Is the Philippines worth defending?

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Craig Nelson introduces his book Rocketmen, with the story of a 1969 Senate briefing (shortly after Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon) where Fermilab physicist Robert Wilson is asked how a $250 million atom smasher he proposes be built will contribute to the security of the United States. Wilson responded by saying that it will contribute nothing, but that the American people’s capacity to undertake endeavours like those is what makes the United States of America worth defending.

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Robredo's response to Duterte calling her "incompetent" proves she is unfit to be President

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You can see the sort of President "vice president" Leni Robredo would likely be if ever she found herself warming the seat of the highest office in the Philippine government. Finally speaking out on the matter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte calling her unfit to be president, this is all Robredo had to say...

Ayoko na sana i dignify pero siguro sabihin ko nalang na imbes na insultuhin ako o ang Diyos, asikasuhin nalang muna ang mga problema ng ating ekonomiya
Translated to the language of champions:  "I prefer not to dignify this but I guess I will, instead, say that rather than insult me or God, [Duterte should] first focus on the problems of our economy..."

Firstly, being called "incompetent" is not an insult. It is a statement of an assessment of one's ability to fulfill a role. Second, a truly strong leader will not take being called "incompetent" sitting down. Indeed, Filipino macho culture looks up to people who put up a fight…
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The objective is to unite FILIPINOS, not just the Opposition

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To win an election, you need to get the most number of votes. This means not just mobilising your following, but converting the undecided. The trouble with Leni Robredo being "leader" of the Philippine Opposition is that her followers are beholden to a cult of personality and not any sort of coherent set of ideas or ideology Robredo represents.

Personality loyalties are hard to break in the Philippines. This reality is in plain sight in the way even the most criminal of oligarchs continue to win elections term in and term out. As such, while Robredo has endeared herself to a small clique of diehard Yellowtards, she has come across as a joke to the broader swathe of Filipinos looking for real change and real reform.

The leader the Opposition needs is someone who could rally Filipinos around a compelling vision and not just rally a small choir around an obsolete ideological relic. Leni Robredo is not that person. No matter how much the Yellowtards try to come across as no lon…
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Pacquiao victory vs Matthysse reveals confused Yellowtard ideology! #PacquiaoMatthysse

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Poor Yellowtards. They are in a conundrum following the victory of boxing champion and Philippine Senator Manny Pacquiao over Argentina's Lucas Matthysse in today's championship bout for the WBA welterweight title.

Yellowtards are torn between doing the Filipino thing congratulating Pacquiao and their aversion to his person because of his poltical loyalties and conservative views on human sexuality. The latter is particularly interesting when one considers how many Yellowtards are "prayerful" devout Catholics who, according to the dogma of their chosen religion, are also obliged to toe the Catholic line and refrain from any show of tolerancy for homosexuality.

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Leni Robredo is not competent enough to be President of the Philippines!

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Imagine for one moment a president like Leni Robredo. Just that simple thought experiment will result in you nodding in agreement with what Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had stated...

I will not resign because it will make her president. My resignation is for the people, para makapili sila ng gusto nila. I don't think she will be ready to govern a country. Reason? Incompetence. She is not capable of running a country like the PH.
During the campaign leading to the 2016 elections, Robredo's supporters chanted "Leni is my VP". Evidently they didn't make that vital logical link to the fact that the vice president is just a heartbeat away from the presidency. The VP is not just a VP. He or she is a potential president.

Under a Robredo presidency, the halls of Malacanang would echo with the words "Ang sa akin lang naman". This is a phrase Robredo prefixes just about every statement she makes with. It loosely translates to "in my humble opinion&q…
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