What did League of Filipino Students (LFS) “activists” hope to accomplish by burning the American flag and defacing the United States embassy facade today (the 16th April)? Did they actually think that they could send whatever noble “message” they imagine their quaint movement to possess to the powers-that-be of what is still the planet’s mightiest nation by throwing paint all over the gates of one of their Third World outposts?
[Photo courtesy PinoyExchange.com.]
Consider how, back in 1991, no less than the Senate of the Philippines dealt what it thought was a mighty blow to the United States by booting them out of their vast military bases in Subic Bay and Clark Field among others. Undoubtedly, that act of Philippine Congress utterly dwarfs any sort of protest gesture that a riffraff student movement may make. One would think that big boot wielded by the Philippine Senate would really matter in the long run. And perhaps it did as the US lost a leasehold on infrastructure it had poured billions into developing for just a couple decades shy of a century. But the more important question is, did this act which the “activists” of the time pitched as a symbolic assertion of sovereignty and a so-called milestone in our aspirations for “true independence” live up to the nationalist rhetoric surrounding it?
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Very doubtful, considering that the Philippines today remains the same sniveling panhandling excuse for a modern “state” that it had always been for the greater part of its “independence” from Uncle Sam.
In the context of that epic fail, LFS conscripts throwing paint on an embassy facade comes across as no more than a pathetic tantrum. Indeed, the Commie-infiltrated organisation Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) routinely articulates “analyses” and “statements” that are consistently built upon a one-dimensional belief surrounding the nature of the Philippines’ modern relationship with its former colonial master — that of exploiter and exploitee. More recently, in light of the current dynamics now shaping the region, the leftist rhetoric is built around three basic postulates:
(1) Philippines is being used as a “pawn” of an American plan of “containment and encirclement of China”.
(2) US appetite for war is fuelled by America’s armaments industry which is seen to be a significant source of employment in its depressed economy.
(3) Philippine government “ties” with America are “exclusivist”, have a “superior-subordinate bondage” nature, and “deprive” Filipinos of a “sovereign right to self-determination”.
As such, any move by any ruling administration in the Philippines to affirm ties with the United States will always be seen to be an affront to the commie “revolution”. And as such, there will always be convenient excuses and occasions to throw paint bombs at American embassies and burn American flags.
But none of that noise addresses the fundamental issue of the Philippines’ renowned heritage of smallness and its strong tradition of military ineptness — weaknesses in fundamentals that is at the root of its consistent low low standing in the global order. As such, what I wrote a while back still applies…
America’s influence fills a vacuum that exists in the intellectual landscape of Philippine society much the same way as another legacy of American presence — the jeepney — fills a void in our country’s mass transport capability.
We as a people lack a cohesive agenda and vision that is bigger than the petty politics that frames our politicians’ posturings. Here then is what is real: Whether we like it or not, American influence gives us a place (pathetic as it may be) in global geopolitics. It is a choice between that and the laughable small-mindedness of Pinoy thinking that will determine and govern that place.
And even more realistically;
If America withdraws its influence on Philippine internal affairs, some other global power will simply step in to fill the void.
So tough luck. Unless we as a people grow a bigger collective brain, we will be subject to the bigger agendas of bigger global players.
We can readily observe how far more blatant offenses against Philippine sovereignty effected by the Chinese navy seems to conveniently escape the wrath of these commie activists. Perhaps it is because China, like the United States, is also a big global player that possibly employs its own band of local minions to effect its mega-agenda in the region. US-backed or Chinese-backed, they are all the same. And the Philippines, either way, will never be the “independent” nation it imagines itself to be.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
The Chinese violated the sovereignty of the Philippine, a few weeks ago. Did these Wowwowee and YellowTard students raise even a whimper? No sir…they remained silent and hiding like Noynoy Aquino…It’s just a U.S. /Philippine military exercise, that could help in the defense of our country. And, they are there shouting slogans and nonsense. Do these student secretly want to go to U.S. and work? I believe 95% of them would love to…Why not demonstrate on Malacanang Palace…Noynoy Aquino is creating artificial power shortage, in order to jack up the prices of electricity…I’m tired to these nonsense…Misplaced nationalism…
Just a minor thing. The LFS I’ve known and loved? is red.
If they suddenly became yellow, I guess the quality of these people have gone to an all time low
They’re still red. Yellow is the color of Akbayan. Those are different entities.
Aren’t those activists were only using their flawed ‘activism’ to vandalize and ruin things just to show us and the authority how awesome they are?
They should instead grow out of puberty.
Normally, I’d just let these LFS or Bayan activities pass. On very rare good days, I even appreciate some of the noise (awareness daw) they create.
However, today I heard a stupid statement from Renato Reyes of Bayan earlier on TV. He said that the US and the VFA is “mas masahol pa sa ginagawa ng Tsina.” So, does that mean having regular Chinese intrusions and Chinese poachers are okay with them? Like, how twisted is that? Are our local poachers not enough for us that we have to allow “imports” from China?
I understood his statement this way: he acknowledges that China is also trampling on RP sovereignty but the US version,having a virtual rent-free base in the Philippines via VFA, is worse. I mean, are there degrees to trampling on this country by foreign powers?
What else do you expect from Dirty Communists?
We are sorry for what happened. They do not represent majority of us here. These misled Leftist Communist Chinese Lapdogs are just a noisy tiny 0.0001% part of our total opinion. These savages does not even attempt to rally in front of Chinese Embassy with their fake double-faced “nationalism” they call. Screw them. Most of our netizens hate them!
i can nod vigorously in agreement till my head drops. but that won’t make my countrymen grow a national conscience nor dream of real national independence. its elite is used to comprador deals with foreign powers. the ruling class practically screams: we sell out our people and patrimony in exchange for subaltern powers and money. hahaha.
One rallyist girl was interviewed on TV. She said they wanted justice for the rapes of women by American soldiers, such as “Nicole.” Too bad she forgot or may have not known that Nicole withdrew her charges and later migrated to the US. So she went to the land where “rapists” come from. It seems to Nicole really wanted to go to the US in the first place, and the method some Filipinas use to do so is to lay in bed with an American.
I was pissed on what Nicole did. Her ‘rapist’ was sent to jail while she is the one who dropped the charges.
That rallyist girl is so stupid to realize it.
Natulog yata sa pansitan si Ate Commie. Ahehe.
Kung hindi ako nagkakamali Nicole fabricated her accusations.
And we get mad when foreigners say we only breed maids and prostitutes. 😛
Of course I agree with your perspectives. Protests seem to be the accepted voice of the people these days, or groups of people who feel the regular channels of influence, their representatives in Congress or various agencies that flow down the Executive org chart from the president, doin’t give them adequate voice. I rather sense that if LFS were successfully voicing the views of the people, it would be a much larger organization and would, indeed, command respect from the Congress and agencies of Executive. If it were to accept responsibility for its own world, acting with the same kind of independence it demands of the Philippines, it would do a better job of recruiting and influencing acts through the regular channels that are available.
I say the same thing about the Occupy Wall Street Movement in the US, an organization that believes tossing smoke bombs over the walls of the White House, or ripping apart government offices in Oakland, California, is righteous expression.
It’s because Obama is the incumbent president not because what they’re doing is wrong.
Don’t ever believe this dud.
The communist left legal support fronts show their true colors. They are totally silent when Red China tries hard to steal our crude oil and natural gas. The LFS is for communist China. They should just immigrate and stay there forever!
Just curious, whop is being addressed by that comment?
Ahhh, LFS, while I see American VFAs as a chance to plug our country to potential tourists, they’ve argued this was just a ploy to keep us Filipinos poor, in the dark, and exploit us for our resources.
The country is an archipelago, extremely advantageous but also hard to defend, not too mention that our military is not among the best in the world, with inferior equipment, lack of training and experience, and overall misguided reasons for joining.
I believe we need allies, with Uncle Sam being number one on the list.
Obviously, those commies are too drunk on juche, the North Korean mindset that propagates self-reliance and total isolation.
The problem is that these people don’t really believe in self reliance or even want to help the country.
As an arm of the CPP-NPA-NDF, they only have one goal, however outlandish it is: the overthrow of the government.
But you are right in one thing, we will be indeed like North Korea if they ever get their way.
This is so confusing. The LEFT is trying to push the government to do the RIGHT thing, but wants to be LEFT alone (something I picked up from @tweetnirizal) but the truth is, since my college days, these overly sensitive LEFT are extremely insensitive to what the whole country is going through. They reserve their RIGHT to express their opinions, yet their actions always leave strange marks, literally. Vandalizing walls is RIGHT? Holding up traffic is keeping honest workers from getting to their jobs on time. Not much has changed where they LEFT off decades ago – just a bunch of brats.
The Left has always been consistent in pushing ITS AGENDA through its youth arms. Schools are still recruiting grounds.
i bet you they all eat mac donald and burgerking made by american company
i am pretty sure there are many LFS that line-up at american embassy than the chinese embassy to seek employment, apply US visa for immigration. nakakahiya na kayo!!!
Can’t this people protest in peace? …..Oh wait that was a stupid question.
their mind is clouded by their emotion…and they are probably thinking that what they did was the right thing to do, without realizing that they are becoming more of the problem themselves, rather than the solution they want to see…
BenignO, I suppose these guys are not working students but are students studying full-time, which, of course, means that they’re still living with, and financially supported in their studies by, their parents.
Article II, Sec. 12 of the Constitution recognizes this parental obligation by declaring that “the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character†is “the natural and primary right and duty of parents†and that the policy of the State is directed only in extending support to the due exercise of such parental right and duty.
Hence, this taunting act of infantile vandalism is traceable to how these delinquents were reared up–pampered and coddled by lenient, overprotective parents who would give in at every turn to satisfy and accommodate their child’s tantrums, moods and idiosyncrasies.
In short, there is once again evidence of a profound failure of parental responsibility in this particular mode of a well-planned group mischief.
So, unless there’s a law to penalize parents for the misdeeds of their children legally still under their care, there’s not much that can be done here, but to suggest that the name of this gang of immature hoodlums be changed to: the League of Spoiled Students–Future Politicians!
Well, if these are college students, then they are likely of adult age and therefore expected to take personal responsibility for their actions which means, if apprehended, they should be prosecuted as adults. Their parents? They’ll get their payback when they have to sell their home to pay for lawyers someday. Maybe not in this instance, but someday perhaps.
Talk about parental obligations.
Let the kids watch pinoy telenovelas, pinoy dubbed hollywood movies, spongebob square pants in pilipino. etc. Let them watch willie or manny.
Let them listen to OPM (sic) which is really a cover of a foreign artist’s song.
I can still remember during my elementary years, if you wanted to watch Voltes V, you have to learn english. And yes, discipline, we were disciplined alright. All our teachers (public schools) all had stick on their hands while teaching. And we didnt complain.
When did education start to fail us?
Its really frustrating sometimes for a parent to teach his/her child/children something of substance while he/she/they are watching spongebob in tagalog.
I share your sentiment, eversince our nations 2 biggest mass media network started bombing primetime and even my beloved saturday morning time with telebasuras and filipino dubbed anime it went frombad to worst. Not only does the telebasuras justifies illegal settlers they also always if not often make them the kind hearted oppressed individuals who cant seem to even kill a fly. Which is bullshit! in this country the illegal tenants barks more and louder than the landowner and our 1987 fuck up constitution together with its additional laws and revisions up to the present time are more “squatter friendly” which just proves how dysfunctional our current “Laws” are. Again back to the issue of the idiot box feeding garbage to our future generations. All I can say is God (if there is one) save Philippines.
Even this students or any activist protesting infront of the US embassy given an opportunity to go to US they’ll accept. They are being used by the corrupt-influential or an opportunistic people and the same goes to our country which is a pawn to any power nation. The country is still far from realisation haven’t woke up and it goes with the true Story of Juan Tamad.
Is US “control” completely a bad thing? It does keep a small degree of sanity and safety in our country.
I would like to see how this League of Filipino Students protest when the Chinese is in power over our country. Yeah I hope they all get run over by tanks!!!
This guys have the guts to protest because they know the US won’t mind them, what if the situation is reversed will they still protest if the US reacts with force in their petty tantrums. Keep getting mad self-entitled scums!!!
Nah the Chinese won’t conquer the Philippines, they’ll just take Kalayaan and Scarborough for its’ oil.
They don’t have the stomach to rule over 100 million unruly, undisciplined Filipinos.
No nation can. 😛
Hahaha…no nation would be stupid enough to try.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2 sides between us are trying to figure out how they can get the oil without having to deal with us as much as possible. 😉
Just shows what kind of society and government we will have if the communist party ever takes over the government. We’ll be next to North Korea and instead of moving forward we’ll be the fastest backward-ass nation this world will see. Personally speaking and coming from a province infested with NPA *cough* *bandits* *cough* they recruit the laziest assholes in a barrio equip them with armalite and they wont need to do hard labors everyday in order to eat. They just need to wait til the copra farmers and rice farmers harvest their crops and voila! they’ll be marching out of their burrows and demand Their “share” together with their “Revolutionary Tax”. And people wonder why we have food shortage when we have vast agricultural lands. well folks farmers are also humans they also get tired of fruitless labors.
Most of the time filipino’s dont think they also follow the trend… sometimes they are just afraid because of being threatened…. I’m a filipino but i cant really understand the sense what they are fighting for. Dont they think that we have OFW’s in the US that is really a help for the country. Support that the US is giving to us when we are in crisis like the yolanda typhoon…They keep on rallying without thinking of every possible things that might happen… I really hate stupid stupid filipinos activist! burning flag is a sign of disrespect good thing President Obama did not put such attention to it…