Even more interesting. One’s gotta ask: Where is the outrage? Last time I’ve seen what looked like (or what was spun as) collective Pinoy public anger was early this year at the height of the various moronic street protests that erupted as a result of Jun Lozada’s little tale. Not only did we get the impression that the Average Pinoy Schmoe was hopping mad, up in arms, and ready once again to “face the tanks”, we also got the impression that our politicians were “getting involved” in the circus for the greater good of the Republic.
Today, we have 800 dead in a sea disaster involving a Taipan-run enterprise that happens to own four other ships that put the Philippines on the peacetime disaster map over the last 20 years. The 1987 sinking of the Sulpicio-owned MV Doña Paz is the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history. It’s ironic that Pinoys continuously and pathetically scrounge around for little snippets of trivia to put our “race” at the top of various lists of stuff when this bit of trivia has been sitting right under our noses (or swept under the radar of our collective awareness) for the last 20 years.
Galing Pinoy nga naman talaga.
And while we see lots of heart-wrenching footage of the wailing families of victims, what we DON’T see is a commensurate collective anger that befits the magnitude of the tragedy among those who are not directly affected by all this.
In various acts to denounce “great crimes against Filipinos” (ouch!) Ateneans and Makati businessmen are quick to march the streets of Manila, gangs of nuns surround tanks and drama cretins, and bishops and priests summarily excommunicate or presume to recommend damnation to certain “disagreeable” individuals. When these “great crimes” are perceived, the usual ringleaders fire up their PR machineries and incite “unity walks”, organise “genuine oppositions”, televise “masses of reconciliation”, and set up million-peso-a-month “senate inquiries”. When these “great crimes” are committed, cybserspace is ablaze with fiery blogs entries and comments, online petitions are set up, and photshopped parodies and effigies of politicians fill our PC and celphone inboxes.
Indeed, we are even willing to go to the extent of extra-legal and/or extra-constitutional means to exact”justice” whenever a Jun Lozada comes out of the woodwork to make millions for ABS-CBN. Horrors!
Well, folks, the spectre of 800 dead in a preventable disaster is staring us in the face TODAY. We see outrage amongst those who are directly affected. But among those who would otherwise — at the drop of a hat — dance the ocho-ocho in the streets of Manila over a business transaction they hardly understand and are hardly affected by, we see ZILCH.
Between a “business transaction” that takes a 5,000-word essay to describe why the Average Pinoy Schmoe is affected, and a 20-year SERIES of sea tragedies that forever took away the sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers of tens of thousands of Average Pinoy Schmoes, it is a bit telling of our society that the earlier OVERWHELMINGLY trumps the latter in an exercise of inciting and SUSTAINING collective public outrage.
Next time yet another moronic street fiesta is incited and organised by the usual ringleaders in Edsa or Ayala around yet another cretin like Jun Lozada, let us pause to think about the day 800 people died and these same ringleaders remained silent.
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I think your perception of reality is being colored by a mental script that your following. People haven’t exactly been silent as you portray.
Anyway, it’s good you mentioned that Sulpicio is a Taipan-run business. Who was it who said that “True change will be driven by people who find no shame in expecting a buck for their trouble.” With this tragic incident involving a Taipan-run business, I hope you have finally seen the limits of this Ayn Rand-inspired philosophy.
Tsk tsk, cvj. Nice to see your thinking remains consistent to its usual form.
Expecting a buck for one’s trouble doesn’t necessarily mean gross irresponsibility or ill-intent.
And yes, of course, as you say: “People haven’t exactly been silent as you portray”. But that’s only because you said so.
Now you tell us.
No, cvj. Just you.
Well, it’s unfortunate that Sulpicio Lines apparently does not violate any edict of the local left, nor does it fit on any of their usual slogans (it doesn’t easily fit “tuta ng kano”, “pasista”, “patalsikin”, etc) so there’s no one to organize any kind of mass action so there’s nothing. Not even the usually hyperactive and protest-happy UP students are budging.
It goes to show just how shallow they adhere to their alleged idealogies.
Hmmm, hard to see how you can weasel away from what you said in your Filipinos: Time to become the Big Bad Wolf! blog entry…
The Taipan owners of Sulpicio have just been following your “Big Bad Wolf” logic all along.
cvj, I’m not trying to weasel my way out of anything. It is you who is trying to weasel your way INTO something (which you seem incapable of articulating beyond quoting passages from my brilliant articles).
I stand by that quote of mine you made above which is in fact one my favourites.
Jon, spot on! At the end of the day, they are just a bunch of people who’ve delegated their thinking to ideology.
If you stand by your original quote, then it means that you haven’t learned the lesson that the pursuit of ‘making a buck’ without a sense of altruism (a value which you have dismissed) leads to tragedies like the Sulpicio ferry disaster.
Just a little additional detail for your little detailed mind, cvj, that favourite quote of mine was originally stated here. ;)
And as to what you say here: “it means that you haven’t learned the lesson that the pursuit of ‘making a buck’ without a sense of altruism”, well, let me ask you this: where exactly did I say that a focus on pursuing the buck necessarily makes one non-altruistic?
Next time, think before you quote, dude. :D
benign0, no need to scour your previous article, the title itself is screaming non-altruistic greed.
Just admit it, in the face of this tragedy, you turned softie and grew a conscience. :)
Nope. I remain internally-consistent as always.
That’s the trouble with the Pinoy mind. Focus on profitability is necessarily an evil intent. There seems to be an inability to reconcile business acumen with ethics.
It could be because of the effect of Pinoy cinema on the collective mindset where:
cvj, for example, seems to have a beef against what he considers to be “elitists”. He thinks they are all hell-bent on making money and victimising the masses in the process. It’s the kind of rhetoric that launched revolutions but, unfortunately, consistently FAILS to imbue the right thinking in those who remain chronically poor. In a 2003 article, I assert that:
.
Note my emphasis of the last sentence. This pretty much encapsulates the kind of thinking such as cvj’s that INFESTS our society. If there is one single aspect of our belief system that hinders our march to progress, that would be it.
Actually guys, I’ve long realized benign0 had some sort of conscience underneath him. He’s just too much of an asshole to admit it.
There’s a big difference between being a ruthless big bad wolf for the interest of one’s self as is the case with unscrupulous, ruthless businessmen such as the Gos of Sulpicio lines, and the big bad wolf for the interest of their nation which is exhibited by Americans, Germans, Japanese, the British, or any major player in the world order.
We, as a people, are not ruthless in anything.
Tomorrow we will “forgive” Sulpicio lines despite what happened because that is the “Christian” way to go. We always forget that Jesus himself was outraged at the desecration of his father’s temple and overturned the merchant’s tables in a fit of rage.
When will we overturn Sulpicio lines’ tables? I think it’s time.
Benign0, i haven’t watched that many Filipino movies so what i know about Filipino elitists comes from direct encounters like this:
…and this…
Anyway, if you were to make a movie about the Sulpicio Taipans, how can you possibly “highlight or acknowledge the virtues and work ethic that most rich people possess to enable them to accumulate wealth”?
Jon, unfortunately Benign0′s devotion to Ayn Rand’s altruism-denying philosophy clashes with his conscience. I am all for profitability, but to pursue it without a sense of altruism is what creates the likes of the Go’s of Sulpicio lines. It’s a simple, common sense lesson but one that escapes him because of his worldview.
Then lets take action against sulpicio lines!
#1. Start an online petition!
#2. Lets gather at starbucks and all wear black!
#3. Blog it to death! Baka ma-guilty ang sulpicio at magbago sila.
#4. Lobby your congressman! Kasi congressmen are supposed to help to little people right?
#5. Pray, pray, and pray! Maybe God will finally send that super leader everything has been waiting for…
cvj, yet again you quote but make no assertion about what you quote other than to point out that I said them. So what is your point?
As I said before, grow a couple and make an opinion. At least Jon has one about me (and he expresses it with exceptional clarity).
Do you think what I said is true or false? Fair or unfair? Nonsense or sensible?
Instead you simply regurgitate what you said previously:
So in response I shall also do you the honour and regurgitate yet another response to your above regurgitation:
Where exactly did I say that a focus on pursuing the buck necessarily makes one non-altruistic?
Benign0, click through the link i provided above (at 10:49 am) to see my opinion about your statements (in the context of the Elitist Mindset). As to your question…
…read your own quote above, the one that starts with ‘Great nations are not built by good intentions…’. If you still don’t get it, read it again.
cvj, I’ve seen that blog entry of yours before and it seems this one passage is the essence of your entire article:
Which highlights the point I make: that it is always easy to blame failure on — or attribute success to — circumstances beyond our control. And by their very nature as being considered beyond our control we then proceed to justify the pathetically unchanging nature of our immediate circumstances.
I’ve got two words to describe that kind of thinking:
Loser Mentality
Which brings us once again to the antitheses of cvj-ism: the Pinoy Chinese — people who started out as Third Class citizens who eventually went on to buy out their employers’ balut, taho, and shoe making businesses. All things being equal, the challenges faced by 1st-generation Chinese migrants to the Philippines are comparable if not more formidable than the challenges faced by today’s underclass of Pinoys.
And yet they prospered.
As to your inability to grasp how one compartmentalises altruism and business sense, I shall, as you requested re-visit the quote you point out (with pleasure, considering it is a favourite of mine):
You can also check it out here at your leisure.
Having done that, let’s re-approach the question from a different angle by posing the following challenge:
Name one Pinoy “hero” who delivered REAL MEASUREABLE RESULTS to the average Pinoy schmoe.
Up to the challenge? ;)
Sulpicio Lines, being a private profit-making entity can only be made accountable to the public through government intervention. If we assume that they have the Coast Guard in their pockets, then therein lies the problem.
We need to assume that profit-making institutions, such as corporations, are amoral when it comes to conducting business. That is why there are safeguards put in place to ‘reign them in’ so to speak.
Our public institutions – namely our government – has been failing us in numerous ways. Therefore it is not a surprise that a maritime disaster occur from time to time.
We are caught in a dilemma. This administration has been trumpeting the line of a ‘Strong Republic’ – meaning the strengthening the law-enforcing capacity of the state. On the other hand, we do not trust that our public officials – given more strength – will act on the general public’s behalf.
This is where we – the people (i.e the public) – must in turn make sure that the government (i.e. the collective embodiment of our will, our wants, our hopes and desires) do what we finance it to do.
But not all things are equal. Those who prosper in this country must cozy up to government and engage in corrupt practices. Their achievements are not built on merit. Because their business practices thrive even without excellence or technological progress – the ‘pwede na’ mentality will earn as much Pesos as excellent service.
My God. I am getting old. Next thing you know, I will do a 180 degree turn and do an Alex Magno. *shiver*
Benign0, i can’t believe you’re brought up your tribute to the Tsinoy entrepreneur in the immediate aftermath of disaster where a Tsinoy-owned business is involved, but it’s just as well. You must have a very big windpipe to avoid choking on the irony.
Thanks Sparks (at 1:21 pm). I believe Ha Joon Chang calls such kind of behavior of those on top, ‘Kicking Away the Ladder’.
sparks
And this is precisely why you, and a lot of others cannot be rich.
Because you believe, unquestioningly, that the rich must be doing something really bad and that’s the only reason why they’re rich.
Jon,
With age and reflection, I hope I have become more circumspect about what I write. Let me ground my assertions on reality then.
Let us take the example of one of our most ‘successful’ companies – San Miguel. Could it have become the the blue chip corporation and multinational that is if Cojuangco had not cozied up to Marcos and bankrolled his dictatorship?
Ok, let us assume that Asian-style Capitalism is prone to ‘corruption’ i.e. collusion between Government and private business interests. Even then, what is San Miguel? Can it be compared to the likes of the early South Korean multinationals? Heck, even the Chinese ones of today?
What does San Miguel produce? Does it have high value-added? Who consumes what it produces? Can we be truly proud of San Miguel if we believe that corporations in themselves are achievements of a society?
Maybe we need to operationalise what you mean by “rich.” Does being “rich” mean having X amount of money in the bank? Or does it mean having 200 people in your employ and being responsible for your own wealth-creating machine?
I personally have no respect for this country’s “rich.” In my opinion, they have failed generations and generations of Filipinos.
cvj, you can’t believe it because you don’t understand it.
Just because I do so doesn’t necessarily diminish the tragedy, dude. In the same way, this tragedy does not necessarily diminish the absolute reality of what the Tsinoy entrepeneur has achieved both for himself and for the country.
It is only in minds such as yours that such flawed connections are formed as exhibited in that snippet I quoted above.
Benign0, the ‘Tsinoy entrepreneur’ may have achieved a lot for themselves but some of them couldn’t even bring their passengers and cargo safely to their destination.
Sparks, you call that ‘circumspect’? ;-) Anyway, i agree.
“Name one Pinoy “hero” who delivered REAL MEASUREABLE RESULTS to the average Pinoy schmoe.
Up to the challenge?”
cvj,thats a tough challenge from benignO.
“Thanks Sparks (at 1:21 pm). I believe Ha Joon Chang calls such kind of behavior of those on top, ‘Kicking Away the Ladder’.”
Your parallelism of Sparks’ point wiht Ha Joon Chang’s article is out of sync. Chang’s theory in that article depicts the thrust of developed/industrialized countries to open up markets of developing countries/LDC through neoliberalism under the auspices of WTO/regional trade agreemetns for the advantage of their own producers and eventually stifling the developing countries/LDC’s chance of catching up with them. Eliminating the ladder which they used to become a developed/industrialized country.
But let us not divert the issue that we are certainly outraged of Sulpicio Lines and government’s insensitivity, delayed and inadequate reaction in providing help to the victims of typhoon Frank.
Mabini, there are too many to mention. Using Benign0′s definition of ‘hero’, there are literally millions who are responsible for keeping the Philippine economy afloat. Some may of course assert that a Tsinoy entrepreneur (even the Sulpicio types) is equivalent to many OFW’s.
The parallelism has to do with the similar approach in which those on top (whether it be the local Oligarchs or the Richer countries) kick away the ladder from those who are economically below them (whether they be Benign0′s ‘average schmoe’ or the poorer countries). This is not to say that there is no direct relationship with Ha Joon Chang’s thesis, specifically in terms of the role of the Neo-liberal State (and the Global order that supports it) in sustaining inequality within countries.
sparks,
We can spend the whole day picking out one company after the other, and at the end of the day all of them would have done one atrocity or another. We could start doing the same with each and every taipan, and in the end they will all have serious flaws. However, you could do the same for each and everyone of us and you’d find precisely the same thing. The only difference is that they know how to generate wealth. The rest of us don’t.
Settling on that contention doesn’t solve the problem. So, we just, let them be their rich selves?
Tell me, what will it take for you to shed that feeling towards the rich? If they give more to charity? If they feed every poor schmoe in sight? What?
cvj nga naman talaga, you’re so predictable to invoke that tired old OFW-as-heroes card.
With you as an exception, I’d think that no OFW in their right mind would presume themselves to be “heroes”. They’re out to make a buck — and going to lots of trouble for it.
And here’s another gem of yours:
So what if they “kick away” that ladder? What separates the men from the boys is the ability to build a NEW ladder when the present one is “kicked away”.
It is ironic that you cite that ladder (which is within the power of these ‘elitists’ that you hate to “kick away”) as the only means for the poor to climb their way out of their wretchedness.
I’d rather give a bit more credit to them by thinking that it is within their own capability to build their own ladders. That is, of course, if they REALLY want prosperity that badly.
That last sentence is the big IF, of course; considering that our society is infested by the kind of thinking you continue to propagate.
Benign0, i did take care to qualify above (at 3:50 pm) that i used your definition of ‘hero’, i.e. ‘someone who produces real, measurable results to the average schmoe’. The OFW (who are ‘average schmoes’ themselves) are the ones who have consistently produced these ‘real and measurable results’.
Despite your ‘so what’ attitude, it’s good that you at least acknowledge that the Philippine rich do kick away the ladder. Tell me, how can you hope to establish an environment of trust in our Society (as you advocated in a previous blog entry), when people know that the ones who are above them (in economic terms) will sooner or later kick away the ladder?
Which brings us once again to the antitheses of cvj-ism: the Pinoy Chinese — people who started out as Third Class citizens who eventually went on to buy out their employers’ balut, taho, and shoe making businesses. All things being equal, the challenges faced by 1st-generation Chinese migrants to the Philippines are comparable if not more formidable than the challenges faced by today’s underclass of Pinoys.
And yet they prospered.
-benign0
i have a question for you. did all these 1st-generation Chinese migrants prospered? idon’t believe in what you said about the rich people being more disciplined at self-reliant, better-educated and better-bred. do you actually know someone from the working class or a peasant and know how less disciplined and less self-reliant, how less-educated they are? it is entirely false to say that workers, for example, are less disciplined. how you ever visited plants of multinational corporations? worker have to be in their places on the dot, not a second wasted. visits to the rest room is scheduled, etc. and taipans are not self-reliant; they rely on their workers in order for their operations to continue.
So what do we do cross the barricades and haul molotov bombs over Malacanang? Hold mass protests and daily rallies in and around Metro Manila or nationwide? Hold vigil rallies and register our outrage? Burn effigies of gov’t. officilas and the big guns of Sulficio lines? Complaint, complaint and more complaint?
Will that bring back to life those who perished in the disaster?
The last time I checked we have a government agency that deals with transportation tragedies such as the latest sea disaster. Media is very active in covering all the angles and all the personalities involved in the case. People are sad and sympathetic to the victims and continues to monitor and be concerned as to the status of the case.
Do we really have to show our “outrage” the way we do in political controversies? I don’t think so. Instead of becoming emotionally filled and physically agitated it would be better for people to stay calm, connected and objective. Emotions run high in this kind of situation and it is not wise to be noisy and rowdy. I’d rather see a nation mourn and at the same time see to it that justice is done, people held to account for the tragedy and participate in ensuring a clear-cut process be put in place to help prevent the occurrence of similar tragedy in the future.
Finger-pointing will not do justice to those who perished.
Charity is the buying and selling of guilt. If a society is functioning justly, there should be no charity.
Once our rich (both in the public and private sectors) find a way to create wealth that will have a ripple effect, then I will have been impressed. When I go to Asian grocery stores abroad and see Filipino exports along with the rows upon rows of goods from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia (not to mention China) that are already there, then I will be impressed.
I’m just saying that our elites (political and economic), our supposed ‘betters,’ talk the talk but have failed to deliver. I am tempted again to speak the language of Latin American dependistas who accuse their elites of being ‘comprador bourgeoisie’, or ‘lumpen bourgeoisie’ (the first word meaning ‘useless.’)
In transitions to full capitalism – the bourgeoisie is a force for change. I wonder if the same can be said here.
cvj, it wasn’t a definition. It was a conditional statement.
Here it is again:
Name one Pinoy “hero” who delivered REAL MEASUREABLE RESULTS to the average Pinoy schmoe.
What part of it looks like a definition of “hero” to you?
Benign0, i see. I misunderstood your question then.
I don’t know their names but you have the unidentified poor farmers from an upland community whom Jun Lozada (in his NBN-ZTE testimony) narrated, instead of harvesting all the guava produce, left some for the birds to feed on them.
http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=2099
Then you have the example of the Sumilao Marchers who fought for the right to farm their own land against corporate interests. The land made available for farming is a tangible, measurable result.
We also have to add the people (many of whom are members of the Press) who exposed the NBN-ZTE anomaly. This saved us 329 Million US Dollars, which is a tangible, measurable result. While we’re at it, you can add the La Salle Brothers and nuns who have been protecting Jun Lozada.
Let’s also not forget Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan who were abducted while doing field work for local farmer groups in Bulacan.
Incidentally, the example of the guava farmers above is one answer to your earlier question in Manolo’s blog:
It is possible, even desirable, to mix altruism with business sense.
“Name one Pinoy “hero” who delivered REAL MEASUREABLE RESULTS to the average Pinoy schmoe.”
Your conditional imperative is a false conditional. I thought Rizal dunit! i.e., if you read statements of politicos measuring their results or equating their words with the heroism of Rizal. They certainly are less than the average Pinoy schmoe (politicos that is)…
sparks,
I wonder if Jollibee’s “export” of Jollibee and Chowking (rebranded as Yong He King in China) is enough to partially satisfy your craving to see local companies step up to world-class challenges.
I guess in your terms “broad” is Australia. Indeed, I wonder why there isn’t any Filipino products in those groceries, considering the number of Filipinos there? Could we fault the Filipino’s tendency to adapt (or, probably more precisely, “acclimate”) easily to any culture in such a way that he doesn’t create demand for products from his own country despite their numbers?
I wonder.
Jon, i think Sparks is thinking of exports that would appeal not only to Filipino migrants but to other nationals as well. IMHO, Jollibee, Chowking & Oishi are good starts but we need to step up to the likes of LG, Samsung, Nintendo. By this standard, even the vaunted Tsinoy entrepreneurs are laggards.
Jon,
Filipino corporations who venture abroad are still courting Filipinos overseas.
The Asian goods aisles in Oz were patronised not only by Asians but by non-Asians. I find it disturbing that our neighbours export to Oz, arguably one of the richest consumers in the neighbourhood, and we have nothing. If we look at our grocery stores here, Australian products have been around for a while. And because of AFTA, there are also products from Southeast Asia. It would be interesting to know if we have any of our products in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore etc.
jonas, maybe the last time you checked, you didn’t check hard enough. yes, you’ll see a lot of action today done by the government agencies concerned. sa lahat naman ng trahedya ganyan sila. they come out in full force, with all these task forces, investigations, etc. but check again later, when all the media hype dies down, and see if significant things were done not just to rescue (i hope there are more survivors) and recover but to prosecute those who are responsible for the tragedy. and while your waiting why don’t you check what happened even before the tragedy. have you seen the news about the GMDSS thing that DOTC bought suppoesedly to enable the Coastguard to guard Philippine seas. if i remember it right, this cost billions, again, but was never functional. so much for your government agencies.
and BTW, i didn’t anything of becoming anarchists.
Spot on observation sparks. My own observation on the culinary wasteland that is Pinoy cuisine is articulated in my book, where I wrote:
It takes a bit of imagination to develop a world-class brand. Whilst Singapore and Malaysia are now world renowned for not just their cuisine but a whole bunch of other things, the “Philippines” stands for no more than street ocho-ocho fiestas and a tired old relic of postwar transportation “ingenuity”.
“Name one Pinoy “hero” who delivered REAL MEASUREABLE RESULTS to the average Pinoy schmoe.” benigno
hahaha!!! you make me laugh so hard.
that would be me.I am a hero :) I have sent at least a few of my relatives to college. Most of them were average pinoys. Now, they are employed and helping their other families. I don’t need to explain the REAL measurable results. The results is like a pyramid. You help 3, the 3 helps another 3 and so on. Many of the OFW’s and the employed pinoys in the Philippines are considered heroes. Why is it always me who will make benigno understand. :)
“Great nations were not built on good intentions. They were built on business sense. Real change in Pinoy society will never be achieved through the “sacrifice” of altruistic “heroes”. True change will be driven by people who find no shame in expecting a buck for their trouble. – Benign0″
Wrong. Great Nations were built on good intentions. They were built on business concept.
Business trouble here and there cannot go on forever. It’s unsustainable. There’s a life cycle for every business just like an economic cycle. One must do the right thing during the cycle. Unethical practices will always pay its tolls in the future. It will somehow gets on the way of growth.
A great example of great nations not built on good intentions : the US financial crisis. :)