AlDub Love Defines the Country
Maine and Alden at the Philippine arena: gloria in excelsis. [Photo credit: Philippine Daily Inquirer]
by Wilfredo G. Villanueva
It’s a story that begs to be written. Again.
It’s a story of every man, woman and child. Men and women were crying their hearts out in equal measure. The largest auditorium in the world with a seating capacity of 55,000 was filled to the uppermost seats, but hushed. All you could hear was your own breath waiting for their next move, AlDub nation putty in their hands. They were actually touching and seeing each other face-to-face, the end of a long journey to be intimate, bringing to mind Neil Armstrong landing on the moon in 1969. They were breathing each other’s air, inches apart from each other this time, no longer on split screen or separated by board, table or inches apart. No more rules except deserve trust.
Can anything be lovelier than love finding its way?
None. Nothing comes close.
I wasn’t a lone voice crying in the wilderness about the social significance of AlDub. Commenters from all over the world to my first blog on the subject reinforced my take, gathering the second highest readership in the history of The Society of Honor, second only to JoeAm’s piece Why I Respect President Aquino. This time, this blog is about the love story—on and off-screen?—pure and simple. It deserves praise, the nod of history, and we join many others who will write about it, trying to unravel its mystery, a phenomenon that could turn into a miracle, by my reckoning.
Where else have we seen such glory in love front and center? Si Malakas at si Maganda (Ferdie and Imelda) did try to steal that crown decades ago, but it would not last, succumbing finally to the public’s disbelief in the couple’s sincerity. They were not after each other’s hearts, rather they were after the public treasury, shame on them. No, love can only come from love. Love is the greatest power on earth and 39.5 million tweets after the Philippine arena moon landing say so, all-time high worldwide. (“More than 39 million tweets as of midnight of Oct. 24 with the hashtag #ALDubEBTamangPanahon,” Philippine Daily Inquirer reported, “thrashing the 35.6 million register of 2014 Fifa World Cup semi-final match between Germany and Brazil.”) Truly something to be proud of as Filipinos even when others give up on us as being too flamboyant, lacking focus, too volatile for our own good.
Have been very much against making boxing as our signature in the world. True that he made Philippines, Filipino, Pacman a byword for some time, but it would not last, and while it lasted, it left a bitter taste, knowing that gambling and head pummeling take their toll. Now that the cheering for the boxer has died down at Mayweather’s mercurial feet, he wants public acclamation to continue beyond its Vegas shelf life, and what do you know, he wants to put the Senate under his belt as well. Diokno, Salonga, Recto, Aquino must be stirring in their graves, wanting to engage the swell-headed pugilist in a war of words and principle where he will be roundly defeated and put in place, shameful place, dunce cap.
Principle still counts. Values still click with the people. Love from the land of love and unexplained forgiveness matter.
I have written about it, and should I stop already, having made my point? No, one more time to pound the keyboard, because the geniuses in Broadway Centrum have found their groove, but it’s not only them, because love regenerates itself, its power leads to more love.
Again I say, I’m a 64-year-old male with a history of political, physical, spiritual, moral and romantic dimensions. Tearing up when the audience teared up, one with the whole country as the two were finally unshackled, left to their own wills, having learned the lessons of tamang panahon, of patiently waiting for the right time. Filipino pride. Filipinos to the world, loving but responsible, talented yet giving glory and thanks to God—producer, director, scriptwriter, number one fan of all love teams since Adam and Eve.
Let’s put it in context. The Philippines is visited by natural and man-made calamities. Aside from tropical storms which devastate the economy, political storms named Binay and Marcos II threaten the Philippine area of responsibility. Even if Binay loses, he has Plans B to Z to slip out of handcuffs faster than Harry Houdini can, a free man, only a victim of political persecution after all, kinawawa, inapi-api kasi mahirap lang. Bongbong is second only to Leni Robredo, down only by a few points. Money can unleash a pack of trolls and advertising bombardment to revise history and capture a good chunk of millennials, comprising 43 per cent of total voting population. So every day, it’s the same thing, lies and deceit inching their way into our living rooms like Mount Pinatubo lahar, and soon we will be swamped, up to our necks in muck. AlDub is like a balm, an antidote, bug spray, anti-rabies shot, to steel us against monsters in our midst, reminding us that love will unite us and make us brave. It’s not an easy fight.
And there they are. Alden and Maine, Filipinos in love, lahar-proofing the entire archipelago. Showing us the strength of our race. Let love have its way on world wide web and tv, our countrymen and women watching in Dubai and Canada, U.S. and Europe, Manila and Davao, Filipinos like the Israelites of old fleeing poverty and famine in their own land, finding fresh hope and future in foreign shores but starved of things Philippine: nilagang baka and patis calamansi, dinuguan and puto, kare-kare and bagoong, ripe mango dripping its nectar on hands and face, laughter all around, mano po lola, mano po lolo, loving the Filipino way, flesh pressing flesh, and finding it on tv in an Eat Bulaga segment now an Eat Bulaga centerpiece, what are we to make of it except that we are one tribe after all, Tagalog, Bikol, Kapampangan, Visayan, Lumad, Muslim, insurgent and military, prisoner and free man, corrupt and noble, one tribe after all, finding each other in love sublime, youthful yet mature, beautiful beyond compare. Reminding us of our humanity and self-worth when forces would want to dumb us down—ginagago—so that they can have access to our woeful resources, robbing the poor for their own enrichment, telenovela vile at its worst.
Thank you, first of all, to the two, Alden and Maine. They both come from the middle class, a segment which has all but disappeared but has finally asserted itself again, thanks to Daang Matuwid. All those who say PNoy is a failure, the worst president ever, are wrong. Why? They filled up the Philippine arena, that’s why, collecting P14 million in two days since the fund campaign was announced for AlDub libraries in public schools all over the Philippines, paying forward 100 per cent of the entire ticket sales. Who would have P3,500 to P150 to spare? I ask. The middle class! Think about it. Gross Domestic Product, consumerist economy, cash and ka-ching ka-ching, stand up and take a bow.
Alden is the son I wish I had, and who could be nowhere to be found, not in a sea of instant gratification, free sensual expression in word and deed. Who would have imagined that a simple mano and a humble and submissive spirit of the young to the old no matter how richly assertive it might be would capture the hearts of parents around the world? That puppy-dog look of obedience? I thought it was long gone as a rule before Alden and Lola Nidora came along.
Maine, oh Maine. Beautiful as beautiful can be, unafraid to warp her face to uglify herself, confident that beauty will always surface like sea mammals for air, strongly linked to family and values. Her sibling said to her on tv: “H’wag lalaki ang ulo.” Don’t let it get to your head. What a gift, the Mendoza family, to the country and to the world, that like the Roman slave whispering to the conquering hero of empire from victory to victory in military campaigns, reminding victor and proud holder of war booty of his own mortality, to be humble in spite of the glory that was Rome. And the parents reminding Maine that they are with her always, anchor in a harbor when sometimes things will get too much for the naturally recognition-starved ego.
Love leads to more love, true. And love is a journey that leads to self, to memories and realizations of what was right and wrong. I remember a girl who I liked and liked me, would go with me anywhere I wished, until my ego led her to a dark balcony in the Greenhills theater in 1970, and my hand strayed into her territory. She avoided me from that time on. Until now I still remember her, hoping she has forgiven me. Where is she, now that she has died in a gruesome accident years later? Forgive me, woman I have wronged. Was she still thinking of the time a young man she liked abused her trust, who could not wait for tamang panahon?
And so, looking at how pure the two looked in the center of the whole wide world, it was just the two of them finally after so many trials, near misses, the time when they were close to each other already but blindfolded—would Shakespeare have thought of that, the angst, loving feelings thwarted by cruel fate?
The story begs to be written. The love story is in itself one that can stand on its own, yes, even in a world of kalyeserye make-believe. People in and out of studio are wondering if the two are still acting because they have taken to calling each other not according to script but by personal preference. Love revolt. For now, the nation believes they are for real. That’s the magic of it.
Enter Wally, Jose and Paulo. Thanks to them, they have given values formation a new twist, something fun yet as telling as a surgical knife. Can’t help reflecting that prophets are ordinary people (Moses stuttered) who speak God’s messages to His people. Thank you, especially Wally Bayola, behind Lola Nidora. He looked defeated coming from that shameful act which he stored in his phone, but he has recovered gamefully thanks to Eat Bulaga’s encouragement. He has bounced back and now he shouts and struts on stage like he owns the place, and how awesome his presence has been to the AlDub story. Our trials as a nation are almost Biblical, so perhaps the solution will also be Biblical, God-centered, inspiring us to cathartic tears. And the time he asked for the stars, staff, crew and audience to pray for the success of Tamang Panahon, think God was listening? Of course He was. This is the Philippines, highway to heaven.
How I wish it would translate to something that would help us build self and country and honor God at the same time, but maybe it’s just me. I think too much, bad in a country of fiesta and chill, Binay’s predator eyes and unbridled lust for power, and Bongbong’s diploma and historical fakery. But maybe the country is ready for it, overwhelmed as it is by natural and man-made disasters, diving into the depths of its soul to survive, to count its resources, so here goes:
How to apply AlDub love in:
Health and fitness
Mahirap mag-umpisa, mahirap i-sustain. Isipin lang palagi ang “tamang panahon.” Muscles will develop after several months. Fatty tissues will bleed and its place—scarring—where muscles will take the place of flab, layer after layer until muscle definition. Jogging and weight training seem a chore at first, but through time, the body will look for the joy that will only be felt later, much later. Persist in the dream of a new life, a new look and outlook. Mark this: less than 10 per cent of the population have HMO, in and out of hospital with no out of pocket. Mortality is 74 for males, 75 for females. Health maintenance cards stop coverage at age 65 generally speaking. Ergo, we are facing a medical crisis where treatment is available but at costs we cannot afford. Preventive medicine, taking care of our heart health, for instance—avoiding fatty foods, exercising and getting adequate rest—is a lot, lot cheaper than coronary artery bypass grafting (cabbage) at P2.5 million a pop, but who wants to avoid lechon skin, sleep early and hit the road at 6 in the morning as a lifestyle? Think about it. Do you know that even for the rich, the long-hospitalization path is Asian Hospital or St. Luke’s first, neighborhood hospital next, PGH (Philippine General Hospital) in the end? That’s because huge chunks of the family estate are being sold at sacrifice prices to address hospital bills until wealth is no more. What about for those who start with PGH? Destitution awaits everyone who doesn’t heed the warnings. Prevention of catastrophic disease is not an option, it’s a requirement. You laugh and cry at AlDub but you ignore the demands of your own health. Where is love there? Your body needs a lot of loving, too. Persist in exercising.
Relationships
Mahirap mag say sorry, madaling magsabi ng I love you, pero pagpumasok ang pride, goodbye love. Persist in being humble and loving, service to others before self.
Political Maturity
There is a great divide between truth and misinformation, especially now. It’s easy to believe, it’s harder to stick to a principle—love of country—than it is to follow every trend, every false hope, every lie and deceit peddled by those who have no shred of nobility and heroism. Persist in the long march to freedom from corruption, and national peace and prosperity.
Career
Easy to have a job, but hard to sustain the same energy and enthusiasm as in Day One. Persist in doing the same grind till near perfection and enjoyment comes.
Personal Growth (Talents)
Talents rarely manifest rewards early. Maine is an exception. It’s a long march, but just pursue your passion, it’ll turn out to be a talent if you stay at it for a long time. Persist in finding your place in the sun, where talent meets destiny.
Godliness
Learning catechism, studying the Bible, praying the Holy Rosary and observing the sacraments (for Catholics) take a while, a learning curve, but once you are on top of your faith, your actions become habit, easy to do the things that seemed insurmountable at first. Persist in your faith no matter how tedious it may seem at first.
Dogs and Other Passions
Nothing approximates AlDub love more than love of dogs. They look adorable at first sight, first love. But when the hardship of daily maintenance comes, dog love turns to dog aversion, hwag na lang kaya. That’s why there are so many unattended dogs left to fend for themselves (also single mothers?). That’s an illustration of lack of purpose. Stick with it. Persist in your love of dogs or whatever passion you may have, say cooking, cleaning house, having a family. It’ll bear fruit—the loving look of a dog that has grown old with you, the appreciation of people you feed, the shining example of a house well kept, family togetherness, Christmas every day. Persist in your first love.
Hindi kababawan ang AlDub, kung may pag-ibig at may mga lola, kilig turns to tamang panahon.
Congrats, Eat Bulaga! Congrats, Alden and Maine! Congrats, tres lolas!
After all is said and done, maybe what we really needed was just a love story to which we could all relate, to remind us from where we came, to connect with our everyday struggle, streaming from everyone’s hearts, waiting for the right time. A phenomenon, yes, a miracle, next? Take your cue, AlDub nation.
In closing, here’s a piece of AlDub’s signature song by Bryan White. Tell me you don’t think of the beloved country when you read the lyrics:
For all the times I wore my self pity like a favorite shirt
All wrapped up in that hurt
For every glass I saw, I saw half empty
Now it overflows like a river through my soul
From every doubt I had, I’m finally free
I truly believe
God gave me you to show me what’s real
There’s more to life than just how I feel
And all that I’m worth is right before my eyes
And all that I live for though I didn’t know why
Now I do, ’cause God gave me you
“God gave me you,” Alden said to Maine at first blush. Maine, the same to Alden. Shall we say in unison to the Philippines, “God gave me you?” Louder.
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
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What I would like to ask is: Are the majority of AlDub fans against the candidacy of Bongbong Marcos?
Or are they apolitical?
If fans can give a feedback where they stand politically, it would be appreciated.
If Wilfredo can establish a tally to backup his thesis that love will overcome… then, Lord, heal my unbelief.
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Hi Edgar! Borrowing from Amy:
“While other – ugh – love teams have a horde of screaming teenage girls following their every move, AlDub have an assortment of people whom one would not typically lump together – the young, the middle aged, the old, the teenagers, their parents, the nanays, the tatays, the storekeepers, the drivers, the lolo who endured hours in line just to buy a Tamang Panahon ticket… There are artists who drew awesome sketches and caricatures of Alden and Maine. There are singers who composed songs inspired by the pair. There are professionals – doctors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, etc…who are all fans of AlDub. People in these parts can be unified after all.”
Just to define the term “AlDub fans” as seen from the eyes of another person.
I just want to believe, Edgar. No science involved here. Been believing like this since Ninoy was gunned down in ’83. The other side of belief is, I don’t know, civil war? Makes my blood boil, Bongbong’s assertions of public welcome. We have to fight this thing called Marcos resurgence. As I was explaining in Joe’s previous blog, you communicate in terms that the receiver of the message will understand. We have a well of loving. So be on love’s side. To believe is live. Not to believe is to die. Not to love is to die. Am I clutching at straws? I hope not. For all our iniquities, the nation is unsinkable.
Hail to General Will, the Filipino Love guru!
Could AlDub do some neutral public service announcements? An example is some celebrities in the US who just encourage people to go out and vote. More of an encouragement to participate in democracy than endorsing a particular politician.
shared this article here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/741505089197809/ – in the Leni Robredo for VP FB group. Leni Robredo embodies serious political AlDub spirit.
Thanks, Juana! Now where’s my orange robe, headband, sandals and weed? Hahaha!
Comelec will be on its toes, using all available resources to educate voters. AlDub would be a game changer, highest number of voters in recorded history considering the millennials, if employed wisely and properly.
How true is the story that there was a backlash from AlDub fans when Tito Sotto promoted Grace Poe on AlDub?
If the story is true then the fans of AlDub do not want their show tainted by politics
Eat Bulaga was reminded by Aldub fans through social media not to politicize Aldub anymore. If Eat Bulaga wanted to politicize it, many will not watch Aldub anymore.
That’s the feedback I got from Twitter and various sources…. but knowing Tito, he will insert it again… and again… and again…
#AlDub being a consistent trending topic at Twitter, I finally saw the need to log into the site for the first time since I opened an account in 2012. Two things that caught my attention:
1) Jako de Leon, son of Eat Bulaga pillar Joey de Leon, mentioned something about EB allowing their hosts to shine, from Aiza (Seguerrra) to AlDub. Another artist immediately concurred, lauding EB for letting her have her own shining moment during her stint as a host. In their interviews with YES! magazine (apparently sold out already in many bookstores nationwide), the Jose, Wally, and Paolo trio said the same thing. EB operates on a “Juan for All, All for Juan” mentality – the hosts adhere to one cardinal rule: walang sapawan, walang agawan sa limelight. The EB hosts, staff, producers, and owners call AlDub both an accident and a blessing, and the show truly deserves the boost in ratings that it is currently enjoying. Put Alden and Maine in any other show and AlDub wouldn’t have been “born.” This “putting the show first before your own pursuit for fame” is a rare thing in showbiz, which is also perhaps why the show lasted for 36 years. An institution that puts the good of the entire unit above individual interests will survive! The secret to a strong group, a strong nation. So simple, and yet so out of reach.
2) Alden and Maine were instructed by the EB management NOT to endorse any political candidates this coming 2016 elections. But of course, this wouldn’t deter some people to use the pair’s popularity for their own agenda. For instance, a fake Maine account has been encouraging people on Twitter to follow Cynthia Villar. Or a tweet claiming that Mar Roxas’ camp offered AlDub 100 million for an endorsement has circulated amongst the AlDub hashtags. A lot of rumors have been plaguing the LP camp recently (e.g., Gordon’s claims), and Roxas has been taking a lot of hits. If this isn’t true (which I think is not), then the aim, undoubtedly, is to earn the indignation of the entire AlDub nation. I do think the AlDub fans are a different kind of group as opposed to the fanbase of other – ugh, I detest this term – loveteams. While other – ugh – loveteams have a horde of screaming teenage girls following their every move, AlDub have an assortment of people whom one would not typically lump together – the young, the middle aged, the old, the teenagers, their parents, the nanays, the tatays, the storekeepers, the drivers, the lolo who endured hours in line just to buy a Tamang Panahon ticket… There are artists who drew awesome sketches and caricatures of Alden and Maine. There are singers who composed songs inspired by the pair. There are professionals – doctors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, etc…who are all fans of AlDub. People in these parts can be unified after all. Whether this “unity” can be harnessed for the good – or for something potentially evil – has yet to be seen. However, EB deserves a resounding applause for initiating a successful charity campaign with AlDub at the fore.
The sense of community is astounding – politics is outside of it which is a good thing.. Because the nature of the Filipino mentality is based on the barrio, a sense of nation may grow out of this virtual barrio, watching the courtship of two young people like in olden days.
Of course the reality of a nation especially a government is different from the simple barrio, but a common spirit to drive the country is very important. Mamasapano was the moment the country was one barrio grieving and frustrated – this has now turned into a good spirit.
” This “putting the show first before your own pursuit for fame” is a rare thing in showbiz ”
It is rare that Filipinos put anything common first before their own pursuit for fame.
That kind of spirit applied to the national community would be a great thing.
Thanks for this, Amy.
True…look at Ryzza Mae too…pinasikat din ng EB
Aren’t we mixing up a few things? Infatuation, romantic love and mature love are different animals. The celebrated love here seems not to be the lasting one, it is the one producing addictive fenylethylamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, endorphins, dopamines and oxytocines, it is the one that produces accidents cared for by lola while the parents are pursuing a new love of their life.
Mature love, the one without all the hormones to prepare for mating, and work, producing value for others, are the two basic contributors to happiness, all the rest is packaging and decoration. Good marketers in Hollywood sell the fast feelings as lasting ones, the Philippines excellent students in adopting easy American stuff.
Traditional Filipino saying: “libog lang iyan” – you’re just horny. “Sa tamang panahon” is the old tradition of not letting young people give in to that without getting to know each other a little better first. There is folk wisdom in both the saying and the tradition.
“Pag-ibig” means being in love and is similar to Spanish “querer” in meaning – “ibig” means to want someone or something. “Pagmamahal” similar to Spanish “amor” is the mature love you are talking about, which is what comes when reality sets in after the initial phases…
AlDub is very much like a traditional barrio setting where everybody gossips about the courtship of two young people. Only that mass media have made the barrio much bigger.
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The Greek classification of love may no longer be applicable or appropriate but…
So AlDub is eros, philia and storge, but not agape?
o Eros is sexual love
o Philia is friend love
o Storge is family love
o Agape is mature, sacrificial love
*****
The Greek classification is great…
Now if the national community evidenced by Aldub has eros, philia and storge that is already a step forward. It will need to develop agape out of that to really succeed.
Irineo, our work is cut out for us. You, me and all others who can see beyond the craze must draw up a plan or something to move the love to agape level, which is what Philippine love should be.
IMO, Wil has already pointed to as part n parcel of this movement towards agape. This is what makes the Christian message as counter-cultural; in edgar’s words, time to go meta as in metanoia. maybe. Else we re-enter the cycle into post-euphoria.
Wil mentioned this under Godliness in the main article:
“… but once you are on top of your faith, your actions become habit, easy to do the things that seemed insurmountable at first. Persist in your faith no matter how tedious it may seem at first.”
Wise words to put to practice for personal redemption and ultimate salvation request to lay at Christ’s feet. For consolation along the way I try to recall his guarantee:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? — Matthew, 6
And again:
“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” — St Augustine
One first step was already done by Gian who has summarized the Daang Matuwid achievements as memes. The next step is to find success stories of the past few years.
We are a visual people. We need to see to believe. Every face of success that people see will convince them that the progress of the past few years is not a myth. Since we are often a suspicious people given our past. An example is the TESDA / Dual Training kids from Tondo I posted on my facebook.com/filipinogermanlearning wall. Another example is the report about the UN praising Lando relief efforts – a living example of agape showing young, confident soldiers serving the people. A short video with examples is one idea…
From what I can see, in the context of Philippines :
Eros — I don’t really know, but the menfolk seems to be amorous
Philia — they seem to get along very well in public, then when one moves up, the crab mentality sets in.
Storge — ah this is what I like, I see lots of this…..many in fact cheat and kill to protect their loved ones (storge kills principles)
Agape — when it relates to family, fantastic. OFWs is the epitome of agape. When it relates to nation — I have only seen Mar, Rizal , Ninoy ….others I don’t know.
Edgar, is there a Greek for the kind of love that transcends everything — like compassion, unconditional love like Wil’s doggies, love for humanity, for nature, for God’s creation. I guess what I’m saying is pure love, which I guess is only possible under influence of LSD aka the Flower Children of Woodstock (which is actually crazy love?)
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chempo,
That would be agape in its highest form. Agape is spiritual love, the “love of God for men and men for God.”
*****
Hi josephivo! Hmm, we aren’t mixing things, in fact, we are simply taking it as it comes. When was the last time we felt good as a people? Whether or not the love we see on kalyeserye is real or fake is not the reason for this article. We have a resource and it’s called love. I’ll leave it to the political scientists to figure out how to use that resource to continue building our nation. I left some suggested applications at the bottom of the essay. That’s the whole point. In fact, I am a not a fan of a love team, no. I am a fan of love. See Amy’s definition of the fans base and know that this is no ordinary thing. AlDub is touching a chord in our nation across the board so wide and so pervasive that it’s almost un-Filipino to ignore it and not use it for the good of all.
I feel like vomiting when I hear Lola Nidora trying to be funny. Just like Leah Salonga said its shallow.
who said that Bing? Oh,it’s a Bing original.
I’m not sure who is more conniving in your wit, you or Bert, but I enjoy the dry pokes, whichever. One must know people and prior activities here . . .
Nonetheless, Joe, your Society blog is fast becoming like THE ECONOMIST! To me anyway.
Ha, yes, it does challenge we poets and literary bums, too 🙂
i am giving aldub 6 months for it to be replaced by another phenomenom it may still be about love, it may be not, it may be shallow or not and who cares if it is shallow the shallower it gets the more easier to laugh, if it is deep and profound, you will need a dictionary,thesaurus or an encyclopedia to find the meaning.
You have a good mind and a kind heart, nephew. I do not know the ins and outs of Aldub except for what I can gather from Wil’s and your and the others’ reactions in this blog installment. Yet I feel ok in agreeing with you and also seeing the points of Wil. I also understand the reservation (Correct me if I’m wrong) in edgar’s comments, me being aware of edgar’s reclusive image. This, because I also have come across eros, philia, and agape personally and in Scriptures. Even Greek mythology gave us the song of the Sirens and the waters of Scylla and Charybdis to steer clear off when dealing with things human. And we do wish for a deus ex machina even if we are not the believing kind.
A note from my past growing up. This talk about Aldub conjures up the image of our nanny naglalaba sa batya ng mga damit namin at the same time listening to the teleserye of yesteryears: Gulong ng Palad, Mga kasaysayan ni Duktor Ramon Selga and other 15-min vignettes of Filipino life; I can also see her with her sigarilyong matamis with the ash-end inside her mouth and just washing steadily on. 🙂
the tv version of gulong ng palad,naabutan ko.
For us kids, our version of superheroes like DARNA n KAPITAN KIDLAT n PRINSIPE AMANTE (on radio) or any of the serialized heroes in the “itutuloy” weekly komiks indulged our need for larger-than-life/vicarious, cathartic albeit fictitious, relational experience.
Prinsipe Abante starring Bert Tawa Marcelo…naabutan ko din yun
i only giot interested because of Will my mom and sis watches,but i said it was baduy before .you can easily dismiss what you dont understand,but heck why do we always have to understand.deux ex machina is very apt.
Incisive observation, nephew.
If Aldub is about love, I don’t know what corny is all about, :).
One man’s corn is another’s steak and potatoes . . . which leads me to believe ones level of income may have something to do with how AlDub is interpreted. That’s worth a master’s thesis for someone in the performing arts . . .
I think it’s just a craze.
By the way, is the word “kilig” translatable into some other language like any of the other Philippine languages or languages in the world?
I think the English word, frisson (of French origin) is the equivalent of “kilig.”
first time I learn of the term, JP, but it seems to fit the bill best. It also seem to be used related to fear or foreboding.
The French are as emotional as Filipinos, if not more. I think when it comes to words about feelings and emotions, the French will have “beaucoup.”
Ah, yes, JP. Makes me think also that compared to Tagalog and Ilonggo, Ilocano is more Spartan.
Ilocanos are Spartans in many ways. Many in the US Army. GI = Genuine Ilocano.
🙂
🙂 also.
Thanks Juana. I checked in google translate and it said Frisson: pangingilig sa tuwa
No problem, mb.
JP, Jose V. Panganiban our premier lexicographer missed out on “frisson.” The 1972 edition anyway. That edition has “shudder” for kilig.
🙂
“thrill” or “rush” are the closest I can think of in English and “bang-ar” in Ilocano. Else I am not surprised if Tagalog is most definitive to describe the feeling.
bang ar is relief..cant think of Ilocano equivalent of kilig.
Once bang-ar is inflected, the meaning goes more than relief. Maka-bang-ar comes to mind which means a warm fuzzy feeling. Kilig connotes electric, thus the Ilocano falls short. 🙂
electricuted
cute di ba
when shall the Philippines get rich? I long for that time so that the kinds of Eat Bulaga and Wowowee wont be patronized by Filipinos because there will be so many things to do..like hiking, biking, enjoying nature, play sports etc..that there would be no time to watch these kind of shows anymore
Here’s a link po. It’s written by a foreigner. 🙂
http://www.michaeldsellers.com/blog/2015/10/25/what-the-world-can-learn-from-the-aldub-phenomenon/
I caught a replay of the NBA game between Golden State, led by brilliant ball-handler and shooter Steph Curry), and New Orleans. It occurred to me that there are many kinds of bondings between people, romantic love being one, and teamwork being another. I have no objection to love, or even emoting from the heart (blues are my favorite music style), but as I look at the Philippines, I think it needs more of the teamwork kind of love, as there is plenty of expressive, romantic kind.
Steph Curry is an individual star who makes his TEAM shine, with magic passes, quick as the flick of a wrist. Watch other players on the team. They never take their eyes off him when he has the ball, lest they get a piece of round leather in the face.
Filipinos to me are too often the kind of player that stands at the top of the key screaming at team-mates. I mean, Aquino is on our team, right? And at Mamasapano, the whole arena was up screaming at the guy. Our team mate. I think we need more Steph Curry kind of teammate bonding, where a dropped pass is just a part of the game, and step it up next time. Where each player is trying to make the other better. Not showing them up.
Active love. Sacrificing a little of self (helping a teammate score instead of us). Building the team as a unit rather than a gaggle of 100 million people, each out for himself.
don’t know why the SAF got the attention on the Mamasapano. the Army and the Marines have more sacrifices than the SAF but they just keep going
I think the number of deaths and brutality of the killings, plus that it was done by a group not understood, and therefore easily condemned.
” It occurred to me that there are many kinds of bondings between people, romantic love being one, and teamwork being another. “
Joe,
I caught an NPR interview a couple of days ago, which I think is a better analogy of the bond you’re talking about, here:
GREENE: Bob Gibson was a black man playing baseball during the civil rights movement. His closest Cardinals teammate was Tim McCarver, who caught every pitch he threw most games. They became close despite coming from very different backgrounds.
GIBSON: He came from Memphis, Tenn. I was from Omaha, Neb. And he was taught certain things. He was taught that black people were not equal, and that they were subpar. But when you get to a point where you play together, you live together, you realize that all of the stuff that you were taught was not true. Here’s a guy that I really enjoy being with, as far as the game was concerned. He got to know me by the way I pitched. And the best relationship with a catcher is when you can go out and pitch; you do not have to do a lot of extra thinking about things. And that was the case with Tim.
GREENE: It feels like the pitcher-catcher relationship is one that if you don’t experience it, there’s – there might be no way to describe it. It sounds like a very unique thing.
GIBSON: Yeah, I – you know, I’m not sure that it’s unique. I think just the playing with each other is unique. And I think that probably is more important than putting down one finger or two fingers.
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/27/452163671/pitch-by-pitch-bob-gibson-shares-his-life-in-the-game
(this one’s more indicative of the Love & Hate in the Philippines… )
GREENE: And he did – with two more strikeouts – shattering the record, 17 strikeouts and the St. Louis Cardinals took Game 1. But someone was not there to witness Gibson’s heroics.
You wrote about your elder brother, who we talked about, Josh. He was not at the 1968 World Series. Why was that?
GIBSON: Well, that’s a good question. There came a point where my brother Josh was not the same mentor that he was when I was a child. For some reason, he thought that I was making tons of money. And certainly I was making more money than the average person that goes out and works day in and day out. And I believe that he thought that I owed him for his mentoring, his being responsible for me being a pretty good major league player. And I didn’t see it that way. And that’s probably the reason he didn’t come.
GREENE: Have you made up with him since then?
GIBSON: My brother is not alive today, so no.
GREENE: Oh, I’m sorry.
GIBSON: No, I didn’t make up with him.
GREENE: That sounds really hard given the relationship you guys had.
GIBSON: It was hard. It’s hard. Yeah. You don’t want things like that to happen in a lifetime. Unfortunately, they do.
I think anyone who gives himself up for the team experiences that. Greene and McCarver must have had a more complex relationship that had to consider the racial divide, back then. But I’m not looking for some big love-kind of bonding, but more one based on critical thinking, that people working together can be better than the same number of people working independently, for themselves. If they do that long enough, or sacrifice enough, one for the other, then a kind of love-bonding develops.
This blog is a team, I might add. A lot of giving is going on to keep it civil whilst reconciling different views.
Thank you for pointing out my arrogance in a firm but calm manner. Humility is something many Filipinos lack and I am no exception. The way you did it just now could be an example of how to deal with the same back home without humiliation which backlashes.
It will be my sacrifice to tone myself down a little, and leave more space for other opinions. Have already been able to manage my passion a little bit better, but not my presumption…
Lessons learned are always important. Article 8 of the Freedom Constitution 🙂
It’s a good Constitution. Thanks for your calm reflections.
Welcome. My conclusion from all of this – paying the lesson learned forward – is that the two main things Filipinos need to work on are: maturity and leadership, hand in hand.
Distancing oneself from one’s own emotions is maturity aka emotional intelligence.
Maturity allows one to move up towards Level 5 leadership. But does not mean having to be the leader all the time. We learned at the Cub Scouts that a good leader is also a good follower, but the sense of it was also corrupted by Marcos times like so many good values.
Examples of leadership in this blog are: sonny who is motivating Karl who I have been knocking around in the last few articles – sonny embodies the best of the Old Republic, Gian and Mary who are quietly doing what needs to be done, Juana who always comes in when things are really important, Edgar who is patient and wise, Will who embodies the old revolutionary spirit of the Diliman Commune, transformed into middle-class communitarian values aka Heneral Luna + AlDub Love = General Will -> which we are finding together.
We must first reconstitute ourselves, then our team, then we can be a stronger force for reconstituting the nation – as one team among many teams doing the job – Leni Robredo and her folks, Joey Salceda and Albay, CANA, Mar and LP. Top-down, bottom-up, middle. Like Will wrote, it takes time for the fat to melt and the muscle to grow. But we are on a good path. The rational side, very important. The emotional side – needed as well to fuel motivation. The main motivation being the country – with its diverse voices, just like here.
Speaking of teamwork what Roxas did to Biazon and Jun Abaya recently is not teamwork.dropping biazon at the last minute and telling him to say he withrew and about jun abaya,sure he sucked but he inherited dotc fom mar and mar cant deny any of the palpaks in dotc during his time,now he is dropping a loyal yes man like a hot potato…..nagpapakatotoo lang po ako.
Di ba sila ay kasama sa mga kinasuhan ng Ombudsman?
Ruffy biazon kasali sa pdaf si rodolfo hindi…si jun wala sa pdaf pero sa dotc baka tambakan ng kaso..
Mag-antay tayo kung ano ang paliwanag ni Mar.
Was Roxas rude in the manner of his dropping them, or is the dropping itself considered rude? I know nothing bout Biazon, but attaching Abaya to the campaign is like putting a bull’s eye on Roxas’ back and saying “shoot me, shoot me”. Abaya is a huge political liability. If Roxas coddles him, excuses him, or otherwise props him up, Roxas pays a huge price.
Sure Even Abaya understands that,even all the people are saying the same thing.i stand my ground it is like sweeping the mess under the rug.
About Biazon, it about the senate lineup,he was instructed by Mar to tell a version that he withrew which is Bs as far as I am concerned.biazon did not withraw,he was dropped like a hot potato and yesterdays news.Sorry guys,just venting.
We’re your circle of friends, Karl. Okay lang ang venting mo sa amin.
No charge for venting. Been known to drop an F-bomb here myself.
I’m actually disappointed that it is being handled politically rather than forthrightly.
That’s true. One thing for sure, Mar Roxas ought to have a crystal clear statement of the situation at DOTC and what he will do to make it a top-performing agency.
Yes, it is vey possible and he can skip with the daang matuwid for dotc.Abaya for all his failures is a matuwid guy.he really cant be rushed in signing papers, most of the time,he does not give favors,especially to close friends.In short try another line,than daan matuwid.
My evaluation of Mar Roxas’s character, paying my learning curve on him forward.
(I shall code Edgar Lores style – I imagine him as one of the old school, maybe IBM programmers, with a white shirt, a pen in the pocket, black horn-rimmed glasses, black pants and shoes – always had a lot of respect for the old school, they are more systematic than the Microsoft generation that always winged it, we are the worst, UNIX freaks are better than us, so is the new, hipster-style generation of Web and Scrum programmer)
I shall be epistemological about it. Thanks Edgar for mapping my algorithm:
****************************** DATA **************************************** (bigas)
1. Mar Roxas, ahas is what many people on the Internet say
2. Trillanes was asked to describe other contenders in one word:
2.a. Noynoy: honest
2.b. Mar: politician
2.c. Leni: Bikolana
****************************** INFORMATION ******************************* (kanin)
3. In the Jessica Zafra interview on her blog, Mar Roxas said, of course I know how to play the system. So he admits that he is an astute political player, but he is honest about it.
3.a. Therefore he is not an “ahas” – a snake, that evaluation of other people is emotionally colored. He admits he is a player.
3.b. Good for him, because in the Filipino political arena and everywhere it is difficult to be like three Aquinos – Cory, Noynoy, Bam – who are often “zu gut für diese Welt” as they say in German – too good for the world we live in. 2016-2022 will be a time of harsh winds.
3.c. Leni is a Bikolana – Trillanes is a Bikolano, he knows one of our women when he sees them. Bikolanas are nice, but have a tough core. Which means she will survive her term. Manuel Buencamino wrote that she stays herself, shows that she has a deep character.
***************************** KNOWLEDGE ******************************* (eating kanin)
4. Mar and Leni are not only the best choice, they are a very good choice for 2016. Mar can play the game but is honest, Leni can deal with all people and will survive things.
5. This is good because 2016-2022 will be a difficult time. Stabilize Daang Matuwid is the adage. Bongbong will shoot at them all the time.
5.a. The Marcos machinery will try to get at the government where it can to make BBM President in 2002. This is to be avoided at all costs. Ro-Ro must do well in 2016-2022
5.b. My vision of continuity is Leni in 2022. Mar will focus on getting business in. Leni will focus even more on getting people into the democratic process. By that time K-12, TESDA, CCT will have already helped make people more educated so it will be the right time for that. Civic society would be stronger. Economic progress will have broadened the middle class, the dog lovers. Not the dog-eaters who vote for the like of BBM.
***************************** WISDOM ******************************* (digested kanin)
6. Lesson learned – I will endeavour take my time before passing judgement quickly.
7. In 2028 on that foundation, a good person like Bam Aquino can become President. What I believe is that he will be the one to pass an Anti-Dynasty Law. By then, civic society may be stable enough to produce responsible candidates from the new middle class.
8. After wisdom, one must shut up. Because what is digested can become powetry.
I like both methodologies: PiE’s (analog-contextual) and edgar’s (digital-boolean) paradigm/algorithm.
Most interesting profile. I think playing politics is sometimes necessary, but very dangerous, like dynamite fishing. One can get consumed by it and lose track of the people.
Yes… I know, my brother is a political PR man… a cross between Trillanes and Escudero, in style and in appearance, well both are Bikolanos like us so it is no small wonder. Guess his success that brought him up to CEO level is that he knows the game but plays it in a very forthright manner. His present campaign – to sell TTIP to the skeptical German public which is suspicious of American multinationals, has almost managed to convince even me hehe and you know I am hard to convince. Didn’t like his pro-TTIP pages yet, as you know I am someone who needs to be fully convinced before I go an like something. But he has the policy – there is even a Youtube interview with him on that – similar to BBC, to never lie.
Meaning show the positives and be ready with valid counter-arguments versus detractors. That means vetting your own side for weaknesses like a defense lawyer, true to our family tradition and reputation. You rarely lose if you go by that method – applied very astutely.
************************************
My adage in life is that a person’s greatest strength also contains his greatest weakness.
**************************************************************************** Information (intuitive)
1. Mar Roxas is a political player and a good manager. His weaknesses from that are:
1.a. Too political sometimes
1.b. People skills need some improvement
2. Duterte I like for being forthright and having follow-through: His weaknesses from that:
2.a. Too brutal in his honesty sometimes.
2.b. Follows through too much (killing, making smokers eat their cigarettes)
3. Leni has very good people skills. She however knows she still lacks the competence needed to be President now. VP is her training ground for that. Weaknesses in terms of being too nice to people I do not see, she is not TOO nice like Cory often was to many.
**************************************************************************** Knowledge (intuitive)
4. He who knows oneself and knows the enemy will not be defeated in a 100 battles, said Sun Tzu in the Art of War. Leni knows her strengths and weaknesses. Mar and Duterte I do not know whether they do, but but are honest in their respective ways so I hope.
5. If you know you have a weakness, you can temper it by putting someone in your team who has the strength you do not have. Mar and Leni complement each other.
6. Duterte-Robredo might also complement each other, if it happens. Bikolanas are nice but tough, my personal theory, because they have to deal with Bikolanos. Parekoy and me are typical Bikolanos. Leni could be able to handle Duterte. Temper his weaknesses. Because the reality is that Duterte may still run and his style may appeal to more people, He will tap the need for recognition and respect that many from Mindanao and some in the Visayas have with respect to Manila and Luzon – a need that he embodies perfectly also.
**************************************************************************** Wisdom (intuitive)
7. Mar Roxas has mentioned that inter-island transportation is very important – but only to Jessica Zafra in a blog the public rarely reads. He has done much to make the PNP protect citizens and help them in case of disaster. He must sell it better to the people. What he has to do is address the common people’s need for respect and recognition, especially those in Mindanao – well he indirectly did with Leni at the CCT event recently.
8. There is the suspicion among some Netizens that Mar Roxas is just using Leni in order to pull people. Mar Roxas must show – and prove during their common term inshallah – that he takes Leni Robredo seriously and they work in tandem. Win hearts and minds.
************************************
This was my application of my brother’s methodology + Edgar’s epistomology.
Addendum to 6.: a person who embodies the same insecurities as his clientele – like Duterte does – is very dangerous. Even if he has shown competence in Davao.
Addendum to 7.: LGU streamlining. So nobody can truly say Mar is not doing anything for the people. But Mar will have a hard time proving it because of social biases. The scars the Philippines bears from its history are very deep. My own experience adapting to the masa migrant and OFW crowd tells me – they will look for evidence of their suspicion that one is another rich/educated asshole. The cultural gap between rich/educated and poor/uneducated is narrowing in the Philippines, thanks to middle class. AlDub proves it.
Addendum to 8.: Mar-Leni will have to appear to the public like the Alden and Maine in the picture posted above, politically of course. They will have to clearly and concisely convey what they want to do for the nation and for the people. Their six year plan and vision.
Footnote to 7.: Duterte claiming that Mar tried to destroy his reputation is typical – for the insecurities Duterte may have as a “promdi” (provincial) and those his clientele have.
Therefore they are likely to believe him. The historical experience of victimhood…
The counter-strategy is to strengthen the message Mar Roxas is already showing on his blog page – show what is being done, and let the people shine. Level 5 Leadership which Mar Roxas does have. And be careful when doing politics. The other sides are watching.
I must at this point acknowledge Joe’s capability to learn. He has noticed that is was my method to give MRP recognition. We have similar views because we are migrants who have smelled fresh air and smell the “baho” back home. Those who live in the bad smell do not notice it anymore. Manila air even back in the 1980s was so bad that according to a Chinoy doctor who is dead now, it reduces the lifespan by about 10 years… One cannot see the stars as well in Manila as in Munich. And even in Munich one cannot see the stars as well as in the outskirts of the city, in the beautiful Bavarian countryside I lived in before…
But we also HAD the same insecurity – of being ignored in this blog. Because those who live back home are still partly in denial. Partly as a defense mechanism. And therefore dismissed our insights the Filipino way – huwag pansinin. MRP was easier to ignore because he does not have the intellectual tool set like I have, so he has often been ignored and mocked like a trash-talking bum over here. Since I saw it as unjust, I gave him recognition and respect, which has given him confidence and makes him give better input. But I did it for myself as well – I have experienced being an outcast among the elite that I came from originally. Because being abroad has made me a bit masa in attitude as well.
Joe understood this message and has now given ME recognition – I admit the stuff he posted above is really good input, it points to the core of corrupted cultural DNA – words. But thank you very much Joe – this recognition has given me the confidence to do better and not dump and force-feed like before. It has helped me find a more dispassionate way of analyzing, with distance from emotional baggage. This is the approach that Mar Roxas must take with difficult clientele. Leni already knows how to. Like Juana always did with me.
“He has noticed that it was my method to give MRP recognition.” Irineo, the world does not revolve around you. I give recognition to people who earn it, not because you do. Mariano got feature recognition on the blog three years ago. https://joeam.com/2012/11/15/mariano-the-accidental-artist/
I give recognition to many people, because they earn it. That’s why many can claim titles here.
Finally, the “cantonal” system I proposed would help get buy-in from Filipinos all over: https://joeam.com/2015/10/23/reconstitute-the-philippines/#comment-143136
“Cantons” the size of the known world of the typical Filipino, reachable by jeepney. Merge some LGUs into a “federation” of barangays. The details can be worked out, my proposal it just a proposal mga kababayan. Joe had a suggestion to make 3 cantons out of Biliran.
Why this would work well? Because people would identify with them. AlDub communities. Not full federalism please do not misunderstand this. Central control is still needed.
But more of a client-server model similar to SAP. Databases and security centrally. Applications servers in the middle. User or web frontends in cantons and barangays.
Now please to not take this literally. Gian might be able to translate what I am saying with this. Because the cries for Federalism are actually like the MILF with BBL – Joe noted that it is more about respect and recognition than real autonomy wishes. Emotional needs.
Nothing wrong with that – Germany federalized because they noticed after the war that a central state does not give people a home where the heart is, among other things. But they were disciplined enough to keep it together. Philippines would disintegrate if given full federalism or even partial federalism. Decentralization would help, giving more roles to local entities. Or as Duterte once told Noynoy “Listen to Us”. Respect and recognition. People will be with someone if you give that. Stop treating OFWs, migrants, squatters and probinsyanos as non-persons to be ignored. Be truly inclusive, then people will join you. Because the history of the country always has been about exclusion. Albay with Salceda has already overcome that – a place where before no one would eat food from Negritos.
“Nothing wrong with that – Germany federalized because they noticed after the war that a central state does not give people a home where the heart is, among other things.”
Ireneo,
What do think of the Swiss system?
And do you think the Swiss as a people, would they fall for something like #AlDub, why or why not?
LCPL_X – I have proposed a cantonal system for the Philippines similar to the Swiss one, but with more central control. The Swiss also had to move from confederation to federation in the 1900s because of civil war between their cantons – they are to be compared to mountain tribes in the Philippines from their history, they were known to be just as fierce. The gist of my proposal and a link to a detailed proposal are posted above.
The Swiss would not fall for AlDub. They already have the agape version of AlDub love. Cantons are the first frame of reference for the Swiss. They have direct democracy at all levels – and the sense of responsibility attached to it. What is interesting is that old cantons have the law that direct voting is to be done at the town square without weapons – showing the origin of all that as a way of resolving differences in a CIVILIZED way.
Civility, civitas – things Filipinos very much lack at the moment. Which is why a cantonal system would be just decentralized but not federal on my page. And I hope the details of my proposal do not cause some folks to stop reading – “hindi puwede iyan” is a typical “gahi ulo” reaction of many Filipinos even here. That is not possible because of some details that they don’t like, hard headed mentality, instead of looking at what is not OK and proposing an amendment. But Leni, CANA, Salceda are signs of growing civic society.
Thanks, man.
And by canton, you mean the barangay system, right? Or bigger?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCtlischwur – the founding oath of Switzerland and the spirit of all its Constitutions until now – translated into Tagalog by Rizal but also ignored:
We want to be a single People of brethren,
Never to part in danger nor distress.
We want to be free, as our fathers were,
And rather die than live in slavery.
We want to trust in the one highest God
And never be afraid of human power.
more than 700 years ago, and their state has survived all challenges. They even are able to join the EU Schengen pact – but refused to join the customs union. They are confident and have told the EU we will join aspects of the union as we see fit, as the people decide. Direct democracy has also led to the habit of respecting what was decided upon. Bavaria adapted that after 1945 – it has been a wonderful antidote to the clannish Catholic politics of this state I live in. A Bavarian leader who was exiled in Switzerland brought it with him.
“And by canton, you mean the barangay system, right? Or bigger?” Bigger. The Filipinos known world, reachable by jeepney. An example would be the towns of Tiwi, Malinao and Tabaco merged into one canton. So close two city halls and make one cantonal center.
With two democratic institutions – the cantonal head, voted by the barangay captains, and the cantonal council voted directly by the people. Like a Rajahnate of old, but democratic.
This system would fit better with the cultural DNA of Filipinos. Details on the link above.
An old Bavarian friend of mine – he is dead now – told me you folks have to go back to your roots that you have lost, but incorporate modern methods and insights – and you will progress very quickly. Joe realized that too – 3 cantons in Biliran, the island would bloom.
“I give recognition to many people, because they earn it.” which is the only right way Joe!
Filipinos are not able to give recognition enough to people outside their own group.
Why – because they do not love themselves enough. All the stuff MRP is talking about – the excessive recognition given to mestizos and mestiza actors, the discrimination against poorer/darker people, is about the Filipino wanting to be white and educated. The crabbing against people perceived to be richer/educated – one of Mar’s issues – is also an indication of this problem. Gian once noted that we have the same problem as US blacks.
Alicia Keys was not liked by many blacks because she is half-white. Obama as well. Used to be that “talking white” or not using Ebonic slang (Afro-American dialect) was seen as an offense against blacks. Being educated was seen as betrayal. Rappers are still admired.
Now the moment we Filipinos all recognized that we have a Lumad in all of us, that we have the mentality of the barangay our ancestors lived in – AlDub IS a virtual barangay, when we stop seeing our own stuff as “baduy” (lowbrow) or “mababaw” (unsophisticated) – something which General Will already embodies, we will find inclusion instead of exclusion, we will find recognition instead of crabbing, we will find unity and national AlDub agape. Sonny’s time only maids watched that kind of stuff, now the culture is middle class – good because the common culture is our identity we must not be ashamed of. Or are Americans ashamed of country music? Well I like country music, especially the Filipino version of it:
Irineo beware of Irineo.
Mariano got feature recognition on the blog three years ago. https://joeam.com/2012/11/15/mariano-the-accidental-artist/ yes Joe, but it does give some Filipinos the license to continue seeing him as a clown, depends on the interpretation. He is actually more of a migrant version of Popoy del R. Cartanio – his stuff is tangential, but with a lot of deeper meaning. Joe I know my folks, and I know their asides. Many choose to still ignore him just because his way of expressing things is not as “educated” as theirs. But the truths that he sees – inspite of many misses – are there. I am in the process of breaking them down, because he has seen things many of our folks don’t want to see – and find solutions.
The world does not revolve around me. But I hope to share some insights here. Those who wish to pick them up, may. I do respect Manuel Buencamino for confronting me, but you are confronting an educated person who is not intimidated by any rank or position.
Because I have lived in a country which has lost excessive respect of authority by now – without losing discipline – for many years. I respect facts, reasoning, and arguments. My own opinion is first intuitive, then I research facts. I constantly improve my methodology. But the status thinking of some educated people in the Philippines is the same as the entitlement of the powerful and the rich. It is simply the datu mentality, not enlightened.
I think that you have to take care that you are not dominating the conversation, presuming moral leadership, cutting others off from the right to participate, or doing more moderating than the host of the blog.
“Irineo beware of Irineo.” Karl, do you see anything wrong in my ideas proposed here?
If you can convince me, then fine. I review my conclusions if my reasoning has been wrong, or my premises based on insufficient facts. But you have to do that convincing.
It is true that I am often passionate, and like MRP I give “batok sa ulo” to people at times. What I am tempering is my tendency to hit to hard when I am angry. Now I am very calm.
With MRP, I feel … Agape Love.
a·gape
əˈɡāp/
adjective
(of the mouth) wide open, especially with surprise or wonder.
I still think he is a genius, and from the git-go: https://joeam.com/2015/04/27/open-discussion-our-philippines/#comment-121332
“Why – because they do not love themselves enough. All the stuff MRP is talking about – the excessive recognition given to mestizos and mestiza actors, the discrimination against poorer/darker people, is about the Filipino wanting to be white and educated. The crabbing against people perceived to be richer/educated – one of Mar’s issues – is also an indication of this problem. Gian once noted that we have the same problem as US blacks.” MRP has often mentioned colonial mentality… it is about exactly this issue.
Is it not colonial mentality to reject a person’s point of view because he does not use the same terms as we do? I must say Edgar much respect, you explained epistemology to me. Proves that you are willing to teach. Many educated Filipinos are not. Use it for status.
Arrogance and ignorance are Filipino twins. Karl I deleted that article because I was still a bit more sensitive at that time – some people called my article crazy. But it is very true. Rich deprive poor of opportunities. Educated people hoard their wisdom for themselves.
Because the rich are OFTEN like medieval landlords in mindset. The educated OFTEN are like Spanish friars in mindset. It is about keeping other people poor and ignorant and lording it over them with money and/or knowledge. It is about entitlement, nothing else. The Philippines is in many ways still like Rizal’s Noli. Sophists aka pilospo, not philosophers, Not ambition like in modern countries, just entitlement and presumptousness – ambisyoso. Not ability, but abilidad. Modernizing forces are coming and that is a good thing. Robredo is one. Mar also is even he does not look like it. In the Zafra interview he said it is not my fault that I am rich, like Batman. What does that tell us?
“Many educated Filipinos are not. Use it for status.”
Like that “Economics Professor” that did a quick piss on Micha‘s article and then had a quick spat with Juana. If that guy is emblematic of your academics (at least Primer engaged, though from a well covered position), the future is bleak.
*******
The supercilious attitude is all wrong, isn’t it? Primer is also a professor. As professionals, they are duty-bound to enlighten mentally… just as the oldest profession is to lighten physically. And yet…
A superiority complex often hides an inferiority complex. Ergo, I am led to believe that the way these professors wield the pen… must be in compensation for being in possession of small penii.
*****
“I still think he is a genius, and from the git-go: https://joeam.com/2015/04/27/open-discussion-our-philippines/#comment-121332” But not a troll without any sense…
He does repeat himself often. But the quality of his arguments has improved a lot.
Joe, I also gave MRP recognition because he deserves it – he has his salient points and is not a troll like those who come here to annoy. He just does not have the training to express himself well in an intellectual manner. I have translated many of his points now.
Maybe he did not pass the UPCAT because there was no UPCAT reviewer back then? That would be something for the equal opportunities article coming up very soon.
I have seen U.P. Balara kids who were smart, but not enough money for textbooks – something the CCT is adressing, and therefore I respect Aquino too like you do Joe. Finally there is also an UPCAT reviewer now, levelling the playing field for outsiders.
The issue is not MRP, but your presumption that I do things because you establish the standard by which we act. Grant others the space to be others, would be my suggestion. And give me credit for being able to judge MRP or anyone else without your assistance.
Like that “Economics Professor” that did a quick piss on Micha‘s article and then had a quick spat with Juana. – EXACTLY. But he did summarize better than he did before – RHiro.
He is an intellectual troll – someone who does not listen to others. He has his fixed line of argumentation and will try to push it. I push mine too but will listen to salient arguments.
Filipinos unfortunately are still easily intimidated – by richer, more powerful or more educated people. Or crab at those nice to them because they can get back at “them”.
“Primer engaged, though from a well covered position” not a troll – an intellectual sniper.
Ireneo,
I gotta feeling MRP will look more like this Fernando Ortigas guy, and equally adept at intellectual discussions, but like Wil said, he’s simply speaking to his intended audience– and why he strikes a cord every time. Not that the audience here are sub-par, but MRP knows how to light fire by friction– that’s his genius.
He’s the opposite of #AlDub and equally as phenomenal, IMHO. A one man tour-de-force.
“I gotta feeling MRP will look more like this Fernando Ortigas guy, and equally adept at intellectual discussions, but like Wil said, he’s simply speaking to his intended audience”
Yes, could be that the Spanish mestizo Cebu stuff he talked about is true. Spanish Pinoys found their heart for the common people when they were marginalized by Americanization. Quezon managed to get into the American system, but many did not – some Americans preferred the “sipsip” and “tuta” type of natives, some preferred the better qualified, it is a mixed bag really, but loss of power can lead to humility. The First Philippine Republic was very much a creole thing – but the Luna-Aguinaldo conflict also a creole-Chinoy conflict, the murder of Luna by a Captain from Cavite typical for the Indio-creole dynamics then.
Quezon BTW had what became EDSA built. Who had a lot of land near that big road? Ortigas and Ayala. The business centers of the country are on their land, whether they have sold it just lease it – the rumor being the latter – is unsure. Good business though.
Fernando Poe and Joseph Estrada are examples of mestizo folk nationalism. Mestizos finding a heart for their own folks. With their flaws though – Latino-type gangsterism.
Spanish influences are fully integrated into the culture now. American influences are nearly fully integrated – the stuff shown at AlDub, slang like wadapak, now na etc. are indications. Chinoy subculture is also integrating, but some still see Andrew Lim as not being Filipino – and stupid me thought he was Ateneo not UP because of his surname. And my father called Michael Xiao Chua – the one who wrote about Marcos torture – the Chinese who is promoting my work. Funny for someone who is theoretically for unity among Filipinos. My point being, we all have to work on being as united as Cuba now is. All ethnic origins working together. Brazil might be getting there from what I have heard. And still have more fun than others do, being tropical people. Man its cold out here…
“Grant others the space to be others, would be my suggestion.”
Point taken. And since I have already stated my opinion no need to repeat.
“And give me credit for being able to judge MRP or anyone else without your assistance.”
Thank you for your feedback.
It is true that I have a learning curve when it comes to humility, which Karl also noted 🙂
“A superiority complex often hides an inferiority complex.” a Filipina write I once stayed with in New York told me that the UP attitude is about putting down people. I can confirm that for the most part it is true.The Ateneo attitude is more about teaching people.
A Filipino investment banker I know told me that UP is not a very moral place, which is why he went to Ateneo. Also something I can confirm from empirical observations. There ARE moral people at UP, but the institutional culture is about put-down, crabbing, backstabbing.
So what MRP is saying about UP crooks is partly true – the culture there produces many. How many Ateneans are crooks? Q.E.D. – and people who are put down by others often bully those who are laymen. UP Faculty meetings can be worse than Senate hearings.
you have more comment boxes than mrp is because you react.Mrp’s reaction is a luxury.
but try to use less comment boxes it is alright if you forgot something that is why you are inserting something,but you keep on forgetting something you keep on having random thoughts in an instant.you dont have to enumerate. let us catch up to you.Joe ,Edgar,Me jp,gian,lance,have told you that a gazillion of times.
Karl, I am in the process of organizing my thoughts. They are clearer now than before my ban and clearer than before my voluntary absence around July. The more they get organized the more summarized and coherent my postings are getting.
Sometimes I just get into full swing and cannot stop… I have my own monitoring to pace myself but it does not always work. Next time I will stop when I notice it coming along… Follow Will’s advice and go out for a short walk and then come back with a clearer mind.
OFF TOPIC:
Bongbong Marcos is invoking the Aguinaldo doctrine for refusing to apologize to the Filipino people:
“What we’re doing is not trying to get more power, but trying to continue serving the country,” Marcos said, adding that “Maybe, (the Marcoses had been) vindicated, “because (the people) voted for us.”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/735198/bongbong-marcos-haughty-and-utterly-arrogant-atom
I have watched that in Bandila..hindi daw intended ang mga nangyari….in tagalog hindi sinasadya..di ba kahit di sinadya magsorry ka pa din….nakirideon ke miriam…di daw sya convicted of any crime
Tama si Pnoy sa sabi niya na kahit wala silang direct na involvement sa karahasan, ang directive ng Martial Law and nagbigay ng awtorisasyon sa mga nag-violate ng human rights ng mga mamamayan.
Ilang taon ba si Bongbong nuon? Sa nakita ko na picture na naka-camoflague siya, parang late teens na siya so palagay ko alam niya kung ano ang nangyari.
They say a seven year old already knows what is right and wrong.he was in his teens then.
Tama ka, Karl.
What is your reaction sa Senate line up ni Poe/Escudero? Parang FAMAS red carpet parade ah, meron pang celebrity lawyer.
hindi ko pa tiningnan pero i will have a look at that lineup.
shared ata si recto at lacson with others…Lacson will support Roxas if I am to believe my ears.manzano,moreno and sotto will contribute wink to their so called war room. Kapunan,colmenares will be there to support lacsons no pork diet,they will show us where the beef is.Gordon will bring back wow philippines and dump the its fun in da pilipins…….
gatchalian bat walang permit yung mga factory sa valenzuela..Zubiri dagdag bawas.pagdilao gustong maging robin kay batman lacson
Nilaglag daw si Lacson para ma-place si Manzano. Dahilan ni Grace guest candidate kasi si Lacson ng LP at UNA (?). Si Recto shared sa LP. Si Sotto shared sa UNA. Ople, Moreno at Gordon, UNA din. Surprised ako kay Recto pero showbiz related siya, so logical. Sa bilang ko, 8 ang showbiz related sa line up kung bibilangin si Kapunan. Poe at Chiz kasi showbiz related din. Masaya ang kampanya, maraming artista!
maitutuloy na ni Grace ang nagawa ng ama sa showbiz. FPJ sa GMA,ABS,At ABC5
Great article, Will, as usual. Agree on all points.
Love is a powerful, potent ingredient in our dealing with each other. How can you express love for the sinners and hate the sins.
I’ll post more soon. hopefully.
Great to see you commenting, Mary. I asked Karl about you and he said you are taking cold meds prescribed by Dr. Bauwow. Get well and come back soon, please.
Thanks, JP, the cold became a flu…. an outbreak in the family…hehe
Mary Grace! Been quiet recently. Thank you! Be waiting.
“Maine, oh Maine. Beautiful as beautiful can be, unafraid to warp her face to uglify herself, confident that beauty will always surface like sea mammals for air, strongly linked to family and values. Her sibling said to her on tv: “H’wag lalaki ang ulo.” Don’t let it get to your head. What a gift, the Mendoza family, to the country and to the world, that like the Roman slave whispering to the conquering hero of empire from victory to victory in military campaigns, reminding victor and proud holder of war booty of his own mortality, to be humble in spite of the glory that was Rome.“
Wil,
Thanks, I’m slowly getting it.
This was the thing that escaped me. I’m no fan of physical comedy, like the Three Stooges and Jerry Lewis. And I’ve always looked down on this type of comedy, same with all the transexual (transdressing) stuff– this was the main reason Dave Chappelle left his successful show.. the network wanted him to dress up like a woman, same with other famous black actors and comedians.
But your ode to not only Maine’s beauty, but confidence, makes more sense. I recall bikini dancers in bars use to do this consistently, make faces, “uglify”– they also laughed a lot among themselves and getting patrons in on the joke. For the really pretty ones, I was taken aback. You’ll never go to an American strip joint and have strippers make faces. So you’re right this is a very Filipino tradition– and I had to read your take on things to connect the dots.
Imagine, Boticelli’s “Birth of Venus” uglifying her face.
As for that Roman slave, reminding the Victor of his own mortality, I’d rather she whisper, “S-P-Q-R, S-P-Q-R…” (for the Republic and the People). I agree with Juana, they should be converting all this popularity to push people to be interested in the bigger picture– although do it their way (their brand of comedy), but think of the people first, there’ll be plenty of time to ponder death.
Lance,
According to karl and JP, Grace Poe’s senatorial lineup are mostly showbiz folks. The possibility that we will have more Lito Lapids or Tito Sottos in the Senate is depressing.
When politics is a contest between popular personalities instead of ideas, the eventual loser will be the people themselves.
Elections will be 7 months away but still no vetting on candidates’ platforms thru public debate.
It might be a challenge for us here – to make a comparision of candidate’s platforms.
Gian is working on the bills that Senators who are candidates have passed – because what has really been done is a better indicator than what is being promised all the time.
What I have as an idea – material I have been gathering – is a comparison of the four main presidential candidates in terms of character and competence, but that I would wait for until after December 10 just in case Duterte does come in again. Combine that with what they have actually done, then you have both oral and written grades for all four or five. Based on that the readers of this blog can form a better picture and decide for themselves.
Such energy!
Which is what we all need because moving the country in a positive direction is a herculean task given what we’re up against.
I am doing this to channel mine and put it to productive use… also to summarize the stuff better instead of commenting too much here. Hopefully each one of us who is doing something can inspire those who wish to do some stuff as well – I await chempo’s stuff…
I would like to congratulate the writer of this blog for painting a picture and creating images and ideas relating to the phenomena of Aldub tandem and how it took the country, known to be no stranger to natural and man-made calamities, by storm.
That settled, here’s my take on the issue.
Any social event or phenomena that has affected and moved a greater number of the population towards moving in a direction that make for a positive impact creates social significance. It does so because it makes us look at ourselves and assert and examine who we as a people and as a nation in relation to the existence of an event that we hold so dear at the moment for its feel good effect. We like it, we love it, we’re enamored and entertained by it. But what really is the essence of the love team in the scheme of things where the country is at aside from people feeling good about it?
Lots of social events and popular personalities that created an impact to the country came and went but we remained an unstable and chaotic country.
One event that comes to mind is the declaration of martial law. As we reel and feel its impact, we came to the conclusion that the Malakas and Maganda love team espoused at the time was just a myth to propagate and advance the interest of Ferdie and Meldy at our own expense. Yes it’s about love. One where family and self came first before the country. The Marcos duo was the Alden in steroids political version of that generation.
Not to defend Manny Pacquio, well, make that let me defend his accomplishments as a Filipino compared with the Alden team. Pacquio did not only entertained us like like what the Alden team have been doing. He also made the country proud of his contribution in the international stage of sports and entertainment. He made it known that Filipinos, too, can achieve something worthy of world admiration and aspiration and at the same time inspire and unite Filipinos behind his exploits. To the rest of the world, there was no Filipino until Manny Pacquiao came.
And that is the point where I’m looking at the Alden love team as they evolve and revolve around us and how we relate and react to it. It may all be what the writer said it was and may have been but for me the popular love team is no different from the Guy & Pip tandem or other popular love teams that time and again adorn, excite and titillate the entertainment-starved public. It’s just a dress down version of Romeo & Juliet in the cellphone generation.
I agree with the writer that “AlDub is like a balm, an antidote, bug spray, anti-rabies shot, to steel us against monsters in our midst, reminding us that love will unite us and make us brave”. However, that agreement is only confined within the realm of entertainment and celebrities. It will not and never affect and change the political reality and the social dysfunction that we have in our society. It will not go pass the ‘kilig’ stage of what it is and will remain so if Tito Sotto can help it. Tito announced not too long ago that the tandem will not endorse anybody in the upcoming election. The duo can earn millions in product endorsements but nope to politics. That clearly speaks what Sen. Sotto think of the popular love team: it’s just a popular love team that is a cash cow of the moment. So popular the two, Ms. Mendoza and Mr. Richards can earn as much millions as they can but they better not meddle into politics nor express their opinion or think aloud social issues and interest.
Did AlDub really define the country? I’m afraid not. But it did define what the popular mood at the moment is. The people are tired of crying games, of telenovelas where the plot revolves around an out of wedlock or adopted son/daughter, mistreated and abused gal, sex and relationships and more of it, etc. The usual tried and tested tearjerker formula.
Aldub is the Guy and Pip in steroids of this generation. Nothing more. 😌
jameboy,
Sumasang-ayon din po ako sa inyong obserbasyon. Talagang na kilig to the max lang yata si kuya Will.
Tama ka, halos lahat naman is enjoying the fresh approach of the love team. Depende na lang how deep and serious your appreciation is. 😎
Eat Bulaga and Wowowee are stupidifying the masses.
It’s showtime na ngayon Micha,wala na sa abs si Willie Revillame
Ba’t pa nabuhay kung walang kilig. Hahaha!
Bro hanep ang galeng pre!!! Bravo for an eloquent description or depiction of Alden n Maine as to the life of PH. Brother may your tribe increase a trillion fold sa TAMANG PANAHON.
http://cnnphilippines.com/lifestyle/2015/10/29/AlDub-News.PH-Pia-Hontiveros.html