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.

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Manuel L. Quezon III.

197 thoughts on “Beyond Binondo and Ma Ling

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. “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!

  4. 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’.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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?

  8. 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.

  9. 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?

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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!”

  13. 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.

  14. “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. 😀

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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.

  19. “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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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

  22. “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)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.

  23. “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! 😀

  24. “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. 😀

  25. “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. 😀

  26. 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…?

  27. “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!

  28. 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!

  29. Benigno,

    “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?”

    Talagang para kang langaw na nakatungtong sa kalabaw.

  30. “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!”

  31. “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”

    tsk.tsk.Si benigno naman talaga!(-:

  32. “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. 😉

  33. 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?

  34. “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. 😀

  35. “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”

    Tsk tsk.Sad indeed.

    All I can say is this:

    Tsk tsk.Sad indeed.

    Keep on guessing! 😀

  36. 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.

  37. “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!

  38. “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….

  39. 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?

  40. 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”
    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

  41. 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…

  42. Take the case of Joma Sison, who tried to impose political correctness on his party during the 1980s…

    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.

  43. 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.

  44. 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.

  45. 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

  46. KG: hope you are taking care of your high blood and diabetes!
    Take care.Hope you are enjoying your Senate job!

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