Firstly, I think it’s better named “20 things to dislike in the Philippines.” It’s supposed to complement the video “20 Reasons I Love the Philippines” by the same director, Michael Goodman. Both videos are supposed to show the pros and cons of the Philippines from a foreigner’s viewpoint. Rather than a mere aimless criticism, the “Dislike” short is merely another observation of dysfunctions in the Philippines.
Jimmy Sieczka was this video’s presenter and is taking the heat for a whole crew’s actions and plans.
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Here’s my analysis of the things Sieczka noticed:
1. Hole covered by a drum – The hole is the road not fixed yet, perhaps due to inadequate government services to handle it, inadequate methods to deal with it, people generally don’t care about, may not have reported it, no long term solutions for it
2. Guy selling cialis on the street – Can’t sell anything else because of poverty, lack of jobs, and products getting to the wrong channels because if poor enforcement. Seller touching the guy right near the thing due to lack of education leading to boorish behavior. Cultural fixation on sex
3. Lack of refrigeration/Unsanitary market – poverty, poor sanitation enforcement
4. MILF – Terrorism is a reality in the country, which the Philippine government has long failed to solve
5. Unsafe/incomplete construction – Funds easily run out, skyrocketing building material prices, corruption in construction business and government
6. Whitening products – Companies just churn out whitening products instead of other useful product, media, Asian culture (which also prefers white to brown). Perhaps there is nothing worth nitpicking in this issue
7. Buying gum: needless packaging – Outdated SOPs in use of plastic and retail packaging, no or poorly enforced program to enforce packaging, leads to one of the causes of Ondoy.
8. Litter – Lack of discipline among Filipinos.
9. Traffic: pollution/no discipline – Lack of enforcement of programs to enforce traffic quality, lack of education of drivers, arrogant behavior of Filipinos
10. Nasty bathrooms – Lack of funds, education and concern for a clean and safe public bathroom. Lack of proper water service, business hasn’t paid the water bill, etc.
11. Security guards everywhere – Lack of better jobs, general feeling of insecurity by Filipinos or business establishment owners, a real security problem anyway
12. Peeing everywhere – Habit in rural areas where bathrooms are not available, lack of discipline and education to know better
13. Frisking by guards – No better solution for security issues. No “airport scanners†in malls when that would’ve been better, no budget for such devices, or just the same old Filipino transfixation on old and obsolete practices.
14. Noise: beeping habit of taxis – Lack of education on proper way to pick up passengers, on traffic rules and regulations, same as reasons for no discipline in traffic above.
15. Small napkins – Needless work for people, waste of material, can’t afford bigger and better napkins
16. Beggars – Poverty, obviously
17. Roosters – Rural culture mixed in with urban culture. Lack of urbanization in places some people come from. Lack of education on better pastimes
18. loud bass/loud pipes – Culture of unnecessary loudness, like with videokes. Their way to pass the time for lack of knowledge on anything better
19. Cockroaches – Lack of sanitation, poorly designed sewer system
20. Watch your car boys – Again, no better job to get
21. Ladyboys – Gay culture in the Philippines, ’nuff said.
22. Korean tourists – They’re here to learn English. Really little other reason. The Philippines is seen as the English language capital of Asia. And we want to replace it with “Mother tongue.” Yeah right.
23. Motorcycles – Gas is going up, so I don’t mind having a Honda Beat or Yamaha Mio of my own. Problem is, it’s undisciplined drivers.
24. Warm beer – They just forgot to put ice. Lazy servant, forgot to keep it in the ref, or ref is broken. Can’t afford ref fixing, etc.
I think one can find many common themes here: poverty, lack of education, gap between rich and poor, gap between rural and urban, failure to understand real strengths of country, defective culture, etc. But I’m sure you know. This video after all reminds us that there are problems in the country that still need fixing.
Now for those who were not aware of it, here’s the 20 Reasons to Love the Philippines:
1. Bakeries (but did you notice the flies buzzing around? I prefer Pan de Manila)
2. Basketball everywhere
3. Lechon manok and barbecue (much agree)
4. Red Horse Beer
5. Taxis
6. Bangkas, outrigger canoes
7. Cheap stuff in tiangges, can haggle (one of the main reasons foreigners come)
8. Fruits at the palengke
9. Gasoline station convenience stores (or is it Tanduay?)
10. Kids who work hard and play hard
11. Street vendors during traffic
12. Clouds, skyline
13. Cheap private markets
14. Pirated DVDs
15. Take a piss anywhere (same as in the Dislike Video!)
16. Vulcanizing on the side
17. Reusing ad banners – recycling, saves on litter
18. Many transport options
19. Motorcycles – Yes, it’s a good transport option, except when it rains
20. Videokes – Yeah, it’s popular around the world, but it makes noise
21. Lights at night, Nature in the day
I don’t agree with everything here, but I think it’s a generally honest video. Give Walter Masley and Jeff Lester the benefit of the doubt.
I think some people fail to realize that the “Dislike” production was all planned out, that there were scriptwriters involved and it may not have been only Jimmy Sieczka’s work. Many people planned out the two videos. The way it was delivered is a scripted style. And don’t rule out the idea that Filipinos themselves were involved in the production and came up with the idea. Well, if someone needs to sue someone, sue Channelfix.
And before you say we should only be positive about the Philippines and just forget the negatives, let me give you some food for thought in a pic:
What’s wrong with including both the Pros and Cons of something? That’s what you call a Review.
I believe, as my cohorts here do, that what Filipinos embrace as their culture is what actually pulls the country down. And those who seem to be anti-dictators, who may also believe themselves to be “heroes,” are the real dictators.
It wouldn’t have hurt if both like and dislike were in the same short film. But that’s just me.
Many Filipinos simply hate constructive criticism.
true.
Everything else is drowned out once we realized we’re being criticized.
yeah, and we keep on saying that to change the country we have to change ourselves. We cant change ourselves when we cant even recognize the things that we have to change
At least there are some Filipinos who understand it is constructive criticism.
I have not seen the full video but I was not insulted or disappointed because it is the reality…
Check out Channelfix’s other videos. They seem to have something on Hip Hop in the Philippines. And more.
cool I’ll check that out… Hip Hop in the Philippines…lol those hiphop “artists” here should learn how to create their own music before they get charged with plagiarism
FYI…Filipinos do have their own stylr in hiphop…its just underground, means independent…not mainstream…if you want to look for eexamples i would recommend Skarm. look him up in youtube
If Jimmy did a number on Metro Manila, there would be at least 50 reasons to dislike.
Jimmy Sieczka would even make 50 reasons about the poor condition and defective culture of Philippines so It would be a wake up call to our government to fix the negativity of our neglected environment.
“If someone tries to educate Filipinos, they take it as an insult to their intelligence.”
As if the Pinoy is the smartest ass around!
/snark
i wonder why??
Those in-your-face realities that confront the average expatriate go way back, a testament to how very little actually changed at a fundamental level in da Pinas. I wrote a piece of advise to expatriates way back in 2002 here. By apologizing for his brilliant video, Jimmy Sieczka let down the legions of fans and admirers he made as a result of his seminal expose on da Pinoy Condition.
Perhaps he should never have apologized at all. In fact, he should have continued the assault. As I read somewhere before, these insults will keep coming unless they change/reform.
Indeed. Your comment reminds me of the incident a few years ago when Martin Nivera was made to apologize for singing the National anthem before a Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas as something other than a march. What a defeat for the principle of artistic freedom in the name of patriotic obedience. I heard the rendition, and it was beautiful, passionate, patriotic. It was just not a march. The same people who demand patriotic obedience in a song go home and prepare an SALN that is a bunch of horseshit.
Basically, nothing’s changed. That’s the point of this Channelfix video too.
Jimmy Sieczka knows too well that what would get an easily offended bunch of immature people off his back is a simple apology. I wouldn’t spend much more time trying to defend the facts as they already are glaringly obvious in his video—It’s their loss, not his, if Pinoys fail to acknowledge their own shortcomings. Pinoys are not man enough to take criticisms that are anyway true ( <– "what I dislike" no. 21 perhaps? ) Are we yet surprised why we never learn?
I wonder how many people who like the “20 things I love about the Philippines” video even wonder that some of those things on the list are not even remotely noteworthy? Pissing everywhere and pirated DVD’s for example.
Once again, Filipinos have shown just how much they haven’t evolved yet. You would think that a long-time exposure to American style frankness and sarcasm would have already rubbed off on us, but no. It’s ironic that we depend on and ask of foreigners to help us with a lot of things, and yet when they give it to us in the form of constructive criticism, we get angry. Tayo na nga tinutulungan, tayo pa galit. We shouldn’t be surprised that one day, they will just stop helping us.
Remember the time our goverment was worried that Japan won’t be able to give their ODF to us after the triple disaster? 🙂
Good thing he saw a drum. One time we got stuck on a hole that was covered by an old tire and a broken piece of thin plywood.
Took a few minutes and 6 men to get raise the wheel back on the road.
Everyone has a pros and cons about everything. Because everything has a pros and cons about themselves. It’s just that na nasa mga napupuna na lang kung paano nila mababawasan ang cons at maidagdag yun sa pagiging pros nila. 🙂
Why didn’t he add dog poo in the streets to the dislikes? I agree with the views of FallenAngel.
“15. Small napkins – Needless work for people, waste of material, can’t afford bigger and better napkins”
Well, Filipinos has small pussies anyway, so we don’t need big napkins for small pussies, hehehe
I dislike being made to snug in tightly with other jeepney passengers. As if 14 people with size 46″ waists can fit in there.
I enjoyed your article. Indeed, there are reasons behind so many of the 24 things to “dislike”, and some can easily be switched to likes. For instance, I drive the 2 1/2 hours to Robinson’s mall and find stopping alongside the road to find urinary relief convenient. An ecological moment, actually, time to admire the ferns and frogs and beware of snakes.
But I do take exception to one of the “likes” because it is a form of corruption. “Pirated DVD’s”. Yes, it is nice to get a cheap version of a hot movie, but it is little different than running up to the artist or producer and stealing pesos from his pocket. When the Philippines develops higher values, it will not put up with this kind of thing. As long as it subscribes to being a beggar economy, with the attached values, it will sanction all kinds of theft.
It is so easy to excuse those with beggar values, even if they are not poor. So easy to rationalize that “oh, Spielberg is rich, he won’t miss it”. Well, Spielberg gives a lot of his money to charity helping kids with cancer, and DVD thieves are taking money from those kids.
Yes, there are things I take exception with in the “Love” list too. I disagree with the pirated DVDs too.
Take note, pissing anywhere is seen in both videos. It just shows that it depends on where you’re coming from.
Bravo to Mr. Jimmy Sieczka! You exposed the partial truths about what is happening. The onion skinned response of so many summer weather patriots is surprising. Just goes to show we have many politicians, bureaucrats and local peeps who are blind and deaf to what is happening in many parts of the country today. We might as well start a new trend in locally produced videos. Maybe showing this to useless, sleeping administrators will wake them up to reality in working harder for improvements to benefit the general welfare of the people. The sleeping president is still lethargic and cannot be disturbed.
what i hate are propagandists and ‘gutter press’ masquerading as ‘journalists’ who cannot think for themselves but just do as they are told.
and False Asia pretending to be an opinion survey.
i dont like people p*ssing in public (recycling red horse), but not as bad as congress taking the p*ss out of the filipino people.
The second video (love) is as sarcastic as the first one (dislike).
Loving the Philippines for ‘pirated videos’. LOL *rolls on the floor*
Anyways, disregard how much the onion-skinned Filipinos react. Let’s bombard them with the ideals of changing oneself for the better of the country. 🙂
quote from a tourist review
memo to jiminez
” i’ve had a perfectly wonderful holiday – unfortunately, this wasn’t it!
the streets were over-run with rats, and hookers – some of whom were children, many of whom were transvestites! incredible
the food stank, literally – no wonder diabetes is so prevalent in the philippines with a diet of rice and fried food – 3 times a day, at least
hustlers from the moment you step of the plane (into something you could not call an airport), to the disgusting taxis, and drivers, and of course the endless procession of street beggars, and everyone urinating in the street – clearly a national pastime.
‘hey joe, gimme money’ must be the first words a filipino learns. you will hear it 100 times a day
try to relax in the hotel and learn about local issues by watching the news! – rapes, murders, corruption – and thats just the politicians! ( close your eyes to the cockroaches)
culture – only if loud tuneless videoke is your thing, otherwise forget it.
overall its rather like going back in time, but for the worst reasons.
my suggestion to all. avoid at all costs. asia has beautiful places full of adventure, culture and history.
it is no fun in the philippines, thats for sure – just an example of a 3rd world country en route to the 4th world
and if you escape the bribery, corruption, hustlers, terrorists, motor cycle riding hitmen, death squads, and pickpockets then consider yourself lucky, and go to thailand or vietnam next time”
I also think people should also realize there’s a difference between “dislike” and “hate.”
regardless, what mr. jimmy said was just his observation.. general observation of any tourists in the philippines. why are we going to bash someone for pointing out something that we just give a blind eye on?
besides, if there are pros, there are also cons. not all of the tourists dislike the philippines. as a matter of fact, they love living there because its cheaper… especially for retirees.
I just feel that if you he really dislikes the philippines, jimmy wouldn’t stay there for more than 3 years… just saying.
I won’t say it’s just HIS observation as if it was exclusively his. We see that everyday and have to put up with it. And for every time we change it, we get one or both of:
a) disrespecting “Filipinos” (pissing on the streets is “Filipino”)
b) accused of violating “human rights” (pissing on the streets is a “human right”)
And tourists do come here, but not for the large cities. We have beaches, mountains, and rustic places that budget tourists love and admire. I’m sure that J. Sieczka and the crowd that did the film have good reasons to stay here. But they did us a good favor by pointing out what is wrong. And since these are simple but chronically unresolved problems, it boils down to a culture of laziness and mediocrity which “Pinoy Pride” seeks to preserve.
it is true na tamad ang mga pinoy, madaling makuntento at gagawin ang lahat para mapadali ang trabaho at para kumita ng pera AND
filipinos are soo very into foreigners
they wanna children with them
Soo I dont think they dislike this guy or whatever this might have said
they usually will agree to whatever he say
pansamantala lang yung emosyon na mumurahin nila at kung anu pa.. magaagree din yan later or the next day na
eksaherado lang yung iba.. papansin ba!
wehehehehe >:D
Eh kapwa Filipino nga, di pinakikinggan.
Eh di! try nyo makinig sa kapwa nyo 😀
Kaya makining kayo sa akin. Saka kaila Benign0 atbp. Ayan, kapwa niyo yung mga yan. hehe
The fundamental problem in our country is that we are unable to take criticism especially from foreigners. Even if they talk about the exact same issues that bother many of us, the minute a foreigner starts pointing them out, we all close ranks.
We always criticise each other and the entire world, so why cant we take some criticism?
Is this dictated by our low self esteem as a nation?
Or is it our filipino pride?
Wherever we go we hear the same line Proud to be Pinoy. Are we really so proud being Pinoy?
Then why do the majority of us dream about living elsewhere?
Then Why do we try to imitate other cultures?
Then Why do we use whitening products?
Maybe we should say instead proud to be a white pinoy who lives outside the Philippines?
Its more fun in the Philippines, thats why the majority of our nation dream of working and living abroad
I enjoy living here but it does take some time to get used to a totally different culture.
Biggest complaint is those that expect the foreigner now living in country to pay for everything even though many of these cheap skates do have money but choose not to share it they prefer to be guests of honor at someone else’s party other than mine at my expense even though the foreigner has a huge family and only a pension and no hope for a job or business but could care less and when the money dry so is the friendship till the first of the month, so many people like this here.
This guy is a serious tourist because his likes are expensive and if you live here you don’t go to any fancy costly beaches for sure. I feel there are more freedom’s here than in the US for sure but miss the basic’s such as where can I buy “Corn flour” to make corn bread and real American hot dogs, I live in southern Luzon area and nobody has a clue what corn bread is here, the bread also sold is terrible and made cheaply and I do understand why.
There’s the Filipino habit of obsolescence too, which makes local products a hit-or-miss affair. In most countries when you get something made the contractor will do the best job he can regardless of price. In the Philippines (and especially in Metro Manila), you get what you pay for, unless they cheat you on the materials, workmanship, and labor; in which case you got “Flipped” off.
South Luzon isn’t so bad, it isn’t as urbane as Manila and plenty of opportunity to turn a business. Unfortunately, any business has to be leeched by the local politicians first.
I forgot to mention that the security guards are usually “Noynoying.” hehe
You know what I miss about the Philippines?
5-peso Slurpee Shots.
:3
You see, whether you put it as you “love” the philippines or you “hate” the philippines, it still does not change the bad situation. The movie makers is trying to convey that no matter how you sugarcoat the philippines with loving it, or it’s more fun in the philippines, does not change it as a trash third world country, their message gives the same result.
And philippines is being called a “third world” country because there is no “fourth world” country. But if such “fourth world” country exists, philippines will automatically go to that level right away without a doubt.
They call USA the land of opportunity, while the philippines is the land of “opportunists”. If these Filipino monkeys sees an opportunity to steal from you, they will surely do it.
things i hate about the Philippines:
Noise – Videoke bars on residential areas, motorists who make noise on purpose
Chaos – from crime, Wanna-be bigshot frat kids, drivers who dont know traffic rules, old people who think they are the law because they lived on an area for too long, police officers getting involved in crime, gang violence
Dying culture – no more good music, literature, movies it only looks good because there is no other choice and the media says it is good
Pollution
Lack of individuality of many Filipinos
Filipinos who graduate in college and have no idea on how to use their knowledge
The manipulative MEDIA
Non-performing government
Deteriorating education
……. phew
I don’t like the TV dramas. All crap. Always someone being kidnapped at the end of the story. And the way they portray kids, always inaapi and crying buckets of tears to get the audience to symphatize with them.
Mr. ChinoF probably had a field day watching those videos.
What I like to point out here – both refering to those videos and to Mr. ChinoF’s article is this:
All they are doing is stating facts, mentioning how things are in all its negativity (its like bashing at things). What I do miss in so many articles here in GRP is a break down of the problem and ways on how to solve them.
Poverty? Fine. But pls give me solutions in how to turn poverty into middle class
Poor education or poorly educated? Fine. Tell me how to improve the educational system in the Philippines.
Lousy culture? Fine. Tell me how to change the culture in the Philippines.
By answering these questions you are really contributing to a better Philippines.
Its very easy to nag and complain. But by doing that nothing will change.
Does it need a revolution or a civil war to change/alter everything in the Philippines? If yes then pls do start.
Hello Robert, long time no word from you.
The solutions are really easy, and it doesn’t need a revolution. All it needs is a simple acknowledgement by Filipinos that they aren’t perfect, and stop doing pointless and stupid things.
As to those you pointed out (poverty, poor education, lousy culture), if the government is not doing anything, then it’s up to the citizen to do something. I think this site is doing a good job pointing out that something must be done, but it really is up to the individual to think up what exactly should be done.
Like the little packages, for example. I just refuse the baggage boy at the supermarket to put the small items in those silly little plastic bags if they can fit comfortably in my pocket, and I always carry a sturdy canvas bag instead of a shopping bag.
I also learned to use a slingshot to eliminate noisy karaoke or jukebox machines in my neighborhood. And the bastards got the message.
Hi Don, I needed a break from this Blog website. And I can hardly contribute to the Blogs about the impeachment. I know too little or nothing about the back grounds of all parties concerned
Now, I dont know all 90 million Filippinos but I do feel most are “re-active” (or even very passive) and certainly not “pro-active” (am I right or not?) So if that previous statement is true then for sure not much will happen in the near future unless one (1) starts to move (and maybe the rest will follow). But hey didnt we see that during WW2 when Mr. AH started his world tour.
I am an individual (but also a foreigner) and I do think to know what is needed to change the Philippines but by God I would not know how and where to begin. And for sure I cant do it single-handedly.
What I ask my partner over and over is pls surprise me and tell me something about the Philippines that goes smoothly and efficient (the western way). So far she failed or should I say the Philippines failed in mentioning one aspect?
The most important question the Philippine citizens should ask themselves is “do we want to change our own country for the better?” I think the answer is NO. Otherwise some or a few would already have started (whether by protest marching, by revolting, by occupying Government buildings, by going on strike or by as little as making small changes in individual house holds).
BTW: are there any labour unions in the Philippines? Can employees unite themselves and join a trade union?
(Monday 26th March 2012 at 08.20PM dutch time)
Here is my personal wish list of what I would like to be changed/altered in the Philippines:
* If the Delikadesa is still an on-going way of how to raise daughters then pls stop it and instead pls start to teach the sons how to cook and how to participate in house hold chores and in co-raising the kids;
* If the Mano Po is still an on-going way of showing respect then pls stop the Mano Po. Respect should be earned and deserved, regardless of age and regardless of gender;
* If addressing with Ate, Kuya, Tita, Nini, Lola & Lola are still an on-going fact of addressing friends then that is a cold way to name your friends.
* Each city government should make road marks as indication of different lanes; no over-taking from the right side; stop blowing your car horns;
* Funeral processions can not hinder other traffic; they will delay (business) traffic and will delay the economy.
* Jeepneys should have efficient routes with fixed stops and with fixed time-tables; there are too many jeepneys; why not introduce city-buses instead;
* A fellow dutchman told me that a 16 year old Dutch knows (much) more than a 22 year pinoy/pinay. Hence something is really wrong with the educational system in the Philippines. Pls upgrade the Edu-system;
* The Philippine society should/must demand the national, provincial and city government to act open & transparent;
* The Philippine government should facilitate and accommodate new businesses without a lot of red tape and without bribes and at a reasonable price (for permits, licenses etc).
* The Philippine government should examine the possibility of widening “highways” so that journeys with private cars and/or buses will decrease considerably in time;
* The Philippine government should make it its mission statement that each house hold has water (cold & hot running water), electricity and gas (for heating the stove/furnace/oven) and that there are no more power outages.
(to name just a few)
Hello Robert,
Yes, there are labor unions in the Philippines. But unlike in Europe where unions actually look to the welfare of their members, unions in the Philippines are more interested in destroying bussinesses and making sure the workers have no work.
Your wish list matches mine. I mention the same things to everybody at work and they act hurt and say I’m not Filipino, or that I’m strange. That’s despite being a native-born Filipino myself. I tell them that only the Philippines does these outdated or stupid things, and then they act proud, as if making noise on the streets is a reason to be proud.
They insist on getting proud until one day I ask them if these things affect their sleep (we work night shift), then they realize that doing these things are silly, wasting time, and prevent them from sleeping right.
These days, they now are a bit more aware of their silly pride and that their situation is really stupid. They are now wishing for smarter things. Next step is to convince them to vote smart people into office.
Hi Don,
“The solutions are really easy, and it doesn’t need a revolution. All it needs is a simple acknowledgement by Filipinos that they aren’t perfect, and stop doing pointless and stupid things.”
I think you hit the nail on its head. But from what I saw being in Cebu I think most Flips give a rats ass. They are too busy to live a life their way (by just surviving). They are all still in the bottom section of the pyramid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs).
While most of us westerners, do have active hobbies, are curious and really interested in other people. I didnt find one person in Cebu who has an active hobby.
Filipinos don’t seem to be fond of hobbies. These activities are usually thought of as luxuries. Filipinos would rather follow the fad, or just make money without much thought.
Evrything he said is just true. We filipinos need to admit that. We need change, and it should start from within ourselves having the right motive. It may hurt us for awhile, but if we take time to study what he just said, it is the reflection of us here in the Philippines, maybe we never do any of what he said ..yes,,, but some of our kababayan did.(But of course, our government will play a big part on it). Common filipinos, kaya natin to.
common foreigners………………………………, even we filipino is poor, plss………….dont criticize us………………, if you were having the life as we had…………….., you will gonna understand why filipinos do that………….., but take note, not all filipinos are like that what you are telling about………………………, and if you were me, you will feel bad too………………………………………..but of course………, we admitting that some filipinos do that……………., but pls……………….., dont over criticize filipinos………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. but i will say thank you to you because you list down the things that are not good from us, so we able to learn from that and change that…………….
@Mark Agustine
Wrong. Never, EVER use poverty as an excuse to be filthy, undisciplined, and ill-mannered. THAT is accepting that Filipinos have no capacity to learn and improve.
Poverty should be a driver to do better every time, not an excuse to stagnate. I am as Filipino as you are and I HATE those things that Filipinos do that the foreigners pointed out; and I dislike Filipinos for making excuses as to why they do these things.
Now I’m sold on a pattern here: more Filipinos before the 1970’s actually had a work ethic and strived to get out of poverty by taking on challenges. People back in the day were neatly dressed despite their poverty and carried themselves with quiet dignity.
These days, people piss and crap everywhere, live in filth, and generally trash everything out, and loudly proclaim “Proud to be Pinoy!”
My grandparents’ generation are now farting dust in their graves, thanks to this jejemon generation born since Cory’s time.
Saying, “do not criticize” is a coward’s and onion-skin’s way of dealing with life. If you can’t learn to accept criticism, do not expect to learn the right thing to do.
STOP READING THOUGHTS OF THOSE YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH, Mark. What is wrong with the Philippines is Filipino attitudes/culture. Filipinos are just as quick to learn, just as hard working, as any population anyplace else. But IT is Filipinos who are always pretending, who must “find another way” when faced with obeying(or not)the rules set for the good of the nation.
Laws can be changed.
Corrupt practices can be exposed, and they are already illegal.
Money is important, but morality more important. Cheating is only cleaver if everybody forgets or forgives. Make the penalty for cheating, in business, in government, in religion, or life a LOT more severe. Stand with your neighbor for the common good. Never admire in front of children those who became rich through immoral deeds. Use social pressure to cheapen unjust rewards.
It is not a secrete who offers government jobs for a kick back, who police ignore, what privilege elected officials enjoy.
Simply said, don’t tolerate it a day longer.
Hi Don,
Pls forgive my straight forwardness but I would like to get in touch with you by email. So I dont need to “rape” this Blog-website with off-topic issues.
You may/can contact me here, if you want: haighton@xs4all.nl
I take the chance by publishing it here that I may get unsollicited emails from others. If you feel reluctant then thats okay. Its just that I think you are able to answer questions I have about the Philippines I cant get anywhere else. Most of the things I experienced first hand I dont understand and my partner seems unable to explain them to me.
Hi Robert,
No problem, I look forward to reading your mail.
Well when you’re near someone insecure, then better be careful. Filipinos were raised and taught to be insecure from an early age. If anyone hurts the little pride that’s left in them, boom.
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Good that you mentioned poverty and the gap between rich and poor. What is clearly the number one thing that is wrong with the Philippines is that there are about 400 families who own almost all of the wealth in the country and the rest of the population is lucky to be living on $2 a day, many on $1 or less per day. The Philippines is desperately in need of a revolution to overthrow its government that is nothing but a hand puppet of those 400 wealthy families and most importantly to overturn the social order that keeps them wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
Get rid of capitalism entirely, it’s nothing but slavery by another name. Transfer ownership of the productive assets into the hands of the workers e.g. if a retail store has 10 employees you have those ten employees each getting 1/10th of the profits instead of one absentee business owner sucking up 95% of the profits and paying his 10 workers out of the remaining 5%. If one of those ten workers has the initiative to want to be a manager then he or she gets paid more than the others to compensate for the added burden of leadership and responsibility but not SO MUCH more that he or she becomes part of a different social class than his or her fellow workers, with the difference in pay coming out of the remaining nine workers’ percentages, for example a manager making 15% of the company’s profits and the other nine workers making 9 point something %. Excess wealth is not cool, it’s not worth your soul. Far better for there to be one class of people with the only difference being the difference between making 9.-% of the profits versus 15%.
Filipinos and Filipinas, until your poor majority rises up and says “Enough is enough, we’re not going to be the slaves of the wealthy any longer” and strangles those 400 families with their own intestines your country is never going to be a decent place. Sorry but that’s the cold hard truth. Capitalist slavery is 100% incompatible with a decent life for the majority of the population.
capitalism is only a process of defending private ownership. Socialism and capitalism are not incompatible. Without a personal and immediate reward for hard work, few will work hard. The Philippines needs hard work.
But I agree with you, if I were a Filipino I would shoot corrupt policemen, members of the ruling elite, and most local politicians, with a sniper rifle. It is impossible to get rich inside the Philippines without being a part of corruption. They are all guilty, and if the law will not punish them, then that cancer must be excised, it has spread far enough.
Figuratively speaking of course ^ not literally. All hyperbole aside, the oppressed and poor vast majority of the population of The Philippines will remain oppressed and poor generationally unless and until a revolution overturns the existing social order and reorders society in a way that (gasp!) actually benefits somebody besides the tiny wealthy class, that instead is oriented around what’s best for the common man and woman. I’m not saying the transition would be an easy process but nothing worth doing is easy. The end result is worth it as the alternative is perpetual wage slavery, poverty, subsistence but not truly living. Just human machines that the wealthy class sees only as disposable robots to increase their profits. The best bet is a three-stage process that applies in pretty much any capitalist country:
1. Education of the non-wealthy majority in the reasons why things are the way they are (because capitalism cannot exist without mass exploitation of the average person, the concept of surplus value, the large difference between the value added by a worker’s labour and the small wage he or she is being paid to perform that labour) and what needs to be done to change it, i.e. the removal of the existing social order and its replacement with direct worker ownership of the businesses
2. Turning this education into a mass movement to peacefully replace capitalism with direct worker ownership, formation of cells in cities and towns all over the country
3. Organizing and carrying out a nationwide campaign of (non-violent) civil disobedience that blocks off roads and rail lines, shuts down airports and seaports and camps out surrounding government buildings with tens of thousands of people. Make “business-as-usual” impossible. Shut down the country and keep it shut down until the rich ruling elite panics and tries to get the military to start shooting demonstrators. When the military refuses and sides with the demonstrators rather than obey an inhumane order the elite will pack up their “portable wealth” in steamer trunks and flee the country, leaving the rest of the population to clean up the mess and rearrange it in a way that benefits the vast majority of the population instead of a fortunate few.
only one thing you missed, wage slavery. The vast majority of the poor are only disgusted with the system they are trapped in because it is they who are not at the top.
The culture of corruption in the Philippines is from beggars in the street to the highest offices.