A system that is closed to external input may remain dynamic and even chaotic internally but possess surfaces that are inert and featureless to the outside observer. A cadaver is kind of like that — gray and lifeless on the outside, but teeming with enough decomposition and degradation processes on the inside to keep avid students of decay entertained for decades.
Consider now the Philippines. Filipinos revel in the multitude of issues gripping our inward-looking “public awareness” and our most lettered “experts” wax verbose pomposity in the “analyses” of these rivetting topics. Indeed, the Philippine national “debate” is a curious case study that describes this paradox:
An immense void where insight should have been situated in the midst of a mind-retarding abundance of information.
I recall a previous article where I wrote how “we may be top-notch assimilators overseas but amongst ourselves and within the islands, something about the way we gel turns us into an uncoordinated mass of passive-aggressive buffoons”. Although I started out by citing how closed systems tend to have inert, unchanging exteriors (and therefore are of little relevance to their environment), I have to admit that the Philippines is not a closed system. It has a porous surface, one that soaks up immense amounts of new information and ideas everyday. Our secular society, our “free press”, our beholdenness to foreign entertainment, and our armies of overseas foreign workers guarantee this continuous inflow of intellectual capital.
And yet we fail to properly apply all this.
I wrote way back in 2003:
Take a moment to wonder: What happens to all the collective experience, skills, insights, and philosophies accumulated by our countrymen from the work they did overseas?
You’d think with all that knowledge, some of it is bound to be properly applied to the Philippine setting. This glaring lack of a nation’s capability to tap the vast knowledgebase residing in the minds of its returning overseas workers further re-enforces the issue of our country not being an environment that rewards innovation and doing things properly.
For indeed, it is a no-brainer…
We are a highly-politicised culture. One fourth of Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs From Third World to First World — The Singapore Story, was devoted to describing the innovation and thinking that went into the development of its winning administrative infrastructure and development policies. Filipino historians will be hard-pressed to come up with even one page that falls outside of the political arena for a similar book.
These sad facts about the Filipino make it all the more amusing that esteemed political and business “pundit” Manuel Buencamino fails to see the irony in what he says here:
But, at least, I have a right to rant and rave. I live and work here [in the Philippines]. I invested my life here. I have vested interests, just like anyone who lives here, rich or poor. I am not a loud-mouth miron who can walk away whenever I feel like.
Focus on your adopted country [referring to a Filipino-born commentor residing overseas]. We can manage without you.
Reminds me a bit of a little lesson Filipinos failed to learn back in 1991 when we gave America’s Armed Forces the boot, an act seemingly motivated by a national psychosis, one centred around a a bizarre aversion to being given a bit of hand-holding by a foreign power with a vast track record of world-class achievement…
[...] lawmakers asserted that the deal [to extend the lease term for the U.S. bases] would perpetuate the country’s image as an American lackey [...]
Indeed, image is everything in a society driven by hiya. And yet in that all-too-familiar tapewormic way that we think, we’d take such quaint offense over a perceived “snub” by Hillary Clinton back in early 2009 when she decided to bypass the Philippines in her first visit to the region as U.S. Secretary of State. I wrote back then how…
[...] this “snub” (boo hoo) is a sign of the Philippines’s omni-obvious slide down the slope of reverse-progress to utter irrelevance that even the most desperate flailing of our talangka claws had so far failed to arrest.
Worse than being irrelevant as a people is being a limpdick of a people. In my other seminal piece “We cannot keep what we cannot defend“, I quote an esteemed colleague who makes this insightful assertion:
[...] in the final analysis, we cannot keep what we cannot defend. laws, rights, fairness, justice, ethics, are mere words and ideas. they have to be enforced. there’s no authority without the backing of obligatory force. that’s why we need a strong, effective law enforcement and defense forces. we need international alliances with countries whose beliefs and practices are compatible with ours.
You just gotta take all that in in the context of our sorry inability to enforce even the simplest of traffic ordinances. Kinda puts into proper perspective our ha-ha obssession with an effort to change that other charter of recommended codes of soveriegn conduct we rather cluelessly call our “Constitution”.
So yes indeed;
We can manage without you, Mr. Big Bad foreigner.
Leave us to run our country like hell.
And apparently for the esteemed Buencamino, that sentiment extends to members of the Filipino overseas community as well who have something to say about their country of birth:
I pity the know-it-all immigrant who is ignored in his adopted country and, at the same time, has no business getting involved in the affairs of the country he left behind. He is neither here nor there.
He is seen as an alien despite having lived there for decades. He tries to blend in but he sticks out like a sore thumb.
The above addressed to another commentor but presumably where he might be coming from in issuing this query as well…
Benigno,
Do the Aussies ignore you?
… to which I shall respond in my usual brilliantly simple form:
Between the Philippines and Australia, where do you think the average citizen will get fair and/or just service from a government agency, sir?
In the Philippines, you will most likely need to personally know a general to get the cops — or any emergency service for that matter — to respond to your calls (and not steal you blind in the process).
In Australia, you dial the emergency number and you get a team of properly equipped competent professionals rushing to your aid with sirens screaming as if you were the most important person in the world at that moment.
I wonder what part of “being ignored” causes a bit of confusion in the “expert” mind? :D
It’s actually kind of amusing that people like the venerable Mr. Buencamino are in the habit of fantasizing how Filipinos living abroad are some sort of second class citizens. Because it seems with every such assertion made, what really comes across are frustrations about how small Filipinos actually are in their own country — no more than small participants in a teeming mass that utterly fails to collectively emit more than a faint, dull glow in an otherwise brightly-lit global stage.
Then again maybe it’s really on some folks dressed in orange that we can pin some hope of acquiring the attention we believe we deserve.
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Benigno,
“Do the Aussie’s ignore you?” I was referring to your pedantry not to Australian social services being available to you.
My point is simple. Comment on the place you live in not on your neighbor’s way of living. Know your place. We’ll call you when we need you. Meantime, focus on fixing up the place you call home.
Ok let me think….
Nah. I think I’ll stick around and continue commenting on my “neighbour’s way of living”.
Tough luck! :D
The definition of “ignore you” for Pinoys in Pinas may be based less on professional conduct but on the niceties of servitude. Pinoys in Pinas always point to how well they are served by the security guards who will stop traffic in order to facilitate movement of a car that is backing out of its parking space, or by the same security guards nodding their heads while saying “boss” or “ma’am” to customers.
“Ignore you” is measured more by dominance and less by parity and a metric called quality-of-service.
you need security guards to stop traffic because * driver’s don’t know road courtesy – when and when not to yield!!! – driver, the person backing out, and the security guard.
* the security guard and the lone driver may be patting each other in the back, more often than not, their failure to yield to traffic that has the right of way is idiotic.
i would like to comment on a society driven by hiya:
if we really lose face that easily,how come our leaders do not commit harakiri or even resign when caught doing something not ‘honourable”.
as for the rest of the society; is that observation accurate?
our hiya is misplaced or wala sa lugar.
sa ibang bagay ang kapal ng mga mukha natin.
exactly….
hiya.. delicadeza… is another word for hypocrisy…
hiya kunyari, panay naman ang dekwat
hiya kunyari, tanggap naman ng lagay
drink Sprite, magpakatotoo :lol:
no, i think karl is saying its not really hiya
I rather think ’tis rather the idea that counts, and the principles underlying same, not where a person lives or what (or where) the idea is about. We all sorely lack vision, commitment, ideas about how to practically change things . . . all we have is our words. Mostly they are hot air struggling to find a reality they can influence. It’s up to the listener to discern whether or not to listen.
I fear you are wrong on this one, Manuel.
Joe
Joe,
Remember de Tocqueville’s book on America? Remember James Fallows book on the Philippines’ damaged culture? Those works were analytical not presciptive. It’s a thin line an outsider must be very careful not to cross. That’s essentially my beef against Benigno and Bencard.
Notice the nuanced manner Obama has been enunciating his policy towards the current turmoil Iran. He speaks about the need to respect and uphold universal values and he points out that it is up to the Iranians to resolve their own internal political problems but to do it within the boundaries of universal human rights, otherwise outsiders may be forced to intervene.
That is the exception to this general theory of non-interference. There are certain values that transcend borders because these values pertain to the rights of all human beings.
Interference is a delicate issue and that’s why we have to be cautious about exercising the right to step in when there are domestic issues at stake. We have no right to tell our neighbor how to live but we have a right to step in if we see he’s beating up his wife and kids. We certainly have no business berating the battered wife when she complains and it’s completely out of bounds for us to defend the wife beater.
MCB:
B0 and BenCard aren’t “outsiders”. Moreover, there is a truism in analysis – identify the problem and you identify the prescription.
They are not BHO talking to “Iranians” – they are… “Iranians” talking to other “Iranians”
There is clear line between a marital quarrel and abuse. In my hood, all you need is a phone call to report a wife beater – and he goes to jail – that’s the law.
I understand the perspective, and appreciate the explanation. I look at words as words, and the source as context. I find that my outsider views are often reflected in the views that outsider Filipinos provide, because I have lived under the very different Western principles that shades their opinions. Yet my views here, by local Filipinos, are often condemned as being “rude” or “insulting” or even “racist”. So I am learning the art of delicacy with words, but have a long way to go.
I enjoy the path, whatever the end . . . And I really enjoy the Philippines. It has an honesty about its dishonesty, a poignancy about its poverty. My dollar goes a ways. And it is one helluva beautiful country.
Joe
To JoeAmerica:
I can imagine some of the Pinoy reactions to your comments about vignettes of life-in-Pinas.
Like “..shut up already!! You’re not saying anything new. We already see what you are criticizing.
And if we can’t make things happen to make things better, then you can’t either… so shut up already!!!”
Pointing out to things wrong is bad enough. “Shut up already!! We already know about that problem, we’re just quiet because we don’t know what to do!!”
It gets worse when you suggest things to do. “Oh, yeah…. you think it’s easy? Just you go make our neighbors or our government officials to behave like that!!! Shut up already, you white guy!!”
or…
“shuddup Joe America we are comfortable with our alibis for failure – don’t give us new alibis for success – we don’t want success, that’s hard work. just give us money, but we don’t want to work hard for it – we want to be like our leaders, they get paid without working, and they even get stuff to take home, if you can’t deal with that go away” :lol:
UP n, BongV, Benign0,
Yes, those perspectives apply, for sure, but the operative one is “we are powerless, so stop pretending you know better than us; you are powerless, too (you idiot).”
Joe
that’s the thing Joe.
“they” have been made to believe they are “powerless”.
and I disagree – which makes “them” think how can he say he is not “powerless”, is he saying he is “powerful”? but he isn’t, how can he be saying that?
if he sticks to the politics of patronage – the worldview of a “subject” – he is right, he is powerless, his worldview makes him powerless.
but, “theirs” is not the only worldview in town, there’s another view – a seemingly strange foreign view – that a free individual, has the power to change the world in his own way, along with other free individuals who work as a team.
as the diaspora sees more of life outside the box, the possibility of new attitudes and ways of doing things is a foregone conclusion. the question is raised “these countries are using the same cement, the same method of building roads, the same principles of engineering design, the same scientific principles” – why the eff are roads in the Philippines so lousy?;
this sort of question, piques those who are still in the box – “how dare you question our roads, are you telling me that because my road is lousy, i am lousy, too?” – eliciting an emotional response to a question on policy. shooting the messenger will not make the roads any less lousy. but that’s how it is – that’s the sort interaction you will see.
it is a clash of worldviews for sure. though you will notice a world view that’s conducive to success, and there’s a view that’s conducive to more of the same stagnation.
tough luck – can’t have the cake and eat it, too.
we reap, what we sow.
I think Pinoys in Pinas define “…powerlessness..” in a different way.
Powerlessness seems to be defined as inability to make a big change in a short amount of time.
Moving a dinosaur is like long-distance rifle-shooting. A 5-click quarter-minute-of-angle change will be zilch-negligible over a 20-yard distance. You still have to make the 5-click quarter-MOA calibration if you want to hit a target dead-on at 300-yards.
UP n,
You a sniper? Love the “zilch-negative” term, and the whole description. I remember in Army basic training, we had shooting drills with the old M-14s. My calibration for the 300 yard target was something like, “Christ that baby’s a long way away; better shoot over his head to give the bullet some room to fall.” I nailed that sucker. Of course, while I was gloating, I neglected to see the target 25 yards in front, a little to the side. So, in the field, I woulda been dead.
There are the powerless, and the dis-empowered.
I’m also confident you can move the dinosaur best if you shoot him in the ass.
Joe
In other words, the trouble with being informed of better options is that it disrupts your comfy contract with mediocrity. :D
or oftentimes, the ability to present better options is seen as a repudiation by entrenched “experts” who look at the message and feel insulted. the psychodrama goes something like this:
* how can his solution be better? is he saying he is better than me? is he saying i am dumb because i can’t come up with a better option? who the hell is he to tell me how to do my job?
Clarence Henderson wrote in 1999:
Foreigners either take Clarence’ advise, or they just set up shop in Singapore, Hong Kong, Wietnam… and yes, the PI has one of the lowest FDI in the ASEAN :lol:
BongV,
This is a very helpful bit of information. I now understand more clearly why I get the reactions I do when I am speaking honestly but bluntly. What I don’t understand is how Filipinos can have this personal view of things, and hiya, but have no problem “getting personal” with me. If you look at the dialogues between Bencard and me, which is rather like the Old Philippines meeting the Arrogant Opinionated Westerner, you see his sensitivity (he doesn’t like me referring to the Philippines as the “Islands”), but he has no qualms about calling me a pompous idiot. Is there a double standard? I am open for shots, but I cannot shoot back?
Joe
the basic problem with you, joe, is that you tend to be unusually too partisan. you just don’t make constructive and neutral criticisms, you take sides and you could be more vociferous than the natives in assailing our officials, e.g., the president of our country. you get a little personal with the way we run things (often expressed in condescending manner); you deride our cultural idiosyncrasies, using choice epithets on views or people you dislike.
you don’t understand, joe. it’s not that i don’t like you calling our country “the islands” as the colonials used to refer to it in the old days. i just reminded you of my people’s sensitivity to any hint of condescension, e.g., the “nation of servants” label, the filipino medical graduates put-down, etc., coming from a foreigner, let alone a guest in my country. i don’t remember calling you a pompous idiot except maybe in a heated exchange where emotion usually gets the better of both sides. i guess you will not be “shot at” if you stay away from a shooting war that you have no business participating in.
Well, Ben,
The problem isn’t with “me”, it is with “us”. Case inn point, your rant. I sincerely want to understand the cultural gap, but you insist on ranting about my style. I DO understand the island reference, because you were kind enough to inform me of its connotation to YOU. I use it here as an example of where I don’t intend to be offensive, but am.
I am not an outsider. I live here, in the Philippines.
You, on the other hand, are a raving idiot, living on the outside.
I await the day you can discuss any issue with me and not go off in some hypersensitive rant.
Piss off.
Said in the heat of emotion.
Joe
now, now, you really are being obnoxious and offensive, joe, reminiscent of the “ugly american” . what have i said above to provoke you to say i’m a “raving idiot”, in the heat of passion? this is exactly the manner you participate in this blog. you come in a tad too strong for an alien resident. harry stonehill in the 50′s lived in the philippines, said to have despised and corrupted philippine officials, got involved in tobacco scandals, and got deported because he was an “outsider”. ambassador kirstie kenney presently lives in the philippines but she would not be caught dead “meddling” in philippine affairs, at least publicly. residence alone does not afford one a blanket right to act like a native.
Ben,
Let me get this to the issue. It was raised in the article that BongV presented regarding the conflict of Western and Eastern cultures. I’ll narrow it, as it pertains to you and me. It is a conflict between American and Filipino ways.
As an American interacting with Filipinos, I understand that I have a “personality” that is the sum of the way I was raised: Confident, opinionated, arrogant, insensitive. I have two choices: (1) recognize that this personality does not help discussion when I am engaging with Filipinos, and try to change my part of the dialogue, or (2) recognize it but don’t care, and let the chips fly where they may. I choose (1). But like learning a language, I don’t always get it right, and the dialogue does not always go well.
As a Filipino interacting with Americans, you also have a cultural personality. As close as I can peg it – not intending to be offensive – it is: Confident, opinionated, sensitive, arrogant. You have the same choices, if indeed you are aware that you have a cultural personality that affects how you relate to others: (1) try to engage a different culture constructively, or (2) let the chips fly. Well, I suppose there is a third choice, the one you appear to have embarked upon, and that is: (3) try to change the cultural style of the “opponent” by belittling him.
My observation is that you are either unaware, don’t care, or seek to single-handedly rid the American culture from my being and shape me into a Filipino as you would mold a wax figurine. That is futile.
On FV, all this is no big deal. You don’t have a job hanging on your part in the dialogue. The US and Philippines are not going to war over what you say. The only responsibility you have is to yourself – what personal principles you seek to aspire to -and to FV – whether or not you want to elevate the overall tone of dialogue.
You write (to others, not to me):
“it’s also not a myth that you went to the toilet the loast (sic) 3 days to lay something not fragrant, is it?”
“you can shove your “delicadeza” to you know where.”
“this is not the issue here, as you are still too dull to comprehend. read the post again and stick to it, punk.”
Those are really very unkind comments.
The important notion here that, once you are enlightened about your culturally driven way of speaking, and know it is not constructive in dealing with other cultures, something odd happens. You no longer express Filipino culture. You simply represent you. If you are offensive to me, I can at first excuse you on cultural grounds. Once you understand that you have choices, and you choose to be offensive, then I can only conclude you are a very rude man.
The choice, truly, is yours, as to who you want to be. To me, you are no longer a Filipino, no longer represent Filipino culture. You are simply Ben.
And I am not an American to you. I am just Joe.
Ambassador Kenney is doing her job, which is to represent America.
Joe
i don’t think there is such a “conflict”, joe, as long as people remember the old adage “when in rome, do as the romans do”. i don’t impose my “culture” on anyone and i don’t use it as a crutch to justify arrogance towards other people outside that culture. but i expect anyone who voluntarily chooses to stay in my “home” to respect our culture as he finds it, and not attempt officiously to change it to his liking.
as to the “unkind comments” that you referred to, they are actually snippets from various exchanges i had and must be taken in the context of the discussions that were taking place. they were not any more or less “unkind” than the comments being responded to, albeit more down-to-earth, e.g. the going to the toilet as being not a myth might have brought at least a smile to your face and at the same time brought home the point that something irrelevant is till so regardless of the fact that it’s not a “myth”.
I’m just curious, Mr. Buencamino, if someone like Benign0 or the other target of your rancor were to have a change of heart and make a posting that, for example, heaped praise and support upon the stop-charter-change-&-down-with-GMA movement, would you find their comments so distasteful and out-of-line?
If we listen to only those who agree with us, we find ourselves in a very lonely world.
Ben K,
They’d still be meddling wouldn’t they?
big deal – trapos meddle… US meddles.. CPP/NPA meddles.. everyone meddles…. ang lagay e, sila lang ba ang pwedeng mag-meddle :lol:
c’mon guys :lol:
why don’t you sue us, buencamino? you are so worked-up by our “meddling”, what can you do? who you gonna call for help, the milf/npa?
Ben K
That is the culture of confrontation prevalent here in FV. Most of the time, they are so impassioned with their views that debates often result into ad hominem attacks instead of dealing with the issue being disputed.
the sad thing is, b0 and Bencard, or even Joe, are only trying to help by adding POVs into the conversation. I’m thankful that they still stay and argue in spite of the oft too personal attacks. otherwise, this might have turned into another ellenville a long time ago.
liam, you seem to be a reasonable man. question:
do you think arguments of the form “Filipinos are (insert derogative term here)” a 1) racist argument, and 2) a good and useful form of argument?
do you think arguments of the form “Filipinos are (insert appreciative term here)” a 1) racist argument, and 2) a good and useful form of argument?
a blanket compliment?
its racist (its based on race)
is it good? yes (after all its a compliment– by definition)
is it useful? i don’t think so. it would be more useful to say specific things about filipinos you’ve actually met — e.g. the filipino cab driver was so kind coz he returned my wallet after i left it in his cab…
There is only one race – the human race. Homo sapiens sapiens.
Filipino is not a race. It is a citizen of the Philippines.
technically, thats species
same same.. one species.. one race…
UPnGrad wrote:
or “power” is the ability to make a big change in a short amount of time”.
Pinoys are so focused on demanding that a president “make a big change in a short amount of time” without individual Filipinos themselves making “a big change in short amount of time on the criteria by which they select a President, and wind up fitting a square peg in a hole.” :lol:
as above so below, we reap, what we sow.
who invented the “first one hundred days” thing?
i have no idea where the 1st one hundred days came from.
consider this though, money becomes a substitute for due diligence due to a very short election campaign cycle.
the process becomes a “cramming” session – and you know how exam results come out after a “cram” night – you either barely pass or you fail. the scheming ones have kodigos, phosellite-B, even shabu.
it has all the ingredients for another ocho-ocho, fiesta, carnaval, circus, luau, anarcy and mayhem – you gotta love the islands :lol:
We are, what we are: OFWs, immigrants from diffent countries of the
world, residents of the Philippines, etc…We immigrated to other
countries, because better opportunities were not offered in our country.
We remit foreign currencies: Ausie Dollars, U.S. Dollars, Dinars, etc…
Our remittances help in the economy of the Philippines. We demand, we have a say in the politics of our country. No matter
how long we stayed in foreign countries. The characteristics of
being Filipinos are still there. They are like the stripes of your house cat. They cannot be changed.
Some of us hold Dual Citizenship. We vote in Philippine elections. When we retire. We wish to come home to die in our nativeland.
exactly!
well I hope you come home not only to die. You might enjoy living out your retirement here.
MCB:
looking forward to it – don’t wanna return when overdosing on bayagra brings diminishing returns :lol:
I would like to retire in the Phil. someday but there are other competing places like Scottsdale with all the golf courses, Hawaii with all the nice views, or Spain with all the culture and with whole of Europe at its doorstep. Until things turn around, these places remain in contention. Question is how many people are thinking the same who would like to retire in the Phil. but are afraid of the Filipno’s lack or respect for rule of law and fear for their safety? Until then we will be armchair commentators on what is happening in Phil. and we have all the right since we are the so called heroes who send our hard-earned currencies which props up the Philippine peso so I agree with Benigno, we will continue to post our comments whether it offends other people or not.
Rosa,
Insecurity indeed comes with the territory here. Two guys (foreigners, but not Americans) just disappeared from here a couple of weeks ago. And I am not in a remote area. I can’t enjoy solo treks up mountains, as I did in the US. I like to be surrounded by dogs to ward off the small-time thievery that is relentless and an accepted occupation for some. My beach place in Mindanao was visited by NPR, reducing it’s value to zilch-negative (term courtesy of UP n grad). When I stay there, we have to staff with guards.
I suspect it is not quite as nerve-wracking for Filipinos. But a little stability on the government front would certainly calm things.
Still, it is absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous here. The dollar buys a lot. My guards for a month cost me about the price of dinner out in Hawaii. And my fundamental principle is that, with old age, it is better to plunge INTO life than out of it. I’m gonna croak soon enough anyhow, so might as well enjoy a little living . . . with all the good and the bad . . .
Joe
Joe:
Where exactly in Mindanao is your beach? north? south? east? west?
BongV,
North side, Gingoog City area.
Joe
Gingoog. That is still a nice piece of real estate Joe. Right along the coastal road, midway from from Butuan to Cagayan.
my gut tells me it wasn’t necessarily the NPA, but criminal elements presenting themselves as “NPA” – though that’s just my speculation.
but, if those really were the NPA, try visiting the local arch diocese :)
1.25 Hectares, long and narrow between Highway and Bay; 1/3 beach front and house, 2/3 natural jungle and tidal lakes where fish spawn, water monitor lizards reside, and assorted creatures rattle about; white lady and friends reside in certain trees, the roots of which are spooky enough. I stopped going into the jungle and trashed my plans for paths thereuponin (stupid typewriter). Ghosts rattle about if there is any angst in the house, so I could not invite RealityCheck or Bencard over for pancit. House built in 2005; smallish but very nice.
I think no one bothered to ask who the visitors really were . . . and I certainly am disinclined to inquire.
Joe
that looks like an awesome piece of real estate joe – would be a nice spot to throw a line, have a fire going, and grill the catch
YOu are right there Joe, the view in the”islands” is unparalleled as well as everything is dirt-cheap. A friend of mine actually told me that if I just buy a very modest house, I could be left alone. See, as you have posted a little while ago, it would be nice to see all the historical places in the Phil. from north to south. Also, like Indonesia, the geology of the place is also very interesting, I am thinking of organizing field trips to Phil. one day with view of looking at the geological features (in fact I have a few buddies here now that want to visit and look at all the natural vistas in Palawan, Mayon, Davao). I am just wishing for a peace and more security so that I can sleep at night while I am in the Philippines.
rosa:
i have been to gingoog many times. visited it whenever i had to do IT maintenance work in the Nasipit floating power barge. the scenery and panorama is breath taking despite the usual inconveniences. a few more hours and the next stop will be Camiguin (though as a Davaoeño, I have my bias for Samal and Pearl Farm).
i like taking road trips, too and would definitely like to see more of the pinas – there are so many more places I would love to see.
my bucket list includes a road trip all over the islands – and possibly an EAGA road trip (ala Paris-Dakar) that visits the entire sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; the provinces of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua and Papua in Indonesia; the states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the federal territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and the island of Mindanao and the province of Palawan in the Philippines. and possibly, a connection to Ozzie’s Northern Territories via the cattle boats that shuttle between Darwin and General Santos City. The EAGA subregion has exceptional natural resources, encompassing two of the world’s largest rainforests (in Borneo and Papua), and biodiverse marine systems in the South China Sea, Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea.
hopefully, the Philippines will not be very environmentally degraded by the time i get to checking off my bucket list in the coming years :lol:
Gee BongV and oe, I am starting to get homesick. Those are nice places you describe Bong. Hope to see at least some of these places one day. I am sensing that there could be a market for eco-tourists and geo-tourists and yes I hope that things improve in the Phil. as the locals are starting to realize the importance of preservation and conservation of the environment. In Benguet, the local NGOs are very alert on any business venture that will affect the environment.
Rosa,
I believe in my heart the distance between today’s insecurity and a vibrant Philippines is a President away. There is no denying the beauty of this region. Once the “insecurity” barriers come down, it will be a matter of how to control the trampling hordes who want to dance on corals.
Actually, from what little I know, it appears the Tourism bureau is on the right track. Focusing efforts on certain parts of the Philippines (haha, islands), eco-tourism, and seeking to get to “first class” there first.
Joe
And so what about the “100 days thing”, gramps?
That’s just one of many moronic constructs made up by political “experts” that don’t really mean anything in the real scheme of things.
Any politician worth their salt has a publicity machinery that works around these dimwitted “milestones” that people are led to believe mean something. You can backward engineer entire frameworks of spin from these “milestone” concepts that “experts” throw around in their “analyses”.
Having said all that I now ask you:
What does the “100 days thing” mean to you Mr. Buencamino?
Enlighten us un-”credentialled” schmoes, plez. :D
The one hundred days thing was addressed to BongV not you. The question was meant to show that the desire to see big change in short moment is universal and natural
.Apparently you didn;t get it or maybe you did and took it as an opportunity to flash your brilliance once again.
Professor Benigno, you need not lecture on something that is common knowledge.
And what is this thing about “credentialled”? You want credentials? Send me a check I will go to Quiapo and buy for you all the diplomas and degrees you may want to hang on the walls of your cave.
Yeah, but I felt like responding to it.
Tough luck. :D
So you want me to buy credentials for you?
buying fake “credentials”? that would be trafficking on falsified document (a form of estafa). you sure you wanna do that, buencamino? ask your lawyer first.
the “100 days” honeymoon was “invented” by the american media where an incoming president is given a sort of moratorium from criticism to give him time to settle in. i believe the idea was copied (what isn’t?) by the philippine press, more in concept than in practice. in the philippines, the media is ready to pounce on the president from day one, with few exception, especially when some salivating patronage would-be recipient gets bypassed, or some political payback is demanded and not delivered.