If we look at the roster of names that competed for the presidency since 1992, competence has been a recurring concern among Filipino voters.
It was definitely a voter preference in the 1992 presidential polls because of the crippling eight-hour brownouts, among other frailties, that plagued the fragile Philippine economy. Competence was the main card of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. when he was pitted against Joseph Estrada in 1998. In 2004, President Arroyo had her U.S. education topping her credentials in her contest with main rival Fernando Poe Jr.
The preference for competence in the coming May elections is understandable because the Philippines does have an economy that badly needs fixing. After all, the presidency is no ordinary top managerial position.
However, we must ask ourselves this question on election day: does competence come first before integrity in public office? Let’s review the 1992, 1998 and 2004 presidential elections. Given Filipinos’ short memories and poor sense of history, a blast to the past is timely.
In 1992, former defense secretary Fidel Ramos, who went up against his closest rival, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, enjoyed the personal endorsement of his immediate predecessor, democracy icon Corazon Aquino.
Cory’s blessing was a stamp of approval, not just on Ramos’s competence, but also on his character. For a devout Catholic to endorse a Protestant, it was quite a political statement. Remember, the Roman Catholic Church helped bring down Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Back then, the country was still getting back on its feet after suffering 12 years of Marcos dictatorship. After six years under Cory, Filipinos needed someone who knew how to move the economy forward.
In 1998, the Catholic Church did its best to prevent an Estrada presidency by harping on his boozing, womanizing and gambling. For the church, character was the presidential election issue.
But Estrada won by a landslide anyway, thanks to his self-styled image as a champion of the poor. His victory meant that beyond our everyday consciousness, there are millions of Filipinos who are struggling to survive one day at a time. At some point, they need someone’s attention.
De Venecia lost primarily because of his trapo image. Unable to tell the difference between fiction and reality, the masa trusted Estrada because of his movie star popularity. Integrity was the issue for them, someone they could trust to ease their plight. What they didn’t know was that Estrada was no more different than de Venecia.
In 2001, Estrada’s shady deals with illegal gambling lords brought him down and Gloria Arroyo was catapulted to the presidency. At the time, Arroyo seemed perfect for the presidency. Her image as a U.S.-educated, convent-bred economist was a contrast to Estrada’s buffoonery.
Arroyo later used her credentials as her main selling points in the 2004 election against her closest rival, Fernando Poe Jr., who, like Estrada, was running on his own legendary movie stardom. However, unlike Estrada, Poe kept a squeaky clean image. Integrity was his ace.
Then came “Hello, Garci” shortly after the balloting. Arroyo has been plagued with corruption scandals since.
Today, thanks to Arroyo, it is clear to everyone that integrity is just as important as competence in the presidency. But should we require competence from prospective public officials first before integrity?
Arroyo’s misrule demonstrated that competence isn’t everything. Integrity is part of competence. What’s the point of electing a president that you can’t trust?
Simply because of the nature of the job, integrity is the first prerequisite for those seeking public office – no different from the way a bank manager chooses who should man the counter. To this day, no government anywhere has survived the sheer weight of corruption. They all collapse eventually.
Democratic governments exist only by the consent of the governed. That’s why a government that continues to run without the consent of the people it governs is called a dictatorship.
(originally published at lanuevaligafilipina.wordpress.com)
Popularity: 1% [?]
You can’t say the sentence below — Pilipinas history proves it otherwise.
Cory’s administration was plagued with corruption and you would not say that it collapsed.
GMA, as required by the 1987 Constitution, walks out of Malacanang July2010. The GMA administration not only has not collapsed, you have people — in Pilipinas as well as in Massachusetts, USA and Paris, France, other places — who applaud many aspects of GMA’s performance (while bewailing Pilipinas GINI index and other metrics).
Cory’s administration actually should be a reminder — corruption (brain-numbing wealth-stealing enthusiasm-sapping corruption) can inject itself into an administration — even if the Head of State is purportedly a saint. Food for thought.
Pilipinas has a problem that it shares with many latin american and african countries. Citizenry unable to predict with accuracy what happens on the third and subsequent years of the administration of whoever they elect. Maybe this is because the citizens just turn a blind eye to mid-level (mayors, manager- or senior-manager level bureaucrats) because of sympathy (“…they have to do it — their regular salaries are too low”), maybe from apathy (that’s a problem for someone else to solve)… who knows?
Collapse in the sense of a fiscal nature will not come for as long as the recourse to public debt is an option. Are we not in debt individually by at least P45,000? and still rising!
Yes, no government will allow “collapse” even if public debt is rising. Japan’s public debt is 180% of its GDP and government keeps on borrowing to rehabilitate the economy and prevent social collapse. We are not unique in our rising public debt, it is a real challenge in public policy to keep the economy on sound footing and maintain stability. “Collapse” is not an alternative!
World banks and investors will allow more lending to Pilipinas as long as the loans-to-income ratio are held to safe levels. What this means is that Pilipinas debts become less and less of a problem if more and more jobs become available to Pilipinas citizens. This is what Pilipinas needs — a presidency that creates jobs for its citizens (jobs in Pilipinas for Filipinas) while providing better books, teachers, school facilities for the youth so that they have the job skills and ethics when they enter the workplace.
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Education! Education! Education!
In actual fact many corrupt governments around the world retain popular support. Go read my recent blog entry (at The Cusp) entitled “Corrupt Yet So Popular”.
Guys, it’s not too late to get a job working for GMA — hurry, u still have a few months! I’m sure she’d love this spin on the word “collapse.”
Go ahead, be the first in line.
Reminder — GMA steps down and leaves Malacanang July2010.
Hooray to the anti-GMA and the movers and shakers of the GMA-talsik diyan! clamor.
Oh, wait.. GMA steps down because of 1987 Constitution. To give credit
to the “Talsik diyan!” folks for GMA leaving Malacanang is a wrong mistake.
After all, many of these “talsik diyan!” people (the Hyatt 10 folks a good example, or MLQ3) were actually people that held high positions when they were part the GMA team.
Nah — ikaw nalang. I lost respect for GMA years ago.
if we dont care about Integrity and Competence. Then, vote for the
“istambays” in the corner of you neighborhood. There is no need to
fix the economy. It is beyond repair. We are in neck in debt.
“Ah, Pobre, Filipinas”.
Filipinas, the country I love, is not hopeless. There are ways to solve the debt problem, but we need to package the solution credible to our creditors. The classic solution is moratorium on payments. The more innovative, which is very sensible, is the rechannelling of periodic debt service towards infrastructure project, of course, with the approval of the creditor. For this kind of job, we need a man of integrity, competence, only secondary.
Gordon, yes, Erap, No. Gordon with international Red Cross experience coupled with local governance experience will meet creditors’ requirements for a Malacanang-resident/national leader with competence and integrity.
Go, Gordon!! Go!!!
Gordon was for the retention of the US bases, remember? U really want someone who kow-towed to the US to that degree? And before u mention FVR as a counter-response, please note that we have amicably agreed to differ on the matter of RP-US relations.
Gordon would also not allow relief goods to be distributed during the Ondoy relief effort unless he was personally present. Many people suffered as a result of this since he could not be everywhere at the same time.
Like Villar, he’s also been very quiet about GMA and her shehanigans. Silence is read by many as complicity.
P.S. Gordon is a nice guy but it is is widely-known that he is extremely emotional. We need someone level-headed for the presidency…
Big deal – if he was for retention of the US bases. Cory’s arse would have been toast by Honasan were it not for the US F-16.
It’s no big deal if you’re into brown-nosing in general. Surely the point is not to aspire to have an ever-ready US armada to protect the president at all times but to develop the self-sufficiency to do it on our own.
BongV,
They were F-4 Phantoms. I saw one circle over my house in Bicutan, Paranaque, which is a few kilometers away from Villamor Air Base. The gull-wing design was unmistakable. Cheers.
Norm
Let’s be generous and say there 3 probable winners for the 2010 presidency
1. Noynoy
2. Villar
3. Erap
We can’t say that Villar is ‘more competent’ because SEC and Central Bank records show he has defaulted on loans and one of his banks went bust. Integrity is not something we can associate with Villar too based on official government documents showing his influence peddling.
So I guess the lesser evil is indeed Noynoy.
That of course presupposes – INCOMPETENT VOTERS.
Like I said: that view smacks of elitism. Apparently you’re willing to ignore the will of the majority of Filipinos. Some of us aren’t.
Or INCOMPETENT OPINION.
Folks really should not misread the results of the surveys. More than half of those surveyed — the majority– find that Noynoy is lacking. The thinking of the majority is this one — Go find someone other than NoyNoy. More than half of those surveyed find that Noynoy is lacking (in the preparation, in leadership, in an understanding of the problem that faces Filipinos in Pilipinas) Majority of Pinoys would rather have someone other than NoyNoy in Malacanang.
Pam, how can an opinion be incompetent? It’s not anthropomorphic. :D
These surveys also say that 48% of those asked said they could still change their minds. Nothing is still certain, Gibo still has a chance of winning.
Like I never tire of saying – “Police clearance before anything else.”
ahahaha, but I am tired of hearing it . . .
Joe
Thats too easy, for only 10T I got me an instant police clearance with no hassle
poor comparison. competence is an issue of fact. “integrity” is purely speculative and a matter of perception, flawed or otherwise. a “man of god” may be said to have integrity but could be in reality, a fornicator and child abuser.
your angel of today may be your devil of tomorrow when exposed under the light of awareness.
And then there is the Cory governance-model. A president can remain a person of integrity but still do great damage to the country. Cory — she
got lazygot tired of supervising the bureaucracy. Her disinterest in governance was among the reasons for the corruption and dismal performance of her administration in her last 2 years in office.Yet another meaningless entry.
and the preceding is yet another motherhood statement.
Stereotyping again, I see. Where’s the motherhood statement, Bencard? Not all Noynoy supporters r into the notion of motherhood and nation.
ahh..a typical abogado brain…no life just brain…
What we really need is an integrator.
and maybe a little integration.
There’s low integrity and low competency in management, in psychology and in ethical dealings. Both Noynoy and Villar have low integrity. The old timer is low in competency in relations to senatorial activities and the entrepenuer has too high competency in relations to insider’s activities.
Integrity is also about declining support from big business and to follow the rule of law: comelec rules on actors and actresses? It is earned thru STRONG activity.
Why just now?
It’s hard to choose. Probably Integrity
With all the promises a leader makes, once he breaks his integrity, it just doesn’t matter any more, he can backslide to a lesser person with no rules to follow and break his promises. If a leader has no integrity, the people loses hope and trust in the leader, thus leading to a low morale/esteem-society. Obama I think is the perfect example.
Competence on the other hand can lead to great economy and the deals more of the deep technical stuff which I don’t put much weigh in since other roles in government can compensate for it. Gloria is the one with high competency and low integrity. She can follow through a goal, but she doesn’t do it the way it must be done and is not transparent in her dealings.
What makes Filipinos highly delusional in their own cognative ways. Pinoy[ay]-in-Pinas can not seem to comprehend which ways, to support their political party, when it comes to Primary Election. Let me explain. One reason, Filipinos are ethnically unbalance. They constantly argue amongst [each]others rival ethnicity who’s at best.
At worst, families instill them, to the youngs mind. Sad, but true. Also, pride is what seperate us Filipinos. At the same token, Pinoy[ay]-in-Pinas, please remember what happened in the past. Learned, from the past. History is crucial. Damn it…!
On the other hand, if there is one thing we have learned from this past history.
If we can label this as an old experiment in giving “independent” bureaucrats more power, it is that the bureaucracies created their own political fiefdoms and the problems and economic dislocations they have forced upon our society are worse than anything even the most corrupt politicians have done.
Are we not contemplating with human nature, and putting on the robes of a selfless bureaucrat does not increase one’s qualifications to run the affairs of others. Furthermore, the imperfect conception that [we]what so called knowledgeable individual are placed in government are going to run things properly is delusional at best and dangerous at worst.
So, what are we to choose?
Ooops!
Correction:
“…delusional in their own cognative ways…”
“cognitive”
Sadly, the front-runner in these bogus surveys is neither competent nor a man of integrity!!!!!!!
Yup, just like Gibo. Incompetent when it came to preventing illegal arms sales and the growth of private armies, etc. Utterly lacking in integrity when it comes to Danding and GMA — an opportunist to the core. He ditches his uncle because Danding preferred someone else as standard-bearer and shifts to Lakas (where’s the loyalty there?). But he remains loyal to GMA no matter what. If that’s not opportunism, I don’t know what is, Miriam.
For someone who claims to be so intelligent, I must say your choice really surprises me.
Well Lila, Gibo claim of intellegence was well supported with fact and achievements. While Noynoys claim about anything has no supporting facts and achievment at all.
Gibo sticking with GMA even when the latter is so unpopular. How can that be opportunism.
well, it’s called idiocy.
if one is intelligent, one can understand what corruption is.
Of course it’s opportunistic, rego. Without Danding’s money and considering his lack of popularity with the general public, what else has he got to fall back on but GMA’s machinery? I might have had more respect for him had he gone independent. Even the founders of Lakas bailed out once it began to reek of GMA’s Kampi.
Competence and integrity.
One without the other equals bad governance.
It is not idiocy to decide with a political party that is quite organized and one that has been responsible for the sustained economic growth of the Philippines. There is a need for continuance of policies in our country, just like Japan under on party for 38 years. I see Gibo’s wisdom in wanting to run with Lakas and him, being the leader of the party now should transform the party into one the will reflect his ideas of governance, he has leadership skills after all.
ya, ya, Scientific surveys are bogus…as proven in the last surveys where McCain was leading Obama and yet Obama won…as proven in the last survey where Tymoshenko was expected to win but lost….as proven in the last survey where Frei beat Pinera but Pinera went on to win by less than the margin of error.
Scientific surveys done by survey firms with track records are BOGUS!
Idaan nalang natin sa dasal at kutob.
Go Gibo!
I would still prefer SWS than dasal at kutob. I know Mahar since the old UP days and he can be trusted.
Eh yung taga Stratpolls? and The Centre? na sumusulpot lamang pag election…LOL.
Gibo’s fans shouldn’t worry. Spokesperson Prospero Pichay says they can deliver 20% from the machinery basted on his kutob.
These latest results might be of interest…
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/19/10/noynoy-regains-lead-over-villar-new-survey
As expected, the other party’s response is that its commissioned by the other party so it cannot possibly be valid.
Well, maybe TNS, a global consumer polling firm, will jeopardise its core business by doing bad quality surveys. We’ve certainly never heard of TNS ever doing political polling in the Philippines since today. I thought they were more concerned about which brand of shampoo you use.
But then again, if they did it scientifically, the result will be apolitical regardless of who commissions it.
And yet again, we expect Gibo to surge 20% once the party machinery kicks in. Since when has Prospero Pichay ever been wrong in his kutob? The surveys predicted he would lose in his senate attempt. Look at him now, the topnotcher elected senator.
In a few days, another set of percentage numbers will be published. Noynoy will have to learn to campaign from the “number two” spot. The the Noynoyista diehards better hope that being humbled (after losing a formidable lead) will make Noynoy connect more to the classes C/D/E (especially -D and -E). The lower-incomeo are more dependent on a competent presidency to provide social infrastructure and programs to lift the country out of poverty, one with courage to raise taxes despite opposition from the Makati Business Club type Pinoys-in-Pinas.
we all know that lakas has already disintergrated with mass exodus and to LP and NP by the opportunistic peopel itslef.
Speaking of oportunistism, Nonoy is also very mch opprortunistic himself. I expolited his mother death and the nation pakikiramy to launch his candidacy . Ven when he knows that he is not really prepared and got nothing to prove leadership wise…
It’s not opportunism if he didn’t plan it or seek it, and if the public asked him to consider it, which he did. In short, walang premeditation.
So Noynoy has no plan for the country then? no wonder.
No, you’re misreading me again, leytenian. I said he hadn’t planned on running for the presidency. I didn’t say he had no plan for the country. There’s a difference. Unlike Villar, he at least has a platform.
As for Gibo, u know by now that I think you’re wasting your vote, so I won’t repeat myself anymore…
Noynoy…. the accidental president. He had no plans, no one believed he had what it takes, and then… opportunity knocked.
Bakit nga naman hindi, pagkakataon na.
Mar Roxas — he made the wrong decision. [My opinion....]
My opinion is that NoyNoy does not have the connections.
Seriously — Noynoy could not negotiate the halls of Congress to get support among fellow congressmen and fellow senators so that his bills could become law.
And more seriously — Noynoy does not understand the problems of the average Pinoy parents worried about housing and food costs, needing to interrupt their office meetings because children get sick, worried about the quality of the education their children receives… and worried about what jobs wait for their children when the children completes college.
After reading GMA’s special report on Hacienda Luisita – Noynoy, then Congressman, voted against disclosing the full version of Arroyo’s Hello Garci tapes, which would have provided a welcome inroad to the President’s investigation. It appears he and Cory were in full support of Arroyo — until the President, through a government body, ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita’s land to the farmers.
GO GORDON – Integrity AND Competence!
Bong, I’d have wanted to spot on. But Dick, unknonst or unperceived by many, maybe someone’s Trojan Horse.
Gordon ka na BongV? Anong nangyari?
During which time, take note, Gordon had nothing whatsoever to say about GMA. I suspect Ding is right.
Votes are won over or lost one person at a time, which is why elections one ballt at a time need to be conducted. Surveys affect some folks’ mindset — the propaganda of the bandwagon — while other people’s choices are affected by broadsheets and newspaper accounts. The relationship between NoyNoy and GMA is one such instance, a history where first, there was support, then there was none.
Click below for one such away-from-Noynoy conversion :
bluearden.blogspot –com– /2010/02/noy-no-more.html
I think the proper question to ask is should our president have integrity or should anyone who hold public office have integrity? Or even more correct, is integrity a value we want to uphold and therefore expect from our institutions, from our kids, our teachers etc. and from ourselves?
integrity and competence..
how do you know Noynoy is totally incompetent?
how do you know Noynoy is incorruptible?
how do you know villar is corrupt?
how do you know villar is really competent?
Abogado: nasaan ang ebidensiya nyo?
Barbero: sa wari ko eh…
Stupido: ah basta ako kay….
NPA: walang pagbabago, ibagsak ang feudalismo…
BIR/CUSTOMS: villar tayo, alang kita kay Noynoy
MBC: Noynoy tayo, mga kapatid…
Normal na Pinoy: bahala na pards…
FV: sayang ang boses nyo!
How do you know if Noynoy is really incompetent? Compare him with Gordon and Bayani
How do you know Villar is corrupt? As any street smart bank manager knows, look at his face!
How do you know Gibo is going nowhere? His jetplane never landed!
How do you know Erap is corrupt? GMA pardoned him! It takes one to forgive one!
Aw… Does Noyx2 have integrity? Would it be called Integrity to use ur mother’s death to catapult urself to the presidential race? Is it integrity 2 anounce ur candidateship on the 40th day, when it is stil a mourning day? Is it integrity to just sit in the senate and representatives and not pass any Law? Is it Integrity that when serving in the house of congress not 2 be vocal against GMA’s Corruption then 2day being a presidential candidate harps about her corruption?
That is the question I want Noyx2 2 answer…
Besides I agree with UP N GRAD. Though Cory is spotless her govt is plagued with corruption. Was cory able 2 change the system? Was she even able 2 implement Land Reform? The answer is NO… better elect an able leader and start the transformation of Integrity on the Filipino People for it is not the leadership or the structure that is in question… It is the Filipino race. Most of us lack ethics including me. We are by the very least Machiavellian in nature. We do things for our own benefit.
So, how will the country be saved?
sounds corny but… With us… If u change the roots then the leadership will soon change… We cant change what is ingrained in our mindset… Even the SK Presidents are corrupt… Buying votes at there age!!!!
If the saying the youth is the hope of the fatherland is true then we are in DIP SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!
come to think of it, maybe Noynoy was led by her mother’s departure. The unfolding of events, the call of the citizenry must have overwhelmed him…
come to think of it he is the only one among the presidentiables who doesn’t want to be one…survey wise, madrigal, villanueva, gordon, and gibo should give up but they are there…is it really their desire to render good service to this country or the limelight?
Moses for one doesn’t want or never dreamed of leading the Isrealites out of bondage….it was destiny…something like pre-ordained…
You must dig people who hugs the press. How do you know he is not vocal about GMA during his days in congress? I guess the guy is not just into media hype… he is not artista like erap..he is not villar who likes infomercials..he is not like gordon who needs the press when giving donations…
yo!
bt I don’t believe in what if’s… I rely on facts…
Bt come 2 think of it… If he was able to be overwhelmed by the call for him 2 run… He can also be overwhelmed by the Pressures of the Job… By the Pressures of his subordinates… By the lure of money and power…
but i do agree with you fully…it is not the leadership or the structure…it is US..it is us who rid the country of the american bases but dying to go to america…it is us who pee in the streets with impunity like dogs….it is us who cultivate nepotism…it is us who is so ignorant of the true meaning of patriotism…it is us who can afford to let a GMA to stay even it was so obvious she cheated FPJ…it is us who doesn’t seem to care about a piece of our land being overtaken by MILF separatists…it is us who i guess not ready for a bloody revolution to change the course of this nation… our passion for self interest is so much that we can care less for this country…
Pls. speak for yourself, RAVi. When where you when the rest of us not bystanders were beating the pavements trying to “surge-the-gates”?
“Where were you’ :), damned keyboard.
Are we really hopeless? Let me cite a historical parallel. Rizal formed the Liga to unite and educate the Filipinos, for what? – to be worthy of becoming citizens of mother Spain. Many ilustrados including Mabini and Bonifacio joined. After a few meetings, Bonifacio left the Liga and organized the secret society, the Katipunan, in 1892. The Liga faded away and Katipunan’s membership grew and spread to the provinces, reaching a total membership of somewhere around 200,000 before the outbreak of the revolution in 1896. Why did the Katipunan succeed while the Liga failed? I think it is because of the organization’s purpose. Filipinos then wanted independence instead of being a province of Spain. Similarly, today’s Filipinos are looking for something more than just a mere change of leaders, and their lack of enthusiasm and commitment shows because that is not what they want. What that something is, I am not at this time in a position to say.
What’s with all the cultural generalizations?
And u really think your candidate Gibo will even bother to address land reform, given his own family’s holdings? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
And do you think that Noyx2 will implement Land Reform? Cory promised Land Reform and the dismantling of Luisita on her Davao Speech during her campaign. Bt did it materialize? Will Noyx2 be able 2 implement somthing her mother failed 2 do?
I am not a hypocrite, I don’t support Land Reform. Why would you give the Land of ur ancestors 2 ur workers? U paid them there due. The land is rightfully yours, It has been yours for generations. Why then would it be given to ur workers?
Even with our CARP Law it still lacks the necessary training 2 equip the farmers to be able to manage their farms efficiently. Most of them even sold their farms back to the original owners. That is the failure of Land Reform it will and shall always fail as the Land Holders are usually Politicians just like Noyx2 and Teodoro.
Sillimanian, if u don’t even believe in land reform, why attack Cory for not having achieved it and speculate that Noy won’t manage to do so in the first place? The same could be said of your own candidate, right? And if it’s not a priority issue for u, why bring it up at all? Doesn’t this suggest that you’re just jumping the bandwagon and attacking him by using the same arguments others before u have used? Those others at least CARED about the issue of land reform.
Land reform is extremely complex and Cory is not the only president who struggled with it. This is true not only of the Philippines but of many other countries as well.
And at least Noy had the integrity to finally question GMA. Apparently your candidate thinks that GMA and Ferdinand Marcos deserve accolades.
As I said the Filipino’s are Machiavellian and Capitalists by nature… They want minimum govt intervention in their search for profit…
Well, regarding FPJ I am one who was relieved when Her Exc. GMA won against FPJ I was scared shitless of another ERAP-like presidency… So I supported her even though her term was unquestionable. I still support her until her term ends. She is the best alternative Ive seen during those election and the following destabilization plots.
It myt not be ryt. It myt not be moral. Bt i choose this path for our fatherland. Better a questionable bt able bodied leader than one incompetence.
I take comfort in the thought that my decision was ryt 2 support Her excellency. For it was during her term that the World Economic Crisis happened and the Philippines was able to go almost unscathed with the whole debacle.
the reason why Pinas is still afloat despite the bungling of GMA because of the thousands of faceless overseas workers who keep sending their remittances to Pinas. it has nothing to do at all with er economic stewardship of the country.
now, jcc, you are at your worst when you engage in generalizations like that – so unfit for a lawyer trained in logical thinking.
can you imagine if gma was a bungling, incompetent head of state? no amount of remittances from ofw’s can sustain a population of over 80 million, with foreign debt in the hundreds of billions which requires a good percentage of the country’s entire revenue for interest payment alone. how do you account for the fact that the philippines did not suffer the same economic turmoil that most countries did, including japan, france, the usa, greece, among others, as a result of the global recession? what about the tangible accomplishments in infrastructure, small entrepreneurship, home ownership, agriculture, and health care (all despite the countless natural calamities that visited the whole country during her watch and the never-ending menace of the enemies of the state)?
Absolutely right, Jcc!
Spot on.
Wrong. If it where so then it must not have fallen when ERAP was President of the Republic.
They do help keep it afloat but only with sound economic management.
“how do you account for the fact that the philippines did not suffer the same economic turmoil that most countries did, including japan, france, the usa, greece, among others, as a result of the global recession?
- Because the Philippines is a BIT player in the global money market economy. You cannot catch a cold when you are not exposed to the virus.
nashman, fyi, iceland and greece, among many others, are not exactly major players in the global economy. the “virus” attacks indiscriminately. the better-managed economies are the ones that survive, except perhaps those that get bailed-out (with more borrowed money, but of course).
The “virus”? How quaint — I’ve never quite heard that term applied to economic development. :D Perhaps u should stick to the misuse of the rule of law after all.
actually, its not the fact that they are major players thats the issue.
its the risk averseness of their financial sector thats the issue. greece and iceland were exposed to these risky financial devices. we are not.
Filipinos are not schemers and financiers, they are territorialists. The chiefs attract and enlist more caciques. The caciques protect and keep their positions and expand their dominion, wealth and alipins. The alipin samamahays are content to be thrown the crumbs and happy to have the roof of their puno over their heads. The alipin sagigilids are the hopeless lot, their laborious toil gives little to keep body and soul together; they get sick often and die, and their continual life’s struggle gives them almost no room even to hope or dream of a better life. That’s the Philippines I know.
well, macapili, it appears that manny villar has bucked that tendency, and has shown all and sundry that it’s possible to extricate oneself from inborn poverty and “alipin” status by sheer hard work and by “sipag at tiaga”. true the traditional “caciques” will do everything to resist that but in a democracy such as ours, where the Law is supreme, there’s not much they can do if the voters will wise up.
I gather u missed out on Anthro 101 in college…? I’m glad u have our entire culture worked out in your head.
Pity life isn’t quite as simple as u make it out to be.
It still is… Since the Philippines is still “semi-feudal” as the leftist’s defines it.
Bencard, I agree. My only problem is all that Villar did in Congress was work out laws to redirect funding for the kind of real estate business he is in. I am skeptical when he’ll do something for the country.
“in a democracy like ours, where the law is supreme…?” As PhilManila would say, “ano daw”???
Maybe your candidate (a senator, no less!) should have started by showing up in the Senate to defend himself. If that doesn’t smell like the odor of impunity, I don’t know what does. Just imagine how it would be if he were ever to become president. So why would the youth bother to go to law school at all if the law is routinely ignored anyway…?
Let me try again. villar is under no legal compunction to appear at the senate moro-moro. his principal inquisitors (the strange bedfellows madrigal and enrile) could not compel him to appear because not enough senators believe them and would not support any attempt at compulsion. madrigal and enrile are not the “senate”. thats the “rule of Law” for you!
Sophistry, Bencard: pure sophistry. Stripped of all your foibles and embellishments, that’s pretty much all u ever achieve. The bottom line is that an honest man would have defended his innocence before anyone who questioned him, whether or not the charges were “trumped-up.”
Besides, he had many allies there — the Cayetanos, Pimentel, Legarda, etc. Still, according to Satur, he was “afraid” the others would make fun of him. But he certainly wasn’t afraid to go running to the press, was he?
“unscathed with the whole debacle” – wow!!!! you must be writing from a cloistered ivory tower – go and look for the “pagpag” boys and girls rummaging the garbage from Payatas landfill and other garbage depots so they can fill their stomach with “panis” na pagkain thrown away by the rich people and establishments like McDonalds, Kentucky and Jollibee.
and here we are…not to wonder why…
“unscathed with the whole debacle? Wow, you must be living in the guest house. And why is it that Her Excellency being judged negative, repeat NEGATIVE, NEGATIVe 138% approval and popularity ratings by the people?
“So I supported her even though her term was unquestionable.”
Say what? ‘unquestionable’.
If by your alias you imply you graduated from Silliman U, I worry how the academic standards have fallen.
Sayang walang auto grammar check.
“unscathed”? Oh brother!
Sillimanian,
Congratulations on swimming upriver. ‘Tis the harder route, for sure, as any river Salmon would know, but oft is better than following the lemmings, over the edge.
I just wish you had picked a different river to swim up.
Joe
sory so that was a typho error… Bt I stand firm on my support… Ofcourse the Filipino Overseas have contributed a whole lot in keeping our economy afloat…
Bt look at the ERAP Presidency even the OFW’s wasn’t able to metigate the economic mismanagement of ERAP… So I give credit to GMA and her Economic Team for keeping the country afloat…
“Unscathed” yes in a sense that the effect of the Economic Recession was cushioned in the Philippines. The children in Payatas have been their even before the Economic Recession even before Cory Aquino was President so it is non sequitor to my statements.
Look at how the US was affected with the Economic Recession how many millions of job losses did they suffer? Even Japan and the major economic powers where limping. Bt we were able 2 cushion the blow. That is attributed to the Executive branch.
Negative? Yes because of her questionable right to be President. Yes, because of chax2 (I for one disagree with it). Yes, Because of the E-VAT (I also disagree, bt it did help). Yes, Because of her so called “Pain Package”.
She might be, I agree, a very unpopular President bt this does not erase the fact that she has managed our Economy very well.
That would be her legacy it will not be denied by us. The facts speak for themselves.
Sillimanian, you forgot the rampant killings, the impunities, the rampant corruptions, the Phil. presently becoming the most corrupt in Asia, if not the world, and not least the fake claim of an economic legacy. A continuation of another like administration will bolster my friend Joe’s contentions that you and your kind will be like lemmings gaily parading down the edge, down, down, down, down….
Oh really, the overseas workers would have been given all the opportunities to work abroad without bilateral agreements and other policy-level forms of assistance from the government. Have you ever read an article written by an NGO rep. who attended a conference on how to protect migrant laborers, other participants were quite surprised our overseas workers have guaranteed protection from exploitative employment practices abroad. We have an attache whose cellphone number is known to contract workers in case they are in trouble. Our country does have policies to encourage the export of labor and thus, it is not accidental that overseas remittances have increased during this administration and have kept us afloat during hard economic times.
Oh yes… all that… YEs bt we can’t deny her hadling of our economy… That is her only legacy… the rest will plague the history books 2 be written about Pres. GMA…
Bt if u read our History corruption have been Present since the term of Roxas down to GMA… so its not really somting new…
she can’t have any legacy…what will be remembered of her is her stolen time marred with cheating, insulting acts, kapalmuks, corruption with impunity, cuddling of warlords, and the illegal MOA with MILF….and many more…this space aint enough to enumerate them all…
Bt if u read our History corruption have been Present since the term of Roxas down to GMA… so its not really somting new… AND SHE (GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO) EXPONENTIALLY MADE CORRUPTION LIKE IT IS IN OUR GENES…IF SHE IS GOOD IN ECONOMY AS YOU SAY THINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER…SHE SHOULD HAVE ERADICATED CORRUPTION WITH IMPUNITY AND NOT OTHERWISE…THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO RICE SHORTAGE…THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE READY TO CALAMITIES LIKE ONDOY…SERVING OF JUSTICE MORE FAIR…LESS POLITICIZED MILITARY….MINDANAO ISSUE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESOLVED or curtailed….NO AMPATUANS..NO CHAVIT…NO RAPIST OSMENA BEING SENT TO SPAIN….this space ain’t enough to enumerate them all…
I get wat ur telling me really. Ondoy? If USA cant cope with Katrina how much more the Philippines. AMPATUAN? they are legally protected because of the Laws concerning CAFGU and other paramilitary forces 2 augment security. Less Politicized Military? I will be hoping it will come true, though really hard 2 regain the Military before Marcos. The MOA thank God it failed, I vehemently opposed it. Chavit? Yes, bt we stil have 2 thank him for ERAPs downfall. I also dont like the rest of wat GMA has done. Bt I give credit 2 where credit is due and that is her fiscal management. We are much better compared to other countries regarding the Economic Recession.
Gloria has grown the economy of the Philippines and that is a fact, that she is corrupt and has no clear policy to solve institutional corruption is a fact and electing an incompetent politician will not solve our problem of corruption and we even run the risk of economic mismanagement which could shrink our economy rather than sustain the growth.
O tignan mo, na-high blood tuloy sa iyo si Ravi. All caps lahat.
At least alam ko na ngayon kung sino ang “denial king” dito. Tutal, meron na ring kaming denial queen.
GMA is not GOD. she is not even a dictator. like everybody else, she is subject to the rule of Law.
Lila, I know all that RAVI was talking about… As I said I give credit 2 where credit is due and that is her fiscal management of our Economy. Did I say she didn’t all those accusations? I have reserved my judgement regarding those since it be on trial soon.
Miriam I agree with u… Bt that is not the only answer. The disparity of the Population growth’s of our A and B Classes with those of the C, D, and E Classes is a real threat to our economic health. Mind you it is the A and B Classes who supports the government thru taxes. Added with the big spending on social services that is a recipe for disaster.
Sillymanian, Why do we have to compare ourselves to the USA all the time? Can’t we not do better than the USA? We got rid of their bases, why can’t we get rid of their influence? Why do we have to bend over always to USA? With your argument regarding ampatuan and chavit, the more we need a president with integrity and honesty than competence.
I agree, I refered 2 the US Ravi because they experienced Katrina. Secondly, coz they have all the resources yet they were not able 2 do anything.
Secondly, Honesty and Integrity per se is subjective and is very hard 2 determine. While Competence is objective and is easily determined. That is why I go with competence.
…but the problem with competence as the way many gauge it is based only on experience. Experience may enable a person to do a certain task but it does not automatically mean he/she is competent. Ang isang mas tamang definition ng competence for me is the ability to consistently apply skills, knowledge, and attitude to a given tasks as measured againsta defined standards. Kuha mo? Kung competence based on experience lang ang pagbabasihan eh wala sa top 3 ang dapat mahalal.
But we are talking about The Presidency. it is the highest seat in the land. I believe it deserves much more than competence. It deserves, first and foremost, honor, integrity, and high moral background. Competent ka nga eh police character ka naman. Aba eh bigyan mo naman ng kahihiyan ang bansa. Matagal na akong hiyang-hiya (simula pa nung martial law) sa mga walang-hiyang umupo dyan. Bigyan naman natin ng honor andg presidential seat. Sa tingin ko, mas ma-ayos ang takbo ng bansa kung may integridad and namumuno.
I get what ur talking about… All im saying is competence and experience in an executive capacity. Ofcourse, experience in government is also important to be able to know the ways in the bureaucracy.
I do agree that Integrity is an important factor. All im saying is that since integrity is subjective then competence must come is more important than integrity. For competence is easily gauge than integrity.
Besides, using the Cory Model with a person of integrity and high moral in the highest seat was not able to get a grip on her men. Corruption was still rampant during her administration. That was why I will still choose competence while trying to instill the value of integrity in the grassroots level. So that in time it will slowly change the Filipinos per se.
I’ve twice tried unsuccessfully to link an item in the Feb 22 issue of the Philstar, “OFW remittances have limited effect on the economy, says Paderanga”. In the news item, Paderanga belittles OFW contribution to the economy but at the same says that the remittances filled the trade deficit gap, stabilized money supply and kept the interest rates low. Then he made sn unusual remark by saying that the remittances were hardly felt in the microeconomic sector. I don’t understand why an economist like Paderanga did not share Villar’s solicituousness of OFWs. At least Mr. Tondo guy knows OFWs are the only active segments of the real estate market. Take out the remittances and foreign debt will bulge, inflation will rise and interest rates will be at ceiling rates, reminiscent of the early nineties. Unlike some of our friends here in FV, I am quite sure where credit is due and I could hardly see why I should give GMA any.
You really should sir. The Fiscal management of GMA can be seen in the unpopular E-VAT, Pain Package, etc. I get what the OFW’s have done bt that is accompanied by sound fiscal management.
Tell you wat. Look at our economic health during the ERAP Presidency. Even with the OFW’s remittance did our Economy go unscathed? That is the difference between a sound fiscal management and a blundering fiscal mismanagement.
Secondly, The privatization of NAPOCOR and other government agencies enabled the Philippines to pay debts early and to minimize the expenditure of the Government (Since NAPOCOR was in the negative in terms of revenue). Also the policy of lending locally before internationally also have helped in stabilizing our payment to debt ratio.
I know GMA is unpopular. I for one hate her pain package, EVAT, MOA, Chax2, and the corruption in government. She still did a good job with our Economy. That is why labeling me a DENIAL KING is hardly called for.
During Erap’s time, OFW remittances were at about $2 billion compared to $11 billion today. Erap was able to make do with less because he had no pork barrel to fund, which GMA needed to nip in the bud all three attempts to unseat her. Privatization was not necessarily a policy but a scheme dictated by foreign creditors who were very nervous about the shaky financial condition of NAPOCOR. After the scheme is done, government takes over NAPOCOR’s remaining debt, which of course, will become part of foreign debt that are serviced under specific line item in the national budget. This will pacify the foreign creditors. If I am not mistaken, around 60% of the budget goes to foreign debt service. The new owners of NAPOCOR plants are now owners of the “goose that lay the golden egg” because the plants are ran on a scheme called “committed delivery” sale under which distributors, like Meralco, are charge the total generating capacity of the plant even if no actual power delivery is made. So, if the hydroelectric plants that are still owned by NAPOCOR had to run to meet power shortages the overall electricity cost is duplicated because the sold NAPOCOR plants continue to be compensated under the “committed delivery” scheme. Of course, the distirbutors pass on the cost of electricity to consumers like you and me. This is principally the reason why electricity rates remain the second highest in Asia. As an exercise try to identity who the new owners are.
I know. I think I read that in the PDI. One of the reasons why it rose from 2 Billion to 11 Billion is that presidents various agreement to other countries 2 hire more Filipino’s. Secondly, more Filipino’s are going abroad because of each family’s needs. Also the Philippines was able to pay foreign and local debts in advance during the GMA Administration. Also the lowest budget deficit( Since Marcos, I think) was during her term. So fiscal administration is really the benchmark of her administration.