On Civil Disobedience
My column for today was inspired by Mahar Mangahas’ column, The important right of civil disobedience, which had these interesting findings, based on the 2004 Survey on Citizenship of the International Social Survey Program, which makes possible a comparison of Filipino attitudes and behavior to that of other peoples, particularly in our part of the world. As Mangahas digests it,
In a recent talk on “Surveying the Social Volcano†for CEOs and other opinion leaders at the Inquirer, I presented cross-country data showing Filipinos with: (a) a high score in seeing widespread corruption in the public service; (b) a very low score in seeing elections as honest; (c) a very low score in having personally joined a public demonstration; and (d) a very high score in putting importance to the right of civil disobedience…
…The outstanding finding from this survey of democratic rights is that, whereas we Filipinos, compared to other peoples of the world, care slightly less about a minimum living standard, the rights of minorities, the right to equal treatment, the right to be heard, and the right to participate, at the same time we care much, much more than others do about the right of civil disobedience.
Only four countries have higher scores than the Philippines on the importance of civil disobedience, all from the Eastern bloc: Bulgaria (79), Poland (72), Slovakia (71) and Latvia (65). Russia’s score is 57. Germany’s high score of 52 may be due, said a German visitor, to the national memory of having acquiesced to immoral government policies in Nazi times.
Will the social volcano erupt? In my Inquirer seminar, I said that the eruptions of 1986 and 2001 proved that “the social volcano†can be awakened. During “Juetenggate,†President Erap was (slightly) popular, while then-Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was unpopular for having deserted him. Public opinion on Erap was still divided during the impeachment trial. EDSA People Power II was triggered by the unscripted refusal to open the “second envelope,†which nine out of 10 Metro Manilans saw on live TV. The “Hello Garci†crisis is worse. For three years, President Arroyo has been very unpopular, while her VP has been (relatively) popular.
The ISSP citizenship-survey data suggest that a social explosion would be driven less by the Filipinos’ inclination towards rallies than by their insistence on the right of civil disobedience. The timing of such an explosion, like that of any volcano, is unpredictable.
Therefore, plan for the Black Swan moment! Wuzzat? Read Fear of a Black Swan: Risk guru Nassim Taleb talks about why Wall Street fails to anticipate disaster, which will spare you having to buy the book (but you should, anyway).
Relevant readings are Basic Concepts of Satyagraha: Gandhian Nonviolence and What is Satyagraha? both of which I quoted in my column.
Also, extracts from Letter from a Birmingham Jail, in which Martin Luther King laid out non-violent resistance:
In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: 1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive. 2) Negotiation. 3) Self-purification and 4) Direct action.
Concerning the last, he wrote,
You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, etc.? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are exactly right in your call for negotiation. Indeed, this is the purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word tension. I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. We, therefore, concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue.
He then discusses, at -beautiful- length, the question of the law, the dilemma at the heart of civil disobedience:
One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: There are just and there are unjust laws. I would agree with Saint Augustine that “An unjust law is no law at all.”
Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority, and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. To use the words of Martin Buber, the Jewish philosopher, segregation substitutes and “I-it” relationship for an “I-thou” relationship, and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. So segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, but it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Isn’t segregation an existential expression of man’s tragic separation, an expression of his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? So I can urge men to disobey segregation ordinances because they are morally wrong.
Let us turn to a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself. This is difference made legal. On the other hand a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.
Let me give another explanation. An unjust law is a code inflicted upon a minority which that minority had no part in enacting or creating because they did not have the unhampered right to vote. Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up the segregation laws was democratically elected? Throughout the state of Alabama all types of conniving methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters and there are some counties without a single Negro registered to vote despite the fact that the Negro constitutes a majority of the population. Can any law set up in such a state be considered democratically structured?
And he then says,
…There are some instances when a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit. Now there is nothing wrong with an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade, but when the ordinance is used to preserve segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest, then it becomes unjust.
I hope you can see the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law as the rabid segregationist would do. This would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do it openly, lovingly… and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.
Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks, before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman empire. To a degree academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience.
As did Rizal. And he then says, of those praising the police for their non-violent handling of protesters,
It is true that they have been rather disciplined in their public handling of the demonstrators. In this sense they have been rather publicly “nonviolent”. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation. Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. So I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more so, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. Maybe Mr. Connor and his policemen have been rather publicly nonviolent, as Chief Pritchett was in Albany, Georgia, but they have used the moral means of nonviolence to maintain the immoral end of flagrant racial injustice. T. S. Eliot has said that there is no greater treason than to do the right deed for the wrong reason.
Then what? The problem, it seems to me, is that we have yet to fully comprehend non-violent resistance, because civil disobedience for us consists in thumbing our noses at officials but not pursuing collective action. We will gladly puncture the pretenses of the powerful but in as risk-free a manner as possible; sustained confrontation, on the other hand, we leave to others to pursue.
Including, ironically, institutions.
I didn’t encounter it at the time, but Rep. Teodoro L. Locsin’s advice to the Supreme Court last year, which you can read in Just Do It, is interesting, taking the era of Martin Luther King into account:
IMAGINE a situation where killings and disappearances are taking place. The victims form a distinct and disliked, though by no means unpopular political grouping. In fact, they have the most populist agenda of any other. The victims are not prominent members of their persuasion. They are not even zealous militants or even militants at all. They are mere rank and file; social workers in short. The crimes show a pattern pointing to security agents as the perpetrators. More than a pattern, it is the conclusion of a presidential commission. The authorities are reluctant to investigate the murders and disappearances. More, the authorities are openly dismissive of the problem. Gratuitously, yet with a knowing air, they deny the crimes are taking place. Yet, contradictorily, they blame the crimes they deny are taking place at all on the victims themselves, adding that in a sense the victims have only themselves to blame for adhering to a cause detested by the military. “They are begging for it†is heard from their lips. And yet the Constitution that covers both victims and suspects protects freedom of belief without any distinction; the last distinction having been erased by the repeal of the antisubversion law.
Alabama in the 1960s? No. US President Johnson sent in US marshals to protect the victims and enforce their rights. The hypothetical situation might well be the Philippines today under a government that, out of complicity with or fear of the perpetrators, will do nothing, leaving only a newly elected Congress, already too absorbed in its forthcoming perks to pay back the cost of its recent election, to take any serious notice let alone action. Leaving a Court anxious not to say alarmed but constrained by the passive role to which judicial tradition and the constitutional text confine it.
And he then delves into the problem that arises when the law is in the hands of those unwilling to enforce them:
If we supposedly live under a rule of law but the principal laws are not systematically left unenforced in key cases by those principally charged to enforce them, why have the Supreme Court at all? The Nazi courts are said to have had a near fine record in purely commercial cases, unmarred even by anti-Semitism since all the Jews had already been relocated. These Nazi precedents may still be standing and, if not openly cited, nonetheless consulted for their illumination on commercial and civil laws. Precedents from Japanese Imperial courts are deeply respected. Yet neither society, more vibrant and coherent even than the democratic ones that succeeded them, is yet deemed to have had a genuine rule of law or judicial system.
Strictly speaking, this is not a problem for the passive receptacles of cases, as the Court modestly describes the judicial functionâ€â€when and if, that is, the executive brings them before the courts. But the problem is precisely an executive that sits on its hands and thereby stains them with these crimes. As a result, by the Court’s own initiative, the weakest and least dangerous branch of government must pit itself against the most powerful and lethal; the circumspect power of deliberation against the brazen power of the sword, with the petty power of the purse counting pennies on the side.
To be brutally honest, Congress can have no fruitful role to play in this dilemma, if it were expected simply to craft more new legislation to curb violations of constitutional rights. From where I sit, thickening the thicket of legislation may confer a passing comfort for the small shade that the shrubs may give, but it will not result in the smallest progress in addressing the utter disregard of such legal safeguards as the Constitution and past congresses have already put in place.
The solution, Locsin proposed, was judicial activism:
What seems to be doable is for the judiciary to be quicker and more aggressive in addressing human rights cases even under existing rules where legal standing and actual controversy exist. Give the executive no leeway to tell the families of the victims, “So sue us and see how far that gets you.†A recent Court of Appeals decision shows how far. Or rule quickly and with finalityâ€â€as the Court just did after almost a yearâ€â€on the validity of the arrest and detention of Leftist lawmakers; and use the occasion of its ruling to express in the strongest terms the Court’s uneasiness if not alarm over the human rights situation in the country. There is a limit to circumspection and the Court can, in practical terms, really, do no wrong.
In short, strike down offensive executive actions as fast as they are correctly protestedâ€â€I emphasize the qualifier “correctlyâ€Ââ€â€and the executive will get the message and the citizenry, feeling reassured that effective recourse lies somewhere, will be further emboldened to do what is firstly their responsibility and not the Court’s: stand up for their rights. That will answer the criticism from the groups representing the victims that to protest is to step forward and hang around with a bulls-eye painted on one’s chest.
Besides, if the Court became aggressive, on whom would discredit fall if the Court’s orders are ignoredâ€â€the Court which makes no pretense of power or the executive which willfully neglects to use its power as the Constitution mandates?…
…In this regard, I invite the Court’s attention to the literature on the judicial activism of the Israeli Supreme Court which has established constitutional norms where none existed â€â€such as freedom of expression, press, association and public assembly, as well as equality regardless of Palestinian race and religion; going to the extent, according to a paper by Ariel Bendor, of enforcing good government. Even in cases of national security, the Israel Court has proscribed coercion and torture and the detention of a Muslim community in negotiating the release of Israeli hostages. “The policy of the [Israeli] Supreme Court in the sphere of [legal] standing and justiciability [is] based on giving preference to the rule of law;†i.e., the need to protect and preserve the rule of law itself “as opposed to the institutional interest of the court†to steer clear of political issues that invite retaliation from the political branches of government. “This is because without judicial imposition of the law,†says Bendor, “the law would not be upheld†at all.
Which explains why the Supreme Court being under fire, at present, is pregnant with meaning.
Blog entries I quoted in my column were: The Marocharim Experiment and Brown SEO. See Secondthoughts also.
The solution, Locsin proposed, was judicial activism.
Ugh! The present SC is seen as an Arroyo SC. Is this the SC that we want to be engaged in judicial activism? But alas, President MLQ was correct to observe that the Filipino prefers good government over self-government, and that is what we have to work with for now.
“Personally, I do it by vigorously blowing my horn at every official convoy that crosses my path. Then refusing to give way.”
Oh I really love to do that, the thing is I don’t have a car so I do the usual which is raising the middle finger and pointing it at the car hahaha
Thanks for mentioning my post “Oplan Evil 200″ in your column, I hope with this simple act of disobedience we could open up other avenues for dissent, even if the courts can’t give us our proper due.
Hope to see you guys soon when we get rounded up by the police hahaha
Jesus Christ is quoted to have said the famous line
“Give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God”
The Jews were trying to entrap Jesus in civil disobedience. The first and most simple act of civil disobedience to simply stop paying tax to an unjust government.
Of course Christ has the better of it. He really meant something more radical than the fundamentalists of today understand. This Gospel line has salved the consciences of those who support unjust social structures.
Dorothy Day was able to get its true meaning, the corollary that Jesus meant. “Once you give to God, there is nothing left for Caesar. Everything belongs to God, Everything!.”
So Christ was actually calling for something very radical. Civil disobedience is justified.
“Rule of Law” pala ha. If we want the Law to be the winner, then there should be NO PARDON to cretin mutineers.
As today’s INQ7.net editorialised:
No pardon!!
Thanks for the mention, MLQ3.
Jeg, you call this ‘good government’?
Jeg, you call this ‘good government’?
No, but that is the preference. Notice that Rep. Locsin calls for judicial activism. He calls for the judges to act instead of calling on the people to act, separation of powers be damned. That is I think what MLQ3 is also pointing out — we want the government to be good — when he wrote:
…civil disobedience for us consists in thumbing our noses at officials but not pursuing collective action. We will gladly puncture the pretenses of the powerful but in as risk-free a manner as possible; sustained confrontation, on the other hand, we leave to others to pursue.
Including, ironically, institutions.
Jeg, thanks for the clarification.
Cocoy, wasn’t so happy about the Article…
“Because We Can”
Warning, a lot of Profanity, but it sets us up with a solution calling for a grassroots movement..
Civil Disobedience. Yes. Breaking The Law, sometimes that is suggestive, that is why we need the court to decide whether or not our actions were within the confines.
But sometimes, the government can take that law into their own hands, and everything contrary to their policy seems to be against the law. What then can we do, to respect the law but also to air our grievances? When the law only protects the highest of the highest officials of the land?
Civil Disobedience. Yes. Breaking The Law, sometimes that is subjective, that is why we need the court to decide whether or not our actions were within the confines.
But sometimes, the government can take that law into their own hands, and everything contrary to their policy seems to be against the law. What then can we do, to respect the law but also to air our grievances? When the law only protects the highest of the highest officials of the land?
“Because We Can…”
can’t help mentioning the candid shots of a body spray can from vsmmc operating room. no canned laughter in that video…the cankered minds of those doctors and nurses…what a cantankerous deed. they are sick…really, really sick! they probably cannot escape punishment…
Civil Disobedience is in many ways much more effective than just sitting by the table and talking to a wall. I mean, I do prefer what MLQ3 said in his column (Using my words in what I remember).
“When an official convoy comes along, I use my car horn repeatedly and refuse to give way.”
Honestly, I think its a wake up call more than just rallying. Better we do something rather than be apathetic about what’s happening around us, but at the same time, know the things behind what we are fighting for. (Which I said in my school paper column.) Instead of writing on our own money (Which I think the 200 peso bill was a complete waste of paper), try other methods that are less violent, following what Ghandi or Martin Luther King advocated.
Civil disobedience? I doubt it. With what?
When the population is almost fifty percent below the poverty line, what leverage can they have against the government. Not getting a residence certificate maybe.
With the rice crisis and spiralling food prices, people are concerned with survival. The only form of civil disobedience under these conditions is a revolution.
Civil disobedience. It has come to this point. Why not do it all the way?
“Because We Can…”
A tranquilizer drug, a sleeping pill, for all our headaches!
When we wake up on 2010…VOILA!…sitting there on the throne, gleefully smiling, is the same, to paraphrase Neri and Salceda, “evil bitch”.
Civil disobedience is a limp-d1ck form of classic street fiestas. Looks like the Old Guard (and I mean these aging “militants” and oppositionists) are either lowering the bar or mellowing their approach to extra-constitutional “change”.
When a people are rendered impotent by deprivation of their most basic staples, all they are able to do is whimper instead of shout.
Inability to confront much less a sustained one is just not going to work when you have subservient people in a semi-feudal society.
remember the “Desperate Housewives” thing?
look and think now…
a case of a tube in a tube that has been youtubed:
http://alexskywalker.multiply.com/video/item/111/Cebu_doctors_laughing_over_rectum_operation
the wrong kind of civil disobedience (the kind that gandhi, king, mandela and rizal did not advocate) is a breath away from anarchy, if not one already. this is the virulent form of disobedience that the most rabid gma critics are longing to see. fortunately, the majority of the people is not buying despite the non-stop rabble-rousing by a very noisy , persistent and militant minority.
Stop deceiving yourselves (and others) that you can validate your existence by mere words or ideas. We are validated by what we actually do. Some are just couch potato variants (arm chair athletes, warriors) who are really weaklings or worst – cowards, hiding in a dark corner somewhere living a fantasy that they have vertebra.
Reminds me of four-eyed geeks we used to terrorize in school…given access to a a pc they would like to believe they are anything but…but reality matters, after leisurely posting a comment, what then? Still the same nobodies but at least for a brief moment they felt alive, noticed…
Shame on you, existing only to take, never to give, like the proverbial parasite…
So I see you have graduated from bronchodilator inhalers to sildenafil citrate? What? Insulin shots too?
To every student of history this is no black swan moment. The final commoditization, monetization and capitalization of the global commons brings the world to the reality of global class war. Who cares if Mexicans cannot afford to pay for their tortillas? Suck it up and look for substitutes. Same goes for the Phils. We made our own bed so we have to sleep on it. We can always buy our stuff from SM or Robinsons.
The province of Bohol does not want to ship their surplus rice to Albay. The governor there is telling Salceda in so many words, let your people eat soemthing else…. in a nice way. They also caught some Chinese people in Norther Luzon buying palay for export to the PRC. The price gap is huge so why not? Every man for himself.
In a case where ideological beliefs in the benefits of unemcumbered and free wheeling markets hold true, Mr. Market will always overshoot since there are no limits for notional valuations. Greenspan is one such animal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/business/18subprime.html_r=1&scp=1&sq=Critics+on+the+fed+of+subprime&st=nyt&oref=slogin
“Edward M. Gramlich, a Federal Reserve governor who died in September, warned nearly seven years ago that a fast-growing new breed of lenders was luring many people into risky mortgages they could not afford.
But when Mr. Gramlich privately urged Fed examiners to investigate mortgage lenders affiliated with national banks, he was rebuffed by Alan Greenspan, the Fed chairman.”
“In 2001, a senior Treasury official, Sheila C. Bair, tried to persuade subprime lenders to adopt a code of “best practices†and to let outside monitors verify their compliance. None of the lenders would agree to the monitors, and many rejected the code itself. Even those who did adopt those practices, Ms. Bair recalled recently, soon let them slip.”
GMA reigns only as long as she can keep the Alpha males/females sedated (or tied up). So we see a ruling class of squirts at the moment? Big deal. How long can it last? As long as the money flows?
Everything has to end somewhere…and these propped up bloodhounds ie Gonzales et al (to include those who swore allegiance to uncle Sam) will be exposed for who they really are – sick old men living on borrowed, no BOUGHT power…
More on the Black Swan moment. Last night there was this so expert on Carandangs show, Abola. He said that there should not be any probelm in oil supply since Saudi Arabia has an extra capacity of over 1M barrels a day. In a world that is now consuming 80 billion barrels a day that is really very comforting to know that. The safety gap is really very reassuring since large part of the worlds oil has to be sucked out and traverse some of the most inhospitable areas of the world due to natural and man made causes.
The U.S., China and nopw even India is enlarging their startegic reserves of oil as a hedge. Do you guys think we could trade perky Princess Lulli and get her engaged and wed to some Arab sheik in Saudi Arabia? Maybe we could simply merge tht two kingdoms. I know of two prominent pinoys who turned Muslims so they could have more than one wife who could probably broker the deal.
One thing that speculators can smell better like all predators is weakness. Long term supply weakness for so many reasons are now coming out and the lag time to ramp up additional supplies to have enough reserves as a buffer will take time. That weakness is now migrating to all basic commodites since they all depend on the carbon based industrial economy where potential shortages are bound to happen. Add to this equation the different qualties of crude and the mismatch in refining capacity. Light sweet to heavy stuff. Oh what happened to Mesopotamia?
Why so many people not using both sides of brain.
Civil disobedience against corrupt and despotic govts (Arroyo’s in in league with them) is a right that concerned citizens can always exercise and wage. It doesn’t matter if only a minority will practice it, the economic effect could be crippling nonetheless. Imagine if 5-10% of those in the upper class decide not to pay their taxes, or only do so half-heartedly. This is more effective than, say, half or more of the poor people doing the same. Carried out, it will be a serious drain in the national treasury; it sends the govt to the brink of economic failure.
There are many ways people can wage civil disobedience. A noise barrage, like what the 30 Ateneo students recently did, would have a more telling effect if, for example, a fifth of the city population nationwide decide to do it for 10 minutes a day, for several weeks or months, while raising some critical issues they would like addressed.
Certainly, there will be a counter-noise created by a handful of rabid Arroyo loyalists, bloggers, and propagandists financed by Malacanan. But they won’t be of any significance in Arroyo’s constantly sagging image as the worst president the country has ever had. They can be equally or more vociferous, but nobody wants to hear them except the few who salivate for more power and money.
Two of the requirements for civil disobedience to be successful are : (a) a mass of people (more than one, more than twenty, more than fifty) to do the acts of disobedience that run them the risk of getting jailed, hosed down, tear gassed; (b) a leader.
The third requirement — persistence / tenacity “against the odds”.
———-
Judicial activism was done in the USA by the Federal Government (i.e. Executive Department) using the courts to overrule States’ Rights.
Third requirement — tenacity / persistence against apathy and antipathy. Gotta have money, too.
Side topic: the new pope sends more signals on “democracy” in the Catholic Church….
——-
WASHINGTON – For 46,000 Catholics, it was a Mass like no other, with the altar standing on centerfield at a ballpark and the presiding clergyman arriving in a bulletproof vehicle.
But Pope Benedict XVI’s Mass in the nation’s capital Thursday was also different from a typical service in another way: Lay people were not asked to distribute Communion, which was administered exclusively by 300 priests and deacons.
Organizers of the Mass at Nationals Park were only following the letter of church law. But to some Roman Catholics, the ceremony was symbolic of what they see as Benedict’s desire to erect clear boundaries between clergy and lay people.
“What he wants to do really is to reinforce the old categories and classifications  different roles for different people,” said David Gibson, author of books on Benedict and the future of the U.S. church.
“Men and women, priests and lay people. Each one has their role according to their talents, their ordained status in the church.”
The clear division of roles doesn’t sit well with all American Catholics, who are used to living in a democracy. Some would like a greater say in church affairs, including choosing their parish priests. Others cherish the distinct roles held by clergy and point to several examples of the two working together in harmony.
For example, the Vatican has issued a document reaffirming that only priests and deacons can touch and clean the chalice after Mass, something many lay people have done.
Sir, bat wala pa po blog ko sa links moh?? nag email na ako sayo matagal nah.. pls add me to your link list sir. I Already added you nah. Thanks So Much Sir!
heres mine: http://didyouknow.blogsome.com/
Civil disobedience.
Yeah right.
Sabay pila naman for NFA rice.
Two words:
nignas cogon
Kawawang Pinoy.
-
1. Switch channels when you see Gloria, Mike, Iggy, Datu, and Mikey Arroyo on the TV screen. Likewise when you see Raul and Norberto Gonzales, Ignacio Bunye, Anthony Golez, Lorelie Fajardo, Ricardo Saludo, Cerge Remonde, Edsel Lagman, Luis Villafuerte, and Hermogenes Esperon.
2. Do not buy any newspaper with the photo or headlined name of any of the above on the frontpage. The same goes for any magazine with any of them on the cover.
3. Do not invite any of the above as speaker in your activity nor ask him/her for a message in your souvenir program or printed ad. Likewise for any local politican who is a Gloria Arroyo chihuahua.
4. Do not go to any gathering where any of the above will be present. That includes the mass. (Go to another church.)
5. Do not ask a local Gloria Arroyo chihuahua to be a godparent or wedding sponsor.
et cetera …
@UP n,
Gad, that pope benedict is so pre-Vatican 2.
Leche, and we had to read the entire two volumes pa naman in high school only to learn that pope b is reverting to the old ways. Magtayo nalang kaya siya ng sarili niyang religion
Il Papa was one of the liberals during Vatican II. He worked for the more ‘liberal’ reforms in it, including the Novus Ordo mass (although the old mass still has a special place in his heart). If anything, he’s going back to Vatican II.
I remember in an interview when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, he laughed at his identification as a conservative despite his liberal position in Vatican II. He said something like, “Ive never changed my position for 40 years. It’s just that the church has moved so far to the left that Im seen as a conservative in comparison.”
@Benigno
About the NFA rice thing, even though we hold our own protests, we still have to eat. It’s made by the farmers who do an honest day’s living, not by Gloria and Crew, who do the opposite.
@aurum
“5. Do not ask a local Gloria Arroyo chihuahua to be a godparent or wedding sponsor.”
So ironic how most people don’t do this one and curse the ‘president’ to the depths of the abyss. They’re still recieving dirty money. Better note that particular one with a highlighter.
@UPn
Honestly, a sacred host is supposed to be touched by a deacon or priest, not by a lay person. It’s not being anti-democratic, its specifying that everyone has a specific function that they should handle, not overstepping the jobs of others. It’s like asking a farmer to design an entire American football stadium.
Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical violence.
Aren’t we experts on this?
How many really pay taxes?
How many follow the traffic rules?
aurum’s civil disobedience examples are so lame. If you want government officials to get the message give it to them yourself. Go where they go and question them at every opportunity. I once did that to De Venecia when GMA was a given some kind of honorary degree at Fordham. He made the mistake of shaking my hand and I started asking questions and wouldn’t let go of his hand. The guy couldn’t do anything. Secret service guys concentrated on GMA. I only let go when he said he needs to go to the restroom. Lame excuse but I already made my point.
Cindy Sheehan shows some of the ways of running a civil disobedience campaign, among others. [Cindy Sheehan is an American anti-war activist, whose son, Casey, was killed during his service in the Iraq War on April 4, 2004. Sheehan is one of the nine founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization created in January 2005 that seeks to end the U.S. presence in Iraq and provide support for families of fallen soldiers. She has spoken publicly against the Iraq war and occupation since 2004, and pledged not to pay her 2004 taxes.] She first gathered media attention August 6, 2005 when Sheehan created a makeshift camp in a ditch by the side of the road about three miles from George W. Bush’s ranch near Crawford, Texas and announced her intention to stay (sleeping in a pup tent at night) until she is granted a face-to-face meeting with the President. Sheehan started her protest the day the President started a planned five-week vacation. A few days later, the media began referring to Sheehan’s camp as “Camp Casey.” She also announced the Bring Them Home Now Tour, to depart on September 1 and arrive in Washington, D.C., on September 24 for three days of demonstrations. On the third day, Sheehan and about 370 other anti-war activists were arrested for demonstrating on the White House sidewalk.
On January 31, 2006 Sheehan wore a T-shirt reading “2,245 Dead. How many more?” to Bush’s State of the Union address and was removed and arrested by Capitol Police.
On March 7, 2006 Sheehan was arrested in New York “after blocking the door to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. offices” during a protest with Iraqi women against the war.
In May, 2007, Cindy Sheehan ended her involvement in anti-war activism and her messages included the following sentences:
–I am going to take whatever I have left and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost.
–This is my resignation letter as the “face” of the American anti-war movement…. I am finished working in, or outside of this system…. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources.
–Good-bye America … you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can’t make you be that country unless you want it.
August 2007, Sheehan announced that she was going to run as an independent for Congress against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She officially opened her campaign headquarters in San Francisco on December 8, 2007.
————-
Maybe Cindy Sheen gets into the US Congress.
Martin Luther King did not.
@ UP n student
I guess such forceful, yet solitary, civil disobedience acts are possible in the United States, where rights are guaranteed after one’s arrest.
In our country, mahirap na. Baka mag-over-react and mga police and security people, madale ka pa.
abs-cbn, the de facto erap propaganda network, is back to its old sordid business again. hardly a day (or night) passes without it’s news readers, in triumphant voice tones, reporting on erap’s obviously politicking activity, as though nothing had happened. the not-too-subtle manipulation of the undiscerning multitude is in full swing. examples: (1) the rehash and replaying of his old movies depicting him as a brave, honest, sincere, anti-crime superhero, or as a crusading politician (senator) fighting corruption; (2) making public speeches – a la miting de avance – that would put to shame a front-runner in a presidential campaign; (3) giving one-on-one interviews spouting his one-cent worth demagogic theory on how the administration is solely to blame for the rising price of rice, gas and other commodities; (4) doling out bags of rice and hotdogs to the poor of tondo under coverage of the fawning t.v. and other media outlets.
altogether, i think erap is getting more coverage and attention (however asinine the occasion or statement given by him), than the official doings of the incumbent president. his birthday was in the news like it was of any significance to the country. now, his family is preparing for a “grand” wedding of his son jude, a guy who, i don’t think, has any visible means of support. it’s hard to believe what erap is doing does not cost wads and wads of dough. the source seems to be inexhaustible, despite the plunder conviction. i think the tax men should take note seriously and act accordingly.
Bencard si Erap ay Beneficiary sa lahat na katiwalian at dysfunctions nang pamahala-an sa atin. Kung tutu-usin dapat nasa Munti siya hanggang buhay..sin-o ang nag-Pardon sa Kanya?? si GMA nasa Puwesto, dahil sa tulong nang manga Opisyales nang Militar at Interpretation nang Korte Suprema, at siya ay Beneficiary rin nang Katiwalian nang pamahala sa atin. Marami sila, kaya huwag kang mabahala, alam ni Erap yan, alam ni GMA yan, Alam nang Bawat isa sa kanila yan, alam nang halos lahat yan..
Side-topic: Is :”Mexico (see below)” now happening in Pinas regarding OFW remittances?
—-
LO DE LUNA, Mexico — The effects of the subprime mortgage crisis and the downturn in the U.S. economy have cascaded into Mexico, causing a sudden, precipitous drop in the flow of money sent home by Mexican immigrants….
In January, the remittances sagged almost 7 percent compared with a year earlier, the steepest monthly dip in at least 13 years, according to Mexican government statistics. Economists here believe the decline in remittances is already pushing thousands into extreme poverty
…
Hit with particular ferocity are small villages that have been virtually abandoned by all but the elderly parents of migrants. In the Zacatecan village of Lo de Luna, a collection of crudely built brick homes six miles from the nearest paved road, seniors such asErnesto Hernández have been left nearly destitute.
benign0 :
Aling Bening este Benighted,
“Two words:
nignas cogon
Kawawang Pinoy.”
That’s the obvious and easy cowardly part where no genius is required to see society’s ills…… GMA and her apologist must love you for this. Well since you feel so superior above the rest of the “ningas cogon kawawang Pinoy” do you have any clue how to make them as “superior” as you capable of leading a confrontational sustained civil disobedience? Or are you content at deluding yourself to be “superior” above the rest of the “kawawang Pinoy” taunting them like a brat?
‘I guess such forceful, yet solitary, civil disobedience acts are possible in the United States, where rights are guaranteed after one’s arrest.’
Since when were rights not guaranteed after an arrest in the Philippines?
Mang Kiko:
Pareho lang sila ni Erap na tiwali. Dapat sa kanilang dalawa ay magsama sa kulungan, di ba?
upn student, fortunately, unlike mexico, pinoy ofw remittances are coming from places all over the world other than the u.s. our euro-earning foreign workers, for one, must be remitting more than they used to. mexican migrants’ main, if not exclusive, destination is the u.s.
“Since when were rights not guaranteed after an arrest in the Philippines?”
On paper, yes if you have the money. If your poor, you’re guilty unless proven innocent. Now, if you’re the fall guy, better be prepared to rot in jail.
Everybody knows that lawyers are trained to pay off the judges not to defend the case.
C’mon I know you’re aware of this.
As a matter of fact, I do!
Check it out here:
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/solution/
It’s simple, really.
That’s right. This civil disobedience is all about the freedom to do so, right?
Well, then prices rise because THEY CAN.
That’s called a free market economy. There’s that ‘f’ word again. Free.
Pinoys wanna be free, but can’t seem to fathom what this freedom ENTAILS.
There it is, coming back to bite.
Just like Erap is the product of the Pinoy free ballot, expensive rice is the product of Pinoy easy-way-out approaches to development.
Pasensyahan na lang.
to Maginoo: Maybe civil disobedience in the style of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King only works against Americans and the Brits… and the Israelis. Being fearful of overreaction by Filipino police and/or army personnel (and an unsupportive or a cowered population) may still be appropriate for the current times.
The movement to support the Disappeared somehow seems to be on unstable ground in Colombia or Venezuela. I have not heard any nonconfrontational movement clamoring for “gay rights or internet access or freedom-to-travel” in Cuba.
And I can not imagine a nonconfrontational Buddhist or Roman Catholic clamoring for freedom-of-religion surviving in the streets of Baghdad nor Riyadh nor Syria. I can’t imagine a gay-rights activist surviving in those same cities, either (nor even in Nepal).
Practically all countries have signed one document or another to affirm their commitment to the universal rights specified by the United Nations, but FITNA does speak of large chunks of this world where Mohatma Gandhi-civil disobedience is not exactly a wise thing to do. And apparently, dissidents in Russia do run the risk of getting labeled crazy, then being shipped off to an insane asylum. It is a crazy world; one would understand why Abe wants life in US-of-A and Benign0 happy where he is right now.
benign0 :
do you have any clue how to make them as “superior†as you capable of leading a confrontational sustained civil disobedience? – Pedestrian
As a matter of fact, I do!
Go ahead and delude yourself Bening…….. the question is still HOW? And the question is on sustained civil disobedience not your solutioneering delusion. Granted that we jump to your solution which is really not the topic of discussion in this entry, how will you make it work? By taunting and being a brat?
“do you have any clue how to make them as “superior†as you capable of leading a confrontational sustained civil disobedience? – Pedestrian”
“As a matter of fact, I do!”
Ah the secret of success – Industrial Capitalism –
Next question for our ‘uber’ economist and other experts..
How does our ‘uber’ economist pump prime a carabao based agricultural economy? Do we put it on steroids?
The DILG will order provinces not to stop the domestic exportation of their surplus food within the domestic market. Can our DILG chief go to the U.N and request them to order Vietnam, China and India not to impede the export of their surplus foodstuffs?
How do you move a native Indio society from a semi-fedual; semi-colonial social format. Freedom for most of pinoys is simply food on the table. The abstracts of civil and political rights are meaningless. However tell them to eat camote and see what happens…..
Why does’nt the government follow the advice of some financial experts and simply follow the price dictated by a frenzied “free market”
When our ‘uber economist was intent on running for President in 2004 she ordered NAPOCOR not to pass on the losses to the customers in higher prices. She allowed them to do it only after her Garci tainted election.
Now she will have the carte blanch of importing rice from the grey market -the opaque market between the spot market and the government controlled contract price of the Asian exporting countries. The greyness will insure the best deal for all concerned. The Pinoy taxpayer won’t know the difference anyway as he is paying for it.
Great system.
How soon people forget—- Gandhi and King were not fighting an abstract battle – One was fighting a physical colonizer and the other was fighting a different form/character of slavery..
Gandhi used the British salt monopoly to break the back of the British hold on the economy as salt is a vital preservative for food. Why should salt from Indian waters be controlled by a foreigner? Everyone must have access to it and you can make it yourself. It crossed class lines.
King’s admonition to the American government that the blank check that every individual has black, white, jew and gentile to that principle of self evident truths of equality. He was killed in Memphis after leading the garbagemen in the city in a struggle for equal and just wages. His slogan for them was simple – I am a human being. The right to a decent wage to afford to live like one and not a slave.
The oppression is physically felt.
Here in the Pinas the fraud of political autonomy without economic autonomy was sold on the pinoys who did not quite understand the meaing of freedom. They wanted a freedom while tied to Uncle Sam’s apron strings.
Unlce Sam’s terms have been stringent and strict. Do what we tell you to do and not what we do.
Yan ang daming naging Kanutos. Without individual economic autonomy one does not have political freedom. So if the almost absolute majority have no economic autonomy then there is really no political freedom in this country. Every political institution is not governed by a common good but personal or familial interest.
The Philippines is still steeped in a colonial mindset that separates the top from the Indios. This country needs a warrior with a Rizalist bent to straddle the parallel universe that is Las Islas Filipinas.
The U.S. is still struggling to come to terms with it problem with racism. The Philippines is still struggling to come to terms with its problems dividing the colonialists from the Indios. Also a subtle form of racism. Between the psuedo Spaniards and the Kanutos we are screwed.
Hi Manolo,
Finally back from a retreat … missed this blog
Me? A brat? I get the feeling that you don’t like me, dude.
Typical indeed. You ask me what my solution is, I show it, and then I get called a brat.
And besides, I am in fact on topic in this thread (compared to you, Mr. “Pedestrian” who has resorted to attacking the messenger instead).
My original assertion is this:
Civil disobedience nga ba? Sabay pila for NFA rice.
Trouble with Pinoy is our bark is worse than our bite.
Para ngang aso kung baga.
Matangkad lang kapag naka-upo.
-
One can only imagine when there is little or no NFA rice on stock anymore.
Hmmm that would make a good study on the tolerance and capacity for forgiveness of the Filipino.
Benign0 (at 7:21am), as we’ve already established last December…
http://www.quezon.ph/1618/wrangling-over-public-opinion/#comment-665464
…the chart depicting the theory underlying your definition of the problem as you define it (aka the ‘Context of [your] Solution’) does not have a solid empirical basis and was pulled out of your ass.
At large enough numbers, it also worked in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics. It also worked in Iran which paved the way for the return of Khomeini from exile. In South Korea, the sacrifice of the demonstrators in Kwangju resulted in the jailing of the Dicator Choon Doo Hwan.
We should also note that both Gandhi and King ended up getting shot.
For reference, here’s a useful [partial] chronicle of People Power actions in history – successful, unsuccessful including those that turned violent:
/www.restyo.blogspot.com/2007/10/timelinepeople-power-revolts.html
Corrected link:
http://www.restyo.blogspot.com/2007/10/timelinepeople-power-revolts.html
That’s because, dude, that chart was intended to illustrate a concept.
I also cited an example of your style of thinking which goes something like this:
We can assert that a ball bearing is a sphere, but then some cretin could argue that when examined using an electron microscope, a ball bearing’s surface is made irregular by its atomic or molecular composition, therefore its radius varies along its surface and thus isn’t really a true sphere.
Those who take a broad view see the smooth sphere. Those who take a small view see the jagged surface.
It depends on the breadth (or SMALLNESS) of one’s perspective, dude.
-
“Pareho lang sila ni Erap na tiwali. Dapat sa kanilang dalawa ay magsama sa kulungan, di ba?”
Ano? ilagay natin si gloria sa kulungan? gusto ba ninyong umiyak na naman si esperon?
“It depends on the breadth (or SMALLNESS) of one’s perspective, dude.”
That’s why the clever man see the trunk of the elephant through a microscope and say, “Oh, that was quite a tree!”
The report should have included another reason for the fall of the remittances from these immigrants.
The states are now strict with illegal immigrants particularly those who cross the borders that there was on e school in Arizona which lost 80 per cent of their Hispanic studentry because the families have to move.
Employers are being fined with a hefty sum if they hire illegals.
Raids are done not only in the workplace but also residential communities.
Apartments are abandoned. Hispanic stores that cater to these people are also losing business.
These people have difficulty finding jobs.
So what money can they send to their families?
Have you checked what civil disobedience mean?
For someone who’s named Maginoo, isn’t it ironic that you are advocating for revolution?
As if revolution is just a walk in the park. DUH!
“People rigorous in erudition should easily recognize nuance and subtlety.” – Maginoo
To be more precise, the chart was intended to illustrate a concept that was pulled out of your ass.
cvj, if benignO could pull a sensible chart like that “out of (his) ass”, think what he could pull out of his brain?
Hmm, I wonder what … spare me, it was a rhetorical question.
bert, papano magiging pareho si erap at si gma? di ba CONVICTED plunderer si erap. si gma, puro akusasyon lang ng mga gustong pumalit sa kanya para sila naman ang magpasasa,
at ang kanilang mga mahinang-ulong alipures.
sa tingin ko, hindi naman puedeng ikulong ang hindi napatunayang nagkasala. ano ka, komunista o anarkista?
Bencard, i’m curious as well as it remains to be seen.
“everybody knows that lawyers are trained to pay off the judges not to defend a case.” maginoo.
that exemplifies the kind of moronic thinking that usually emanates from a vacuous filipino mind that most foreigners love to make fun of. first, it presupposes that it requires “training” to bribe; second that all lawyers and judges are bribe-givers and bribe-takers, respectively; third, that the role of all lawyers is to “defend a case” only; and fourth, that EVERYBODY, idiots and wise men alike, KNOWS all of the above as true. piteous!
“bert, papano magiging pareho si erap at si gma? di ba CONVICTED plunderer si erap. si gma, puro akusasyon lang ng mga gustong pumalit sa kanya para sila naman ang magpasasa,
at ang kanilang mga mahinang-ulong alipures.
sa tingin ko, hindi naman puedeng ikulong ang hindi napatunayang nagkasala. ano ka, komunista o anarkista?”-Bencard
hehehe, ito ang kinatatakutan kong mga akusasyon, nangyari na nga. Bencard, patawarin mo naman ako, pero, basahin mo muna ang joke ni hawaiianguy sa thread na ito, 2:11am, para naman maunawaan mo ang aking kalagayan.
kasi, wala akong matandaan na sinabing ganyan.
insecure ka ba, o’ defensive? sayang naman, nagagalingan pa naman ako sa’yo.
Its not my fault if idiots cannot fathom idioms. Nor is it my sin if some people take everything literal.
sorry bert. ikaw kasi, hindi mo nilagyan ng attribution ang quote mo. wala kasi akong masiadong ganang magbasa o mag-react sa mga ellentordesillias-type inanities. para sa akin, wala akong mapapalang binipisio. pero sa tingin ko, hindi nagbibiro yong sumulat no’n.
idioms are not the same as idiots. idioms are not necessarily idiotic. one must be held to what he says unequivocally, not to secret meanings he claims when shown the folly of his statement. we are not writing poetry here.
Ha ha. Benig0 is a master of the English language: “Wantist,” “Contentist.” Nice.
idiots do not categorize revolution under civil disobdience.
even idiomatically speaking. it is still idiotically speaking. duh
“ano ka, komunista o anarkista?â€Â-Bencard
nanginginig na tumbong ko, Bencard, palagay ko namumuro na akong ma-Jonas Burgos.
kaya lang, kapag nangyari ang joke ni hawaiianguy, baka hindi lang si esperon ang iiyak.
I’m now convinced that even PhD’s cannot get a simple meaning.
@ Bencard, Benign0, and Ca T
Better for you guys to empower yourselves in your adopted countries. Let us who remained behind solve the problems here.
CROSS-BORDER CULTURE
TheStar.com | News | The dark underside of Oprah’s Big Give
The dark underside of Oprah’s Big Give
Generous? No doubt. But the mogul’s approach only underscores a shameful story on social infrastructure
Apr 19, 2008 04:30 AM Linda Diebel
National Affairs Writer
Very interesting article written by a one who has seen both sides of the cultures and has written extensively on the subject.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/416086
taxes in the U.S. that was ommitted in the quote is 25.9 per cent of the GDP..sorry for the ommission…
bening,
as pointed out by cvj your solutioneering crap was indeed pulled off your ass….. nah, liking or disliking you is not relevant here…. i did not ask you for your “solution” my point being is you are a coward who would rather taunt and belittle people because it is the safest route and hoping to get noticed “lovingly” by La Gloria and her apologist…… indeed a brat i should say, a coward one at that who would pounce on the exploited people rather than those responsible for the muck they sank the people in.
And your solution is …revolution. duh.
it appears that the appalling video was already uploaded in february 2008.
this multiplydotcom site was noted in my blog search of the topic:
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=c%2Fo+vicente+sotto+memorial+medical+center+-+operating+room+%3Ap&btnG=Search+Blogs
apparently the blog was unnoticed for some time. the whole blog was taken down by the owner but as it is the case when data is uploaded in the public domain (the world wide web), these data may linger on:
http://www.google.com.ph/search?q=princesscharlene.multiply.com/&hl=en&filter=0
looking into the cached profile of the site, the blogger is a nurse from cebu…
divulge identities? the blogger already released hers. it may be possible that she didn’t take the video but she got hold of it way too early when the brouhaha erupted.
uploading content information (e.g., literary works, photos, movies, etc.) to the ineternet could be dangerous…and definitely, blogging too could break (or make) someone…
When looking for solutions, get your hands dirty, go to where the actual problem is. Be with the poor, the exploited, the victims and the forgotten who are only remembered during election time. Be there and live with them. Eat what they eat, drink what they drink, sleep where the sleep, and work their work. After a week I’m certain some here who haughtily dismiss the alleged stupidities of the “ignorant poor” would realize it is not all that easy-dandy after all.
If you really truly want to help, including those who stay abroad and goes for a vacation here in the Philippines, immerse yourself with the people in the slums preferably those who live along the garbage strewn disease filled esteros, be with them at least for several weeks and experience the limitations that they suffer. After this, THEN offer a solution.
I advise these especially to people who never had to experience falling in line for some kilograms of NFA rice, never have to use a candle each and every night to light their home, have to fetch water from a communal faucet, have to budget P 50 for a family’s daily meal and to people insulated from the actual events outside the comforts of their own home.
After this experience, you would then also realize why there is an incredible disgust for people doing and covering up corruption amounting to Billions; and why there is an even greater disgust of people apologizing for the brazenly corrupt and manipulate the law; and moreso for those who engineer corrupting Philippine governance and society, from the PNP, the AFP, Congress, the Executive and recently key individuals in the very Supreme Court itself.
Careful careful, dude.
You never know…
One day the Philippines may be dependent on food donations from the First World.
And by the way, how much of the Philippine economy is dependent on remittances nga ba…?
-
Tsk tsk. Now it’s a speculation on my partisan aspirations.
Real classy indeed.
And, yes, maybe I get my rocks off at the expense of the “exploited people”. Kawawa nga naman talaga sila (snicker).
But who isn’t anyway?
Tell that to all your friends who pay their maids a pittance to be on call 24/7 and given a wooden bunk or some floor space in a mosquito-infested storeroom for lodging.
-
kabayan, are you practicing what you preach? if so, have you come up with a solution? whatever that is, i bet it’s not making any dent. we still have the same “brazenly corrupt” politicians like erap, et al. lording it over philippine politics and hugging the headlines for doling out small bags of rice to the people in the slums you were talking about.
we may be outside the country but we are not out of touch. we are filipinos too, and no one can take our birthright away from us. i’m not sure where you’re coming from or where you are at the moment, but as for us here, we see the picture better from a distance and call it as we see it. it seems you have a problem detecting the elephant in your own house.
poverty is everywhere. we have that here too. remember the saying: God must really love the poor that he made so many of them. there’s no silver bullet to eradicate this human condition. in the final analysis, it’s all up to the individual to lift himself by his own bootstrap. there’s no point blaming everybody else.
Kabayan: You are making it unnecessary hard for those overseas who want to be of help to poor Filipinos when you ask them to first “… experience falling in line for some kilograms of NFA rice…. use a candle each and every night to light their home… fetch water from a communal faucet”.
UnivPhilippines-Diliman — even Ateneo de Naga and Ateneo de Manila — provide a simpler venue for those who want to help. Contribute to scholarship funds. Being on a guilt trip is not necessary. And these institutions will not only provide the accounting paperwork, they will even say “thank you”.
Yes I practice what I preach Bencard.
Reminds me of someone who replied to God “Am I my brothers keeper?”. You don’t have a birthright if you turn a blind eye to fellow Filipinos in need.
So you see better from afar than those in the actual situation eh? I’m sure hordes of armchair generals would agree with you. A lot of their dead soldiers and their families wouldn’t agree though.
You think that the poor do not try to lift themselves from their own bootstraps? They do but it is not enough.
Perhaps those part of and covering up the Fertilizer Fund scam (among others) would also agree with you, after all they also lifted themselves by their own bootstraps, only at the expense of those who really need these things.
For the most part God did not make the poor. It is society and its twisted mores that is largely responsible for mismanagement thus the large number of poor.
In the final analysis, it is up to those who can help to help; and to watch those who are given positions of responsibility and remove those who cannot be trusted.
Again to those insulated of the plight of the poor and enjoy the comforts of their home, before anything, experience their situation and decide from there.
Not a question of guilt trip UPn Student, Social Immersion is simply a tool for better understanding of social conditions and how it could be properly improved. I am certain some of those abroad have vacations in the Philippines. It could be an opportunity for them to learn the gravity of the situation and how it takes so little to improve the lives of many.
The scholarship fund you mentioned is also an excellent venue for improving the lot of our kababayans. Social Immersion would only serve to increase the commitment of those who already are giving scholarships and other public charities. It is not separate, and in fact it enhances the good works some of the more generous kababayans are doing.
There are a lot of reputable NGOs out there who does this, and they would feel a great fulfillment once they see a once rundown community become vibrant and happy again.
kabayan, by what you say, i suppose you help EVERY filipino in need. and what kind of help is that? a bag of rice every now and then with some instant noodles on a good day? how many “poor” pinoys’ lives have you transformed out of poverty? as to your skewered analogy, we are not “generals” and our “poor” countrymen are not our soldiers. we also have nothing to do with their misfortunes, nor are we directly responsible for them. we do care but we are no miracle workers who can take them out of their miseries. if good intentions can do it, then there will be no more poverty left in the world.
the poor comprises the bulk of society, at least, in the philippines. realistically, they wield the dominant share of political power, e.g., the election of erap. the key is for them to learn to use that power – wisely!
Any moron can give dole outs to the “poor”.
Ask Erap.
-
Bencard,
You only help who you can. It is not a question of how many people I helped Bencard, what is important is the attitude to be developed in such activity and the learning you get from it and the learning the poor get from you. Then you synergize to reach a certain goal.
If each and every Filipino develops this habit then poverty will be greatly reduced.
The analogy is not skewered. Change “generals” with government officials and change the “soldiers” into the general populace. Current administration has set up a mechanism wherein they are not accountable for their actions, the people then get buried in additional misery. Cover ups of corrupt activities run into the billions. Allocation for the development of communities in need are filched, among a few the P 5 billion peso allocation for the development of Jatropha for fuel, the hundreds of millions in countryside development, the more spectacular of this is the Fertilizer scam. The attempt to lease out one to 2 million hectares of Philippine agricultural land to a Chinese firm under vague terms. By covering up and being an apologist for these people one can already be directly responsible for the miserable plight of these people.
It is not a question of miracle workers, it is a question of removing those the dead weight corrupt abusive and greedy people in positions of power. It is not a question of good intentions, it is a question of good deeds.
The poor compromise the bulk of society and false social mores and the “kanya-kanya” attitude or worse the “kanya-kanyang kurakot” attitude is responsible for the growing bulk of this poor. Now the poor grew and happen to like Estrada for whatever reason it is? Whose fault is it? Do you think if the system is such that the majority of people will be in the middle class, do you think Estrada would garner the same support?
The corrupt elitists in society wants to have it all, illegally procured power, wealth and fame but when the tide turns and the majority of the population whom they mismanaged turns against them, they complain and start paying off or colluding with key generals, and more recently installing unconscionable people in the Supreme Court.
If Estrada did a crime, no problem, he should be in jail. If Gloria and Mike did a crime, they too should be in jail. If people in Congress and in the Supreme court covers up crimes, then what they do is a crime, so therefore they too should be in jail. By the way, why is Estrada not in jail? Because Gloria released him thats why. Why is Gloria not under investigation? Because the Congressmen covers up for them. Why is the nation in this sh*t right now? Its because of all of the above.
Ask a moron who wouldn’t lift a finger to help the poor but would use all fingers to type in a computer criticizing the situation of the needy while not being even there to see and analyze their plight … I do not need to extrapolate.
Benigno,
In your article you claimed that “We have a cultural character not compatible with the Western model for development — a non-migrant culture that is indigenous to a tropical habitat rich in natural resources and arable land. Ergo:”
And you proceeded to enumerate 4 points:
1) “weak predisposition to control the environment (we are in Homo Sapiens’ natural habitat and can survive naked without artificial aid).”
-Given that we try to irrigate our farm lands (though somewhere in this blog; there is supposed to be an idea that our irrigation facilities are left to decay or something);
-there is an issue of use of fertilizer(though embroiled presently in a supposed scam);
-we have been known to carve out hill or mountainsides to produce rice terraces;
such tends to belie your claim that we have a weak predisposition to control environment. Or are you referring this weakness to the government?
2) “no culture of saving and accumulating surpluses for the winter (our climate stays the same all year round).”
-Given that we used to export rice and are still able to provide more than half of our needs; it seems we do have such a culture whether there be winter or there be not.
-Admittedly that our country is not large enough or dispersed enough to straddle more than one climate zone (which you seem to have admitted to be “tropical” in nature); how many countries the size of ours from around the world have a climate that don’t stay the same all year round?
3) “no value placed on large-scale interdependencies and co-existence (tribal units are enough to sustain hunter-gatherer or subsistence economies).”
-The fact that we trade with other countries doesn’t seem to support this assertion.
-The large value that was placed in being able to import rice from other countries seems to be failing us now.
4) “beholdenness to personalities rather than institutions (tribal units are simple enough to run on the pesonal whims of its leaders).”
-Can you be more specific on who you are alluding to here?
Baycas,
The hospital concerned has denounced it.
The government has denounced it.
Medical organizations have denounced it.
The lawyer of the patient has stated that they will indeed bring the matters to court.
In relation to your comment “remember the “Desperate Housewives†thing?
look and think now…”
There was an incident involving a certain Dr. Allan Zarkin. He doesn’t seem to be a graduate of a Philippine Med school nor practiced medicine here. But I think it would be unfair to label American physicians as “Dr. Zorro” too.
re cbeu, this column by Joseph Gonzales in the Cebu Freeman may be of interest:
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Opinion&p=52&type=2&sec=72&aid=2008041999
UnivPhilippines-Diliman  even Ateneo de Naga and Ateneo de Manila  provide a simpler venue for those who want to help. Contribute to scholarship funds.
UPn, Philantrophy in an individual basis or by an organization is always appreciated, but these and others as we know, usually are very useful in a very limited targeted subjects and more often than not would not change fundamentally the whole landscape..
In the Articles I posted above the author, a veteran journalist whose writings been reading for years give some very interesting scope on the subject. In it she believes, and most agree with her belief that Taxes, collected fairly and spent wisely is the best way for a society to Collectively Progress and she also justified her belief… UnivPhilippines-Diliman  even Ateneo de Naga and Ateneo de Manila  provide a simpler venue for those who want to help. Contribute to scholarship funds.
UPn, Philantrophy in an individual basis or by an organization is always appreciated, but these and others as we know, usually are very useful in a very limited targeted subjects and more often than not would not change fundamentally the whole landscape..
In the Articles I posted above the author, a veteran journalist whose writings been reading for years give some very interesting scope on the subject. In it she believes, and most agree with her belief that Taxes, collected fairly and spent wisely is the best way for a society to Collectively Progress and she also justified her belief…
double booboo up there sorry again….
“Civil Disobedience.”
For what? For whom? To us OFW, it’s just a waste of time, albeit unnecessary.
Let’s just focus on nation building instead.
Mandaragat, as a fellow OFW, i beg to disagree.
Vic: There is a debate with regards taxation and tax-deductions in regards charitable giving. The conservatives want to have a say in wheir their contributions go to (and for them to receive tax deductions for their contributions to charities of their choosing); the liberals want to raise taxes and for the moneys to be directed only to specific programs that they “approve”.
A study was recently released — the study shows that it is the liberals who are super-stingy in the amount that they give to charitable organizations. [Al Gore is example --- less than 2-1/2% of gross income went to charitable giving --- in contrast to "tithe 10%" which is the nominal goal for most religious conservatives.]
The liberals, though, are furiously motivated to raise taxes (which, (though history has proven it otherwise) they then say, can be better managed and directed by —the liberals in politics, who else????– to distribute the moneys collected.]
Don’t you know any organizations or people who holler the message of “You who have so much… how come you don’t give enough? Do you not feel the guilt in your souls???” while disregarding that the religious conservatives are actually much more generous in their giving. Their message quickly turns to “Give us your money, and then we will spend it based on our priorities!!!” Some will even continue to say “And please do not expect any ‘thank you’s'; we are doing you a favor as we relieve you of your money.” And NO!!, no money for condoms for the poor or even sexuality-classes in high schools — that is your program, not ours.
bert,
Hindi. Ang tawag sa taong ganyan ay rabid GMA defender. Tama ka, magaling nga sana, kaya lang sa ibang bagay ginagamit ang galing. Sayang.
Sabi nga ni Dolphy, “hindi naman kailangan ng pinas ng isang Ph.D. na presidente.” Kaya ayun, nagkaroon ng Ph.D. na presidente ang pinas. Ubod talaga ng galing!
mandaragat,
What have you done really in the name of nation building? You and your kind disgust me really! You don’t even know what you’re talking about. Can you honestly say you are aware of the real issues plaguing the country? I bet you, Bencard, Rego, and the rest of your snug, comfortably, relaxed, couch potato variants don’t even know one government official here, much less have actually talked to one.
Others can honestly say that they spend lunches, dinners, right across the tables from these officials.
Nation building my ass! If you can quantify your idiotic statement and come up with a number way above 1BPhp per annum, I will respect that, below that – you’re a waste of time, another wannabe. We are tired of too many pretenders already!
Disgusting, really! Spare us your cheap words! Tell that to the rioting african americans, go to the ghettos!
All the Obama’s and Clintons don’t hold a candle even to the worst of us. Spineless sissies just like you and your kind!
When you give, you give! don’t expect any thank yous! UP n student, you should try it some time! You’re such a cheap, sanctimonious, idiotic wannabe – try sharing your wealth for a change. That is, if you have any…you can’t give that which you don’t have…
So you’re another pretender! Pretending to be human! You selfish, self-centered, narcissistic, overweight, geek! Stop hiding!!!Live!!!
I wondered where Bencard got his “anarchy” ideas. Oh, I forgot, he’s run away to a place where the concept started – THE GOOD ‘OL US OF A!!!
Check this link, they actually promote it “as is!”
You guys who “ran away” from it all are now pretending to have balls – but we know better don’t we? Please take your amiga Neri here with you next time!
http://www.counterpunch.org/stanton07232003.html
Old dogs who can’t learn new tricks are to be put down!
“Civil disobedience” in the Philippines is an oxymoronic concept considering that:
(1) Pinoys have an underdeveloped sense of civic duty; and,
(2) Pinoys disobeying laws is more a rule than an exception AS IT IS.
I wrote way back that Pinoys have a CULTURE OF CRIME here:
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/agr-disagr/16-3-cultcrime.html
So why all this talk about “civil disobedience” when said disobedience is already institutionalised and INGRAINED into the very fabric of Pinoy society.
Examples of unlawful behaviour that Pinoys take for granted as “normal” and even part of our culture:
- squatting (trespassing on private and public property)
- urinating in public (vagrancy and vandalism)
- throwing rubbish and sewage into esteros (illegal dumping)
- reckless driving, speeding, and illegal counterflowing
- use of sirens and flashers by private vehicles (impersonating police officers and government agents)
- cockfighting (cruelty to animals)
- cutting into queues and other forms of lusot (common courtesy)
- raising livestock in residential areas (environmental/health hazard)
- igniting life/limb/property-threatening explosives on New Year’s eve.
- mixing concrete on public streets (damage to public property and safety hazard)
- illegal buying and selling of copyrighted material (intellectual property theft)
- keeping servants on call 24/7 and not contributing to social security on their behalf
The list can go on forever.
“Civil disobedience” nga ba?
All we have to do is to continue doing what we ALREADY ARE doing. We already have a constant state of civil disobedience right under our brown noses.
-
i see this goon, formerly in military uniform, is back under a different handle. must have been banned at tordesilias. really brave-talking, calling everybody who doesn’t subscribe to his weird commentaries, “coward”. he claims to be a boxer and sharp-shooter. watch out, manolo. i detect some violent personality right here in your blog.
Typical PINOY behaviour lang yan.
Welcome to the islands.
-
Juggernaut,
“What have you done really in the name of nation building? You and your kind disgust me really! You don’t even know what you’re talking about. Can you honestly say you are aware of the real issues plaguing the country? I bet you, Bencard, Rego, and the rest of your snug, comfortably, relaxed, couch potato variants don’t even know one government official here, much less have actually talked to one.
Others can honestly say that they spend lunches, dinners, right across the tables from these officials.
Nation building my ass! If you can quantify your idiotic statement and come up with a number way above 1BPhp per annum, I will respect that, below that – you’re a waste of time, another wannabe. We are tired of too many pretenders already!
Disgusting, really! Spare us your cheap words! Tell that to the rioting african americans, go to the ghettos!
All the Obama’s and Clintons don’t hold a candle even to the worst of us. Spineless sissies just like you and your kind!”
What do you expect me to do, come to the rally and pray? Well juggernaut NOT AGAIN! NOT ANYMORE!
If you have a case, bring it to the court.
The traditional elite and the “moral crusaders” doesn’t have the monopoly anymore to say who’s in and who is out.
Just would like to remind everyone.
Ayan na.
EllenTordesillas.com-style of discussion is underway.
Pinoy nga naman talaga.
Mandaragat, i see that you have been going around positioning yourself as some sort of spokesman for OFW’s. I am an OFW like you and i would like to remind you that you do not speak for me.
I have stalker now…..ohh I’m scared!!!
cvj, not that i agree with you that mandaragat is acting as “spokesman” for OFW’s, but how does that differ with your habitual penchant for presuming to speak for all the PEOPLE of the philippines, huh?
Bening, you are a coward…… nothing more nothing less. Go ahead and delude yourself that you hold the key or the “solution” to societies ills, let me just remind you that the minority ruling elites still calls the shot. Your ignorance is showing and pulling data off your ass is just not cutting it, why not follow what Kabayan is saying….. live and learn with the poor…. but don’t make the mistake of insulting them. On the other hand as dumb as you are you probably will stick to your old habits so go ahead……… you are not a coward right?
It is not about “solutioneering” but how we as Filipinos respond to the problems besseting the nation that should be addressed…. or is it more convenient to insult the people because cowards have nothing to offer but their longing for attention and delusional feeling of superiority……. typical mentality of someone who can’t seem to adjust to his Australian environment thus he pours all his frustration to his people back home.
i just notice a seeming fondness of the word “coward” in some of the commenters here. it is as if, by calling someone else a coward, the caller becomes “brave” whether or not he/she is. piteous!
Benigno,
-squatting- Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Mad Housers, Homes Not Jails.
-urinating in public- The MMDA has put up scores of pink urinals to hopefully address the issue.
-Vandalism- Michael Fay (the American government even went to great lengths for clemency but to no avail)
-reckless driving, speeding, etc…- Michael Fay again as well as all those unnamed characters in those American “home videos”.
-igniting life/limb/property-threatening explosives on the fourth of July.
-illegal buying and selling of copyrighted material (intellectual property theft)-Granting that it is but those materials don’t come over here by themselves.
-large scale throwing of rubbish and sewage into lakes and rivers like what Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and six area communities did to lake Michigan.
-Not that I approve of the whole idea but given that cockfighting is regulated by the Games and Amusement Board, why do you consider cockfighting as unlawful?
-Not that I approve of cutting into queues, but can you expound on the unlawfulness of that here?
-Admitting that I don’t know the status of the “Kasambahay bill” in Congress and whether you’re actually right or not; I’m quite interested in how you’ll elucidate on the unlawfulness of the non contribution to social security on the behalf of servants.
Benigno,
BTW, I scanned your other article.
From there I think its safe to determine to which kind of people you are alluding to with that “beholdenness to personalities” comment.
@ Bencard
“and no one can take our birthright away from us.” -Bencard
During the time of Marcos, your kind were called steak commandos.
Want to have your cake and eat it too. huh?
@ Bencard
“we see the picture better from a distance and call it as we see it.” – Bencard
And sarap makisawsaw sa problema ng Pilipinas from the comfort of the U.S. ano?
You are a pathetic old man.
@ Benign0
Ikaw ang kawawa, nasa Australia ka na, nakikialam ka pa dito.
Kulang ka ba sa pansin diyan? Kawawang Benign0. Kulang sa pansin sa Australia, nakiki-alam na uli sa Pilipinas.
Simple talaga. Para kang yung sinasabing mong aso.
‘Ayan na. EllenTordesillas.com-style of discussion is underway. Pinoy nga naman talaga.’ – Benign0
Why don’t you blog with your Aussie friends, if you don’t like the comments?
Kawawang Benign0, hindi alam ang gusto. Parang yung sinasabing niyang aso.
it’s easy to tell when the ellentordesillias blog denizens are hanging out here. the quality of discussions deteriorates to it’s lowest level. i bet these are the same pathetic souls giving that blog 1000 or so hits by posting nonsense again and again and again like the ever ready battery bunny that keeps going and going and going… just see the preceding four above.
Live and learn with the poor?
What is there to “learn” from the poor? How to be poor?
The fact remains that they are POOR. Which means somewhere in their lives or among their ancestors, something did not go right.
I’d rather learn from the rich. You learn how to get rich by observing and learning from the rich.
It’s simple, really.
The Jesuits really have a lot to answer for.
In what way, dude.
Do elaborate please.
-
Benign0, no need. You’ve been elaborating for me already, for the past 8 years in fact.
Of course I have, dude.
Of course I have.
-
Now, now, just a thought, and no politics here.
Between an ellentordesillas type commenter and a Lulli Brigadier type posting here in Manolo’s blog, I wonder who’s the more lovable (or hateful).
or, to rephrase the question:
Which is more offensive, to be called an ellentordesillas commenter, or a Lulli Brigadier?
hey bert, is there really a lulli brigade blog? can you tell me how i can access it and maybe make a comment or two? i know ellen t has one but is lulli’s just a figment of your and your kind’s imagination – just another form of heckling?
The trouble with you Bencard is that when you attack the views of some commenters, you say birthright and all that B.S.
If somebody questions your views, you cry foul and say no ellentordessilas.com comment allowed.
And if gets really hot, you turn to Manolo for help.
diego, you said something that make sense. yes, i, bencard, attack VIEWS, not people (unless, of course, first attacked).
Bening, I am not taking that away from you but as always you need to have a balance so you can have a better understanding of the present realities in the Philippines…….. this will help you understand why your insults and taunting of the poor is cruel and uncalled for.
As for the cowardice contrary to what some are saying, no it does not make one feel “brave” but the point being is that it is a cowardly act when one pins the blame on the exploited people instead of the exploiter………. simple yet so complicated when one is in denial and too afraid to see reality for what it is. It makes it even worse and dumb if one cites fallacies and myths without basis that is borne out of ignorance and treating said generalization as if it was the universal truth.
pedestrian, then your word usage (of “coward” or “cowardly act”) is defective and erroneous. cowardice, as commonly used, evokes the opposite of bravery and/or courage, not the expression of one’s belief, no matter how unacceptable it is to others. being a “coward” is the state of being unreasonably afraid of potential harm, either physically or morally. an opinion contrary to yours is not necessarily cowardly. (btw, it seems your misuse of the word coward, among others, is common among bloggers at ellentordesillias.com, lol).
Then you missed the point by a mile bencard……. too afraid to see reality and kicking the exploited instead of the exploiter especially in the Philippine context holds true. This has nothing to do with one’s “belief” its a matter of seeing reality for what it is and not one based on myths and fallacies as espoused by Bening in pulling data out of his ass and treat it as the universal truth.
pedestrian, isn’t your statement that benignO is “too afraid to see reality” an opinionated blurb? who are you to say that he is not “seeing reality for what it is”. and what has that got to do with being a “coward” according to the accepted meaning of the word?
It goes something like this….. a woman was raped and Bening insults the victim instead of the rapist because he is too afraid to confront the powerful criminal…. there hope you get it this time around bencard….
did he tell you he was afraid, or was that your own ‘haka-haka’? suppose he chose not to confront the perp because he was not feeling well and instead called the police on his cell phone? was he a coward? did he have to die to avoid being called a “coward”?
you are being a …. ah never mind… you seem to concoct things based on imaginary things and not on the actuations and insults heaped on the poor by Bening thus you fail to see the parallelism….. fine be that way and stay that way…..can’t help you anymore bencard, lol.
Bencard :
“did he tell you he was afraid, or was that your own ‘haka-haka’? suppose he chose not to confront the perp because he was not feeling well and instead called the police on his cell phone? was he a coward? did he have to die to avoid being called a “cowardâ€Â?”
applying this example to our current administration who would be the police? i bet the rapist can just pay him as soon as benigno hang up his cell. LOL.
so who is the rapist and who is the victim?
simple: the rapist is our corrupt leaders and the victims are the people.
Bencard, Sounds like you are a lawyer. With all due rspect, I have a question for you?
How can we change our Policy and Procedure in terms of Financial Transparency and Accountability? What provisions and revisions to our Constitutional Code must be implemented. If implemented, what time frame we will see results? Who among our current politicians is capable of implementing such change?
Anyone can really provide answers. Good day
Just in case I am the one being referred to, I have not been banned anywhere, I have never claimed to be an expert in boxing and/or shooting, and you are confusing me with some other poster(s). I do agree though that Bencard and Benigno and the Cat and all others like them, are really cowardly indeed, all they do is deny and dissemble everything and anything to death (most especially whenever it involves the depravity and debauchery of the current GMA administration), when what this country really needs, indeed all what it has ever needed, is REVOLUTION, but they are too afraid of this ever happening most likely because they know that they, and the rest of their oligarchic class, will ultimately have their backs against the wall when the revolution comes.
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