Philippine Labor Day rhetoric: the same old bullshit

So it’s “Labor Day” again this 1st of May in the Philippines. What do the usual suspects who champion the workers’ “fight” have to offer this time in terms of rhetoric? Considering that they’ve milked the easy ones dry — anti-Americanism, anti-imperialism, anti-incumbent-government, higher wages, more jobs, etc. — what else is there?

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There is much labor has to offer. Unfortunately, their activists are not among the brightest bulbs in the room. The workers’ “issues” these usual “activists” have worn thin over decades of moronic militantism revolve around entitlement. The battle cry has always been all about what the Filipino worker is entitled to. Nowhere in the labour ideology does the notion of value proposition come up, as in:

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What exactly does labor have to offer to earn these “entitlements” they demand?

Communism is the Nirvana of the labour plight. Look closely at how communism works and you will find a system geared singularly towards rewarding on the basis of entitlement. No surprise then that the world’s communist regimes have all but collapsed or are muddling along in degeneracy. When you reward temper tantrums, guess what, you get an unproductive lazy brood of princes and princesses who will be bugging you for dole outs for the rest of their wretched lives.

To this day, the only value proposition Filipinos have to offer to the world’s industrialists is cheap. A very precarious situation, indeed. If cheap Filipino labour suddenly disappears from the face of the earth, hey, no problemo. Advanced nations will manage to find solutions to overcome such a setback and certainly will be able to explore alternative sources. I can have faith in civilisations that’ve survived the Dark Ages, the Inquisition, rebuilt from innumerable wars, pulled themselves together after being nuked, re-invented themselves after being flooded by Asian automobiles and electronics, and keep their noses up despite their politicians.

On the other hand, one wonders whether a society such as ours that had more than enough forests, minerals, rainfall, natural beauty, and exceptional command of the planet’s primary language of knowledge and learning yet remains dreadfully impoverished can prevail. After flattening our forests and kneeling in prayer as our population ballooned to an enormous size, we now talk as if the world owes us a “decent” buck.

It’s quite tragic, actually. With a bit of imagination our so-called “activists” could’ve come up with something a bit more original for a change to enliven the debate surrounding the plight of Filipino workers. Instead all we see is the tired old script; all the lumang tugtugin.

Then again, the real underlying issue surrounding the conditions of Filipino workers has less to do with rhetoric or ideology, and more to do with economics. At the end of the day, where there is an enormous supply that utterly dwarfs demand, guess what, supply gets treated like crap. You can’t repeal that fundamental law of nature. Certainly no amount of legislation will change the maths.

24 Replies to “Philippine Labor Day rhetoric: the same old bullshit”

  1. The ‘Nirvana’ of the worker is ‘entitlement’? Where did you get that one from? WHAT?
    Capitalism no longer exists, Crony-capitalism is the new form of tyranical oppression of anyone who is not part of the top .01%.
    To understand what is happening inside the Philippines you must look at what is happening outside of the Philippines.
    It is complicated, but certainly comprehendable.
    A good place to get that info would be from the former assistant secretary of the USA treasury:
    http://www.paulcraigroberts.org

    Check it out, you will begin to understand why the jobs entering the Philippines are among the crappiest in the world and that the way to move philippine society forward MIGHT BE from within, not by out-sourcing the workers as slaves to other places (OFW’s).

    1. The only thing ‘comprehend-able’ about your source material is that it declares anything you find disagreeable as part of some vast conspiracy perpetrated by the American government. Got it. You don’t like America or Americans. Considering the rather cowardly and pathetic performance of US President Obama in the face of recent world events, however, it would be a stretch to imagine the United States prosecuting any new military action aside from federal paramilitary forces storming a town hall meeting and subduing unarmed civilians.

      1. WHAT? QE to infinity and building an economy on ‘housing speculation’ is no way to run an economy. The ‘within’ part of my comment refers to Manufacturing, as in what the Philippines should be doing, not outsourcing OFW’s to prop up its economy(along with a few other non-sustainable manuevers).
        Your clairvouyance is not as accurate as you think it is. As a matter of fact it could not be more wrong. You apparently know what you think you know, which in this case is nothing. The source referrenced in the above comment was/is the father of ‘Reaganomics’ a really sharp guy who knows what he is talking about, unlike yourself.
        PPFFF…..

      2. Peering into the second part of your comment, the back-handed slap-in-the-face to the Philippines biggest benefactor: It would benefit any sane person that the current situation in Eastern Europe is not escalated any further, due to its Nuclear implications. There are many opinions out there but it certainly looks like the current ‘regime’ in the USA is not going to stop in its quest for control of the gas pipe-lines and fertile farmland the Ukraine offers the real beneficiaries of USA foreign policy.
        It would also seem to any sane person that any citizen of a country that is in the back-pocket of the USA, that citizen would want the USA to prevail.
        AND yet there are others out there who underestimate what is actually a quest for world dominance. An eye-opener, apparently for you, is that it is near completion. The ruthlessness to which this dominance is to be carried out and what it entails has not even begun to show itself and is therefore underestimated.

  2. The troll pollutes this site with his faggotry again…resorting to using ad hominems, lame comebacks AND using names of other posters to promote his loser status.

    Anyway, I can blame the lack of proper education for many Filipinos – the reason why we’re still struggling to find other employment even from other countries and still we rely on OCW remittances as our main source of capital.

    1. People like this loser who impersonates us are the reason this country isn’t moving forward.
      Lack of intelligence and etiquette are common in internet morons like this yellow loser who keeps using other people’s names not even realizing that they are making idiots of themselves.

      1. I wonder what name is he going to use this time? Probably mine’s next.

        Regardless of the names, it can’t disguise the foulness of a person.

        1. He already used “felix” and that didn’t work out for him since he only exposed his immaturity and stupidity.

          I don’t think that troll realizes that his attempts at trolling here are futile.

          Looks like the malacañang comms group are scrambling to disrupt the growing anti-aquino sentiment but unfortunately for them, they are failing miserably.

        2. Just look at the immature, cesspool-worthy comments and you’ll know it’s a loser who’s only seeking 5 minutes of fame here.

  3. One of the things I’ve observed about some activists, or many, I guess, is that they tend to come from the well-off families. Perhaps some are trying to project the image that they’re “socially conscious,” while others are using advocacies to further agendas. Thing is, they come off as not so serious about their advocacies.

    1. Agree. Back in college, there are a lot of these people who sympathizes with the “masa” and preach communism and stuff but after all the shouting and government cursing they will go to their favorite sosyal coffee shops with their laptops and gadgets. They also dress like shit just to look poor. Posers.

      1. I know a guy who is exactly like that. Graduate from UP, affluent family, has house helpers, uses an iPhone,hangs around in Starbucks, etc. And goes to and supports supporting commie sentiment rallies.

    2. Or they’re just feeling guilty over circumstances beyond their control. Like having access to running water. So they assuage their guilt by making the rest of the populace suffer.

      Advocating high-minded social ideals is just fine. But nowhere does it say that having a conscience means having to inflict misery on others to make yourself feel better. That’s just selfish.

  4. Labor Day is irrelevant in the Philippines. If Filipino OFWs go to work in foreign countries…especially in the Middle East. Can they talk about those labor rights?

    Anyway , some are working as part time prostitutes…so they have no complaints…may sideline sila…

    Bibingwit na naman ako ng YellowTard na dayuhan ni Aquino at Roxas…Hey Asshole YellowTards…howl again to the moon for me!!!

  5. Wala na akong nabingwit na “mercenary bloggers” ni Aquino at Roxas. Pag lumabas sila…bigyan natin sila ng ‘1-2-3 ” combination ni Pacquiao…tulog sigurado at plastado sila…Hey mercenary Yellowtards, come out and howl to the moon, for me!!!

  6. Is this going to be another bankster and government holiday? Ugh… on the first of the month, great timing for those that need to deposit there checks get money, when will these holidays gravitate to the middle of the month.

  7. US president support and respect our government and our people. Why didn’t write about his visit and his words? I copy this from a real news place.

    US President Barack Obama being welcomed at the Malacañang Palace. AP Photo
    MANILA, Philippines — United States President Barack Obama thanked the Philippines for welcoming him in his first official visit to the country.

    “Benigno, I want to thank you and the Filipino people and not only for your generous hospitality today, but for a friendship that has spanned generations,” Obama told the media and President Benigno Aquino III in a joint press conference this afternoon.

    Obama said he is “proud” to be in the Philippines in the same year when the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Lingayen Gulf is being commemorated.

    The US President pointed out that Filipino and American soldiers fought together in the said battle to liberate the Philippines during the Second World War.

    “This is my first visit to the Philippines as President and I am proud to be here,” Obama said.

    “All these years later, we continue to stand shoulder to shoulder to uphold peace and security in the region and around the world,” he added.

    Obama said the Philippines, as a “vibrant democracy,” reflects the desire of the citizens in the region to live in freedom and to have their universal rights upheld.

    And as one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, the Philippines also represents new opportunities for trade and investment that creates jobs, Obama added.

    The American leader also praised the Philippine government for the Bangsamoro agreement. He said the country now has a “historic opportunity” to forge a lasting peace in the south where people could live with greater security and prosperity.

    President Obama and Noynoy partnership must be very upsetting to people here, are you going to attack his exellency Obama for respecting our people and our president?

    1. Obama doesn’t know squat about the real Philippines. It seem you are also the same. Why don’t you crawl out under the rock you live in and smell the crap.

      Prices of prime commodities are going up, unemployment/underemployment is up. Quality of education is down, as it is with the quality of life. National budget is up to trillion pesos now, but it seems they forgot about the citizens. Bangsamoro deal is a sham.

      Sorry to burst your bubble, but this are facts from the street you cannot sugarcoat. You go tell the guy there down the street, unemployed, making it through the day with pagpag, that Obama is here. Just try it if it makes his day a bit more human.

      Welcome to planet earth, Bessie.

      1. LMAO, yep! it doesn’t matter what any of them say or do. What is going to happen was decided long before this photo op.
        Life in the Fils will not change one bit for the next 50years.

  8. Wala na ang mga mercenary bloggers ni Aquino, Roxas at Obama…nagtago na sila, o sumama na sila kay Obama na umuwi. Bahag buntot silang lahat na umiwas…takot pala silang lahat sa 1-2-3 combination ni Pacquiao…hangang diyang lang pala sila…

  9. Can’t help but notice how regular commentators of this site shoot down anyone who disagree with their point of view, but has valid perspective that ought to be contemplated on, with personal attacks and branding. Pinoy pride manifestation? Or perhaps they are very posers they pretend to be against with, disorienting the topic currently discussed, turning the comment section into their own chat page.

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