GRP Shorts

Impeachment trial politicians exposing one another and doing the job that media's so far failed to do

2012-02-07T15:53:00.003+11:00

The collective stupidity of Filipino politicians seems to be nearing a point where they may all inadvertently kill the very goose that has been laying their golden eggs for the last half century. One thing that the trial of the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona might actually achieve is to whip all these bozos into a skirt-lifting frenzy that will ultimately result in every one of them revealing the wide array of colours of undergarments they wear to the public.

This impeachment trial and the tactics of the prosecution can potentially disrupt a kind of détente amongst Filipino politicians; one that was underpinned by a tacit acknowledgement that any attempt to dig up dirt on the other will simply raise the spectre of a "hidden wealth armageddon" wherein the ensuing tit-for-tat unearthing of one another's treasure chests and skeletons-in-closets will assure the destruction of the veil that cloaks their collective parasitical hold on Philippine society.

From a comment on Get Real Post...

“[It] would be a ‘disservice’ to the country if they do not show the specimen and other bank account details.”–Rep. Romero Quimbo, prosecution spokesman

This is one great statement from the prosecution spokesman that we should all welcome, the defense in particular, for it would indeed be a “disservice” to the Republic if “the specimen and other bank details” of only ONE Member of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice, are disclosed selectively to the public to verify “a declaration under oath of his assets, liabilities and net worth.”

And this is precisely the intent the Framers conveyed in Sec 17, Art. XI:

“A public officer or employee shall, upon assumption of office and as often thereafter as may be required by law, submit a declaration under oath of his assets, liabilities, and net worth. In the case of the President, the Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet, the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Commissions and other constitutional offices, and officers of the armed forces with general or flag rank, the declaration shall be disclosed to the public in the manner provided by law.”

Hence, in line with his laudable advocacy, Rep. Quimbo–a “public officer, a Member of Congress, at that–should now urge his fellow accusers (Rep. Tupas. in particular) to come with clean hands and voluntarily present to the public they are sworn to serve original copies (if need be) of their bank documents and other financial statements supporting their SALN declarations.

Otherwise, and to quote Rep. Quimbo again,“it would be a disservice to the country”–a “disservice” if only ONE among ALL “public officers” is subjected to the glare of such public scrutiny.

For every allegation of "hidden wealth" thrown by one side against the other will only bring upon itself a similar level of scrutinty around how black the proverbial kettle is.

Interesting times ahead. Perhaps this circus isn't such a bad thing after all.

Media practitioners should focus more on making their craft consistent than on coming up with new buzzwords @momblogger

2012-02-01T13:32:00.006+11:00

In recent weeks we've seen jargon like "social news network", "online journalist", "citizen journalists", and "crowdsourcing" coming into the quaint lingo of some "media practitioners" (hey, there's another one!). None of these are clearly defined in the context of the practice of journalism and, more importantly, none of these have added any significant clarity to the "debate" around the role of these media people in our overall journey towards becoming a more just society.

For me it is quite simple. There are only three operational classes that describe how an information channel can operate:

(1) Provide information

(2) Seek to influence

(3) Peddle influence

News reporters do Item 1, columnists do Item 2, and publicists do Item 3.

A "media practitioner" or channel can be one or a combination of the above three.

How much more complicated can it be?

The thing I find quite amusing about people like Maria Ressa and Chay Hofileña (and all these "media consultants") is the way they muddle what is really a simple landscape with their quaint buzzwords but balk at providing insight into what they say when asked. Ressa, for example, once responded to commentary by screaming "Libel!". When asked who is funding Rappler, the silence was deafening. You gotta wonder.

Impeachment may be political but media role is not to 'enrage' public

2012-02-01T08:59:00.002+11:00

Impeachment being denominated "political" does not mean that the role of media during such trials is–to Hofilena–to "enrage them or inspire them" for partisan ends.

Impeachment is "political," because the accusers come from a body of politicians–elective representatives of the qualified electors in their respective districts–and the accused is a public officer charged with having abused or violated the public trust; hence, the penalty for the convicted officer handed down by another assembly of politicians, the Senate, is removal from an office of public trust and perpetual disqualification from holding public office thereafter.

But even though the accusers and the judges are politicians and the trial itself is dubbed as "political"; the Senate Rules of Procedure on Impeachments (2011) clearly provide otherwise, since Senators–in their role as judges–are required to solemnly swear to or affirm that each one of them "will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws of the Philippines: (So help me God)."
The words inscribed in this Oath are echoed in a provision in the same Senate rule which emphasizes that:

"Senators shall observe political neutrality during the course of the impeachment trial. 'Political neutrality' shall be defined as exercise of public official's duty without unfair discrimination and regardless of party affiliation or preference."

This rule is consistent with Alexander Hamilton's exhortation (The Federalist No. 65) that Senators must strive "to preserve, unawed and uninfluenced, the necessary impartiality" befitting their role as judges during such trials.

Hamilton, nonetheless, is cognizant of the political reality that–

"The prosecution of them, for this reason, will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole community, and to divide it into parties more or less friendly or inimical to the accused. In many cases it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence, and interest on one side or on the other; and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt."

Hence, owing to the "political" credentials of the accusers and the judges, Hamilton concludes:

"The difficulty of placing it rightly, in a government resting entirely on the basis of periodical elections, will as readily be perceived, when it is considered that the most conspicuous characters in it will, from that circumstance, be too often the leaders or the tools of the most cunning or the most numerous faction, and on this account, can hardly be expected to possess the requisite neutrality towards those whose conduct may be the subject of scrutiny."

Not only that–and owing to the relentless barrage of open political propaganda as well–what the public is now made to endure is that, by peddling "rumors for ratings," corporate media and social networking (as defined) have since lowered "traditional standards on checking sources and facts" to the point of distortion and misinformation.

Still, I'm confident the Filipino is not as naive and as easily manipulated as portrayed to be.

(In fact, "the most unqualified" may have been declared the winner in 2010, but PNoy was able to garner only 42.6% of valid votes cast for president–not the "overwhelming majority" media trumpeted.)

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Comment on Get Real Post at
http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2012/01/medias-role-in-philippine-society-undermines-rather-than-strengthens-the-process-of-seeking-truth/comment-page-1/#comment-21289

Strike 3 - Filipino journalism and its tradition of idiocy

2012-02-01T08:52:00.001+11:00

Philippine "journalists" will never be taken seriously by people who actually think. 3 strikes already proved it:

1. Manila Peninsula "Media Kami!" fiasco ("journalists" openly siding with criminals).

2. Quirino Tour Bus foul-up ("journalists" ensuring that they had right-of-way, not the police).

3. This whole piss-wad impeachment "trial". It's more of a pillory now with the way the "journalists" cover it.

"Journalists" are no different from pimps: they're more than willing to whore out the innocent facts to people willing to be taken for a ride, at the right price. ABS-CBN, the Inquirer, Philstar, and GMA already proved that – profit above all, no questions asked.

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Comment on Get Real Post at
http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2012/01/medias-role-in-philippine-society-undermines-rather-than-strengthens-the-process-of-seeking-truth/comment-page-1/#comment-21298

Barrel of laughs ahead: Maritess Vitug and Raissa Robles subpoenaed by Corona impeachment prosecution!

2012-01-29T01:57:00.001+11:00

Exciting times ahead. It will be quite entertaining watching so-called 'journalists' being grilled on the witness stand on national television. It's been revealed recently that "investigative journalist" Raissa Robles and "online journalist" Maritess Vitug wil be subpoenaed to testify for the prosecution in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

What is amusing is how the inclusion of these two "journalists" actually reveal even more how desperate the prosecution is. After all, what do Robles and Vitug bring to the table? As far as I know, nothing but sketchy circumstantial evidence...

Going further down the depth of the barrel, we found veteran “investigative reporter” Raissa Robles and “online journalist” Maritess Vitug scraping its bottom with their “reports” about the sketchy improprieties of Corona’s wife Mrs Cristina Corona and the “outrage” of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) awarding Mr Corona academic credentials under supposedly inappropriate circumstances.

Looks like the circus is really in town now...

[Photo courtesy InternetPhilippines.com]

According to Patricia Evangelista PNoy has the 'power to diminish the Judiciary' @patevangelista

2012-01-22T12:53:00.003+11:00

I bristled at first when I began reading the recent article “The show must go on” of Inquirer.net "columnist" Patricia Evangelista. Her opening remarks are a sampling of some disturbing notions that may already be implanted in the heads of some our more dimwitted compatriots, a couple of which I highlight as follows...

* * *

Patricia Evangelista seems to assert that Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's "power to diminish the Judiciary" (if he does indeed possess it) is a good thing.

If this is the nature of the "power" wielded by the chief of the Executive branch of the Philippine government, and if this is the intended outcome of the impeachment effort against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, then there is something fundamentally wrong with the principles underlying this exercise that is gripping the nation today. We've been told by impeachment apologists for so long that the impeachment procedure is against the person and not the institution. It seems that for Evangelista, this is neither the case nor the outcome she envisions. For Evangelista, the aftermath of the impeachment trial will be a judiciary that will henceforth be operating under the shadow of Malacañang.

But according to Rep. Niel Tupas Jr himself, this is not the intended outcome at all...

“We are not here to indict the Supreme Court as an institution,” Tupas told the senators. “We are here because one man — Chief Justice Renato Corona — has bartered away for the pot of porridge the effectiveness, independence and honor of the Supreme Court.”

I thought, after all that, that perhaps Evangelista should check with her handlers first before polluting the venerable tabloid-turned-broadsheet with her drivel.

I read on...

Patricia Evangelista drags Corona's children into the case.

According to Evangelista, Corona's guilt will be such that even his children will suffer [my boldface below for emphasis]...

If he is guilty, and the courts agree, it is the public who will punish him, and his children who will bear the shame.

And so I thought: that's the trouble with Philippine society. There are no individuals. Only family members, clansmen, and cronies. The primitivism of Philippine society is such that a man's success or failure necessarily forms part of his children's inheritance. It is a lifetime medal or cross to bear placed upon them by a society renowned for its medieval judgmental disposition.

* * *

But then at some point in the article Evangelista raises some good points about how the prosecution in the trial need to turn from being the slanderers and insinuators that they were before the trial into a team of attorneys whose main weapon is evidence and its employment in the crafting of proof...

The truths they claim depend on how they legitimize these truths in the face of an 82-year-old courtroom veteran who plays the media with the slickness of a Casanova.

Nice.

That is the trouble with Evangelista's drumroll style of writing where she tends to launch into a balagtasan first before coming to her point towards the end of her article. That style is so last century. In a country populated by chronic point-missers, well-highlighted points are premium. As such, points need to be made well -- and as early as possible; before opportunities to misinterpret what are mere contexts start to creep in.

No basis for impeachment complaint - Karen Jimeno

2012-01-22T10:57:00.003+11:00

Karen Jimeno on why she joined the defense team in a report on impeachment trial spokespersons published on the Inquirer.net...

Jimeno said she accepted the invitation from Corona’s lawyers to join the defense team because after reading the verified complaint and grounds for impeachment, “it didn’t seem to me that there was basis for the impeachment complaint.”

She has taken on the job pro bono and has even postponed her honeymoon for it. Jimeno was wed to an American investment banker early this month.

She considers it a “privilege” to have been given an opportunity “to take a stand for my principles and to stand behind the judicial department.”

[Full article here.]

More on Karen Jimeno on Get Real Post here!

Uprooting corruption is not just a matter of 'ousting the corrupt'

2012-01-21T20:09:00.001+11:00

Below is a classic response to an equally classic type of commentary that emanates from the very core of dysfunctional thinking that infests Pinoy society. My response is classic benign0 and classic Get Real Philippines harking back to our original core message -- that Filipinos are, at the end of the day, a people who are culturally-disadvantaged in the context of their aspirations to succeed in a world defined by Western and Confucian standards of success.

* * *

@MindVSHeart re what you said here:

I’ll tell you how to lessen corruption. First, oust the corrupt. So they may understand that when they steal money, they go to jail. This will discipline them. Second, make a system that will make it more difficult for them to steal.

I don't think so. That is the simplistic tagline that's been repeated ad infinitum across more campaign rhetoric than can be counted. People pitch the notion of rooting out corruption by "ousting the corrupt" because it is an easy concept for lazy minds to grasp. Unfortunately this sort of sloganeering makes a fatal assumption: that corruption necessarily originates only from the top. Wrong.

The big-time corruption amongst high-ranking government officials we see and read about on newspapers like the Inquirer and "news" programs like Bandila are mere symptoms -- more appropriately reflections -- of the society over which these officials rule. But look around you. You can see a vastly greater number of instances of petty criminality, corruption, and thievery among ordinary Pinoys -- in the banal way they nonchalantly jump queues, abuse handouts, put one over their neighbours, pollute, litter, and spoil their surroundings, ignore basic rules, etc. How then can you expect to "oust the corrupt" when the bedrock of corruption lies in the very grassroots of the society itself.

Tsk tsk.

You're one of the sorts of people in which lie the very reason that corruption will never be uprooted in the Philippines -- because people like you externalise the issue rather than internalise it. You see the problem as being caused by someone else rather than one that is evident in your immediate surroundings -- even within your own family.

Tough luck nga naman talaga to Pinoys. So long as Pinoys do not recognise the fundamental dysfunction that is deeply ingrained in the underbelly of their psyche, they will forever be subject to those "corrupt officials" that they self-righteously call to "oust" for the next 100 years.

Gloria Arroyo: Aquino's 'politics of division' causing economic slump

2012-01-12T18:33:00.001+11:00

Full text of former President Gloria Arroyo's paper on the state of the Philippine economy c/o GMA Network News.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/244335/news/nation/gloria-arroyo-aquino-s-politics-of-division-causing-economic-slump

Marian Rivera's standing oblation!

2012-01-11T19:42:00.001+11:00

Reform and systemic change in the Philippines slowed by influence of Roman Catholic Church

2012-01-06T10:46:00.003+11:00

The Catholic Church and many organised religions in the Philippines continue to be very powerful, influential, and profitable institutions. And it is in their interests to maintain the status quo and the dismal state of enlightenment of the source of their power -- the average Filipino.

Because many Filipinos continue to be beholden to Church dogma, politicians who, as in most democracies, are elected by popular vote, will continue to pander to and, worse, defer to the influence of the Catholic Church. It is an interlocked matrix of tradition that Filipinos are imprisoned within.

I'm not an expert in world history but if I recall right, enlightenment and a re-surgence of critical discourse that started in ancient Greece (which was lost to the Arabs during the Dark Ages) somehow began to bubble up from the grassroots in Europe sometime in the 15th Century. Still it took centuries before the scientific method triumphed over religious primitivism in European governance.

Again, considering the unprecedented access to knowledge and technology enjoyed by a broad swath of Philippine society, religious mumbo-jumbo continues to lace much of Filipino thinking and conversation. I have no problem with religious faith. But I firmly believe that religious orientation and spirituality are personal things that should be left out of matters of state. Furthermore, I take issue with people who presume to be "blessed" by their god which begs the question (as you also pointed out) of why other people may not be as blessed, such as the thousands that died in the latest "natural" disaster to hit Mindanao. I elaborate on that sentiment of mine in this article.

Indeed, much of the reason behind why change is slow in the Philippines despite the existence of obvious solutions to many of its problems can be traced to the influence of organised religion.

[NB: This article was originally published as a comment on Get Real Post.]

Indeed, govt resources shouldve dwarfed all private sector efforts in this crisis @gangbadoy @radikalchick

2011-12-27T10:38:00.003+11:00

As usual, NGO and volunteer resources and funds stepped in and stood out in this crisis, which is all admirable of course. However, a situation where that becomes routine (1) highlights the overall systemic inadequacy of our society and state in dealing with disasters and (2) is a sub-optimal response to crises because a disjoint kanya kanya operation lacks scale and efficiency and is prone to waste.

Ideally, government should be in full control of a crisis response, and the private sector, where they respond, subordinate to government management.

As Ina (and Randy David back in the Ondoy days) already pointed out, we cannot routinely rely on private sector resources to stopgap what government should have been keeping systemically sound to begin with. Illegal logging and inappropriate human settlement by the very nature of the terms already highlight where we as a society fail and where the lessons should be coming from.

[Above is a response to a Twitter conversation here.]

An open letter to Filipinos from the President

2011-12-20T14:53:00.002+11:00

I have come under attack recently from corrupted people close to GMA about being at a party last Friday night during the Sendong Typhoon among other things.

Therefore I would like to set the record straight on several issues. Firstly let’s not forget that before GMA was elected as president there were no Typhoons, Mud slides, Corruption, Crime, Murders and Journalists Killed. Any isolated cases that happened prior to GMA becoming president were only during the time of the dictator Marcos.

Since the introduction of my Wang Wang law corruption in this country has declined by 50% and as you will see below I have plans to eliminate corruption completely.

For those of you who keep criticizing me all I can say is that you are just jealous because I was the first person in this country to get the IPhone 4. This new phone will help me stop any future Typhoons, Mud slides, Corruption, Crime, Murders and to fight the chinese.

Some of you have also complained about my smile. It is not my fault that I have a very alluring and seductive smile, I am a bachelor and the girls love my smile. I wanted to have a Justin Bieber hairstyle but because of GMA I don’t have enough hair. So instead of complaining please go and get a life.

Finally I would like to layout my plans for stopping Typhoons, Mud slides, Corruption, Crime and Murders in the Philippines. From now on public officials are not allowed to say Merry Christmas this will stop corruption and the words Logging, Guns, Mud and Crime will be banned completely in order to ensure that we can eradicate Typhoons, Mud slides and Crime.

I would kindly ask you redirect any criticisms you may have towards me, to GMA, Marcos, Corona, or Merci, I am only the President I am not responsible for all your problems.

Lastly as you are aware I am practicing my shooting skills so that I can lead our new warship in our fight against the Chinese over the Spartlys.

Merry Christmas

Yours Truly
PNoy

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Disclaimer:

The above was posted by commenter "Mark" in a Get Real Post comment. It is not an official message issued or endorsed by Malacañang.

Philippines' little 25-year experiment with democracy coming to a close

2011-12-17T09:13:00.001+11:00

Pinoys are ultimately headed towards their destined fate with their little 25-year experiment with democracy and taste of "freedom" coming to a close. After all, they had all that and didn't do much with it. So it can be argued that perhaps Pinoys do deserve to be ruled with whips and kicks in their asses by the oligarchs they pretend to despise.

Noynoy succeeded at bringing his fight vs Chief Justice Corona to the home court

2011-12-17T08:48:00.001+11:00

And this is the real challenge. By bringing the "laban" to the political arena where mobs rule, and out of the judicial arena where brains and procedure rule, Noynoy hopes to bring to bear the vacuous loyalty of the ignorant masses and more effectively wield the power of the media over them.

President Noynoy Aquino attacked by peace symbol

2011-12-16T17:07:00.004+11:00

It's a sign...

Souce: PinoyExchange.com

Towards the next dictatorship: PNoy on the road to becoming as powerful a president as Ferdinand Marcos was

2011-12-14T23:04:00.003+11:00

Ironies of ironies. PhilStar columnist Valeria Avila observes Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is on his way towards becoming "the most powerful President" of the country -- as powerful as the late former President Ferdinand Marcos who at the height of his power had full control over the Supreme Court and the Legislature.

For the sake of discussion, when they successfully remove the Chief Justice (mind you, impeachment is not a criminal trial, rather it is a political exercise) who then would appoint the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? Yup! You answered correctly, it is Pres. PNoy who will now appoint the new Chief Justice and consequently, that man or woman would now be biased for President Aquino. With this, the dismantling of democracy has begun!

When that situation takes place, you can be sure that when the case vs. former Pres. Arroyo would reach the Supreme Court, she would literally hang… after all, these Justices would no longer be an independent collegial body, but “tutas” of the President who would now be the most powerful President of this country just like the times of Martial Law. When all this takes place, you can already second-guess what would happen to the Hacienda Luisita case … they would ask for a motion for recon and it would be granted in a jiffy! We are headed in very dangerous waters here.

Meanwhile, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco resigned from the Liberal Party citing dismay over what he describes as not just a railroading but a "runway"-like expediting of the filing of an impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

He said what compelled him to resign is the fact that the House leadership told the members that the complaint is "non-debatable."

"Ang pinakamasakit dun eh nung sabihin nila that this is non-debatable. Bawal ang magtanong," he said.

He pointed out that the spin doctors of the Palace are making it appear that it is between Mrs. Arroyo and President Aquino.

"Pinapalabas nila dito ay si Chief Justice Corona ay bata ni GMA kaya kapag 'di bumoto sa impeachment ay bata ka ni GMA," Tiangco said.

He also said that the Chief Justice should fight the complaint to maintain the independence and integrity of the Supreme Court.

Facing the public for the first time since the impeachment complaint was lodged in the House of Representatives, Corona affirmed that he will remain as Chief Justice and fight the complaint.

[Corona] called Aquino’s campaign a “baluktot na daang matuwid.” (crooked righteous path)

With his black-clad supporters chanting “CJ! CJ! CJ!” Corona expressed his indignation against the administration that, he said, seeks to imply “malice” and “fallacies” against the whole of the Supreme Court.

In the usual approach used by the Aquino camp since the presidential campaign, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda in response to Corona's speech challenged the emerging perception that the Aquino administration was on its way to turning into a dictatorship harked back to the days when the Aquino family were "victims" of a dictatorship...

"The whole speech a while ago was designed to identify President Aquino with a dictatorship, and I think he has no right to identify or accuse Aquino of a dictatorship. The Aquino family is a victim of dictatorship in the 70s and 80s," he told Malacañang reporters.

Look who's laughing all the way to the bank...

Will President Noynoy Aquino come out laughing all the way to the bank?

2011-12-14T11:49:00.005+11:00

What with the family jewels at stake and a horde of family and cronies hounding the Cojuangco clan for money owed to them by the insolvent Hacienda Luisita estate, fair to say the whole political circus going on is ultimately about money.

Will President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III come out of this drama laughing all the way to the bank?

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata...

Noynoy and Corona together the way Noynoy prefers it

2011-12-13T23:16:00.005+11:00

This is the sort of relationship President Noynoy Aquino would like to have with anything to do with a Corona

Fr Joaquin Bernas SJ highlights the point that a lynch mob is not a 'people's mandate'

2011-12-12T12:44:00.002+11:00

Politicians particularly those who go by slogans that are relics of 1980's popular movements presume to defer to what they consider to be the "source" of their mandate -- the "people". But democracy is a system composed of measures to systematically channel power. As such, the "power" of said "people" is channeled via institutionalised processes. These processes allow direct expression of this power (through elections, plebiscites, referendums, etc.) or through indirect representative expression (through the actions of people who are elected through the earlier type of process to represent them).

The good constitutionalist Fr Joaquin Bernas SJ makes this point clear...

Government officials have only so much authority as is given to them by law and the Constitution, and not what they might assume to be given to them by popular rallies.

In short, a lynch mob or an "occupational" movement (to use the current fad terms) does not constitute a mandate to govern or to implement state measures.

For a people renowned for their misguided emotionalism and lack of an ingrained tradition of applying a scientific or logical approach to evaluating their issues, it is exceedingly difficult to grasp simple principles like these. And this collective character of Filipinos is exhibited in the leaders they elect.

Mayor Sara Duterte awarded by Malacañang for 'heroic' defense of Davao City squatters

2011-12-12T11:46:00.001+11:00

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte was recently reported to have been awarded by the Philippine Government's Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP). The award "recognizes individuals from various sectors who are known to help informal settlers".

The award presumably recognises Duterte's infamous "heroic" assault on an officer of a Philippine court back in July 2011. Apparently what it means to "help informal settlers" in this case involves the use of violence against an officer of a Philippine court of Law...

An imminent riot at a squatter demolition site and TV cameras on the scene. It seemed to be a perfect opportunity for a publicity stunt. Perhaps this was the motivation behind Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's assault on court sheriff Abe Andres who was acting on orders from his superiors to proceed with a demolition of illegally-built structures that were home to 500 families in Barangay Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Suliman, Agdao.

And this being the Philippines, playing the victim card in such cases where the Law is otherwise clear on the matter becomes a sure thing...

Unfortunately for the hapless landowner, the Philippines is a society that likes to play the “humanitarian” card when it comes to squatters. Even the use of the word “squatter” has for some time been routinely dropped in “polite” conversation in favour of the euphemism “informal settler.” Indeed, “human rights” activists have been quick to side with Duterte, in the process becoming apologists for a mayor who, in front of TV cameras, launched into an unprovoked assault against Andres, an officer of the Judiciary who, apparently, was just out to implement a court order.

Not surprisingly, the PCUP is a legacy of the "pro-poor" stance taken by the administration of the late former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino back in 1986 in response to a clamor for a "moratorium" on the demolition of structures built illegally on both private and public property...

On April 10, 1986, a significant number of urban poor marched to Malacañang asking for a moratorium on demolitions. It was then that the Presidential Arm on Urban Poor Affairs (PAUPA) was created. This was subsequently changed to Presidential Committee for the Urban Poor (PCUP) as a result of a National Consultation Workshop by two major urban poor alliances on May 30-June 2, 1986.

The name Presidential Council for the Urban Poor was later adopted in lieu of the Presidential Committee for the Urban Poor.

Finally, on December 8, 1986, the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor was created by President Corazon C. Aquino through Executive Order No. 82 “to serve as a direct link of the urban poor to the government in policy formulation and program implementation addressed to their needs”.

Duterte who, along with the dynastic clan to which she belongs to have ruled Davao for years using less-than-lawful methods.

And it just so happens that this is the Second Aquino Administration of presidential son Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who happens to be in the middle of a national crusade against anything that has to do with the Philippine Judiciary. As such the timing and nature of the award is hardly surprising.

Raissa Robles says 'rule of law' is now a detestable notion @raissawriter

2011-12-09T21:21:00.003+11:00

Suddenly the notion of rule of law detestable. Reporter Raissa Robles quotes it in all caps and in bold all over a recent article and says that she "grimaces" whenever she now comes across that term. Not coincidentally, the notion of rule of law lately hasn't really been working in favour of the lynch mob to which Robles belongs to.

What they are doing now is plain demagoguery. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is right at least on this one. People may say "demagoguery daw" with sarcasm (the way juveniles do at a schoolyard). But that's exactly what it is. For lack of a solid foundation to build a sound argument upon it has now become a circus of stirring up emotional fanaticism and clouding logic using persuasion devices not too different from the sort used by cult leaders on their ignorant flock.

The Crusades along with its close cousin The Inquisition as well as various crimes against humanity perpetrated in the name of various gods over our history as a species rank among some of the most outrageous instances of wholesale misguidance. There are three key elements that underpin the psychology that drives human stampedes of the scales seen in the crusades and other instances of genocide that pepper human history: a perverse mission, prevalent flawed thinking, and extreme deference.

What better way to illustrate the above psychological underpinnings by using — what else — a renowned modern-day Medieval society such as what can be found in the Philippines!

Conrado 'Noynoy is Aragorn' de Quiros wants to wave a magic wand to get SC Chief Justice Renato Corona to resign

2011-12-05T15:03:00.003+11:00

Conrado "Noynoy is Aragorn" de Quiros is obviously not a sportsman at heart. He keeps score of the rulings of what he describes as a Philippine Supreme Court made up of "Arroyo's Justices" and notes the current score is 19-0 in favour of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. De Quiros is shittin' bricks as he regards this score. He then goes around stomping his feet in a tantrum spitting rubber bullets about how things must be this or things should be that.

Here is a example of some items in his quaint wishlist of things that ought to be in the la-la world of his little mind from his latest piece on the Inquirer.net:

"reason is more powerful than the Court"

"historical experience is more powerful than the Court"

"common sense is more powerful than the Court"

He then goes to the "point" he wanted to make -- that current SC Chief Justice Renato Corona ought to "resign from the Court as a matter of duty, or from life as a matter of honor."

Tsk tsk.

Tough luck gramps. Everything was done according to the rules, dude. What you are asking for requires the same sort of "magic" that harks back to the days when Filipinos still counted dancing the ocho-ocho in the streets of Manila as a sensible political option to circumvent due process and get something done outside the framework of The Law.

Perhaps every now and then we get our noses bloodied when navigating some flailing elbows on our way to take a shot in an exciting game of basketball. But if the referee does not call a foul, a real sportsman will simply play on and wait for the next shot -- and, as a bonus, maybe himself put an elbow up the chin of the bloke who bloodied his nose; hopefully in a way that can't be called by the same referee.

A guy like de Quiros who'd rather wait for Aragorn to swoop in and save the day.

10 reasons why Filipinos blame Gloria Arroyo for everything

2011-12-03T17:01:00.002+11:00

Since some people have a hard time figuring out why they hate GMA, I have come up with a list of the most probable reasons why they do:

1. Most Filipinos think that blaming the late former President, Ferdinand Marcos is so passé so they have moved on to GMA. A quarter of a century after Edsa, the Aquinos and their supporters cannot keep blaming the original “bad guy” because blaming Marcos after all these years will highlight the fact that there was nothing significant about the so-called “people power” revolution that happened in 1986 to begin with. It becomes funnier when you hear them say, “GMA is worse than Marcos” because they don’t realise that this is the same as saying, “We were better off during the Marcos years”.

2. Most Filipinos need to blame someone for the lack of progress in their own personal lives. They might still be stuck doing the same dead-end job or in the case of some, still stuck waiting for government handouts.

3. Most Filipinos are actually angry with themselves, not with GMA. Underneath that arrogance is a people who are clueless as to why the country continues to be plagued by corruption and lack of progress. They don’t realize that it is the people’s lack of attention to how public servants do their jobs that is the reason why public funds gets mismanaged. In other words, people’s apathy and indifference to how the country is being run is the real cause of corruption and not GMA.

4. Most Filipinos need a diversion. They’ve got nothing going for them. In the case of PNoy for example, he needs to divert people’s attention away from his lack of leadership skills and lack of vision for the country’s future. It is beginning to be quite obvious to a lot of Filipinos that his only agenda for the entire duration of his term is to prosecute GMA. PNoy seems to think that he can simply continue to ride upon GMA’s economic gains while blaming her during his term.

5. Most Filipinos are suckers for drama. This is why they would rather believe hearsays or “tsismis” than facts. It doesn’t help that GMA was said to be not in good terms with some stakeholders of mainstream media. Allegations of GMA’s criminal activities probably gave them huge profits every time they printed stories of her “crimes”.

6. Most Filipinos are addicted to instant gratification. Instant gratification describes the short-term satisfaction gained from impulsive behaviour. And some of the things that can give Filipinos instant gratification are initiatives like "people power" revolutions and habits like defying the rule of law. It is much easier and quicker to get instant results when you throw the rulebook out of the window. But there are grave consequences when using shortcuts like defying the law as an option at getting something done. Most people have not realized it yet but removing an elected leader unconstitutionally the first time already set a dangerous precedent. It gave people excuse or reason to justify doing it again and again. Marcos, Erap and now the Supreme Court.

7. Most Filipinos are ignorant of their rights. 25 years after Edsa, Filipinos still struggle with their knowledge of what freedom is about. They don’t seem to know how to use their so-called freedom responsibly. This is evident in how some Filipinos keep throwing false accusations against their opponents left and right without thinking of the consequences. This is evident in how PNoy keep saying that some members of the Supreme Court cannot be trusted to do the right thing.

Some Filipinos are even ignorant of the law and individual rights, which is precisely the reason why they are gullible enough to believe people who claim to be doing the “righteous” thing like when DOJ secretary Leila de Lima claimed she was looking after the “national interest” in defying the temporary restraining order of the Supreme Court.

8. Most Filipinos are beholden to celebrities and sons and daughters of so-called “heroes”. If you don’t have a celebrity gene, you could end up the bad guy. But what’s so dysfunctional about most Filipinos' way of thinking is that they keep voting into office the relatives of the public servants they say are corrupt (the Marcos’s, the Estradas, and the Arroyos among others) and most of their preferred lawmakers are showbiz personalities or are sporting heroes. Which is why precious time and taxpayer’s money are spent on trivial stuff like the proposal to rename Edsa to Cory Aquino Avenue.

9. Most Filipinos are still looking for a hero. The people who voted for him thought they found a hero in PNoy. But PNoy actually thought he could get some direction on how to run the country from the people. Both are getting lost in the process of looking at each other for clues on how to get to the quickest way to the “tuwid na daan” or straight path.

10. Most Filipinos still believe in “angels” and “demons”. This is unfortunately a legacy of peoples' belief in superstition. Like those who believe in witchcraft, some will believe “evil” stories involving GMA even if these lack any basis or evidence to back up the claim. Because some things are very difficult to accept like the reality that they are also accountable for their own lives, some Filipinos would look at their problems, shrug these off and say that things happen for a reason because of interventions by “The Adjustment Bureau” or some heavenly being. Never mind that some things like politicians getting away with criminal activities happen because of their own negligence or lack of vigilance.

* * *

[Above "ten things" is an excerpt. See the full article from where these were taken on Get Real Post here.]

Intersection of Racism and Respect

2011-12-01T12:12:00.001+11:00

I posted the following message across Facebook in the last 24 hours and the discussion taking place is rather interesting. I'd like to share this here and see what, if anything, transpires.

I don't understand why people are having a hissy fit over a Filipino being executed in China over drug trafficking. You break the rules, you pay the penalty baby. That's how the system works. Just because your home country's government is adept at widespread lawlessness and lack of enforcement doesn't mean it works the same way abroad. I'd love to flip the bird to BI and quit paying for visa extensions, not to mention half a dozen other rules foreigners have to follow (because the chips are stacked against us), but I understand and follow the motto "when in Rome"...IN SHORT, QUIT WHINING.

Oplan 'Put Little Girl to Sleep': Pinansin pa kasi e

2011-12-01T00:14:00.002+11:00

The chattering classes think it is ridiculous. And yet they are giving it the time of day. An alleged plot to assassinate former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was bared recently by her spokesperson Ma. Elena Bautista-Horn in a press briefing...

In a hurriedly called press briefing at St. Luke's Wednesday night, Arroyo's spokesperson Ma. Elena Bautista-Horn said that a "very reliable source" from the Aquino administration warned the Arroyo camp that there was a plot to kill the Pampanga representative under the so-called "Operation Put the Little Girl To Sleep."

"May mga nagsumbong po sa amin na mga nasa administrasyon ngayon na meron po silang masamang balakin. Meron sila ngayong 'Operation Put the Little Girl to Sleep.' Ni-report na po sa amin 'yan," said Horn.

[Some people from the administration have told us that they have evil designs. They have what they call "Operation Put the Little Girl to Sleep." This has been reported to us.]

"Kami po ay medyo nababahala kasi nakikita naman natin kung gaano 'yung insistence ni Secretary De Lima atsaka ni Chairman Brillantes na ang dating pangulo po ay ilagay sa isang government hospital," she added.

[We're a bit concerned, because we've seen the insistence of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes to put the former president in a government hospital.)

Arroyo's camp supposedly received the information from a government official a few days ago, according to Horn.

Yan ang Pinoy. Focused on the trivial and the irrelevant. Perhaps there are people who may want to see Arroyo dead. But then we're talking about a nation of people renowned for holding grudges for entire lifetimes. So no surprises there.

And the idle chatter continues...

So what if Piolo Pascual is gay (not that there's anything wrong with that)?

2011-11-30T12:48:00.002+11:00

For the most part of its history up to the present, the Roman Catholic Church and many other organised religions refused to recognise that gay people are human beings with feelings, dreams, and aspirations. Despite wide acceptance today that sexuality and sexual orientation are complex attributes of the human experience that cannot be summarily classified or labelled, Philippine society continues to take its cue from its role models in spirituality and society -- from (1) the Church's adamant stand that being a homosexual dooms one to a life of irredeemable sin and from (2) its celebrities who make their millions from ridiculing and parodying the nuances and behaviours of homosexuals.

Yet, gay people have contributed significantly to human civilisation, culture, and science. The father of modern computing, for example, was a homosexual. Alan Turing, the man who proved (what we take for granted today) that machines can, in theory, perform any kind of mathematical calculation using just a handful of binary logical operations committed suicide at a young age after he was persecuted by the British government for his sexual orientation. Despite serving his country as British Intelligence's chief code cracker during World War II, Turing ultimately could not be accepted for who he was by his own government.

On that note, we might ask, so what if Piolo Pascual is gay (allegedly)? Oh, I forgot. The influential child of a megastar has something to say about that.

Anecdotes from the Wilderness

2011-11-27T21:00:00.001+11:00

Last weekend, while on a photoshoot, a fellow ran into me who thought I looked like a prime target for trickery. Upon noticing his game, I played along and gave him the answers he was looking for, dodging a few pertinent questions here and there. When he thought he had me eating out of the palm of his hand, I told him I was with a group and backed away ever so cautiously. He didn't blink and kept trying to pull me into his web so he could get some profit. I reiterated and he caved in, wearing a slightly bummed expression as he disappeared into the crowd. I couldn't help thinking, "What if pinoys used their syosal mentality for the permanent greater good rather than temporary personal gain.. how much better off would this country be?"

This is the basis for these GRP articles, the FB fanpage and the anathema behind a steadily growing crowd of disenchanted but not hopeless individuals. We discuss the events of the day but also the classic underlying symptomatic issues plaguing our society; in this discussion, we do not always find pleasant answers. But such is the nature of such conversations and their context. Philosophers, political or otherwise, must take an epistemological approach to debating i.e. What is knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How do we know what we know?

The answers, if any, are garnered through group participation and honest, intellectual reasoning solidified by research and restraint from emotional arguments and childish retorts. I'd like to share one of these comical refutations from an insurgent into the GRP ranks trying to label me a communist simply because I espoused ideas contrary to his. Notice the obvious, yet overlooked, irony in his comment, "we are not here to debate, and commies were allergic to debate too." My point is this: If Filipinos continue on the path to individual economic wealth at the expense of others, intellectual superiority to boost their fragile egos, and don't keep their tempers in check when someone trumps them at their own foolish games, we will never progress as a society no matter how much we converse or act "syosal". It will be a dead end with rotting means. Sayang!

...we are not here to debate. Of all people you should be able to appreciate this idea. After all, we're not your fellow communists Stalin, Lenin, Fidel Castro, Dear Leader (Kim Jong Il) and that hydrophobic dirt bag Che Guevara all allergic to debates.

President Aquino's anti-corruption campaign may be distracting him from economic growth challenges

2011-11-26T13:12:00.002+11:00

The core of Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (PNoy) continues to resonate among his fans today -- Kung walang kurap, walang mahirap. ("No corruption means no poverty"). That is the President's hypothetical solution to reducing poverty in the Philippines.

But has this hypothesis stood up to the empirical evidence so far observed?

It's a bit iffy according to Wallace Business Forum consultancy president Peter Wallace...

The drive to root out corruption has led to much lower-than-expected government spending and delays in putting infrastructure projects out for tender as deals are reviewed and the government sets to build watertight contracts.

Wallace said had spending been as planned in the first half of the year, annual growth would have been 6.3 percent - more than 50 percent stronger than actual growth of 4 percent.

The payoff of hitting graft would be a cleaner and more open system in future, which should lead to better growth and more investment, but that is not a guaranteed outcome.

"He's moving more or less in the right direction, he's just got to move more quickly," said Wallace.

This apparently leads the Reuters author of the article from which the above excerpt was taken to title his piece "Is PNoy's anti-corruption campaign distracting from the economy he wants to save?"

What should be examined in the coming months is the question around the nature of the causal relationship between corruption and poverty. Does corruption, indeed, play that big a factor in the continued impoverishment of the Philippines?

Clash of the puppets: Aquino COMELEC battles with Arroyo Supreme Court

2011-11-23T13:54:00.002+11:00

Clash of the Titans? Or clash of the puppets? The whole brouhaha around the request of former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to seek medical treatment abroad which was blocked by a travel ban issued by Leila De Lima which was then suspended by an order from the Supreme Court (SC) which in turn was defied by De Lima has become a grand show of political puppetry...

Within one day [of De Lima's defiance of the SC order], the charge was produced by a joint panel of the Department of Justice and the Commission on Elections [(COMELEC)], an arrangement that raised questions about why the Comelec was working hand in glove with the administration when it is supposed to be an independent institution, not the government’s prosecution arm. This irregular arrangement immediately cast doubt on the independence of the Comelec and the credibility and fairness of the process of putting Arroyo on trial.

From Titans to mere puppets. Consistent with the renowned Heritage of Smallness of Philippine society, this is also becoming a show of the Incredible Shrinking players. Both camps have achieved nothing other than diminish both themselves and the entire society they presume to lead.

But that's the Philippines -- a country of people who deserve their leaders.

Conrado 'Noynoy-is-Aragorn' de Quiros continues to insist that criminal prosecution is a popularity contest @sagadasun

2011-11-23T13:28:00.002+11:00

True to form, Inquirer.net "columnist" Conrado "Noynoy-is-Aragorn" de Quiros is at it again building an entire emo plea on the back of that feature of politics Aquinoists have exploited to smithereens -- popularity.

Coming from an "article" that goes by the quaintly poetic cliche, "How the mighty have fallen", the following is classic de Quiros...

This country may be forgetful in the long run, but it does have a strong short-term memory. You see that in the wellspring of support P-Noy has gotten for his decision to stop the former First Couple from leaving. The anger and loathing are still there. The people want the former first couple punished. The people want the former first couple jailed.

As I said in an earlier piece, criminal prosecution is not a popularity contest.

The process of criminal prosecution is not one that is driven by a popular outcome. It proceeds on the basis of a rigorous examination of facts and an intelligent tying of these together into a logical conclusion.

Perhaps de Quiros should take on board a bit of the insight his editor is able to apply to his own writing today...

[...] it’s imperative for the Aquino administration to lay off on the triumphalist rhetoric for the moment (“We promised the Filipino people her day in court, and now she’s getting it,” Secretary Ricky Carandang crowed on the day of Arroyo’s arrest, conveniently forgetting how ad hoc, reactive and improvisational the government’s response had been to the Supreme Court’s TRO), and get down instead to the nitty-gritty of constructing more solid, legally unassailable cases against Arroyo. They should be, at the very least, free of shortcuts, infirmities and photo-finish touches, and filed in court expeditiously, to backstop the initial indictment against Arroyo.

As the eminent Dean Jorge Bocobo once observed, I often quote myself quoting myself. But then when one finds one's self surrounded by idiots, there really isn't much choice but to rely on one's own brilliance. Fortunately, the Inquirer.net stepped up to the job today and relieved me of some of my duties -- for now.

The foundation of the cancer of The Filipino Condition that has fatally taken hold of our society

2011-11-23T12:55:00.004+11:00

I've always maintained that the problems of Philippine society at the most fundamental levels are rooted in the upbringing of the typical Filipino child -- how they are, at an early age, exposed to their parents'...

(1) tolerance for petty thievery, banal incompetence, and substandard workmanship;

(2) encouragement of the finding and taking of shortcuts (even at the expense of those who strive to follow the rules) and rewarding success at such quests; and,

(3) insistence on deference to people on the bases of seniority and credentials.

When one considers a society with a foundation held up by such conceptual pillars, it becomes less surprising that no amount of political solutions have ever proved to be effective at mitigating the effects of the profound cancer known as The Filipino Condition that has fatally taken hold of the collective psyche.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima will have the charge of contempt of court hanging over her head for life

2011-11-22T23:02:00.005+11:00

The only real loser coming out of the debacle after "Justice" Secretary Leila De Lima defied a Supreme Court order to suspend a travel ban on former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be none else but De Lima herself. The tragedy here (for her, at least) is that she will most likely have been acting under the orders of her boss, Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III as Manila Standard columnist Jojo Robles sees it...

Had De Lima acted alone, she would probably be notarizing documents outside Manila City Hall these days, instead of preparing for her assured inclusion in the administration’s 2013 Senate slate.

Worse, still (again for De Lima), it seems that she will be simply hung out to dry by her boss...

And yet, in another attempt at ill-suited ingenuousness, Aquino said that he had merely heard about the filing of charges against Arroyo while he was in Bali [attending the ASEAN summit].

Was it worth being a Yes Man to a boss who will simply turn his back to you while the rest of your career goes down the tubes in the aftermath of a spectacular act of defiance against the highest court in the land that set a dangerous precedent for the future of institutional governance in the Philippines, Sec Leila De Lima?

Only time will tell.

Tit for tat II: List of things that went wrong under the government of Noynoy Aquino

2011-11-22T22:34:00.001+11:00

Thanks to an Anonymous commenter on Get Real Post for this list of things that happened under PNoys government:

1.unconstitutional EO No’s.1 & 2
2.Samar & Balay group conflict inside Malacanang
3. bungled hostage rescue
4. blatant lie about the $430 million MCC grant
5. wrongful deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China
6.Cojuangco-Aquino SCTex multi million deal
7. favoring KKK to high government positions
8. release of morong 43
9. denying clemency to 100 old and sick prisoners despite PPP’s recommendation but pardons a dead man
10.failed promise to prioritize FOI Bill
11.misleading polls by own kins’ survey firms Asia Pulse & SWS
12. Hacienda Luisita/SCTex illegal toll fee
13.ineffective com group (includes Mislang)
14.pending RH Bill
15. corruption score worsens based on diff. international intelligence reports
16. lowest rate of GDP
17.mounting unemployment problem
18.undiplomatic verbal spat with China over Spratlys
19.Porsche/BMW controversy
20.P6-billion illegal tax write off given to Mirant and Team Energy
21.people suffering from higher cost of living and having depress wages
22.controversial appointees (eg. BNP – Diokno, LTO -Torres, BoC – Alvarez, PCSO – Tolentino & Joaquin)
23.core inflation rate increased from 3.9 to 4
24.biggest drop of visitor arrivals from 377, 672 to 317,443
25.slow action on OFW repatriation during Middle East Crisis
26.underemployment rate increased from 0.178 to 0.194
27. increased of poverty incidence
28. dropped imports from USD 4, 568 to USD 5, 497
29. BIR and BOC’s failure to meet their respective revenue targets
30. imposing double vat on toll
31.failure to stop jueteng
32.excessive and unproductive travel abroad
33.former AFP Chief and Defense Sec. Angelo Reyes suicide due to Senate pressure
34.corruption still rampant in national and local level
35. PPP zero investment
36.deteriorating condition of education
37.no wage increase despite the rocketed cost of basic commodities
38.billion lost in revenue due to missing container vans
39.very unproductive legislature under pnoy’s admin
40.missing in action during the typhoon
41. slow action and ineptness on crisis/disaster management
42. 9.43 billion flood damage due to cancellation of flood projects in Central Luzon
43.increased pork barrel and CCT budgets and cut the budget on education.
44.failed CCT program
45.failed Pantawid Pasada Program
46. increased crime rate
47.P-noy’s 1.46 Billion intelligence fund for 2011
48.controversy on Apple MacBooks worth 1.67 million or P67,000 each for Carandang’s staff
49.rising cases of impunity for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances
50. 4 billion peso damage claim of Belgian dredging firm for cancellation of project
51.influencing a recent SC decision on family-owned Hacienda Luisita
52.postponement of ARMM election
53.DBP lawyer suicide due to harassment
54. Lopez Holdings 1.6 Billion peso DBP loan written off
55. secret meeting with MILF leader Murad
56. 5 million pesos aid to MILF
57. apathy to the sacrifice of our soldiers who are losing their lives in Mindanao
58. 31 million pesos aid to (not existing) ABB
59. 5-10 million bribe to congressmen to back up steps taken against GMA
60. imposing tax on SSS & PAG IBIG contributions
61. close to P1M cost (P860,000) of single Palace-Ledac meeting
62. besmirching the name of the highest court, notably the Chief Justice
63. blatantly defying The Philippine Constitution

Add to the growing list!

Noynoy Aquino will have to continue to lie to cover-up Leila De Lima's contempt of court

2011-11-22T17:40:00.003+11:00

Simple principles outlined by Manila Standard columnist Jojo Robles today:

(1) You may disagree with a court of law but you may not defy it.

(2) Charges filed against Arroyo were rushed and the people behind it coerced.

(3) One need not be pro-Arroyo to see the error in what Malacañang did to the justice system by defying the Supreme Court.

(4) The charges against Arroyo are weak and will struggle to get through any court that is headed by a decent judge.

(5) The fact of who appointed the justices of the Supreme Court provide no bases for accusing them of biased decisions.

Read the full article here.

Conrado 'Noynoy-is-Aragorn' de Quiros continues to throw tantrums about Corona's appointment as SC Chief Justice

2011-11-22T12:51:00.003+11:00

The venerable Conrado "Noynoy is Aragorn" de Quiros huffs and puffs in his recent Inquirer.net article Two trying to lead us to believe that the real "issue" surrounding the constitutional crisis that is flaring up in the aftermath of the Philippines' Justice Secretary Leila De Lima baldly defying the orders of the Supreme Court (SC) to suspend her travel ban on former President Gloria Arroyo is really all about the right of SC chief justice Renator Corona to sit in the office he currenly holds.

Consider for a moment that (1) there is nothing in the Law that barred Arroyo's appointment of Corona and (2) de Quiros's position was argued on the quaint basis of "delicadeza". After considering that, suppose, for argument's sake that de Quiros's laboured point in his article is worth considering. The question then to ask is this:

Which is the bigger crime, still? De Lima's defiance of a Supreme Court order? Or Corona's being a "midnight appointee"?

Which of the above two is potentially more damaging to state institutions and the continued stability of the government and the society at large?

Too bad bozos like de Quiros cannot see beyond their tired Aquinoist "power-rests-on-the-will-of-the-people" drivel. What is otherwise a crystal clear picture of what is going on continues to escape the blinkered minds of these old demagogues who, perhaps for their own good, are best regarded as the museum pieces that they are.

De Lima's contempt of court has a stronger chance of being prosecuted than Arroyo's 'electoral sabotage'

2011-11-21T16:29:00.003+11:00

It is a time of great confusion in our sad Republic! On one hand, Inquirer.net "columnist" Neal Cruz in his 21st November piece All rights are limited by the rights of others makes a pathetic grasp at straws in continuing to bandy around the tired notions of the "Arroyo Court" (in referring to the Philippines' Supreme Court (SC)) to shore up sympathy for what was essentially inexcusable behaviour on the part of "Justice" Secretary Leila De Lima when she defied an SC order to suspend a travel ban on former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

On the other hand, his Editor highlights in Checkmate, published on the same day, highlights the "Aquino COMELEC"; i.e. that...

[...] it is also true that the Comelec, an independent body stacked with Aquino appointees, has left itself open to charges of itself being politicized when it joined the DOJ in the task force to investigate alleged electoral rigging by the previous administration.

See, that's the trouble when we extend the National "debate" into speculative territory. Nobody wins. And the simple truth about our sad society that I've for so long exposed becomes even more pronounced:

Filipinos deserve one another.

Compare all this ocho-ocho politics to the elegant simplicity of a sensible guiding principle coming from an elder of the legal profession and former head of the best institution of learning in the country...

The first glaring question is whether an executive officer, no matter how highly placed, may defy the clear order of no less than the Supreme Court. This is now scheduled for deliberation by the Court. It will have to decide whether indeed there was defiance by the justice secretary and what to do with the defiant. In the past those proved to have defied the order of a court, even of a lower court, have been penalized for contempt. Will this happen here?

[...]

The judiciary, of course, is not perfect or omniscient. It can make, and it has made, mistakes. But mistaken or not, the court must be obeyed. But the judiciary has no guns to implement its orders. Thus, if every person is free to obey only what he or she considers a correct decision or order of the court, we can have chaos. We had the beginnings of that at the airport last Tuesday.

Between (1) the charges of "electoral sabotage" on Arroyo and (2) the potential of slapping charges on the Justice Secretary for contempt of court, the stronger case, it seems, is clearly the latter.

Noynoy Aquino thinks prosecuting former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo is a popularity contest

2011-11-20T11:26:00.003+11:00

According to an Inquirer.net report it seems Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III sees public opinion and "support" as key to a successful prosecution of his predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA)...

President Benigno Aquino III on Saturday night rallied the public behind his administration’s effort to prosecute former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for alleged electoral sabotage, while promising to accord her due process.

[...]

“This is just the start of the process. And it is very good to know that even from the start, even while I was outside the country, you are all behind me, especially on this issue,” he said.

“I know that I am not alone. As I think about your welfare, you continue to give me strength.”

But then the process of criminal prosecution is not one that is driven by a popular outcome. It proceeds on the basis of a rigorous examination of facts and an intelligent tying of these together into a logical conclusion.

Perhaps we can refresh the President's memory with this brief introduction on criminal procedure:

Criminal procedures are safeguards against the indiscriminate application of criminal laws and the wanton treatment of suspected criminals. Specifically, they are designed to enforce the constitutional rights of criminal suspects and defendants, beginning with initial police contact and continuing through arrest, investigation, trial, sentencing, and appeals.

Note that rule of that which is popular has no place in such a procedure.

Aquino henchmen in Congress file resolution vs SC and Arroyo that lacks any legal or constitutional legs #ArroyoWatch

2011-11-17T23:57:00.003+11:00

What exactly does "extraordinary political will" mean? This is the basis of a move by "Palace allies" in Congress to back the administration of Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III in its on-going effort to bar former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from leaving the country to seek medical treatment. According to an ABS-CBN "report"...

Reps. Joseph Emilio Abaya, Lorenzo Tañada III, Neptali Gonzales II, Irvin Alcala, Henedina Abad, Kaka Bag-ao, Walden Bello and Mel Senen Sarmiento introduced the resolution.

As of posting, some 80 have already signed the resolution, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. confirmed. He said, "it's an expression of support for the executive...for what Secretary Leila de Lima did."

These "representatives" justified their move by highlighting that it is aligned with "Aquino’s battle-cry as the 'nation’s first and most determined fighter of corruption'."

Despite presenting a few other arguments around this "resolution", there seems to be no construct within their position that rests upon any semblance of a legal ground.

Justice Department Circular No. 41 and Aquinoists missing the whole point @raissawriter

2011-11-17T17:57:00.004+11:00

Raissa Robles wrote (in value-crushing detail) about a loophole exploited in a certain Department Circular No. 41 issued by Justice Secretary Alberto Agra in 2010 under the Government of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA). This circular is what the current Justice Secretary Leila De Lima then used to slap the travel ban on now former President and Congressman Arroyo.

Because of this, DC 41 said, these Supreme Court circulars left a gap because they were “silent with respect to cases falling within the jurisdiction of courts below the RTC as well as those pending determination by government prosecution offices.”

It is the last clause, which I posted in red, which De Lima is using to bar the Arroyo couple from traveling – because they have five complaints filed against them “pending determination by government prosecution offices.”

So check out the bunch of commentors over there at that blog exchanging high fives over what they perceive to be the irony of a GMA-era circular now being used against the former President.

The real irony here that is lost on these folk lies in their not considering that for all the whole vindictiveness that the government of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III exhibits over anything and everything related to Arroyo, they end up actually celebrating the use of some of the work GMA left behind for their own quaint purposes.

Of course the real point of it all remains. It is really more around the whole question that has been raised even by Arroyo's most virulent critics: Why to this day have no charges have been filed in court against GMA by De Lima's mob (and, by command responsibility, President Aquino himself)?

All this just highlights the desperation that is evident in the Second Aquino Administration having to resort to using a legal artefact that is a direct legacy of the administration they ironically demonise.

Pinoy nga naman talaga
Parang aso
Matangkad lang kapag naka-tayo.

Keep on trying, guys.

For those planning another ocho-ocho people power thing at the airport, think again...

2011-11-16T22:38:00.003+11:00

Learn from the past so that you don't come out looking like chumps in the future. Check out how Edsa "revolutions" DIED in this c.2005 GRP classic (excerpt below)...

So, in effect, Filipinos would have not accepted their duly constituted institutions and duly elected officials as the official authorities on the "Truth" yet would have easily relied on a street mob in yet another Fiesta Revolution to dictate and uphold said "Truth". This is tantamount to arbitrarily voiding Congress and allowing street mobs to call the shots from hereon. That it seems is what many Filipinos want. However, Filipinos have a track record of never going the whole nine yards when it comes to "revolution" (or anything else for that matter). Thus we have nothing more than Fiesta Revolution -- so much hate and tunnel-vision, but none of the conviction and wherewithal to go for the gold. The fact is, even in the happy sport of "revolution", Filipinos exhibit their world-renowned mediocrity.

Planning a "people-enforced" watch list order? Here's my advise:

Stidi lang kayo dyan...

Why we need to demand MORE of our celebrity 'tweeps' @jimparedes @gangbadoy

2011-11-16T17:27:00.004+11:00

The following comment was posted on Get Real Post addressed to moi:

People on twitter just point things out. They make jokes because they can and there is no reason not to. No one is trying to influence anyone or sell anything. I suppose you expect everyone to pull out Polsci textbook for their 140 characters? Yeah, that’s the right way of doing things.

And no one is debating anything, get off your high horse.

People on twitter just point things out. They make jokes because they can and there is no reason not to. No one is trying to influence anyone or sell anything. I suppose you expect everyone to pull out Polsci textbook for their 140 characters? Yeah, that's the right way of doing things.

And no one is debating anything, get off your high horse.

Here is my response in all the usual brilliance everyone has come to expect of me:

Yes I am on a high horse at the moment -- because I point things out better than most, and I do it properly applying a willingness to challenge both the popular and the adored (because I am not encumbered by the baggage of cozy personal relationships over these social networks) on a communications medium that forces me to be structured and coherent in the way I present my ideas.

Because I am not a celebrity I am compelled to build my credibility on the back of consistency that stands the test of time and substance that stands the test of scrutiny. Compare those stringent standards to those that the public routinely applies to celebrities -- people who can command an audience simply by acting stupid in front of a camera or on stage.

That, dude, is why I have crowned myself the Rock Star of Da Pinoy blogosphere.

That said, I did say that there is nothing necessarily wrong with joking around on Twitter and making the albeit lame assumption that these people do so for the mere purpose of "pointing things out". It is a nice pasttime. But then, again as I said, do it once too often and it starts to come across as moronic -- specially coming from people who, because they have more, are expected to be more than the standards they stoop to just because they can.

Next question please.

Just like celebrities dish out drivel and r still believed and adored... @Jimparedes

2011-11-15T20:12:00.003+11:00

...while the rest of us work on substance to *earn* respect. In response to the tweet...

The corrupt and powerful have a right to 'due process'. The rest have the right to suffer indignities and be philosophical.

If we expect the "corrupt and powerful" to police themselves, shouldn't we also expect the popular and influential to tidy their backyard as well?

The showbiz industry and the celebrities it coddles account for a lot of the moronic ways Filipinos think. Perhaps before our celebrities start pontificating about what our politicians ought to do with their "power", they should first look in the mirror and check out what they themselves -- as a sector in our society -- do with the influence they wield.

The real point of inviting foreign investment seems lost

2011-11-15T19:07:00.002+11:00

My feeling is that we've lost sight of the real point of inviting foreign capital into the country, which is to *seed* the economy with a capital base and provide *initial* stimulus to consume (presumably from those that come to be employed by the businesses that said foreign capital creates).

We forget that there is a second stage to that initial one where the ground work laid by the above seed and initial stimuli become the fertile breeding grounds for *domestic* enterprise to take root.

My skepticism surrounding all this rah rah over foreign investment lies in both (1) the above second stage no longer being highlighted giving the impression that foreign capital will single-handedly sustain the economy, and (2) the iffy assumption that, given the opportunity, Filipinos will exploit the groundwork laid to engage in their part of the deal, which is to create and accumulate capital domestically.

When I Fell In Love

2011-11-13T14:02:00.004+11:00

This document comes with no disclaimers, apologies or motives. It is short but from the heart, and I hope you, bayani, find writing about your land a bit more comfortable, positive and oriented to what exists between elections.

I came to Pinas in 2005, uneducated about the culture and unaware of anything other than the desire for my partner at the time. While that faded rather quickly, my interest in the country never did. Fortunately I was able to grab hold of it and manifest a reality some may never truly appreciate. Fast forward to 2010, wherein I recognize that my love of Filipinas is really just a distraction from my ultimate goals. I have transplanted and redirected my desires. While I still have many pinay friends, and adore each and every one of them as the interesting creatures they are, my interest in Pinas no longer lies in my love for them.. I just love this country. I behold the natural beauty of Bohol and weep for the sturgid streets of Cavite; I gaze upon the golden shores of Calicoan and wonder how did Marikina go so wrong...

In 2011, as we near the end, I appreciate more the phrase "Ang buhay ng tao'y gulong ang kahambing. Sa ibabaw ngayon, bukas sa ilalim" often overstated to emphasize the Pinoy mentality of daily survival. In the constant change of life here, one can retain nothing but pride at times and yet, I love this country. I love it for its recognizance of sheer stupidity, for it teaches our youths what not to do in the future. If we instruct them wisely, they will evolve into leaders this nation needs so desperately. Within them lie a future not yet inscribed, let us take each one of them..let us take the physical beauty of Bohol, Guimaras, Suquijor, Banaue, Batanes, Coron, Camotes, and Calicoan and transform it into a lyrical prowess that demands their attention. My work here, presently, is to inspire the people, the youth who watch demented teleserye programming and listen to elders voices of hopelessness.. to take this natural beauty and make it a demonstrative and tangible reality. Pinas should not have concession in its affairs, but rather a state of urgency.. but also one infused with positive means.

Your potential is vast, your people many.. please realize the gains and squander not as other nations have, to their demise. Your Chocolate Hills cry out for freedom just as the children of Pasig cry for kwarta. Sagada praises the sun which sets on Zamboanga, and curses the sands of Saudi Arabia where so many balikbayans reside...fear not, for the future is yours if you reach it with intent, with mercy upon those who disavow anything other than what the Cojuangcos want them to believe..they are your kababayan, they belong in this future, they are incoherent to reason and duty, but not to love...Ilocano to Ilonggo, Kapampangan to Waray, each has their role in this grand finale to 400+ years of aggression, greed, and subserviance.

I believe in Bayanihan and I believe that the seeds of today, lay among the thorns of yesteryear. For I love this country...

Some lingering thoughts on the RHB

2011-11-11T14:16:00.003+11:00

It has occurred to me, upon reading some of the statements from anti-RHB factions, that traditional morals play a large role in the defeat of such proposed legislation. My question to these groups and individuals is this: If you care about the lives of the so-called unborn, why won't you support the RHB which clearly lays out plans for access to maternal care and similar services? Do you believe the individual should be forced to raise a sick child they may have no way to care for? If this is so, then you are more collectivist than the demonized Filipino progressive. You believe ethics and morality should stem from a single source and be applied to society, rather than it stem from a discussion in society and have the individual apply it their life as they see fit. Or do you?

Everybody's got a world view and their take on history is coloured by it

2011-11-10T10:25:00.003+11:00

Much of the history we learn from textbooks in school represents the worldview of the authors of those textbooks. And much of the way history is taught in schools represents the worldview of the teachers who deliver the lessons, and the governments that fund these schools.

Human beings are hardwired to find patterns where there is none. But history, contrary to popular belief, does not have a pattern. Those historical patterns "historians" claim to "discover" and stake their careers on are all in their heads. As we keep finding out, history always surprises us.

We may forecast out five years, ten years even. And then a single cataclysmic weather or geological disturbance -- or panicked selling frenzy in the financial markets -- makes all that "insight" on the future look idiotic.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Famous last words.

Knowledge of historical facts does not necessarily translate to meaningful insight @Xiao_Chua

2011-11-09T16:28:00.002+11:00

The following snippet written by "historian" Michael Charleston "Xiao" B. Chua in his seminal rebuttal of Baron Buchokoy's gone-viral video Aquino-Cojuangcos: Facts They Don’t Want You To Know is a classic...

[...] even if you say that life was no good after EDSA, I would not trade this life for a life without civil liberties and a determination to chart my own destiny, EVEN IF I AM STILL POOR. Ninoy and Cory were not saints, but they did their best.

First of all if Mr Chua hadn't noticed yet, millions of Filipinos risk life and limb trekking to some of the most appalling nations on the planet just to earn a "decent" living for their families. That says something about how high in the hierarchy of priorities of the average Filipino this much-hyped concept of "civil liberties" really is. Perhaps Mr Chua has had his nose stuck so far deep into the past for so long that he's forgotten how to stick his head up and look around to regard the present.

Second, with regard to people "doing their best", I might defer to the words of John Patrick Mason (played by the venerable Sean Connery) in the 1996 movie The Rock...

Your best? Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and [frick] the prom queen!

The million dollar question remains, as always, an elegantly simple one:

Where are the results?

Just out on the Inquirer.net! A report on the PinoyMonkeyPride's viral video!

2011-11-08T06:57:00.003+11:00

Classic Yellowtard rhetoric (the kind you'd hear from infantile Aquinoist "debaters"). This is what laces the Inquirer.net report on PinoyMonkeyPride gone-viral video Aquino-Cojuangcos: Facts They Don’t Want You To Know just out now. Check it out:

From Budget Secretary Florencio Abad:

"meant to distract attention from controversies like the departure bid of former President Arroyo"

"terrible"

"black propaganda"

From Aquino political adviser Roland Llamas:

"the work of forces who are now being threatened with numerous cases"

See the full report here!

Catastrophic population decline following prolonged population growth

2011-11-05T19:23:00.005+11:00

Like in the bangus fishkill in Taal Lake this year, populations don’t seem to decline gradually when placed under stress. Prior to the onset of environmental pressure, populations of most life forms seem to first multiply in ever increasing rates up to a critical mass then suddenly suffer a catastrophic drop in numbers when some sort of ecological tipping point is reached.

Maybe the signs of imminent collapse we look out for (rioting in the street and increasing hunger) are the wrong ones, and the collapse in population that might happen soon or later will come in a completely unexpected form.

The global financial collapse of 2008 for example was preceded up to the last minute by complete ignorance among the bigger community of “expert” economists. Same thing is happening with population growth. Nobody knows where it is headed and what it will do to us as a species.

[Based on a comment originally posted on Get Real Post.]

Home along da riles in Naga City

2011-11-04T23:31:00.004+11:00

A rustic rail side community in Naga City.

Photo submitted by Joshua Nellasca.

Our lives are as meaningful as we make them - @lmlodinow

2011-11-04T22:33:00.003+11:00

Acclaimed scientist Leonard Mlodinow who co-authored A Briefer History of Time with Stephen Hawking, offers a succinct and elegant rebuttal to the claims of celebrity spiritualist Deepak Chopra who argues that our universe possesses an encompassing consciousness that governs its evolution...

The human animal evolved to have the capacity for both good and evil, and it does plenty of both, but there is no hidden hand of universal purpose or consciousness behind what we do, only our own consciousness, our own purpose. Each of us chooses to love or hate; we give and we take; we leave our own imprint on our family, our friends, and society. We don't need an eternal and conscious universe to give our lives meaning. Our lives are as meaningful as we make them.

The above is an excerpt from the book War of the Worldviews where in a series of essays, Chopra and Mlodinow articulate their arguments on various topics relevant to the on-going debate between supernaturalism and science.

Filipinos have a history of starting what they can't finish

2011-11-03T21:20:00.003+11:00

Recently, in Basilan, Mindanao another tragic clash between the AFP and the MNLF occurred. What was decried as unexpected, unnecessary violence turned out to be the dead bodies of 19 soldiers and no reported MNLF soldiers. I want you to read that line over and over again until you find the hidden surprise. Have you found it? If not, I did not describe MNLF as insurgents, infidels, or terrorists. Why? Well, for starters that's not journalism, it's propaganda. There's enough propaganda waging the war against the MILF/MNLF as it is, I don't see a need for more. But I digress.

The point of this article is this: The ongoing struggle in Mindanao is a repetitive headline churner for one reason only. That reason is the result of a trait which many have, but Filipinos have perfected. From infrastructure to personal otangs (loans), Filipinos have been shirking personal responsibility and starting arguments which they can't finish for quite some time. Everybody wants to get the last word in, but nobody wants to reason out a solution. Once again, 'substance loses to appearance' in who is the more brash fighter, the loudest, most argumentative screamer, the best at accruing support even though they may have a strawman argument.

The Aquino Administration loves to take the spotlight and shine itself as the hero pursuing a peaceful resolution, but if this were a fact, the war would be well towards a finish. Looking at the events of Basilan, need I say any more?

Anonymity and the Filipino people's obsession with credentials

2011-11-01T23:59:00.002+11:00

In a land where people are obsessed with credentials, I chose not to divulge a lot of information about myself because I don't want the readers to get distracted. I want the readers to concentrate solely on the message of my articles.

Michel Foucault, a well known french intellectual who died in 1984 eventually sought anonymity in his writings later in his career. He explained his reasons well:

In our societies, characters dominate our perceptions.... Why did I suggest that we use anonymity? Out of nostalgia for a time when, being quite unknown, what I said had some chance of being heard. A name makes reading too easy.

The exercise in anonymity is a way of addressing the potential reader, the only individual here who is of interest to me, more directly: Since you don't know who I am, you will be more inclined to find out why I say what you read; just allow yourself to say, quite simply, it's true, it's false. I like it or I don't like it. Period.

I started publishing my thoughts because I consider myself someone who is still searching for the truth. While doing so, I want others to join me without feeling the need to ask who am I and what qualifications do I have in writing my articles.

A Family Dies, The Country Cries, and GMA still lies...

2011-10-31T06:38:00.004+11:00

In the following piece, you will find adoration, history, and at least one typo. However, nowhere in this article will you find the truth...

Cory Is Dead, Get Over It.

This presents me with great opportunity, as it does some frustration, to expose the constant glossing over of the Aquino dynasty. When the mainstream media mentions Tita Cory, it is always with fond memories and gyrating adjectives. When I, and millions of detractors think of her, it is with disdain because of the way Marcos was usurped and handed over to the dogs. Almost quite literally. I would venture to guess that if you are reading GRPshorts, you have an inkling that maybe, just maybe, all those people in the "power people movement" didn't really care whether Marcos was in power or not as long as they could sort of make ends meet every day. Maybe just maybe, all those jologs she ransacked from the squatter encampments didn't have a clue as to how to fix the situation but she offered herself as their messiah and they gladly offered.

This is the Aquino legacy I present to you today and it isn't emotive-headline friendly, but I can tell you it is beautifully painted as the raw veritas that few of us want to remember; particularly the media hogs who are keeping such dynasties in power because they are funded by them. I hope that, if anything, the tambays who shed a tear for ol' Noy when he finally kicks the bucket (if he doesn't get murdered while still in office. He seems to be working on the same ending as daddy quite nicely.) are aware that they are crying because they got duped into supporting two generations of brand name commercialized idiocy at the expense of their kababayan and all the potential this country holds.

Urban Planning Challenges in Metro Manila and the Philippines

2011-10-29T16:27:00.008+11:00

I was browsing the blogosphere (i don't know why i continue to use that word, it just sounds catchy) and came across this well written piece. I'd like to share it with you, the readers...Let's face it. Manila is one of the last things that comes to mind when we talk about the world's most organized cities. This metropolis of nearly 20 million (daytime population) is the stereotype of a Third World city, where there are slums everywhere and issues like garbage disposal and traffic are poorly addressed. As the country's capital, it's such a shame that we only have this to show to the world. It smacks right against the good image that the Philippines is trying to project.

Urban Planning

Better and best rather than just good

2011-10-29T00:04:00.002+11:00

In writing about Philippine politics and society in general, I often come across Filipinos who get offended by my "no holds barred" criticism of the country and its people. They quickly defend the mediocrity in the country by saying, "Don't be too harsh on Filipinos. It is worse in India" or whatever third world country they perceive to be in worse condition than the Philippines. I find that kind of statement so lame. It is an excuse for defending the status quo.

In saying that there are countries in worse situations than ours, we congratulate ourselves for being better while doing minimal work. We therefore come across as a people who are content with inferior workmanship or what is called "pwede na yan". Which is why we remain who we are today, a nation of braggarts and show offs living in third world conditions.

Like what I said in my previous article...

Until Filipinos learn the real meaning behind the adjective word "good" in its comparative and superlative form, "better" and "best", we cannot consider our society "resilient."

Unfortunately, most Filipinos actually take comfort in the thought that if the Philippines is bad, in their mind, some countries are worse or the worst off. And I do believe that Filipinos are still waiting for the day when things go from bad to worse before they do something more drastic to uplift their condition.

Biggest Ten Commandments in the world made in the Philippines!

2011-10-28T00:58:00.002+11:00

The Philippines recently received yet another "Number One in the World" distinction after the unveiling of what is purported to be the world's biggest tablets depicting the Ten Commandments. The building-sized carving of the Jewish deity's charter that was handed down to Moses in Mount Sinai back in the days of, well, biblical events has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest of its kind.

Indeed, the scale of this worldly representation of the Word of the Lord fits the society that hosts it. The gigantic size of this now noted Filipino rendering of the Ten Commandments for me is symbolic of the monumental challenge of getting Filipinos to observe the most basic of codes articulating ethical behaviour. The words of Congressman Bernardo Vergara who represents Baguio City which hosts this edifice summarises where the thinkining underpinning this whole enterprise had gone so wrong...

"This beautiful and divine edifice will serve to drive away the evils of spirits that time and again emerge," [said Vergara] at the inauguration. "May it drive away evils of illegal drugs, gambling, prostitution."

I don't know about you, honourable Congressman, but I'm not holding my breath. The "evils" of illegal drugs, gambling, and prostitution are complex social issues that cannot be solved by building in-your-face religious colossuses. Since time immemorial, the mightiest civilisations have adorned their important cities with monuments to their gods. Yet all have succumbed at one time or another to catastrophic decline. Really, there is no substitute for sound governance when it comes addressing "social ills" and maintaining harmony in one's society. And last I heard, government plays an important role in that endeavour.

Perhaps this is but a quaint example of how many of our important government officials seem to have muddled the affairs of the state with the empty appeals to emotion of religious hocus-pocus. But what may seem to be a glib and even innocent remark by a Philippine Congressman reveals the underlying primitivism of 21st Century governance in the Philippines. Public administration is a field that is underpinned by some semblance of coherent logic and method. Falling squarely within the scope of expertise of a public administrator (and those who frame the laws that guide his administration) is the application of sound principles to manage these "evils" Vergara cites. Quite simply, deferring to the black-and-white "morality" of religious dogma and even just implying a reliance on imposing religious icons to implement measures to address social problems is just plain bad form in a society that aspires to modernity.

A new Pinoy creed

2011-10-23T22:36:00.001+11:00

I choose to live by choice and not chance (fatalistic thinking, a common pinoy trait)to make changes, not excuses (need i say more?)

to be motivated, not manipulated (be thou not swayed at the polls, much less everyday life. Being motivated to go abroad is about the only thing pinoys have to their legacy right now)

to be useful, not used (filipinos get used on a regular basis because they leave themselves open to chance, which opens the door for mediocre circumstances and thus dramatic situations. I call it being addicted to the "struggle" or self sabotage..and i think part of it stems from the trashy novelas we're all exposed to in this country)

to excel, not to compete (excelling is frowned upon by crab mentality, when in fact it should be the norm with as much talent and population as we have. do not compete with others, be the standard. forget about saving hiya and set the bar high!)

i choose self esteem, not pity (self esteem and confidence are different than vanity and narcissism, another common pinoy trait. self pity only has a home in a mediocre society)

I choose to listen to my inner voice, not the random voice of others (this harks back to the point about being manipulated)

Purpose and Reason

2011-10-23T19:04:00.003+11:00

Kanoy -2. An American who is considered Filipino at heart. It is a word combination of "Pinoy" (Tagalog word for Filipino), and "Kano" (Tagalog word for American)

After my debut post, I would like to introduce myself to the readers, you out there who care about this country, these topics, as much as I do. I have chosen this name, not carefully, but out of experience. When you assign value to something, to someone perhaps, that value becomes its own living entity and it begins to take on its own form and shape over time. As names go, I could do much worse and Kanoy suits me just fine. It literally describes my nature as I not only wish to see, but actively participate in the drive to push this country to its greatest potential. I am American, yes.. I still get baffled by Filipino behaviors and such occasionally. I believe efficiency is the best way to conduct one's daily affairs. I cannot tolerate certain kinds of Filipino food, as in I cannot digest them without becoming ill. But part of me is certifiably Pinoy, and I would venture to guess as most of you may, that organ would be my heart.

My reasoning skills are still intact, I'm not feeling based as many pinoys are, but as the great hymnal goes in America, "This land is your land, This land is my land." I love this country even with its sociopolitical ugliness and corruption. How wonderful that line would be if that were the truth and not just an ideal: The 60/40 provisions live on! I deeply care about the direction we are heading as a country, as a nation of people. We seem to be a tribe without a leader, a rebel without a cause. This saddens me, but I write and work not out of pity, but of empathy for the Filipino condition. I only serve a purpose to stir the minds of Filipinos unwilling to accept the frantic pace of self-destruction seemingly now woven into the culture. I reach out to you, the reader and activist, the casual politician and armchair philosopher, in a gesture of confidence and trust that the present is not the future;you must believe the power of many also stems from the power of one. I invite you to comment and interact and I look forward to the years ahead in which we build a new Pinas, one that allows its people to provide for themselves and achieve their goals..a Pinas in which all are represented, not just the oligarchy's interests. A Pinas in which we can truly be proud of because we all contribute to its wealth out of choice, not its demise out of ignorance and lack of choice.

Epic fail in grammar at Taal Lake in Tagaytay

2011-10-21T22:55:00.003+11:00

Considering the various proposals to put up gigantic letters all over Taal Volcano it comes across as a bit scary that even a simple warning sign fails the simplest standards of quality...

Mediocrity rules everything in Da Pinas

2011-10-21T14:16:00.003+11:00

"Why is your country so poor despite the fact that you - as a people - have the greatest potential to lord it over the rest of Southeast Asia: you're talented, you're skilled, you use English, you're creative, etc????" -Orion Pérez D. getting "the big question" ad nauseam by Singaporeans

One word: Mediocrity. Mediocrity rules everything in Da Pinas. From manufacturing "standards" to education to government on all levels, mediocrity reigns supreme. Even the entertainment is half class. I used to think it was the hot weather, but if that was the case, all of SE Asia would be in slow motion. The time for people that care is long overdue; they must come out of their foxholes, their abominable silence, and switch on the lights for the rest of the country. We must show the world that we are more than the world's maids, au pairs, teachers, and nurses. We must show we have abilities beyond singing, dancing, breeding, and acting retarded in the streets at 3am with our barkadas. Our supremacy in Asia has been dormant, let us galvanize and revolutionize the Philippines!

How well the RH Bill will be executed or complied with is an issue that becomes relevant down the track @paulfarol

2011-10-20T11:39:00.006+11:00

I agree with what @paulfarol says about the blanket presumption surrounding the proposed reproductive health services articulated in the RH Bill(s) being debated in Congress which he summarised thus...

RH services will 'lead' to better health for women and children, encourage 'ideal' family size - which can be 2 or more.

Which puts a caveat on the the notion that passing the RH Bill will necessarily induce reduction in population growth rates (which, personally, I think is the whole point of passing such a law in a Third World country like the Philippines where every baby born subtracts rather than adds value to the economy).

However (and I might be mistaken in my interpretation here), the following, it seems, are the main pillars of Paul's argument that the RH Bill should not be passed (considering the provisions supposedly contained in it that paves the way for government procurement of contraceptive devices and the dole out of these to the Filipino multitude)...

Here...

it basically assumes an optimistic view of cde demographic and the govt system to deliver services

...and here:

No assurances or guarantees for the uptake of RH prods and services. Ergo, no guarantees for population reduction. Just faith.

My view here is that all laws are framed on the basis of optimistic or idealised presumption that said laws will be abided by and executed properly once they are enacted. Though legislators may take every measure within their capacities to minimise loopholes that can be exploited or ambiguities that can be abused, compliance to these laws fall outside of their scope of concerns.

Whether the public abides by these laws and whether the government agencies tasked with executing these laws apply them in the spirit of what they were originally intended for is more a concern of the Executive and Judicial branches of government.

As such, worrying about whether the RH Bill will be complied with and executed properly is not much a concern now as it is later on when it becomes a matter of enforcement and executive oversight.

Filipinos need to toughen up!

2011-10-19T17:51:00.002+11:00

Enough with the victim mentality, folks! Just prove your worth. This country needs fewer crybabies and more go-getters to be able to move forward.

So you think someone is bullying you? Try being a blogger. I have been called "stupid" so many times just because some BOZO thinks his opinion is way better than mine. I have become thick skinned and have developed the ability to say, so what?!? I hope you do too.

We can't please everybody. We'll always have detractors. Just go read the comment section of any of my articles and you will realize how nasty it can get. But life is too short to worry about what some insignificant person has to say about you and your beliefs. Only those who are not too sure about their own principles tend to get affected by their critics anyway.

Double check your beliefs and find out if your convictions are strong enough to withstand any criticism that will go your way. If you have doubts, it means the principles with which you live by is just a veneer or a front that can be easily stripped away. In other words, it is not real.

However, if you are confident about where you stand, my advice is to simply toughen (the f***) up!

Order to investigate murder of PUP VP Augustus Cezar comes from the top

2011-10-15T13:07:00.004+11:00

Why does the Philippine President himself need to "order" the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a "probe" on the murder of Polytechnic University of the Philippines vice president for administration Augustus Cezar? Isn't that a job that law enforcement agencies do even without prompting?

“We will be helping the Manila Police District in investigating the death of Cezar since we were tasked by President [Benigno "Noynoy"] Aquino to determine who were the perpetrators behind the slay of Cezar,” said NBI director Magtanggol Gatdula.

Tough luck, I guess, for all the other Filipinos who had been murdered. Philippine law enforcement officials, it seems, don't act unless orders to do so are issued from the very top.

Magnificent coral reefs and wildlife off Busuanga in Palawan

2011-10-11T23:59:00.003+11:00

The natural beauty of the Philippines is fast dwindling. It's time we pay more attention to what we are fast losing. Even as we fail to build a great nation, let us at least succeed at not destroying our lands and seas.

Save our coral reefs. Save Palawan.

Philippines aspires to eliminate rice imports this year!

2011-10-11T10:41:00.002+11:00

According to this report, the Philippines will reduce rice imports to ZERO this year...

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The Philippines will no longer import rice this year even after recent typhoons that damaged crops, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said in Manila today, after a meeting of the National Food Authority council.

The import plan for next year will be discussed in November once an audit of the damaged crops and likely harvest for the remainder of 2011 have been completed, Alcala said.

Re-visit our featured video short on the Rice Crisis of 2008 here!

Goodbye Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T13:25:00.002+11:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs
1955 - 2011

The thing about being in a mall in Manila...

2011-10-02T19:45:00.001+11:00

Thing about being in a mall in Manila is that it's such a huge investment in time and effort to get there in your car -- including parking it -- that you get into a mindset of having to make the most of your stay.

This includes trying to do everything that you could conceivably do while there which, it seems, makes one more vulnerable to the powers of suggestion of all the 'buy me' messages that scream at you in bright colours and catchy jingles from every corner of the building.

Our future of groupthink on Facebook and social media

2011-09-30T13:11:00.006+10:00

I read somewhere that nothing still beats music when it comes to efficiently bringing multiple human minds into natural brain sync. And the massively in-sync coming together with a hundred to a thousand others we experience in, say, rock concerts and dance clubs is perhaps as close as we get to non-technology enabled borgism.

If you think about it, in the music business, elite musicians wield so much power over the minds of their fans. Perhaps social networking is the music of the Web and like the rock stars of the older medium, those who are most savvy at playing its features get to define the 'borg'. Those who aren't or who merely consume rather than produce meaningful content are doomed to be subject to its groupthink.

I also read that there is strong evidence that the constant info updating of social media is the active ingredient in inducing the dopamine fix on the brain that makes it as pleasurable or addictive as music, sex, and eating. Considering how increasingly efficient these sites and the devices they run on get at harvesting data about our movements, thoughts, and moods from our day-to-day living activities, the future looks to be an interesting one in our evolution as a social species.

Commented on Ben Kritz's "How Facebook is Turning Us into the Borg"
http://weatheronneptune.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/how-facebook-is-turning-us-into-the-borg/

Why can't indigenous materials be used for building houses?

2011-09-26T18:45:00.001+10:00

Many of the structures put up in resorts and for housing tourist facilities in the Philippines I find are made of bamboo and other durable indigenous materials. And they look great too. So why can't more of these materials be used for building?

Bamboo grows fast and abundantly in the Philippines. It is also well suited for the tropical climate as it does not rot or deteriorate the same way other building materials do under the oppressive humidity of the tropics.

Perhaps cultivating bamboo for use in construction of low-cost housing and the training of builders in the lost art of constructing using bamboo should be something promoted for inclusion in government poverty alleviation programs and in the public education system.

Driving in Manila gives a feeling of empowerment

2011-09-26T16:09:00.001+10:00

I feel so empowered here. Behind the wheel of a car, I can cut across three lanes in a highway, muscle my way through an intersection, and drive as fast or as slow as I want wherever and whenever I want to.

Nice catch up with @momblogger yesterday! @rochellesychua

2011-09-23T13:42:00.001+10:00

Thanks to Noemi "the MomBlogger" Dado for the nice chat over coffee yesterday. Apologies to Rochelle for the misunderstanding. I would have liked to meet up with you as well. I'm sure we can find the time for another meet up in the next few days.

In the mean time, it's great to be on the ground putting a new layer of perspective on my observations of our fine nation. Hopefully, I'll be finding the time to share them online (opportunity and net access quality permitting).

Watch this space!

The Shamcey Supsup brouhaha: It's just a beauty pageant

2011-09-18T23:30:00.004+10:00

So what if Shamcey Supsup did not win the Miss Universe beauty pageant? She's hot and she's smart. Obviously, Filipinos can't be satisfied with taking what is self evident. Instead we want credentialled validation. What does that say about our society? Simple: Philippine society is bankrupt of substance and conviction.

Without substance and conviction, people need to be told what to believe in. Add lack of substance and conviction into the the brew that is a society that also lacks a tradition of critical thought, and we get the obvious outcome -- a society that, to borrow the words of modern-day philosopher John Ralston Saul, is "obssessed by bread and circuses, Heroes, and the need for leadership".

So it takes a crown on the head of Supsup to get Filipinos to believe she is a winner. Strange. Filipinos are renowned for fancying themselves God's gift to the human race despite nary a smidgen of a track record of any collective achievement to speak of. How much of a leap of imagination does it take to see past the Miss Universe crown that eluded Supsup? Certainly a lot less than what it takes to heap claims of being the most "blessed" country in the Far East. Yes, the Filipino can.

RH Bill issue is getting old...

2011-09-15T19:38:00.001+10:00

Whether or not the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill is passed, private enterprise - specially the media - and private citizens still have the power, resources, and influence to mount an information campaign to get Filipinos to practice sensible and responsible reproductive activities.

An over emphasis on legislation to control what is essentially an activity fully within the control of each individual seems to be spelling out a sad lack of personal accountability and initiative in our society.

The Philippines is a society where mere INTENTIONS trump real RESULTS any day

2011-09-13T23:56:00.003+10:00

Some people presume to judge other people's work on the basis of what motivates them. Usually they will be "inspired" by people who claim to do what they do out of "selfless" sense of "duty" or those who say they find a "higher purpose" in what they do. Well, there's plenty of that going around in Medieval societies such as the Philippines. Perhaps go and attend a plenary session in Congress, or listen to a politician's campaign speech when elections are around the corner, or go listen to a priest's sermon at a Catholic mass. You'll find a lot of that self-righteous and self-important bullshit in those places.

Let's not presume to judge the right of an endeavour to exist on the basis of what motivates whoever effects it. Henry Sy and the other taipans, for example, are motivated mainly by profit. But at the end of the day, the enterprises they built employ thousands of Filipinos. And yet him and other rich folk are demonised by Catholic dogma and the voodoo-laced story lines of Philippine cinema, television, and other cultural artifacts. Why? Because to Filipinos and those who think like Filipinos there is only one principle:

Intent trumps results any day.

This is the reason why election campaigns stir up so much heady interest in the Philippines while the getting-down-to-the-actual-work part hardly attracts the same sort of passionate engagement -- because campaigns are all about expressions of intent and what happens next once the next bozo is elected into office becomes an exercise in monitoring results. To Filipinos, evaluating on the basis of results is boring (or in most cases too hard for their feeble minds to sustain). Filipinos would rather celebrate mere intent.

Indeed, the intent of a politician trumps the results of those who are motivated by "less noble" intentions. That's the Philippines for you. It is why when we ask the million dollar question...

Where are the results?

...all we get is a lot of silly head-scratching and calls to prayer.

Only time will be the judge of where the results will come. And it may come or it may not for one approach or the other. The quality of the approach and the consistency of the effort will be a strong determinant for those results -- not intentions, and certainly not what motivates those intentions.

Filipinos need to actively participate in the running of the Philippines

2011-09-11T09:57:00.004+10:00

While most Filipinos preoccupy themselves with minding the belief systems of other people, their public servants are getting away with not doing their jobs.

There is a misguided notion among Filipinos that their public servants will eventually do what they are being paid to do. This is wrong and this is part of the reasons things never go according to plan in the Philippines.

To be sure, one of the reasons why Filipinos are not used to pointing out their public servants' shortfalls is because of this belief that they are not supposed to be questioning authority. Where they got that belief is another story.

In any organization, there is a system of checks and balances in place that ensures that things are working according to how they were meant to. If any part of that system fails, it would take a while before the goal of the organization can be met or in the worst case, the goal will not be met at all. Included in those checks and balances are the low-ranking members who need to see to it that the people who make the decisions are doing their jobs.

A community or a society is no different from any organization. We all have a role to play in running the organization. Being a member is not just about enjoying the privileges of being a part of it. It is important that we perform our roles as community members by calling the attention of those concerned and make sure they are doing their part in fixing what is broken.

When was the last time you called the attention of the people who run your local municipality and told them to fix something in your community?

Don't hold your breath waiting for your public servants to see everything. They need your help too. Start calling and writing them now!

Listening and giving importance to others is the best defense

2011-09-10T23:45:00.002+10:00

Let's face it; life would be boring without those who oppose our views. The challenge to all who rabidly try to prove they make more sense than the other party is to discuss their views rationally without resorting to character assassination. The question now is: are Filipinos ready for this kind of set-up? There is enough evidence to suggest that most of them are not.

If you want to get a chance to be heard, you need to give others a chance to have his or her say as well. Whatever your beliefs are, simply putting yourself in the other person's shoes would help you understand that listening and giving importance to others is the best defense.

A lot of people have this misguided notion that we should be free to do or say whatever we want. But with freedom comes great responsibility. There is a price to pay when we do things without caring for the consequences of our actions. We may not realize it instantly but sometime in the future we will find ourselves in the same situation that others were in while we made fun of them or acted indifferently towards them. Just remember that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".

Life is a game and there are certain rules we must follow in order to live in harmony with our surroundings. We all need to abide by a certain guideline or a code wherever we go whether it is written or unwritten – in school, our office and public places. Sadly, in Philippine society, most Filipinos do not follow anything whether it is written or not. Instead, each Filipino lives by his or her own set of rules and the results speak for itself.

In a mature society, members of the community do not need to be reminded of the rules all the time. They use their common sense, which is not something that most Filipinos have.

Speak and write in English well and with PRIDE and encourage others to do the same

2011-09-05T14:42:00.003+10:00

The language of power -- English -- shapes the opinion of the influential. The "language of the streets" -- Tagalog -- shapes the opinion of the powerless. In a sense, the Media is a power broker in the same mold as any other institution in the Philippines. It's got a tiny elite pool of people who write for the premium channels browsed by the powerful before they head off to their breakfast meetings to debate the fate of the nation. At the bottom of the pyramid are those who write the more "palatable" dumbed-down content -- the stuff read by ordinary folk huddled in sweltering buses stuck in Manila's traffic.

In a sense, the English-proficient elite monopolise a vital resource -- command over a language that opens doors. Tagalog and other indigenous means of communication are but the breadcrumbs thrown to the birds. The reason "monopoly" is a dirty word is because it is synonymous with abuse. When a small elite control -- or monopolise -- a vital resource, the obvious solution is to dismantle that monopoly.

The good news is, monopolies over premium languages are easy to dismantle. There is nothing that stops us from making these monopolised languages universally accessible to the broader community thereby diluting the power of those who traditionally wield it for their elite purposes -- nothing, that is, other than an obsolete notion of what is "nationalistic".

We fancy ourselves a people who aspire to an egalitarian society -- one where resources are equally accessible to all. Command of the English language -- a language that opens doors for its speakers -- is at the moment not universally within reach. The solution is obvious. Focus funding on material and classroom time delivered in English and equip Filipinos to compete.

“It is important that a jobseeker has command of the English language,” [Grace Colet -- General Manager, JobStreet] said.

Employers were alarmed by the increasing popularity of the “jejemon” culture in the country, a social phenomenon where liberties are taken with basic grammar and spelling to the point of incoherence, she said.

“This new trend which started with text messages and social media sites is seen to encourage erroneous use of language, which can have dire implications on one’s job prospects.”

See full reference to the article from which the above snippet was quoted here.

Speak and write in English well and with PRIDE and encourage others to do the same.

Death of a security guard over a convenience store heist

2011-09-03T19:19:00.001+10:00

The circumstances surrounding this attempted robbery of a convenience store that resulted in the death of a security guard illustrate some things about the profound nature of Philippine society today.

(1) Why do even simple convenience stores in the Philippines require an armed security guard?

(2) Was whatever cash that could have been lost in the store worth the life of a security guard?

(3) What sort of man shoots another in the back?

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/52499/security-guard-killed-foiling-robbery

Your online persona reflects your real-life persona

2011-09-02T00:52:00.004+10:00

Participants in new social media including online forums reveal a lot about themselves with the way they behave online. Some fool themselves into thinking that disrespectful behavior towards others is acceptable because they think that everything they do online is just an act or part of the game anyway. Unfortunately, what they think is just an "act" is actually the real them.

There are people who behave online as if they have been repressed all their lives; with the Internet giving them freedom for the first time. But instead of using their newfound "freedom" to communicate effectively, they use it to wreak havoc in small communities they are members of with their bad behavior.

Online anonymity can exacerbate brutish behavior the way drinking alcohol can. It can serve as a catalyst for those who are already predisposed to behaving like a buffoon. Typing away words from the safety of your armchair can give you a false sense of security and make you feel untouchable. It's too bad that there are people who do not realize that their online behavior can slowly catch up with them in the real world.

How are you behaving online?

Clarifying the 'obssession' about language @cocoy

2011-09-01T18:00:00.002+10:00

I just wanted to clarify my personal position on the matter of the national "debate" about language in light of Cocoy's recent headscratching about what all the fuss is about.

I think the following snippet from his recent Propinoy.net post captures the essence of the point he makes:

The constitution says we have two languages anyway. There shouldn’t be a debate whether Filipino should primary, or English secondary. Both are equally important.

But the point I make (and have made for the last nine years) is that it does matter when we consider the finite (and scarcely so) public education resources at stake. Given only so much tax-funded classroom time, textbooks, and classrooms that are accessible to the wretched masses of Filipinos who are starved for a means to extricate themselves from chronic impoverishment, the answer to the question of which language to prioritise in the delivery of public education to Filipinos becomes crystal clear.

Between the English language and the Tagalog dialect, which of the two promises to deliver results to the average Filipino in the form of marketability, access to useful knowledge, and intellectual breadth required to compete in the modern world?

In a perfect world where we can afford to indulge our cultural insecurities, then by all means, let's divide delivery of our tax-funded education between English and Tagalog. But in the wretched world where Philippine budgetary constraints and desperation for economic relief is very real, we should give pre-eminence to the language that delivers results when deciding how we want our school kids to spend their time learning how to make a living.

Tagalog -- a no-results dialect -- has no placed in a SEVERELY cash-strapped public education system.

Further clarity on whether or not Tagalog is a dialect and whether there is such a thing as a 'Filipino language'

2011-09-01T00:21:00.005+10:00

Some people refer to the Philippine Constitution for some sort of "evidence" that Tagalog is a "language" and not a "dialect". I found this snippet presumably quoted verbatim from the Constitution that was pasted on a message thread in the Get Real Philippines Community Facebook group...

ARTICLE XIV
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ARTS,
CULTURE AND SPORTS

LANGUAGE
Section 6. The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages.

Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as language of instruction in the educational system.

I'm not really sure what this proves, but from what I read above, all this says is that we Filipinos are supposedly possessing of a national "language" henceforth known as "Filipino". Presumably, we being subjects of this proud nation are directed to believe this edict stipulated in said nation's Charter.

But what is the "Filipino language" essentially? Well golly gee; there seems to be quite a bit of insurmountable evidence that it is no more than an ideological construct (a figment of the imagination of some of the framers of our Constitution) used as a label on what is no more than the Tagalog dialect. By some of this message thread's members' reckoning, a "90+% adaptation". Some would beg to differ and even quibble on the exact percentage (the basis of said quibbling, I fail to find).

Yet so far, I find no convincing argument that weakens in any way my assertions that:

(1) the "Filipino language" is essentially Tagalog; and that,

(2) Tagalog is a dialect spoken by a quaint bunch of people who inhabit the southern bit of the biggest island of an archipelago named after a Spanish king a few-odd centuries ago.

Has any clarity been gained so far? Perhaps 10 percent more clarity. But then I fail to find a basis for that estimate. It's just something I believe to be true.

Bishop endorses use of 'jejemon' to guide the youth down the righteous path

2011-08-31T22:31:00.002+10:00

When was the last time that we saw science and technology imparted to others in the "jejemon" language? Considering that even the Tagalog dialect is not up to the task of articulating scientific concepts, any attempt to communicate science in jejemon will ultimately fail. Amazingly, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) sees religious teachings as a body of knowledge that actually could be reduced to jejemon-speak. Perhaps this reflects the real nature of religious doctrine.

Is religion something that could be taught in jejemon?

Apparently so...

[Archbishop Socrates Villegas, incoming vice president of the CBCP] said the youth, which are “like parched dry sponge[s]," are “being misled by wrong teachings."

“In their thirst, they absorb all and retain them regardless of the purity of source. I pity our youth," he said as he rallied the Catholic Church to “join the arena of public opinion" by using “new methods and approaches and even jejemon vocabulary to make the message of God convincing."

Perhaps the Archbishop fails to see the irony in alluding to elements outside his Church that are supposedly misleading the youth while at the same time endorsing the use of a "language" associated more with degeneracy than with upliftment.

Is Tagalog a 'dialect' or a 'language'?

2011-08-31T13:24:00.003+10:00

Seems like even the "experts" can't agree on exactly what a "dialect" is and how different this is from a "language". Some say Tagalog is a "dialect", and some say it is a "language". The challenge to "linguistics expert" community, as such, is to provide some consistent guidance around what exactly differentiates a "language" and a "dialect"?

I'm tempted take advantage of this chaos among the "experts" and crown myself a de facto expert on the subject. But maybe I might serve the "debate" a bit well by deferring to that other Oracle of internet truth. Here is what the venerable Wikipedia (my boldface for emphasis) has to say...

There is no universally accepted criterion for distinguishing a language from a dialect. A framework that may aid in analyzing the issues is provided by the linguistics concepts of Ausbausprache, Abstandsprache and Dachsprache. A number of rough measures exist, sometimes leading to contradictory results. Some linguists[3] do not differentiate between languages and dialects, i.e. languages are dialects and vice versa. The distinction is therefore subjective and depends on the user's frame of reference. Note also that the terms are not by themselves mutually exclusive; there is by itself nothing contradictory in the statement that "the language of the Pennsylvania Dutch is a dialect of German". However, the term dialect always implies a relation between languages: if language X is called a dialect, this implies that the speaker considers X a dialect of some other language Y, which then usually is some standard language.

Language varieties are often called dialects rather than languages:

- because they have no standard or codified form,
- because the speakers of the given language do not have a state of their own,
- because they are rarely or never used in writing (outside reported speech)
- or because they lack prestige with respect to some other, often standardised, variety.

But just going by the latter four-point criteria, it seems Tagalog fails in three out of the four success factors for it to be considered a bona fide "language". Indeed, the last one begs an interesting question:

Do we see Tagalog as a prestigious form of communication?

Name-calling in debates is the oldest trick in the book

2011-08-28T23:22:00.003+10:00

Name-calling is the oldest trick in the book. It's a trick used by people who lack the ability to explain their point convincingly. It is also a diversion tactic because it draws the arguments away from the main idea. Plus, it is nothing more than an attack on the messenger instead of the message.

In public forums, debates have this tendency to escalate into pissing contests once someone resorts to name-calling. Calling your opponent stupid, an idiot or a moron is a sign that you are getting frustrated. Frustration in public forums is easy enough to detect when people start using name-calling. Those who use this tactic do not seem to realize that they are the ones who look like morons.

Before you call someone a moron, you need proof that he is. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Did your opponent hurt/offend himself or other people as a result of what he said.

2. Did your opponent waste resources/time/money?

3. Did your opponent say something that is libelous?

If the answer to all of the above is no, then your opponent is not a moron. If the answer to any of the questions is yes, then he is a moron.

Aminin! Every Filipino aspires to be white deep inside

2011-08-28T01:20:00.005+10:00

It's a subconscious aspiration that is a legacy of 400 years of subjugation. Becoming white or associating with Euros is a ticket out of poverty, and every gene in our cultural DNA is telling us so -- even to this day. Identifying with Tagalog speaking as a source of pride, it seems, is a conscious denial of a subconscious aspiration -- like a quivering smile flashed in the aftermath of a bald lie uttered.

I recall a few hours ago reading a comment on a blog post: "Love of the 'native tongue' is a security blanket for losers who missed out on acquiring solid proficiency in English" (or something to that effect). That pretty much describes 90 percent of the Philippine population. Is the adherence to Tagalog motivated by rational thinking? Or is it motivated by a deep fear of being caught outside one's comfort zone?

Perhaps we are on to something about this whole no-tagalog-word-for-efficiency hypothesis. Perhaps a world that rewards efficiency (and all else that comes natural to English speakers but alien to Tagalog proficients) is a scary world to the average Filipino, so much so that Tagalog is the proverbial mother's skirt that they hide behind...

So much for my armchair national psychoanalysis. The only certain thing, of course, is that there seems to be no convincing rational argument that underpins a continued beholdenness to Tagalog -- this so-called "national language". Is it really that hard to see the negative-added-value that this dialect is adding to our society? Perhaps it is hard. Maybe there is no Tagalog word to describe what is really a simple concept.

If Filipinos deep inside aspire to be white, then at the very least we should get real about this reality about our national character and embrace the languages of these greatest achievements of European civilisation.

James Soriano owes no one any apologies

2011-08-27T09:33:00.001+10:00

Whatever it was said by whoever this James Soriano is, if it is the TRUTH about the utter lack of intellectual tools Tagalog provides its speakers, then no apologies are needed to be given to those who take offense from these words.

Tagalog is a quaint dialect at best. Perhaps we continue to hang on to it because it gives us that warm fuzzy feeling. The reality today is quite stark, however. Tagalog DOES NOT DELIVER. The sooner we as a people come to terms with that reality, the sooner we can move on to much bigger things.

http://patiss.tumblr.com/post/9408998934

But why Tagalog? @paulfarol

2011-08-26T18:29:00.005+10:00

Chicken and egg situation. Perhaps there are more pressing needs to upgrade the impoverished physical facilities of the Philippine public school system - classroom shortages, books, etc. The poverty of the Philippine school system, however, is but a component of the broader impoverishment that crushes Philippine society overall at all fronts.

Therefore, the more fundamental question is: What is at the very root of this pervasive and profound impoverishment of the Filipino?

When I cite the example of Tagalog not having a single word that captures the meaning of "efficiency", I don't mean that it it impossible to articulate the concept of "efficiency" in Tagalog. Arguably, it's been demonstrated that it is possible...

Efficiency can translate to pagiging masinop or matipid. Then again, the word can be rendered in tagalog phonetics, episyente.

...(although I'd question whether these examples actually do capture the essence of the concept).

My point is that the absence of a single Tagalog word for "efficiency" illustrates that this concept is *alien* or *not native* to Pinoy culture. This points to a possible reason why doing things efficiently does not come naturally to Filipinos.

We simply lack a *natural* ethic of efficiency in our undertakings. The road then leads back to the nature if the medium we choose to use to channel knowledge and ideas into the minds of our wretched compatriots. And again, I have to ask: Why Tagalog?

---------------
"paulfarol: But not before other deficiencies. RT @benign0: Medium of instruction in Ph public schools is a fundamental issue http://t.co/vS7VuU1"
--http://twitter.com/paulfarol/status/106997415399260160

Medium of instruction in Philippine public schools is a fundamental issue that needs to be settled @paulfarol

2011-08-26T15:54:00.004+10:00

Medium of instruction -- the debate on the continued use of the Tagalog dialect in Philippine public schools -- underlies optimal use of whatever assets are deployed to support effective education of Filipinos.

In his tweet, blogger Paul Farol begs to differ slightly...

@benign0 Arguing over medium of instruction is putting the cart before the horse in a situation where the cart is broken and the horse is all but dead. The child of an average Filipino cellphone subscriber goes to a public school which not only lacks classrooms, but also has only 1 comfort room which they must share with at least 200 other students -- that comfort room has one toilet bowl and one wash basin, indoor plumbing is optional. They learn lessons from a teacher in a class of as many as 100 students and they must try to learn their lessons in a room that is either too hot or damp from floods or leaking roofs. They must try to learn from books that are either outdated, misprinted, or printed with factual errors. They are taught about computers using a well-worn CHART with a picture of a computer. They are taught chemistry and other sciences in the same way.

The child of an average Filipino cellphone subscriber is malnourished and is ridden with diseases as well as dental carries.

Indeed these are all serious problems. But the bottom line is that every new classroom and every new textbook we deploy into the public education system are assets we need to sweat.

Between the Tagalog dialect and the English language, which one returns more for every peso invested in classroom time used in its instruction?

The active ingredient in this critical decision can be encapsulated in the simple fact of the lack of a Tagalog word for the a simple concept with far-reaching implications on our ability to progress -- efficiency...

There's lots of Tagalog words for rice: 'bigas', 'kanin', 'sinaing', 'palay', etc. That's because rice is an important aspect of Filipino culture and society. The number of words in Tagalog devoted to articulating specific aspects, forms, and natures of rice reflects the importance and significance Filipinos place on it.

So what then would one conclude about the glaring absence of a Tagalog word for 'efficiency'? I think the implications of this fact are quite evident. One just needs to experience the Philippines to validate that implication.

So let us ask ourselves:

Why invest in a medium of instruction that fails at epic scales in the simple task of articulating a concept so crucial to economic and industrial achievement?

There is no Tagalog word for "efficiency"

2011-08-26T14:46:00.001+10:00

There's lots of Tagalog words for rice: 'bigas', 'kanin', 'sinaing', 'palay', etc. That's because rice is an important aspect of Filipino culture and society. The number of words in Tagalog devoted to articulating specific aspects, forms, and natures of rice reflects the importance and significance Filipinos place on it.

So what then would one conclude about the glaring absence of a Tagalog word for 'efficiency'? I think the implications of this fact are quite evident. One just needs to experience the Philippines to validate that implication.

Investing in Tagalog instruction is a waste of meager public funds @paulfarol

2011-08-26T14:38:00.001+10:00

The medium of instruction used in the public education system of the Philippines is an important issue. Education is all about (1) connecting people to useful information and (2) giving them the intellectual and cognitive tools to comprehend and evaluate that information.

The question is, between English and Tagalog, which of the two languages will achieve those two objectives the most efficiently?

The fact that we continue to invest precious classroom time on Tagalog - a dialect that achieves very little for its speakers - already begs an obvious solution.

In response to:

"paulfarol: Philippine public education has bigger problems than the language used in teaching. http://j.mp/n1To1r"
--http://twitter.com/paulfarol/status/106942408247349248

Wikileaks 'expose' of the dysfunction of Philippine Police fails the 'So What?' test

2011-08-26T13:52:00.003+10:00

I fail to see anything about the information contained in the Wikileaks expose on the "mess" that is the Philippine National Police that I'd consider even remotely groundbreaking. Perhaps only two things make it newsworthy: (1) its source is American in origin, and (2) the detail contained in it is fit for a people renowned for their focus on people and events rather than on ideas.

So basically what makes this Wikileaks indictment of the PNP interesting in the star-struck eyes of Filipinos is the fact that it lays out the tabloidesque who's who and the what's what surrounding the dysfunctional of a state service the essence of which most of us have already known of for the last several decades.

Is there really any point in all that detail considering that the key and real point of it all -- the fact of the ineptitude of the PNP -- is a pointed truth that Filipinos are already unable to deal with even as it stares us all in our faces?

Lyrics from 'Iskul Bukol' which starred Senator Tito Sotto

2011-08-25T18:11:00.002+10:00

Recall the lyrics of the hit television sitcom 'Iskul Bukol' that starred now Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto!

-------start of quoted lyrics

Iskwelang kwela 'to dito'y enjoyable
konting aral lang konting bulakbol
dito nang lahat, madaldal at bulol
dito na nga, Iskul Bukol

[chorus]
Ah hah hah, ah hoo yahh
iskul Bukol
ah hah hah, ah hoo yeah
iskul Bukol

Hanggang sa umuwi mula pa sa roll call
lahat ay magulo, but okey lang, it's cool
dito ay terrible, dito'y buhol-buhol
ito na nga, Iskul Bukol
[repeat chorus]

[coda]
Iskul, Iskul, Iskul Bukol (6x)
sa iskul naming ay sigurado ka
sa happening at sa katatawa
siguradong ang mga pabongga
ang di lang sure ang papasa
[repeat chorus]
[repeat coda]

Ito'y sayaw sa ating bayan
humahanga ang sandaigdigan
na sa galaw ng 'yong mga kamay
At sa imbay ng mga baywang
anong ganda ay anong inam
kapag ito ay mamasdan
anong ganda at anong inam

-------end of quoted lyrics

Courtesy:
http://lyrics.rebelpixel.com/2007/03/iskul-bukol/

Resignation letter of Apple CEO Steve Jobs

2011-08-25T08:48:00.001+10:00

Resignation letter of Apple CEO Steve Jobs:

"To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

"I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple''s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

"I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple''s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

"I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve"

Reported on Fortune online:
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/24/fallen-apple-steve-jobs-resigns/

Why an apology on behalf of the Filipino people for the Mendoza hostage massacre incident is needed

2011-08-25T00:34:00.001+10:00

According to Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the August 23, 2010 hostage incident perpetrated by retired police officer Rolando Mendoza that resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists was an "act of one man". As such it is this one man that should be blamed and not the Philippine Government. Perhaps so, but then entire mechanisms, capabilities, and systems that should have been in place to manage the situation and save lives fall squarely under government responsibility. The police and various state crisis management agencies collectively failed to work together seamlessly to prevent the carnage.

A formal apology by the President on behalf of the Filipino people is, perhaps, in order. The tragedy is a systemic failure that transcends any one person and, as such, there may never be a single person involved to which blame can be pinned. But then the fact remains that there are systemic issues inherent to Philippine society that were at play during the tragic incident and still remain unaddressed in its aftermath. And, for that, apologies are owed to the victims. President Aquino being the leader of the Filipino people needs to step up to the the task of representing his people in a time when reflection and instrospection among them are in such short supply.

Religion in the Philippines is hijacking our intellectual landscape

2011-08-24T21:17:00.003+10:00

So now we suddenly find ourselves in an interesting position; a Church we were raised to trust and revere that hijacked many concepts right under our noses: the concept of being "pro-life", the idea that they are an authority on what is "right", and the notion that they represent the best interests of the "less fortunate".

This is the essence of religion from the perspective of evolutionary memetics. Religion is like the Borg; assimilating ideas -- memes -- into a portfolio of notions of humanity that it asserts "moral" authority over.

In recent times, religion had also asserted authority over artistic and creative license. This encroachment over the intellectual landscape of a society that aspires to join the ranks of the enlightened is one of the key hindrance to the advancement of Philippine society.

Jose Rizal never had Tagalog in mind when he encouraged us to love our own language

2011-08-24T06:53:00.003+10:00

Posted by a certain Chloe Santiago on the Facebook GRP Community Group:

Jose Rizal died in 1896 and Tagalog was declared the official language of the Philippine only in 1937. This can only mean that Rizal wasn't really talking about Tagalog when he made this statement:

"He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish."

Indeed.

Who made the arbitrary directive to make the Tagalog dialect the "National Language" to begin with?

Furthermore, why have a "National Language" when Filipinos are already proficient in the global lingua franca of commerce and scientific achievement?

We fancy ourselves a nation undertaking all efforts to alleviate its citizens' poverty. Yet we have consistently failed to add to the poor's arsenal of employment tools an ability to match the English proficiency of the rich so that, at least in the communication aspect, they will be on equal footing with them. We can only do this by changing our approach to education and the underdog mentality of the poor that motivates them to ridicule English speakers as "pa-sosyal" (i.e. that "them and us" attitude).

It is this divide between the English-proficient elite and the Tagalog-speaking masses that contributes to the increasing polarisation of Philippine society.

Command of English provides instant access to a vast knowledgebase accumulated by the English-speaking world over the last 200 years. It is a knowledgebase to which knowledge is relentlessly being added at an ever increasing rate -- far faster than our Tagalog-articulated knowledgebase is being augmented by both original material and translated material. Considering the English-proficient Philippine elite's mastery over the language of this knowledgebase, it's the old concept of the rich-get-richer-while-the-poor-get-poorer gone ballistic!

Many "cause-oriented" groups trumpet the practicality of the Tagalog language as a key ingredient for progress and nationalism (see a more insight on this here). Yet they fail to provide any solutions to the dearth of knowledge material to lift Philippine society out of its intellectual bankruptcy. Are we going to continue denying the poor basic access to what the elites of Philippine society already monopolise -- a monopoly they use to further their dominance over the dynamism of our society that all Filipinos are entitled to?

Let's not waste valuable classroom time with a language that gets us nowhere. When was the last time you've seen a job ad that read "Tagalog-proficiency will be highly-regarded"? Tagalog is at best a quaint medium for expressing emotion -- something that Filipinos are already world-class at. The objective future, however, is written and expressed in English. Given the whole point of education being an investment in the future and the meager resources of the Philippine Education System, it would be in our best interests to put these resources where they will yield real results.

We need to ask ourselves the very simple question considering we are making a huge investment in our future:

Why Tagalog?

Correlation does not necessarily prove causation

2011-08-23T18:26:00.001+10:00

Just because an observed trend is in sync with another does not prove one causes the other or even that one influences the other. Many lobbyists and advocates build entire arguments around evidence of correlation. What they don't mention is that the concept of "correlation" is nothing more than a label for a mathematical relationship between two or more series of numbers. It has nothing to do with proving any causal relationship between the phenomena these numbers represent.

Germany may start banning Facebook 'Like' buttons on websites

2011-08-23T16:38:00.001+10:00

Facebook data collection and analytic systems may be found to run counter to European data protection laws. Part of an in-going study to assess the impact of Facebook on its users' privacy may result in laws that could result in the imposition of hefty fines on violators.

http://techland.time.com/2011/08/22/germany-ceases-to-like-facebook/