The pic shown is a weird post, but maybe we can get something from it. I wrote before that the things that may actually fix our country are the “un-Filipino” values and practices, and that’s one reason corruption is hard to fix in this country. The rub is, the corruption we’ve been observing all this time is simply the product of our culture.
The “nepo kids” of the Discayas and other contractors are simply the latest poster material for the latest outrage fad. Some are lamenting that nothing will be done about corruption in Philippine government and it will continue until the next public scandal. I have to agree, because unless people are unwilling to question their own practices, no meaningful change will come.
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As esteemed webmaster Benign0 said in his recent article, the Philippine needs a reboot for corruption to be rightly addressed. What kind of reboot? Changes in government forms and other formal structures do little to actually change things. No matter the structure in place, Filipinos under their culture of circumvention will find ways around it. That’s why I believe government decisions are actually done not in the formal halls, but when those concerned are out having dinner in a restaurant, in an informal setting. The real change doesn’t happen in formal channels, but in informal ones.
Those familiar with Get Real Philippines likely know our emphasis on corruption coming from the culture. The habits that lead to corruption are what Filipinos practice in ordinary life. As Benign0 wrote, at “an early age, Filipino children are taught by their parents to be cheats and liars.” Workers take home supplies and even the belongings of co-workers from workplaces. Applicants falsify resume details. Workers who habitually do things wrong and violate rules bully a co-worker who is doing things right. Politicians enter their family members even if they are not qualified because of “family first values.” And so on.
The Folly of the “Right Leader”
The idea of “voting the right person in” is trumpeted as if it’s the greatest solution to corruption, but it’s actually overrated. It assumes that the “right leader” or “benevolent dictator” can right everything on their own. But it probably carries with it a fallacious presumption; that a “right leader” will have absolute power. Government is made of many people executing and carrying out different actions. And not to mention, there is the separation of powers to limit the power of one leader. That itself already puts obstacles in the way of supposed efforts to “right things.” Benign0 quoted the late columnist Jaime Licauco on this: the Philippine “bureaucracy… is burdened by elaborate and often unnecessary checks and balances so that nothing ever gets done in the process.”
The idea of the “right leader” is likely based on the longtime fallacy that you can divide people into good and evil, that such good and evil people were born that way, and their natures are permanent (one born good is good forever, one born bad is bad forever). Choose the good people, eliminate the evil people, and things will be perfect. In truth, this is a naïve concept.
The Good and Evil Divide
People are not born good or evil, but learn certain traits and practices over time. Genetic predisposition’s role is small; it is a person’s discretion that does the most. People can change at the drop of a hat because of this. That’s why it was reasoned both in religion (Christianity especially) and philosophy, if you want to get rid of evil forever, you need to get rid of the whole human race – yourself included. And if you do actually it, you would be evil!
“Let’s kill all the evil ones!” or broadcast personality Kara David’s wish of “may all the corrupt ones die” sounds like a bright idea. But it’s really dumb. How can you determine truthfully if a person is an evil one? Remember there are deceptions that paint innocent people as evil. Yet the “kill evil ones” crowd may say the collateral damage is worth it. In my view, this is simply the culling concept under Social Darwinism. Cutting out the “evil” people is the same as culling the unfit. In truth, you can’t create a clear divide of people into good and evil; people are a mixed bag of good and evil, so voting “good” people into office can never be a true anti-corruption step.
Filipino culture lionizing certain people and demonizing others is more a function of our political patronage, something that draws from our old culture of serving datus and other small monarchs. That’s why it also makes no sense to choose the “best” or “character-solid” people for many things – some things might even be deceptive propaganda. Ordinary people who claim “I’ll be good through and through” can still fall once they get eaten by the web of politics. Ordinary Filipino families, when put in the same situation as the Discayas, Napoleses, and more, are likely to do the same.
Pride should be Fried
Pinoy Pride is one thing… as well as any other pride. Pride is one reason people get into corruption. Look at the vlogs of family members of those implicated in DPWH corruption. They were showing off all the expensive stuff they acquired, the pride any ordinary person would tend have. But when the scandal came up, the connection was made that their branded expensive stuff was bought through corruption. So when people vlog their expensive stuff, it’s becoming the default reaction to suspect that they got these with fishy money. Flaunting wealth is riskier now, but for good reason.
Filipinos need to be willing to question the culture they practice. The answer to corruption may be, what you thought was precious, popular, culturally fashionable, a cultural obligation, something you “deserve” to prop yourself up from “feeling poor,” your values that you hold dear… is what you should give up.
Let’s say this is done… you successfully remove the things that cause corruption… Filipinos use their brains and become more logical, practice meritocracy instead of nepotism, are willing to leave behind their tribalism for better practices and concepts, are accepting of vast and radical differences between each other instead of forcing everyone to be the same, are not starstruck by other people, become less materialistic, stop becoming obsessed with “pride,” etc…
Some might even question whether all of that is even “Filipino” anymore.
Then out comes those quarters showing “traitor,” “maka-dayuhan” and such (like the pictured post at the top). Thing is, where do you think our concepts of anti-corruption come from?
Luxury brands appeal more to the younger Filipinos these days… the ones who seek external validation and are incapable of thinking and feeling with depth. We’ve built a world where people now think paper bills or numbers in their bank account can take care of problems instead of having real life skills and organizing for cooperation. Ownership is mistaken for entitlement instead of responsibility. An abusive relationship with this planet will be the end of us. We can have governance grounded on life sustaining principles if we actually apply what we’ve learned so far. And it’s not even a matter of a lack of productive capability at this point. The freedom to direct our lives really comes from the ability to regulate and control ourselves.
naah, we dont have to over complicate things.
bring back the death penalty ( by public hanging , preferrably )
and make ALL corruption by any and all covil servants including even garbage collectors to be punishable by death.
ask ralph rectom, this will work
of course, we have to shorten the “due process” , simplify the trial of public officials into something more closer to a witch hunt or an angry mob than a proper court, and get rid of the crispy jesus “boying” too, as he’s old and close to being taken to heaven by the real jesus anyway.
the fear of death is the only effective deterrent to corruption.
lets bring back the death penalty.
the execution of leo echegaray alone could have prevented hundreds of rapes.
if we execute, say, “fartin” martin romualdez, who is a piece of shit, publicly and gruesomely if possible, we may end corruption in government.
at least in the time being.this should be an annual affair ” the hanging of the crocs ” or buwaya festival
ChinoF, aren’t you blaming PBBM with all of these mess? Like why can’t you mention directly his name? Why blame ordinary Filipinos who have no vast power and resources they hold to make a drastic and abrupt change? I remember when Noynoy Aquino was the president, you keep on mentioning his name as one major fault to be blame, now you dodged away mentioning the current president’s name. Are you for real? I thought Get Real Philippines promotes reality check more than anything else.
When Noynoy Aquino was the president, your agenda here in GRP was to push for alternative like the Marcos or other non-ally presidency, thinking Aquino and his allies were the main problem. Now that Duterte and BBM replaced him and you got what you wanted after long years of fighting for a non-Aquino or an ally presidency, and it’s been 9 years past already, it is easy for you to blame the general populace as your scapegoat and obvious favorite ploy when all things get rough and went downhill with the current president’s administration that you thought would transform the Philippines into a first world country.
I didn’t vote for PBBM…
You overestimate the effect of vast power and resources. You think once distributed to ordinary Filipinos, their lives will improve? Really, giving a pearl to a pig doesn’t change the pig’s nature. In the end, individual responsibility for one’s own actions will still govern how people use the resources they come into contact with. Just like lotto winners who end up losing their winnings quickly and even end up in greater debt than before. The corrupt in power were likely corrupt even when they were still ordinary people. If they kupit from stores and workplaces, they will kupit when in public positions. Being given pearls can’t make the pigs change. The pig has to change itself before getting the pearls.
And blaming the ordinary Filipino was spearheaded by the likes of writer James Fallows and no less than Cory Aquino’s former press secretary Teodoro Benigno Sr. – the latter being the inspiration for our esteemed webmaster’s monicker. And there were many more who wrote that Filipino culture itself is the reason the nation stays backward and ridden with corruption.
If by pigs you mean an uncontrollable appetite for power, then yeah. Those who hold power now are typically pigs. It’s not always about pearls either… Just decency and dignity.
ChinoF, you have wrong premise on vast power and resources. These vast powers and resources are vested upon the president under the constitution. These and are not going to be distributed to the public and this is not going to happen.
Reality check, these vast power and resources often came thru the form of money and influence. The president handles both: first the money thru the yearly approved annual budget in trillions of pesos, and second influence thru appointments of his subordinates and others. He is the one who proposes and endorses the annual National Expenditure Program (NEP) thru the collection of taxpayers’ money and loans, which once deliberated and approved in Congress, he is going to sign it to become the General Appropriations Act (GAA) as the basis of national annual expeditures for government projects and programs. The public did not in any way participate during the entire process, so only the president and his allies are going to be blame if there is corruption and mismanagement in the public funds.
Hence, it is not the public’s fault that large portions of budget for the flood control funds were corrupted. And here you are blaming the general populace who only participated during the election process sounds absurd, if not dumb.
Remember, Get Real Philippines thru your webmaster Benign0 endorsed BBM in his article as president in 2022 presidential election, which you did not directly contradict, but now you declared you did not vote for PBBM. Get Real owes an apology to the public why it endorsed BBM back then for all the corruption mess that the country is now suffering. Remember, speaker Romualdez and Zaldy Co were both party allies of the president. The president also owes an apology and accountability to the public that under his administration there exists a massive corruption right under his radar.
What is the goal anyway? To take control of the pearls? Or is it to help others learn the value of pearls?
Espionage and treason should get the death penalty.
bobby M sent duterte to a foreign court, to die.
that is treason.
Capitalism is the circumvention of a democratic government. That’s just a logical perspective from a broader POV. It’s not working for the ordinary man but exceedingly benefiting the top earners who have an agreement with “competitors”.
Pinoy pride is crap. A country doesn’t need a national pride to be great. Liechtenstein doesn’t even have its own national language and national currency yet it is one of the best countries in the world when it comes to lifestyle quality and economy, it is a country with almost no external debt and it is one of the safest countries in the world as well.
what now, bobby m?
which “friends” paid for your duran duran thingy?
who paid for the private jet you used to kidnap rodrigo duterte, whose popularity you rode on to win the presidency?
why does your father deserve a hero’s burial, and why is your lesbian son playing dress up barbie in congress?
so many questions…
bobby m and his aimless governance.
he and his lesbian son should form a boyband and call it No Direction
Remulla: I have no agenda; post is ‘culmination of a good legal career’
yea right crispy jesus.
what youve had is a life full of ill money.
fret not crispy jesus, youre gonna meet the real jesus very soon.
quote of the day by Albert Einstein: “no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
did you hear that, crispy jesus “boying” ?
the problem originated from the stinky “legal” brain of idiots like you. in no way or form are you the solution.
you think youre smart, but youre not. that makes you the worst kind of idiot there is.
get out of here, just retire, youre a waste of space and government resources!
now its full on paranoia, tony montana meltdown mode..
theyre just offing people , like cabral
what now, bobby m?
what now bobby m?
still just playing the PR game, still just wagging the dog, all misdirection..no solutions, no progress, no direction.
ypu wanted THIS job, bobby M. you wanted to save the world, play ex-con turned accidental hero like ant-man.
get going then, youre on the clock!
no holidays for you, pinoy ant-man!
get on yer knees, you and yer lesbian son, start serving the people !