It doesn’t compute (revised)
April 21, 2008 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose
My column for today is An unnecessary breakdown in distribution. I have been trying to keep up with The Rice Problem (GMANews.tv has a microsite going, too, The Price of Rice). See in particular, Long lines for rice not the first time in RP history.
But (as an unpublished entry for this blog, postponed and repeatedly revised indicates) it’s tough going. Maybe mañana! For now, what puzzles me is that the government, according to some people who formerly served in it, engaged in mapping the poor areas of the country, with food and patronage in mind. Why then, has government been stumbling around since the Rice Problem began?
Right now, as the Inquirer editorial for today, Immediate need puts it, the political pressure’s increasing for wages to be raised, in response to the Rice Problem.
At the sidelines of the conference I attended, people were quite curious about the Philippines and quite surprised to hear such a big percentage of the population was abroad.
“Why?” they would ask.
“Poverty and the absence of social mobilty,” was my short answer, which would then lead to a longer answer (if there was time).
On to something that occured in my absence.
I read with interest in Ambeth Ocampo’s column, that Rizal translated Déclaration des Droits de l’homme et du citoyen du 26 août 1789 (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen) into Tagalog. This is of course one of the great historical documents of Western (and World) civilization and brings me to a question asked by in frustration in reaction to my recent column, Resistance isn’t futile.
In his entry Because We Can in FilipinoVoices.com, cocoy (big mango, a blog I’ve often referred to), speaks of the need for a “New Political Party.”
This is, to my mind, actually the formation of a Reform Constituency, which I’ve discussed at some lengths in my March 4, 2008 entry Dodging concrete demands, (see, in addition, Minimum and maximum from February 20, 2008) to wit:
I believe, in light of the above, the urgent need is for:
1. The middle forces to consolidate and pursue a consensus;
2. And having forged that consensus to consider that while some are more focused on the President, and others on longer-lasting and more wide-spread reforms, the two are not incompatible if their goal is a Reform Constituency that can challenge the Right and the Left not just now, or 2010, but beyond.
(And reference to John Nery’s column, as to the role protest, etc. plays in building this constituency; as well as links to the constituencies other people have identified; see also Randy David’s What Among Ed’s victory means -and it did not mean a grassroots revolt; the danger is it might represent the Last Hurrah of the old elite and middle class of Pampanga).
I mentioned the need for a Reform Constituency in my column, The civic imperative: a reflection (which appeared during Holy Week, oh well) on March 19, 2008:
The challenge proposed in the pastoral letter of Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales is whether citizens can cultivate the kind of civic spirit that keeps up the fight day in and day out, and turns a temporary victory in the streets into a triumph of the public good.
In other words, the cultivation of a Reform Constituency, which helps officials by keeping them on their toes, protects gains achieved for the public good, and offers up prospects of preserving what has been built, but extending and enlarging those gains, as well…
The clarion call of our times, then, unites faith with reason. To rebuild a civic culture. To have a common ground in shared values based on a shared belief in how the system ought to work. Our particular political objectives are secondary to this. It is our generation’s mission.
And as I discussed in a reply to a comment also on March 19, 2008:
those who want the president to go, but do not accomplish it before 2010 -but along the way, make it impossible for her to perpetuate herself in office beyond that, then that is an achievement that makes the vigilance from 2005-2010 worth it. if it results in lakas-kampi being trounced at the polls, better yet, come 2010, or if it results in the beginning of the end for them, politically, and the rise of a reform constituency that may not win in 201[0] but begins to flex its muscles and does even better by 2016, then that’s great, too.
If this requires refighting old battles and re-stating old issues again and again, even if it drives some people up the wall, because some things have to restated until properly internalized, then so be it. One big difference in perspective: in his April 18th, 2008 5:42 pm comment, cocoy speaks of “aging 20th century playbooks,” and if your perspective believes a mere 100 years is, indeed, enough to make ideas obsolete, then of course the frustration will be intense. But a few centuries here or there don’t invalidate ideas, to my mind, just as generations passing serves to underscore certain basics about human behavior -including the behavior of those with power and those challenging power and the way it’s wielded.
But it may be that the battles that need to be fought today -and they need to be fought, sometimes along tried and tested lines but also, recognizing that people change and what worked yesterday won’t work today, I’ve also pointed out often enough why this is happening- make some people think that the Reform Constituency isn’t coming together.
It is, and there are tangible signs.
The most tangible of which is Anti-graft bloc, law schools to catch big fish (this effort goes beyond catching big fishes; it’s also establishing the good will and sense of a common cause that will bear fruit in other projects, too; I’m involved in a sub-project that aims to produce charts and diagrams that will help make sense of evidence as its gathered, and also, help illustrate to school kids and citizens how government institutions and procedures ought to work, and show cases where they haven’t worked, or have been subverted by officials).
The Jester-in-Exile has more about it (well, the launching activity, at least) in The Right to Know — Shall We Exercise It, or Shall Our Blindness be Voluntary? and with videos, too, in Filipino Voices — Speak Up. Be Heard. (Else, remain silent and be damned yourselves thereby.)
Responses to my column include The Marocharim Experiment writing of “hinanakit,” but it’s cocoy who really got people thinking: see The Jester-in-Exile’s Because We Must, and Rom’s (aka smoke) Must we? Which, in turn, led to a riposte by cocoy in Because We Can Change the Dynamics of the Game. cocoy expands his views on a New Political Party in Empower Tomorrow (essential, accompanying reading in this vein is A Comprehensive Proposal for an EDSA Reform (edited) by Writer’s Block). As a side note, perhaps we also differ, deeply, in our attitudes towards parties. By instinct, I oppose the idea of political parties, period, because I believe by their nature parties exist to secure jobs for their members, and you have centuries of human behavior and party histories to prove this. In the Philippines’ case, see my Arab News column, The Same Mistakes Eventually. I am more inclined to Making political parties obsolete and exploring Partyless Democracy as a concept (as some people from India are doing), and tying it all together as much as possible, see Politics is a continuum:
1. Politics is a continuum.
2. Politics is about both issues and personalities.
3. When an government is subjected to a referendum the totality of its actions are what’s being judged.
The differences in opinion, I’d suggest, boils down to whether cocoy’s belief that old methods must simply be scrapped, or whether the reason they exist points to their efficacy and efficaciousness; and whether the priority can be binding the nation’s wounds, on the basis of letting bygones be bygones because a larger, more abstract, problem needs to be attended to. The abstract problem, after all, has a pretty big consensus behind it: that it exists, and that what exists is a political system out of whack because society’s out of whack. Can you nudge it back into shape? There’s the rub. Of course the most extreme view, and a large part of the problem, are those expounded by New Philippine Revolution: that elections are a sham, that no change has taken place; the justification for revolution by insisting there’s no such thing as evolution.
Or we can simply Blame it on the heat.
In other matters,Conrado de Quiros calls attention to Chess prodigy Wesley So, and how we do well in only three sports: boxing, billiards -and boxing. So three cheers for Wesley! Note how Chess is a popular pastime among many Filipinos, even if public attention isn’t paid to that fact. I admire Chess players, particularly since I’m extremely lousy at it.
Why the Pope wears red shoes was quite unsatisfactory. An infinitely better read is Vintage Vestments: The Philosophical Threads Woven Into Papal Garments or From the House of Benedict, Tradition as Chic in The New York Times (2006) and the full summary of the source, The House of Benedict: The Full Summaries (see older entries still, like Camauro Here Often?) from the must-read blog on everything Vatican-related, Whispers in the Loggia.
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JD Cruz on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 7:54 pm
I wish I an say something on the contrary just to provoke a discussion. But since I can’t, I might just congratulate you for this nice post.
Regards,
JDC
UP n student on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 10:01 pm
On the rice-crisis, below is a cut-and-paste from The Washington Post:
————
In recent weeks, public alarm in the Philippines over the soaring price of rice has focused attention on the fast-growing population and its dependence on rice imports.
Despite steadily increasing rice harvests, farmers here have been unable to keep pace with domestic demand. Economists here have calculated, though, that the Philippines would not need imported rice if it had managed to control population growth — like its neighbor Thailand.
In 1970, the population of each country was about 36 million people and growing at about 3 percent a year. But with an aggressive family planning program that provides the poor with free contraceptives, Thailand has since reduced its population growth rate to 0.9 percent. In the Philippines, the rate has declined sluggishly to about 2.1 percent.
There are now about 26 million more people in the Philippines than in Thailand.
“It’s a no-brainer,” said Ernesto M. Pernia, professor of economics at the University of the Philippines. The Philippines now produces 16 million metric tons of rice a year — and needs to import 2 million tons more to meet local demand.
“If the Philippines had pursued what Thailand has done, the Philippines would be only consuming 13 metric tons of rice per annum,” Pernia said. “We could be a net exporter of 3 million metric tons.” Besides increased food security, the Philippines could have lifted 3.6 million more people out of poverty if it had followed Thailand’s population growth trajectory, according to Pernia’s analysis.
“Even when there is widespread corruption, insurgent violence and other powerful reasons for poverty, the evidence from across Asia is that good population policy by itself contributes to significant poverty reduction,” he said.
—-
The CBCP’s stance ….. that they would refuse Communion to government health workers who distributed birth control devices…. that, and for women to get a thermometer.
mlq3 on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 10:05 pm
upn, this brings up the question, if we begin finally pursuing a serious population strategy, when will the population plateau? and what will be the effects of that policy until then?
UP n student on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 10:09 pm
Public opinion surveys in recent years have consistently found that about 90 percent of respondents supported government funding of contraceptives for people who cannot afford them. Surveys by the government also show that poor families have significantly more unwanted pregnancies than richer families — and much more difficulty finding affordable contraceptives.
The problems the poor face in finding contraception products will increase sharply this year as the Philippine government and USAID end the distribution of donated contraceptives, according to Suneeta Mukherjee, country representative for the U.N. Population Fund.
A reduction in the use of contraception — which is now about 33 percent among women of childbearing age — will lead to an increase in abortions, Mukherjee predicts. A 2006 study found that there were about 473,000 abortions in the Philippines a year, which accounts for about a third of women with unwanted pregnancies. The study also found that 80 percent of abortions had complications requiring medical treatment.
XAX on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 10:39 pm
@ MLQ3, UP n student
I’ve read somwhere that some of the contraception products distributed don’t get used. The article said that the in the thinking of some of the poor families, the children are like a psychological crutch. The more kids there are, the more hands who could help feed the family. It’s a little disturbing. What do you think?
BrianB on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 10:44 pm
MLQ3,
This should serve as a warning to federalists: I come from a rice-producing province and word there is that we have stopped sending rice to Manila. Not one grain more. We are keeping it for ourselves.
mlq3 on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:02 pm
xax, you’re seeing how that world view operates, right now, with regards to the rice crisis. since the amount of rice being handed out per person in some areas is limited, parents are bringing their children to line up to receive rice. the more children you have, the more rice the family gets -to the extent that families then sell off the surplus at a profit to other people who want rice.
and we see it all the time of course in how children support their parents and siblings and the tremendous pressure to repay the investment in time and resources of their parents in their education, etc.
mlq3 on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:04 pm
brian, a warning, yes. of course a community’s first duty is to feed itself. but it’s also in the interest of that community to profit from its surplus: it says volumes that areas having bumper crops are hoarding.
BrianB on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:11 pm
So you think it’s for profit? I’m saying the entire province isn’t shipping rice anymore. This is a concerted effort and I am not aware of rice cartel operating in my province. Seems impossible there. If you haven’t heard Eastern Visayas is suffering from rising rice prices and they are rice producers too. My parents tell me rice back home is cheap.
vic on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:14 pm
BrianB,
If Federalism is the Solution, (nobody as yet can figure how will it work)the disparities and inequities could easily be remedied by making it part of the Charter..
It can be provided in the Charter among the provisions the Equalization downloading where Federal funds are geared towards investing in poorer Provinces or Regions to make as possible the equalization of quality of life of all citizenry. The Federal government may not be able to force one particular province to export its product to another, as your post, but it can do what it can by providing more funds to the poorer provinces and extending more benefits..
EQUALIZATION AND REGIONAL DISPARITIES
Commitment to promote equal opportunities
Commitment respecting public services
BrianB on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:15 pm
Those who oppose population controlare getting stupider every year. It’s inevitable that we’re going to have one sooner or later. Better now that we do not have to resort to more desperate measures and government can still protect civil liberties.
UP n student on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:16 pm
to BrianB: On this “…from a rice-producing province … word there is that we have stopped sending rice to Manila. Not one grain more. We are keeping it for ourselves.” This is nonsensical because a trader is a trader is a trader. In other words — money talks. If an extra 5% bonus does not do it, then 7% may… or 15%… or 20%.
GMA does not need to send a detachment of marines to obtain from XYZ-province rice for the NCR-area; she needs an accountant with a Purchase Order.
BrianB on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:23 pm
vic, but Canadians only have to worry about the French-canadians. The Philippines have to worry about several powerful groups, many of whom are resentful of Manila and some of whom are frankly secessionists. A charter or constitution thus amended may look good enough to prevent animosity between states, but let us be clear: will it include a law to preserve Tagalog as a national language? And how is Manila going to be divided? Many provinces have invested significantly in Manila. My province practically spilled all its wealth Manila’s way. And how is the army going to be divided? Will each state have its own National Guard? Imagine that.
BrianB on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:27 pm
UP n, a trader isn’t everything. Our traders happen to be natives and very well-rooted. I’m not sure about this but rice is really quite low there. Just how low. I’ll ask and I’ll tell you tomorrow. I think some relatives farmlands though I forget if we’ve sold them yet. A relative even has a granary, so stay tuned. Just don’t take it as an official statement. I’m not very tsismoso and I don’t keep my ears pricked up for rumors.
BrianB on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:28 pm
I mean, money isn’t everything for rice producers and traders.
vic on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:33 pm
BrainB, not just the Quebecois, how about the Albertans? They are swimming in Oil?
The languages, be it Tagalog or English or dual can be ironed out during deliberation and debates and don’t worry about Manila, soon it will be just some kind of Tourist attraction. If resources are carefully invested in other provinces the progress will spread all over and lot of people won’t even flock to Manila except for a visit.
As for the Military, it will be of course under the Federal government..same with immigration and monetary policy..once everything is in order, you can easily defined which power belongs to which, there is no confusion at all, unless is is still ruled by warlords…
mlq3 on Mon, 21st Apr 2008 11:57 pm
granted, a merchant will not always operate with instant gain or even medium term gain mind, and there are other things to consider such as prestige, influence, personal ties.
i’m not one to pin blame on the president for things like the weather, crop failures outside the country, higher oil prices, etc. but it does seem fair to take the admin to task for the things it prides itself in: logistical ability is one; a certain amount of political will is another; third is, the cultivation of the provinces and in particular, provincial leaders. if there’s a time when she ought to cash in her chips, it’s now.
my column today focused on the first: that for an admin that takes pride in being a step ahead of the rest, and which we know engaged in mopping the population, something went awry in the mobilization of rice stocks -and is still out of kilter. on the second point, announcements by duterte (admittedly, no fan of the president) that he will focus on keeping his people fed and similar announcements or news of such announcements in other rice-producing areas, is either cunning marketing (verging on profiteering, which the president says she will stamp out, as every admin has to attempt to stamp out under such circumstances), or it’s a slap on the admin showing it got fleeced but can expect no good will from its allies. a sad state to be in. rice stocks are being mobilized to be farmed out to the armed forces, which will make the police complain, and then after they complain, the civil service will complain, and then … so on down the line and no reservoir of good will for the president to appeal to people to pull together.
it is, of course, no consolation for anyone to say this was what was in store, that the juggling act could be maintained in times of relative prosperity or at least, with no major international disrpution to our ofw lifeline. it’s interesting the traditional opposition has been a little more circumspect than one would expect -but then, all the political leadership from the traditional parties are cut from the same cloth so it’s suicide to rabble-rouse too much at this point. Estrada is scoring points by distributing relatively high-quality rice compared to the NFA blend, but that’s just insurance for himself but not much more than being of nuisance value.
the only thing the whole thing has proven is how very little anyone can actually say with certaintly, about conditions in the country, particularly outside the capital. it means everyone is stumbling in the dark and the murky nature of things serves to spook people even more.
mlq3 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:01 am
brian, what exactly is your understanding of federalism? or the purposes of a national capital, or why capital cities have evolved?
BrianB on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:12 am
Manolo, don’t know what the question is for but isn’t it obvious that if the Governors want more control of regional taxes and have it, the populace is going to look up to the governor as their own president or as someone who is co-equal to the president. Then wouldn’t a governor try to plant himself in firmer ground politically by appealing more to the specific culture of that region, and maybe encouraging that region’s prejudices in the process?
In theory governors are higher than congressmen, but who do the people look to in times of need? The governor is practically invisible. The wishes and complaints of the populace is not processed by the governor but through congress and the presidency. In a Federalist government, the situation will change and governor will take much of the role of Congress and the Executive. Am I correct? We’re talking Philippine psyche here. Democracy has a history too but do you see that history in Philippine democracy?
BrianB on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:19 am
In the US, governors can be presidents, like Clinton. Here Mayors have a far greater chance than a governor in winning a national seat. And against a congressman or a senator, a mayor has no chance at all. Now imagine if a public official who is theoretically the most powerful man in a region or province acquires the psychological impact proportional to his theoretical power. The HEAD of the province. Right now, this provincial HEAD only exist almost as a formality. In a federalism, this provincial or regional head will be a true leader in form and in spirit.
Sure, I am not fully informed on how you view a future Federalist Philippines but this is my fear.
mlq3 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:36 am
brian, that evolution is beginning, has been since the local government code’s been passed. congressmen are becoming less important, governors have gained in influence and mayors, too. to a certain extent people are also discovering the presidency is an office more powerful in the obstacles it can put in the way of opponents but less important in a positive sense.
what is happening at present seems to be the worst combination: local leaders are growing in power with regards to their own populations but less able to work together with those from other localities, and the presidency as in institution has lost or is losing its historical powers of getting people to toe the line.
there are three models of federalism, the american-mexican-brazilian presidential model, the european (e.g. german, swiss, etc.) parliamentary models (malaysia, too, and briefly, indonesia but then abandoned), and the perhaps more relevant one, that of spain. very few filipinos have studied them accurately and you are correct in pointing out most people describe federalism according to what they don’t want -but not what they want or are willing to give up in exchange for it.
BrianB on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:43 am
You fancy federalism because you believe the governors can address the problems in their respective regions better? You mention Spain as more relevant but you never mentioned the Basque problem. Even Cataluna wants to secede. This is my argument, and I will not even argue which type of federalism you entioned best suits us: that the PSYCHOLOGICAL impact will be more significant than the legal and logistical impact. This isn’t just the immediate psychological impact but the long-term as well.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:54 am
mla3: I agree with one of the items in your article on the rice crisis. Just as there is a need for a strengthened infrastructure (roads, sea transport, e.g. to get the rice from Panay farms to Divisoria) there is a need for an elevated performance (more efficiency, more self-initiative) by Filipinos in civil service.
Bencard on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:57 am
in the philippines where everything, yes everything, is politicized, the current rise in the price of food worldwide, especially rice, is yet another subject for cheap political gimmickry. already, a disgraced politician is doing what he does best, exploiting the alarmists’ scenario of rice shortage and looming starvation and blaming the government (who else?) for it to get attention.
if there is one problem that the whole country, including both sides of the political and ideological divide, should be united in finding a workable solution to, this is it. the usual blame game and finger-pointing (except to identify, prosecute and punish the illegal profiteers and exploiters) must be held in check. starvation is an equal- opportunity menace. the poor will perish with eyes open, and the rich will be overwhelmed by the irresistible force of rampaging multitude, crazed with hunger and despair.
manuelbuencamino on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 1:39 am
Bencard,
How will giving Gloria a free pass because of the rice crisis lead to any kind of solution? If anything, a free pass will be an incentive for Gloria to keep the crisis going but a “manageable” level i.e. just below the food riots point.
We pay through the nose for our food, why shouldn’t Gloria pay for her peace?
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 2:02 am
Below, a paragraph that illustrates how some Filipinos think of their fellow Filipinos in the civil service and from the very poor:
Bencard on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 2:22 am
mb, nobody is giving anyone any “free pass”. if it’s really a “crisis” that you say it is (and i agree because my wife says the price of rice in the oriental store here has gone up a lot too), gma could not single-handedly find a lasting solution, free pass or not. she would need the cooperation of everyone even just to make the problem “manageable”. afterall, she is only a president, not a god nor an alchemist.
but if your objective is to starve the whole nation just to get at gma, then shame on you, not on her.
supremo on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 3:04 am
Asian rice in NJ is now $16 from $11 per 25 lb. bag. So we are switching to the American variety.
supremo on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 3:22 am
Why is GMA prioritizing the AFP rice supply? That’s the same tactic use in North Korea. The Army gets more food than the rest of the population.
mang_kiko on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 4:50 am
supremo ang sagot sa tanong mo ay ang AFP ay Armado at ang manga yon mag alsa lagot sigurado ang administration at pati ang manga “high command” nang Militar. kaya inu-una kahit libag sa tinatawag na pareho pareho dapat. ganyan dito sa Bayan natin, hindi pa na-uso yon tinatawag na “Equal Treatment”. malungkot pero yan ang katotohonan..
jakcast on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 5:51 am
@ Supremo, Mang Kiko
History replete with such rulers. Not sustainable, according to Machiavelli:
‘Hence it arose that those emperors were always overthrown, who…were inclined to give satisfaction to the soldiers, caring little about injuring the people.’ – The Prince, Chapter XIX
rego on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 8:36 am
“but if your objective is to starve the whole nation just to get at gma, then shame on you, not on her.”—
——————————————————-
Agree!!!!!!!!!
College girl on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 9:03 am
It seems that rice is not only known as the staple food of the Filipinos, it is also a political commodity.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 10:31 am
to jakcast: Not sustainable, true. That the practice stops, not true.
While it is true … “… that those emperors were always overthrown, who…were inclined to give satisfaction to the soldiers, caring little about injuring the people’…. it is still the case that the population would periodically choose from among their ranks new leaders who would again, as new emperors, become inclined to give satisfaction to the soldiers (or to their cronies).
—————
It is the economy, stupid!!!! A population 85% or more are gainfully employed will be less susceptible to being fooled into electing wolves as emperors.
benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 10:34 am
Unfortunately most Pinoys can’t tell the difference.
When times are bad, it’s the President’s fault. When times are good, it’s because a good president rules.
It’s kind of like the primitive mind’s regard for religion:
When times are tough, it’s “God’s will”. When times are good it’s “by God’s graces”.
See the implication here? The individual or the self does not figure in either equation.
That’s a typical PRIMITIVE mind at work.
A society dominated by primitive minds manifests itself as a BACKWARD society where EVERYTHING that makes the news are nothing more than reactive RESPONSES to the ebbs and flows of its environment.
One moment it’s street circuses in RESPONSE to the latest “scandal”, the next moment it’s food queues in RESPONSE to fluctuating commodity prices, then on another day, it’s free condoms being distributed in RESPONSE to a sudden realisation that too many unproductive people populate the land.
Backward societies are a big waltz to the tune of an orchestra made up of Mother Nature, Religious Nuts, its local Oligarchs, and the global economy.
mlq3 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 10:51 am
benign0, why then did the former ruling party in australia become that -the former ruling party? what were the reasons australians voted it out of office recently?
benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 10:59 am
mlq3, you are right of course. There was a change in government here because people were not happy with certain policies and approaches that impacted their personal wellbeing.
But that does not mean that people here generally see the government — or God — as the primary driver of their fortunes or misfortunes. You don’t har Rudd’s or Howard’s name mentioned after every other word whenever the fortunes or misfortunes of the land are being discussed and evaluated.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:00 am
I doubt that there will be much cheering, but people should be forewarned that the days of the strong peso are about to end, and end fast. Those with euros and dollars (whether US-, Aussie- or Canadian) will be able to buy more pesos soon. The evidence are in the links that MLQ3 had pointed to, e.g. (a) scheduled increases in salaries of government employees; (b) renewed and even stronger calls for hikes in the minimum wage, (c) even the NFA uses the words “May perang pambili, pero walang mabili”.
In other words — INFLATION.
watchful eye on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:01 am
Benigs, do you think the following letter is addressed to the peasants and the Payatas people or to GMA and the elites of the Philippines?
The missing piece in Philippine devt
Philippine Daily Inquirer
04/22/2008
This refers to Romeo Encarnacion’s letter titled “With so much talents and skills, why is RP a basket case?” (Inquirer, 4/17/08)
I come from another developing and equally corrupt country, but allow me to put in my two pesos’ worth of opinion on this question.
I am writing this letter because I lived in Manila for about six months in 2005. I was born and raised in India.
For the past 10 years I’ve been living in North America.
While in the Philippines, I would start my day with a hearty breakfast. I would usually have some toast, butter (made in New Zealand), jam (made in Australia/United States) and some juice (made in United States/Thailand/Brazil). I assumed the bread for my toast was made in the Philippines.
Compare that with my similar breakfast in India. There I never came upon a breakfast item that was not made in India. The point is, daily needs—be it jam, juice, butter or rice—should be homegrown.
Just like India, the Philippines has a huge pool of cheap labor. The government and the people should insist that basic goods be produced locally. That will create jobs, save precious foreign exchange and protect the nation from external dependencies and threats. So with cars, electronics and household products. The Philippines must set up more manufacturing facilities—with the help of foreign experts if needed—but the country should make sure that the units and parts are manufactured in the Philippines, not merely “assembled†here.
Another thing I noticed, which was so glaring and evident in Encarnacion’s letter—more specifically when he compared the Philippines with America—is the entire Filipino nation’s low self-esteem.
Having lived in India until the age of 26, I could feel the Indian people’s high national pride. Yes, India is as poor as the Philippines; yes, we do have tall, shiny buildings and malls but they are right beside shanties.
Indians are complaining all the time about our government agencies but seldom or never do we compare ourselves to America.But in the Philippines, you open any local newspaper and almost every day you read at least one article singing hosannas to America.
Every country has its own culture and way of doing things. There’s no one cap that fits all situations. I believe the Philippines can develop and do things its own way. If China can do it as a communist, if India can do it as a socialist, so can the Philippines, Filipino style.
Many Indians, just like many Filipinos, are going abroad every day, but the Indian exodus has not hampered India’s progress. The Philippines has better infrastructure than India, arguably better quality of English speakers, fairly fertile lands and a vast pool of human resources.
I believe that the day the Filipinos wake up and take charge of their situation and take less pride in being a “balikbayan†[visiting overseas-based Filipino] than in being Filipino, that day when the Philippines will become another “Asian tiger†won’t be far away.
SANDEEP KANJILAL
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:03 am
News report : Nograles and Mitra just filed a bill requiring the country’s corporations to engage in agricultural production to supply the food needs of their employees.
The bill requires firms to produce at least 600 kilos of rice per employee per year and any excess will be sold by the firms.
leytenian on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:03 am
Our leaders lack the knowledge of calculating and predicting risk. Why do we need so many senators and congressman if most of them cannot perform? Rice inflation must always be assumed as an economic risk. Population and consumption are basic statistical data that will help our leaders to balance supply and demand.
Over population in our country is not a result of lack of contraception or education. It is a result due to lack of employment. If people are employed and busy with their lives, they will have a sense of what money is all about. They will have short period of time to spend in bed. ( smiling)
Too bad majority of our population are unemployed and most of them are in the provinces. Secondly, our leaders live in Manila and they don’t know how the people in the provinces live. Our leaders cannot relate to the needs of the poor because they were never been poor. How can these people understand the other side of the world? This is basic humanity.
In short… we only need one senator in Luzon, One senator in Mindanao and 1 in the Visayan island. We only need less than 10 congressmen and governors. Our economy cannot sustain to pay for labor costs. Imagine how much pork barrel these senators, congressmen and governors receive in a year… For what purpose? These money should have been spent not for their own useless project agenda but truly for our farmers, healthcare, education and basic needs of our people. Philippines has a small economy. We are employing too many useless, incompetent leaders. We are wasting money. Cutting labor costs will help reduce liabilities in our balance sheet. This change will help improve the overall economic health of our country.
I think our leaders are confused about how infrastructure can affect employment. Sure, it will affect employment if we don’t have the infrastructure in place. But money spent towards those projects was not transparent. Expenses are not legitimate. You see, our economy is a close economy. We do have principles of accounting but what kind of principles are we practicing?
Our balance sheet and income statement is not open for public scrutiny. It is not transparent. Our judicial branch cannot function because of lack of financial transparency. You cannot find evidence if actual data is hidden. Most of our issues are all about money. There is a code in our Constitution that must be changed and only the people of the Philippines can demand such change.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:09 am
watchful eye: that letter from Sandeep who said “I believe that the day the Filipinos wake up and take charge of their situation” is addressed to Filipinos who can read and understand English.
benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:19 am
Mr. watchful eye, I think this passage highlights the point of that entire article:
The only reason i attack Pinoy culture is because our aspirations are Western. Therefore it is foolish to aspire for Western achievement whilst applying Pinoy approaches.
Democracy — a Western concept — obviously does not work because we are a superstitious and non-self-reliant, people who prefer to defer to higher powers than hold one’s self up as the only real reliable entity in one’s life.
Catholicism continues to imprison Pinoy minds with its age-old derivation of power through a conintuous effort to crush individualism, free/independent thought, and self-actualisation.
Yet the above two — Democracy and Catholicism — are immense pillars that prop up our demented sense of national pride.
See what is wrong with this picture?
There are so many hollow-heads who make quaint calls to be proud of our culture, who also fail to see the irony of how that very culture is grossly mis-aligned with our development aspirations.
- (a) You either change the aspirations to suit your capabilities;
- (b) Change your capabilities to suit your aspirations; or,
- (c) Do both (a) and (b).
Western European levels of development were built on ethics of long-term planning, a rich tradition of critical thought and scientific/technological achievement, and a hard stomach for conquest.
None of these traits describe the laid-back, wishy-washy, God-will-provide, manana, let-it-be, pwede-na-yan comfort zones of Pinoy society. So no one should really be surprised why we continue to muddle along in mediocrity.
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:37 am
Watchful eye, that makes it two letters pointing to love of country, national self-esteem and national pride as the key to development (the previous one coming from a young Korean). That’s something that the Benign0-types will not be able to comprehend. Love of country precedes development, not the other way around.
That letter from Sandeep is well taken. I have very high regard for the Indian civilization.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:54 am
Belinda Olivares-Cunanan : Philippine Daily Inquirer, in an article on the rice crisis, has this suggestion : The sensible suggestion from housewives, including this one, is for the management of the various hotels, restaurants and cafeterias across the nation to help the rice crisis by lessening what they serve. We could also cut down our rice intake at home by a spoon or two; after all, many of us are overweight.
She also reports that Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has an important trip to Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan province to push the planting of hybrid rice in the vast lands being tilled by inmates there. Maybe there will soon be a proposal that tuition-aid to Iskolar ng Bayan recipients will be conditional on these students spending a planting season to either shore up the irrigation ditches or even to learn how to control the hand-tractors and/or the carabao-driven implements.
Who says we have to wait for a revolution to start implementing Year-Zero changes?
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:02 pm
As the case of George W. Bush shows, not necessarily.
rego on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:36 pm
People here dont realized it but actually benignO is actually raising a very very important concern. No one will waste his/her time doing that if you dont care or love your country.
CVJ, ha dugay ka sa na sa blog eto…Grow up man!
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:37 pm
cvj: You really don’t think a Pinas with 85% gainfully employed will not be better than Pinas of today?
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:48 pm
UPn Student, that’s not what i wrote. Of course an 85% gainfully employed Philippines is an improvement. What i wrote was that even if we achieved that level of development, the example of George W. Bush’s election to the Presidency, shows that it is not true that such a society would be as you claim, ‘less susceptible to being fooled into electing wolves as emperors‘.
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 12:56 pm
Rego, i guess the difference is that what Benign0 is advocating is Conditional love which is contingent on success. This is what Benigno wrote previously…
…which is the opposite of the message of Unconditional love [for Country] from the letter writer from India (and the previous one from Korea).
You can read his whole comment here:
http://www.quezon.ph/1740/supremes-folly/#comment-773004
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 1:13 pm
But cvj: …. while many Americans will be glad when Dubya leaves office and many Americans were sorry over how history evolved with the Bush years in office, I don’t think that that the American voters who voted for Bush will say that they were tricked. The voters who voted for Bush will disagree with a characterization that Dubya Bush is an emperor, much less a wolf.
I believe that the vetting process especially for the US presidency is quite thorough that the Americans got the Dubya Bush that they thought they were voting into office — in other words, a Republican who believes in small-government, tax-incentives versus food-stamp dole outs. Even the Iraqi war is consistent with the DubyaBush governor-of-Texas Republican platform of “fotress-America” except when it comes to national security. [The big complaint by Republicans against Bush is that instead of "pay-as-you-go", Bush fought a war like a Democrat --- using money borrowed from the next American generation and the generation after that.]
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 1:26 pm
The thread about “emperors” made strong allusions to emperors treating their praetorian guards a lot better in order for the emperor to maintain control (i.e. control dissent) over the citizenry — North Korea troops controlling the North Korean population.
Bencard or Abe should be able to find story lines of how well or how poorly American soldier veterans fare when they return from Iraq or Afghanistan. I know that the the statistic is 20% or 25%. One in five, maybe even higher… Over one in 5 of American soldier-veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan are homeless.
benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 1:30 pm
“Unconditional” love?
Even marriages end in divorce, Mr. cvj.
Kawawa ka naman, as usual.
Only fools stay with abusive lovers. It’s called battered wife syndrome (or spouse if you wanna be really technical about it as you usually are).
Unconditional love for one’s children is understandable, natural, and even instinctive.
But unconditional love for one’s country is no more than a romanticised concept used by revolutionaries and politicians for galvanising vacuous minds to blindly follow one ideological cause or another.
Remember the ORIGINAL concept behind the creation of nations. It’s to uphold the collective interests of a people. When that original point is lost, all you’re left with is your “unconditional love” — no more than a figment of your imagination implanted (probably irredeemably) by generations of social engineering and indoctrination.
And THEN you start scrounging around for REASONS to continue believing in it.
-
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 2:17 pm
@ Rego (re: Benign0), see?
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 2:20 pm
UPn, as can be seen from his spending priorities, Dubya’s praetorian guards are the Blackwater mercenaries and the rest of the Military-Industrial complex. The American soldier is cannon-fodder.
Madonna on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 2:37 pm
HA! Benigno dear, Re: unconditional love. Obviously your thinking is that the country is your lover, an abusive lover in the case of the Philippines eh? Something bonkers and fallacious with your analogy to the country as a lover.
Of course being lovers or in a relationship is contingent on expectations, and mutual responsibilities.
But love of country? Care to think why pater or mater is the root word of what we usualy refer to country. Our land where we were born is considered mother or father, for which we have a duty to love. This is born of natural inclinations and even sanctioned by religious edicts. That’s why it’s sacred and runs deep. Even Jesus Christ who was martyred and murdered by his own people still identified himself as a Jew, to the very end.
And so in that case, your conclusions following this wrong assumption are necessarily false also. That’s why your prescriptions dear may sound logical, but they don’t stick or what’s more, they often a leave a bad taste in the mouth.
benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 2:57 pm
My point exactly, Ms. Madonna.
This whole “love of country” bullsh1t is based (well, in YOUR case at least) on “sanction[s] by religious edicts” and a sense of “duty”.
You do fail to mention what the origins of said “religious edicts” and senses of “duty” are. They all originate from the minds of people. There is nothing in nature that ingrains a human beings mind with “religious edicts” and senses of “duty”. They are all social/cultural creations and constructs.
The concept that all heavenly bodies orbited the Earth was once considered to be a sacred belief and, yes, “sanctioned by religious edict”.
Men who dared present growing evidence that this was a false belief were threatened with excommunication and even death.
So, just like Mr. cvj, kawawa ka naman. If invoking the sacred, the religious, and the duty constitute the best “argument” you can come up with to prop up this rapidly crumbling edifice of “love of country”, then all I can say is tough luck and good luck convincing people who actually use the better sections of their brain (you know, the sections that aren’t sanctioned by religious edict).
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benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 3:04 pm
Mr. cvj, grasping at straws as usual.
You shouldn’t equate care with love. You of all people who has a habit of nitpicking on trivial details should appreciate these little differences.
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cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 3:10 pm
So Rego, anong masasabi mo ngayon? Anyway, it did occur to me that maybe Benign0 really did love his country (in a ‘tough love’ kind of way) and was just putting on an act for the purpose of provoking others. However, i had to eventually discard that idea in the face of his clear, unequivocal and unmistakeable statements like the ones above (at 1:30pm and 2:57pm).
Madonna on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 3:35 pm
Benigno,
First, I dare say ikaw ang kawawa because you’ve been MISSING THE POINT. At a certain age, say past the age of 30 at least, neither environment nor social constructs could be said to be responsible for what you turn out to be. Maybe you are still cursing the environment or social constructs that you are rebelling against — even if they are already oceans away from you.
Second, I am not convincing people. You are one who has made a career of convincing people of your gothic getreal religion. You have put up your own religion Benigno and you are desperate for people to subscribe to it.
Third, please don’t twist my meaning about religious edicts because I made a clear example. My point about religious edicts is not because of dogma because though I am Catholic and will remain so by choice for the rest of my life, I don’t subscribe to dogma. The true religious don’t subcribe to dogma to live their lives. People who see the dogma or the surface edicts and miss the deep underlying beliefs or spiritual truths behind them are missing the whole point.
Fourth, at least admit it, your lover analogy was shot down because it is erroneous and fallacious. Oh, see I mouth quaint words like love or the sacred and such but I aint no person who tolerate BS when I see it. Who say’s being scientific minded exclude being in tune with what can’t be measured or seen like the sacred eh?
Fifth, it is indeed a duty to love your mother and father, whatever they turn out to be. You can curse them (don’t we all at certain points in our lives?) of course because there may be justifications for it, but there’s no changing the fact they gave you life as much as the land where you where born.
Words like duty, love and sacred. Ponder on them Benigno. You’re the only who can really know what they mean. That’s why I said it is not subject to debate. Of course you can’t go running to Mr. Webster’s because if you do, you are obviously missing the point. Good luck!
Liam Tinio on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 4:25 pm
benign0 does have a point.
i think his contention puts into light how we measure our achievements and actions in the light of western concepts, not our own concepts.. we are living in a dichotomy.. and this is non more truer in our concept of nepotism.. the western educated side of us tell us that nepotism is absolutely bad but the filipino side of us tell something differently.. and in fact, we collectively see it as true in areas where we are enjoying relative success like in business..
why cant we apply the same criticism we do for nepotism in government to the practice of nepotism in the successful businesses in the country?
the real flaw in Filipino cultre, as benign0 points out, is that we readily take and accept that the western concept on government is the best for us.. when in fact, we are more like a barangay type of people..
we force ourselves to wear coat and tie, although through the lens of a western pov we will look good in it, it is one that is unsuitable for us. for we are something really different..
benign0 on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 5:04 pm
If it is not subject to debate, then why discuss it here in a blog that is renowned for the quality of the debate it hosts?
Typical Pinoy-style discussion-ender you invoke there, Ms. “Madonna”.
-
Jeremy on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 5:11 pm
Regarding the relative nature of time and political ideas, I am reminded of Zhou Enlai who, when asked for his assessment of the 1789 French Revolution, is supposed to have replied: “It is too early to say”.
cvj on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 5:22 pm
Liam, i agree that there is something to be said for adapting the system to better suit local conditions and culture. The Japanese in particular are good at this, i.e. taking Western democratic forms (and technologies) and making it their own. However, we have to guard against those who label something ‘alien’ just to preserve their positions of power and privilege. As an aspiration, Freedom (Kalayaan) and Justice (Katarungan) are very much embedded in the Filipino psyche.
On Nepotism, whether you’re from the West or the East (or North or South), it’s practice cannot be good in terms of building a society where people advance based on merit.
Madonna on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 6:03 pm
Typical Pinoy-style discussion-ender you invoke there, Ms. “Madonnaâ€.
HAHAHA Benigno, typical ender there too. Again. LOL. Low blow there, you cast aspersions on Pinoy mentality from your judgment of my comments. I could defend myself, but you are unfair to the rest of the Pinoys who you choose to drag into your imaginary mud. Fair huh? Not to say fallacious and illogical. It’s simple really matey but you always miss this simple thing.
Remember my original comment was on a debatable issue — your erroneous metaphor. And did Manolo ever laid a tablet of rules that we must debate only? An exchange of views is not necessarily a debate. We’re not really college kids here, are we?
Jeg on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 6:18 pm
…and in other news:
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.
Link: http://www2.nysun.com/article/74994?page_no=1
Just illustrates our wrong-headed policy to turn our farmers into laborers and factory workers instead of turning them into better farmers by giving them all the help they needed. The idea then I suppose was we need to produce food anymore, just buy them from other countries. Now we can’t even do that.
Jeg on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 6:20 pm
The idea then I suppose was we need to produce food anymore…
I meant ‘we need not produce food…’.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 7:39 pm
Thousands of acres of US farmlands have gone green. Corn-into-food became corn-into-ethanol. Do not weep for the American farmer — the economic cycle is now in their favor where they get reasonable returns on investment.
Bert on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 8:14 pm
Why should a Filipino concentrate on the flaws of the Filipino people? Surely all race and cultures has its flaws and good points.
Degrading oneself is self-flagellation, a sadistic behaviour.
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 9:34 pm
to benign0: I hope you are aware that the population of Australia (like the population of USA or Canada) only have a passing interest in the Philippines. Of course, when asked why you left, they will approvingly understand if you say “Australia provides better opportunities for a person of my skills — I believe in self-reliance, not dependency on government handouts”. But I think that you should choose silence as opposed to telling your new neighbors or workmates that “… the country of my birth is culturally weak”.
In particular, love-of-country is where you may want to speak no further than “corruption, mismanagement, failed coups a way to become Senator”. It won’t get you any pay raise, so just choose silence and not tell Aussie neighbors/co-workers your belief that “…the Pinoys haven’t gotten it yet that this whole “love of country†bullsh1t … is based on “…religious edicts†and a sense of “duty ”
UP n student on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 9:46 pm
An excerpt from a letter to the US Congress:
Authored by:Lester Brown, is founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute.
Jonathan Lewis is a climate specialist and lawyer with the Clean Air Task Force:
Last year, the United States burned about a quarter of its national corn supply as fuel — and this led to only a 1 percent reduction in the country’s oil consumption.
Turning one-fourth of our corn into fuel is affecting global food prices. U.S. food prices are rising at twice the rate of inflation, hitting the pocketbooks of lower-income Americans and people living on fixed incomes. Globally, the United Nations and other relief organizations are facing gaping shortfalls as the cost of food outpaces their ability to provide aid for the 800 million people who lack food security. Deadly food riots have broken out in dozens of nations in the past few months, most recently in Haiti and Egypt. World Bank President Robert Zoellick warns of a global food emergency. The immediate necessary step is a major increase in global food aid. But beyond that, America must stop contributing to food price inflation through mandates that force us to use food to feed our cars instead of to feed people.
Taking these together — the environmental damage, the human pain of food price inflation, the failure to reduce our dependence on oil — it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that food-to-fuel mandates have failed. Congress took a big chance on biofuels that, unfortunately, has not worked out. Now, in the spirit of progress, let us learn the appropriate lessons from this setback, and let us act quickly to mitigate the damage and set upon a new course that holds greater promise for meeting the challenges ahead.
supremo on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 10:02 pm
I would really appreciate if benign0 can declare a benign0 holiday. Once a week is good enough.
supremo on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 10:08 pm
Or if that is not possible, I would appreciate it if benign0 can take a once a week holiday from his getreal thing or whatever you call it.
jakcast on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:29 pm
Indeed, the discussion here on how to solve the nation’s ills and problems make for very interesting reading.
Benign0’s get real analysis has some ring of truth. But the aspect on RP’s failure because of perceived socio-cultural flaws of the people would require year-zero solutions.
Other view points, like direct democracy proposals, are worth noting; maybe they are just good in theory but impossible to implement.
If our nation building failed with the purest form of liberal, representative democracy, maybe its high time to consider the other so-called “variants” e.g. Asian democracy or sovereign democracy. An incorruptible, benevolent dictator? Is that a possibility under Philippine conditions and circumstances?
If there’s such a thing as a failed state, maybe the Philippines is a failed democracy?
BrianB on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:34 pm
Interesting letter titled “Missing Piece”.
Missing nga.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20080422-131867/The-missing-piece-in-Philippine-devt
baycas on Tue, 22nd Apr 2008 11:59 pm
go madonna…
decena, that is…
BrianB on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 2:09 am
From Inquirer Opinion
When you can’t be plentiful in grains you can be plentiful in words,
Bencard on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 2:12 am
is that your real name – madonna decena? are you from bicol, by any chance? i had once a teacher, ms. decena.
BrianB on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 2:31 am
jakcast, the rich never wanted a real, working democracy only the facade. Hence, we’re never been one.
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 3:28 am
The rich and middle class cheat the masa out of their vote, bags of cash are brazenly handed out to influence our ‘representatives’, corruption is covered up with the connivance of the Supreme Court and yet we still characterize ourselves as purest form of liberal, representative democracy?
jakcast on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 3:47 am
cvj, my context was we failed in building our nation in what is in form the purest liberal representative democracy.
that’s why i’m asking are we then a failed democracy.
jakcast on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 3:55 am
@ cvj
or maybe i got you confused. shall we then say the “pro-forma” purest liberal representative democracy. ours is modeled from the u.s. of a, remember?
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 4:14 am
jakcast, i agree with the ‘pro-forma’ part. The trick is to move beyond ‘pro-forma’. What i wonder is why we seem to overlook the class element in all this? Ours is modeled after the American system but with a very different class structure. We already have an insider like Romulo Neri who has already drawn an Oligarchic syndicracy diagram for us to explain what is holding us back as a nation. How can it not be clearer than that?
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 4:25 am
True, Ms. madonna, you have a point there.
But then based on my observations over the last few years, the kind of thinking exhibited in your comments does indeed reflect typical Pinoy thinking. Quite unfortunate if you ask me. Maybe you’d be a bit more comortable commenting the way you do amongst the ellentordesillas.com crowd.
As to my “love” metaphor, well, that’s what you get when you use “love” across a variety of apples-to-orange concepts. Love for kids, love for a lover, love of country? Common denominator = “love”, yes, but the use of the word in this instance makes sense only to the vacuous mind.
You sound worried, UPn.
People don’t walk around talking about Pinoyness, Aussieness, Japaneseness, Chineseness, or Vietnameseness on a daily basis.
There are more important and interesting things to talk about outside of cyberspace.
jakcast on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 4:34 am
@ cvj, because democracy is government by the people, meaning all, irrespective of class. its just such that in a small country like the philippines, the oligarchic power has not been checked; or the middle class is not there; or the lower class is just so concerned with survival; or the people just don’t care about their rights; or the institutions are weak; or the bureaucracy is half-baked; or the catholic church keeps meddling, or its damaged culture; etc. etc.
there’s a host of causes or reasons for the ‘pro-forma’ pure form of liberal, representative democracy to fail.
BrianB on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 4:47 am
“ts just such that in a small country like the philippines, the oligarchic power has not been checked;”
Filipinos don’t mean a whole lot to you, do they? 90 million people is not a small country. Oligarchs go scot free for other reasons.
jakcast on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 4:57 am
@ BrianB, small country meaning all aspects of power configuration, not only population but natural resources (like land), economic power, technological advancement, and othe hard and soft power components. don’t take it too literal.
you cannot be considered a big or power country if 10 percent of your population goes to other countries for employment.
jakcast on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:03 am
@ BrianB, its not all a matter of population. Small country in terms of economic prowess, natural resources (like land), technological advancement, and other hard and soft power components.
The Philippines is not a ‘big’ country in power configuration. Especially so if ten percent of its population goes out of the country in search of work.
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:06 am
jakcast, yes democracy is government by the people irrespective of class because oligarchic power has not been checked, and because oligarchic power has not been checked, the economy fails to grow, the bureacracy is unresponsive, the institutions are weak, the middle class is leaving and the lower class are preoccupied with survival.
Regarding our ‘Damaged Culture’, this term has been appropriated by people to mean a lot of things but this is what James Fallows (who popularized the term) wrote in his piece…
By James Fallow’s definition, Benign0 who thinks ‘love’ is a ‘metaphor’ and ‘love of country’ is ‘bullsh1t’ is the prime specimen of the kind of ‘damaged culture’ that Fallows wrote about, and for that, i hold the Jesuits and their elitist education accountable (at least in part).
btw, we are not a ’small’ country.
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:11 am
sorry, the above (at 5:06am) should read yes democracy is government by the people irrespective of class but oligarchic power has not been checked…
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:13 am
sorry Brianb (at 4:47 am), i was still writing when you posted.
jakcast on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:13 am
@ cvj
I just responded to BrianB (at 5:03 AM) with what I meant of RP as being a small country, i.e. in terms of power configuration. I tell you I meant no ill will.
TonGuE-tWisTeD on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:44 am
Bert says:
“Degrading oneself is self-flagellation, a sadistic behaviour.
But perverts cannot live without them. Kawawa naman.
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 7:24 am
If not the Government, the Jesuits are to blame for society’s ills, right cvj?
On that, note, what’s your take on the concept of personal accountability that is so apparently alien to the typical Pinoy mind?
leytenian on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 7:36 am
no question, we filipinos love our country. India and Korea has its own and I’m sure the grass is not always greener on their side. Just like an individual person, she/he has her/his own issue. I will not even talked about our neighbors.
Love of country is always within us. It is our leaders who are overpaid who are not filipinos. I don’t know where they come from and where they graduated. Majority enjoy sitting at their office and the people expect them to perform and implement. Of course ,they know they are managing Philippines .. my point… we paid you to the job. It is not noble nor close to even right to keep your job if nothing has been properly done. I would say, they should voluntarily step down or as I have said on my previous post. We don’t need plenty. Our issues are so obvious. Everyone here have made a great point. I wonder if our leaders can even understand what we are trying to say….. They do for sure but then again they are not filipinos… they don’t love our country but they hold our money. Why let us fix the problem, we are just the people. We are not paid. Let’s target all of them. para mahiya na mahiya na sila… Heart attack is a natural cause of death. lol
leytenian on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 7:44 am
Leaders can be blamed for being incompetent. All of them… In regards to RICE… we have minister of agriculture, finance and budget… These executive ministers should do their job. Who else? what are they doing? Location of farming? what about our senators, congressman and governors who manage their region or land. All of them should be able to assess and even compete with each other. Competition in every region drives Oligarch away or maybe… they are the oligarch?
They are all useless…
Bencard on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 8:10 am
isn’t the preceding post sounds familiar or they all talk the same – same rant, words choice, syntax, air of arrogance and self-righteousness? noticed the all-too-familiar tone of contempt and hate?
inodoro ni emilie on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 8:12 am
let me venture a guess: always the lowly second class citizen in one’s adopted country?
happy anzac day, benigs! whose flag will you be a-fluttering during this i-am-proud-to-be aussie motherhood introspection day?
mlq3 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 8:54 am
shouldn’t we try to distinguish between democracy as a system, and how one generation’s definition of it can be different from anothers, and how one sector of society’s views of what constitutes it may be different from others? and how the definition that crosses class and generational barriers has to be the simplest, e.g. democracy = regular elections?
and there’s an entirely different question, which is, national progress -how defined, to what extent achieved? do we live longer, have fewer diseases, than before, do we have more roads, do more people have the ability to read, etc?
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 9:04 am
Everyone’s entitled to their “guess”, dude.
Second class citizen? Guess again. Look at our own islands and check out the queues not only for rice but for drinking water as well (people have been queueing for water there for so long that we take it for granted as normal) and multitudes of people living and eating off mounds of garbage.
Between the Philippine Government and the Australian Government, which of the two do you think is more inclined do things with the best interests of the general public in mind?
Being a third class citizen in ONE’S OWN COUNTRY OF BIRTH is a bit more tragic than your perception that I am a second class citizen down here in my adopted land of plenty, don’t you think?
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mlq3 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 9:11 am
yannow, much as we all end up getting each other’s goat here sooner or later, and much as benign0 is particularly adept at getting people’s goats, and much as readers tend to project things on to writers that may surprise the writer, you gotta ask: is benign0 heckling purely for the fun of it?
i read his book and it seems to me it’s the product of tough love -for the country. everything then should be taken in that context and is therefore, for effect.
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 9:38 am
Jakcast (at 5:03am), i see what you mean. thanks for the clarification.
marck on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 10:28 am
mlq3:
i won’t venture or posture as to speak for anybody else but myself here, but to answer your question re: democracy:
malcolm x once said in a speech, “democracy is hypocrisy… if democracy means freedom, why aren’t our people free? if democracy means justice, why don’t we have justice? if democracy means equality, why don’t we have equality?” regular elections do not make a democracy. paved roads and more classrooms do not make development.
we need more than a “definition” right now, sir. i think it behooves us to restore a pride in our country, for all the “faults” in its culture and its people. we need something to look forward to. resistance, to me, is that “something” we need. many of the faults and shortcomings of this nation are caused by the powers-that-be, the powerful and their greed for power.
we need to give the power back to the so-called “powerless” – that resistance is itself power – and with a powerful and proud people, then surely the philippines can plot its own course for freedom and development.
UP n student on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:07 am
to marck: why again are you not proud of this country?
Fallows did report — In 1982, in a survey, 207 grade-school students were asked what nationality they would prefer to be. Exactly ten replied “Filipino.’
Nowadays, that question has become : “what country would you prefer to be working in?” And because job opportunities — in salary, if not job satisfaction — is overseas, then “not here” is the reply by many.
I’ve posted elsewhere — it’s the economy!!!! The disdain for Pinas democracy becomes more acute when a Filipino see that their power to vote a congressman or a governor into office somehow does not translate into 85% or higher becoming gainfully employed.
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:29 am
UPn student, instead of formulating it as you have done:
economic achievement —> love for (or pride in) country
…what i think the Korean and Indian letter-writers say is that (based on their respective country’s experience) that it should be the other way around..,
love for (or pride in) country —> [makes possible] economic achievement
Beyond that, i believe that once started, pride in country and economic achievement are mutually reinforcing virtuous circle (aka positive feedback loop).
As for the ‘disdain for democracy’, concrete proposals to limit democracy usually come from the elitists Washington Sycip (and Benign0)-types who look down on the masa so they either want to limit its scope of action(in the case of Sycip) or its franchise (in the case of Benign0). I also concede that such talk also comes from those who advocate ‘Transition Councils’ which i believe is elitist in its own way in that it favors a vanguard-party approach.
marck on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:35 am
@ UP n student: I am proud of this country.
There are some things about this country that I do not agree with, and yes, the economy is one of them. A solid economy is, given your response, the basis of restoring pride to the many Filipinos who have sought – and have probably already seen – greener pastures abroad. There’s a lot going on for this country if we have food on our table, if we have money in our pockets, if we have something to look forward to.
Which is a shame, since the apparent leader of this country is actually an economist. If the power Constitutionally granted to the people to vote for somebody to represent them does not translate, then the power does not translate.
UP n student on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:44 am
cvj: benign0 has posted many times his answer to “…what is wrong with Pinas democracy”. And I think buried in Sycip’s response to “what is wrong with Pinas democracy” is that the wrong leaders are getting elected into office, and in particular, the policies and practices of the elected leaders create hindrances to economic activity and jobs generation. I think that from the many responses by the regular person in the street will contain the theme. Marck above says it. Leytenian says it. No matter who gets voted into office – McCoy, Cory, FVR, Erap, GMA, governor-this or mayor-that — that there is abysmal economic opportunity — no gainful employment — for the bottom 30% of the Pinas population.
hvrds on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:48 am
The greatest historical event that had the most unintended consequence (unless one is a true Christian)was the invention of the steam engine. Some would point out to the Copernican discovery.
The split between science and religion. Reformation and enlightenment.
Today once again the digital revoltuion is being compared to that first seminal event in human history – the industrial revolution. Division of labor and specialization.
The division of labor and the specialization of it is now mobile and flexible.
Plus today we have the strains of the Bretton Woods System that had collapsed since 1972 and allowed to fester into what could become the mother of all economic downturns. Principally caused by the lack of a neutral international currency.
James grant a fiancial analyst correctly pointed out recently that the United nations is an oxymoron and all States wish their currencies to be weak. (It serves them well in international trading) Except for the Phjils. which is still stuck in the ways of the gold standard.
Governments, businesses and the labor force which are essentially economies that fail to recognize and adopt will be obliterated. That is the inevitability of history.
The comparativwe advantage of the pinoy is that he is flexible but he has no self esteem as he has no history to ground him.
There is no WE…..
The two most important documents of the U.S. experiment in the practice of representative government has the word WE…. There was no broad based plebiscite/referendum to decide on the Declaration of Independence and the Constituion. It was the plutocracy that decided on the two documents.
However they were (not all them) smart enough to know the limits of absolute power and initiated for themselves a system of checks and balances on absolute power and diluting that power amongst the representaives of Congress.
There would be no tyranny of the majority nor of the minority that would be allowed to stand. That was the basic principle and ideals behind the documents.
That was their basic theoretical belief. The practice turned out to be problematical but the same abiding principles bound up the union time and time again.
Today the U.S. is a bi-polar reluctant empire. If it wants to remain number one it has to remain an empire.
The strains of their unitary imposition of monetary imperialism is now rocking the planet. The perversion of the Keynesian based national financial system has been extended by pure political will and off course their military force onto the world by the forced acceptance by the underdeveloped and emerging economies of the dollar standard. The word’s of former Treasury Secretary of the U.S. John Connally ring out today as never before.
“The dollar is our currency but it is your problem.”
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:50 am
This makes sense because, it is EASY to be proud when you ACHIEVE.
But this…
… is utter nonsense.
Are you able to form a logical causal chain between the first half of the above statement to the second half of the statement?
I’m sure given your psychedelic reasoning faculties, you can come up with something on the convoluted side — the same way creationists come up with their quaint theories to backward-engineer a theory of why we are from Scripture.
But usually it is the simplest and most elegant theory that is closest to the TRUTH, and the first statement fits this criteria.
Tough luck again!
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cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:54 am
UPn student, if Sycip’s diagnosis is that ‘the wrong leaders are getting elected into office’, why then does he propose consolidating more power to those same set of leaders? Isn’t that inconsistent?
As to your reference to ‘abysmal economic opportunity…for the bottom 30% of the Pinas population‘, i believe tht is because, as Ricky Carandang commented (in his own blog) an hour ago:
That’s as good a characterization of the Philippine economy as i’ve come across.
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 12:02 pm
If you refer back to the excerpt to James Fallows’ Damaged Culture that i quoted above (at 5:06 am), he did establish one such a causal chain when he wrote:
If the members of the upper class loved the Philippines and was committed to its success, then they won’t just pull out their money when ‘things get dicey’.
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 12:51 pm
Is that the way you pick up a chick, cvj?
Go up to her and tell her “hey babe, please love me right now so that you will say yes and not laugh at my dicey face when i ask for your phone number!”.
You’re a real winner indeed, dude.
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benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 12:55 pm
I think, Mr. cvj, the best way to win hearts for the long haul is to prove first how stable you are. That takes time and certainly cannot be achieved by “religious edict”.
Otherwise all you get is a one night stand (which you probably won’t even get if you prove to be quite dicey on the first date).
cvj on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 1:14 pm
Benign0, it is clear from the above that when James Fallows wrote about our ‘Damaged Culture‘, he was referring to the kind of fair-weather Filipino mindset that you have been promoting.
BrianB on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 2:20 pm
“shouldn’t we try to distinguish between democracy as a system, and how one generation’s definition of it can be different from anothers, and how one sector of society’s views of what constitutes it may be different from others? and how the definition that crosses class and generational barriers has to be the simplest, e.g. democracy = regular elections?”
This is the problem with the democratic question. Who cares what democracy really is. Everyone has his own set of priorities. That’s why Bill of Rights is the only perpetually relevant question. Its definition is eternal, or so we assume, and unlike “democracy” it’s perfectly measurable.
Madonna on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 2:37 pm
Benigno,
Don’t skewer the focus with your irrelevant rant. Your erroneus lover analogy was shot down because it was erroneous. Ha, well what if I go to ellen’s blog? I would feel at home there as much as I would here. You feel so superior thus because you post in Manolo’s blog is that it? Why don’t you go there at ellen’s site. Scared, Benigno? I bet you are.
Manolo,
You say Benigno’s love of country should be taken in context in his by product, his book. No problem there. My goat is that oftentimes his arguments are not logical or irrational and thus open to attack. Kinda hypocritical because he so oftentimes say that he is scientific minded. Not to say he goes overboard with his unfair comments. And lo, he is so proud that he is here in your blog because of the quality of debates here.
Bencard,
Fyi, the Madonna Decena is the current internet sensation kuno at YouTube — of yet another singing contest — in Britain. I don’t really get all these fuss about Pinoy singers abroad. Heck practically everyone in this country can sing. Charice Pempengo is not even that great in my opinion. Just another kid with over the top vocal chords. Now she’s set to appear in Oprah.
By the way, Madonna is not even my first name. LOL. And I don’t know anyone personally with a family name of Decena. But I guess there are a lot of Decenas in Albay or Cam Sur. God bless your teacher.
mlq3 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 2:53 pm
madonna, it’s simple, really. they don’t like the heat, so come here to bitch about the other kitchen. i’m glad people like it here but well, again, de gustibus…
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 3:41 pm
Actually I was kicked out of Ellen’s blog (do a bit of research on her archives c. 2005 to 2006). I’d go back and post there if she and her flock decide that they can handle moi.
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 3:49 pm
Ms Madonna talaga. Still fixated on the love angle?
I’ll do the Pinoy thing and speculate a bit that there may be some Freudian undercurrents here…
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Madonna on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 4:12 pm
Benigno,
So na kick-out ka pala kay ellen. It figures.
Fixated? HAHAHHAHAHA. Twisted mind you’ve got there. LOL! In any case I prefer Jung over Freud thank you.
benign0 on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:19 pm
That’s right. It figures talaga.
What’s your point? Because if you don’t have one, I certainly do.
inodoro ni emilie on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 5:23 pm
for someone who constantly commit ecological fallacy, is that being scientific? just asking.
no argument there benigs. haven’t we been ranting about how inutile our phil govt has been all the time?
again, happy anzac day benigs. make sure to wave your getrealphilippines flag on friday.
Bencard on Wed, 23rd Apr 2008 11:08 pm
“heck practically everyone in this country can sing.” madonna.
not quite, madonna. everybody THINKS he/she can sing. no wonder people get killed in karoake bars for singing “my way”. abs-cbn put on shows where actors/actresses try to croak…er, sing and make a fool of themselves. sometimes, politicians too (lol).
btw, just trying to lighten it up, guys.
d0d0ng on Thu, 24th Apr 2008 2:00 am
Philippines, a failed democracy?
Not at all. It has been working great for the wealthy congressmen and senators, as wells as for the clannish mayors and governors. You and I can afford an expensive rice.
It is only seen as a failure by the majority disenfranchised poor who are worried when they can have a subsidized rice on their table.
d0d0ng on Thu, 24th Apr 2008 2:34 am
Mind you, the people running the democratic system, getting the perks of ones position can attest well of benefits democracy has offered. Same is true with middlemen, rice traders including hoarders who are beneficiaries of democratic institutions. The bishops wield tremendous influence in democracy against population control ensuring steady income from surely increasing population.
The point is, those who think Philippine democracy is a failure has little or no influence on the system. Or, powerless to make any significant change.
Liam Tinio on Thu, 24th Apr 2008 10:56 am
cvj on Thu, 24th Apr 2008 11:17 pm
INE, thanks for the pointer to ‘ecological fallacy’. Indeed, that’s Benign0’s specialty.
d0d0ng on Fri, 25th Apr 2008 4:28 am
Liam Tinio on, “oh boy.. you will hurt a lot of feelings for this statement..”
That is nothing compared to what is going on in our country today. More Filipinos are sinking into poverty unless they opt out and seek opportunity abroad.
leytenian on Fri, 25th Apr 2008 5:56 am
UP n student..
sure i am street smart… I agree with employment. But can you share in your own experience and observation, how can our government create employment? If you are running the show… what would be your advice to the current situation. please consider initial investment or financial capital of your plan. Nothing is for free. Please also consider interest rates, Rice inflation and overpopulation. let’s start from here. Who knows… they might be reading.