Marcos, the Millenial, and Many Intelligent Filipinos
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By Cha Coronel Datu
What starts with the letter M?
Martial Law
The Philippines was under Martial Law from September 1972 to January 1981. Many became victims of human rights violations during the time. According to an Inquirer report last September 2015, there were 79,730 claims filed with the Human Rights Victims Claims Board.
Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law just a couple of months shy from a national election where the people would have chosen his successor. First elected in 1965 and then re-elected in 1969. He should have stepped down in 1973; the Constitution then only allowed a sitting President two terms. But because of Martial Law and a new 1973 constitution, he managed to hold on to power until February 1986. This means Marcos ruled the country for 21 years!
Bongbong Marcos is his only son, currently a senator but gunning for Vice-President in the coming elections.
Millennial
A number of millenials are supportive of the Marcoses and Bongbong’s VP run.
These millenials have mostly grown up knowing only a government run by Arroyo for 10 years, perhaps some had a glimpse of Estrada’s shorter 3 year reign. At any rate, both former Presidents have been great disappointments, the object of anger and ridicule, discredited and disrespected by so many because of the anomalies and scandalous levels of corruption and dishonesty that visited their respective administrations.
Thus when Noynoy Aquino became President, they, these millenials were already predisposed to disdain and disrespect for their government. It became easy to stir up that latent anger for every time the Aquino administration, in any way fell short or failed to deliver their expected results. They were easily lured into thinking that there is a better way, that there was one before that can be brought back – an iron-rule that gets results, a dictatorship that has borne sweet fruit. They were seduced by youtube videos, then continually fed with a steady diet of photos, memes, seemingly factual descriptions of a glorious time; all done through their enclave that is social media.
Massive foreign debt
The Marcoses and their apologists boast about the infrastructure built during his time, roads, schools, the cultural center, film center and so many other centers. It’s as if these all came from their own pockets. But the truth is these came from billions of dollars borrowed from the IMF-World Bank and other countries like the USA.
According to Erik Toussaint of the Coalition for the Abolition of Third World Debt, the Philippines’ foreign debt was at US$ 275 million in 1962. 3 years into Marcos’ first term in 1969, it rose up to 7 times that amount to US$1.88 billion. By the time Marcos left in 1986, that has ballooned to close to US$27 billion.
Dr. Emmanuel de Dios of the UP School of Economics, explains how the Philippines suffered its worst recession after World War 2 during Marcos’ rule, how it was brought on by a debt crisis and other poor economic policies under the regime:
The reason for the dismal performance under martial law is well understood. The economy suffered its worst post-war recession under the Marcos regime because of the huge debt hole it had dug, from which it could not get out. In fact, all of the “good times” the admirers of the regime fondly remember were built on a flimsy sand-mountain of debt that began to erode from around 1982, collapsing completely in 1984-1985 when the country could no longer pay its obligations, precipitating a debt crisis, loss of livelihood, extreme poverty, and ushering in two lost decades of development.
The economy’s record under Marcos is identical to that of a person who lives it up on credit briefly, becomes bankrupt, and then descends into extreme hardship indefinitely. It would then be foolish to say that person managed his affairs marvelously, citing as evidence the opulent lifestyle he enjoyed before the bankruptcy. But that is exactly what admirers of the Marcos regime are wont to do.
It is instructive that neither Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, nor any major Asian country catastrophically experienced negative growth in the early 1980s. The Philippines was the exception, following instead the example of protectionist and over-borrowed Latin American countries. This suggests that there was nothing unavoidable about the crisis the Philippines suffered, and that it was the result instead of failed policies. In 1977 the Philippines’ total debt was all of $8.2 billion. Only five years later, in 1982, this had risen to $24.4 billion. Thailand’s debt in 1982 was still only half that amount. Thailand and other countries of the region thus avoided a debt crisis and ultimately went on to attract foreign direct investments in export-oriented industries in the now-familiar East Asian pattern. But no such thing happened under Ferdinand E. Marcos, notwithstanding the arguments and exhortations of people like Gerardo P. Sicat (who would cease to be active in the regime by 1980). By the early 1980s, the pattern would be set where foreign direct investments in neighboring countries regularly outstripped those in the Philippines. (The intermittent coups d’etat post-Marcos did us no favors either.) – The Truth about the Economy under the Marcos Regime, Dr. Emmanuel de Dios, BusinessWorld, Nov 2015.
Mindanao
The Marcoses talk as if the Philippines was truly a land of peace at the time. They fail to mention the war in Mindanao, when the muslims rebelled against the oppressive and abusive rule of their patriarch.There are an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 civilians and rebels killed during that war and almost a million have fled from their communities; Raissa Robles has written in one of her thoughtful blogs.
Marcos fans also do not mention the ILAGA, a Christian group of bandits that terrorised muslim communities, grabbed their land and butchered their men. Ilaga, in Cebuano means rat, but it is also an acronym for Ilonggo Land Grabbers Association. The local government and military of the time supported and sanctioned the formation and existence of this group and other paramilitary groups in the south. In 1971, in North Cotabato, they mercilessly attacked a mosque and murdered all 65 muslims they found.
And no, they most certainly do not talk about the Manero brothers and the other ILAGAS who killed and dismembered the body of the Italian priest, Father Tulio Favali. The world was appalled and shocked by Father Favali’s. gruesome fate. His dead body when found, was riddled with bullets, his skull broken and crushed, the brain scattered to bits and believed cannibalised by his assailants.
That is Mindanao during Marcos’ rule, a time of peace.
Manila
Peace may have reigned in Manila during the early years of Martial Law but eventually, criminality came back. In the later years of Marcos’ reign, secret marshals were unleashed in Metro Manila, in response to increasing numbers of incidents of street crime. The secret marshals were police special forces who often had little regard for correct and lawful procedures in chasing and running after criminals, most of which were small-time snatchers and “holdapers”.
According to a news report in the The New York Times of May, 1985 (Manila Plainclothes Unit is Focus of Furor After Killing 14), 32 people were killed by the special forces in just 3 months in 1985, and 30 in 1984, also after just a few months of activity..
That is Manila, in the claws of light.
Meets Requirements on Integrity/Trustworthiness and Competence
These are the qualities that every voter should be looking for in the candidates that ask for their votes come election time.
If we were to assess Bongbong Marcos, on his own, based on his own qualifications, abilities and achievements, not on what his father has done or not done, will he pass? Is Bongbong trustworthy and competent?
Integrity/ Trustworthiness – means one can be expected to choose and do what is right and not what is wrong. Good. Inspires trust. Will not abuse power and not steal from the people. Not corrupt.
According to the Commission on Audit (COA), senator Marcos allotted P10 million in 2012 to a livelihood project of an NGO headed by Benhur Luy, the whistleblower in the Janet Napoles pork scam. Based on Department of Budget (DBM) records, the P10 million is part of a P65 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation of Bongbong Marcos for that year. In August 2014, after finding the P10 million allocation of funds illegal and irregular, the COA asked the senator to return the P10 million to the government.
Does it inspire trust when a senator funnels millions of pesos of the people’s money to a fake NGO?
Here’s another one. Last July 2015, a group of human rights violations victims announced their plan to file a case seeking compensatory damages of US$352.6 million for Imelda and Bongbong Marcos’ continuous refusal to pay up and instead exhausting every means possible to block the victims’ efforts to get what is due them as determined by a historic Hawaii court ruling in 1995 awarding them US$2 billion as victims of Marcos’ cruel regime. The 9539 victims covered by this ruling have yet to receive a single cent because the Marcoses have refused to identify and disclose the dictator’s assets and properties. The victims’ lawyers have presented evidence of the steps taken by the Marcoses to hide said assets.
Is it right and good to refuse the victims of torture, rape and other forms of violence their due or the families of those who were killed or disappeared the reparation that the Court has already ruled as legally owed to them?
And how is Bongbong as a candidate for VP? What has he been doing to enhance the voters’ understanding of the issues facing the country and has he shared his plans to address them?
Last February, in celebration of the month of hearts, the senator’s office ran a competition for female voters, called “Bongbong into my Heart”. As a raffle prize for the winning lady, she gets to have the senator for a Valentine Date. The senator was dressed in trendy teen-ager clothes for the promo picture, soft lighting was used to hide his age. One would think it was Daniel Padilla courting his young lady love, from the look and feel of that promo shot.
Does it feel right that an almost 60 year old man (59 in September this year) is offering himself up to young women, possibly teen-agers still, for a Valentine date? Does that indicate good judgment?
Sure, we can say, we’ll just let this pass. Don’t put malice into it. It’s just a campaign gimmick. But are we really prepared to say this to our young daughters? That when a 59 year old man presents himself to you as a Valentine date, you shouldn’t put malice into it?
Competent – means able to perform his task correctly and satisfactorily.
In 2013, the senator filed a bill that seeks to punish and fine those restaurants and establishments who would refuse to serve half cup of rice to their customers. He called it the Anti- Rice Wastage Act of 2013. In October 2014, he even wrote a letter to his colleague, senator Bam Aquino, then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship, pleading with the latter to already schedule a hearing for his proposed bill. He said that this bill was needed to address the problem of hunger, that ensuring that no rice is wasted in restaurants and other similar establishments is part of the solution to ending hunger. Every Filipino, he added, should do their part to ensure that no child goes hungry in the country. (bongbong.marcos.com, Senator Bongbong to Bam, Hear the Anti-Rice Wastage Bill)
Isn’t the more appropriate and correct solution to address hunger actually to feed the hungry? Why not start, instead a feeding program for the children at risk?
In June 2013, at the start of the usual rainy season, the senator lectured the national and local governments on being proactive, encouraged them to anticipate problems and think up solutions before flooding occurs instead of just acting when it happens. He lamented the lack of spillways and pumping stations nor a program for reforestration. He also noted the lack of a proper land use plan for the whole country.
But in an opinion column written by Gemma Rita R. Marin , executive director of the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues and head of its Rural Development Program, she explained that Bongbong Marcos is actually the reason why the proposed “National Land Use Policy” was not passed in the previous congress.
Senate Bill 3091 or the National Land Use Act apparently was ready for third reading but was reverted to second reading when senators Drilon, Villar and Marcos expressed their intention to introduce amendments. Drilon was dutifully able to present his proposed 4 ammendments in the next hearing but Bongbong Marcos said that he and his staff were not prepared with theirs. Come the next hearing and final session of Congress, Bongbong Marcos did not show up. What part of this story shouts competence at all?
In August 2015, Marcos submitted a new version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the senate. He called his version the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR). Before this, in June 2015 he promised to come up with the new version of the BBL because it was “unconstitutional and will only lead the country to perdition”.
According to Father Joel Tabora, president of the Ateneo de Davao University and member of the Peace Council that president Aquino mandated to study and review the BBL, the proposed law is the product of 17 years of work and dedication of those seeking peace for Mindanao. The BLBAR was put together by the senator’s office after barely two months.
The former senator Rene Saguisag considers the BLBAR an exercise in futility because it has weakened the Bangsamoro powers that have already evolved from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and thus will be deemed a step backwards instead of forward. Rene Saguisag is a law graduate from the San Beda College, cum laude and bar topnotcher. He also earned his Master of Laws from Harvard University.
Congressman Rufus Rodriguez, on the other hand has heaped praises on the BLBAR of Marcos. He said it’s not an easy undertaking. He knows what it takes to shepherd an important bill through Congress, he added. Rufus Rodriguez is the author of the recent bill that seeks to exempt Pia Wurtzbach from paying taxes.
The haste with which the new version came into form could possibly explain why some of the changes introduced don’t seem to have been well-thought out. Take the case of the missing preamble.
The preamble is the preliminary statement at the beginning of the Constitution or any statute that explains the purpose and intent of the law. Senator TG Guingona questioned the deletion of the preamble in the BLBAR. Marcos responded that this was to avoid confusion and address fears that it was a new constitution for a separate State. Guingona had to explain that the preamble could actually address this confusion and create a better understanding of the intent of the proposed law. If there are fears that this is the start of a secession, he said, then the preamble can expressly indicate that this is not the case. Senator Guingona is a graduate of the Ateneo Law School.
So is the BBL unconstitutional as so declared by Bongbong Marcos?
The former Chief Justice Hilario Davide , another member of the Peace Panel, has stated in a separate report of his findings, that the proposed law, the BBL is compliant with the Constitution.
He also added that the BBL should not be seen as merely a granting of autonomy, or a division of the house and properties. He said that the BBL should be understood as an instrument for attaining social justice and development for the people of Mindanao and the whole country. The BBL, he stressed is a way to peace.
So much for leading the country to perdition.
The former Chief Justice Davide finished law at the University of the Philippines and was awarded Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) by the Southwestern University of Cebu. He was a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention and became a Commissioner of the 1986 Constitutional Commission where he was Chairman of the Committee on the Legislative Power and member of the Committees on Executive Power and Judiciary, Style and Public Hearings.
Bongbong Marcos attained a “Special Diploma in Social Studies” from Oxford University. There is no record of his having completed a Bachelor’s degree from any university. In other words, Bongbong Marcos is not a college graduate.
Many Intelligent Filipinos
Intelligent Filipino – smart, thinks for himself and is not easily swayed by empty promises, unsubstantiated claims. Studies issues and investigates to arrive at the truth.
According to a recent survey conducted by Pulse Asia in January 2016, the number 1 reason voters will have for choosing the candidates they will support is good character and reputation/ not corrupt (28%). This reason ranked no.1 all over the Philippines and across socio-economic groups. The second reason is a clear program of government and platform (14%) while the third is extensive experience in governance (12%). (Pulse: 1 in 4 Filipinos will vote for presidential bet with untarnished reputation, Philstar, Feb 19, 2016)
Isn’t this an indication that there are many intelligent Filipinos, highly educated or not, rich or poor, men or women, young and old who are giving this election a lot of thought?
They will take the time to assess who is telling the truth and who is lying though their teeth. They will be able to see who is truly after the best interests of the country. I believe they also already know who are the thieves, who are incompetent, plain lazy and highly opportunistic. They know who will serve them well and who are playing them for fools.
They know who and what Bongbong Marcos is. And they know who and what makes the opposing candidate a much better choice.
They will choose the good and competent, matino at mahusay. Because they are intelligent.
But they would also need to make more noise. The loud and shrill voices of those who do not think are heard the most. Like empty cans, those ones rattle the most. But aren’t they just as easily crushed with a vessel full of substance?
Most certainly.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Thanks for your latest masterpiece, Cha. Keep the fires burning. Bongbong must be stopped. No compromise, no surrender, no turning back.
☺☺☺♥♥♥♫♫♫♪♪☼☼
Hear!hear!
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/124735/youth-group-scores-textbooks-revisionist-tendency-regarding-martial-law
Detail from a page in the textbook that recounts the martial law years.
According to the group, the textbook’s narrative described the dictatorial rule as a benevolent deed done to solve the nation’s ills. It added, “this completely negates the history of untold abuses caused by the concentration of economic and political power in one man.”
“No wonder some easily believe the outright lies peddled by the Marcos camp to support Bongbong’s candidacy,” he said.
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late president, is running for vice president in the May 9, 2016 election. He has refused to heed calls for an apology for the human rights violations committed during his father’s rule.
Crisostomo pointed out that, while President Benigno Aquino III assailed Marcos and Martial Law, he allowed DepEd to peddle the textbooks containing the misinformation.
Disturbing.
If the unthinking masses are called bobotantes,what do you call the unthinking millenials? Bongbotantes?
AGAIN THE NUMBERS
First my thanks to cha for the Pilipino and English versions of the article.
Here is using some numbers to join the thoughts on millennials, the brightness of the Filipino and one reason why Roxas has difficulty in getting past that obstacle on the road.
Using data from the link below and some arithmetical operations I performed on those data, I summarize as follows:
Group ——————————————–A————B———- C
Households, millions ————————11.3——– 5.8——– 4.4
% of households —————————— 53%——- 27%—— 20%
Number of households ———————- 5.4——— 4.0——– 3.7
Monthly inc, pesos/hsehold, rounded — 10,000*– 25,000— 50,000**
* Less than or equal to
** More than or equal to
A moment’s thought may easily see why Roxas numbers at the surveys has not gone beyond that hump on the road — assuming the present 5-way race and no unusual events take place.
Let us assume that the voters proportion among the Groups is as shown by the proportion of the households — 53%, 27%, 20%. Further assume that the millennials voting proportion is also reflected on those numbers. Then our debate on millennials may be nuanced by the data above.
The millennials among the C-group households with monthly income of P50k or more has the situation — relative comfort, time, household help and gadgets — to meditate more on the short and long term consequences of that vote on May 2016. Not so those in the A and the B groups, with household incomes of P10k or less, and P25k, respectively. Their thoughts are pre-occupied with the daily grind and hassle of living, and thus the sweet-talks and sound bites of Binay, Poe, Duterte somehow give a louder ring to their ears than those of Roxas.
Let us see how these numbers work out. Assume the more hopeful percentages of votes going to Roxas are 10%, 20%, 80% from the A, B, C groups, respectively. Then Roxas number becomes 27%. The more presently realistic proportions of 5%, 15%, 70% for the same respective groups give Roxas a number of 21% — or qualitatively more accurate: in the neighborhood of 20%.
Something has to happen, yet unseen, to move Roxas beyond that hump. Needless to emphasize — from my previous posts — that I root for Roxas and Robredo.
Sorry folks for engaging in some arithmetic on the debate with the rich ideas already presented here on the subject (mostly in the Pilipino version of cha’s current article so far). I know, for one, this is not the kind of approach a Duterte likes. He only likes “business math” whatever that means.
The link I used for reference to generate my numbers above:
http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/98624-who-are-middle-class
Thank you, NH. I was actually hoping you would crunch the numbers on this when I was working on the last part of the article. Positive thinking really works ha?
Your numbers are so close to the latest SWS survey results so I suppose the assumptions you’re using are on point. Given we are both hoping for a different set of numbers, I think you will forgive me in saying I hope you and the SWS survey are both getting this wrong. 🙂
I agree that something needs to happen and I’d dare say something will, to move the rightful candidates up front. (Just throwing that out there to the universe. Positive thinking and that sort of thing). The statement from the Ateneo educators is a step forward. But we need more sensible and intelligent Filipinos raising their voice. and help with the pushing.
Yes, we need to put all hands on deck while engaging in positive thinking. I believe it is early days yet.
*******
Something is happening. It’s called Holy Week.
Hopefully, this will give the faithful time to reflect that the lust for power through greed (Binay), selfish ambition (Poe), and domination (Duterte) are unholy.
I would describe Roxas’ drive as unselfish ambition.
*****
Ok then. Meanwhile :
http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2016/02/28/1557667/more-groups-rise-vs-bongbong?nomobile=1
It’s more like Palm Sunday was six years ago.
Now it’s crucify the good and release the thieves.
🙂
i work at a high rise building in mandaluyong. me mga nakakasabay ako sa elevator who talks about their preferred candidate. i assume they’re all middle class.
but based dun sa naririnig ko, it’s really lack of information. ang alam lang nila e yung binabalita sa tv. they’re not like us here or at raissa’s blog, who really go out of our way to read on political articles.
kung ano lang yung binabalita sa tv, yun lang alam nila. siguro they read the main stories sa online news, pero not all of them.
i hear them speaking of voting of bongbong, saying he’s not his father. again, kulang ang information. di man lang nila alam na si bongbong headed philcomsat where laundering happened. or where his money is coming from despite being a politician and has no (?) other business ventures, and his children are well off studying abroad.
they hate korina. i don’t know where the hate is coming from. korina used to be popular with her show balitang K. those odd comments of hers during yolanda or that storm heading to japan somehow stuck and is the only thing people remember about her. they don’t remember how she worked hard to be where she is right now, or that she helps the poor (her tsinelas project).
they said that they might not vote Mar because of her, or because he has no charisma, when in fact he was the no.1 vote getter when he ran for senator. it was never like this. it’s really the media’s fault. dun ko lang naman nababasa sa kanila na walang karisma si mar. and somehow, yun ang naging opinion na rin ng mga tao. they kept hearing, reading about it so much na yun na rin ang opinyon nila.
also they mentioned about yolanda and it’s still the same. hindi nila alam na naayos naman na ang mga government buildings and infra na trabaho ng dpwh with help from dilg ergo, mar. the same with mrt. na kasalanan daw ng dotc na hindi naman trabaho ni mar.
and most of the people never watched the debates naman. it happened during office hours and none of them bothered to watch it.
really, it’s the medias fault. kulang ang information nila na pro mar roxas.
LP really needs to step up the information drive sa mga nagawa ni mar roxas at leni robredo.
they need to get the right endorsers to trumpet the achievements and counter these misinformation against them.
blitz tv and radio stations with those ads. get jim paredes, dingdong dantes, well liked businessmen, entrepreneurs, etc to discuss roxas’ and leni’s achievments and address the misinformation on yolanda and mrt.
they hate korina. they don’t remember how she worked hard to be where she is right now, or that she helps the poor (her tsinelas project). First time I hear about that… and that tsinelas is hers I thought the slippers belonged to Leni.
just like I just a few days ago found out via gian that the reason for so many project delays was TROs from gian… also from gian the road quality aspect…
As for correct information there is a good article here on MRT and another on SSS – on Yolanda a lot but no single summary article which addresses the commonly held assumptions to help those who want to argue what is right with information at a glance.
Problem is, the big television networks are guilty for creating their own football hooligans, nutcase fans who root for their favorite station, and diss out the other, including its resident actors, newscasters, etc. on social media. No surprises that Korina is a target for derision.
Filipinos are not a reader.
I read similar accounts in social media, of people being clueless and basing their opinions on hearsay, incomplete information, fabrications and all other abominations that Philippine media vomits out on a daily basis. With a few exceptions, of course. But those seem to come so few and far between.
Jim Paredes have been at it for a while now and some other personalities through social media and participation in campaign sorties. Where are the others, one wonders.
Since you mentioned Jim,our clans are mixed in our choice for president.Our relatives in Davao are pro Duterte very pro Duterte.i don’t visit fb nowadays because I do not want to read pro Duterte comments and anti Roxas comments from uncles,aunts,cousins and friends.Even in our clan yahoo group,walang kama-kamag-anak dun,pag me nag all caps at puro exclamation point,sira na yung usapan.
From my father side, grabe sa Quezon,what did Binay feed them,sweet nothings?
Sweet cassava cake? Masarap iyon.
maybe sweet potato,puro pautot.
Unfortunately, given the level of literacy, Facebook ends up as the supposed primary source of information. Which is why most people are easily duped.
Rappler’s numbers does not make sense. Well, they are from University of the Philippines. So let us try mine un-UP calculation. I am bothered about their voodoo-statistics which was updated July of 2015
According to Rappler as provided by Herra thru link:
There is a total household of 21,490,000
Each household has an average population of 5
Multiply 21,490,000 household x household pop of 5 = the total population of the Philippines in 2012, as calculated by Rappler, was 107,450,000.
I Googled how many squabbling backstabbing crab Filipinos it gave me 96,710,000.
Rappler’s calc is over by 10,740,000 an englorious error of 11% !!!
If U.S. Bureau of Labor Statiscs have that margin of error they better pack their bags, clean their cubicles and head to the streets and gather cans. But again US-BLS is not educated from U.P.
Let us assume Rappler’s Voodoo statisticians are correct and I am wrong …
Each household of 5 consist of 2-parent and 3-children
Multiply 21,490,000 household by 2 parent = 42,980,000 voting parent
Multiply 21,490,000 household by 3 children = 64,470,000 facebook children
Let us extrapolate the numbers:
Per Rappler, there were 107,450,000 Filipinos in 2012
As per Google, there were 68,050,000 Filipinos in 1994
In a span of 18 years, there was a growth of 39,400,000 Filipino.
This means 36% of Filipinos in 2012 were 18 years old and youner
Out of 64,470,000 Facebook children, 61% are 18-years-old and younger; 39% are of voting age.
According to The Economist (as you know we do not trust Philippine Statistics we go for foreign sources) 12% of the population of the Philippines are in diaspora. That is 12,894,000 Filipinos are abroad!
Each OFW supports a family of 4: Father, Mother, Two Siblings. As we know, If a household has an OFW member the rest do not work. They hangout at dive bars and get drunk all day. 12,894,000 Filipinos supports 51,576,000 Fa-Mo-2Siblings = a total of 64,470,000 relies on OFWs.
This is a mind blowing statistics. Of course there is a huge margin of error of 11%. This margine of error has trickle down effect.
So, therefore, based on my mathematical expertise on quick-and-dirty calculus I am correct otherwise proven wrong.
BIR has no statistics of income distribution based on their tax collections? MAMA MIA KARAMBA RAGUNA !!!
BIR must be run by University of the Philippines graduates.
Rappler’s stats could have been more accurate if only BIR gathers how many individual income tax are filed in their region … BUT, THEY DO NOT HAVE THOSE NUMBERS? MAMA MIA !!!!
I do Voodoo Stats for US Government. We go to Bureau of Labor Statistics whose numbers are fed by other agencies like IRS to name one. I can know how much is the median income of Silverlake California.
ICE can give me numbers how many Filipinos are Tago-Ng-Tago and out of number of Filipino American citizens are Republicans and Democrats. How many cross party lines. Americans are numbers people. They do not go by tsismis statistics like in the Philippines. We go by what the numbers says.
When can they ever grow up? Will they ever become mature? U.P. has a cachet but not in my definition.
Silverlake cannot be measured in something as mundane as statistics. It is the place where Mexicans, artists, gays, yuppies, and 20’s hollywood meet. Numbers don’t work.
http://la.curbed.com/2012/9/20/10326930/forbes-names-silver-lake-americas-best-hipster-neighborhood
Joe,
You can measure the number of “flipper” fence that goes up. Then again,
stuff like this, more than makes up for the hipster invasion (I suppose),
Haha. Wonderful analysis. I can’t stop laughing at trickle down errors and dive bars. Dive bars are probably bigger than BPOs as an industry.
MRP:
Just a little bit of arithmetic from my table above.
Multiply households by average number in the households and add to arrive at the population:
11.3*5.4 + 5.8*4.0 + 4.4*3.7 = 100.5
in millions
(I did some eye-balling of the chart and averaging of the number per household groups in my table. Can’t be all the fault of Rappler. Part of the problem is my 78 year old eyeballs. 🙂 )
Which brings me to a good lesson for me — stick to numbers and arithmetic and don’t rely on eyeballs for numbers.
But seriously, you did well in digging more into those numbers.
My essential point though in my short essay — with indulgence on some of the numbers — is that by looking at the group with the COMFORT and TIME on their hands to think on their candidates, we may have, at least ONE REASON while Roxas numbers are stuck to the qualitative 20s when compared further to his message as against the “sweet” un-supported messages of the opposition. (My calculation and conclusion may not have been entirely washed out by your good investigative eyes on the refined statistics.)
Cheers.
The Philippine statistics office’s web site is not updated.
This is what I got.
The 2010 Census of Population and Housing Reveals the Philippine Population at 92.34 Million
Reference Number:
2012-027
Release Date:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
– See more at: https://psa.gov.ph/content/2010-census-population-and-housing-reveals-philippine-population-9234-million#sthash.NrnGJiDJ.dpuf
google got their source from world bank and undata.
Who gave the worldbank and Un those numbers?
Region VI is wealtheir than Revion VII ?
Region VI consist of Panay and half of Negros
Revion VII has half of negros, Cebu, Bohol, Bantayan, Sequijor
Revion VII has plenty of industries and tourist spots than Revion VI. Something is not right.
OT:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/supreme_court_dispatches/2016/03/in_oral_arguments_for_the_texas_abortion_case_the_three_female_justices.2.html
Found this fun to read.
In a related note seems only Carpio and Leonen, maybe Sereno but iI’m not that sure can go toe to toe with these Justices.
*******
Abortion? Abortion is a crime in the Philippines. And yet there are half-a-million abortions yearly.
I don’t think we will be having SC hearings on this issue anytime soon. Perhaps in another 3 centuries.
*****
In 1949 LP and NP voted to abolish divorce in the Philippines. The way things are going now the country will have both Catholic (c/o Sotto) and Islamistic Sharia in 20 years. We who are abroad might get the feel of the Iranian middle class that left after Khomeini.
your comments on this? from an Oz perspective http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12811197
*******
Very difficult question.
1. There are an increasing number of “nones” — those with no religious affiliation — in Western countries.
2. Will religion become extinct? I don’t believe so mainly because not all people are able to live without some kind of certainty. Certainly, in a secular society like Oz, non-believers can comprise the majority.
2.1. In the 2001 census, 15% did not express a religious affiliation. In 2006, this went up to 18.7%. In 2011, 22.3% described themselves as having “no religion.” Another 9.4% were in the not-stated category, making a total of 31% of non-affiliated.
2.2. Catholics comprise 25% and Anglicans 17%. But the reputation of the Church has suffered immensely under the clerical sexual abuse scandal. The disgust with the Church and Cardinal George Pell in the ongoing royal commission investigation into the scandal has reached vituperative levels. (You will note Bill in Oz’ fulminations.)
2.3. Muslims comprise just 2.2% but understandably exert greater influence — disturbance? — than their numbers would indicate.
3. However, apart from existential certainty, religion provides other things, such as meaning and fellowship. Man is a social animal.
4. At the individual level, a non-believer can do without religious certainty. He can also discover meaning. And he can find fellowship in non-religious affiliations… in his profession, his sports club, his civic club, his political party.
4.1. Most individuals will replace religious certainty with some other kind of certainty, and connection with the divinity with ersatz forms. Lately, faith in science – the scientism of Micha — has replaced religious faith. And connection with the divine is established through drink, drugs, and sex.
4.2. In Oz, I think the opium of the people is sports. We enjoy cricket, rugby, soccer, basketball, netball and horse racing.
4.3. However, Easter and Christmas are celebrated with great fervor as commercial festivals. There are no fiestas, except gay Mardi Gras, no foot or fluvial processions, no re-enactments of the Crucifixion.
5. Is a secular society better than a sectarian one? Certainly, Oz does not suffer much from the pathologies of religion except for the aforementioned Catholic abuses and Islamic fundamentalism. Personally, I would opt for a tolerant pluralistic society.
*****
🙂 Thanks for your views
How’s this for an ugly rumor? I hope this aint true…
Ging
Bayad na dw ni danding ang inc para kay poe
I have to take exception to this. We are bigger than Danding the INC dwarfs Danding’s fortune. 2013 to 2015 average Capex was reported to be nearly a half a billion dollars. This does not even take to account that I’ve personally seen people get expelled from the church by trying to manipulate the decision. The problem is usually not about the money it’s about networks of trust. Who you grew up with, who you went to school with its usually those networks that gets somewhat exploited. But we take it as an article of faith that there is such a thing as divine guidance and that it overrides any human frailty.
Right, gian…it’s good to expose these ugly rumors so they can be properly dispelled and addressed. You should post your above post in your timeline so this kind of rumors would stop going around.
It’s quite amusing to observe the way the chat room goes:
Maria Beth
Weeee di yan nagdedesisyon hanggang sa malapit na halalan
what if the SC rules to disqualify Poe?
even if they file a motion for reconsideration, the SC promised to rule with finality on any MR before May election…
Mary, on timeline, I see this as my version of a possibility:
– first, I understand there is a scheduled enbanc meeting on the regular Tuesday meeting on Mar 8.
– a decision may be made on that day or in another week, say, Mar 15.
– a MR may be filed, say, on Mar 29
– SC makes a final decision, say, on Apr 12 or a week after that, on April 19
So the SC has enough time to do their “time-stretching” game, well before the May 9, 2016 election.
Also if the Decision is of the nature of a 10-5 (which is probably less probable compared to a tighter decision), an MR may not be filed.
Thanks, sir NH.
I ever Poe is disqualified, there will be a lot of stray votes. Poe and Binay are leading, with Mar and Duterte in a tie for 3rd place, in the latest Pulse Survey. 26, 25, 21, 21 – a close race.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/124611-poe-binay-top-spot-pulse-survey-feb-2016
Close race. No wonder ground work and area coverage is a must; and thus, private planes and helicopter use is a must for all except for Miriam.
Drat and double drat says Dick Dastardly,then Penelope Pitstop shouts heylp heylp.
Great, well-reasoned arguments, but only for those of us who can still read more than one paragraph.
In a shrinking, multidimensional, interwoven world things keep getting more and more complex. Silver bullets or easy solutions do not exist anymore. This means that also easy explanations do not exist anymore, but the way the new generation communicates gets shorter via one liners, twitters, one picture tells all…
One of the reasons the more popular candidates are more popular is that they (or their campaign managers) understand this. They communicate with a limited easy message and repeat it again and again. We have the tendency to explain more and more, using more and more complex arguments, being more and more specific, situational, giving historical perspectives, analogies. We should swallow our knowledge and focus more too.
Let’s unite on one simple message and repeat it again and again. “Cartago dilenda est”, -Cartago has to be destroyed-, Cato understood the strength of repeating a simple message more than 2000 years ago. “The Marcos family stole 100 sacks of 25kg rice from my and every Filipino’s family, when will they return them?” (Yes, but “shouldn’t we move on”? The son has most of the “rice” still stacked in his warehouses. Bahalana that is was his father who did the stealing.)
Just in:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/770748/poe-binay-share-lead-escudero-marcos-statistically-tied-pulse-asia
It’s still Binay, the man to beat, folks.
Clear your desks. Let us wring our hands and shake our heads later. Between now and the end of the campaign season, can we adopt this simple strategy:
Hit Binay with all you’ve got.
Use memes, one-liners. Use Facebook. Joe’s and Raissa’s will be our headquarters, where we reload, but it’s Facebook, folks. Everything we write in Society must be Facebook friendly, easy to digest, lotsa pictures.
Target classes D and E. Reach out to the depressed communities.
It’s not the millennials who will tip the balance, it’s the depressed sector of the society. They’ve been promised cakes, free movies, free hospitalization, a fire truck in every town, plus cash on election day and even as we speak.
Mar is talking above their heads. Leni would win in the time of Magsaysay, when ideals of public service still mattered. It’s the age of instant gratification. No more pie in the sky. People wanna be touched, to be full in the bellies, entertained, now, not tomorrow, now.
About Bongbong, hit him with all you’ve got. Include kitchen sink.
Marcos magic is back.
If somebody can convince Trillanes to withdraw in favor of Leni Robredo, better, but far-fetched.
Outreach is it. The poor is it. Upper and middle class, Binay won’t win, but classes D and E will catapult Binay into Malacañang.
Anyone listening?
This is not a drill.
what if the anti Binay Rallies will be on pembo comembo all fhe embos then add bankal to that? huwag sa makati ng mga Ayalas dun sa Makati ng mga Binay.
Those who want to volunteer :
https://www.facebook.com/TsinelasVolunteerCenter/?ref=ts&fref=ts
Or here :
http://www.bayangmatuwid.org
Very good.. if those in yellow are to reach the poor, they must be like the Buddhist monks who also wear yellow, orange or saffron.
Begging bowls are not needed, but slippers to walk the streets and meet da pipol.
I actually did volunteer for Leni about two months back, but I didn’t receive communication afterwards (if Minutes of the Meeting wasn’t written, the Meeting did not occur). So no followup. I hope we get our acts together. Leni, the beauty is the only defense against Bongbong, the beast. Onward, Christian soldiers!
Will,
Your Aldub and Latest article about Marcos was a hit,you can do the honors of simplifying the points raised here as part of your next articles,as you see fit.
Karl,
Copy that. Been thinking actually of the same idea. Thanks, brother.
Will
I am now one your non Upsilonian brads.Thank you brother.
Karl
I agree, It should be hard enough to even persuade the typical Marcos supporter to read an article this long. I wrote this though with the already “converted” in mind; hoping it can be a resource that can help them form counterarguments to all the lies and fabrications the Marcos diehards are flooding social media with, and likewise help them in their efforts to convince those who may still be undecided.
I agree that a single compelling message repeated over and over packs more power than an essay such as this. At the moment that single message coming from the anti-Marcos forces is “Never Again” and its Tagalog translation “Di Na Ko Papayag”. I would rather the line of attack gets directed at Bongbong Marcos himself at this point – That he is neither competent nor worthy of the voters’ trust. That’s what I posted as an introduction to this article when I posted in Facebook –
Hindi mahusay na mambabatas si Bongbong Marcos; at lalo namang hindi matino!
– (basically what I was getting at in the latter half of the article). If anyone can come up with something more catchy and possbly shorter that would be great.
Bongbong inutil.
Something like that, yes.
I find his attempts at looking cool, such as cosplaying as a Jedi, clumsy. But yes, his propaganda machine on social media seems to have created an effect.
However, one picture is worth a thousand words. It would be worthwhile to have someone upload a raw video of Imelda enjoying all-night disco on the presidential yacht (and damn funny reading the comments coming from apologists).
Here you go:
That’s it! That’s what we’re looking for.
Where the IMF-WB loans goes to.
Very insightful. Thank you. One quibble: It’s Fr. Tulio Favali though.
Thank you for the catch. Saw that when I reviewed the Tagalog version before it got published but forgot to correct the English version too.
The latest AP survey sends a chilling message to the nation and Roxas-Robredo supporters. It signals that an impending Poe disqualification will substantially benefit Binay more than Roxas or Duterte and assure him of a win, garnering almost 40 percent of voters ballots.
The analysis is fairly simple. The nationwide survey results consistently track almost perfectly the percentage breakdown of D class votes for each candidate. In the February AP survey, Poe and Binay were tied at first place with 26 and 25% respectively mirroring the 25 percentage share each received from the D sector. What is more interesting is the latter reflects a decline for Poe by 7 D class percentage points from the January poll when she had a significant lead over Binay and the rest of the pack. This is important because how this decline was matched by corresponding increases in Binay, Roxas, and Duterte D class numbers is strongly indicative of where Poe’s D class followers will switch to if Poe is disqualified. Based on the January and February AP survey result changes, the approximate reallocation of DQed Poe followers can be expected to be 50% Binay, 30% Roxas, and 20% Duterte. Therefore, Binay would receive half of Poe’s 25-26% percentage followers. Of course, this would be changed significantlly if Poe exhorts her followers to support a candidate she prefers. If she was to blame any camp for staging or cheering on her legal misfortunes, I have a good guess who that candidate WON’T be.
*******
The Poe diehards may not shift at all? I wonder what the effect would be.
*****
The approximately 26 points of Poe, if her COC for the Presidency is cancelled, may go different ways:
– since her name is already in the ballot, some will still put her name but will be considered stray votes (Part 1)
– some will leave President’s name blank (Part 2)
– some will go to Binay, Duterte, Roxas, Santiago (Parts 3b, Part 3d, Part 3r, Part3s)
If Parts 1 and 2 is 50%, that leaves 13 points to be redistributed to B, D, R, S. If the distribution is 50%, 20%, 10%, 20%, respectively, then:
Parts1,2 13
Part3b 6.5
Part3d 2.6
Part3r 1.3
Part3s 2.6
(leaving 4 still undecided up to voting day)
With those redistributed points added to the Pulse Asia base Feb 15-20 numbers for B, D, R, S:
Parts1,2 13
Binay 31.5
Duterte 23.6
Roxas 22.3
Santiago 5.6
No name 4
—————-
Total 100
But the resulting numbers above are the result of a chuckful of assumptions and may have low value. And does not consider the rest of the campaign and events for the next 66 days to May 6.
Thanks for trying to extend my very simplified model, Manong Herrera to incorporate stray and blank Poe votes. Those allowances for null votes are way too big. Consider that the AP surveys have a Do Not Know/ Cannot Decide category and it captured only a very insignificant share of Poe’s decline. Moreover the conclusion with your adjustments remains unchanged. Instead of waiting for a saving ightning from heaven, an active reponse is required.
Errata..saving lightning bolt.
Yes, Roxas and supporters definitely should not wait for that lightning bolt.
Funny, but the ideas in this Blogsite stretching over months — all offered for free — are more than enough for Roxas and supporters to digest and implement. Sa atin palang marahil na hi-hilo na sila sa dami ng magandang suhestyon. And with 65 days and counting, time is ticking fast.
“MANDAUE CITY, Cebu–Should Senator Grace Poe be disqualified from the presidential race, Vice President Jejomar Binay will largely benefit from it, said Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
Roxas predicted that Binay would get the “biggest chunk” of votes if the Supreme Court would decide to disqualify her as a presidential candidate from the national elections for her questionable citizenship and residency.
“I might get a chunk or portion of the votes for Poe, but the biggest chunk will go to him,” Roxas told select reporters.”
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/770842/binay-biggest-gainer-if-poe-is-disqualified-says-roxas#ixzz421m6hEir
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Hate to say it but Mar and his staff must be reading JoeAm comments to confirm their own analysis. It’s good to put away blinders and cone to grips with the reality of the situation.
karl, caliphman:
For some more item on the matter of the impact of Poe’s DQ, here is an item from Babe Romualdez of Philstar opinion section:
A privately commissioned comprehensive nationwide survey involving 3,000 registered respondents showed that the biggest beneficiary, should Senator Grace Poe be disqualified, would be Vice President Jojo Binay who will easily sweep the race with 40 percent of the total votes. Even Mar Roxas now admits this to be true.
I recall vaguely in my readings, a leader of a fighting force in the field, who knowing that there are enemies to the left, right, front and back said something to the effect — good; now there is only one option: to fight with all our might and ingenuity (surrender not being part of his vocabulary).
Again I would point out that there are different ways of looking at this. Those who are keen to create a bandwagon effect around Binay are doing just that, using Roxas’ statement as proof of their candidates’ so called impending victory.
Those eager to pin down Roxas as a losing proposition are wont to hang on to these words and use them to rally others to abandon him and throw their support to someone else. as in Grace Poe, I suppose.
Or one can see the statement for what it is, a logical argument in response to an accusation of his (Roxas) involvement in efforts to ensure Poe’s disqualification.
Some people seem to be getting ahead of themselves.
Although my posts in the current blog may seem inconsistent — I don’t think so; it is sort of laying all my cards on the table, not hiding some in my sleeve — one thing I can definitely agree with is your statement:
… there are different ways of looking at this.
There are just too many variables — for me at least. Even Roxas’ statement, referred to, can be taken to mean different things. It may be an acceptance of some reality. But coupled subliminally with the idea of exhorting supporters, his own staff, supporters and potential voters, to greater efforts, etc. The fat lady, after all, is still a long way from singing.
The impending drama and reactions that follows the coming DQ or not of Poe will probably shed some of the useless variables in the equation — so that we have less to grapple with in our thoughts, analyses and actions.
Exciting times at the very least.
Sir NH, I think I was composing my response still to your posting on the Babe Romualdez column before your succeeding post came through. So just to clarify, that (the Romualdez column) was what my comment on different ways of looking at things was about.
Your second post about not retreating when besieged from the left right and everywhere, I actually loved.
Requests for english version of “Marcos the Millenial …” is a show Filipinos have a hard time understanding Pilipino. I am one of them. Thank you for the English Version. Only minority of Filipinos understand Pilipino.
That’s a lot of rubbish Mariano and you know that; inadvertently once a Pinoy sees another Pinoy at any overseas train station, the the first question that comes of the mouth is Pilipino ka? not Pilipino ka gid or Pilipino ka manen ? All Filipinos understand Pilipino, even Badjaos
do or why would they be tuning in to eat bulaga ?
“Thank you for the English Version. “
LOL! you crack me up everytime, MRP! 😉
The last two articles I wrote both got requests for a Tagalog version. So going by your logic, it means Filipinos also have a hard time understanding English.
“…it means Filipinos also have a hard time understanding English” LOLing here. And to those who requested English version, no offense. I am just surprised. In San Francisco Tagalog is certified as Third Language of official government communication because some Filipinos cannot understand English.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/02/tagalog-certified-as-third-language-to-be-used-in-sf-city-services-communications/
As in UP grads ?? ☺
Seems like even some presidential candidates do not understand english, e.g. meaning of plunder . . . .
I understand that it was thru the initiatives of some FLIP groups in San Fran that the certification passed for the benefit of Pinoys who are not UP grads, how does that sound to you, Don Mariano ???
Very good narrative essay. However, you failed to include your source. Without the source, this essay is considered fictional. This is common when individuals or special-interest group sponsors a site. These organizations have agendas, and we should make sure that the author is not manipulating facts to promote their own goal.
The sources have been incorporated into the text if you read properly or are already common knowledge or easily verfiable given the names of people or groups as well as events discussed.
If there are specific portions or claims you found in the essay that you need substantiation on and unable to find in the text itself, do let me know. I’ll be happy to show you where you might find the information.
This is not a thesis defense, you fill up aan article with sources and no one will read them.
wikipedia editors calls it reference vomit.
Everything is Ripley’s believe it or not,we all have our bs detectors.We can do the fact checking ourselves.Sorry,I know you mean well.
As much I want Roxas to win but I think his chances become very gloomy as the election come closer, typhoon yolanda hit his popularity so bad & the conversation with Romualdez. But Mar is doing very well in every Senatorial race I think even one time he topped the senatorial race.
But seems he had a problem in more higher position.
Political machinery is also not reliable, who made the political add of Roxas? That is shockingly bad, it’s annoying too if you don’t know Mar Roxas accomplishment, why they did not highlight the accomplishment of Mar (BPO, Drug Generic), Gerry Roxas legacy- Ninoy Aquino Sr. made a powerful statement about Gerry when he die which he said ” Dear god if you really love the Filipino people pls. Give us another Gerry” that is a very powerful message from Ninoy himself.
They also miss the slogan of “Daang Matuwid” the masa doesn’t absorb enough what is the meaning of Daang Matuwid vs. ” Kung Walang Kurap Walang Mahirap” of Pnoy which is very easy to understand, very straight forward & not complicated.
James, there are plenty of other materials, videos, memes easily available online, you may find some that you feel may be more effective to use yourself in trying to convince others. Or better yet, you can just speak out, use your own powers of persuasion. Say what you know to be true and from the heart. We can all do our part.
National television add is the most important advertisement in the Philippines, videos on- line & blogs are useless when majority of people have no access to internet. Filipinos doesn’t read too.
What is left for Mar to rise? I am not sure, we are fighting against the war of ideology.
It’s not a war of ideologies; many Filipinos will not even be able to tell you what ideology means if their life depended on it.
This war is between those who stand against corruption and the accused, those with pending cases of plunder and other such anomalies as well as those who have already been found guilty or most likely will be. It’s between honest, hardworking Filipinos on one hand and an assortment of liars, thieves and their greedy salivating brood on the other.
We can choose which side to fight with. Or we can watch from the sidelines and flinch at every fall taken, mourn every point lost, yell out in exasperation and call for a different or new play, blame the coach, blame the player and anyone else but ourselves. We choose what we are able to live with.
You, me & the rest who want Mar to lead us have ideology against those who want our country to go back in the dark ages again.
It is very difficult to sell ideology to the bobotantes, their way of thinking only depends for day to day basis, Binay is exploiting those weaknesses & playing bad politics we don’t want that type of campaigning.
Ideologies are meaningless if they have no impact on people’s lives, if nothing changes.
That is why RoRo’s program with the three freedoms: freedom from fear, freedom from hunger and freedom to dream is an attempt to show what real effects are intended.
Poe’s Kabuhayan, Kaligtasan, Karunungan is in the same vein. People who have seen all kinds of meaningless words that are just on paper want real effects on their livelihood. American liberalism for example means opportunities for those willing to work for them. Filipino liberalism for many just means Henry Sy gets richer and richer. While they are like OFWs in their own country, work just is enough to get by probably prices have gone up and the way to and from work is longer than if they were living in Dubai or in Singapore. Address the stuff the people really care about – finally everybody thinks of his own life and life is too short to wait another thirty years para makaginhawa, and make people BILIB…
Kaya lang Ireneo, knowing the fertile imagination of Pinoys, iyong BILIB mo gagawin nilang Bilibid. Does bilibid still exist ????
Dami ngang contraband sa Oplan galugad.
*******
I believe James is referring to an ideology of morality and Cha to a political ideology.
*****
What’s oplan galugad, Karl; I thought there are two prison facilities in the metro, one by Azcarraga and another one in Muntinglupa, nein ???
Mercedes,here is an example.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/557631/news/metro/more-contraband-discovered-in-21st-oplan-galugad-in-bilibid
Most Filipinos, it seems, tend to see things black and white, like the action movies they used to watch where in the end the hero obliterates all the evil goons and their leader. This misguided worldview is extended further into real life, where they’ll root for the one claiming to fight for the good, and claims to have greater virtue… not knowing that this One might not be truly good but for himself.
I don’t see black and white.
I can see that Binay is very dark and Grace Poe is very pale.
Reminds me of the end credits of movies.
Color by Technicolor.
James,
Many among us raised the campaign issues to Joe.
This blog is read by the Roxas camp,and I am sure they are taking notes,but they are the ones on the ground,they mind have ways to tell if what they are doing works or not,maybe they know something that we don’t.
This blog is my refuge having a household of Grace supporters.
But we all agree on Trillanes,win or lose he will continue to check on Binay.(also win or lose).
http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/philippines/2016-elections/20-reasons-why-mar-roxas-is-good-for-filipinos-1.1678031 – the arguments are all there in clarity…
and for MRP and many a non-Filipino source is always considered more objective.
I was also very surprised when Mar got involve with Duterte about the sampalan issue, oh! Jeez for me I will never ever go down to anyone’s level when it comes to non-sense, things on that nature., Mar have to play safe politics, he has to speak out against his opponents only on the proper forum like organised debates.
It is very difficult to stick to high moral grounds when your opponents are getting traction with foul vocabs. I guess that was the reason mar challenged duterte to a fight. Same reasons Marco rubio and ted Cruz had to counter trump’s nonsense with the same dosage of nonse
I must say I’ve never understood the presumed “greater wisdom than Mar” expressed by so many of his “followers”. I’d guess they know little about how to raise their candidate up. Or simply don’t want to. ‘Insipid’ is the word that comes to mind.
The article of SWS’ Mahar Mangahas in this Saturday’s Inquirer provides a counterpoint to my earlier post (March 4, 2016 at 10:00 am).
We have the following Items:
—————————————————
ITEM 1 — (a)“I will vote for a candidate if I will benefit personally from him/her, even if most people will not benefit”); and (b) “I will vote for a candidate if most people will benefit from him/her, even if I personally will not benefit”.
The survey found 86 percent preference for statement (b), and 14 percent preference for statement (a). It was the SECOND time that SWS used this probe. In a survey of April 2007, 79 percent chose social interest, and 21 percent chose self-interest.
ITEM 2 — “Some people say that (a) one should vote according to one’s conscience, whether one’s candidate wins or loses. Other people say that (b) a vote for a losing candidate is a waste, so one should vote for a candidate who is ahead and will probably win. Which of these two ideas is closer to your personal belief?”
The survey found 77 percent chose attitude (a), and only 23 percent chose attitude (b). In 10 PREELECTION SURVEYS probing this from 1992 to 2010, the conscience-voters ranged between 77 and 87 percent.
ITEM 3 — “Which of the following two statements is more applicable to this barangay? (a) Most people here are just told by the leaders whom to vote for; (b) most people here decide for themselves whom to vote for.”
Of those surveyed, 84 percent chose (b), and only 16 percent chose (a). In eight PREELECTION SURVEYS that used this probe from 1998 to 2010, those saying that in their area the people, rather than the local leaders, decide their votes for themselves ranged between 79 and 89 percent.
ITEM 4 — “(a) The party of a candidate wins the election for him/her; (b) “a candidate wins due to true popular support, with or without political machinery.”
The survey found that 78 percent credited election victory to true popular support for the candidate, and only 21 percent credited it to the candidate’s party. In five PREELECTION SURVEYS probing this from 1992 to 2010, those believing in the power of popular support ranged between 61 percent and 85 percent.
————————————————-
Thus, Roxas stands a reasonable chance in the coming 9 weeks if we give credit to this survey of Mahar Mangahas. (I also recall gian’s “last minute” voters blog.) And with some element of luck. Besides, considering the statistical variation, analysts say that all four — Binay, Duterte, Poe, and Roxas — are effectively tied statistically in this close race.
But we still need all hands on deck to boost that chance — as suggested in so many words by many in the blog.
The link:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/93470/filipino-voters-are-not-sheep#ixzz422CD9CjL
Thanks, NH.
There are many ways of looking at and dissecting these results. We can place them side by side with the recent survey rankings of candidates for the different national positions and identify consistencies or inconsistencies between those and this set of findings. We can also pull out historical data from previous elections and look for further evidence to support or contradict Mangahas’ insights.
But in the end, we go with what we are willing to put our minds and hearts to. So I’ll go with you and Mangahas still.
Push.
I would dispute the validity of these surveys by Mangahas as it relates to actual voter behavior. the majority of responses to the 4 items appear to reflect what those polled and I am assuming most of us would want to be the correct answer. In fact, except for item 4, the observed and predictable behavior of most voters, eg. the masa, is the exact opposite. I would not be surprised if this was because Mangahas and SWS did not clearly emphasize specify actual vs desired behavior or did not segregate by class segment; I.e. ABC vs DE, as should have been done. We should all agree that what is needed to stop Binay is not more wishful thinking by Roxas supporters but responsive action in the event Poe is disqualified. It’s not about Roxas or Poe winning anymore but preventing a Binay or Marcos victory and a descent of the country back into the dark ( pun intended) ages!
Correct. If you ask me “a) Is stealing OK? Or b) Is stealing NOK?” my answer is obvious. But when in reality the need is high, a safe temptation is present and those around me are stealing already… I don’t know if I will stick to my principles. (In Amsterdam when they stole my first bicycle, I bought a new one, when the second was stolen I bought a cheap second hand – a stolen one? – , when the fifth was stolen I stole one myself.)
Principles are only one element in the equation. Need, opportunity and especially the behavior of my surroundings are more relevant to predict my behavior.
There is currently an online petition to get the govt to revert the name NAIA back to MIA. They say MIA for Manila International Airport but of cos it could be hijacked for Marcos international airport.
FILIPINOS ARE NOT WORTH DYING FOR?
Why do I think the pro-Marcos forces have a hand in this? These people are becoming more brazen by the day.
Marcos Jr.’s shameless reaction to the statement from the Ateneo educators’ recent statement on historical revisionism I s to challenge them to prove that the Marcoses’ and their loyalists’ version of history is false. How many ways are there to call someone who is the embodiment of that crevice found in what is otherwise known as a donkey in the animal world?
Sorry about the typos,this so why even I don’t like myself when I’m angry. 🙂
This I can say: if my typos and other posting errors — when I am not even angry — make my notes here as readable and understandable as yours are with your typos I will already feel good.
🙂
Aaw, you’re too kind Sir NH.
Online petition pa more. But they won’t succeed, Chempo. And yes, the Filipino is worth dying for.
@Wil, chempo, cha, others
Wait for my piece which will come out here on Thursday. It outlines the resources and advantages when battling the evil forces of the Marcoses. As before, there is a need once more for a broad coalition, from left to right, including the Church.
Their efforts will not amount to anything, because there is no moral basis, no cause behind it.
The good guys just need to get organized, and go to battle.
Looking forward to your article Andrew. A BB win is not only nauseating to our sense of decency, but I can only imagine the tremendous damage it can do to moral fibres of all those young Filipino school kids.
Thanks Andrew. Will do.
That’s it! Maybe we should urge the Church Leaders to draw the line and address the issues regarding candidates tainted with corruption. They cannot just preach to vote the worthy candidate and forget the candidates like Binay and Marcos.
Cardinal Sin may be turning on his grave now that BongBong Marcos is leading the VP race. The Catholic Church played a big role in the overthrow of the Marcos Dictatorship, I cannot understand, their silence today.
Turning in his grave indeed, the late Cardinal Sin must be :
DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan—Vice-Presidential candidate, Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., was blessed by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Saturday during the fifth day of the former’s unity caravan in the northern part of the country.
“He blessed me. And I am very grateful for that,” he said.
http://www.canadianinquirer.net/2016/02/13/bongbong-marcos-visits-archbishop-villegas-in-dagupan/
Except for Cardinal Tagle, i don’t have any high hopes for the leaders of the Catholic church in the Philippines.
Tidbits ….
“Trump-er-y” — means something showy but without use or value, rubbish, trash, worthless stuff. Now you understand the US election better.
“Bong Bong” — an Australian aboriginal word sometimes written as Toombong or Boong Boong — a word that describes the part of the anatomy used for sitting.
My daughter (born in Manila but grew up in Oz) , when we were talking about the Marcoses a few days ago, commented : His name is Bongbong and people still take him setiously?
The DepEd should keep the young informed about the time when the nation’s democracy was in peril. And how the nation join hands to take back the freedom from a dictator.
Saw this the other day, but have yet to look at the curriculum components :
http://www.deped.gov.ph/official-statements/deped-commits-educate-youth-martial-law-critical-part-ph-history