The weekend saw a lot of speculation concerning the President’s decision to move Neda Director-General Romulo Neri to the Commission on Higher Education, a decision that apparently took Neri himself by surprise. Most of the speculation involved the motives: was it to get Neri out of the way, because he opposed the ZTE broadband deal? Was it part of a purge of Speaker Jose de Venecia’s people in the Palace? The implications of other presidential appointments, too, has been the grist of the political rumor mill: reports like Overhaul in gov’t continues help identify the president’s priorities, and incidentally, feeds discussion on why certain positions are quickly filled (by the usual suspects) and others left vacant.
The Neri transfer has created its own problems, though: So who’s the real education czar?
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus Sunday said there was a need to clarify an executive order designating a presidential assistant as coordinator of the
Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).The executive order was seen in some sectors as tantamount to appointing a de facto education czar.
“There is already an existing presidential assistant for education. And I don’t think you can call a presidential assistant a czar,” Lapus said in a phone interview.
He said he was not consulted about the executive order.
Some however, view the Neri move as a good one, including The Business Mirror editorial:
Finally, officials have seen the irony of the OFWs’ situation: as recently pointed out in a front-page story in this paper, the more dollars they remit home, the bigger the gap that has to be filled in their families’ usual budget – given that with the peso appreciating in the flood of dollars, their dollar earnings here fetch an increasingly lower peso equivalent.
A couple of OFW dependents interviewed for that Associated Press story said that in a matter of a few months, the difference in the peso equivalent of the dollars sent home by their OFW loved ones had reached P3,000 to P5,000. To make up for that decline, some OFWs have thus had to remit more, thus perpetuating the cycle.
We’re talking here of about eight million overseas Filipinos whose aggregate remittances as of April were up 26.08 percent to $4.681 billion.
This editorial reminds me of a rather depressing conversation over the weekend.
It involved an observation someone made, which goes like this. It can’t be denied that for big business, business is pretty damned good. And for some other businesses, involving small and medium scale entrepreneurs, etc., it’s pretty good, too. And the export of our fellow citizens overseas makes our economy pretty much foolproof, regardless of who is in charge of our government.
But, the person making the observation said, think of it. You’re an OFW. You earn a salary, and you remit a big chunk of it home. You send it through a bank owned by big business, which takes a cut. Your family at home takes the money you sent (minus the bank’s cut), and spends it on the following: down payment or rent in a development put up by big business; education, in a school owned by big business; utilities owned by big business; clothing, gadgets, furniture, food, etc. sold in malls owned by big business; whatever is left, you either stick in a pension or some other plan sold to your family by big business, or deposited in the same bank owned by big business…
The point being, the person making the observation said, that the money you make primarily circulates within the subsidiaries of the established big businesses: whatever escapes from that system is, when you think of it, peanuts.
In other news, Basilan quiet but tense after deferred offensive but D-day in Basilan to push through Tuesday. In Newsbreak, a report asks, AFP: Learning from Mistakes?
Angat Dam reduces Metro water supply. Government’s embarked on cloud-seeding operations, but Cloud-seeding fails to raise dam levels. there’s a lot of speculation, too, on government moves concerning power generation. This is because it’s big, big business. Everything related to the energy sector can be big, and controversial news. See Emergency deliveries of coal, fuel oil to keep plants running for example.
Tony Lopez discusses what’s involved in bidding for a power generation facility -and why power generation’s attractive to companies like San Miguel. See Asian Energy Advisors, maintained by Mamutong, for how foreign consultants view the energy sector’s opportunities, too. Now what I want to know is why we don’t have more of these: see Vista Pinas for a picture of Southeast Asia’s largest solar power plant, right here in the Philippines!
There are so many stories emerging -the controversy surrounding Meralco’s raising electric rates, arguments over whether there’s a real, or simulated, power shortage, what sort of deals are being made and who will profit from them- that it’s dizzying. Hopefully some bloggers familiar with the various issues will start posting and dissecting things.
Elsewhere on the economic front, Stock market bull run over - Deutsche Bank (not, the bank says, the government’s doing; bright spot today was GMA-7 stocks shine in trading debut, even as RP bourse falls). You may have noticed the Marcoses are aggressively pursuing ownership of shares and properties in the courts: US papers show Tan was Marcos’ partner.
Trying to expand his options, Villar says More choices for Blue Ribbon head. Playing for time, too: Resolving Senate impasse may take 3 weeks, says Villar.
Overseas, Bangkok is “transfixed” by rumors concerning the Crown Prince’s health: see Rumor Nation. In Japan, Abe Vows to Stay After Losing Japan’s Upper House (his party lost in the upper house; what’s interesting is how an upper house election is understood in Japan as in the nature of a referendum on the sitting administration). In Rorschach and Awe, Katherine Eban looks at how CIA psychologists reverse-engineered training they developed, to help US soldiers resist Communist-style interrogation techniques, and developed today’s “coercive interrogation methods”.
My column for today is Communal political vocabulary wanted.
Amando Doronila and Jarius Bondoc both tackle the ongoing reorganization of the Senate, and the problems it poses for Senate President Villar. Much will hinge, apparently, on who becomes Chairman of the powerful Blue Ribbon committee. The administration wants Joker Arroyo to keep it; some of Villar’s allies in the opposition are threatening to dump him if he gives in. In the House, Efren Danao tackles the so-called “independent” bloc formed by Rep. Garcia.
Quite a thought-provoking column by Conrado de Quiros today.
Also, Rasheed Abou-Alsamh on what TV shows tell us about a certain society.
In the blogosphere, my Inquirer Current entry is Calendar of values. John Nery, in his entry, asks, what was the best political insult?
Torn and Frayed points out the remarkable capacity of Filipinos to remember names and faces, and he tries to explain why this may be so.
Placeholder undertakes a thorough, and valuable, discussion on the automation of elections. He points to a report by Halal Marangal on the May 2007 elections, and its recommendations for a rational automation of elections.
Postcard Headlines gives a summary of the circumstances surrounding the abduction and continued disappearance of Jonas Burgos. See the news report, CA resumes hearing on Burgos disappearance.
[email protected] also gives an enlightening summary of the circumstances that have led the Supreme Court to instruct the armed forces to produce Burgos (a deadline the military didn’t meet). In her blog, Notes of Marichu Lambino, she says what’s left is for those concerned to petition for a whole bunch of subpoenas:
General Bacarro and their other representatives are most likely already in transit to the Court of Appeals. They are expected to deny custody of Jonas Burgos.
Don’t let them get away with it. Subpoena, or move for the issuance of a subpoena ad testificandum and duces tecum for Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino and his intel report; he said that they did a background check on agriculturist Jonas Burgos and claimed he was a member of the New People’s Army “Front Committee 2 based in Bulacan”, and that he has the intel report to show for it (subpoena duces tecum for the intel report).
Parties to an action are entitled to the issuance of processes that would produce the evidence for their case; and if the Court of Appeals denies the Motion for issuance of subpoenas, then the Supreme Court should be able to order the Court of Appeals. This is an evidentiary hearing, or would today turn into an evidentiary hearing, because the Supreme Court had anticipated that the respondents would deny custody; and that was why they had ordered the parties to bring the person of Jonas Burgos to the Court of Appeals.
If those subpoenaed allege that matters of “national security” prevent them from testifying and from producing the documents, they can be given an executive session with the justices and the parties and no one else attending, and the records could be asked to be sealed if the Court thinks that these involve the sensitive matters (like names of agents, etc.). But if they refuse altogether to testify and to bring those reports, the petitioners could move to cite them in contempt. And if in contempt, have them detained. Until they comply with the order to testify and produce the report. I know; if you push this to the legal limits, if the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court use the extent of all the authority that they have, we might have an Armed Forces refusing to obey the writs of the Court. At some point, if the Supreme Court pushed this to the extent of all its authority, you’d have a stand-off. I know. But what else are we to do? Where else would the Burgoses run to?
In his blog, Village Idiot Savant discusses the origin of the “trisikad” used in Davao.
And just for rather odd fun: the Hitler Safety Dance.
Technorati Tags: Blogging, constitution, elections, human rights, media, military, philippines, politics, president
sorry that’s Filipinos in their tens of millions.
I have a better idea Brian. Why don’t we just ban the citizens from being able to leave the country. We can do the same as North Korea. I’m tired of blaming the current and past administrations and even the Americans for our problems. I guess it’s time we blame the Spaniards. I’m all for that idea in getting back land taken by the Spaniards. I just hope my pre-spanish era ancestors were in the ruling class during time.
Listen Pedro, not the point at all. The bad habits we have now of looking down on the brown-skinned citizenry, of coddling land-grabbers in their insidious mediocrity and tolerating thieving politicos (recent and past adiministrations alike) for sheer force of habit can be traced back to the Spanish era, which bad habits we could’ve done something about by recognizing the criminalities of the Spaniards. So, damay nga mga inheritors nila, pati na yung mga mayayaman na yumaman sa kapanhunan nang mga kastila.
Look at what’s happening now, even the military are acting like pit bulls for the hacienderos. Sino bang pumapatay sa maga lumalabang trabahador sa hacienda?
What have you been reading boy, paperback?
That rich getting richer is a global phenomenon and not only in the Philippines syndrome like what you are suffering right now.
OFW hacienda mentality. Pakisampal ako. I do not want a rocket scientist just to understand your mumblings.
Nasa work force ka pa lang and you seem to talk with authority about business? Eh paano kaya kung nakapagtayo ka na ng negosyo? baka magsulat ka na rin ng libro and come up with an economic principle?
Why not blame the datu who ceded an island for a golden salakot. Sige hukayin mo at pagsampal-sampalin mo.
In the world, there is such a thing as proactive. And I think you are lacking of it.
And you’re right, our culture before wasn’t democratic either. We had slaves and such. But even slaves in that era were able to eat. It was the responsibility of the chieftains to take care of everyone. Compare that to today. Marami pa ring chieftains (I was mistaken not to include pre-Spanish culture in my tirade, which is obviously still influential even today) but they shirk from their old responsibilities by hiding behind the democratic process. Better to have a monarchy where the real responsibilities of the monrach is recognized than have a democracy which is only facade with people behind this facade living like kings and queens.
The point is this, maybe the reason why our people does not do something about the country’s ill is because they are still, culturally, pre-democratic. And don’t tell me we Filipinos need to evolve first before we become a true democracy. One generation is enough if the educational system cooperates. Wala nagang democracia sa eskwelahan eh. What is the reason for this? I point to the riuling class. They’re not stupid. They know if Filipinos were truly democratic they will losee everything: their land, their power, everything. They’ll live amongst the people as equals of the people. Mga anak nang kayumangi and yayaman. Anak nila magtutulak nang kariton nang basura.
CAT,
Globally, the heirs of the rich are poorer now. Cyclical ang mudo. Parang gulong. Eh dito sa Pinas, ano? Tanong mo sarili mo bakit sa Malaysia gumagawa sila nang kotse at cellphone. Satin tayo mahilig sa kotse at cell phone pero hindi tay nagmamanufacture.
And listen to yourself. You don’t even know me. You assume I am less educated than the other commenters here? CAT, it’s one of those bad habits I’ve been talking about. It’s self-flagellation projected upon others.
Proactive-proactive ka dyan, ibang tao ang galing magnakaw at pumatay nang tao, ikaw proactive lang?
CAT,
Don’t discriminate against people younger than you and don’t assume people my age know less than older folks. The hoistory of this country is littered with the blood of younger people. Our heroes were all in my age bracket when they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Hindi lang tayo racist dito sa pilipinas, we also discriminate against the youth. History po nang pilipinas, mga youth ang may pinakamalaking contribution. Mga matatanda yun yung mga kurakot.
“Why not blame the datu who ceded an island for a golden salakot. Sige hukayin mo at pagsampal-sampalin mo.”
She doesn’t even know her history. It’s the datus who bought the Panay plains for a golden salakot. Ang Ita pumunta sa bundok. Lugi pa nga mga Malay eh, dahil and kapatagan binabaha tuwing tag ulan. Golden salakot tapos ilang kaban nang mga alahas. Yun.
I am guilty of that history blunder coz it’s been history.
Bakit mas marami ka bang alam? Your posts show that you are still clueless to almost everything.
So naive and so idealistic. Magtravel ka muna at magbabago ang perspective mo sa buhay.
History was written by the colonizers and the victors.
Age may not bring wisdom but age gives more experience and exposure.
Kung baga sa poultry, sisiw ka pa lang. Dont be too cocky.
[quote]Now Ms Arroyo has a Partner in Japan PM Abe, both are lame ducks. [/quote]
PM Abe is by far, a better person than gloria; And I don’t think he’d ask gloria for help….
Besides, Mr. Abe did not steal a position, nor did he steal an election.
At least in Japan, people who blunder openly ask for apologies and bow out of public eye. Not so in Inang Bayan!
Perhaps, PM Abe’s choice of people were not so good, hence the mishaps and the blunder. But at least, citizens can see where their taxes go. Can we say the same in Inang Bayan?
Let’s not be too beholden to “elders”. If their so-called “values” were really as great as they say they were, then how come the Philippines turned into the basketcase that it is today under their watch?
Benign0, you’re really getting efficient in packing together attribution errors. Anyway, respect for elders (like love for country) is not a transactional matter.
Cat, I studied in the U.S. Wag mung i assume na dahil marunong ako magtagalog eh jolog ako. Nag paptraktis lang. Ilonggo ako eh.
CVJ,
They make it as if it’s in the constitution.
As far as I’m concerned, old people have nothing to offer. The worst thing is, if you have guests who are foreigners or just cousins from abroad they give those “kids” a lot more respect than they give you. Nakakalalaki. They don’t just look down on you, they stab you in the back as well, spouting out principles that they don’t believe themselves. Yes, my experience is older people use morality to hold younger people forever in their debt. They are not very moral themselves and are often obviously and openly hypocritical. They don’t respect younger people. I’m sorry CAT, but I take offense in your language. Manolo, isn’t CAT’s posts a personal attack to me? Then why isn’t she being moderated? Is it because she is OLDER? There is a serious flaw in ethical standards in this country. Even people like MLQ3 miss a beat now and then.
Brian, Its good to know that you studied in the US. So what exactly have you learned? I’m sure you noticed the big difference when you got your drivers license from the DMV compared to getting one from the LTO right? Of course you also noticed the big difference in banking, business application permits, professional licensing, work ethics and how government contracts get awarded right? You already know that governments in developed countries strive to create an environment that will entice more business investments, growth in industry, competition and this of course leads to the need for human resources., Governments of course invest in education to support this need blah blah blah… So because your armed with a US college degree and you have all this knowledge and experience, you’re saying that we should do away with big business? What, you think we should form a benevolent government to take over the business groups you mentioned. You think we can force business to make investments? Seems like you’re pissed of at rich people. Weren’t there any rich people when you were in the US acquiring your expertise? And please tell me what exactly is this grand scheme being done by the big bad old people to put down the youth?
brianb, maybe i wasn’t clear. by personal attack i mean death threats. someone did that once, regarding a private person and i banned them. otherwise, we’re all old enough to defend ourselves here.
on another point: whether a person upholds principles or not doesn’t invalidate those principles, in terms of their value for others or their applicability to all generations.
Not big business. Please, I shouldn;t have to repeat my points, do I. It’s big business here in the Philippines. Businesses that come from hacienda money or logging money. Our type of big business that did not grow because they were better than other businesses but thrived through rent-seeking and outright thievery. And most importantly, big business inherited from the kastilas. These real estate moguls, if they paid for their land at all, paid the wrong people. They paid the thieves. These broadcasting and utilities families, they got rich through rent-seeking. Rent-seeking happens even today.
Here’s how wikipedia describes it:
“Rent seeking generally implies the extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity… ”
Sound familiar to you?
Didn’t get a degree abroad. Just spent a few years of middle school there. College too expensive. What did I learn, nothing better than what I know from books or watching TV. Depends on the state. Was in NYC.
…And brian, I’m probably stretching here but you may have been living independently for a couple of years now and realized how ugly the real world is. You’re pissed that what’s going on is not in line with what you learned in school. Some people make it, some people don’t, and some were just born lucky. It’s not that bad. Rich dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki might be an interesting read for you.
He, I’m starting my own business and currently employ over a dozen people part time (this is regular part time, not on a casual or per-project basis, and I pay my taxes, mind you). But thanks for your concern. I’m not anywhere close to being rich, though, if that’s what you mean.
My anger doesn’t all come from personal experience but from reading newsies and watching TV. All those disappeared, people arrested without warrants of arrest and not heard of since. What I really can’t stand is the “Cojuangco” land in Tarlac. Unbelievable to me. I had lawyer friends explain it all to me. Just plain unbelievable.
Please let’s stay within the more manageable sphere of general ideas and current events. My personal life is too complex for this forum 🙂
MLQ3: “on another point: whether a person upholds principles or not doesn’t invalidate those principles, in terms of their value for others or their applicability to all generations.”
Hm. I want it to apply but the unprincipled use it against you and your left with your defenses down. Know what I mean. It’s like you’re the sheep and they are the wolves. No contest. Hypocrites rule when everybody else refuse to judge the hypocrites.
Brianb,
Here is a hankie, wipe your nose and your tear. I did not call you names.
Your posts reveal your personality. So much angst for nothing.
Just look at these statements of yours:
Just because your old folks behave that way, old folks are all the same. Ever heard of fallacy? Daming matatamaang commenter niyan dito na matatanda. hehehe
Magpahinog ka muna siguro, bago ka sumabak dito sa forum na ito, hane. O kaya observe and learn.
So if you studied abroad what? Keber ko. Ako matagal na dito sa States, matatas pang magtagalog.
What’s wrong with being jologs?
Ayan na. Labasan na at grandstanding na ng mga personal achievements. Magaling talaga tayo sa personalan.
Tsk tsk. Pinoy nga naman talaga. Scorpions sting because that’s all they know how to do. Pinoys make personal attacks because that’s about the only thing in their intellectual arsenal to call on.
Hey Cat, ingat ka lang, you might get into another one of your tililing rampages.
Sorry, that’s just me being Pinoy. 😉
“Ayan na. Labasan na at grandstanding na ng mga personal achievements. Magaling talaga tayo sa personalan.”
haha. nuon ko pa nabanggit ito, benigs. yong mga hambog dito, do your ego-inflating activities in your self-involving, self-glorying blogs, and relish the adulation of your self-created sitemeter fans.
“Magpahinog ka muna siguro, bago ka sumabak dito sa forum na ito, hane. O kaya observe and learn.”
Mga hinog na alam ko 15 to 25 years old. Lampas na nun, prune na tawag dun.
“Ayan na. Labasan na at grandstanding na ng mga personal achievements. Magaling talaga tayo sa personalan.â€Â
This behavior is not limited to Filipinos. If yuo’ve been to forums made up of people in the U.S. and Europe, VCs get leaked all the time. That’s what’s wrong with the semi-anonymity of this forum. Some people just don’t know how to behave in Web 2.0 arena. Like CAT for example. CAT, the usual snobberies in the real world don’t work. I can wear you out as I’m online 15 hours a day. JUst didn’t figure out too soon that the attack on my young personality had nothing to do with what we’ve been discussing here. Personal nga. You’re pissed off CAT that as a new poster here on Quezon.ph, I had the guts to post very opinionated comments?
You have to realize that there’s nothing that pisses me off more than people lacking Web 2.0 sophistication, people with who take their old presumptions to a forum built to chip away on those old presumptions. Ganun talaga buhay dito sa Web, maski di ka kilalang tao, may K ka.
That’s why people like MLQ3 take the time to create sites like this. If he spends all his time on talk shows and writing for newspapers, he may lose sight of what’s really out there. I know this more than you’ll ever know, CAT. Here’s a smiley face bonus 🙂
I thought the same 15 to 25 years ago. Soon enough, many will have the opportunity to be at the receiving end.
CVJ,
It’ll probably help if I give them due respect.
I get the sense Brian has a lot of pent-up anger, misdirected no doubt. He rises up, at the slightest hint of an insult, or an opposition to his views.
Just a bit of advice Brian, an opposition to one’s views/opinions doesn’t mean a personal attack agst one’s person immediately. as everyone said, do not take it so personal. i for one, have crossed swords with one of the regulars here, one time or another. it didn’t mean he is my personal enemy just bec we differed in our views. christ, we were both anti-GMA for pete’s sakes! i jz didn’t agree to what he was saying, thus I spoke up. and likewise, i didn’t take offense when he challenged my argument. unless you haven’t noticed, this blog was opened up for this exact purpose. to allow people to air their views and disagree w/the author and w/each other.
and I believe this is what CAT did. having lurked in this blog a much longer time than you, i can reasonably say i know CAT a lil bit.
she’s fond of being sarcastic, i noticed. hence her words may really sting. but as far as i know, she never personally attacks anyone bec of their stature. she doesn’t “speak up” here often. perhaps it’s bec she only posts when she reads something she disagrees with.
so settle down. no need to call for moderation by Manolo. para kang batang pikon. tatakbo ke Mommy at magsusumbong.
“In the world, there is such a thing as proactive. And I think you are lacking of it.”
“Kung baga sa poultry, sisiw ka pa lang. Dont be too cocky.”
“Here is a hankie, wipe your nose and your tear. I did not call you names.”
“Magpahinog ka muna siguro, bago ka sumabak dito sa forum na ito, hane. O kaya observe and learn.â€Â
What do you call the above, constructive criticism?
Pent-up anger? After a couple of days posting here, you still think it’s “pent-up” anger? If CAT were merely being sarcastic, I wonder if you can point out to me these sarcastic passages. What I can’t understand and abide is why these older people don’t want the younger generation to be better than they are. Can you please explain the logic to me. Why don’t… you… want… us… to be… better… then your generation? We used to be the most progressive nation in the ASEAN. Your generation caused this nation to be weak and all you people are good at is saying you know a lot and we don’t. Then why not share waht you know, instead of just holding the younger generation hostage to some esoteric knowledge you don’t even have the decency to share with your successors.
BrianB, if the future 15 to 25 year olds used your standards, i don’t think it will be enough for you alone to give due respect to your younger counterparts. What will happen is that these young adults will perceive each and every slight by their elders as the fault of the entire generation to which you belong to just as you ascribe the sins of Ca T (and whoever else) to an entire generation of Filipino elders.
“so settle down. no need to call for moderation by Manolo. para kang batang pikon. tatakbo ke Mommy at magsusumbong.”
You’re deluded. We’re my mommy here? If you mean my complaint to Manolo? Some of my comments were moderated. As Manolo explained it earlier, personal attacks are banned. I took it to mean, direct personal insults. Some of my posts had that and they were moderated while CAT’s wasn’t. And don’t give me advice about the personalities in this forum. I didn’t want this to be personal and if you read my posts, none of them directly insult people in this forum.
This isn’t MySpace. If you want a social network, go to friendster.
My impression of older people is that they lack a sense of responsibility for what their generation has done to this country. Politicians are not exceptions. Even ordinary people lack a sense of accountability, especially when they’re dealing with the youth.
This is what I believe: People born in the 60s and older should apologize to the younger generation for the ills our generation will suffer. Problema nyo, rirespituhin nyo lang mga bata kung mamundok na at handa nang pumatay at mamatay.
“This is what I believe: People born in the 60s and older should apologize to the younger generation for the ills our generation will suffer. Problema nyo, rirespituhin nyo lang mga bata kung mamundok na at handa nang pumatay at mamatay.”
may point ka, brian. kaya nga we shouldn’t be talking here of temporalities such as the current, whimsical state of stock market boom (which went kaboom two days ago), that the economy is doing well under she-who-shall-not-be-named, etc, etc. but rather this, HAVE we strengthened our democratic ideals so that future generations can reap on these rewards?
rage, rage, brian, against the dying of the light. [wag ka lang munang mamundok.]
Who is ‘nyo’? Aren’t you overgeneralizing or is it just for rhetorical effect?
brian points to something i’ve mulled over in past entries and in some pieces i’ve written.
our leadership has tended to be young, going back to the generation of the revolution. problems arise and get compounded when a generation stays on past its prime and stifles innovation. nick joaquin identified this as an emerging problem, pre-war, and the logjam was only solved, temporarily, with magsaysay’s election in 1953.
the second logjam began to make itself felt in the 1960s, when marcos’s generation, held back from its rise to power until the 50s, showed no signs of letting go.
i wrote about this somewhere when i pointed out how many elections could have taken place, had the martial law era not taken place: 1973, 1977, 1981, 1985. four administrations, with four opportunities for a new vision, could have taken place in that time.
as a rough guide, here’s how the generational holdoever worked out, looking at particular presidents as representatives of certain generations:
roxas (b. 1892) and his generation held sway from 46 to 53;
magsaysay (b. 1907) took power, in a generational shift, in 53; garcia was a throwback to the older generation; macapagal belonged to magsaysay’s generation;
marcos (b. 1917) was another generation, by 1973 his generation’s turn at the summit was due to expire.
poised to replace marcos were other generations: gerry roxas represented those born in the 1920s; ninoy aquino, those born in the 30s.
not until cory aquino, in the late 80s, did we get a president born in the 30s; ramos was a throwback to gerry roxas’s generation; estrada, a return to ninoy’s generation. but estrada had been discussed as presidential material even prior to martial law, if he’d become president in his 40s instead of his 60s, who knows…
because they were held back, by the time the 1960s generation took power in the 1980s, they were tired and too compromised; and they, too, along with holdeovers from the previous eras, have only begun to relinquish control. it’s only within the last two elections (thanks in part to term limits) that younger leaders have come to the fore.
if one assumes the continuation of the 4-year term, then for the sake of projection, this is what could have been. Assume a change of power every four years, a holdover for a generation being a maximum of two presidential terms; and that, the qualifying age for the presidency is 40 years old:
1973: generation from the 20s/30s
1977: generation from the 20s/30s
1981: generation from the 30s/40s
1985: generation from the 30s/40s
1989: generation from the 40s/50s
1994: generation from the 40s/50s
1998: generation from the 50s/60s
2002: generation from the 50s/60s
the generation of president arroyo (b. 1948), then, which came to power in 2001, came to power more or less at the right time. but, between say, estrada and arroyo’s generations, there are two or more lost generations! and thus, lost opportunities.
as for another point brian brings up: certainly if one generation doesn’t consciously transmit its knowledge and values to the next, then the next generation can’t be faulted for its ignorance or for thinking the knowledge and values have lost all relevance.
aba, inodoro… i love it: “she-who-shall-not-be-named.” love it. binigyan mo ako ng ideya para sa kolum….
“ari pata and the halfwit prints.” with the kontrabida being lady maldemole, she who-shall-not-be-named.
ahihihihi!
“ari pata and the halfwit prints”
bwahaha. kool title.
inodoro, oo mga, hapi yun.
gentlefolk:i don’t think the older generations owe the younger generations any sort of apology. if you think about it, THEY fought the war; THEY brought us through one apocalyptic crises after another – the bay of pigs, the oil embargo, the dot.com collapse, the asian economic meltdown – and we’re still here. Sure they may have screwed up big time in some matters, but I tend to believe that they were doing the best they could under the circumstances.and we of the younger generation should not waste our breath complaining about how tough we have it. just my two cents to this fiery discussion
“Why don’t… you… want… us… to be… better… then your generation?”
I don’t know Brian. You should ask the lolos and lolas here. after all, I am just 26. yes. is it dawning on you? that i belong in your generation? and yet to be assumed i am older than my years based from what I write here… hmm, frankly i don’t know if should be flattered or insulted.
Do you see me blaming the oldies for things we can NOW make a difference with? if you are complaining abt them holding you back, then aren’t you being a little bratty?
if you want to be “better,” then by all means do so. if you are really bent on it, no matter who blocks your way, no one can hold you back.
it’s like me being angry for failing to get hired a hundred times to all those companies i’ve applied to. i’ll go home cursing the HR staff or the one interviewing me for cordoning off the jobs only to those of their own kind (average and unimaginative) and excluding people like me, an inborn genius (yes, that’s my ego talking) i tell myself they must’ve felt so threatened by me they didn’t wanna hire me and risk me taking their jobs.
only i realized, that if im good, then sooner or later, i would be given the chance to prove myself. and when i was hired, im proud to say that for the months i worked at that company, i was always a top ranking employee.
they say success is the greatest revenge one can have to those who rejected them. make that your motto Brian.
that’s what drives me as well. to shame some of the pretentious writers out there and show them what i think of their “great” work. Captain Barbell and Fantastic Man? pwe.
pent-up anger.i have that as well. imagine sending my resume and they didn’t even read it. does not belong in any of the universities mentioned in the ad, throw that one away.
i am sorry mr.devil, but unless you have read the ad, we specifically mentioned not bothering to apply if you aren’t a graduate of one of the universities we listed.
but, but i thought, i just thought that if you would give me a chance to write…
well, you thought wrong mr. devil. we don’t waste time with people like you.
Brian, you see me blaming these people? You see me giving up? I know in my heart what I’m worth. So if you have something to say, or something to prove, goddamit do your best to say or prove it!
ROM,
My Lolo fought the Japanese. His brother was beheaded in front of his family in a plaza ( I forget which plaza). I really liked my lolo. He used to pull my ear and probably hurt me more times physically compared to my father but he was a brave guy. I prefer being beaten up by someone who stood up for the Japanese and who wasn’t afraid of the mayayaman. I can’t say that about my father.
Devil,
Success doesn’t make my point, does it? Let’s say I suddenly became a billionaire and won the Nobel and no one of the older generation can look me in the eye in shame. Do you think that would make my point? No. Because it isn’t me that convinced them. It’s my billions and the Nobel. Get it?
“rage, rage, brian, against the dying of the light. [wag ka lang munang mamundok.]”
Like I said, I’m going to be a business man.
“Success doesn’t make my point, does it? Let’s say I suddenly became a billionaire and won the Nobel and no one of the older generation can look me in the eye in shame. Do you think that would make my point? No. Because it isn’t me that convinced them. It’s my billions and the Nobel. Get it?”
Having a different view of what success is (for me it isn’t the riches nor the awards), I’d still say even if that didn’t “make your point” (whatever that means. perhaps it means proving one was right in the 1st place, kind of an ‘i told you so’) at least you would’ve done something which you set out to do. which was be better than the older generation or those who repudiated you. so what if you were never able to make your point to these people? if you hate their guts so much, do their opinion still really matter? i myself would’ve just smiled at them and be contented with what i have done.
as i’ve said, why be pissed off at them and them holding you back? it’s been always like that ever since. the old generation making mistakes the young will then suffer, the old generation always acting that their generation is the better generation than the younger ‘uns, that kids nowadays are growing disrespectful and losing their sense of morals. that happens with every generation, and I bet ya it’ll happen w/ours (even if you and I are so smart not to get caught in this trap, a lot of our generation will be).
when you’ve calmed down and stopped blaming them, you’ll realize that you are alive exactly for this reason. to fight them, and fight the fate given you (if it was a bad one).
ah. you must be the kind of person that isn’t contented unless you’ve won an argument or someone else say’s “uncle.”
well Brian, let’s wait till we grow old ourselve for them to say “uncle.” perhaps by then they’d have realized the error of their ways and apologize to us from their graves.
“well Brian, let’s wait till we grow old ourselve for them to say “uncle.†perhaps by then they’d have realized the error of their ways and apologize to us from their graves.”
That’s up to you Devil, if you already want to act like a retiree at your young age.
Dear, dear. To console you, let be it known that mine too is being moderated not because I go out of bounds but because it’s the system, honey especially if you post comments at intervals of a few minutes only.
I’ve been participating in forums from aol, pex and phno and there was never a time when I was banned, edited or thrown out from the discussions.
As John Marzan has said, I have debated with B and the other political forum regulars some years back in the pex. I have been called names, killed in the cyber and stalked by a Silicon Valley racist thus the change in the handle. Otherwise, I should have kept my favorite alternick.
Oh yeah, I was temporarily banned in the old pex when it changed ownership. One expat that I debated with was very much like BrianB, kulang na lang magsumbong sa Diyos para ako maparusahan. 🙂
As DEvilsadvc has said, I seldom join in the discussion but I read each and every comment. I also read the links given by MLQ3.
If someone encourages your rage, he is not losing but you.
Tahan na. To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.
know your metaphors, hane.
“As John Marzan has said, I have debated with B and the other political forum regulars some years back in the pex. I have been called names, killed in the cyber and stalked by a Silicon Valley racist thus the change in the handle. Otherwise, I should have kept my favorite alternick.”
Just to refresh your memory “Cat”, someone has in fact written about their experience in PEx back several years ago and you figure as one of the stars in that show:
http://www.apmforum.com/columns/orientseas47.htm
Maybe this is the “expat” you were referring to. 😉 Hope a bit of therapy had helped your little tililings. Otherwise, to be fair, I think you’ve come a long way. 😉
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I think this whole debate about age came about because a few bozos brought up the topic in the first place. Age should be a non-issue. Ideas should be evaluated on the basis of their own internal logical merit.
Benigno,
I think after all these years, you are the most unwanted commenter in the cyberspace. Imagine being banned by almost all forums.
The columnist who you tried other people to believe that it is you is already deceased. Change your alternick Benigno. Kawawa naman si Teddy B.
Ow, that expat who claimed that he started that call centers in the Philippines when he merely wrote an article about it. hahaha.
The expat who generalized that Cebu women are P…
The expat who claimed that he was a consultant but behaved like BrianB and rallied almost all people he knew to use different alternicks just to attack me. Pikon.
Some kind of your strategy, isn’t it benigno? One that praises you to high heavens and another is a troll. Which among the posters here is one of yours? I saw one already.
Hindi kita pinapatulan dahil ayaw kong mababoy itong forum ni MLQ3. Wherever you go, you create trouble because you think all Filipinos are stupid and you are the only one who is not.
But you are not happy if Garfield won’t pay you attention. KSP ka parin. Hindi ka kasi sumikat kung hindi kita pinatulan. Bwahaha
Exercise pa baka sakaling mastretch pa yong IQ. 🙂
Want dark choc? Good for the brain.