It’s ocho-ocho rally time again! Over at the big like-minded love-in known as Ellenville a call that is sure to challenge the higher thinking faculties of the masses has been issued:
Dahil mukhang pursigido talagang itulak ang kanilang maitim na balak, siguradong magiging matindi ang protesta sa susunod na mga linggo. Nababahala ang mga lider ng simbahan at negosyo na baka kapag tumindi ang protesta ay gagamitin ni Arroyo ang kanyang mga loyalistang pulis at militar ay magdeklara ng martial law at emergency rule.
Yun lahat ay depende sa atin kung papayagan natin.
Roughly translated from the above song-and-dance vernacular:
Because it seems that they are resolved to push their dark plans, it is certain that the protests will be intense in the following weeks. Church and business leaders are worried that if the protests intensify, [President Gloria] Arroyo may resort to using her loyalist police and military forces to declare martial law and emergency rule.
That all depends on us if we allow it.
Now doesn’t that just sound so quaint in English?
You gotta hand it to the “National Language” as it seems to have this unique ability of turning hollow-brained nonsense into the kind of poetry vacuous minds feed on.
Of course it depends on us allowing it, Ellen. That’s the whole reason why we got to this point — because we’ve allowed ourselves to be suckered by the kind of “poetry” that you yourself so skillfully dish out.
And check this out: Intense protests in the following weeks? This I gotta see. If there is any schmoe in our volcanic group of islands that can ill-afford to squander their days dancing the ocho-ocho on Manila’s streets these days, it’s none other than the Average Pinoy Schmoe. Excuse me if I engage in a bit of speculation here (I’m Pinoy after all, ain’t I?), but if these ocho-ocho organisers are relying on a mob that has nothing better to do over “the following weeks”, there’s the issue of who and what is going to fill their stomachs with something to keep their knees and elbows strong enough to march while waving fists in the air.
One word comes to mind:
Hakot.
Nothing like a bit of chow to fill a busload, right? :D
Right.
But then, as the esteemed Jesuit Fr. Joaquin Bernas was reported to have said: “what the House has done is to resolve to commit a crime”.
So let me get this straight on the basis of the above quip: Doesn’t this imply that nothing wrong has been done yet?
This guy and the Inquirer Editor must both still be living in the eighties as evident in this rather laughable piece of “insight” from the same blurb:
[...] And if our lawmakers have proclaimed their intention to commit a crime, it is our duty as citizens to stop our representatives in their tracks and to warn them that there’s such a thing as citizens’ arrest, which is what People Power essentially is.
Where may I ask is this “proclamation” of an intent to “commit a crime”? Oh I forgot, our self-described “activists” and “revolutionaries” are in the business of routinely taking some poetic license in interpretting events. Tough luck. It is ironic that a favourite Tagalog saying goes like this:
Maraming namamatay sa maling akala.
Lots of people die as a result of wrong assumptions being made.
You guys wanna see a list of “assumptions” that’ve collectively turned this nation into something worse than the mere Banana Republic it started out as? Check this out — our ha-ha Hall of Shame of Ocho-Ocho “Revolutions” that has come to characterise the vacuous pride in our imagined collective “ingenuity”. What the Inquirer Editor calls our “citizen’s arrest”.
Apparently we have not learned much from our penchant for following non-thinking “visionaries”, “heroes”, and “martyrs” into moronic Street Fiestas — not even after the inventor of such moronisms herself apologised for the last successful one she led.
Though we aspire to be winners (And who doesn’t, for that matter?), we seem to prefer the path paved for us by LOSERS with the mentality to boot.
Yes indeedy;
Yun lahat ay depende sa atin.
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Hmmm, you lacked something in your translation, benny:
It’s “Lots of people die as a result of wrong assumptions being made.”
Oo nga no!
Taka’t mapalitan…
As much as I agree with you on some things, benignO, I sure wish you didn’t have to condemn the entire nation. It is the misguiding leaders and the misguided screaming followers — who are only a vocal (very vocal) minority after all — who keep playing this ocho-ocho game. And, truth is, that’s their right.
The way forward requires sobriety, careful analysis, open debate and mutual respect. There’s still much possibility that things can improve.
Insulting everyone and assassinating the national culture isn’t going to help much…now is it? In a way, it’s just falling into the emotion-led trap that the “ocho-ochos” have already done.
Not everything Filipino is laughable, dumb or catastrophic…right?
LOL ! what a great blog to seduce the ellenville party here at FV. While one makes an unimportant decision to blog, one must prepare that it will not ignite prematurely.
It’s party time. Thanks to our host Benigno, the most vacuous. :)
You’re right.
Not all individual Pinoys are vacuous. But as a collective, guess what shines through?
And we complain that we are such a fragmented lot. If we truly aspire to be One People, then we should all feel individually accountable for the collective outcome. We should, as a people, stand by whatever collective outcomes we deliver.
Just because this person or that did or did not vote for this or that politician does not change the reality that we collectively — as One Nation, and as a distinct society — yielded AN outcome.
We cannot say our country is like this because our politicians are “evil”. That is the height of irony in a democratic society where leadership reflects the popular sentiment deny it as much as we want to. If we see evil politicians amongst us, then we need to reflect on ourselves to try to understand what is it about us as a people that makes for such a chronic circumstance.
Let me play devil’s advocate a little more, if that’s ok with you.
Well, it seems that many, many politicians worldwide — even in a democracy — tend to be self-serving, egotistic, ambitious hand-shakers with big smiles and nice promises. It’s often the nature of the beast.
These politicians need money to win a position. They get — legally (or otherwise) — campaign donations from people/groups who have an advocacy. If the politician wins, he can’t just ignore those contributors. After all, he will want to run again. Cozy relationships form. We can see this in Europe, Japan/Taiwan/Korea, the US, wherever.
Incumbents have “inside” advantages, but challengers have the seductive appeal of the ubiquitous “call for a change; a chnage for the better”. It’s all part of the game.
Most societies are fragmented and only unify when the nation is threatened by external factors (war, natural disasters, for ex). Many advocacies are extremely limited in scope and may well require sacrifices from another sector of the economy/nation.
These things are basically universal.
Therefore, I’m not so sure there is an inherent or unique problem with this culture when it comes to a democratic system. There are several examples of nations/cultures who were deemed unable to have a real democracy…but who have done relatively well nonetheless. Pinas can’t handle democracy? That’s probably a falsehood.
That’s not to say there aren’t obstacles. I think the problem is that, post-Marcos…and after the euphoric EDSA 1, democratic life has proven to be difficult. (All heart/no plans) Aquino’s reign was a mish mash of a mess, (Marcosian military man) FVR had brownouts and the Asian Crisis, (uncouth partier) Erap was caught red-handed and (by now everyone has a gripe against everyone) GMA has been accused of everything under the sun.
It seems that many are disappointed, disenchanted and discouraged with that picture. They have lost faith in the institutions and processes. This makes them susceptible to all sorts of machinations.
I feel what is needed is one big time out. Let emotions subside. Refuse to be whipped up by anyone trying to stir anger…regardless of which group they belong to. Demand more information…and demand substantiation of any position. Firmly reject anyone who accuses without solid proof. Follow the laws/processes and deal with the results. Do NOT tear down the institutions.
I see no reason why Filipinos cannot do this.
The first step, though, is to stop dancing the ocho-ocho on cue. On that, I’m sure we agree.
I totally agree! I belive this is the best counter argument to benigno so far. And the delivery is excellent so calm and objective. Its avery effective unlike the previous obe who resorted to personal attacks rather than just properly presenting thier counter assertion.
Its really simple. You dont like benignos assertion thne present your counter assertion and lets reader realize which one is better.
Thank you so much, reality check!
Just one thing thou about the ” its their right thing”. Of course this people has the right to do the ocho ocho fiesta. But Benigno also has the right to criticize it.
I still agree with you that their is no need to generalized or collectively label the whole culture as “defective”. To me its all a part of maturing process of the a growing democratic country such as our country. I can actually feel and I trust that people are growing up. The mere fact that sevaral attempts of another people power has not suceeded in the past is already a good sign for me.
when culture, norms, and mores are not conducive to democracy, you’ll have a demo-crazy country like the Philippines – http://filipinovoices.com/philippine-political-culture-circa-2009
just for sure, marami nang ayaw sa rally- what has the rallies given us so far?
work stoppage?
traffic?
all talk and nothing happens?
surely, there is another avenue by which the people can contradict con-ass.
maybe it’s about time to change strategies.
I am laughing at my self right now because I am just a few blocks away from the rally site in Makati.
Has any rally or any sort ever turned the tides on a particular issue?
Well, we can’t ignore the fact that Cha-Cha is a more than decade old issue (it started during Ramos’s term) and a great deal of public opinion has been fielded against it since then, including protest actions, which arguably deterred its push for the most of that decade.
Protest actions, however, usually turn the tide on issues only when the military decides to support them, in the vein of EDSA 1 and 2.
I think rallies ceases to be a rally when the Military steps in and supports it.
I think what I meant was whether or not any rally ever convinced people to support or not support any particular political action?
We see farmers groups picketing the Department of Agrarian Reform and Department of Agriculture. Heck! They actually live there — for weeks and months.
But, does this, in any way make the concerned agencies do what they are asking them to do?
Any argument for or against the idea that rallies affect government or public opinion can be debated to no end.
As for the June 10 Anti-Con Ass rally that I had to misfortune of attending, it was both moot and devoid of meaning.
It had great sounding bands though, I have to admit.
sus ayan nanaman po kami, my mga rally pa ba? wala ng epek yang mga rally rally na yan sa kapal ng pagmumukha ng mga yan at wala ng rally na makakapigil sa mga kapal muks na yan
The thing with rallies is that even though some people view them as the nuisance that they are, it is one of the tenets of democracy, which is, the freedom to assemble and the freedom of speech.
That being said, protest actions are addictive. They are energetic, ecstastic events in which the mere experience of having thousands of people shouting the same thing or banding together to speak against a common enemy induces euphoria. This phenomenon is no different from attending an Ateneo-La Salle UAAP Finals.
As with any instrument of the freedom of speech, it has its merits and pitfalls, the pitfalls being emphasized of late are, namely, practices such as “hakot” or things like the misrepresentation of the working class by activist-students (eagerly awaiting a fierce rebuttal for this).
Mass hypnosis is all you mean.
RealityCheck, I never asserted that self-serving politicians are unique to Pinoy society. As a matter of fact, that is the whole point of democracy — to provide a check and balance to mitigate the inherently self-serving predispositions of any one person or bloc of persons. This is something I highlight in this article, specifically:
There are indeed many societies that overcame challenges relevant to their own set of circumstances to become successful democracies as you point out. But this highlights precisely the point I’ve been making over the last decade. The challenges lie in our regard for democracy. You are entitled to your opinion that our “inability to handle democracy” is probably a “falsehood”, in the same way that many Pinoys say there is “hope” for a better future.
The challenge is to substantiate such hope or such claim that there is indeed some indication that we are getting a grip over this thing called “democracy”.
I don’t really think yours is a devil’s advocate piece in reference to what I write. I see it more as one that takes the whole thesis further. In fact, if I were to play devil’s advocate on myself, I’d point this out:
A marked reduction over the last 2-3 years in the predisposition to follow the usual self-described “activists” and “revolutionaries” into the streets can be considered to be evidence that Filipinos are finally maturing as a democratic society.
Which I will readily admit is true. We saw it in Cory’s failure to rally her mob on Commonwealth Avenue in 2006, the flaccid “Interfaith Rally” of 2007, Jun Lozada’s short-lived stariray rampage, and presumably the fizzling out I foresee in this new call to Rally that Ellenesque mobs are now drumming up will support this optimism.
Indeed, I am with you in the view that “no reason why Filipinos cannot do this”. Kaya nga I keep saying: the solutions are ovbvious. They are obvious but they demand very simple skills:
:D Clear thinking
:D Real reflection
You need these to see the issues from the right perspective and not through the tired old lenses of traditional “activism”.
It’s simple, really™ ;)
Simple?
My nose is bleeding!
;-)
Street demonstrations hurt the Philippine image abroad. It is important to project stability, methinks, so as not to scare potential investors away. People in the streets should be a last resort, not a tool of expression used daily. “Commonizing” street protests tends to undermine enthusiasm for when the greater effort is needed . . .
Joe
Agreed Joe. Protest actions have become heavily trivialized in the Philippine context.
Freedom of assembly is still a right whether you like it or not.
supremo,
I’m not stating the contrary anywhere, if you’ve noticed. ;)
“Street demonstrations hurt the Philippine image abroad. It is important to project stability, methinks, so as not to scare potential investors away.”
When a woman is in deep pain of labor, she cares nothing about poise.
Pretension is more damaging than perception. Pretension deceives both the party acting and the observer, while perception is subject to only to the observer’s point of view which could be biased or misinformed.
It’s not bad for potential investors to be “scared away” (or temporarily withheld plans of investing) by what they may have perceived of our country’s present condition than to deeply regret later on for investing here after they have learned of the real condition of the nation’s political stability.
Excellent points, NM. I shall amend my views forthwith.
Joe
Joe,
That assumes the Philippines has a good image to protect.
hey manong djb… liked your new attire and the beard—sexy.
this is the first time i agree with you, and by the way— i missed you manong lol.
Hey dawn, you don’t even know me and I’ve never met this djb guy everybody confuses me with.
But I appreciate that you appreciate the sexy beard. It belongs to my great grandfather.
ahahahahahahaha
Joe
I was right! BenignO can’t handle that ‘black-and-white to quibble’ thing. He just made another blog entry just to escape it. CRAP! CRAP CRAP!
Filipinos are free to do whatever they want to do to express their anger on the present administration either by rallying, blogging or the internet just as Benigno is free to to post an ocho-ocho blog.
BenignO, by writing this blog, is mocking the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly.
supremo,
In the same vein as your response above, it’s also his right to speak his opinion.
I am seeing now a change in the offing. The cronies of Arroyo are now coming out of the woodwork indicating they are going to convince Arroyo to run again. What I fear is starting to be realized, con-ass, now they are setting up Gloria to be “convinced” to run again, etc. The dominoes are starting to fall. Still want to employ the luxury of waiting so that we can critically think? The answer is obvious, she who has tasted power is now drunk with power and so addicted she can not let it go no matter how she garnered the lowest vote in trustworthiness in entire Asia and the Filipinos are paying for it.
rosa:
As long as there are bozos who vote for the likes of Arroyo and company .
rosa:
As long as there are bozos who vote for the likes of Arroyo and company {make your own conclusion}.
BongV
I am not hopeful that they will even have the chance to vote. Play the harp while Manila burns Bong.
BongV
I am not hopeful that they will even have the chance to vote. Play the harp while Manila burns Bong, Benigno and company.
Paano yan:
if they are not able to vote, fault of BIG BAD GOVERNMENT pa rin?
eh di dapat ngayon pa lang, they have to be proactive and verify if they can vote or not.
if they don’t value the exercise enough to be proactive, as long as they are willing to meet the consequence of being reactive, and no whining – it’s their choice to be able to vote or not.
THEY SNOOZE. THEY LOOSE. No more spoon feeding.
Be responsible or get out of the way.
Rosa:
Manila burns because of bozos who vote for imbeciles.
They reap,what they sow.
If the scenario that martial law is declared and people could not vote (election is cancelled) then a reasonable person would say that this is the government’s fault. Life under martial law regime is etched in the minds of a lot of Filipinos today. So I am hopeful that they will do their utmost to prevent or fight this if ever it will rear its ugly head. Also Bong, don’t blame the victim and do not call the Filipinos bozos either (lest you will get the title of crown of superbozo). It is simple really, as Benigno loves to quote.
well, talk about the bozos who elected the reps who went along with the martial law declaration.
well, talk about the bozos who elected the person who made the martial law declaration.
He’s trying to lay the blame and accountability for the Filipino COllective not the individual. But an interesting question do we consider ourselves a democracy or a Plutocracy. When we oppose these people are we placed under great duress? When we try to uphold our rights collectively and individually will the military suppress if it suits the ruling classes interests? Benigno thinks that by collectively organizing we can claim our rights. But if seek our methods legally or through revolution can we truly grab it?
The Philippines is a FEUDAL society – it is NOT DEMOCRATIC.
Gloria Arroyo and her Cahoots are already insensitive to any call
on issues. I see them grapling with this hard problem. Their
Strategies did not work. Their Tactics were exposed.
All we have to do is to continue the Standoff. Protect the Constitution. Identify and expose those Congress People who sold
us down the river. Watch what they do. Do not believe any Press
Releases from their Media Dogs. She will sow confusion thru: misinformations, disinformations, using Media Dogs on all Media
Outlets, especially the Blogosphere, Cyberspace, internet, etc…
She will use CyberHackers also to give problems to your computers
and other electronic media devices. This “unamo” can still give us
trouble. So, watch out.
Continue with the Presidential Election. To elect a new President.
We consider her already fired from her job.
Thanks to you benigno, now I know what your problems are, and your compatriot Philippinos. I’ve anticipiated this kind of reaction – whenever some groups want to assemble or simply take a collective stand on any issue, there will be spoilers like your kind, the self-praising elite, waiting to deliver the first blows coming from the other direction. I’ve accurately predicted in our group thesis that one thinking class that feels superior to the others and will waste no time in discrediting the “trend” however valid the concerns may be. This article, and your other blog entries, generally, are my proofs.
The best observation a group member has researched is that each person in any political group wants his own rules adopted before fully cooperating with the rest. He has proven his point, and named 3 blogs as sources. One that criticizes the other group (apart from his) that participitated in yesterday’s rally. Another dealt some politicians’ followers harsh words, and the third simply vents his anger towards the celebrity-activists as if they have no right to be heard.
If you will allow me, the mass movements here in Russia fall way down in the category compared with what you have achieved in your country. Your neighbors and the West, too. Politicians, celebrities and business leaders do not even show their faces in these mass actions for fear of reprisal from the corrupt government. We’ve looked up to Asians – South Koreans, Thais, and Philippinos in that order – as the ultimate dissidents for they have achieved so much in directly changing the balance of power when needed. Honestly, I do not bellieve the hype that millions gather in Manila to protest. I’ve not seen any photos that even come close to the numbers they produced during Obama’s or Hugo Chavez’ inauguration. But elsewhere, a ten thousand-strong phalanx of marchers is sufficient for political parties to fold up or parliaments to be dissolved. You have raised the bar too high for your own good. I’m aghast at comments that since the rallies failed to deliver a million bodies, its considered a failure. I think that’s what you also mean by “pffft”, right? Honestly, have you really generated a million protesters at any time?
Our class studies contemporary Asian governments and my group has been assigned to the Philippines. I’m lucky that you guys are all over the net, it makes the job a lot easier than the groups assigned to follow Burma, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
I appreciate having been able to share these with you. Keep on blogging, please. Our thesis submission comes in a month, haha.
You’re really really lucky — not only are we all over the net, we speak about these things mostly in English.
A lot of information is also available via the web from Philippine mainstream media given that the moneyed anti-administration also have newspapers, cable, “web”-presence.
http://www.inquirer.net/
also
http://www.malaya.com.ph/
This blogger / newspaper columnist (and many other credentials, including a bloodline) is worth reading for his understanding of the (waning belligerence and the) pulse of Filipino dissent:
http://www.quezon.ph/2009/06/11/the-dilemma-of-the-good-soldier/
I posted my reply in another thread, here is where it should be:
You just echoed what is central to my posts regarding Benigno. He denigrates any action that he does not agree with such as conducting rallies etc. I am firm believer of freedom of expression and just as he is free to post his blogs, the people are also free to protest whenever they feel that they are being duped by their elected congressmen etc. It does not mean that if people rally that they do not want to act and critically think. I think he underestimates the power and will of the people. The fact that he calls his countrymen who rally as bozos can be considered abusive or it could be that he thinks everyone who do not agree with him as bozo. Too much arrogance and lack of compassion is what I get from his blogs.
Thanks in your interest in all this Jillian Paul.
As a matter of fact, there have been million-strong protest actions in the Philippines — two of which have actually successfully resulted in regime changes. You can see a summary of the history behind these mega-protest movements in the Philippines here.
The most recent one in 2000 is quite well documented in my website here. I don’t know if you actually have time to fully follow the evolution of the thinking behind these “People Power revolutions”, but suffice to say, Filipinos have so over-used this “method” of change that the phenomenon has since generated from one that was a source of pride in its first guise in 1986 to the regional joke that it is today that Filipinos are only now starting to get clued into. Perhaps you can check out the article I wrote back in 2005, “R.I.P. People Power (1986-2005)” which attempts to capture the essence of the forces (and character traits) at work in the degeneration of the whole concept of street protests in the Philippine setting;
Excerpt:
I find it interesting though that you imply that “changing the balance of power” is an achievement in and by itself basing on what you say:
I hope you are not saying this from the perspective of the overall scorecard of development of an entire nation. The ability to wage dissent alone cannot be used as a single measure of how “free” a society is.
For that matter, 10,000 Filipinos may successfully shout down a sitting president for all I care. But will this necessarily result in deep change within the society? I’ve said this many times before, political solutions simply will not cut it in the Philippines. Our inability to prosper as a people, as a society, and as a nation has its roots deep in the very fabric of our character — our culture — as a people.
Balance of power for me is simply getting your equitable air-time/soapbox share, your two cents worth, usually in an election, to deliver your messages to your leaders. But in countries whose processes have been subject to manipulations, and tainted further by self-serving interests of politicians, the final decision happens when people do gather in masses and sacrifice a few hours of busy lives to equalize the power formula. The politics of activism. Prosperity comes in later. I’ve read some blogs complaining of traffic and noise. But who said democracy was easy and comfortable?
I hope you and your friends visit our site and discover the wealth of information therein. You can compare how you fare with the organized movements of the East and the West and more importantly, what follows afterwards.
Pardon this outsider, but I think this is where you failed yourselves. Mere booting out corrupt leaders don’t necessarily lead to progress, if at all, salvaging what’s left and building from it is where the action really starts.
Jillian,
Dobroe den, moy drug.
It’s great to hear your thoughts and opinions. I’ve lived through massive protests in Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines and your study sounds interesting. (Ironically, I studied the Russian revolution as a history major in university! Microscope is facing the other way now, eh?)
Some comments/questions:
1. You mentioned that, according to some research, “…each person in any political group wants his own rules adopted before fully cooperating with the rest”.
This could descibe BenignO…but it is equally descriptive of the core group of rallyists, who repeatedly get together in Makati. It’s the same people, the same “self-praising elite” that “feels superior to the others and will waste no time in discrediting the ‘trend’ however valid the concerns may be.” Have you ever listened to Leah Navarro??? They reject and nastily denounce the majority that won’t join them.
2. You also wrote — “Mere booting out corrupt leaders don’t necessarily lead to progress, if at all, salvaging what’s left and building from it is where the action really starts.”
Bingo! Ding! Correct. That’s been the problem since Erap’s ouster. The real need, in my opinion, is to obey the laws and processes that are in place and to protect and strengthen the institutions. Ripping them down bring no benefits and cause much damage.
3. “…to equalize the power formula”. What does this mean, specifically in the Philippines context? What inequality do you see? Who is on which side of the equation? In any democracy, is there ever an equilibrium that is reached?
Jillian Paul, in the above you summarised the essence of what plagues Philippine society. :)
Thanks Jillian Paul for helping BenignO figure it out. We have been trying to tell him all along but he simply ignores any explanation coming from fellow Filipinos.
Supremo:
Jillian Paul is totally in-sync with getrealists.
BongV,
Jillian Paul is more open to reality than BenignO. BenignO can’t accept reality.
Oh, he sees the naked reality in all its rawness.
A scene that makes a people who desperately want to be seen as “democratic” and yet behave like feudal serfs.
BongV,
BenignO’s new post ‘One Sucker’ only has 1 comment as of this time. I hope it stays that way. That would be funny.
You just echoed what is central to my posts regarding Benigno. He denigrates any action that he does not agree with such as conducting rallies etc. I am firm believer of freedom of expression and just as he is free to post his blogs, the people are also free to protest whenever they feel that they are being duped by their elected congressmen etc. It does not mean that if people rally that they do not want to act and critically think. I think he underestimates the power and will of the people. The fact that he calls his countrymen who rally as bozos can be considered abusive or it could be that he thinks everyone who do not agree with him as bozo. Too much arrogance and lack of compassion is what I get from his blogs.
Equilibrium is reached when a dominant party is forced by external events (rallies, e.g.)to coalesce with its rivals. There is no more majority and opposition, just one unified voting bloc. Here, the weak who had been left out begin to be heard by the strong. Political equilibrium may be achieved, you have laws that ensure that anywhere in the world. But in society in general, equilibrium is, to me, simply Utopian. You know, the rich vs. the poor stuff. Did somebody say “look who’s talking”?
We find it peculiar that in the Philippines, the recent merger of the two major parties in the Parliament are both parties of the same president. Many of you bloggers criticize both these parties and your surveys show your distrust and often, contempt of these politicians. In other countries, that would have created an exodus of the members of parliament from their parties or at least a censure and/or replacement of their leaders.
But alas, in the Philippines, the unpopular unites with the unpopular, in order to preserve the status quo when change is of extreme urgency.
By the way, don’t you find it strange that the unpopular ARE THE majority? How did that happen? Are all these politicians products of election cheating?
Hey guys, it is not my intention to lecture you. I only wanted to give back something in return for helping us in our thesis, even if indirectly. I also want to share the outsiders’ point of view minus the usual bias and racist undertones (I hope). Rest assured these views are not just something we picked up in Google. We have studied volumes and discussed them endlessly with our peers.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the twilight zone.
Positions were willing to buy votes.
People are willing to sell votes.
And no one wants to be held accountable.
And thank you, too for the kind words and compliments. Mabhuay kayo!
“Mabuhay Kayo”
Spaciba, tavarisch. Vi gavarite Tagalog? Ochen horosho!
Again, some comments:
1. “We find it peculiar that in the Philippines, the recent merger of the two major parties in the Parliament are both parties of the same president.”
Actually, Kampi was formed by the GMA. Lakas is Ramos’ party. They have been close since 1998 or so…obviously even more so since 2001 and 2004.
2. “Many of you bloggers criticize both these parties and your surveys show your distrust and often, contempt of these politicians.”
The bloggers don’t reflect or represent the voting population. The surveys show distrust of a few players (specific leaders) and/or of entire institutions (all of the Sanate, all of the House, etc.). These polling companies themselves are not deemed highly reliable.
3. “By the way, don’t you find it strange that the unpopular ARE THE majority? How did that happen? Are all these politicians products of election cheating?”
Again, the majority of the individual politicians are not unpopular. Many Congressmen have won — as Lakas or Kampi or an allied party — in 2001 and/or 2004 and/or 2007 AFTER GMA’s replacement of Erap, AFTER declaring that they would push for such thngs as VAT and ChaCha and AFTER the Garci tapes/impeachment attempts.
And no, they did not all win via massive cheating (if they did, their party mates would have won in the Senate, too). And remember that the SC courts findings demonstrate that all the pre-election and exit polls and all the various poll-watchers in 2007 were accurate — GMA won by roughly 1M votes.
4. “But alas, in the Philippines, the unpopular unites with the unpopular, in order to preserve the status quo when change is of extreme urgency”
Maybe you are reading TOO MANY blogs? Firstly, as written above, the “unpopular” are few…despite the emotional rantings in many “popular” blogs.
Secondly, it is the administration which faced very nasty vocal attacks for its status-changing VAT and ChaCha programs. It was the opposition in 2004 which stopped the poll automation and it is now them again in 2010. It is the opposition which has denied any constitutional amendments since 1992.
5. “We have studied volumes and discussed them endlessly with our peers.”
Keep on studying!
I believe that katrina is but another illustration — be they Pinoys or whatever nationality — the disposition of people to select the factoids, anecdotes and other tidbits that prove one’s mindset to be correct.
UP n grad,
Yes, yes, yes. A highly common affliction.
Joe
that
katrinaJillian-comment on June 11, 2009 at 11:53 pm is but another illustration…Strange that “Jillian” doesn’t seem to be able to communicate in Russian.