The futility of demanding an apology and justice mounted, as soon as a fall guy was thrown in the Mamasapano “mis-encounter” script during the February 2015 Senate hearing. I was given no other choice but to take consolation in History, that History will eventually testify unkindly to those who hide the truth, much like how Aguinaldo is being judged now by those who don’t buy textbook data as Bible truth.
The miasma of excrement has to find a way out sooner or later but I wasn’t expecting it to be this soon. The investigation of the Lower House quoted DOJ Sec De Lima in saying:
To what extent will the Grand Archons of our poor little rich country go, to further the country’s prostitution?
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History is witness to many victories that came with a cost, and with the ubiquitous abuse of power, the cost of a Pyrrhic victory is becoming ruinous to the victor. A fallout may even be looming. It makes me recall my reply when asked on my opinion on EDCA:
A July 2014 message from a student.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is the US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) implemented nationwide, unlike that of the latter’s operations that has been confined, only at Zamboanga City and other parts of Mindanao for the last 12 years.
The difference, JSOTF-P is catered for the containment of the internal threat of insurgency in the South, while EDCA’s sales pitch is the enhancement of “our” tactical alliance against external threats. Its lobbyist riding on the efficiency of the US response to 2013’s post Typhoon Yolanda crisis.
I have witnessed the US response firsthand, as I was a volunteer at the Villamor Airbase Ops for over a month and while I am in sincere Thanks for the tireless efforts for our Yolanda survivors by the 7th fleet (I hope I recall it right), the U.S. hegemony in PH that has long been denied by its sock puppets in government is a Damocles sword to our nation’s sovereignty.
We have World War II to refer to, PH was sold by Aguinaldo to the U.S. for 800,000.00 Mexican pesos (Reference: History-Tsismis Noon, Kasaysayan Ngayon www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHYaN6Dw6c0), only for him to find out that our motherland will be a major player in the U.S. containment strategy to establish its might over the Asia-Pacific region. BTW, how are most of our World War II veterans anyway? Were they even given the time of day during Obama’s 2014 visit?
Now, with the the buzz of a World War III, PH is again being enticed. Are we ready to rumble?
I always refer to history because it is a strong testament of character. From there, one can weigh in the gains/losses that can be derived from EDCA.
I will humbly accept the fact that PH is ill equipped to fight internal/external threats and generally pathetic in post disaster response but was EDCA in effect during the Yolanda Ops? Thus, U.S. doesn’t need an agreement to conduct humanitarian missions in the Philippines at all.
PH also failed to read the writings on the wall with regard to the large difference between the very explicit assurance given to Japan vs. any assurance at all afforded to us.
Then again, can our sick country be choosy?
BTS photo courtesy of the Official FB page of “Garden of Eve (Ganap na Babae)”, where 61st Cannes Film Festival Most Beautiful Actress Mercedes Cabral gave life to Definitely Filipino’s most read article “Minsan may Isang Puta”.
“Garden of Eve (Ganap na Babae)” is a multi-narrative indie film that was honored as Cinemalaya 2010’s Opening movie, was awarded The Mient’s Pick for Best Cinematography at SoHo International Film Festival New York City, U.S.A. (SIFFNYC) and with The Mount Hope Project award during the International Film Festival Manhattan.
Garden of Eve (Ganap na Babae) was recognized by no less than the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Office of the President with the ANI NG DANGAL (Harvest of Honor) award.
The “Puta” has stunned New York, Utah and Daly City with who she really is.
As I have written in “Minsan may Isang Puta“:
… Nakakahiya man aminin pero hanggang ngayon, sa tuwing mabigat ang problema ko, siya ang tinatakbuhan ko. ‘Yun nga lang, kapit sa patalim sabi nga nila. Para akong isang aso na nangagat ng amo, na bumabahag ang buntot at umaamo kapag nangangailangan…
Our proud country has been terminally ill, and yet she tries to remain strong amidst the debauchery of every known hierarchy of greed and hubris.
Unfortunately, our people has yet to learn to face the problems head on and stop deflecting the issue with Pinoy pride that is without any gumption of good stewardship.
We keep on saying “Proud to be Filipino”, but how does that fare with Manuel L. Quezon’s election pitch coming true:
“I would rather have a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than a Philippines run like heaven by the Americans.”
Our taxes and our citizenship can’t even serve well those who badly need the service and the protection of the law!
We cannot protect our natural resources against greed and apathy; we can’t even protect the countryside against insurgency; even worse is that we can’t even protect our territories. The delusion is that, it has always have to be Uncle Sam to the rescue when push comes to shove.
All the efforts to make our country proud is futile until we learn to demand for cohesive and sustainable solutions in our oligarch-infested society.
The way that the country is prostituted is just beyond my threshold. She’s been unwittingly pimped from the Bates Treaty, Treaty of Paris to the Treaty of Biak na Bato, and wittingly whored by Imperial Manila. And when China descends upon our beloved Philippines, who is there to defend her? Surely none of those in Malacanang, nor those in the Houses of Congress. Do we even have the fire and air power to depend on and defend us when much of the National Budget is siphoned off by the corrupt? So, as much as I hate what’s going on, I succumb to the reality that It’s already a damned if we do, damned if we don’t situation.
One way or another, our motherland is being dismembered. Those once neglected islands and shoals in the West Philippine Sea have become objects in a territorial tug of war since the area is speculated to hold as much as 213 billion barrels of oil! We already lost Sabah, thanks to the assholes who would rather uphold politics than sovereignty. We have already lost many islands thanks to the paper corporations tolerated by the 60/40 provision of our “Cory” Constitution, we are losing precious metals and taxes thanks to one government after another that heeds the capitalistism-friendly World Bank. I can go on…
What is there that is left of our country but a hope and a dream.
Yet SOOO MANY hinge their hopes and dreams on a delusion that Messianic politicians will save our Philippines.
How can they be so gullible?
Well, that’s what a people get for their hubris.
Many feign pride but many have nothing but hot air.
Mike is the author of “Minsan may Isang Puta”, an allegory which has been circulating since 2004 and with over 50,000 likes and shares in social media alone. It won a film grant in 2010 to be included in the multi-narrative Indie film “Ganap na Babae” (International title: Garden of Eve). The teaser, reviews and commentaries are here. The movie was honored as Cinemalaya 2010’s opening film and has won international and local recognition.
The royalties from the initial 150 copies of Mike’s first sole-authored book, The Dove Files, went to a Project Malasakit scholar who graduated Cum Laude in April 2013, the rest was also paid forward to baby Mark who underwent a liver transplant in March 2013.
Part of the royalties of the “Minsan may Isang Puta” book at Barnes and Noble Online goes to support the education of a young Yolanda survivor taking up B.S. Accounting at U.P. Tacloban.
The Philippines is currently in a spiral. There’s a reason why the Philippines is sometimes known as “Mexico Island” because it is essentially run by a syndicate seeking to make a fortune out of the masses. Its sadder when you learn that Mexico had very similar circumstances to the Philippines.
Both were owned by Spain, both fought for their freedoms, both end up as corrupt hell-holes and their citizens do whatever they can to escape their respective countries.
Unfortunately, it seems that the ending this country can only have is to decay to such a low point that it will be yet another third-world country not unlike several African states.
It’s painful to admit to such an ending but given the popular “friarocratic education” that has helped in keeping the country feudal and submissive, it will come as no surprise at all.
There is this thing termed as a miasma theory that claims that diseases are caused by any sickening odor. I don’t know if many have become immuned to the stench that they can no longer discern what is aromatic and offensive. Trapped excrement produces methane and that gas explodes. I think the apathetic/ignorant by choice doesn’t know that.
I’ll also like to note about my article about the Filipina Tekken character Josie Rizal. There have been jabs at the character for being too “liberated” in her attire but, as one of the commenters there say, we have never been a “conservative” people to start with.
It’s like we like to insist we’re these respectable, squeaky-clean examples of morality despite the fact that we’re known to the rest of the world as whores anyway…
Peripherals-That’s what many Filipinos are obsessed with. Our patriotism is superficial, many chest thump on Pinoy culture and Pinoy pride and go rabid on the trivial yet ask them if they know anything about History that is not beyond the textbook and all you get is a gaping jaw. Worse, ask them what they have done to serve the country other than being a keyboard warrior, and they just keep on embarrassing themselves with their huris and ignorance.
They could use those “keyboard warrior” tactics for more important things. Unfortunately, all they know is how to protect their foolish and misplaced pride.
One of the poorest of the poor is the South African nation. I was reading about gold yesterday and it says there that South Africa is the harvester of 50% of gold in the world and yet the worst cases of injustices and hunger can be found in that country (around 45% of the total population is below poverty threshold). South Africa is a country rich in both most valuable minerals and slaves (describing how people there are being used or over burdened with work but earned little or almost nothing) but their situation is possible to take a positive turn because it’s poverty level is dropping thanks to international aid and the government coming up with programs that address it’s nationwide problems (there’s been a poverty drop there in five years (between 2006-2011), while five years of PNoy’s and previous administrations in our country shows consistent high inflation rate, corruption and poverty issues). And because of this, South Africa’s “National Development Plan (NDP) uses in setting its ambitious target of eliminating poverty by 2030”. Why can’t we hear something like this in our president’s speeches?
(http://www.southafrica.info/about/social/poverty-040414.htm#.VSZAoNzF-uk#ixzz3WnkJZUx8)
Comparing the Philippines to South Africa it’s safe to say that our country is still lucky in that those below poverty line in here is still just ‘one-quarter of the general population’ and we’re still not dependent on international aid or the popular celebrities still don’t have to start a major drive against poverty. And that’s thanks in part to OFWs and the Philippine media sensationalizing local aids and poverty. And our government feel they are powerful but not the first-world-country kind of powerful since first world countries’ strength is a reflection of how progressive and strong their country is but ours is just a reflection of how the incompetent and corrupt were able to remain in the government and continue being trapo.
“What is there that is left of our country but a hope and a dream.”
Pinoys don’t have budget for antidepressants so most are hopeful and continue to dream about change doing little or doing nothing at all (still delusional, in short, but it’s quite the norm so people are satisfied to live in a third world country as if its the best place to live on earth. It’s more fun in the Philippines! Proud to be Pinoy!).
And because Inang Bayan is being prostituted, raped several times unprotected, she gave birth to lots of kids that never grow up. It kind of reminded me of the children in William Golding’s “The Lord of the Flies”, everything that’s wrong with them.
🙁 Soon, I fear it may be too late for our beloved motherland…
I don’t know anymore. Too many are too apathetic to care, too many are too hungry to fight and too many are made ignorant by the powerful.
Nuke the country and start over. I’m not kidding.
I know how you feel…
Those were the ideas of the Beatles on their thoughts on the Philippines after their visit. No kidding. Check it out.
What is history, but a fable agreed upon?
You got the quote wrong.
Napoleon said history “is a set of lies agreed upon”.
Every prostitute has a pimp. In the Philippines the pimps are the ruling class.
Pimps are worse than prostitutes. Prostitutes are at least offering something. Pimps just skim.
Pride indeed is obnoxious for you know it is all hot air. And Pinoy Pride is doubly objectionable for it is not just hot air, but a hubris, an overbearing pride, simply established on nothing, worse, on the wrong things. I also don’t like the discernible arrogance of a good many Singaporeans for it could rub anybody the wrong way. Nobody could, however, complain for Singaporeans have evidently accomplished something. So, I could only imagine how much more annoying the Pinoy Pride is to non-Filipinos. Except for a few individuals who have excelled in certain fields, and in fields more often than not that don’t matter to the world, PHL has really not made its mark. Worse, it has overlooked and missed every opportunity that came its way. But, that was to be expected for pride blinds, and narcissism blinds absolutely.
(Just consider that Pinoy scientist who denounced his Pinoy citizenship and is now an Australian multi millionaire. He invented the system by which live fish and other aqua products could be transported without the need of the fish being in water. It is a billion dollar business for it dramatically reduces the cost of transport, and LIVE aqua product is a big, big market particularly in Asia. Nobody in PHL helped him despite his many letters and proposals to the government and private sectors. Talk of blindness in PHL, this is one glaring example. The typically lazy Australians, but who recognize genius when they see it, are the ones benefitting — not PHL.)
Prostitution comes from a desperate mentality. History will tell us whether desperation brought a prostituted country, or prostitution brought a desperate country, but we no longer have time to untangle which comes, or came, first the chicken or the egg. Mike Portes is correct; our ability may now just be limited to just observing that prostitution is going on. And yet having observed it, and we have observed it for quite some time, we don’t know what to do about it. But that too is the correct appraisal of prostitution; the deeper the prostitute is into it, the more the exits are closed, and eventually bolted.
Some realize this and just surrender that it’s a way of life, probably trying to find pleasure here and there even in mire. Those who still dream of better lives will just cry at night, or day, whatever the case may be, or just drown themselves in alcohol and/or drugs, flirting with doom and death. Normal people don’t want to be oblivious to the surrounding, and that is why they avoid, or don’t think of, oblivion. Probably, this is the reason why Pinoys strain their sight on the horizon for a statesman who could be president. Prostitutes are wont to dream of a knight in shining armor who could rescue them, instead of just mustering all the courage and will to walk out of the squalid conditions.
Of course, we are not talking of that prostitution which one US ambassador referred to as the only tourist attraction PHL could offer. He said that prostitution just about sums up the tourism industry of PHL. A Jap just supported the ambassador’s claim; he just boasted he has recorded having paid and screwed 12,000 Filipinas in 27 years. I don’t know, maybe we are talking about this for this is direct evidence of prostitution in PHL. But, I like to think we are talking of the more pervasive prostitution which makes us think we are not prostitutes.
Complex thinking is something alien to Pinoys. Take the case of oligarchs. Oligarchy is not something unique to the PHL; the Occupy movement gave this another name: the Top One Percent. But this is the quirk from the Pareto Principle, and it apllies to a market, democratic economy or a controlled, communist economy. 80% of the wealth will somehow always end up being controlled by 20%, while 80% of people could only end up with 20% of the wealth. This, of course, could not be understood in PHL where meritocracy is alien, the product, as well as the cause, of a totally screwed-up playing field. But, how can we even begin to talk about this when we have a population of star-struck ignorami. They vote into office the very puppets of oligarchs. So, instead of having the government as their instrument of controlling the oligarchs, they have allowed a government to enslave them.
Precisely how prostitutes would solve complex situations — by myopic, simple and immediate gratifications and solutions. So, how could you even talk of organizational complexities, command and responsibilities, honor and shame, leadership and productivity, vision and mission, etc. Let us even forget foreign affairs, our behind is already being screwed by forces from within and by our own kind.
Quite a few are banking on the Mamasapano incident; it may be the one that broke the camel’s back. We’ll see. If in the coming SONA speech in July, the legislators come again dressed to the nines, like peacocks, or clowns, with no where to go, then you know you have again Exhibit A of prostitutes totally oblivious to things provided they can have their Pinoy pride. Until, we admit that we are all now prostitutes addicted to the vice, and prostitution is the most, and the only, apt description of PHL, then every Mamasapano will be a missed opportunity to change.
Forget asking P-Noy to apologize too. Stupid people don’t apologize. Could you ask a prostitute to apologize for her profession when you have a pimp of the worst kind whose very name is BS. Tomorrow, the day sfter today, I guarantee you he will again walk the streets like a newly circumcised, but already balded teen of a man, literally and figuratively, selling the most pleasurable, but quick screws. Good luck to us, prostitutes, we need it..
Our country is run by greedy Oligarchial political feudal families. We depend too much on the U.S.: for defense , for disaster reliefs, for yearly foreign aids that go to the pockets of these politicians.
We are like “Shabu Addicts”. We are addicted to people , helping us…
That’s an understatement.