[...] But what you can do is build systems that take into account human nature (such as greed).

Compare that approach with most hollowheaded approaches where people try to demand the eradication of greed. As if that was actually possible.

Systems should be designed for resiliency rather than built under some presumed code of morality that participants in said system will follow.

Then again, design requires thinking. We are a labour-added-value society and not a design-added-value one. Even our brand of “democracy” is labour-intensive — lots of warm bodies called to “action” in various incarnations of ocho-ocho “revolutions”. So we need to be really focused in our efforts to build a cultural ethic of design (throw in also an eye for aesthetics as well, because we suck at that too).

Whatever needs to be designed should take into account Pinoy Culture.

we only have them one at a time -the prewar nacionalistas, the martial law kbl, the Cory coalition and the FVR-JDV-GMA Lakas-Kampi. nationwide in scope, up and down the line, they bring out the vote and get its candidates elected and reelected. and reward supporters and seduce enemies when they can.

so what you’re saying is that we’re a one party system? pretty much like the Chinese and the Singaporeans. interesting. interesting.

A nation consists of people bound by common culture, tradition, history, religion, aspirations, etc.

I said this before, and I’ll say it again: Performance (of the people) in general is based on personality which is determined by mindset and attitudes, which are to a large extent forged by centuries of history and values-formation. This is what we call culture.

There is nothing deterministic in this interpretation i.e. the present day Philippine crisis is inevitable result of our history. The Philippine experience is the result of myriad accidental and contingent events. The oft-repeated saying “three centuries in the convent and fifty years in Hollywood” in a way produced a confused, not “damaged culture.”

The fact is the Filipino ruling class failed to chart the country’s course for most of Philippine history.

we already have the design and the operating system, what we don’t have are the right operators to make the system work. They don’t know how to operate a system.