so what you do or say becomes useless.
“ARGUE YOUR CASE NGA. DON’T MAKE ME ARGUE IT FOR YOU. MAKE ASSERTIONS SUPPORTED BY FACTS.”
That’s precisely what I’m doing, dude — making a point by asking rhetorical questions. Sometimes one fails to see the obvious even when it is staring him in the face.
Come to think of it that’s another philosophical underpinning we could add to “getrealism”.
“The Aussie recipe you’ve got may not taste bad to you but boy, the way you mix your ingredients produce a dish that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and so makes your dish or what you dish out completely unacceptable to the palate of even the most willing Pïnoy ‘taster’.
Also, I have a suspicion that your view from down under is most likely blurred if not warped by the looking glass you use…
You just may be right, but at the end of the day, you ain’t right because people don’t get you right.”
Thanks for the psychoanalysis, mate. I’ll keep it on file. It might come in handy sometime.
Jeg, i can’t say i enjoy his presence but i’m obliged to tolerate it. He makes a good case study though since i think he represents a particular type of Filipino.
Benigno,
“I’ll keep it on file. It might come in handy sometime.”
Why do tomorrow what you can do today? Ayan, manana system ka pala eh!
cvj, your comment, “he makes a good case study” – seems Benigno agrees with you (though implied).
Hahahahah!
Benigno,
Rhetorics is the last refuge of those who possess no facts.
Rego;
tennis: ang surface kasi dito puro shell na sabi nila clay na din daw.
Eh kung clay sana sa french open tayo lumaban.
Walang god father,o ninong para sa tennis at this point eh.
boxing yung mga lighter weights natin kumakasa na.
Yung archers,yungg billiards of course bowling,amateur wrestling.wu shu,etc,
Ilan ba ang olymoic sport dun, di ko sure eh,pero sa archery at boxing sigurado,sa wushu di ko alm kung meron tayo at amateur wrestling.
sa Beijing Olympics ,makikita natin ang progress.
“Rhetorics is the last refuge of those who possess no facts”
And speculation on people’s personal circumstances is the last refuge of minds that lack imagination.
Karl,
There’s one Olympic sport that the Filipinos can try to excel in: SAILING.
I’ve already mentioned this to Garec at one point and to Tony Sibayan.
cvj: He makes a good case study though since i think he represents a particular type of Filipino.
That’s exactly what I mean. Ive never encountered anyone like him in real life and I have to say his case is fascinating. Either he’s exceptionally brilliant or he has Asperger’s syndrome.
Malaysia holds international regattas (latest one recently) inviting world-class sailors. I’m not saying Filipinos should compete in the America Cup but there is a strong chance of Filipinos excelling in the sport that could qualify them in international competitions.
Earlier on, back in the late 70s, most of the folks who tried for the UK Olympic sailing team were from the Royal Navy.
The Phil Navy has got the resources, manpower and the possible sponsors to seriously start a credible sailing team. The Navy was gifted with a very nice and magnificent 30 footer sail boat at the time which nobody used; it went on to rot!
You got the water, the wind and many have the know how – the ability to gauge wind (nothing to do of course with sailing a war ship).
MBW,
I understand, if some of our athletes are enlisted personnel like in boxing,then our navy boys can give it a try.
i gogled sailing,and the last participation of team philippines was in the 2002 Busan Asian Games. We have a promising 13 yearr old then, I wonder what hapenned to the fellow.
Again, it is really hard not to have a sports program, maybe one day we will sitdown and reflect on what we really are capable of. That, I believe is how to get real.
Rego,
Soccer:
Kung subukan lang natin idevelope to, pwede sana. In boxing and mixed matrtial arts Filipino can be tough.
Soccer or football is the number one watched sport in Asia,as far as STAR SPORTS is concerned.
Pero tama,higante ang mga Europeans,pati na yata ang mga South Americans.
But does soccer require height and heft?
Sir Manuel Buencamino,
I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I never meant to convince you of liking Joma’s taste, which you yourself has likened to that of a worm. I myself am no fan of Joma Sison. I didn’t have any intention other than the one stated above (historical accuracy).
Also, I never said anything to that effect. That the anti-DPA campaigns occured is a matter of historical fact.
About this, I do not have enough knowledge to discuss the said complicated era of the national democratic movement’s history.
I based my previous comment from a biography of Edgar Jopson by Benjamin Pimentel Jr. The book did not anymore discuss the split in the early 90s since the book only covered Pimentel’s involvement in the communist movement until his death in 1982.
I do know that the division of the movement into the reaffirmist and rejectionist factions occured after 1992. Also, some rejectionists do engage in armed struggle. I think the PCIJ has a special report on this topic.
Again, I’m sorry for having offended you.
Pleae allow me to correct my self MBW,
I have not searched enough, we also participated in the Doha 2006 Asian Games.
It seems though, that we only send a three man team.
But your suggestion of a team from the Navy might work one day. Sayang yung sinabi mong 30 foot boat
“speculation on personal circumstances constitute her best defense against the TRUTH.”
Mas mabuti na ang personal circumstances mo ang ispeculate kaysa sa ginagawa momg speculation of the circumstances of the Pinoy in general.
You can fight back, correct?
And when we react to your assertions, we speak for ourselves.
When you assert, I hope you are also speaking for yourself.
Karl,
Sayang nga! Marooned lang doon sa likod ng Manila Yacht Club at nabulok. I don’t know if it’s been dry-docked since.
Last time I saw it was 3 years ago during a visit – I asked to borrow it so my kids and I could sail in Manila Bay but was told it was really in bad shape.
I even proposed to help invite British sailing champs to give lectures and “teach” to those might be interested in the PN training and education center in Zambales but no takers.
Benigno,
I do not speculate about our personal circumstances. Whatever I think about you I base on your record.
You have revealed enough about yourself to make speculation absoluutely unnecessary.
So let’s get back to the topic at hand. PROVE YOUR CASE!
Manuel,
Benigno perhaps has to present HIS case first but as we go along, his case seems to be going from one case to a different case (see jeg’s and cvj’s comments).
All I know of his case today is that he’s unhappy to be a Filipino. Frankly, he needs a doctor is what I think.
Karlo,
Okay.
By the way, do you think Joma is accountable under the “command responsibility” principle, just like GMA?
“I do not speculate about our personal circumstances. Whatever I think about you I base on your record”
Really? Then how do you account for this gem?:
Or some wannabewhite pinoy struggling with his inferiority complex
“So let’s get back to the topic at hand. PROVE YOUR CASE!”
Answer my three questions first, dude.
Karl, Anna, here in Singapore, they were very impressed with the Dragon Boat team from the Philippines who participated in the races last year. I think they were from the PNP though.
cvj,
good to hear that! pinas can easily produce sailing champs. I have no doubt. doesn’t take height nor built to do that; skills they can easily polish because we have the natural environment to hone in those skills and am pretty sure, there are sponsors who would love to finance a team.
Cvj,
Good to know,good for us!
Lots of things to be proud of!
MBW,
Since cvj called you by your name,can I too? never mind, MBW is shorter.
sayang no takers ng suggestion mo,me takers yan ..pag sagot mo lahat. (joke)
but, as cvj said we are doing fine on our own.
Benigno,
That gem is not speculation. It’s based on your record.
Me – “ARGUE YOUR CASE NGA. DON’T MAKE ME ARGUE IT FOR YOU. MAKE ASSERTIONS SUPPORTED BY FACTS.â€Â
You- “That’s precisely what I’m doing, dude  making a point by asking rhetorical questions.”
Me- “Rhetorics is the last refuge of those who possess no facts…. So let’s get back to the topic at hand. PROVE YOUR CASE!â€Â
You – “Answer my three questions first, dude”
Mate, did you know that rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered? That they are used for effect?
That’s why they’re the last refuge of those who have no facts to back up their assertions. They are meant to provide weasel room.
Get real Mr. Wannabewhite Pinoy. Put up or shut up.
Name me one country in the world where what you said is true – “Compare that to societies who treat ALL human beings with respect regardless of who they are, where they come from, and who they know.â€Â
And you can forget naming Australia because your adopted country still has to learn that aborigines are human beings too.
Here’s something that I realised: from what I remember, the total amount remitted yearly is around $16 billion from around 8 million OCWs. Divide the first by the second and you have $2,000, or around P90,000 per worker.
That’s certainly a considerable amount but might be lacking for combinations of costs like tuition, medical bills and medicine (especially if sickness involves major operations, etc.), rent, electricity, etc., especially if prices for some of these products go up, if the peso appreciates some more, if several relatives (such as siblings) are dependent on remittances, and if economic problems in industrialised nations might lead to less OCW hiring.
Correction on my previous comment
(http://www.quezon.ph/?p=1499#comment-575887):
Replace “Pimentel” with “Jopson.” Edgar Jopson, the first husband of Joy Jopson-Kintanar (the widow of Kintanar and complaint in the Dutch case against Sison), was killed when fully armed military men raided an unarmed underground safehouse in Davao in Sept. 20, 1982.
I’m not sure. The process of making decisions in the underground movement, from what I’ve read, is different in the sense that decisions are made collectively. Ideally, no single individual decides on organizational matters. Also, we do not really know if Sison is one and the same as Armando Liwanag, the present CP chair.
My opinion tends to follow the line espoused by the Aug. 31 Inquirer editorial, which can be read in the following link:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view_article.php?article_id=85683
Correction on my previous comment
That’s “Jopson” and not “Pimentel.” Edgar Jopson, the first husband of Joy Jopson-Kintanar (the widow of Kintanar and complaint in the Dutch case against Sison), was killed when fully armed military men raided an unarmed underground safehouse in Davao in Sept. 20, 1982.
I’m not sure. The process of making decisions in the underground movement, from what I’ve read, is different in the sense that decisions are made collectively. Ideally, no single individual decides on organizational matters. Also, we do not really know if Sison is one and the same as Armando Liwanag, the present CP chair.
My opinion tends to follow the line espoused by the Aug. 31 Inquirer editorial (Try him). That’s all.
Karl,
“but, as cvj said we are doing fine on our own.”
Our own? PNP, PN or Pinas as a whole?
Also, re what you said, “sayang no takers ng suggestion mo,me takers yan ..pag sagot mo lahat.” is not quite a joke, it’s been proven true several times in the past.
“Mate, did you know that rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered? That they are used for effect?”
Nope. They are used for making a point. And in your specific case, your lack of any inclination to recognise much less respond coherently to the point made collectively by these three questions merely highlights precisely the point I make.
Tough luck, dude.
BENIGNO,
MAKE YOUR POINT AFTER YOU PRESENT FACTS.
YOU MADE THE ASSERTION YOU SUPPORT IT WITH FACTS.
YOU CAN’T WEASEL OUT OF THIS ONE.
PUT UP OR SHIT UP!!!!
Karlo,
so if they decide by committee that doesn’t erase command responsibility. It only becomes collective responsiblility
“BENIGNO,
MAKE YOUR POINT AFTER YOU PRESENT FACTS.
YOU MADE THE ASSERTION YOU SUPPORT IT WITH FACTS.
YOU CAN’T WEASEL OUT OF THIS ONE.
PUT UP OR SHIT UP!!!!”
As I said earlier. I cited Australia for argument’s sake. And then I made those rhetorical questions to make a point. Seems that point is lost in that metaphorically challenged mind of yours.
Me, shut up? Tough luck then. You can’t make the TRUTH about Pinoys disappear simply by making people shut up.
o.k., benigno. enough of this self-flagellation. at the end of the day, regardless of our present allegiance, we are still filipino, the philippines, the land of our birth, and which nurtured our forefathers.
it’s one thing to be aware of one’s deficiencies. but to nag on it every step of the way is a sign of extreme lack of self-esteem, or even self-contempt. we are what we are and we have to stop denying it. then we do our best to change for the better. i think that’s what “getting real” is all about.
btw, have anybody ever wondered why practically all the countries that have once been colonized and ruled by spain are not doing so well in comparison with those formerly under great britain? specifically, compare south and central america, mexico, parts of the carribean islands, and of course, the philippines, with u.s.a., canada, australia, new zealand, hong kong, singapore, etc. could it be that the spaniards, and the religion they brought with them, taught us that poverty and sacrifice were virtues that would bring us to “paradise”, while the british taught their subjects that there’s no shame in being prosperous through one’s labor and that what he ate would come from the “sweat of his brow”?
Bencard, the Philippines had two colonizers Spain and the United States. Nevertheless, your observation is correct in that Britain seems to have left its former colonies in a better position to develop, notwithstanding their arbitrary map drawing that led to millions of deaths. Same can be said for Japan who formerly ruled over Taiwan and Korea.
cvj, so is cuba, among those colonized by both spain & u.s. (the latter albeit briefly).
Benigno,
For the last time – JUST THE FACTS, if u have any, that is. Don’t ne a weasel.
And for arguments sake you can also tell me about the equal treatment of aborigines in Australia.
Yes, BenignO how are the aborigines doing? And the boat people that Howard refuses to save from the rough seas? Do you hand out Foster’s beer to quench their thirst before you dump them in an atoll? That would at least be humane… Just curious.
Speaking of Basketball, if Japan can send a team to the rugby world cup, maybe the philippines too….tama na nga yang basketball, it can support itself commercially, let’s spread the sports allocation to others…..
mlq3,
On rice self-sufficiency, the constitution says:
“The State shall promote industrialization and full employment BASED ON on SOUND agricultural development and agrarian reform,”
If past and present administrations have fulfilled this dictum them we could be exporting rice like Vietnam and Thailand.
The Aborigines are doing fine, thanks.
In fact, just this month, the Federal Government sent troops and Federal personnel to the Northern Territory to secure it after appalling incidents of child abuse, alcoholism, and drug use was reported amongst the Aboriginal community.
Notwithstanding all that some of them are doing pretty well. In fact, there are several of them making it big in the art scene in Paris.
By the way, how are the Aetas, Ifugaos and Igorots doing over there?
ManuelBuencamino, the FACTS are staring you in the face. You just have to check them out (if it sidesteps like a weasel and snivels like a weasel, then it must be a…).
Let’s also not forget kids and their ENTIRE families living and eating off mounds of putrid garbage in the Philippines. Have they been getting headline news lately?
Bencard, are we really “still Filipino”? Seems like a few commentors here have seem inclined to presume to be the judge of who is more Filipino than the other, or for that matter which human being is superior over the other based on how “self-sacrificing” one is (which incidentally is the topic of an article I wrote way back which you can access thru the following link):
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/solution/selfrel.html
I agree. “Getting real” is all about implementing change based on a CLEAR understanding of who and WHAT we are as a people. Maybe it comes across as “self flagellation” because a LARGE PART of what we are is, indeed, NOT GOOD. Australian’s for example are renowned in the Western world as self-flagellists too (compared, say, to Americans and Germans who are inclined to a bit of a superiority complex). But then Australia is a nation that itself has an immense track record of COLLECTIVE ACHIEVEMENT so much so that the negative aspects about themselves that they keep harping about — when put in the context of their actual ACHIEVEMENTS — in reality pales in the bigger picture.
The sad reality is that the negative aspects of Pinoys simply REMAIN HIGHLIGHTED because they utterly dwarf any SOLID evidence of collective achievement over our 400-year history.
Rock stars who are drug addicts are STILL rock stars. They may write self-deprecating autobiographies about themselves (and may even loath themselves). But the world will always see them as rock stars. Whereas drug addicts who are living on the streets will simply be known as nothing more than drug addicts.
benignO, i get your point. you know, i have been living in the states for over 35 years and in this “melting pot” i have mingled, both socially and professionally, with people from practically all sorts of ethnicity and racial origin. in my observation, one thing that strikes me the most is that no one from a particular ethnic/racial/nationality group ever bad mouth his/her own kind with others outside of his/her group more than filipinos. it seems many of our countrymen have no compunction discussing “the negative aspects of pinoy”, the philippines and its government. no one could be more self-deprecating.
i remember some years ago when a group of pinoy boys won the world championship of the little league of baseball. who would be the first to question the boys’ qualifications before the world than a homegrown filipino newspaper editor? of course, “honesty is the best policy”, but considering the circumstances surrounding the whole scandal, i believe there was more to it than just “doing the right thing”.
when pinoys parade in minuscule numbers in public places such as the u.n., the white house, etc., carrying signs and mouthing epithets against the philippine government and its officials, do they think they earn any respect for themselves and their nation?
i believe its alright to discuss our defects among ourselves and together we find a solution. please don’t think i’m accusing you, benigno, but i feel we should minimize washing our dirty linens before the eyes of the world.
“i believe its alright to discuss our defects among ourselves and together we find a solution. please don’t think i’m accusing you, benigno, but i feel we should minimize washing our dirty linens before the eyes of the world.”
Bencard, no slight taken at all. I am quite aware (always have been) that I am indeed airing out our dirty laundy for the world to see. But then, if you think about it, don’t you think the whole world already sees these things?
Also, I kinda subscribe to the theory that Pinoys are pretty much motivated by hiya.
Pinoys muddle along with our less-than-proper/optimal ways of doing things — kapag nakakalusot. But it is usually under threat of exposure that we manage to pull our sh1t together.
It seems that years of trying to sort things out among ourselves didn’t really yield the level of results required to pull ourselves out of this progressively deepening hole we are in. So why not consider the more radical solution and expose our dysfunction to the world for close scrutiny?
Your idea of “discuss[ing] our defects among ourselves and together [...] find[ing] a solution” sounds really great — in an ideal world. But the REALITY though is that we were really never been known to be a people who thrive together. We seem to achieve more APART than TOGETHER (a theory that I believe, explains why we have so many OFWs and a huge expat population propping up the local economy).
Benigno,
I rest my case. Wala talagang laman yun statement mo.
The only example you could cite was Australia and boyoboy does it come close to a society that treats “ALL human beings with respect regardless of who they are, where they come from, and who they know.”
Oh BenignO, we Igorots are doing fine. We’ve been self-sufficient since Roman times you know. As always we’ve been exploited by our National government the same way that aborigines are STILL second class citizens in their own land….
yes, benigno, but the rest of the world does not sympathize with “self-loathing” losers. isn’t our “lack of COLLECTIVE ACHIEVEMENT” bad enough without being reinforced by self-described inferiority for all the world to see? how does it feel to be a part of a maligned and ridiculed society which, like it or not, you cannot escape? do we feel absolved from the rap by saying that “yeah, my people are the worst of the worst but, oh no, not me”? or, “see, i can disclose every rotten thing about us so i cannot be that bad, right?”.
there is a reason why the americans and germans, among others, are looked up to as a people, albeit grudgingly most of the time. i don’t think they would be bothered so much by labels of “arrogance” as they would be by “loser” tag. of course, especially in the case of the americans, there are always bleeding heart ultra liberals who detest their society’s winning ways. that’s why, while they may be ostensibly “hated”, they are the most imitated. i think societies like these, with the kind of world respect that they have already attained, can afford to have “self-loathing” groups in their midst. but not the philippines, i think.
That’s right, Bencard, the world does not sympathise with self-loathing losers. And the fact is, that we are such a bunch.
And yes, it IS in fact bad enough that we lack any form of COLLECTIVE achievement to speak of.
It is, to put it mildly, uncomfortable, to have to come to terms that each of us individual Filipinos are IMPRISONED within the box of our “maligned and ridiculed society”. No matter where we go, no matter what citizenship papers we sign, we will always be the little brown Pinoy who eats off mounds of garbage and dances the ocho-ocho during elections while his compatriots wade across yet another putrid street flood in Malabon while wearing a silly smile in his face.
Now take a step back and regard for a moment what I just said in the second half of the paragraph above and ask yourself this: How much of what i described above CAN BE CHANGED?
Here’s the answer: ALL OF THEM.
And this is just a small sample of the dirty laundry that I air out for the world to see. There is nothing, NOTHING about the Pinoy that I write in http://www.getrealphilippines.com that cannot be changed. But before we can understand what and how to change, we first have to take stock of what needs to be changed.
We are constantly patting ourselves on the back for having one of the “free-est” presses in the world, presumably because incidents of monumental impropriety are exposed TO THE PUBLIC. In fact, half the stuff discussed in blogs like these are about exchanging amusing factoids about the “exposed” stupidities of our moron politicians. And we are appalled when — despite this exposure — said politicians don’t even express an iota of hiya despite said exposure.
See my point? Even now, our beholdenness to our “free” press is underpinned by our sub-conscious recognition that Pinoys are motivated by hiya. Which implies that we find hope in hiya as the key driver for change.
And yet here we are, discussing how “improper” it is to be EXPOSING the dysfunction of our society to the world.
Isn’t it ironic?
=====
manuelbuencamino, happy that your case is well-rested then.
please don’t get me wrong, benignO. i’m not really advocating sweeping our dirt under the rug. but it seems to me that our media, in general, is the most relentless advertisers of our “dysfunctions”. i think, the real culprit is our utter lack of sense of proportion. i think we have a strong propensity to go overboard in everything, from imitating the ways of “advanced” and affluent foreign societies, to exposing our own flaws. as i said, we cannot outdo say, the americans, in self-criticism simply because they have already achieved greatness. we haven’t, so every time we try to be “more american that the americans” in laying down our defects, we only enhance the world’s perception that ours is a nation of “losers”.
“but it seems to me that our media, in general, is the most relentless advertisers of our “dysfunctionsâ€Â. ”
and guess who is one-blog media is?
like as if these dyfunctions are inherent only to pinoys. get real, d.
Bencard, no — not a “nation of losers”. That implies that every single Pinoy is a loser (which clearly is not the case). This is why I always emphasize the word collective. There will always be individual winners and losers in any society. The problem is that notwithstanding our different levels of achievement as individuals, the sad reality is that collectively we achieve very little.
It kinda goes back to the whole point behind being a nation in the first place. Why are we such high achievers elsewhere and so impotent collectively when together?
And no, I don’t think it is really about outdoing anyone in terms of self criticism. The self criticism of American, for example, is of a different nature. Their challenge is more around sustaining their greatness by critically examining aspects of their society that they perceive to be going off the rails.
Our challenge is a bit more pathetic, namely extricating ourselves from the hole we continue digging ourselves into.
The efforts of successful societies build on existing positives whilst in our case, the efforts are focused on trying to get out of the red. So the comparison is not apples-to-apples.
As to this whole thing about trying to be “more American than the Americans”, Japan did the same thing. The difference is that they approached it by trying to understand the substance behind Western success (the ways of doing things and the disciplines involved), whereas in our case, we only tried to imitate the superficial trappings of Western culture (watching the show but failing to see the backstage where all the work is done).
benigno, by “nation of losers”, i was referring to world’s perception, not as a fact, e.g., as when some wag called as “a nation of cowards and one s.o.b”, in reference to marcos’ dictatorship. i don’t think the japanese intended to “copy” the americans, socially, politically or economically. japan was already a far more successful society before any american set foot on the land. the westernization was imposed by the victor upon a vanquished people who might not have yielded if it were not for the a-bomb.
my whole point is that we cannot hope to “extricate” ourselves from our sorry state by constantly beating ourselves up, and convincing those who are not yet convinced that we, as a group, cannot do anything right.
btw, benigno, i heard about the brouhaha about the barong tagalog being described as the traditional “peasant’s attire” of the filipinos in the recently-concluded apec conference in sydney. i bet the erudite info came from a filipino wiseguy/gal. don’t you think so?
“my whole point is that we cannot hope to “extricate†ourselves from our sorry state by constantly beating ourselves up, and convincing those who are not yet convinced that we, as a group, cannot do anything right.”
bencard, may tawag diyan: delusional. the irony is, in constantly harping the nation as a loser, he ends up sounding the REAL loser. getreal, loser.
“my whole point is that we cannot hope to “extricate†ourselves from our sorry state by constantly beating ourselves up, and convincing those who are not yet convinced that we, as a group, cannot do anything right”
that really does depend on what you mean by “beating yourself up”. in solving problems one cannot hope to concoct a proper solution without properly diagnosing the problem.
benign0′s point really is quite simple. we have a lot of problems and a lot of them INNATE in our culture. the way forward is to recognize these flaws and change.
Gooner, sorry, you missed it but benignO and i have both come to an agreement that we realy do have a problem, as a people, and we have to stop denying it to even begin to find a cure for it. my point is what you have quoted, the CONSTANT self-inflicted blows we heap upon ourselves that will not earn respect for us in the world stage.
they left the country in search for a better life not really for themselves but for the kamag-anak they left behind… they are heroes to there families and accidental heroes to our country… the money they remit in billions keeps the country afloat.
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