The real Mar Roxas: a kind, intelligent, earnest man
We have been snookered by the tabloids once again. The sensationalist rags have relentlessly portrayed Mar Roxas as a goof, a man directing traffic in the rain or hauling bags of rice for the camera or doing a nose dive into the mud from a motorbike. A man totally out of the loop on the planning of a police operation in Mamasapano.
We fell for it. We were the gullible in a land of manipulators. We were fools for the skilled and self-serving game-players at the editorial desks of the nation’s tabloid newspapers. And for the talking heads preening before the cameras snickering their private jokes that we commoners can’t get. Peacocks in Armani suits.
Ha, yes. And a bejeweled lady not exactly dressed in a rice sack.
The 67 deaths at the Battle of Mamasapano were tragic. Well, one was not. His was worth celebrating. But any war waged over misunderstandings is tragic. The aftermath has been horrible, the nation losing its collective cool in an apoplectic moment that threatened to unseat its honest, productive President.
President Aquino made a mistake by not meeting the coffins and the raging population would not forgive him. The Pope’s message of mercy and compassion dissolved in an angry blaze of righteous indignation.
This led to efforts to try to nail the President personally for the outcome of the terrorist raid. The rats in the Philippine pantry pounced upon the wounded presidential prey. Lunatic leftists and political priests demanded his resignation, crooks and opponents revived impeachment talks, ancient generals ran around looking for coup partners, and Vice President Binay started moralizing as if people actually wanted to hear what he had to say.
Binay to Chief Purisima: “Why resign if you are innocent?”
That’s like Beelzebub counseling a mischievous imp.
“Why not show up at the Senate if you are innocent?” the people roared back at Binay.
Then, a few days after the memorial ceremony for 44 of the dead 67, after the President’s third speech about the incident, calm started to settle back over the nation. Well, sure, the tabloids continued to paint their sharp and angry pictures, leaping on the complaints of those grieving, manipulating them into into headlines to build their circulation. The tabloid rags of the Philippines know no tenderness, for sure. No patriotism, either, from all that I can tell.
They will thrust their dirt on anybody for an additional thousand rags peddled. They will undermine anybody if it provides a good headline.
Well, this time, it didn’t work. The tabloid Inquirer tried dumping one family’s grief onto Roxas, a masterful guilt trip that would have worked except that people knew that Roxas had been genuinely sympathetic where the President had failed. We had seen, over the course of several days, pictures of the Secretary giving the kind of genuine, touching care to the grieving that President Aquino has never learned to master.
It was a wake-up call for this blogger. It cut through all that manipulative tabloid crap like enlightenment blazes through ignorance.
Secretary Roxas is a genuine man, of the Filipino kind. Big of heart, generous of spirit, sincere in his humanity. He is for sure truer to the Filipino ideal than that guy Binay who pretends to be one of the poor while going home to plot new ways to steal taxpayer money and build estates with air conditioned piggeries.
Mar Roxas is a rich guy in a genuine man’s predicament: how not to be seen as pompous or privileged or arrogant or a lackey of President Aquino.
I think he has finally figured it out.
“Hey Mar, just be yourself.”
Count the number of insensitive people in this picture.
Mar Roxas can get mad. He can do that. He is honest enough to do that.
Do you know a Filipino who can’t?
Mar Roxas has delicadeza. He stepped down from a presidential run so as not to hurt Noynoy Aquino’s better chance. Do you know a Filipino who does not appreciate that kind of personal grace?
Mar Roxas has kindness for the suffering. Do you know of any Filipino who would deny help to someone in need, if they had the ability to provide?
Filipinos are outrageously generous. They are generous with their labors around the world, their adaptability, their food at fiestas, their kindness toward guests. That was Mr. Aquino’s mistake. He was not generous on a day that demanded it.
Mar Roxas can give, and has been giving his entire time in office. On the day the nation ridiculed him for falling on a motorbike, he was single-mindedly determined to get to the heart of where the storm had hit, road or no road. He got there. He did not brag or strut or hand out rice bags with his name on them. He started working to get real help into the community.
You know what?
Maybe we should stop playing the fool for the tabloids.
Maybe we should stop ridiculing those who are kind.
And honest.
And earnest at doing good works for the Philippines.
Maybe we should start looking at Mar Roxas as a genuine Filipino, the real deal.
Addendum 8/1/2015: A short testimony that means more than anything I could write. JoeAm
Comments
441 Responses to “The real Mar Roxas: a kind, intelligent, earnest man”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying...-
[…] looked at Secretary Roxas’ character in a prior blog: “The real Mar Roxas: a kind, intelligent, earnest man“. This one will consider his work history with specific attention to his current job as […]
-
[…] The real Mar Roxas: a kind, intelligent, earnest man We ought not be misled by the tabloid writers and talking heads, eh? We ought to know the real story. As with all articles, be sure to read the discussion thread. […]
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Actually I admired his silence in the whole Mamasapano matter, even though he was bypassed. He could have acted like the others but he did not.
He was restrained, I agree. In the hearings, he was both calm but forceful, as when Nancy Binay made a rude suggestion that he might be lying.
Nancy Binay NOT being rude would surprise me.
Yes, I suppose someone who is in a public position way over her skill level takes steps to compensate, and with Senator Binay it comes off as a dripping sense of entitlement. I think I would offer her the same advice as Mar Roxas, hey, just be yourself. I once saw a glimpse of Senator Binay reacting spontaneously to someone, and she came across as rather charming. Maybe she ought to go for that persona before it leaves her completely. That is, not try so hard to impress . . .
Thank you for this Joe. Thanks for the heads up on Mar. Will surely vote for him.
You are most welcome, stpaul.
Mar is the best alternate to PNoy. Intelligent and full of compassion to his kababayans. No to binay magnanakaw, buong pamilya pa naman.
yes very true! my whole family can see that… we have to vote for Mr. Mar Roxas, the only one who can continue the steps of Pinoy and maybe even be better.
Very good, Amor, now Mr. Roxas only needs to convince the broad population in the provinces that this is so.
She is ALWAYS RUDE…
I jut have to thank Nancy Binay for the Unintended Comedy he brings to any hearing she attends. It’s like she is living in another reality unbeknownst to us.
I have strong reservations still about Mar Roxas. But one thing struck me: after Typhoon Haiyan, when the DILG was (rightly) pilloried for the lack of preparation and systems for coping with the disaster, and the BBC broadcast that damning clip of his feeble attempt at directing traffic in downtown Tacloban, Roxas could simply have flown back to Manila and continued to issue orders from a comfortable, airconditioned office. Instead, he stayed there, amid the mess and operational mayhem–for which he was in part responsible, and he knew that–and in Romualdez country. No friends there. He could have cut and run. But he didn’t.
*******
Vicara, that’s a very good point.
That means he is an on-hands, on-the-spot take-charge guy and not merely a backroom delegator.
*****
Yes. what does one do in the face Nature’s fait accompli?
Ah, great insight, Vicara. It fits with his motorcycle spill . . . a single minded determination to get where the people were hit hard, or the Cagayan de Oro bombing when he got angry that the police cleaned the crime scene before he got there, or the Zamboagan siege, where he was on scene. I don’t know if that is a good management trait or bad, but it for sure says he feels a deep personal commitment to right the wrongs. I can see him as President. No way that Mamasapano mission would have gone down without him being on the radio or phone at 2:00 in the morning. And coordination with AFP would have taken place ahead of time. He would likely have missed both the Zamboanga car bombing tour on the 25th. And he would have missed the Japanese plant opening.
Now, let’s see all the people criticizing President Aquino step forward to criticize Mar Roxas, knowing that he would have done things EXACTLY the way they say President Aquino should have.
No. No. They would not let him stand on HIS merits. He is just an Aquino lackey.
Most important point of this discussion, for me. Thanks.
“And coordination with AFP would have taken place ahead of time*.” But then again, Marwan could have gotten away again as he had in previous attempts. Marwan not worth 67 lives, but the by-the-book* previous operations ( which the President again endorsed, not knowing he will be defied this time ) were exercises in futility.
Yes, true. Some would even say Marwan WAS worth 67 lives, given that he has killed hundreds already, and might again. Not to mention Popes or visiting heads of state . . .
Thats how responsible Matr Roxas as DILG sec. To continue the “Daang matuwid ” let us vote for him on the 2016 presidential election.
http://www.ganeshaspeaks.com/taurus/taurus-traits.action
Please put in an explanation for why you drop a link here, otherwise I might take it as spam.
For the presidential race, it is not that he is one of the aspirants but he is, for me the best choice succeeding Pnoy, majority of our people voiced their gratitude in what we have Today. The daang matuwid of Pres Noy and supported by Sec Mar and their team have earned the respect and high hope of our people especially the less fortunate, their team have delivered at a short period of time the best Governance we dreamed of, to hope that this momentum to continue, we need a Man, true to himself, sincere, generous, disciplined amd with a good heart, and that is Sec Mar Roxas.
Bingo. Mar Roxas is Mr. Stability, and it is what the Philippines needs to continue to emerge as a wealthier place of much more opportunity for her citizens.
I and my entire clan will ensure that it’s a ‘block vote’ for Mar Roxas!
The Real Mar Roxas!? Have we forgotten that when he was running for the Presidency in 2009, as a massive publicity stunt he and Korina professed their supposedly “LOVE” in Wowowee!? (With tears and all,) The highest rated noon time show in ABS CBN back then? Have we forgotten that after that episode, notebooks with their faces plastered on them (with the supposed catch phrase of the engagement) were distributed in the Palengkes in Cubao?
Well maybe that’s the real Mar Roxas – A MASSIVE PUBLICITY STUNT! When the Cameras are on and when people are watching he starts dirtying his face, and starts carrying sacks of rice.
How about the fact that after Haiyan hit tacloban, he asked the staff to turn on the generator so that the aircon in his room can keep functioning. How about the morning after Haiyan, Mar and his staff took their time drinking their coffee and eating their course breakfasts?
Do you guys even remember his FAILED Padyak Ads? How NATURAL (Sarcasm) of him to be kicking the sidecar of a boy? Or him talking to the people in the Palengke?
The problem with people trying to push for Mar Roxas, and the REAL MAR ROXAS is totally blinded. Mar is an elitist ambicious politicians. He thinks his smarter than everybody, even the President. It must be so hard for him, serving the PNOY when in his mind he knows- I should’ve been the one seated in the highest position in the land.
JoeAm you’re such a propaganda machine. For once, I am happy the rich and those that read this blog comprise only of 9% of the voting public.
God Bless you, and God Bless the Philippines.
Well Anais, you don’t know me, yet you judge so cavalierly, as if you could read my mind or heart, and you ascribe manipulative motives to me without reading anything but an article that offends you. My guess is you have done the same with Mar Roxas, grabbed instances out of context and slammed them against the wall because it suits your political aim. I believe I can safely say, you don’t get it. This is a discussion forum. Articles are written to provoke discussion. Guests are asked to arrive with respect and leave the same. Not come in strewing trash and bad will, making any blessing from God ring rather off key.
Joe Am, that guy Anais is totally envious corrupt loser he he he he is also a pro BInay or anyone else except Mar Roxas, perhaps he is a gay he he he
Now, now, mac, restrain yourself. Maybe he didn’t have enough coffee is all.
You are no longer a one hit wonder Anais, because of your double post.
i aggree with you sir most of the politician portray or pretending that they know the feeling of the real masa people…make publicity in front of cameras as if they realy like and enjoying what they’re doin but at the back of their mind it will over after the camera stop rolling with them
You know Anais, God bless you, too. And spare us majority from the likes of you. I bet you so hate an honest work, your life, anything positive about the Philippines at all, and you so hate it when you hear people praising a government servant not because he is papogi but because he works so hard for the the greater good of this nation. Mar Roxas, PNoy is not perfect. You’re not, too. Why don’t you be a public servant? Perhaps, you can make a difference, a positive contribution. If you can’t that’s fine. We leave you to your own negative, lonesome company. And leave us alone, too.
Alex, you are herein designated the Society’s Chief of Uplift, appointed to swoop in and set us straight if any of us should come to grousing and grouching. I recognize the appointment may be a surprise to you, but it was earned through the quality of your work, done herein.
why did it go, I have not click submit yet, anyways, perhaps a laptop error,
Mar Roxas were very professional in doing his work, Korina will not marry him if he has something negative in his acts and speech…
“Mar Roxas has delicadeza. He stepped down from a presidential run so as not to hurt Noynoy Aquino’s better chance.”
The reason he stepped down is because he knows he’s not gonna win but Mar and Drilon was planning a coup once Noynoy wins. That’s why when election was nearing, Chiz came out and suddenly endorsed Binay. Now, Binay is the heavy favourite in the race and it’s his fault.
Reference or authority for the “planning a coup” charge? Sounds incredible to me.
Man if not most Filipinos won’t give up his dreams simply to give way to the clamor of the people. Mar Roxas exactly did that. When he chose to give way to NoyNoy that is kindness at its best. When he listened to his people that is compassion. When he look at the positive Filipinos – that is love of country and intelligence. When he laid his hope and said worthy of Filipinos’ trust he is an earnest candidate. NONE of these characteristics is BINAY. NONE of these demeanor is BINAY. WE are at the time where the evil is going to challenge THE GOOD AND PROVE how vulnerable Filipinos are. This is the time to get up POOR & MANIPULATIVE FILIPINOS TO SAY enough IS enough TO BINAY !!!!!
Given that up to 93% of Filipinos are said to be Christian, would you say a “genuine Filipino” (such as Sen. Roxas) would be very most likely Christian?
Frankly I do not know if Sen. Roxas (or PNoy) professes to be a Christian. Do you?
FYI, I am not a card-carrying member (much less a leader) of any church.
Joe, can you a few of those you believe to be genuine Filipinos?
How about those you don’t think are genuine? Can you name a few?
i7sharp
I have no idea of Mar Roxas’ faith or non-faith. The “genuine Filipino” tag is meant to illustrate that Mar Roxas is not the person portrayed in the Philippine media, and he has values that most would agree are good: honesty, humility, generosity, and dedication to service for the nation. In fact, there are as many “genuine Filipinos” as there are personalities. Some are self absorbed and rude, some are crooks. But I think Filipinos appreciate a certain style of character, what they try to impose on their children, respect for others, generosity, and good behavior. I believe Mar Roxas fits that mold.
Mar Roxas, to my knowledge, is a Catholic. He married Korina Sanchez in a church.
Could be. I don’t really take much interest in faith unless it is worn on the sleeve as if I am supposed to follow it, too. It is the DOING of the faith that is more important than the show, in my book, and I suspect any faith would be happy to have Mar Roxas represent them, as opposed, say, to some political bishops who seem very detached from the ways of Christ.
Indeed, it is the DOING & LIVING your faith that matters; NOT the label of being a Catholic. You maybe a Catholic, even an archbishop or a Cardinal, but if you live like the Mitsubishops & the half-zheimer Cardinal around, then does that make you a real Catholic?
Mar Roxas comes from a real “old rich” family and has academic records to show he really graduated from Wharton. A decade or so ago, we used to do business with Progressive, one of their property companies, and their managers were all praises for the grand old lady (Judy Araneta Roxas) at the helm. She surely have raised her sons excellently. The breeding is all showing in the man who readily gave way to enable another son of an LP stalwart become President.
How I wish we could have another incorruptible person as the next President of our country. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, President Manuel Roxas.
chit, have you read the rappler’s exclusive about another presidentiable’s wharton credential? why do politicians have to lie about their education when it does not really matter to a lot of voters?
Yes, that’s why I mentioned that he has the credentials of his education overseas and that he worked as an investment banker in USA before coming back to the Philippines to fill in the shoes of his deceased brother.
The education does not really matter – but being dishonest about it? I believe that’s what really matters…. as if in this age of technology, one can not check that fact easily.
It is again this trying hard be Filipinos to be something they are not, the split-level, dirty/clean kitchen thing I wrote about elsewhere.
@Joe: that is the idea for my third blog article, which is about how just being themselves can bring Filipinos forward, with the split-level, trying hard, dirty/clean kitchen, alternate defensiveness/stooping to foreign cultures and powers and the Kankanai synthesis I mentioned in one of my comments to my first article being themes in it. But that article will take time to incubate. Something you can probably publish about a month from now. Consider this Mar Roxas article about him being himself a crucial spark of inspiration.
Actually I might integrate those topics into my underdog article. Abangan.
Thanks, chit.
Well i7sharp
perhaps your name is just Pentium 1. Your mixing up religion and politics, perhaps you are also a gay he he he
this is me, a real Filipino…are you? Well I hope you are not residing in US of A, otherwise you have no right to say you are Filipino, Joe AM is acting more of a Filipino…
I knew him well for we belong to the same place here in roxas city.thanks joe
Thanks for stopping by, krombacher, and validating the point of the blog.
Love your write-up on Mar! I know he is the right guy, long before Pnoy got in the Picture. The Pinoys need him, it’s about time!
Thank you Annie.
Good article. But this will not change my view on Roxas. Sorry, but I can’t really like the guy. I liked him when he was a Vice Presidential candidate, but when he became a secretary, my liking of him soured. His handling of the MRT/LRT issues? Poor. To give him credit, at least he’s better than Abaya.
Well, let’s separate job accomplishment from character. Then we can look at job accomplishment within the context of what he had to deal with. I’m not that versed in Mar Roxas’ job performance other than at DILG. He is up front on every crisis, sometimes demanding and temperamental (Cagayan de Oro, where the crime site had been cleaned before he arrived). It is probably a good step to dig into that if he is a presidential candidate, so we don’t judge one way or another superficially, or based on what the tabloids say.
Yes, he is a fine man and somewhere deep i want him for President. But then there is that voice in my head, asking will the sheep survive when surrounded by the wolves. Can he grow the horns to fight them off. Lets carry, push and pull him to presidency. Integrity, kindness should win over the dark forces.
Yep, that is the question, isn’t it? Is he TOO kind, or too passive? His sharp jab back at Nancy Binay in the Mamasapano hearing, when she implied he might not be truthful, suggests he is not passive.
I believe he will be our next President.
Would you rather have him sa president or the very corrupt Binay? I would prefer to have him lead our country than to have a corrupt person who has no other agenda than to enrich himself
I believe Mar Roxas would be a good president.
Check. So noted.
I second the motion!
third motion, hehe
I agree with you.
not a whit corrupt…not even a hint of corruption…that’s good enough for me.
There are the good (Roxas), the Bad (Binay), and the fence-sitters (Poe). Not ugly, exactly, but not admirable for touting transparency, then letting corruption go as if it didn’t matter . . .
Manny Tirona from the peanut gallery – Ok, you gave the guy some slack. So he’s “human” and by that sudden discovery, he can NOW be a good president?! But what say you about his inept and counterproductive stint as DOTC head? NAIA 1’s MERE cosmetic change has not yet been completed! What about EDSA’s HELLISH gridlock? What about his failed PPP projects? HELLO!! Did someone put a thick wad of cash….?!
EDSA has been a hellish gridlock even during Binay’s term as MMDA chairman. And he thought nothing of holding anti-Gloria rallies in the middle of the Ayala triangle snarling all traffic in the CBD 🙂
Binay never got to fix the escalator in Ayala avenue leading to the underpass. 🙂
Heck, he did not even know his vice mayor was up to his ears in corrupt activities (daw). 🙂
Agree. And Makati CBD wouldn’t be where it is right now had it not been for the Ayala family.
The Ayala is one elite family that is patriotic, even while not doing it for charity. Without there focus on sustainable investments the entire Philippines would not be were it is now.
hello!! quit the bribery accusation!!!
Yes, I think so. Binay did….in Manny's pocket, :).
you handled it better than me, Bert. ako galit pa din.mas matindi nanaman ito pag dating ng campaign period. kailangan buo ang loob natin.
I understand your feeling, karl. That’s because we’ve been sparring ideas with Joe in different reputable blog sites for decades already and so we know exactly the kind of a person he is. Some people in the peanut gallery we must understand,too for they can be just babe in the woods if not paid employee paid to sow mischief.
decades? I am just on my fourth decade in life. hehehe. half a decade plus plus maybe
hahaha
next time, those in the peanut gallery should just throw pop corn so it will only reach those in front of them, and not reach the actors.
*******
High five!
*****
Manny, like the media, you seem to be focused on the negatives of Mar. I would love to read your balanced take on him.
Another thing, I can assure you that Joe is not a paid hack. I can bet my hat on that.
How much did my wife pay you to say that?
She gave me the Stetson I am betting … 🙂
I think Joe is really convinced about Mar Roxas. Just as he is about Noynoy as President. Joe did not however place Mar as a presidential candidate, everybody else is doing it.
Isn’t the election in 2016? Seems the pre-election period has already begun for many.
Thank you, PIE. Exactly. And I have not made a final determination in who I think would be the best president in 2016. I think there are several people who could do the job well. The trick will be to find a way so that the “white hat” candidates don’t split all the votes so the “black hat” candidate wins.
I would be fine with anyone who is thinking more of the country than of himself, regardless of how he wants to do it. Even one of the landed gentry like Roxas, as long as they realize that in the long run they live in the same country and that their well-being is best realized if everybody has opportunities to make a living. Enlightened self-interest is something that most Filipinos do not yet understand – the Ayalas are for me a rare example.
HELLO!!!!! Mar Roxas became DOTC secretary from July 4, 2011 to August 31, 2012. You must look at him as the miraculous Lord if you want us to believe that he could have fixed the traffic and the road infrastructure and the MRT, etc. in a year’s time!!!!
The traffic we have now is a result of the decades of neglect on our road infrastructure brought about by the inept and uncaring previous administrations who were more concerned in putting wads of cash into their personal pockets and their “friends’ pockets”. You must have been in their league @Manny Tirona for you to blurt that out – In my book, it takes one to know one…
Sorry to say, but the LRT and MRT were built by previous administrations. In fact the first LRT project was planned and started under Marcos, who had a few good technocrats.
Without LRT and MRT traffic in Manila would be much worse. I think the traffic is not the fault of any administration, there are simply too many people and too many cars in Manila.
And the problem of infrastructure breaking down is an old, typically Filipino problem – liking to buy and build shiny new things but not doing enough preventive maintenance.
PiE,
very correct on new slogan for tourism every admin,continuity,preventive maintenance,urban planning,land use and yeah the TROs
Well, Manny, why must you put a bit of slander to a question that is worth asking? Try the question without the personal slight and then I’ll believe there is value to discussing it. Otherwise, I figure your mind is so closed that you need to go personal rather than open it.
I admired him when he gave way to Pnoy, sacrificed his dream when he realized that the people wanted the son of Ninoy and Cory as their next president
And by his sacrifice, he gave the nation a chance to have a president who had the guts to get rid of M. Gutierrez, the ex Ombudsman who did not see nor hear any evil emanating from PGMA and her cohorts, replaced her with someone who made possible the detention and trial of the three top plunderer senators, kicked out another lackey SC Chief (the midnight appointee) and replaced him with somebody who will be SC Chief for the next 3 administrations at least, so the much needed justice reform can be initiated and sustained…gave our economy the needed push that made us the second fastest growing economy in the world. IMHO, we could have been the fastest if not for yolanda, glenda, the earthquake, the stoppage of economic stimulus due to the super legalistic SC’s ruling on DAP not to mention these plunderers and the leftist and ultra rightist destabilizers… Aided by the tabloid media…Thank you, Secretary Roxas..for supporting this president..and by extension, us Your countrymen…thank you for your sacrifice…if only Peping did not ungratefully and traitorously supported Binay instead of you, you could have been the VP
Replaced him, not her…please, another typo from Mary, the survivor from hospital acquired pneumonia, heart attack and cancer… Yuhoo…am cancer free!
Gotcha covered, Mary. Congratulations on the big step back to recovery and tax-paying. If you need some greenish natural herbal tea to speed you along, I’ve got a little left over . . . 🙂
Wow thank you for the offer, i’m afraid i have to decline…the side effect is somewhat confusing…good it has now worn off…thanks again
🙂
Mary,
From someone who sometimes gets easily discouraged for no apparent reason,you are a breath of fresh air!
Big check Ma’m :)!
Thumbs up Ma’m in fb parlance :)!
I’m really starting to dislike this Peping guy.
For sure that is not something Lacson did in 2004, and thus the Nation got Arroyo instead of Poe. It indeed shows he is of good heart and mind, and it was not something done lightly, I suspect.
A genuine Filipino and nationalist Joe 🙂 !Mar is.
You know, that’s true. So many others are playing the self-promotion game and Mar is working for the nation.
senior lapse. For a moment I thought you were referring to Mayor Arsenio Lacson. 🙂 You would have loved him, Joe. Carry on, #1.
Arsenio Lacson looked and acted a lot like my grandfather.
🙂
It was not done lightly as shown by his mother’s tears at the time he announced his decision..after.his shocking defeat in the VP race, he moved on to support PNOY in the latter’s effort to lead this contrary nation.
Binay even considered Jinggoy Estrada for a running mate; Mar got mad when Jinggoy went out of detention to attend Enrile’s party.
Binay does not get mad at corruption; Mar does.
Binay even wanted Marcos the elder to be buried as a hero; Mar makes the distinction that a Romualdez Marcos family has to be handled in a different manner.
Bingo. Two perfect examples of two very different value systems.
I would term these two groups yellow and blue – blue was the old Marcos KBL party color. The reds are of course the leftists. Good thing actually that there are real parties evolving in the Philippines, akin to Democrats and Republicans in the US, based on principles whatever these principles may be. Not just parties with lechon, or personality politics. Although I do like good lechon.
Joe with the indulgence of our comrades here. I am of the belief that Filipinos who go out of the country become more nationalist and see their people’s pain and sufferings. And once that belief take root in their hearts, they can never go back to being the same person again. Look at the national hero Dr. Rizal and most of his compatriots. They become emboldened when they have been exposed and learned in those countries. Just a small contribution to your discussion. Thank you.
That is an interesting take. Dealing with all there is to deal with here, that subsistence frame of mind, takes the place of the longing for nationhood. Seems to fit. I do think that one must go up into the clouds to look down and see the big picture, and it is a very different picture than several years ago. It’s a very busy nation, moving in the right direction.
Thank you 🙂 .
@ stpaul
Yes, It’s true to some, I wish it would be to everyone out there. Some are not that aware or concerned enough to care, maybe because they are so busy and are so lacking in time to interact and be updated or to discern for themselves the news and analysis being spouted by the electronic tabloid media.
@Mary
You are right. Some have become westernized and now look down on their brown brothers. But as I watched Mrs. Hataman’s interview, this line touched my heart, “Ina, they hate us because they don’t know us 😦 !” And I say, to our Muslim brothers and sisters , educate us people from luzon. To our brothers outside the Phils. let us educate you and tell you we also aspire for a great Phils. but our brothers, the masses had been brainwashed by Marcos for too long so please be patient and not judge them 😦 !
.. you are kind, a saint… I sometimes have to restrain myself from blurting some words back to judgmental brothers/sisters/cousins out there…I like your attitude
Thank you 🙂 .
He’s a good person and a leader, sure, but history has shown us that the Filipino people can easily be duped due to some sort of leader worship we have. I’m not taking my chances on another politician from another political dynasty.
I remember how my grandfather worshipped Marcos in the beginning and after a while was not very impressed anymore by him. It’s the over reliance on the President that is foolish.
The machinery of most modern countries would keep on running – and most especially runs in the same way – regardless of who the leader is. In the Philippines they change the tourism slogan with every President, projects of the predecessor are simply stopped, charter change (cha-cha) is something people talk about all the time. Continuity is what is needed for lasting and sustainable progress but people are too short-sighted to see that.
“A dynasty is a line of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a feudal or monarchical system but sometimes also appearing in elective republics.”
Manuel A. Roxas, the grandfather, was President of the Commonwealth – May 28, 1946 to April 15, 1948.
Gerardo Roxas, Sr., father, congressman and senator unil 1972
Gerardo Roxas, Jr., brother, congressman
All three have passed away. Does that make him a member of a dynasty? Is he in the league of the Marcoses or the Binay’s or the Singsons or the Albano’s, Dy;s, etc.?!!!
He comes from a line of illustious leaders….
*******
Thank you, Chit.
A fine — and a very important — distinction.
Never thought of that angle.
*****
Who do you lean toward in 2016 who is not of a dynasty, and has a chance of winning the election?
Just sharing this http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/77986-mar-roxas-motorcycle-slide
Ah, yes, the REAL story about that famous photo. Thanks for bringing that article in.
One good aspect of Roxas, aside from the absence of any corruption issue, is he does not belong to a dynasty..
That is definitely not true – his father was a politician and his grandfather was the first Filipino President after the war – Manuel Roxas.
That is right. I mean, no relative presently in any government position.
But none is in government today, and in draft legislation, that is the defining point. Family dominance in government, today.
Correct – and I do not really see anything wrong with families or elite ruling a country – as long as that elite is committed to the country. Modern Japan was mainly built up by members of the samurai class, Indonesia by the Javanese upper class – aided by the military which is mainly composed of Bataks from Sumatra who are possibly ethnically and linguistically related to the Ilocanos and are also an old warrior tribe like them. But the Filipino elite have often been sell-outs, witness this:
1) Raja Suleiman, ruler of Manila, allied with Brunei and Muslim, becoming Catholic when the Spanish won to avoid forced labor like his subjects.
2) Many ilustrados were against the Katipunan, then with it while it was winning, then pro-US when they took over.
3) Many Commonwealth politicians were in the Japanese puppet government, then eagerly pro-US again when McArthur returned as promised.
The other extreme are the leftists and Miriam. Pragmatic but patriotic politicians who know that you have to deal with foreign partners but have the interests of the country in mind are what is really needed. I heard from older people that Ramon Magsaysay was like that.
PiE, I am jumping all over the threads this morning to catch the flavor of this installment.
I am reminded that:
*we are like Diogenes with his lamp
http://www.athensguide.com/journalists/articles/honestman.htm
*we are like the ecosystems of the reefs of our archipelago, teeming with life in every variety, territorial, symbiotic, violent, primal, simple and complex side by side, etc, etc, etc. (I have to stop this. You know the rest, Joe)
*we are like the first Romans looking for our Cincinnatus – strong & cunning & close to Roman soil and sun, who was an elite but recognized that the Romans consisted of BOTH Patricians and Plebians. Both classes conscripted him as absolute dictator who promptly eliminated the threat to Roman unity and just as promptly went back to his farm and family. He did this not once but twice. (Let’s do the same soon! We came close with Magsaysay and somewhat with Ferdinand. IMO)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus
Actually Ramon Magsaysay Jr. is no longer a Senator, but he is very much like his father in demeanour and in terms of leadership. He has quietly retreated into the business world, but maybe someone might get the idea of asking him to come back into politics.
Actually some things are in the blood and in upbringing, so it is not always wrong to look for leaders among those born into leading families – why not Magsaysay?
PiE, I am referring to the senior Magsaysay. I can still hear the campaign jingles The Guy vs. Elpidio Quirino. Incidentally, both were known for their integrity, lacay Elpidio’s gold orinola notwithstanding.
I know, but looking at today, the junior Magsaysay is still there and could be an option if considered. It does not always pass on the son or daughter but sometimes it does.
If we are speaking of families, Cielo Macapagal-Salgado could have been better than Gloria but she was in contrast to her sister too modest where Gloria was arrogant – and the quiet but good workers tend to get overlooked in a culture of pasikat.
The Philippines needs either someone from the elite who understands the people or someone from the people who can think further like Bonifacio did in his time. The SAF 44 are like the legions Caesar lost to the barbarian Arminius – a wake-up call for the republic.
In that vein and going further into the past: “A slaves life is all you understand, you know nothing of freedom. For if you did, you would have encouraged us to fight on, not only with our spear, but with everything we have’ ‘ “Historics” by Herodotus 7.135’
PiE, two things: a) thanks for pointing to Arminius; b) I know why, but how the heck prompted you to point him out? 🙂
You prompted me with all your classical references – Cincinnatus and Diogenes, thus activating synapses long not fired anymore.
@ Joe. Whatever was in Arminius’ Teutonic mind must have brought you to this part of the world. 🙂
It wasn’t his mind, it was his feet. My family’s heritage can be traced back to a small community northwest of what is now Hannover, Germany, where they were skilled shoemakers. It is known they made shoes for the King of England, and it is not outside of reason that they shod Arminius as well, which is undoubtedly why he won the Battle of the Teutoburg forest. You can’t win battles in bad shoes.
I have no idea what that has to do with my being in the Philippines, but there is a shred of truth to that tale . . .
@ PiE. Only classicists and History majors do Romans and Germanic tribes nowadays. I am old. I’m sure that’s not your excuse. 🙂
I grew up with a lot of books – history, linguistics, anthropology – and had a few years of Latin but that was after I came to Europe. Studied here and all that after I left.
Tres gut. Naimbag launay!
Sorry, Joe. Got carried away by my imagination to the forests of Germany and Arminius waylaying the Roman legions in defense of his Germanic tribes and fashioning their identity. Somewhat similar to your empathy towards the virtual Philippine tribes surrounded by difficult odds of circumstance.
Your mention of your origins and Hanover also brings images of that generation of German guild members pushed out to America for better employment. I forget where I came across this. Incidentally, I am reminded of my three cousins well-settled with their Fil-German children in Hamburg and a friend’s son’s young family, him the conductor of a German Youth ensemble in Stuttgard. Yes, he is full-blooded Ilocano. 🙂 You can watch/listen to Alexander Adiarte at 1:56 mins.
Expressive guy, as conductor. How rewarding that must be to get young players to express through their music, like that. More power to him. Terrific. Thanks for the introduction.
My heritage is indeed shoe-making, and my great, great grandfather came to the US in the early 1800’s to – as you say – seek better employment. As the fates would have it, he fell into the Mississippi during a flood and drowned (he was in his early ’20’s), but his young son did fine, grew up and became my gravitar.
I had a project with Volkswagen more than a decade ago, so now I understand a little bit more about Joe’s heritage. Lower Saxony, the people there are honest and stubborn like the horses on the flag of that German Federal State. But the moment they acknowledge your competence they will take you anywhere. One prominent German-American with a heritage from that area was Donald Rumsfeld. These guys are honest to the point of bluntness, it was a strange experience for me at the beginning with my Pinoy sensitivity, but I did learn that with these guys, a yes meant yes, maybe meant maybe and no meant no, that promises were kept and made to be kept, mistakes had consequences but only up to what you deserved not more, after that lessons were learned and people moved on.
Learned there: how not to be scared to admit a mistake (because from the Philippines, I was conditioned to believe anyone who gets caught will be made into an all-out culprit), how to speak my mind because one thing these guys hate is beating around the bush.
The lay of the land there is very flat, it is very nice in summer but the winter is so-so and there usually is a lot of fog in autumn. The forests used to be extensive but are now mostly flat fields. But I can imagine Quintilius Varus caught in damp and foggy forests. Really not the kind of place an Italian would like to be. But definitely a learning experience for me, a place were there are no compromises, where you have to deliver or else. The stark grey sky and the cold made this even clearer – no gods to help me here. Tried doing things the Pinoy way in the beginning, got caught, but they did not throw me out, in fact they did not even blame me or anything, did not get angry: even worse, they forced me to stay and make sure everything worked the way it should, point by point, bug by bug…
You know, that is a very interesting point. Most think that Mar Roxas is from a dynasty because his grandfather was president. But he has no relatives serving in government and is thus “dynasty free”. Excellent!
If my memory serves me right, Secretary Mar is partly responsible for GMa’s good economic showing during her watch…being a technocrat, he provided the needed support during her numerous foreign trips to lure investors
Sure, he is a kind man, and sure, he is doing the best he can under the circumstances, with him replacing the already-huge shoes of the late (and lamented to high heavens above for potential scuppered) Jesse Robredo, but at the end of the day it’s not his personal character that counts, though it may motivate him to push through what thinks is for the greater good in the course of his duties — it’s whatever gets done through him.
Through the aegis of Yolanda, I can’t say that he is as capable of being DILG secretary as the job demands.
Might not be SUPERMAN, but he be MAH DUDE ♣
You are correct to divide the matter into two component parts, (1) personal character and (2) leadership skill, experience, and productivity. This article does not even mention that he is considered presidential material by a whole lot of people. It is mainly one article in a series condemning the media for how they distort so much of what we observe.
And this is what I believe is missing from the discussion. A lot of the achievements of the current administration, probably all is derived from an incorruptible nature and a clear headed less emotional approach to problem solving. I believe Mar has shown he has that. The other needed recipe is will he be able to attract the right people like Sec Jimenez and Sec Singson? And my answer is yes. We do not exactly need the big dreamer right now. We need the steady hand of someone who can lead us to a point where our future sons and grandsons can start to dream. What PNoy has shown us is that we need honest people that attracts capable people. We do not need the full Robredo Index we need two and find the other third on his people.
trapo
Trapo amongst my tribe means an inanimate object, specifically a piece of old cloth used for
for dusting; are we all trapos, then ???? howzat andrew ???
Congratulations, andi. You get the Society’s award for most potent one-word comment, not using a swear word. I don’t consider Mar Roxas to be a trapo, myself, but you’d have to articulate a longer argument for us to get into HOW he is traditional. I see him as very non-traditional.
Probably transitional like Noynoy Aquino – and Gloria Arroyo. Coming from political families, but a new generation progressively more modern in thought, word and deed.
I tend not to see Gloria Arroyo as transitional because of the influence of her old-school husband. But I agree that Bam Aquino and Sonny Angara are a very different – and more progressive – breed of public servant than others of their family name.
She did put in some professionalism, but as a matter of fact Ramos also did. Estrada forced all who succeeded him to listen and talk to the people – otherwise Aquino – and Cayetano would still be speaking English all the time like those of his class used to.
I see an evolution in Filipino politics happening over the past thirty years, but I think it will take a future historian who is not as caught up in the present like we are to describe it well.
This evolution is why I am definitely against Binay, because that would be evolution going backwards. Bongbong too.
…. and still I have the feeling it is all the rationalization of a “negative” choice, he is better than Binay, better than Marcos, better than Estrada. But isn’t that too easy as criteria?
This is not really an electioneering blog. It is more a commentary on media defining people incorrectly. Character is a big part of the equation for politics, for sure, so we ought to at least get that right before getting on to leadership, job skills and production.
Ah, Joseph, that’s the rub. Maybe the next question should be…who is better than Mar Roxas? Or better yet…who is better than President Noynoy?
Stop comparing people.
Just look for a guy who can do the job well, based on a proven track record. An uncharismatic but efficient leader may be better this time – let us brainstorm..
we will brain storm one of these days, maybe come Tuesday.
come to think of it, how will we brain storm without comparing?
Just list the advantages and disadvantages of each person. Comparison who is “better” or “worse” depends on what qualifications you consider more important for the job and what metrics you apply. Something like a balanced scorecard for each person.
*******
Gentlemen,
Let us analyze this issue of comparison and non-comparison.
A. ABSTRACT
1. Thesis 1: When evaluating an individual, in listing the advantages and disadvantage of a person, one must of necessity use criteria.
2. Thesis 2: When comparing a group of individuals, one must of necessity list the advantages and disadvantages of each individual.
3. Thesis 3: When evaluating a group of individuals to determine the best individual in the group, one must of necessity use the same set of criteria.
B. Exposition
4. For example, when one considers that the attribute of a Master’s degree in Public Administration is an advantage, one is using the criterion of “Educational Attainment”.
5. As another example, when one considers the attribute of honesty is an advantage, one is using the criterion of “Character”.
5.1. Character can have many sub-criteria such as sincerity, loyalty and persistence. The attribute of honesty belongs to the sub-criterion of Integrity.
6. Clear so far?
7. A particular attribute may be an advantage or a disadvantage.
8. This is determined not by the criterion itself, but by the purpose of the set of criteria.
9. For example, the attribute of honesty — using the criterion of Character and the sub-criterion of Integrity — may be an advantage or a disadvantage.
9.1. If the purpose is “Good Government” according to ordinary citizens, then honesty is an advantage.
9.2. If the purpose is “Good Government” according to a rich landowner, who has an ex-beauty queen for a wife, honesty is a disadvantage.
C. Summary
10. The evaluation of anything – whether persons or products – requires a criterion or set of criteria.
10.1. The evaluation of a thing can be by itself and of itself. This post on Mar Roxas, as JoeAm says, is to evaluate Mar – not for electioneering purposes but for individual character evaluation.
10.1.1. Some of the attributes JoeAm has used are: authenticity (or genuineness); heart; generosity; and sincerity.
10.2. However, to evaluate and determine the best of a group of persons or product, we must compare apple-to-apple. That is to say, we must apply the same set of criteria to each.
10.3. To determine the next best president, PinoyInEurope has referenced a post in this blog below that list a proper set of criteria. The title of that post is “Why Making the Right Choice in the 2016 Election is Crucial”.
*****
*******
Comparisons may be odious but are necessary… and inevitable.
*****
Yes, but then the reason for saying “better” should be expounded on. I think each of us has different ideas of what qualifications a good President should have. A discussion on what qualifications are important would add to insights, which is what this blog is about.
*******
Refer to my response above.
*****
PinoyIE, even if we stop comparing people and do as you say… look for a guy based on proven track record, we still have to compare between those people. So what is it that you’re saying?
I mean…look for guys with proven track records…
Wrote it in my answer to karl garcia. Just saying someone is better or worse sounds to simplistic to me, a bit more sophisticated than “Noynoy pa rin” or “Erap pa rin” but not enough. We need to look at each guy and then weigh pros and cons.
A manager or an HR department evaluating an employee will look at different factors – actual job performance, communication skills etc. and weigh them according to metrics – imagine we are employers looking for an ideal job candidate, how do we define them.
This article gives ten very precise criteria, just found it: https://joeam.com/2014/04/11/why-making-the-right-choice-in-the-2016-election-is-crucial/
With the criteria clear, just say when.
mixed metaphors or whatever.I meant start not stop.
It’s not up to me to say when. But I see that I got a discussion started, with josephivo giving major points. Let us see where that goes, it is very interesting – and then decide how to continue.
I just started, a bit further below. The scores fit my personal intuition on this matter.
There is no perfect leader but one can have a ranking, and preferences.
The discussion on criteria is a very interesting. But my point is that there are three sets of criteria, a negative set, a positive and a neutral one. Negative, things that have to be absent, and positive, things that have to be present. Both can be formulated with not- fashion to appear as criteria of the opposite side, being honest or being not-honest or dishonest.
Positive criteria attract, negative ones push away. Up to today I hear things about Mar with a “negative” undertone as they are used to oppose him to dark characters like Binay. Genuine can sounds as “less-false”, it pushes away less, it is not enough yet to attract. Neutral ones can be privileged, Wharton educated… who cares?
What I miss are the recruiting properties as charisma, track record, trustworthiness, humor, being “like us”…
Less pushing away is only relevant as long as the other candidates push away more. But once a candidate emerges who can “attract” all this pushing away things become irrelevant.
*******
Thanks, Joseph.
1. I think there should only be one set of criteria for a particular evaluation exercise. This set should be agreed on from the start.
2. The criteria should be as comprehensive as possible to take into account most if not all key factors. Not only genuineness and honesty as mentioned, but also the attributes you cite, such as charisma, track record, trustworthiness and humor.
2.1. I like the inclusion of that last one — a sense of humor.
3. It is the scoring on each criterion that will be positive, negative or neutral for a particular individual. Scoring is tiered or graduated, a range of values from, say, zero to 10.
o Zero to 4 will be negative
o Five is neutral
o Six to 10 are positive.
4. The summation of the scores should reveal the best individual in a particular evaluation exercise.
5. As we have noted before in this blogsite, any set of criteria is limited by hard-to-quantify or impossible-to-quantify key factors.
5.1. For example, take President Aquino.
o It is possible to quantify his quality according to the criteria of character, skills, education, intelligence, track record, etc. by having a list of the attributes we think are important.
o What we cannot quantify are the imponderables like: (a) the impact of his parents on his character; (b) the impact of the family wealth; (c) the impact of influential relatives such as the Cojuangco’s; (d) the impact of friends, classmates, and fraternal groups; (e) the impact of personal habits such as smoking, drinking, gaming; (f) the impact of the absence of a wife and children; (g) the impact of beloved teacher in high school or college; (h) the impact of the dynamics of past political affiliations; (i) and many, many more.
5.2. A great imponderable in the case of Mar is his wife. Or so some say.
5.3. A great imponderable in the case of Grace is her parentage. Or so some say.
6. So what we are left with is a scoring tabulation of all individuals in the sample group, and their comparative rankings. But in addition to this we must also use reason, intuition — and, yes, guesswork — to grasp the weight of the imponderables.
*****
The set of criteria from Juana Filipinas blog article is IMHO OK – put shortly:
1. Integrity/ Honesty
2. Ability to delegate
3. Confidence/Security
4. Communication Skills
5. Sense of Humor / Positive Attitude
6. Commitment/ Passion
7. Ability to Inspire
8. Competence
9. Courage
10. Servanthood/Selflessness
All positive criteria, but 1 for example embodies the negative criteria as well. Binay whould score very low on integrity/honesty. I would use a simple scale – good, bad, neutral and of course every evaluation in the end is taken from a personal perspective. OK my ratings:
Binay:
1 bad
2 good
3 good
4 good
5 neutral
6 bad
7 bad
8 bad
9 bad
10 bad
Overall: -3 (good = 1, bad = -1, neutral = 0)
Noynoy:
1 neutral
2 neutral
3 good
4 bad
5 neutral
6 neutral
7 bad
8 good
9 bad
10 neutral
Overall: -1
Bongbong
1 bad
2 neutral
3 good
4 good
5 neutral
6 neutral
7 neutral
8 neutral
9 neutral
10 neutral
Overall: 1
Roxas:
1 good
2 bad
3 neutral
4 neutral
5 good
6 good
7 neutral
8 good
9 neutral
10 good
Overall: 4
Duterte
1 good
2 good
3 neutral
4 good
5 neutral
6 good
7 good
8 neutral
9 good
10 neutral
Overall: 6
Cayetano:
1 good
2 neutral
3 good
4 good
5 neutral
6 good
7 good
8 good
9 good
10 neutral
Overall: 7
How about yours?
Here is the link once more: https://joeam.com/2014/04/11/why-making-the-right-choice-in-the-2016-election-is-crucial/
There is no perfect leader, but I think one can rank between better, good, neutral, bad and worse leaders. Using simple criteria encourages brainstorming and thinking without causing endless discussions that have no real goal.
On Roxas, I am not yet knowledgeable enough to rate him. On President Aquino:
1. Good
2. Good
3. Good
4. Neutral
5. Good
6. Good
7. Good (staff); neutral (public)
8. Good
9. Good
10. Good
I guess it probably depends on what we are looking for, and what we see.
Binay:
1 bad= he is so opposite of integrity and honesty
2 good=dami mauutusan
3 bad=umatend lang ng hearing di pamagawa
4 good=he can beso beso to the masa around
5 neutral(i don’t know)
6 bad= basta bad
7 bad= pero nainspire nya yung ntc
8 bad=basta bad
9 bad=see number 3
10 bad=basta ulit
Overall: paano ba ulit?
Bongbong
1 bad=school records accurate daw, accurate nga nakalagay incomplete
2 good=san ba nya nakuha yung artillery info nya
3 good=pano irate ang overconfident?
4 good=he communicated that his school records are accurate,
5 good= again his records made me laugh
6 neutral
7 neutral
8 neutral
9 neutral
10 neutral
Overall:
next time na yung iba natetempt ako mangopya na lang
@karl: overall = sum of all points. Good = 1, Neutral = 0, Bad = -1. So your overall for Binay is 2 goods, 1 neutral, 7 bad = -5. Your overall for Bongbong is 4 good, many neutral and 1 bad = 3. Joe gives Aquino an overall rating of 9 or 8 1/2.
@Joe: of course it is about what each person sees and is looking for. But: a rating by criteria makes it a little bit more quantifiable in a summarized way.
I don’t know if we are comparing here or brainstorming. But the results seem to indicate that this kind of determining a suitable candidate is a case of “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”. Using the same criteria, PinoyIE’s overall score for Noynoy is negative 1 in contrast to Joe’s positive 9. karl of Binay=negative 5, PinoyIE of Binay=negative 3, karl of Bongbong=positive 3, PinoyIE of Bongbong=positive 1.
Based on PinoyIE’s criteria considerations of Binay, Noynoy, Bongbong, Roxas, Duterte and Cayetano, Cayetano is the best presidential material compared to the rest of the group, Duterte is better than Roxas, and Roxas is better than Bongbong, so on.
That does not mean I supposed that Cayetano is the best presidential material there is since there are a multitude of presidential aspirants out there that has yet to be considered using the same criteria listed here that can be compared to Cayetano. I hope Joe has the time or space to find out and publish it.
Sorry, it’s just me. Can’t help comparing people.
*******
Bert,
Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. That’s because most of the criteria in this case are character attributes. There is hardly anything that can be “objectively” scored like (a) educational attainment; (b) companies worked with and positions held; (c) broadness of experience in different fields like banking, consultancies, and public service; (d) rhetorical and oratorical skills as displayed in writing and in speeches (this is communication skills); (e) membership in community organizations; (f) legislative bills authored; etc.
And one must indeed compare.
*****
@Bert: I only wrote down the candidates that I have an opinion about. Anyone can feel free to write down their candidates and their opinion based on the ten criteria.
@Ernie, ay edgar lores pala: 🙂 feel free to propose your own set of overall criteria.
I am thinking about this exercise here as brainstorming, using the good ideas and discarding the bad ideas. In the end, we may have as a result a set of criteria and even a definition of how to measure them in some way, because how you measure always depends on the reference point. One of us may write down the result as a blog article and ask for feedback, thereby feeding the common process of gaining insights even more.
*******
PinoyInEurope
http://thesocietyofhonor.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/the-rizal-robredo-index.html
*****
@edgar lores: thanks…
Quality is peceived. that is what the , balanced Scorecard /strategy maps metric guys keep on overlooking. sure you can’t manage what you can’t measure, but how can you remove subjectivity in any metrics?
Bingo. I was just reflecting on how to construct that into a blog. The objectivity that most of us go by is very uninformed, so much so as to range anywhere from fairly reasoned to off base to surrealistic to lunatic. It might be best to start with the stark understanding that there IS no objectivity, and we have to work really hard to get anywhere close to having an intelligent understanding.
Measuring the different factors does help people – in making more transparent WHY a certain point of view is chosen. It can help further independent thinking, reflection and insights. Willingness to try and understand the other persons point of view is important, to know from what vantage point and what perspective they are taking that point of view – seeing it with the other person’s eyes and trying on their mocassins for a while.
Correct Joe, there is no objectivity because we all observe from different vantage points. If you are in the middle of things in the valley, you have another vantage point from the one watching from the mountaintop. The nice thing is that those in different places can have an exchange of VIEWS and can try to see why the other guy looks at at that way – in the end it is a common learning process – for all who are interested in learning.
Yes, agree. I rather see it like negotiating a contract. You identify the issues of disagreement, set them aside, and wrap up all the agreed sections. Then you work through the disagreements until they are agreements. Discussing political candidates can go the same way. We could take each of Juana’s evaluation points that we disagree on, and I am confident be able to find a place that we can settle on. It requires an open mind from both parties. I’m impressed that you have acquired the German penchant for direct talk, and no need to fear or apologize for misreadings or hold to positions as a reflection of personal esteem. That is rare over here . . . outside of this blog.
*******
karl,
Very good question.
I don’t think one can remove subjectivity. But if many people participate in an evaluation exercise, one should arrive at a composite result which is hopefully “objective”. This is how a survey, like SWS, works.
However, the fact that Binay continues to retain high popular approval makes me despair.
There are many inherent problems such as the dissemination of pertinent information (regarding the individuals to be evaluated) to all participants, the quality of the information, and bias of the evaluators. Just on the last, many factors may influence bias such as geographical location, economic class, educational attainment, age and sex.
Perhaps we should decide things on the throw of the dice, eh?
*****
“Yes, agree. I rather see it like negotiating a contract. You identify the issues of disagreement, set them aside, and wrap up all the agreed sections. Then you work through the disagreements until they are agreements. Discussing political candidates can go the same way.”
Wow – reminds me of my friend and business lawyer, white European dude but married to an Indonesian Protestant lady. I remember him telling me, don’t be too confrontational when you are negotiating business contracts, you will get nowhere with that attitude. Calmly tell the other party your needs and why particular provisions contradict your needs and discuss a common solution that reflects the needs of both parties. He told me with a knowing smile, I understand your attitude buddy, I had to switch gears when I shifted from being a confrontational trial lawyer to becoming a business lawyer, different ballgame. Think win-win as much as possible, do not be a zero-sum game player if you can help it.
Bingo, yep. I guess the question is Philippine politics, or our discussion of it, going to be played in trial fashion or negotiating fashion. I’d say the Philippines is made up mostly of undocumented trial lawyers. ahahaha
@Joe: “I’m impressed that you have acquired the German penchant for direct talk, and no need to fear or apologize for misreadings or hold to positions as a reflection of personal esteem. That is rare over here . . . outside of this blog.” Thanks Joe. OK I do find my Filipino nature getting the better of me from time to time but I keep it on a tight leash. Volkswagen among others did teach me a lot, had a lot of “a ganun pala” moments. Watching Kidlat Tahimik in high school may have inspired me to do what he did…
Of course anonymity has its advantages, don’t know how I would be if I had a face to lose here, I can be “walang-hiya” in a positive way because people don’t know that my name is actually Rumpelstilzchen and I could be a mischievous unano for all they know. 🙂
It is exciting to be able to discuss and give back something to my community of origin. Sometimes it is too exciting though, but having let out things that have churned in my mind for decades and might have gotten me beaten or killed back home is truly a great thing. Apart from the penchant for direct talk, I have acquired a habit of lecturing sometimes. Could come across as arrogant, I know because that is how it felt to ME in the beginning. But it is just the Germanic habit of going through ALL aspects of an issue thoroughly.
“Of course anonymity has its advantages, don’t know how I would be if I had a face to lose here,” Profound. Anonymity is an enabler, for sure, and the choice is whether or not to use it for good or ill. You use it well, and I’d like to think I do as well. Some think otherwise, but I can never remember their names . . .
*******
PinoyInEurope
http://thesocietyofhonor.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/the-rizal-robredo-index.html
*****
“What I miss are the recruiting properties as charisma, track record, trustworthiness, humor, being “like us”…”
*******************
Now, that figures why Mar Roxas is not so attractive to me, as a voter. Of the properties mentioned by Joseph above, only track record registered to me as positive and it’s not even that impressive. The rest to me are negative, I’m sorry to say.
These are the few positive articles that depicts Mar As a transparent public servant. Unknown to most of us majority of the media are paid hackers of corrupt politicians. No wonder our country can’t even inch forward
It is for sure a strong current to swim against, a tabloid arena of provocation and negativity.
Filipino provocation and negativity in general. I wonder what would happen if the Philippines were to hire Obama after his term ends in 2017 – after President Binay miserably fails for example. I can imagine the negativity in 2019, including racism.
I wanted him to be the president 5 years ago and still praying he would be in 2016. I’ve met people who worked in DTI for 15 to 20 years and swears that his leadership was the beat years they had- corporate culture and all in a government agency. In the absense of The chief PNP, he is hands-on as the XO NAPOLCOM chief. A silent hardworking man for this country. My president is MAR.
Thanks for voicing your view, Zesma.
i know the author says this is not an electioneering blog, but my choices are Cayetano and Roxas.
Recent history would tell me Cayetano that Cayetano can treat people like sh_t, the way he treated Deles and Ferrer, so minus points on the character reference part.
Sure Mar had that golf club outburst and the swearing P I translated as SOB one time in a rally,but words are words emotions are emotions,but does that define character?
His reaction to…” the remember you are under oath” can tell a lot. others would bow down to submission or silence once a senator reminds them about that under oath ek ek.
AND Yeah maybe once upon a time when he was a senator, he might have blurted out the same lines as well.
Now positives=good dti sec,good dilg sec like the ones mentioned by others.
lots of discernment to go.
Actually the Deles and Ferrer thing makes Cayetano more of a leader for me – in the Philippines you need a leader who can kick ass from time to time. Doing it the way Marcos did is too much, the way Duterte did it in Davao only works there. Actually Duterte seems to have realized this, now advocating centralized police and army and disbanding all armed groups even within a federal system.
Choosing a leader always has trade-offs involved. Iyong burgis na mentalidad, hindi oobra sa mga taong kalye sa atin, iyong ugaling kalye hindi oobra sa mga professional. Kaya si Cayetano, sa burgis nanggaling kaya medyo nagpapakasiga ngayon, si Duterte naman tipong kalye pero nagsusumikap maging mas professional ngayon. Talagang mahirap maging pinuno sa Pilipinas. Kahit naman si Noynoy, kahit burgis siya, medyo nagpapakasiga rin, pabaril-baril at payosi-yosi, para lang hindi mapagkamalang bakla.
ok PiE I’ll add duterte to my list afterall got lotsa relatives in Davao from my mother’s side, maybe I need their input..I’ll consider what you said about Cayetano.
Keep your eye on next Tuesday’s blog.
Will do.
I second the motion – or I second emotion like many Filipinos say, being emotional.
Si Cayetano, maginoo pero nagsusumikap maging medyo bastos. Siguro ganyan niya rin nakuha ang kanyang asawang maganda. Si Duterte naman, bastos na nagsusumikap maging maginoo at medyo bastos na lang.
PinoyIE,
Kung puwit din lang ang pag-uusapan, si Presidente Noynoy ay marami ng puwit na sinipa mula ng umupo bilang presidente, malalaki pang puwit: Gloria, Guttierez, Corona, Enrile, Jinggoy, Revilla, etc. Ano pa bang gusto mo?
Hindi pa ako kumbinsido na talagang para sa bansa niya ginawa ito, kundi para lang sa kanyang kapangyarihan, sa kanyang personal na paghihiganti o kaya para lumakas iyong kampo niya. Baka makumbinse ako kung ikulong niya iyong kanyang tiyo Peping.
Si Cayetano naman, mukhang talagang para sa bansa tulad ng kanyang amang si Rene. Mas nararamdaman niya ang ninanais ng sambayanan at nabibigyan niya ito ng boses. Ayaw ng marami na magpalamang ang Pilipinas sa mga terorista at manlolokong MILF.
Sa kabila ng lahat, maraming nagawa si Noynoy para sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas, madalas din akong sumang-ayon dito kaya wala makakapagsabing isa ako anti-Noynoy. Hindi ako mahilig sa kampihang personal, tinitignan ko lang ang nagawa para sa bansa.
Sa palagay ko, masyadong mahina si Noynoy pati na rin iyong mga representatibong si Deles at Ferrer kung humarap sa MILF kaya niloloko lang sila ng mga ito – hindi pa ako naniniwala sa itinutukoy ng marami na kakuntsaba nila sila dahil walang prueba para rito.
At isa pa – hindi si Noynoy ang paksa natin dito kundi ang maari niyang maging kasunod. Makukumbinse ako kay Mar – siya ang unang paksa ng usapan natin – kung maipakita niya meron siyang katatagan ni kinakailangan para sa isang tunay na pinunong bayan. Maaring meron siyang mas malaking pagmamalasakit para sa tao kaysa kay Noynoy, hindi rin natin alam kung ito’y pakitang-tao lang, pero mas naniniwala ako na may layunin si Cayetano o Duterte para sa sambayanan at mas naibabatid nila ito sa mga tao.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/02/27/1428127/philippines-france-cooperate-vs-terrorism – OK ako dito kung talagang gagawin ni Noynoy ito. Hindi naman siya iyong walang ginawang tama, tignan natin kung masolusyonan niya ang problema sa Mindanao sa isang taong natitira pa sa kanya – malaking problema talaga ito na hindi basta-basta. Abangan natin ang mga susunod na kabanata, hindi pa tapos ang pelikula.
And no amunt of us saying we want him to do all those things will change your conviction that he is a vindictive man…all those people who were stripped of their undeserved position or undergoing trial went through and are still goin through due process, the nation rejoiced but still you echo the oppositions’ verdict …he is vindictive…he engages in selective justice…it gets tiring to a point…Sorry, Joe…maybe off topic as this one is about Roxas, but I just have to react
It’s not off topic at all as it deals to the point of character and how it portrayed in the media. The term “vindictive” is a variable that depends on whose ox is gored. If it is my ox, the person doing it is vindictive. If a crook’s ox is being gored, is is called justice. Indeed, President Aquino can be vindictive in small doses (relieving the Police honcho who, after Yolanda, projected that there were 10,000 dead). But he issues forth justice in huge sweeping doses. Good for him.
Point taken, thanks…I hope that policeman is reinstated
It’s up to him. Poor Art . . . . man, whew, never saw someone attacked like that, except for victims of African bees.
“Baka makumbinse ako kung ikulong niya iyong kanyang tiyo Peping.” – so I actually can be convinced. Actually I even wrote this: “Hindi pa ako kumbinsido na talagang para sa bansa niya ginawa ito, kundi para lang sa kanyang kapangyarihan, sa kanyang personal na paghihiganti o kaya para lumakas iyong kampo niya.” which means that I am not yet convinced he actually did it for the nation – so I do not have any verdict yet, just a preliminary opinion which includes serious doubts, I take really long for an actual verdict because I am a skeptical person based on learning and experience. I doubt if the nation rejoiced at all that Noynoy did, the nation is composed of many different people with different points of view. And sorry I don’t believe in living saints, they don’t exist.
Very harsh, even too harsh on people who also deserve due process – or where was Gloria given any due process? But extremely soft on MILF, I wonder why? These guys have acted in many ways recently that make it doubtful they can ever be trusted. Again if they convince me they can be trusted, OK but that depends on their actions. And also for Noynoy it is: “Abangan natin ang mga susunod na kabanata, hindi pa tapos ang pelikula.” – I have my reservations about him but he still has one year, then we can pass judgement.
Just for the record: the opposition is definitely vindictive if one looks at the coup d’evil people Joe mentioned. The question is: what politicians in the Philippines really care about national interests and not just the interests of their own in-group? Maybe Noynoy does – I doubt it, Joe does not, we have different opinions there – agree to disagree. I see two politicians who might… be for the country or just want to be president – but then again if they do the job well it does not matter. What makes me suspicious of Noynoy is this aura of a living saint projected on him by many, all this hero-worship and how he sometimes seems to be floating above everything. I would be more trusting of a down-to-earth leader who does not have a pseudo-religious cult around him, but that is just my opinion.
What is Mr. Aquino’s motivation? It is not corruption and money. It is not power. It is not family. It is the legacy of his parents, which is rather like the Nation as seen through the eyes and hearts of people very dear to him, and taken away from him, one too soon and too tragically, the other seeing her dreams flame out in the midst of the political game-playing. Look at what he does, it is one part firm, independent and determined (vengeful?) like his father, and one part the goodness of his mother (not corrupt, doing what he believes is best for the nation). The force that pushed him into office was indeed a form of hero-worship, but I’d like to call it “hopes and dreams”. Well, the character of the nation, trapos and crabs at the top, crabs throughout unable to accept a mistake without judging the whole of the man, and the dream fizzles. Yet, step back, and the Philippines has, in five years, due to the stability and promise that still rides with him, left the banana years forever. I still hope, and still dream. (And therefore, I back Mr. Aquino). He is no hero. He is the great stabilizer.
“You are in favor of Noynoy’s kind of governance therefore you worshipped him.”, is that it?
What kind of conclusion is that?
@Bert, where did say to anyone “you are in favor of Noynoy’s kind of governance therefore you worshipped him.”? I did not, all I said is that the simplistic worship of Noynoy that I see is quite suspect to me. I do respect people who are in favor and explain to me the reason why, who manage to make me see why, to understand even if I do not agree. This is something Joe has managed to do. Now to Joe:
@Joe: I see now why you are so in favor of Noynoy. The analogy is: I went to a place that was “cleaner” than the Philippines more than 30 years ago. You went to the Philippines many years ago and saw the place get “cleaner” from being “dirty”, I have looked at Filipino politics closely from afar via Internet and thru Facebook friends since 2008 and of course it still looks relatively “dirty” to me, having gotten used to “clean”. This explains our differences in rating Aquino – I rate him -1, meaning not as dirty as the rest he put in jail or elsewhere, you rate him 9, it really depends on the measuring stick you take. Actually I am thinking a bit further: who can build on his legacy and improve it? Helping us brainstorm.
Provocative I am, but not destructive. Ask me why I understand Cayetano? Because he comes after all from a very patriotic family and fears the dismemberment of the country. Losing everything, the Philppines that he grew up with – the one I grew up with too. Out of this fear comes rage which I definitely understand, you may see it as grandstanding, I see it as genuine concern which must be tempered by a bit of calm to become constructive. Like Yoda said “fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering”.
Since you have given Aquino the benefit of the doubt, which is a good thing typically not in Filipino character, I ask you to give Cayetano the benefit of the doubt too, and not put him in the same place as the coup d’evil characters. He is a new generation of leader.
The Philippines is in ferment, is in the process of defining its postcolonial identity and finally becoming the nation it can be. It will have to synthesize, from all three aspects: native, Christian and Muslim – never colonized, colonized by Islam and colonized by Catholic Spain – a new identity and that is work in progress. As you see, I respect other points of view even if I do not agree. I am far away, but the old country is still in my heart, which is why I cannot be silent about things that happen there. Thanks for this great blog.
Your view of our different frameworks is excellent. I definitely see Cayetano’s strengths, and was disappointed that his sharp leadership on the Makati corruption hearings did not translate to improved popularity. I thought he demonstrated his ability to dissect issues and argue them in very strong fashion. Clearly, the broad population has no idea what is going on in these hearings. His “performance” during the Mamasapano hearingss was like Makati on steroids, as he upped the confrontation quotient. I’ll have a few more things to say about his case next week.
It is interesting. The discussion came up a few days ago that we will know the Philippines is in good shape when it doesn’t matter who the president is, because the nation will have a direction and drive to guide the president, rather than the other way around. I think I am closer to that comfort zone than most, as I believe there are perhaps four or five people who could move into the president’s office, and the nation would do fine. Cayetano is one of those people. Most seem to hold that it has to be THEIR choice, or the nation will go to hell. And if their person is not elected, they will spend six years pointing out how the nation is going to hell. No matter what the performance metrics say.
“Your view of our different frameworks is excellent”. @Joe, thanks. I know very well what good, very good and excellent mean in American English. They are equivalent to when a German says OK, gut and sehr gut. Actually that is already the modern, Americanized German, an old-school German will say hmmm, naja and gut to mean the same scale – another real-life example of how different ways of measuring things can be confusing.
“His “performance” during the Mamasapano hearingss was like Makati on steroids” – very correct. There is something called the “Great Cultural Divide” in the Philippines. The C-D-E classes have a different culture in many ways from the A-B classes, even if the cultures of these classes are rapidly converging. I have experience being in both of these cultures – at home I was privileged, leaving Pinas because of the regime and other things included sliding back and having to adjust to the talk and attitude of overseas workers. Cayetano was too high-class for many masa voters, the crowd that once voted for Erap. Duterte is too roughneck for the ruling class, even if I think the guy is not stupid at all. What I told Karl is that he is being “siga” or “astig” to catch a portion of the masa vote. Duterte is trying to be more sensible because he sees his old approach will not work. What I think though is that he will not win because the patrician dislike for the plebeian, to use Manong Sonny’s words from ancient Ilocano Rome, is still to strong in the Philippines.
Aquino’s problem is that he is NOT able to reach the so-called “bakya” or “masa” at all. Large portions of the “masa” for example fully understand why the way he talked with the PNP on the evening of the wake did NOT sit well with the policemen, the SAF 44 are seen as heroes because the “masa” see them as “our boys” – they come from the same milieu. BTW a lot of low- to midlevel government employees, including cops and army, owe their career to the Marcos dictatorship. Marcos was an upstart who helped a lot of upstarts. Understandable that these people do NOT trust the old elite – the yellow revolution was a bit like the Bourbons coming back after Napoleon, the landed gentry Marcos threw out. For many who hoped for change under Marcos, it was the ancien regime returning. “Most seem to hold that it has to be THEIR choice, or the nation will go to hell.” makes more sense under this premise – it can be compared to the Carlists and their rivals in 19th century Spain, the Carlists being reincarnated as the Franco dictatorship in the 1930s.
What I am hoping for is a president who is NOT from any of the blue and yellow camps because the mere hint of belonging to one camp will cause the other camp to bark. Philippine society has not yet fully healed from the dictatorship and its aftermath.
Mar is fine, but he will always be seen as a yellow boy by the blues and the reds. Cayetano is not seen as belonging to any camp AND the “patricians” will accept him. Estrada was shot down quickly by the “patricians”, like many a plebeian tribune in Rome.
One more major divide is within Filipinos themselves, I quote from Syjucos Ilustrado: “If you choose your own, you side with oppresion, fratricide, indifference – you will never be content among our own … If you side with the others, you choose treason, patricide, betrayal – you will never be accepted among those unlike you. Religion taught you to revere the family. Education taught you to value the majority over the few …” – this divide is what prevents people from working together and a leader is need to overcome that. Like Sonny wrote, a kind of Cincinnatus is needed, a patrician who understands the plebeian and works for the good of the whole country. Magsaysay came close.
I appreciate the elaboration. Why do I think tomorrow eve’s blog is going to draw a comment or two from you? haha
For a while now, I’ve been thinking that, with everything that’s happened in the past few years, the storms, earthquakes and whatnot, Mar Roxas at least has been receiving valuable training in crisis management. Which should serve him well if ever he’s destined for bigger things.
He has dealt with storms and terrorist bombings, the Zamboanga siege and recently the Purisima/Mamasapano incident, and before that DOTC investments. He manages the police and interfaces with the army. He’s worked with local governments. Indeed, he is has a practical view of government that few can match.
He actually has more hands-on experience than Aquino did before he started, Aquino having been a Senator and not a Cabinet member. The problem with Senators trying to be Presidents is that they lack hands-on experience that former cabinet members have.
If we are are already brainstorming, which other Cabinet members – from whatever government – do we see that have the competence to be a future President? Doesn’t matter if they are yellow, blue, green or purple, black or white.
I read this and I wept.
Out of laughter.
Oh, please, Mike. If you have an observation, have the courtesy to explain why you think Mar Roxas is not of good character. I am not here to sell him to you, and if you have information that I don’t have, please share it. This troll-style, chat-room one-off comment is so WEAK of character. So unless you have an argument to present, I’ll consider your input as fundamentally worthless.
@Mike
I read your nine word post and wondered at the emptiness of the universe, at the unbearable lightness of your comment. Are we alone in the vastness? 🙂 LOL
Mike, I think you’ve had too much of it last night. I suggest you read this again when you’re sober.
Is Mar sitting beside Grace Poe on the fence? Did he as DILG secretary say anything about the abnormalities in Makati? Does he really has to stay in Pnoy’s shadow all the time, in every picture and always with exactly the same smile, can’t he stand to the left so now and then, or to the right or even in front?
On the other hand, I knew one of his Usecs and I had a lot of respect for this man. So if you measure people on their subordinates, that would be a plus.
Build on strength, intellect, loyalty… tweak weaknesses were absolutely necessary, dependency of Pnoy and his wife (?), charisma for class D and E voters… .
As a fellow cabinet member, it is difficult for Sec. Roxas to make comments about Binay. That is not the case for legislators, as many have offered up comments.
You have characterized the battle well: the image in our minds (that got there exactly HOW?), and what people who know the man say. They relentlessly say good things.
Something is getting lost in the translation to our minds . . . maybe using tabloids for the translation is not the best choice . . .
NAH,I don’t believe he is not liable of what happened in Mamasapano. His ambition killed those special forces.
More proof that some do not even read the post at all.
For someone who was out of the loop in this mission, not informed nor consulted, not involved in coordinated assault…he was an invisible killer of the gallant SAF..WOW, man
:).
The Real Mar Roxas!? Have we forgotten that when he was running for the Presidency in 2009, as a massive publicity stunt he and Korina professed their supposed “LOVE” in Wowowee!? (With tears and all,) The highest rated noon time show in ABS CBN back then? Have we forgotten that after that episode, notebooks with their faces plastered on them (with the supposed catch phrase of the engagement) were distributed in the Palengkes in Cubao?
Well maybe that’s the real Mar Roxas – A MASSIVE PUBLICITY STUNT! When the Cameras are on and when people are watching he starts dirtying his face, and starts carrying sacks of rice.
How about the fact that after Haiyan hit tacloban, he asked the staff to turn on the generator so that the aircon in his room can keep functioning. How about the morning after Haiyan, Mar and his staff took their time drinking their coffee and eating their course breakfasts?
Do you guys even remember his FAILED Padyak Ads? How NATURAL (Sarcasm) of him to be kicking the sidecar of a boy? Or him talking to the people in the Palengke?
The problem with people trying to push for Mar Roxas, and the REAL MAR ROXAS is totally blinded. Mar is an elitist ambicious politicians. He thinks his smarter than everybody, even the President. It must be so hard for him, serving the PNOY when in his mind he knows- I should’ve been the one seated in the highest position in the land.
JoeAm you’re such a propaganda machine. For once, I am happy the rich and those that read this blog comprise only of 9% of the voting public.
God Bless you, and God Bless the Philippines.
I say, I say we are ALL propagandists; we ACHE to voice our opinions, BAZINGA !!!
@ANAIS, don’t be so disappointed hon, we are ALL in this SOUP (SOAP$$?) . .
*******
Propaganda is “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.”
Some advocacies are not propaganda. It may be true that they are subjective to a degree but they may NOT be of a misleading nature.
*****
All politicians have to play their game to get elected, even Mar Roxas – or Cayetano whom I prefer and Joe is more critical of. It is a popular democracy after all, and you have to sell.
Joe is not a propagandist, he just has his own opinion and conviction – even if he has not yet been convicted for it – hehe just a bit of Pinoy humor on the side.
If you think this is a propaganda blog, go to GRP and voice a dissenting opinion. They will come and make online pintakasi because you entered their area without coordination.
Here you can have your own opinion if you voice it out calmly and without getting personal – I know this is not easy for us, being Filipinos but we can learn to channel our emotions. In fact if we do we can be a lot more successful than the puti, heart + head = strength.
It is clear to me that Joe has a certain direction, a majority in this blog too, but people like sonny (an Ilocano who sees much positive things in Marcos) and me are treated well here. In fact I even published my own article just recently – read it if you want and then judge.
(PiE, I have to reread your plot points in your Philippine fiction. The Batak connection I have never heard before. I have seen the Pampango words “cognating” with a Sumatran tribal language, and I am really into this Malayo-Polynesian interconnectedness) 🙂 Hmmmm…
As to my own article, it remains putative, i.e. in the cloud. I’m pedalling, Joe!
Ahahaha, sonny, I have a feeling your article will be like fine red wine, or lovely aged cheese, the extended shelf life having given it a certain indescribable richness of taste. Not like these schlock propaganda pieces I churn out, which are like vinegar and milk off the teat, mixed . . . to some . . . So keep on pedaling . . . or churning . . .
Back at you, Joe. Many of the ‘schlock’ so far are like finely divided Platinum, wakes up even inert, unreactive material. 🙂 They are called catalysts.
I’ve decided I like you.
The chemist side of Sonny 🙂
🙂 🙂 Even now retired as I am, I’m still a chemist: che misis umaasa!
I remember a Filipino anthropologist saying that the languages are similar and the name of Batac, Ilocos Norte may come from that connection. However, it is a faint childhood memory and would have to be verified. Once I talked to an Indonesian about Tagalog and he told me it reminds him of Javanese, a highly sophisticated and elegant language – I think there is much to be done in that area of study and I doubt that many have done it.
So far, the tragedy of the plane crash into the Java Sea, reminded me of the on-going speculations that have so far pointed to the Malay origins covering the area of the Banda Sea and during the melting of the last ice age. It is getting thickerer.
Marcos is a done deal. I have seen the point of his being Lenin-like in the resting place his followers have fashioned. It is time to give him his proper rest. Bong-bong and mother should end their mourning and contribute the largesse they hold to where it belongs, the Filipino Youth, their nurture and their future.
Bongbong and Noynoy are actually mirror images of one another in not having moved on from the past and from mourning their fathers. Both should ask themselves what their respective fathers would have done in the present situation. Because both of their fathers had their visions for the country – Marcos in my opinion is a mixed bag and as for Aquino we will never know how he would have been because he never had his chance.
Actually if a lot of politicians would act like many American billionaires and give to charities that help in educating the poor, the Philippines would be lot better off in the long term. But they and their followers are too factional instead of realizing they are on the same boat.
Strong aye! Chicago is a city-monument to those types of billionaires in money and talent and both. My invitation, if any Filipino is in my neck of the woods I will point to premier collections of Filipiniana in the world. I will be your guide. All I ask is a good lead time.
@PinE,
The last thing we need are billionaire politicians giving to charities to educate the poor because that would only embolden and justify their thieving ways. It would essentially be plutocracy incorporated.
The state has the means, the resources, and the obligation to do the educating part. Expand UP in every region or every province. State universities should be modernized. The Philippines can very well afford to give free education from elementary, high school, all the way to college. Why we’re not doing it is an enormous waste of potential.
A fundamental human right is “the right to a free education”. The Philippines is in violation of this standard.
By stopping legislators from meddling in executive functions, by way of PDAF manipulations, the government can do that…such a small pie and so many departments are asking their share..the justice dept, needs a large share to reform their turf, defense needs a lot to upgrade our capabilities, dead soldiers’ families need more, education, health, etc, etc… whoa…tax evaders, wake up, our country needs you
@Mary Grace
I have good news for you.
Provincial, city, and municipal gov’ts need taxes to pay their bills. The national gov’t, on the other hand, being monetarily sovereign, doesn’t need taxes in order to spend. If the national gov’t’s tax revenue falls down to zero, it will not in any way impair its ability to spend as long as those bills are payable in its own unit of account, the Philippine peso.
As far as the national gov’t is concerned, it creates money ad hoc and ad nihilo by spending. Taxation is money destruction to mitigate inflationary pressure.
Ninoy was not given the chance, shot in the head and became the martyr, who opened the eyes of his countrymen..became the genuine hero that Bongbong’s father never is
He was a victim of the dictatorship and a rallying symbol. But he was not a hero.
Actually I don’t believe in worshipping people, living or dead, I find it foolish.
Ok, got you, loud and clear, thank you..we Pinoys in the Philippines, consider him one
I don’t worship Rizal but I do consider him a hero. He had a real perception of things and a plan. Just because someone dies just like Rizal did does not make him a hero.
Don’t think that all Filipinos back home see Ninoy as a hero. If some do – all this obsession with martyrs is a result of centuries of colonial brainwashing by Spanish friars to make people meek and servile instead of strong. Actually the best heros are those who win.
I share Mary’s perspective. There are still a lot of avid backers of Mr. Aquino, who see the truth. He operates in an environment of intense opposition from crooks and political opponents and destabilizing leftists and people who voted for someone else in 2010, still incapable of seeing the achievements of the Philippines, even as the numbers wrack up steady growth and development. Still out to prove themselves right. The core of supporters see him as true to his mandate. As non-corrupt and carrying the burdens others pile on with considerable strength and determinations. Perfection? No. Good? Without question.
What defines a hero? Those who carry the burdens most of us could not, through intense fire and danger, and who do what needs to be done. I tell you, he cuts it pretty close to being one. Try turning this great ship about, this inefficient, corrupt, dysfunctional, carping, economically barren ship. Those who criticize have their own agendas, and it is not the ship we are on.
And may I add: the original meaning of bayani is someone who dies for the bayan, for the country, but more in a warrior sense, because that is what our ancestors were. Not as sacrificial lambs which is what the Spanish rulers taught us to be.
So in that sense the SAF 44 were real bayani, real warriors who fought for the nation and died. Rizal fought for the country by writing the Noli and the Fili and died for it. Ninoy had a power struggle with Marcos and died for it – just my opinion.
My comment got lost..this ipad is being naughty again…so here goes, for a second try. I worship only God and God alone, I do not worship people, not even the virgin Mary as she is just God’s creation, I consider her a model of obedience to God but not to be worshipped…sorry, Joe, the discussion got hijacked.. Dont want to sound goody goody two shoes and wearing my belief on my sleeve for people to see, as someone here has posted..and PiE…I respect your opinion, jusy wanted to clarify mine
Discussion threads are allowed to go where gravity takes them, Mary.
At least two million who physically marched with his coffin did, and on Cory’s too when her turn came, and those of us who were the silent majority…we who voted for the son so he can continue what his mother failed to finish and what his father was not given the chance to do…..my last post on this matter…just sayin
Ninoy was just a symbol. Many people I know in the Philippines now regret they marched at that time. I also sympathized with the February revolution back in 1986.
I witnessed how his mother’s leadership was – she was not a bad person, but not really a leader. Anyway, thanks for the exchange of opinions.
“Try turning this great ship about, this inefficient, corrupt, dysfunctional, carping, economically barren ship. Those who criticize have their own agendas, and it is not the ship we are on.”
Joe, I do not have my own agenda, if that is what you are implying. My heart still beats for the old country and I do not understand a number of things when I read them, which is why I give my impression and my view from afar.
My opinion – from afar of course – is that the ship is turning around INSPITE of the politics, or because Noynoy did relatively little harm. This of course is my opinion from my vantage point, I respect that you have your opinion – and I do not presuppose any agenda.
I did not have you in mind at all. I don’t take your views as criticism, but thoughtful synthesis. No worries . . .
@ Micha,
Thanks for the good news and the clarification…yes I realize that, nice if we can have a balance budget though, don’t you think?…the TBills are kind of not in existence any more, are they? Even the CBCI (Central Bank Certificate of Indebtedness)…off topic….,just wish the SSS invest there just like before, safer for us….unlike in the likes of EBC during Erap’s time, we lost a lot there when the Velarde issue exploded…haiiist…my mind is wondering…need to adjust my meds again…stay on the topic, Mary!!
He is my hero too Ms. Mary, that would be 2 of us plus 2 million . I was born 1967 so i’m right in the middle of Martial Law era.
We do not worship Pnoy or Ninoy or Cory. It’s the Marcos loyalists who worship their Apo and are blind followers.
Must one make sweeping generalization? Have you talked to the 2million who were there?My titos and titas were there. in EDSA I and they are senior citizens now. I’ve never heard them say that they were sorry. What is a few of your colleagues to a million?
Thank you, stpaul… there are many of us, who were silent before but our spirits are with those who escorted Ninoy and Cory to their final resting place and who, among the silent majorities, cheer the success of their president son, and who watch in trepidation his missteps, knowing he is not perfect but is being pilloried by the tabloid media for that imperfection.
Anais, you remind me of my initial naivete coming into this blog of JoeAm. My knee-jerk reaction was to move on since I am a fan of rolling stones w/ no moss. But since there is much of bag-iw in me, I stayed and acquired the Society’s acquired taste. Stay and acquire, we might also taste what you have.
Yes sonny, “cultural minorities” like us are treated with respect here. If you think positive, then it is a sign of democracy and tolerance. If you are malicious like many of our countrymen, we are just a symbolic quota to make it look good – but I don’t care…
Ahhh. Propagandists for Mar are hard at work, eh? Is this page a circle jerk of sorts?
If by JERK-OFF you mean ANNOYING, you might be right bro ,but why not hang
with the CIRCLE ??? Life’s more FUN in the Philippines.
OUCH, you got me there !!! If by low-class you mean coming from Tondo, that I am, as for driveler GUILTY as charged ☺ I always assumed that PEDESTRIANS were allowed in this PEDANTIC TRAFFIC . . .
Yes, naman. A little pedantry never hurt no one. In fact, there is no Miss Universe if there is no pedantry. 🙂 Whaaat?
pagentry hahaha
I could not resist, KG!
Who let the dogs out!!! Who?!Who?!Who?!
Sorry, can’t help it….
dont call me kg while kb is around.circle jerks daw .grrrr.
ok lang, kg na lang Sonny.
c’mon guys show them you PHDs. Like big bang, maybe this one doesn’t even have a masteral. Are you Penny male version mr. kb?
joke lang po 🙂
It worked. I laughed.
🙂 🙂 🙂
And trolls of no particular merit are out and about contributing nothing to the dialogue but low-class drivel . . .
@KB
One can choose to post arguments, for or against, or one can choose prolonged adolescence with a post like that.
K B this is actually far from a circle jerk. It’s just that when a place is more respectful of other’s opinions and the community actively polices against trollish behavior this is the kind of comments thread you get.
Good to know both sides of the story. To me he is not ready to become a president, his performance as a secretary is subpar. In the real world you dont reward effort only results. I wont go for binay either, he is just too corrupt. Duterte should win, our country needs a strongman not eager boys.
yes, like the song both sides now, if only the other side are not one hit wonders.
like that Greese movie song “,Summer lovin”, I wish they could “Tell me More”.
Both Sides, Now
by Joni Mitchell
Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere,
I’ve looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun,
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done,
But clouds got in my way.
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It’s cloud’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all
Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels,
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes real,
I’ve looked at love that way.
But now it’s just another show,
You leave ’em laughing when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know,
Don’t give yourself away.
I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all
Tears and fears and feeling proud,
To say “I love you” right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
I’ve looked at life that way.
Oh but now old friends they’re acting strange,
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living every day.
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all
that made me sing along.
Not on my playlist, but hey, the show must go on; Andi dear, SENIORS do not appreciate your metaphor, at all, at all. GADZOOKS, you are so TESTY !!!! Hope that is not on BBC’s
copyright
Me, too
Singing along, that is….in the bathroom only..can’t hold a tune even before that operation make my voice crack and squeak like an adolescent boy….wa hahaha
like na like 🙂
Correct. I think one should listen to Duterte, he is telling people more, seeking out dialog with the common people in all regions with his federalism forum. And one-hit wonder, I don’t really think so: he has been running Davao for quite a while now. Of course he has to prove that he is able to be president, he has not yet fully convinced me but I am not easy to convince anyway. In the end it is up to the people to decide.
sorry to elaborate ….one hit wonder hit and run commenters
let me add, methinks we don’t need strongman types we need a conductor like in a symphony.
who can do that? give synergy, unity,cohesion….
Actually Duterte is going all over the country, talking with different local leaders, being one himself. He is quietly practicing the conductor role – this is how I see it from afar.
I might be wrong seeing from too far away – so please enlighten me and add to my insights.
ok lang , I only read online news as well, ang pinagkaiba lang natin me access ako sa chismis dito. about Duterte since i no longer use facebook I could no longer ask my relatives in Davao with in one click.Mas mabilis ka panga sumagap ng balita kesa sakin eh.
Ngayon lang iyan, dalawang linggo akong nagpapartime sa home office dahil may flu.
Sa totoo lang, nabigla ako sa mga pangyayari tungkol sa SAF 44, biglang ang daming nababasa sa mga Facebook friends kong Pilipino. Kaya nagresearch ako ng husto.
Right you are, KG !!! Duterte makes me feel uneasy; he makes me think of a
juramentado ???
My problem with duterte is why I lean towards Mar.
As President you tend to delegate more is Duterte’s network as extensive as the work he must accomplish?
Does he have a history of consensus building that shows he knows how to win people over.
Does he have enough Integrity that people on the losing side of a battle of opinion still believe that he has the country’s welfare in mind?
In evaluating leaders what I look for are the institution builders the Thomas Jeffersons/Alexander Hamilton if you may.
If my memory does not fail me Thomas Jefferson drafted the manual of parliamentary procedure from a position of weakness and yet created one of the civilizing documents of the US Senate.
This is why I have so much respect for PNoy. The filing of the ITLOS is akin to what Thomas Jefferson did in my feeble mind. From a position of weakness changing the battlefield and rules of the battlefield that effectively balanced the powers between the players. In Aquino’s case because I believe that we have a stronger case he effectively reversed the power distribution by changing the battlefield. I suspect that it was not Aquino who thought of this. That is why we have to have brilliant and nationalistic advisers. What Aquino did was create the environment and make the decision that is now becoming a template for other people. I think it is a big enough move that if PNoy was american this would be the Aquino Doctrine.
“Does he have a history of consensus building that shows he knows how to win people over.” Muslims, Christians and native tribes are living peacefully together in Davao. He does consult with representatives from all sectors.
His federalism forum, for which he is going cross-country at the moment, is a form of discussion and consensus-building. He does have a network but it is very grassroots.
i do not doubt his mar’s character. what has been exposed several times is his failure of management and leadership. that to me is the bigger issue.
That’s the next step of the analysis if we want to consider him as a presidential candidate. What do you consider to be his specific failures at management and leadership?
Let me enumerate some mismanagement and failures attributed to him (right or wrong):
1. Some of the problems of the MRT are attributed to him during his stint as DOTC secretary from the awarding of an overpriced contract to an inexperienced company to the appointment of an allegedly corrupt (and seen as incompetent) manager (Al Vitangcol).
2. He is being blamed for the poor performance of the LTO. The release of car registration stickers was very much delayed because according to reports, in an attempt to clean up the system, the DOTC tried to implement a centralised procurement system.
3. He suggested for malls to ban the sale of hammers to prevent the martilyo (hammer) gang to thwart their robbing activities.
4. In the controversial video after typhoon Yolanda where Mar confronted Mayor Romualdez, many complained that Mar was too strict in doing things by the rules. Some complained that he should have just taken over the city without needing to ask permission of the mayor because it was a life or death situation.
I’m not a Roxas basher, in fact right now he is my choice for president albeit reluctantly. I do appreciate this post as it further gave me more reasons to vote for him but I’m still reluctant. Some of the above may have been exaggerated by the tabloid press. I do hope you include these in your analysis.
have a good day.
Thanks. I for sure cannot point to any distinguished, cutting edge achievements. More firefighting and staying within the established (inefficient) boundaries. The investments under DOTC have been outrageously sluggish, so he obviously did not lay any groundwork of efficiency there. And Abaya has piled on top of it with nonsense, it seems to me. Actually, I share your reservations on the work side, but want to explore it some more.
don’t worry mercedes, I am still cherishing what Anais called our collective, she/he called us RICH.
Carlito, I ain’t rich; hubby and I are just thankful we are able to afford our NYT subscription. On a snowy day, like today, I curl up in bed going through NYT and Joe’s blog, with a fine
toothed comb while my best-half is down being a referee on scientific publications. Did I mention that PUP, UCP and Harper has some of his books ? How’s that for name
dropping ? Not OUP though . . .but who cares, huh ???
Natawa lang ako sa wish ko Lang label Ni anais. Hey , “the right you are Kg” reminds me of the cat. because she is the only one ever to tell me that.
Sorry for name dropping.
Mar is acceptable to continue Pinoy’s advocacy of putting every corrupt politician in jail. If filipinos vote for another candidate , Jinggoy, Revilla. Enrile and other pigs already in jail will be pardoned sooner and will run in office again . But only NOYNOY’s endorsement can make Roxas win.
But I personally don’t like Mar because of Korina. 🙂
One sits down at a restaurant and gets a menu. Sometimes there is not much on it. That can be good or bad depending on the cook. Korina is just the bottle-washer. ahahahaha (As I am around our house)
I know the Korina comment is controversial. hahaha. And I agree, there’s not much choices in Philippines not just for candidacy but for everything. Im staying in America- the land of the free. 🙂
leytenian, ikaw talaga. RHiro(hvrds/jag) says hello. ..kidding, but have you noticed your best friend hangs out here nowadays.
What I meant is if young people finds opportunity in USA and abroad they should get out of philippines and travel with their employment. I’m staying in America cause that’s where I’m productive. I’m dual citizen cause I am bullish on real estate and small business investing in Philippines.
But I care about the filipino people: so naive, voiceless and they need help. This JoeAm site is giving them some voice that is almost the truth. 🙂
Why that’s a very nice thing to say, Leytenian.
USA USA USA! I asked my young son, who has two passports and two citizenships, and last year got to visit the US in his USA jacket, “what are you, Filipino or American”. He looked at me as if I were nuts.
“Filipino!”
I think one is a Filipino for life, no matter where you go. It’s in the blood, some deep passion attached to being together through the struggles unique to the Philippines, diversity, poverty, occupation, and hanging on to families and God and even a superstition or two.
I have now decided that I like your son….i hope and pray our country will be a much more prgressive and hospitable, worthy of your choice to live in
Saying we don’t like Mar because of his wife is like saying we don’t like PNoy because of Kris. Karina is something we should consider in choosing Mar but it should have little weight.
Hey, what’s wrong with Korina anyway? As for me, am not insecure enough to judge anyone especially if I don’t know her enough to do so…i decide for myself and no amount of mudslinging by the tabloid media can influence me
Grammar police, help..please, please…promise I’ll edit more before I hit the post comment button..sorry
At your sericve. 🙂
Lol…you need the GP too,, yey,,,am not alone here
*******
Mary, I believe that was kindness to make you and me confortbal.
*****
Ya, I realize that…thanks..shades of what he did to the lady (shucks, my memory fails me again..drat that anesthesia) who can’t articulate well..he was able to express what she was trying to say…if that is not kindness, I don’t know what is
@ Ley
Yep, just like what GMA did to Erap, and what a defective pardon she did…laying the condition of Erap’s not seeking a public office ever again before the actual words of pardon…even restoring his civil rights again…ewwwww….and the ever legalistice SC ruling on technicality….shame on her legal team, and shame on our SC for foisting Erap again in our government offices again…and shame on Jinggoy for alloting millions on his father’s LGU…
who ever advised GMA, that a pardon would be an insurance policy for her? naniwala naman tong si GMA. who’s crying now? or who is laughing all the way to the bank?
Drat this ipad…where is that post comment button?…..ah, there it is, I thought I had to retype again…wheww….
Well, her legal team could have worded the pardon in such a way that although he will not be put in prison after his conviction, he will no longer be able to seek public office again, it could have been another story, Erap will be thrown out of Manila City Hall and he won’t be allowed to be a presidential candidate ever again, stem cell therapy or not.
keep on forgetting he made it to number 2 last 2010. oh no!
His Manila truck ban is one of the reasons our economy was lethargic for that particular quarter… shame… why did the national government allow a local one to derail the whole country’s economy?
Dotc, with PPA under its wings should have had a say, unfortunately this adds to one of their disappointments and loss of confidence. I am disappointed ,Baka masabihan ako Ni mercedes ng name dropping, kaibigan ng pamilya ang mga Abaya pero wala talaga eh.yung mrt gamitan ba nam an ng pedi cab analogy for parts replacement. Susmaryosep.
Now that I think about it, did Erap sabotage the country by issuing that truck ban, in the guise of caring for mga taga Menila to solve traffic problems? They are not too happy about the high GDP growth, same with Enrile and Gringo during the time of Cory.. if I remember correctly, the GDP growth then was in double digit… it never recovered after the various coup attempts
I remembered incorrectly, not double digit… but impressive enough to make the he-men insecure, hence the numerous coup attempts and destabilization acts
All are easy to deny. page tiime Na ng book launching pagmamayabang pa nila lahat ng iyan.
Reblogged this on olingliteratus and commented:
Cliche, but the truth is, the media always have the eyes to where the business is, where the sensation is…
Thanks for the reblog.
Joe, the media informs. Unfortunately, sensationalism is its business, too. Good thing, though, not all are gullible. There are those who read, analyze, and give premium to reason rather than become willing victims of the tabloids. The number is increasing, too. And that is something to be always hopeful about.
Yes, I agree. I have a special interest in journalism, having been schooled in it, and worked on the edges. And I feel an obligation to push for a more ethical style in the Philippines, because I think the tabloid “spirit” of confrontation and negativity prevents a lot of people from being inspired about the Philippines. Man, people here should be walking tall, given the improvements in economic fundamentals, improved reputation of the Philippines internationally, and emerging leadership position in Asia. Most aren’t.
Lebanon was also once a promising country like the Philippines now. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who wrote about anti-fragility, experienced how his country blew up in a short time and it hit everybody unprepared. A country that was strongly connected to the rest of the Eastern Mediteranean especially Greece suddenly became Middle Eastern and chaotic, exiles like Taleb who is Greek Orthodox never came back to their old home.
See why I am worried about the BBL? It could spark further dismemberment the way it is. This is where all the gains made until now could come unravelled. Like I already wrote, the perception that the Philippines is a Western country in the East is an advantage, this is what a former head of a European BPO company in Manila told me. An believe me, unlike in the US, not everybody in Europe is aware that the Philippines is majority Christian.
Considering Charlie Hebdo, the Nazi Breivik and a strong undercurrent of racism growing in Europe, a lot of investors from there may shy away or think twice. Considering that the Eastern Europeans are catching up in the BPO sector, Romanians for example have grabbed a lot of operations that used to be done in Bangalore because a lot of European companies were fed up dealing with “crazy Indians” – this is an original statement I heard.
Even if the Philippines thinks it is enough to rely on Uncle Sam, call centers will be less and less important as time goes by, with Internet self-service doing them in. Therefore I definitely believe that the Philippines should use the chance to build its own industries. Ninotchka Rosca called the Philippines the “country of beginnings” in one of her novels, meaning that many things are started but never followed through for lasting benefit.
So I do share your outlook that things are getting better, but I am looking a bit further. Maybe a SWOT-analysis of the Philippines might be useful – this is a business technique that looks at Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats to help define strategy. Regarding business, there was a book by Intel’s Andy Grove called “Only the Paranoid Survive” – in todays globalized world, it is very important to be a bit paranoid to survive.
The SWOT analysis is a good idea. Do you want to do it, or shall I?
Will start working fulltime and onsite again tomorrow, my flu is finally gone and I have catch up with my billable hours. It’s also better if you do it, you are closer to the ground.
One major idea at a time – the underdog article is still something I have to ferment.
Well, thanks for not charging billable hours here, though your insights are worth more than two cents. I’ll put SWOT into the writing platform. Alas, my Chinese keyboard is losing its letters and seems to screw up the ordering of the letters, so it may take a couple of weeks. I laughed at your term “batshit crazy” used elsewhere. I’m reminded of the underground river cruise in Palawan where they issue helmets, not because of falling stalactites, but because of the rain of batshit. I was glad to get out of that hole, frankly. Filed it under great once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Welcome – I let my brother earn his money doing PR and earn my money otherwise, the difference between us it that he has to be totally quiet privately and I can be loud and free.
Yeah, batshit crazy. Santiago is a pity because she is intelligent, but the way she behaves is more fitting to a comedy than for being in the Senate, also her simplistic slogans are annoying and obviously not really reflected – just barking when she sees Americans.
Subjective article written by a Roxas supporter.
You’ve got it all wrong AF; he is not a Mar supporter. He is a journal/writer showing
BOTH SIDES of the same coin. MOI, on the other hand. am a genuine supporter, come
hell or HAIYAN . . .
Give us the objective view, then, Amante. Thanks.
To each his own opinion…try weighing good and bad deeds from a person. I’ve been voting for Sec. Mar Roxas since the first time he run for public office and will keep on supporting him. He has the heart to serve the Filipino people.
Yep, and certainly from the person of his wife, too eh? Good of you to stop by, cecilia
I am living in Roxas City where Mar Roxas is residing. Mar Roxas is a good and not asking fame in the society but rather share his dignity as a man. Not how did he he say, but how did he live? Not what did he gain but what did he give? This are the units we have to measure the worth of a man. Regardless of birth, state or religion. The point here is, He is a man of integrity. No one can change that. Negative people will not be successful since they corrupt thier own understanding. The Lord is watching you. Watch your negative words to Mar because you don’t know him really!
Thanks for the observation, Jasiel.
I love Mar Roxas eversince. I know he is real. Sometimes we tend to close our eyes to things that matters most. He will be a good president if given the chance.
Good of you to stop by, marie.
What are his chances of winning the Presidency if Davao City Mayor Duterte decides to run for the same seat too?
What is your guess?
ROXAS SA MALINIS NA BUKAS !!!
My take on Mar Roxas after thinking about it for a while:
1. He is intelligent, no doubt.
2. He SEEMS kind, but I think that is an overrated attribute. Making poor people feel good about themselves is IMHO not the right thing to do. It can even come across as patronizing and fake. Being nice to the common people was often a way to fool them, to treat them like little children. Catholic haciendero mentality. Good listeners and motivators are what I prefer: on one hand they have to listen to people, take their everyday concerns seriously, on the other hand one has to motivate them into acting. Like a coach or a captain that lead a sports team into action. One cannot always just be kind for that. You have to treat the members of your team like adults, look them in the eye and give direction. Don’t see much proof of that, correct me if I am wrong. Ramos was a good motivator and a no-nonsense guy nobody could fool, I met him once and he had a very strong presence. OK people I know who met him recently say he is now a cranky old man.
3. Hands on mentality but not in the right way. Why did he have to direct traffic in Tacloban. Symbolic action in my opinion, just like the palengke and padjak stuff, to show common touch. When I worked in McDonalds in my youth, my managers did not fry the burgers, toast the bread or make the fries all the time to show they were working. They showed us how to do it if we were new and then let us continue doing the job, looking what needed to be done and making sure it got done quickly and properly, either delegating it if they so that someone had time or doing it by themselves if they had time and nothing more urgent to do. They made sure the whole operation ran smoothly, moving from office to kitchen to cash registers to the lobby, even occasionally checking the toilets. OK his fall from the motorcycle may have been an example of his trying to check on things personally as quickly as possible – no problem. Or maybe he just wanted to show that he is taking charge and failed. A bit similar to Estrada who allegedly once spoke to people near the Pasig river. A girl fell into the river and he jumped in to help her, thinking he was going to be a hero but forgot that in real life which is not one of his action movies, he could not swim. Allegedly his bodyguards ended up saving HIM and the girl. 🙂
To summarize it, I doubt whether he really understands the common people and cares for them, and I also doubt whether he is really hands-on or just pretending to be. I doubt he is effective. Even if he does care for the people he may not be able to reach them, considering the centuries-old distrust the the common people have for the landed gentry. Noynoy has the same problem. A national leader has to be able to motivate both elite and common people. He has to be able to heal the divisions caused by historical distrust between these two major groups.
This is BTW the reason why I am counting out Duterte, even if I like the way he reaches commoners. Duterte is unpalatable for the elite, way too roughneck. Ramos was good because as a soldier, he had been all over the country, seen how common people live and he had to motivate his men, who were mostly from the common people. Also Ramos was not a haciendero, someone commoners automatically distrust in the Philippines, he is the son of a career diplomat. Studying at West Point and working part-time to finance his studies shaped him as much as his experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, during the latter he commanded PHILCAG which allegedly was only their to build bridges and wells but their HQ was close to Viet Cong HQ and to the Cambodian border, there are unconfirmed stories that they were the first to cross it…
Also, Mar is perceived as “yellow” which means that “blues” supporters (former KBL color, with that I mean all who are somehow in sucession to Marcos: Arroyo, Binay, Bongbong of course etc.) will not like him. The division between blues and yellows is another deep division within Philippine politics caused by the Marcos years and the Cory years. Any present who is perceived as yellow will have a lot of trouble getting things done because of the blues and vice versa, a president who does not have this problem will have it much easier and could even heal this division to make everybody work together. The distrust between the two factions is still too high after 30 years. Reminds me of the Carlistas and their rivals who alternated in ruling 19th century Spain – they hated each other deeply and the Carlistas were even reincarnated in the 1930s with Franco. Which is why I prefer Cayetano, he is not identified with any of the two camps, but that is not my only reason. With Grace Poe it is unclear where she will really stand, Santiago is a comedy show.
My response will be this afternoon’s blog.
OK. My elaboration of why Cayetano is IMHO the best choice will be in my answer.
We see it from two very different perspectives and I think that enriches the discussion.
You are on the ground, I am far away but I have been deeply involved in Philippine history, having known people from both yellow and blue sides, from both elite and commoner background very closely, coming from a family background closely intertwined with Filipino politics plus having the experience of going from burgis to migrant who had to strive to get out of the relative poverty we got into when had to leave, getting to know and befriend Filipino migrants coming from classes I would hardly have noticed in the Philippines.
So we have one guy who came in from outside, getting to know inside but with habits and attitudes from outside, and another who was deep inside and went outside and had to learn the habits of outside and now looks back inside from afar, still understanding very well the attitudes, the hidden meanings, the old grudges and scores to settle but not fully up to date on the way the old country has changed since I left. But in the past weeks, my feeling has changed from oscillating between hope and WTF to a calmer, clearer view.
And I am actually starting to have fun. Looking forward to this afternoon’s blog.
PinoyIE,
That’s an echo of what are in my mind about Roxas though your analogy of him to your Erap joke is I think stretching it a bit too far, more so/even if in tongue in cheek manner.
I think that your analysis about Roxas is the same as the general perception of the people so could be the reason why he’s not faring too well in the surveys.
As to my preference, presently I’m leaning towards Cayetano or Grace Poe though win ability will be an influencing factor to a final decision. Of Duterte, you have nothing to fear of him because you’re far away, I’m here therefore I have reason to be afraid.
So this is not a PR job? You bark at the PR job of the other side. I still recall “Mr.Palengke”. That was a PR job. I should know. I used to work for the Aranetas/Concepcions. Yes the first cousins of Mar. Mar showed us just who he is – a “conio” kid. And I suppose the WackWack incident did not happen. The classic “burgis” conio kid at play.
It’s not a PR job, Bobby. It is a recognition that Philippine media distort events and people for the sake of upping their circulation. It simply struck me that I had fallen for it, for the rice sacks and the motorcycle spill. Wack Wack did happen. You ever get mad?
The thing for me is that Mar Roxas WOULD have attended the coffin arrival if he had been President. And he would have likely been in the vicinity of Mamasapano when the raid was going down. He would have cancelled out on visiting the Zamboanga bomb blast site. So here we have this outrageous criticism of President Aquino. And we have a guy who would have done it RIGHT in the public’s eyes. But he can’t catch a break for the sensationalist press that wants to portray him simply as a puppet of Aquino. A press that cannot tell the truth about Mar Roxas because then they would look foolish for their prior fluff.
I think the guy deserves an honest reading. You have one view. Others here who know him personally say mine is accurate.
Joe, I definitely disagree about Mar, that you know. Let me finally put on the table why:
1) In my point of view, the pre-Marcos era was dominated by the landed gentry and a few good men who were really democratic in spirit. The democratic education that the Americans had given to the Philippines still had roots but they were not deep enough.
2) Marcos was not one of the landed gentry, an upstart. He actually cut the power of some major families (Lopez for example) which is something they never forgot. Somewhat like Napoleon not only in size but in terms of rise to power and cronyism.
3) The Yellow Revolution was the return of the landed gentry (Aquino) to power disguised as democracy. Like the returning Bourbons, this group of people had learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Many who fought for real democracy in 1986 are severely disappointed
Roxas is nice to ordinary people the way a plantation owner is nice to serfs, just to make them feel better. He is just the better marketed face of the ancien regime, Tingting Cojuangco being their true face – the only that she should add is a poodle.
The old-school upper class Roxas belongs to is IMHO in the way of modern development. All they know is how to use manpower – BPO and OFWs are nothing more than “warm bodies” being sold. No real plan for long-term, value-added economic development – not even Noynoy had any IMHO.
Call centers and other BPO outfits are a sign of a country that has low wages for qualified people, because these qualified people cannot get jobs elsewhere – same reason they become OFWs. Noynoy basically made it easier for foreign companies to harness “warm bodies” in the Philippines.
There are actually members of the upper class who think in a more progressive way and always have – without the Ayalas for example Makati would not exist in its present form. A number of Filipino tycoons with Chinese surnames come to mind as well. They succeed INSPITE of politics.
Joe, raking in cash by selling warm bodies at home and abroad is too easy. It is no place to be ending but somewhere to start. The next step would be to build more value-added industries. Continuing with what Noynoy started is the path of least resistance. I also rest my case on this.
Any candidate (or government official) gets dealt the cards on the table, and Roxas was dealt a low wage base and played it well. The BPO industry is fueling the high rise development and the growth in malls. 1,000,000 people. To take that and spin it as a weakness against Roxas as if he underperformed is a huge stretch.
“Roxas is nice to ordinary people the way a plantation owner is nice to serfs.” That seems like pre-packaged spin to me. The people who know him say he is a legitimate nice guy. One ought not lay shadings on that out of a belief that the wealthy simply cannot be earnest in their kindness. Now if you say an asshole (Cayetano, to many) has skills more appropriate to the nation’s needs right now to continue the breakout against entrenched corrupt and elite players, then that is a worthwhile argument. But I don’t buy that kindness is automatically shaped by one’s class. Individuals are individuals and some break the mold.
Joe may I add something. The Aquinos may have been a landed gentry but the whole family experienced a very traumatic experience in the hands of Marcos resulting to Pnoy’s early maturity and seeing his father’s supreme sacrifice relied on God for support. His deep faith influenced by his parents made him who he is today. A lesser man would not have survived. Marcos milked this idea of rich vs. poor thereby brainwashing the masses that he is their hero. And I see a deep faith in Mar Roxas too.
The kind of “faith” practiced in the Philippines is what the Spanish friars brainwashed us into. People made into docile and kind fools so that they do not shape their own destiny. Victimhood being made into something noble and holy, come on.
Landed gentry dispensing “kindness” like the friars did while their docile subject grin like sheep, see the picture of Mar, Corina and the poor guy on top of this blog article. People conditioned to be happy for receiving breadcrumbs instead of what they really deserve.
Marcos was a caudillo like Franco, a Hitler style type who mobilized a similar target audience – the same target audience Napoleon also had, upstarts like him. All three had the same enemies, the old aristocracy, in France they came back like in the Philippines.
The thing is to see beyond “blue” and “yellow”. The Philippines can be so much more. There is enormous untapped talent wasted by just making our college graduates into better sakadas by sending them abroad or making them work as BPO lackeys.
Actually my dream (and that of many new upper-middle class people) that I illustrate in my tipping point article is that of a Philippines more like Taiwan, definitely not like Singapore. And if it is to make us of oil, natural gas and palm oil in Bangsamoro, I am more for the Venezuelan way than the Ecuadorian way. Use the money for improved social welfare, education that levels the playing field, government clinics, police and army, infrastructure.
Thank you for the very sobering perspective, stpaul. I wonder why it is that Filipinos far and wide fail to see the trauma his father’s death imposed upon President Aquino. He explained why he did not attend the casket arrival (“I wanted families to have time alone with their grief, something I never got.” They don’t buy it, or don’t feel it. I rather think a “failure” to be sensitive and compassionate does not rest only with Mr. Aquino.
“They don’t buy it, or don’t feel it” because of the strong class divisions in Philippine society. That is a major fault line in the country. Whereas the SAF 44 were seen as “our boys” who died for a noble cause and Aquino as an elite guy who simply didn’t care.
Had he or the Palace explained upfront that the President wanted the families “to have time alone with their grief, something I never got”, he would have been seen differently. The deep rift between elite and masses in Philippine society needs healing, just like the deep rift between Muslims and Christians as well as yellows and blues. While the healing is going on all sides have to be sensitive to each other’s feelings and needs. In that sense Mar could be the solution – if he walks the talk and is not just kind for show purposes.
“The BPO industry is fueling the high rise development and the growth in malls. 1,000,000 people”. That is good but just the beginning IMHO. BPO can move on very quickly, a call center can pack up and move in two months and go to a cheaper place where there are enough people with no adequate jobs to fit their educations. I give the BPO industry in the Philippines five to eight years, within that timespan alternatives will have to there. But that will not be Mar’s problem, it will be a big problem for the next guy if I am proven to be right.
“To take that and spin it as a weakness against Roxas as if he underperformed is a huge stretch” He did well but he will have to do better if he becomes president, IMHO.
“That seems like pre-packaged spin to me”. My personal intuition and opinion, just as you have yours regarding Mar Roxas. We definitely have different perpectives, I shall explain…
“Now if you say an asshole (Cayetano, to many) has skills more appropriate to the nation’s needs right now to continue the breakout against entrenched corrupt and elite players, then that is a worthwhile argument.” Sometimes you need an asshole (I can be real big one too, maybe that is why I understand Cayetano) to break on through to the other side. My idea of a successful nation is definitely closer to the concept the new upper middle-class has (well they are my generation after all, people I grew up with) – a nation with a strong industrial base focusing on value-added. The concept the old upper class has is basically plantation style, call center workers are for me just better-trained sakadas.
Oh yeah, BBL. From my perspectives just a deal with warlords in order to be able to profit together with them from the wealth of the land – oil, natural gas, probably palm oil. The bosses down South will live a comfy life like little oil sheikhs while modernized plantation owners continue to have their likewise comfy life without really having to do much for it. While the entire middle class – upper, middle, lower – continue to work their ass off at home and abroad without being able to get what they really deserve. Pardon my French.
“Individuals are individuals and some break the mold.” Roxas may even have a different outlook and be more modern, but in the end group pressure is very strong and you have to exceptional to break through that. I doubt if Roxas wants it and can actually do it.
I believe readers have the general idea, twixt the two of us. Thanks for the point/counterpoint.
Welcome. Thanks and much respect for remaining very courteous inspite of my often polemic style. In calmness there lies strength, I still have learning curve there, so does Cayetano. Hope he accomplishes that by 2022. Then he will be a really good leader.
And hope that Mar improves on follow-through and walking the talk, then HE could be a good leader as well. And I hope that more Filipino leaders think of where they want the country to be in 10-20 years, because I do not see ANY that do that at the moment.
mar is the most hypocrite of all people.
not even your paid blog will help him win unless he cheats in 2016
Please note that I did not recommend him for president, but I fear that reading or understanding is not exactly your strong suit. You prefer dictatorial pronouncements and insults which rather define you, not Mr. Roxas.
Reblogged this on "HOME".
Thanks for the honor of the reblog, lianyt.
No question, Mar Roxas is a nice guy. More likable than Noynoy because of his good looks and he knows how to play the game and proved it when he gave way to PNoy in order to accomplish the goal at the time. He may have been unlucky the last time but he remains popular with the citizenry.
How popular he is that he could ride on it to the gates of Malacanang remains to be seen, though. If everything pushes through it’s going to be a rematch between him and Erap protege Jejomar Binay. It’s not going to be easy because the bulk of the masa remains locked with the Erap-Binay gang.
Unlike PNoy who ran against a convicted plunderer and back up by the goodwill and memory of his parents, Mar don’t have such cushion. All he has is himself and his experience in the government, which fortunately, remains unsullied. Will he be able to capture those who voted for PNoy and get a chunk of the masa at the same time? That is the question as well as the answer.
Haha, jameboy, indeed it is the question and the answer . . . unless something dramatic happens twixt now and May 2016.
my my. I must say this article threw me off guard. I suppose there are many different ways of looking at things. I don’t agree or disagree about Mar (except that tbh I can’t stand his wife). But its not a stretch of imagination to say we’ve been brainwashed (and still are) being brainwashed to think certain ways, to serve someone’s interest. It also doesn’t help that people are just wary, cautious, cynical and jaded, and would regard any photo circling the social media portraying a man directing traffic in Edsa as another publicity stunt. People can’t help it, Joe. We’ve been taken for a ride one too many times. People now think about politicians like women do with their dates : if he’s too good to be true, he usually is.
🙂 You’ve had those dates, eh? haha. Yes, you are correct in what you say, people can’t help it. I’d elaborate to say that people can’t help it when they actually ENJOY the sensationalism fed them by the tabloid media, and search it out, over information. The current wild accusations about the BBL occasioned by the Mamamasapano tragedy are mainly levied by people for whom actually reading the BBL document (122 pages, or somesuch) would be an unbearable torture, but slinging accusations based on fears is easier and somehow more fulfilling. Until citizens develop a more mature discipline in how they go after information and use it, then they are as much of the problem as the media.
I’m revisiting this blog to make an additional observation on the subject matter. I’d go straight to the point.
It’s very noticeable that recent developments have shown that Mat Roxas’ stock has not made strides that would indicate he would be a viable candidate in 2016. It’s really a shame to have an alleged corrupt official, Binay, ahead of him on surveys not too long ago and now a neophyte politician, Grace Poe, bumping him from the second spot landing him out of the top five. I mean, is anybody in his camp doing anything about improving Mar’s chances in 2016? If Mar wants to stay in the picture and be relevant, I think a housecleaning is in order. Slowly he’s fading from the pack and he might wake up one day finding out everything is too late to do anything.
Worse, he’ll might end up just as ‘Mr. Korina Sanchez’. Terrible!
The circumstance you point out is caused by the fact that Jejomar Binay is actively running for President while Mar Roxas is not. Binay is the head of his own party. Mar Roxas must await his party’s selection of a candidate, and Mr. Aquino believes it is more important right now to get the peoples’ work done rather than get engaged in politics. It is a wise decision, on behalf of the people. If Mar Roxas is LP’s presidential candidate, you can bet he will be much more visible and his ratings will climb. Poe is always visible due to her popular magnetism and being a media darling. Roxas is also being subjected to the beating of President Aquino, by association.
Put another way. The race has not yet even begun yet, so it is premature to declare any horse finished.
Joe, I will turn to an angle of the issue opposite yours. For all intents and purposes, Mar Roxas will be the standard bearer of his party come 2016. Barring assassination or accidental death he will be it. That is the reason why PNoy got Malacanang. And PNoy will make sure Mar will be the next in line. Jojo Binay surely knew that fact that is why he’s all eyes on Mar.
Mar ‘not actively’ running for president is a mistake. If Binay is doing it now, we’ll, he’s doing it fine given the fact that the survey shows he’s still on top. I think, both men, upon assuming office from day one, have been ‘actively running for president’. It’s just the fact that is out there.
My observation really is not only about people around Mar but also about himself and the possibility that he may lose the race because of the perceived lackadaisical manner how he and his camp run his campaign. One may not mind Mar being a perennial no. 2 for election is still months from now but to slip down from that spot and end up outside the top five is something else. I’m just observing and that is what I noticed. If you have a presidential ambition your target should always be in the top three if not on top. Whether the election is one or two years from now that is the standard approach or strategy. Mar’s slow slide in the list is really telling. Either the people are really not keen on voting for him or because his political machinery needs some major calibration to be in step with time.
Or maybe they just need to wake up. 🙂
You may be right. It might be six to eight months before we find out if the Roxas machine is up to the task. But without question, the Aquino mandate is to do work and not politics, and Roxas is of the same mindset. I find it hard to judge that as a negative or suggest they do it differently. Binay is struggling. He is desperate. Let him stay in the spotlight in all its negative glory.
I’m on the same page with you on the issue of work but work, as in public service work, is politics. That’s the nature of the beast. We cannot separate the two but we can separate the people admonishing or mandating it because the intent for work is what separate them. For PNoy, work, on the twilight of his term, is now a part of his legacy, of what his watch is all about. He is no longer looking for himself for his job is a done deal already. For Mar, work symbolizes the promise of what things will be after PNoy is out of the picture. Hence, work at this time is more relevant and important for Mar simply because he doesn’t intend to go away with PNoy. He meant to stay for six more years not as second banana but as the top honcho.
Yes, that’s true. And I think public interest in his work will pick up. He has been more prominently in the limelight since his appearance at the Mamasapano hearings, in part, I think, because everyone, including the media, is thinking “this guy could be our next president”.
Mar Roxas forgot to tell the President that the BOI wanted to interview him.
He was fully informed of the operation of the Special Action Forces
(SAF) on Jan. 25 as early as 7:43 a.m. Yet, he didn’t lift a finger in the crucial hours of that morning and early afternoon to ensure the safety of the commandos. (Article in the Manila times)
He even claimed in one hearing in order to concoct his basic defense posture of not knowing anything about the event: “Masasabi lang namin kung anong alam namin. We were cut out. Ano ma-re-report namin?” (We could only tell the President what we knew. But we were cut out of the loop. What could we report then?”) (manila times)
The first time he was asked what time he knew about the operation he said around 11am.
In the next hearing he said early in the morning.
“Roxas’ text messages submitted to the Philippine National Police’ s Board of Inquiry show that he was lying, and he was fully informed of what was happening that morning by Acting PNP Chief Leonardo Espina.” (Manila times)
He was aware of the seriousness of the incident by mid-morning, that there were as many as 20 casualties, as Espina reported. He was lying that he didn’t inform the president because there was “no sense of urgency” in the reports. (Manila times)
He is in charge of the Philippine National Police (PNP), and next to the President is the most responsible for the safety of his men, the policemen of the PNP. Yet, he did nothing during those crucial hours when his intervention was crucial — for instance, he could have told Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang, who was beside him in Zamboanga City that day, to make sure that the army help the SAF. (Manila times)
Roxas didn’t even try to call SAF head Getulio Napeñas during those crucial hours to ask him personally about the SAF troops’ situation. It was Napeñas who communicated with him in a text message. And his reply to Napeñas (translated from Pilipino): “Keep calm and keep your head. We will not abandon the troops.”
But that exchange of messages was at 7:12 p.m., hours after the 44 commandos were massacred.
Nice work Roxas they are already dead so no rush.
He’s a busy guy. He accepted accountability and apologized. You ever make a mistake? You define people based on a mistake? Do you understand why President Aquino won’t apologize? Because there are people like you just waiting for the sign of weakness, to pounce.
Pretty sure any mistakes i made in my life didn’t cost 44 people to be killed. If you read the comment i wrote it is about Mar Roxas not lifting a finger to help the SAF 44 even tho he is charge of the PNP. He knew people were dying mid morning and never did one thing to help them, not even a phone call. I wondered why he wanted to blame Napenas for everything and now we know.
Good that he is kind with the Filipinos but i hope someday he will also show his love and kindness with his own niece. That he neglect and abandoned for 23 years!
Why is he obligated to care for a niece? Who are the parents? I’m not aware of the background, and would welcome some elaboration on this.
JoeAm you’re such a propaganda machine. For once, I am happy the rich and those that read this blog comprise only of 9% of the voting public.
Have to agree with this comment from Anais Colter. Seems you are just a spin doctor for the ruling political dynasties joe.
Well, good of you to plod about the internet fyi to set the rest of us straight. Be sure to read my blog next Tuesday on the Nacionalista Party, in which I recommend that Manny Villar run for President. To reconcile the two views, and my prior pieces on Poe, Lacson, Cayetano, you might have to develop a new theory, that what I am mainly interested in is healthy discussion in the interest of a rising Philippines.
ROXAS IS A CORRUPT PERSON AND WORTHLESS AT THAT
Hahaha. You score a 10 on the trollometer. Congratulations.
Dear Miss Korina Sanchez-Roxas (and Secretary Mar)
I would like to inspire people. Just like you, who inspire so many people, not only here in our country, but even abroad. You are not just an inspiration; but a great influence to multitudes of the new generations of today. I am an ex-Convict; yes, literally a former inmate-prisoner for 17 years in the New Bilibid Prison, Bureau of corrections, Muntinlupa City.
My name is BALTAZAR SEVERO A. CANTILLER; 48 years old; of 9-27 Andalucia Street, Eroreco, Bacolod City, Philippines. I was once convicted to a crime of Kidnapping with Murder; and been sentenced to “Reclusion Perpetua” or Life Imprisonment. And for 17 years, from May 25, 1992 to May 7, 2009, the New Bilibid Prison of Muntinlupa City was my home.
Lumaki po ako sa maayos na pamilya. Pinag-aral kami ng aming mga magulang. Pangatlo ako sa limang magkakapatid. Prior to my imprisonment I graduated from college in Bachelor of Arts major in Economics. At dahil po sa katigasan ng ulo, at suwail sa mga magulang, ako ay naligaw ng landas.
Sa loob ng kulungan, akin natagpuan ang tunay na kalayaan. Ito ang kalayaan Espirituwal na akin isinuko ang akin buhay sa ating Panginoon. Ang akin dating Prison Number ay N93P-0248. (I am giving you this information about my Prison Number N93P-0248, so that your staff can verify it at the Document Section of the Bureau of corrections, Muntinlupa City; that I am telling you the truth.)
Since I surrendered my life to God, dahan-dahan ko napagtagumpayan ang ibat-ibang pagsubok sa akin buhay sa tulong ng Panginoon. Sa loob mismo ng Bilibid Prison, ako ay nabigyan pribilihiyo upang makapag-turo as an Inmate-Teacher sa Muntinlupa National Extension High School. Isang Inmate-Teacher para sa mga kapwa kong bilanggo na nais makapagtapos ng pag-aaral (at ito ay isang programa ng Bureau of Corrections sa rehabilitasyon ng isang nakakulong).
Dahil sa panalangin, biyaya ng Diyos, at tulong ng mga tao na naniniwala sa tunay na pagbabago, akin nakamit ang akin kalayaan physical noong May 7, 2009. Hindi po madali ang akin buhay pagkatapos kong makamit ang kalayaan. Maraming pagsubok na naranasan. One of these trials was the rejection of my former friends, and even relatives. I was discriminated and humiliated in my searching for a job para mabuhay ng may kaayusan at makatulong sa pamilya. Sa tuwing ako ay mag-a-apply ng trabaho, ang requirements po ay Fresh Graduate, 22 to 25 Years Old, with Pleasing Personality, and above all – HAS NOT BEEN CONVICTED OF ANY CRIME.
Isa sa pinakamalaking unos sa aking buhay ay ang pagpanaw ng akin Nanay, 4 months after I was released from Prison. Noong September 2, 2009, ang Nanay ko (kaisa-isang tao na naniniwala na ako ay may bagong pag-asa) ay namatay dahil sa Hypertension at Multiple Stroke. Ang Tatay ko po ay unang namatay noong January 20, 2008 habang ako ay nasa loob pa ng Piitan. Dahil sa pagkamatay ng akin mga magulang, mas lalong kong pinagtibay ang akin loob tungo sa kaayusan ng akin buhay.
An opportunity was open for me to apply abroad. At sa biyaya ng Diyos, ako ay nakapagtrabaho bilang Computer Operator at Administrative Assistant sa Saudi Telecom Company noong February 24, 2013. Natanggap ako sa akin application; at may maliit na sahod sa 1,200 SAR/month or equivalent to around P12,000/month. Isang biyaya ng Diyos upang mapagsimulan ko muli ang akin buhay at makatulong sa akin pamilya.
Doon sa Saudi Arabia, ako ay na diagnosed na may Hypertension at sakit sa puso. Siguro dahil sa may edad na (48 years old – Janaury 6, 1967), at sa mainit na disyertong lugar ng Saudi Arabia, ang normal ko na Blood Pressure reading at 150/130. Because of this reason, I decided to go Exit and finished my 2 year contract. Umuwi ako dito last March 26, 2015 sa Bacolod after serving my 2 years contract. Alam ko na dahil sa akin kalagayang-kalusugan, medyo may kahirapan na akong makapag-apply muli sa kung ano man trabaho sa abroad.
Doon po sa Saudi Arabia, isa akong TFC Subscriber. Sa katunayan minsan ay ako na-i-featured sa Programa ni Ma’am Dimples Romana sa TFC Connect. Ito po ang link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4oTAZfkk0. Noong ako ay sa loob ng New Bilibid Prison, ako po ay na-i-featured din po sa Rated K noong September 2007.
Sa pamamagitan ng iyong tanyag na programa “Rated K,” nais ko rin po sanang ipaabot bilang inspirasyon sa mga dating kasamahan ko sa loob ng piitan, na habang may buhay, may pag-asa. Huwag tayong mawalan ng pag-asa upang magbago, maituwid ang atin landas, makabangon at makaahon mula sa madilim na buhay tungo sa liwanag. Hayaan natin kahit ano pa ang sasabihin ng ibang tao, basta mamuhay tayo ng malinis at sa katotohanan – magpakatotoo.
Sana, Miss Korina, sa pamamagitan din ng iyong programa “Rated K,” atin maabot ang puso ng atin Pamahalaan, so that our Government can initiate programs to eliminate discrimination sa paghahanap ng trabaho, sa sex, babae, lalaki, bakla o tomboy; sa edad; at sa katayuan tulad ng isang Ex-CONVICT.
Miss Korina, sana po matulungan ninyo rin po ako ng isang maliit na “Sari-Sari” o Variety Store at Bigasan para makapagpatuloy po ako sa pagtulong sa akin pamilya at sa iba pang tao. Akin din po pinapanalangin na isang araw, ako ay magkaroon ng isang Second-Hand Taxi. Alam kong malapit mong kaibigan si Ma’am Kris Aquino. Sana matulungan niya po ako nito.
Thank you po Miss Korina. I will always included you in all of my prayers that you will continue giving inspiration to many more people. God richly bless you always.
Truly yours,
BALTAZAR SEVERO A. CANTILLER
9-27 Andalucia Street, Eroreco, Bacolod City 6100
Mobile Number: 09982507098
Email Address: baltazarcantiller1967@gmail.com
what’s his business running for president, he can’t even make the trains run
The trains belong to DOTC Secretary Abaya. Roxas is the guy who can’t stop the typhoons.
Mar Roxas is my president
This is true. I like Mar Roxas. Aquino Administration should have been perfect had Mar won as vice president.
You know, that is a very good point. The dark shadow in the cabinet would be gone, and Mar Roxas would have been better accepted as the presidential candidate. I suppose, however, there is something to fate, because it is Binay’s ambition and greed that got the Blue Ribbon subcommittee on his case. That might not have happened had he not won the VP position. He might be campaigning for the presidency as the successful mayor of Makati, without the criminal charges dragging him down.
We would probably vote for Mar Roxas! The Araneta clan had made their marks as great leaders since the 1800’s in Negros. Well respected family, well mannered, and generous. No such records of any sort of corruption.
I like that he is now speaking up against VP Binay. He would, of course, not do that when the VP was a fellow cabinet member. But now he can speak.
Agreed…Mar is real, and he will be a good president…
Thanks for checking in, rodad585.
Mar Roxas has kindness for the suffering. Do you know of any Filipino who would deny help to someone in need, if they had the ability to provide? WOW!!!!
kilalang kila ko ang isang ganitong PINOY!!! itanong mo sa mga taga Region 08 anong ginawa ni Mar Roxas after dumaan ni YOLANDA….
Roxas/Tacloban was a complex matter, and typically, anyone coming down for or against either side has a political ax to grind. To ascribe politically motivated criticisms as typifying a person’s real character . . . they are not the same. Lacson also had problems working with Tacloban. Other areas in the Visayas were cooperative and spoke highly of the national government’s engagement.
A foolish article by a fool who calls himself Joe America. A pity.
Ace, care to elaborate? I’m reading hostility but no rational reason expressed for it. Why not elaborate on the reasoning and skip the hostility?
I don’t really get it why P-noy and even Mar are getting most of the blame for the Mamasapano fiasco. It was a special police operations that failed miserably and blame should be put squarely on the shoulder of Napenas – being the planner and head of that operation to get Marwan. Pnoy’s only mistake was not being there to receive the dead soldiers made worst by his being seen attending such relatively less important event. However, he more than made up for it by meeting the wives, relatives and having dialogues later on. More than once I should say. Maybe”blame” is a harsh word, it’d be a lot better to say accountable. I would have admired Napenas if he just accepted full responsibility without any excuses. I couldn’t blame Pnoy because I don’t want my president micromanage things he does not have expertise on. Enough for him to know that an operation is on-going and that plans have been made and risks are accounted for. And that you go there with guns and bullets. That’s more than enough. That’s why you have Generals in the first place..
“That’s why you have Generals in the first place.” Exactly. Does the President have to cook breakfast for us, too? To make sure the eggs are cooked right?
Amen to that, Joe!
I lived in US for more than two decades from 1992-2014 and closely followed Mr. Mar Roxas in the media, I found no demerits but all meritorious deeds for his country men. You are the best bet for 2016.
Go Joe! Wish Mar cud now just explain why the current DOTC mess started on his watch there n why crime rate tripled on his watch at DILG. (You can check out the official Phil Statistical Authority crine stats in ric saludo’s latest column in Mla Standard)
I love an argument that fits context to a conclusion rather than the other way around.
I think him being silent on the issue of the fallen SAF was either a favor asked by his party or voluntarily kept quiet because of the involvement of his friend, Pres. Pnoy.
I am pro Pnoy, but seeing how Pnoy governed the Phils. I am really concerned. He always favored his comrades even though they are deep in controversies involving corruption. Will Sec. Mar be the same? Deep in debt of gratitude (utang na loob)?
And for Pres. Pnoy, why did he pick Sec. Mar over Sen. Poe? They both are his partymates, Sen. Poe is clearly leading over the polls against Sec. Mar and all other aspiring presidentiables. There is only one reason, because of debt of gratitude. His party could have secured the pres. position with Sen. Poe instead their decision was personal and not for the welfare of the country. This move will ensure that Sec. Mar will not win in the 2016 election if Sen. Poe will run against him.
If he is indeed the Real Deal then why is he still at the bottom third, a far third at that? Why hasn’t the electorate embraced him, considering he’s the Real Deal?
Give time and circumstance a chance to work. Mr. Roxas just started campaigning, whereas others have been at it rigorously.
I just do not agree… Mar has failed in 5 of his last 6 jobs. Yet, he is too be the anointed one for President? We really do not need another failed job by Mar as the sitting President! Pnoy has already shown us that that straight path only works for LP friendlies as the Oligarchs and Elites become richer while the poor lose buying power. Continuing the failed LP mantra is not good for the country. .
I’m curious about how you determined that he “failed” in his recent jobs. What do you base that on? And how do you reconcile “failed LP mantra” with the successes the nation has had in economic growth and movement up the ranks of global rating indexes?
Di ko binasa boong article NATO kasi I might throw up sa sobrang ewwww!
Mar & Korina really deserve each other! Both plastics! No to Mar! So eager to become d next president yet so incompetent, inutile!
Who are you for, Natalie?
search yolanda typhoon aftermath and see what he did. Or what he didn’t do.
Exactly my sentiments…. very well said! If I may add… the Philippines has been so used to “Trapos” that they cannot recognize the honest and honorable man Mar is. Mar is too good for them to digest. They cannot comprehend in their minds why a man of privilage would serve without any hidden agenda. If Mar wins…. the Philippines is the biggest winner of all.
Yes indeed. So many people are looking at him wrongly I fear.
During the Mamapasano incident, Mar could have easily turned his back against Pnoy on basis that he was by-passed, and he could have used that publicity to win favor from media and the people for political gain since election was not far by then. However, he chose to stay and stick behind his erring boss. I wouldn’t really believe it’s because he was hungry for the latter’s endorsement (because such endorsement would probably not work or even be a kiss of death) to his political campaign. I would believe he probably knows what respect and delicadeza is, even to erring people.
Mar Roxas: hands on, innovative and productive. Haha
More like spineless, lying weasel who won’t lift a finger to help the men under his command.
Nice work Roxas they are already dead, take your time, no rush.
What is your purpose here? Roxas did not even know about the operation. I would have deleted your comments as trollish drivel, but wondered where in the world you got such wild ideas. What is your source?
No further comments will be accepted from you until you certify you are not a troll.
See my comment to your other nasty remark. Please cite your source of information or explain why you are so outrageously wrong. He did not even know about the operation. No further comments will be accepted from you until you certify that you are not a troll.
Mar Roxas was informed fully about the operation at 7:43am, by mid morning he knew the SAF were being killed and did nothing at all until 7:12 pm when he responded to a Napeñas txt and told him to be calm and keep his head, of course the SAF 44 were dead by then.
I listed several times that the source was the Manila Times.
I get that you don’t like anything negative said about Roxas or Aquino but the truth is those guys didn’t do anything to help those men. If they actually did do something what did they do once they knew mid morning that the SAF were trapped and being killed beside continuing their lunch and tour.
You miss the mark on several points, fyi. I welcome constructive criticism of anybody. The way you came in, with nasty remarks spewing, leads me to believe you do not come here to teach, or learn, but to pursue an agenda. I respect most those who arrive to deal respect. I don’t respect the way you arrived to soil the hospitality of the blog.
I didn’t miss the mark, I like to keep a open mind but not so open my brains fall out. Roxas wasn’t informed until the operation started but he was fully informed before the SAF started dying. What did he do then ? What did the President or the head of the PNP Roxas do when they found out the SAF were surrounded ? They ate lunch. That probably impresses you they were able to still order lunch with all the stress they were under.
I think when you try to live other people’s lives for them, when you have never had the burdens they face, or the information or advice they get, then you are assuming a position of extreme presumptuousness. He made a mistake, he apologized, and you want more. I expect you are probably one who is on the President’s case for not apologizing. And if he did, you would want more.
Shit happens. To everyone. Jesus does not serve in the Philippine government.
Actually i could care less if Aquino said sorry. However i would be interested in hearing why they didn’t send any help or do anything to help the SAF. Why won’t the President admit that he gave the order to stand down ? Why did the President lie on television about who he put in charge of the operation ? Why didn’t the President or Roxas do anything to save those men ?
Easier to just blame Napeñas which is what Aquino and Roxas did. Or didn’t you know that ?