Rodrigo Duterte and the Appointed Son of God
by Cha Coronel Datu
“He is just an ordinary man like us, but he was called, he was chosen, he was anointed and appointed to become the Son of God in these last days to lead us back to the perfect will of the Father. He now reigns as the King of the New Creation, of the the New Heavens and the New Earth. And in this generation, he was chosen to be the Father’s dwelling place, His Temple, and His residence here on Earth, for he overcame and was completely freed and delivered from the serpent seed. Now, he is the Audible voice of the Father, who only preaches about the Will of the Father.” (http://www.apolloquiboloy.com/apollo-quiboloy-profile/)
This is Apollo C. Quiboloy, founder and leader of a church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name as described in his own website.He is the King’s son, his followers the citizens of the Kingdom Nation which according to a Manila Bulletin report last Feb 2016 counts six million members worldwide – four million in the Philippines and two million from various countries abroad. [1]
Quiboloy, in the same newspaper report, claimed to have dreamt 18 years ago that Rodrigo Duterte, his friend, will become the President of the Philippines. “Now, I can see that it is close to reality, as long as the Filipino people will give him a chance.”, he said. [1]
Duterte himself has mentioned the same dream in public a year earlier; in an event organized by Quiboloy in Hong Kong. In this gathering, which was part of a listening tour undertaken by Duterte prior to his declaration of candidacy, he told the 5000 strong OFW crowd that his friend Quiboloy dreamed 17 years ago that they were playing golf in Malacanang [2], and this the pastor apparently interpreted to mean that Duterte was going to be President.
Back in 2010, Quiboloy endorsed Gilbert Teodoro as “Father God’s Choice” for president.[3] Prior to the announcement which was made just over a week before the elections however, he already claimed that his own deceased mother appeared to him in a dream and asked him to pray for the other candidate, then senator Manny Villar. But Noynoy Aquino’s mother Cory Aquino also reportedly appeared to him in another vision and asked him to support her son instead.[4]
PNoy failed to attend his lavish and star-studded birthday celebration in April that year, just a few weeks before the election. Villar and Teodoro were there. There was an expectation of an announcement from Quiboloy that night identifying his choice for President but none came. Instead he reportedly went in seclusion and after three days of intense prayer at his Prayer Mountain in Barangay Tamayong, Davao City he came down and announced Father God’s choice. He must have heard the message wrong. God’s choice, as he articulated, lost the election that year.
Quiboloy’s appointment as the son of God is said to have been revealed to him from dreams and visions as well as voices he heard beginning at the age of 14. In April 13, 2005 he announced the revelation of his appointment, claiming to have been “summoned by God to complete the work of Jesus Christ and restore humanity to its original state of of grace”. [4]
“Now, the mission and the ministry of the Appointed Son is to become His spokesperson, His audible voice, so that He could produce more sons and daughters to come into the Kingdom of heaven on earth. He is the Father’s second coming. The rapture is taking place as he speaks today.”[5]
The spokesperson, God’s supposed audible voice now also happens to be a multi-millionaire with very deep pockets. Founded from humble beginnings in 1985 after Quiboloy left his local Pentecostal congregation, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name now boasts its own Sonshine Media Network that broadcasts Quiboloy’s message across the globe; reaching millions of Filipinos in Hong Kong, the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. The Wall Street Journal in a profile of the church leader in 2010 also reported that there is a Gulfstream aircraft and a helicopter for Quiboloy’s use. [4] (A more recent local news item indicate 3 private aircraft for Quiboloy as well as ownership of 23 radio stations in the Philippines [6].)
The pastor’s helicopter, of late, has also been made available for his friend, Rodrigo Duterte.
Here is a video showing the swanky helicopter when it was newly acquired:
Duterte has identified Quiboloy as one of two friends that lend him helicopters for use going to and from his various campaign sorties. He has also talked about his plan to borrow Quiboloy’s chopper for the daily commute between Davao and Malacanang if he gets elected President. [7]
According to Jun Ledesma of the newspaper Sun Star, the friendship between Duterte and Quiboloy goes way back to when they were both starting out in their respective fields of endeavour; Duterte was a fiscal with very few friends and Pastor Quiboloy had only seven loyal followers. [6]
Well, would you have a look at them both now! One is the head of his own church with a worldwide following while the other might just become the next President of the Philippines. Imagine that, a President that has no less than the supposed appointed son of God standing behind him. How can anything go wrong at all when the gods come down to make heaven on over 7000 islands of Philippine earth?
Ask the K’tala Bagobo tribe who are being driven away from their ancestral domain in a continuing land dispute with Quiboloy. The pastor is claiming legal rights to the land where they lived because according to him, he already bought it. But the tribe’s leader Jonas Diarog denied this. On August 15, 2012 , thirteen of their houses were razed to the ground in what they believe is part of an effort to drive them away from the land and make way for the expansion of Quiboloy’s prayer mountain in Sitio Kahusayan. [8]
In January 2014, more than 40 armed men arrived at Barangay Manuel Guianga ordering people to leave. They said “You have to leave because we are taking over, this land has been sold aready to Pastor Quiboloy”.[9] The villagers left in fear.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte then sent the chief of the Tugbok police to clear the area of the armed men and allow the people to return to their homes but the armed men ignored the policemen, according to the vilagers. Duterte said he “believed that the pastor had nothing to do with the armed men”.[9]
Just about a year ago, in April 2015, Duterte once again stood by his friend and his claim of ownership of the said ancestral lands. Stressing that he is not protecting Quiboloy, he nonetheless dismissed the claims of landgrabbing made by the Kahugpungan sa Lumad (KSL) under the PASAKA or the Confederation of Indigenous People in Southern Mindanao. He also denied accusations that the pastor is maintaining his own private army. [10]
Years earlier, in April 2008, the K’tala Bagobo tribe’s former leader Datu Domingo Diarog was slain in the strafing of his house hy men also believed to be working for Pastor Quiboloy. Diarog’s wife, Emily has identified Greg Canada, a known aide of Quiboloy, as among those responsible for her husband’s murder in a complaint filed before the Commission on Human Rights Region XI. Canada has previously approached the tribal leader offering to buy their two hectare piece of land adjacent to Quiboloy’s Prayer Mountain which was then undergoing expansion. Diarog, according to his wfe, has received threats for refusing to sell. There were four attempts to burn down their house between March and April that year before Diarog was eventually killed. [11]
The New People’s Army (NPA) which the military first blamed for the attack conducted its own investigation which led them to also believe that Quiboloy and his military “protectors” were responsible for Diarog’s slaying. They claimed that Diarog “was shot at the behest of Quiboloy”. [12]
Quiboloy has issued a statement published in local papers denying the accusations and called them “false and baseless if not ridiculous”. Curiously, he also declared that “Mayor Duterte already dismissed the rumour as untrue”.[11]
On his part, Duterte said he could not believe Quiboloy was capable of what the Lumad groups were accusing him of. He vouched for Quiboloy’s character, saying he has known the pastor since the 1980s and that he “has no record of violent behavior”. [11]
And so it was that the tough-on-crime Mayor, dubbed “The Punisher” by Time Magazine and who was just recently quoted threatening to dump all criminals in Manila Bay if he becomes President, then dutifully refrained from even making further comments pending the results of both police and NBI investigations. [11]The case against Canada and the rest of Quiboloy’s men were eventually dismissed for lack of evidence. [13] Peace and order reigns.
Where is the anger? Where is the raging impatience and the pressing urgency to solve a crime and punish its perpetrators? Where are the threats and warnings of execution for those that dared disturb the peace in this part of his beloved Davao?
Meanwhile, Quiboloy’s eight hectare Prayer Mountain, now also known as The Garden of Eden Restored has been opened to the public since 2011. One only needs to secure authorization from the Jose Maria College (also owned by Quiboloy’s church) and pay the required maintenance fees to be able to enjoy the garden’s seemingly pristine and serene beauty. It was just recently featured by a tourism website as one of the “Five Philippine Retreat Houses for Cleansing Your Inner Demons”.[14]
A slice of heaven that cost the life of a tribal chief, the homes and livelihood of an indigenous people being driven away from their ancestral land; the history and purpose of this garden is indeed a good starting point for some reflection and contemplation particularly on the implications of the brazen acts of aggression and oppresion associated with its creator, a multi-millionaire preacher that claims to be the spokesperson of God alongside the obvious lack of interest of his long-time friend and chosen candidate for the Presidency to look at his direction and consider the possbility of his involvement and guilt.
So then, would a Duterte presidency actually be anything at all like the answer to the country’s peace and order and other woes that it is being touted out to be? Will the reign of a self-appointed judge and executioner backed by “the King’s son” himself then be like the equivalent of this oasis of renewal, the Garden of Eden Restored, to a country that is being pulled apart in different directions? Will a 6 year retreat to authoritarian rule serve the same purpose of cleansing and purging the real and powerful demons that plague Philippine society, culture and politics?
Or will it be the unleashing of even worse?
“O Lord deliver us from the curse of the Fallout, O Lord deliver us from the begetting of monsters”. (Walter M. Miller)
Sources:
- “Quiboloy: I am Behind Mayor Duterte” , mb.com.ph
- “As President, I Can’t Afford to Fail – Duterte”, rappler.com, May 18, 2015
- “It’s Gibo for Pastor Quiboloy”, philstar.com, May 3,2010
- “Philippine Candidates Court a Televangelist”, wsj.com, April 22. 2010
- apolloquiboloy.com
- “Ledesma: Digong Earns Points and Endorsements”, sunstar.com.ph, Feb 20,2016
- “If Elected, Duterte will Commute Daily to Work – from Davao”, newsinfo.inquirer.net, Jan 31,2016
- “Quiboloy ‘behind’ burning of tribesmen’s houses”, mindanews.com, Aug 25, 2012
- “The Expanding Kingdom of God’s Son”, minquirer.net, Feb 23, 2014
- “Quiboloy Holds No Private Army, not Grabbing Lands, Duterte Says”, mindanaotimes.net, Apr 7,2015
- “Diarog Murder: Duterte Denies Helping Quiboloy”, davaotoday.com, May 19, 2008
- “NPA Hits Quiboloy over Killing of Tribe Chieftain, 3 Kids in Davao”, gmanetwork.com, May 19,2008
- HRCW.verafiles.org
- choose.philippines.com
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
*******
Gadzooks! Filipinos are born suckers.
*****
Not really… I think they are caught in the cycle of http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/entitlement-and-helplessness/ and see no real way out, it has always been that way…
This is from an e-book linked in the discussion and the article about how some Negros planters became powerful… this stuff happened in the 1920s… but there are similar stories from tobaccoland (Ilocos) and abacaland (Bicol) which were the wildlands before also now it is Mindanao… conquistadores and Indios, conquistadores and Indians, only that the cowboys and conquistadores in the Philippines are now natives… the cycle continues.
During the process of claiming, amassing, and titling estates, planters sometimes displaced small farmers of the original Negrense population and those poor migrants who came to take up subsistence plots. The actual extent of this eviction and land grabbing (usurpacion ) must always remain a mystery, for they were carried out in various ways by hacenderos and their minions who made and kept the records. Sometimes removal occurred legally when planters with proper claims removed squatters who had simply occupied their land. At other times eviction took place with the aid of falsified documents obtained through collusion between corrupt officials and hacenderos. The planter group and their friends, relatives, and employees held almost all municipal and provincial offices as well as all judicial positions, and they had little difficulty turning such a monopoly to their own use. Finally, in unnumbered cases beyond the sight of witnesses, employees of the hacenderos forced peasants from their land. From the occasional evidence that does appear, a sense emerges that the taming of the Negros frontier was fraught with unrecorded violence. McCoy cites a complaint of Spanish farmers from La Carlota against the great landowner Teodoro Benedicto for his strong-armed removal of a group of Antique migrants who had worked the same land for years before Benedicto claimed it.
Such usurpacion still occurred at the end of the period, as evidenced by the case of some La Carlota homesteaders that came to the attention of Senate President Manuel Luis Quezon. Small farmers found themselves threatened by three of the most influential hacenderos in that district (see appendix C). In another case going on at the same time, Governor Matias Hilado of Negros Occidental faced a charge of land grabbing brought by another government official. Confronted with such pressure throughout the era, peasant farmers could only retreat further into the wilderness or stay and work for hacendero claimants to their lands.[39]
With that history, the mentality of “kapit tayo diyan sa malakas” is a realistic attitude to survival… stick to gangsters as long as one is on their good side or gets some crumbs. Joe also wrote this: https://joeam.com/2012/06/27/fire-in-the-belly-filipinos-for-filipinos/ The accumulation of power by the common Filipino merely lacks organization. It lacks someone with the courage and ability to organize. – nowadays we can see due to social media etc. this process and the old helplessness may be overcome… some Filipinos still are very fearful I think because if you organize stuff you may end up like the Lumads in the above article or like the small farmers terrorized by Benedicto back then… Marcos era anyone organizing something on the grassroots could be called “communist” and just disappear… it took Ninoy getting killed (and some major Cebu folks) to mobilize the fire in the belly of Filipinos… but some just think it is better to be thugs and have “power” when in the end they are just instruments of the entitled… I wonder when this will change.
*******
Sucker: “a gullible or easily deceived person.”
*****
Breast fed or bottle fed, or even just a pacifier,still suckers.
forgot about the thumb suckers.
I was about to say: there is one who is a Filipino by presumption who is not as you define. But I forgot there is Escudero.
When Senator Bam Aquino is president.
Bam is the only Aquino I have encountered who I would like to lend my support to, willingly. He, unlike the rest of his ilk, comes across as a good blend of intelligence, sincerity, compassion and structure.
The age limitation for presidential aspirants here in the Philippines irk me. I would vote for Bam as president if he were allowed to run at his current age
Nicely put: intelligence, sincerity, compassion and structure.
One in 103 million. There are of course those in The Society and elsewhere who have the traits as described, but they have less than a ghost of a chance not having — for one — an appointed son of God for a spokesman.
Yes, you can say that again..and again..and for generations to come
Gadzooks indeed!
The thing about suckers though is that they are always on the look-out for the next big swindler. And this particular election has them spoilt for choice.
Not all Edgar..Cha is Filipino and so are you..So are many who contribute here…
Now, about that choir behind him…
I don’t think Duterte is a knight in shinning armor, much less the appointed of God. He isn’t clean cut. He’s rough around the edges, crude even. His approach to politics and governance seems simplistic. His grand plan and how he intends to accomplish it seem far fetched. He is a risky gamble it would seem.
A gamble that I am willing to take.
I have had intelligent presidents, charismatic ones, traditional ones, quiet ones, politically experienced ones, well intentioned ones and strict ones… and yet I was always left wanting! From the current roster of presidential hopefuls, only Duterte represents something novel to me.
I want change. Voting for any of the others seems like me trying to apply the same solution expecting/hoping for a different result. This is the height of insanity I hear.
While I am not sure Duterte can deliver, I find myself willing to give him a chance to have at it!
He would be my vote because I see myself following him because I want to and not because I have to. I can not say the same about the others.
I will not argue with your choice Jean, it’s your choice at the end of the day. However let me say this, your stand seems like the stand of those who voted for Erap, “para maiba naman” “bakasakali” “Novel sya e”. If the intelligent, charismatic, traditional, quiet etc etc. in your opinion did not succeed, why should people vote for someone whom as you mentioned is rough and crude, simplistic approach in governance and that his grand plan and how he intends to accomplish it seem far-fetched, etc. wouldn’t it be a suicide rather than a risky gamble?
Because while I’ll admit that I doubt Davao is drug free, I have a feeling pushers aren’t having an easy time of it there. While Davao isn’t swimming in dough, the people of Davao don’t seem to be up in arms crying to high heavens their woes. While I have never been there before myself, from pictures and from conversations with friends living in the area, all speak well of the place. In short, as a mayor, he seems to have done well in governing Davao. Can he duplicate it on a national scale? I don’t know…but I am open to seeing him try.
My rationale:
In our convoluted political system, perhaps a simplistic approach is what is needed to untangle the mess, after all the simplest solutions are often the most effective. Rough and crude might serve us better rather than our traditional refined and slick. His grand plan indeed seems far fetched but I see no reason to not let him try. The goal after all is admirable.
He may not be the best on paper or in theory but that matters little to me. You see I am an odd little duck, I pick my leaders not primarily on their ability, I pick my leaders based on how I see myself following under their rule. I like how I see myself under his leadership
I weep for the Philippines.
I have followed your nicely-reasoned posts here and appreciated quite a bit of those. This is not one of those.
An example I picked from above: The goal after all is admirable.
In the first six months, you’ll soon find yourself looking behind more often. Every street corner will have video cameras. There will be more armed men, but they’re not from the police or military, and often their job is to patrol every night, looking for those who violate the curfew.
You’ll notice that television programs are heavily edited, mostly to remove undesirable elements. The MTRCB — under new management — is also instructed to choose only films and media that values the “good, true and beautiful”. Even live TV programs are cast only with the friends of the President, those who believe in his goals and are thus tasked with the promotion of his ideals.
The Internet itself is specifically singled out. Paid young men and women — or even fanatical volunteers — are tasked to patrol Facebook and other social media sites, to attack even remote signs of dissent or criticism against his reign, to flag troublemakers, to expose their whereabouts. As for the ISPs, they have been nationalized for further control.
Ah, and there’s another thing: newspapers who are aligned with his patriarchal ideology would regularly report daily executions of who and what crime he or she committed, to ensure that everyone else hew to the line, purportedly to discourage criminal activity. But it is also done to ensure that the supposed “enemies” of the people would not corrupt his definition of heaven on earth, as he works to rewrite the Constitution in the name of God.
And hope one of the members of your family or loved ones will not be victims of mistaken identity, their lives snuff without due process.
@Madlanglupa
So, the hubby was having his usual “me” time after work yesterday, absorbed in something he was reading on his tablet, when suddenly he says loudly, “Yes! That’s it! Exactly!”. Then he turns to me and goes “I like the comment of Madla” . I hadn’t realized yet he was reading this blog so I just had this look on my face which was saying “what are you talking about?”. Then he starts reading your comment above to me loudly. First time he did that, read to me a comment from Joeam’s blog as if he thought I might not have read it myself. Haha.
Told him to drop a comment and tell you what he thought. But then he said he’ll have to register and all that. Ok, I said, I’ll let her know. So there, thank you “Madla” for making my hubby’s day yesterday with this post. He also said – “Never again!”
Thank you.
I intend for us not to live in but resist the possible Orwellian, whitewashed but twisted future that Duterte, Marcos or Binay wants to give to everyone, as it may soon become my mission to produce and distribute electronic samizdat should any of those patriarchal plutocrats are sworn in on the first day.
You go girl !
Sorry Jean,
I could not agree.
“I pick my leaders based on how I see myself following under their rule. I like how I see myself under his leadership” I fear that many Filipinos go by this principle…
WHY do you need someone else to see yourself in a certain way and following?
You have struck gold with that remark. There is need, which the poor possess, and there is neediness, which those not poor possess. They require an external forced to fill the hole. Sometimes money does the trick, and sometimes it is power or glory. Working for principle doesn’t cut it.
When you say Davao, are you referring to the whole Davao region or Davao City?
The city, but she could include the province and where Duterte has complete control of the population.
For whatever it’s worth, the “appointed son of God” being referred to in the article is not Duterte, but Apollo Quiboloy, his pastor friend.
Thank you for reading.
@ Cha: Opps, I apologize. I thought you were referring to them both. Also, thanks for the read, I’ve never heard of this cult till I happened upon this article. Nicely written.
@Irineo: Apparently, my ability to put to paper my thoughts have fallen short and has failed to get across the point I wanted to make. Let me try again. If this were basketball, then I view the presidentiables as my teammates. Some of those teammates will “make” me a better player while they are on the court even if they are not directly influencing my performance. It would just be because they were there. To tie this in with my comment, I think I would be a better “player” with Duterte on court, at the very least I would be a more willing participant. Thus, while it does have something to with who is on court, the point I was trying to drive at is that ultimately, it about who I am inspired to be for whom. Does that make better sense?
@Rubjub: I was referring to the whole Davao but I based my comment primarily on city’s accomplishments
@Karl: No worries. To each their own.
@Madlanglupa and Mary Grace Gonzales: while I understand how many would like to liken Duterte’s proposed policing methods to the horrors of Martial Law, at this point, I do not think that would be fair or warranted.
We intend to live in a world where we don’t have to turn around and look if a stranger is following our footsteps, whether a violent cellphone thief or a self-appointed militia or a member of the secret police. We cannot live in a world where we are forced to “love” a self-styled patriarch.
Also it should be worth reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Thanks, I found a copy online. Its deliciously disguised! I can’t believe this is the 1st time I happened upon it. It’s been around so long. A short piece that speaks volumes. Thanks for the tip.
OK Jean.To each their own, but I suggest not to take the words that come out of Duterte’s mouth lightly.If you see it just as tough talk,well as you said,to each their own.
What about re-framing it like this: If Philippines were a basketball team, what kind of coach do we need to become champions, or have a podium finish?
The players are us, the people, who move according to whatever new policies the coaching staff come up with. But the president has to create a good coaching staff, hire reputable scouts, create plays, etc.
Or just look at your favorites. What are their best qualities? What made them great coaches? Who among the presidentiables has those traits? 🙂
I removed your lengthy post in response to cha. This is a discussion forum, and the excessive length of the posting works against that aim. I would recommend that you supply a link with a brief discussion on what it is and why it is important.
Joe I read part of it last night..Very interesting ! I think Irineo would be glad to host it as part of his Philippines history blog..
if he screen captured it.
That would be better, I think.
I think it’s actually a reply to Jean’s comment about choosing Duterte because he believes he can be a “better player with Duterte on court”.
Anyway, I was able to read the article Arwind wanted to share with us and it traces the history of the feud between Duterte and Jun Pala (a media personality who died in an ambush attack believed by some to be related to this feud with Duterte). If this account is true, it shows the true character of Duterte – his vengefulness, arrogance and propensity for violence, his compulsion to mete out punishment in response to a personal affront.
Jun Pala’s name came up when I was doing the initial research for this piece on Duterte but I chose to go with the Quiboloy angle. I’ll read up some more and try to validate the story with other sources then maybe I can share findings here or in a follow up piece.
Thanks for the synopsis and link. The vengeful attribute fits when we simply observe the nastiness of his insults when challenged (Roxas is a “fraud”). It is beyond all acceptable norms, and people cheer him wildly.
As someone who may have the same stance as Jean, this is something that I’ve written:
http://x.rappler.com/x/cj53v177a/1458836310177-Disiplina-Sarili-at-Pagbabago
The gist of it is: Sure you can throw ‘discipline comes from ourselves’ every now and then however, you really can’t deny that It is very hard to do the *right* thing in this country, especially for the normal citizens. From what I can see, Duterte seems to be someone that can help the people reach critical mass for change.
(As for a more comprehensive reply: https://justpaste.it/t32f
It is actually copy-pasted from someone else I’m talking to but edited it a little for this specific reply)
However, to point it out here if ever the link disappears: I am as of now back on the fence regarding supporting Duterte because what you’ve mention (vengefulness, arrogance and propensity for violence, etc.) is really something that I’ve noticed for a while now. But I am giving him more time to clarify his stance much further as you really can’t deny the possible gains if the positive expectations of him are indeed true.
Hi @intuitive perceiving,
Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts on discipline and change. These words are being bandied about a lot these days and it is a good sign that there are people like you who are actually thinking through these issues carefully in the process of deciding on or choosing their country’s next crop of leaders. (I suppose one should expect no less from an IP on the MBTI hah?)
Being a Rappler reader/commenter, I think you might have heard or read about Renee Karunungan and her recent troubles involving some Duterte supporters (Rappler posted a report on this yeserday). Like you Karunungan has been thinking about discipline and change lately; the difference though is that she came to the conclusion that “Duterte is a lazy choice. The problem cannot be solved by one man, discipline starts with one’s self”. Like you she also thought to share her opinion with others, hers through a facebook post. The post went viral and in a few hours these are some of the responses posted on her wall or sent as private messages to her by people she did not even know:
“Mga kaibigan ko gustong pumatay sayo! May pera ka naman, handa mo na lang ‘yan pang gastos sa ospital”. (I have friends who want to kill you. You have the money, save that for your hospital expenses.)
“You are as stupid as your post. And who do you want to make democracy work (for)? Binay? Roxas? Poe? Can you idiots just stop with the mindset that Duterte will lead a bloody administration, please?”
“Ul*l. T*ngina mo. UP ka man din galing, pero utak dilis ka. Bobo ka ang pangit mo. Sana ma-rape ka, manakawan ka. ‘Yan gusto mo, ‘di ba? Ayaw mo ng pagbabago dahil ayaw mo kay Duterte. Sana lang one of these days ma-rape ka para matauhan ka.”
I hope your commentary on Rappler did not elicit similar types of responses from anti-Duterte fans. That would be just as worrying.
One of the points you bring up in your opinion piece is that maybe the next leader can be the catalyst needed by the country for change. I agree with you. So let us start with those who already are looking to Duterte as their leader. As they say, the tree is known by its fruits. Going by the offensive remarks and threats received by Karunungan for her post, would you agree with me when I say these are in no way how a disciplined person would behave towards those he disagrees with? Are you also able to perceive in the level of aggression directed at Karunungan the lack of self-control and total disregard for even the basic rules of common decency? And, in all honesty, can you deny that the same attitudes and patterns of behaviour are to be found as well in Duterte’s own actuations?
Before discipline, there is civility – or how one shows regard for others through one’s language and behaviour. Civility as the motivation and inspiration for self-discipline is far more powerful than the fear of punishment which leads to compliance. Real self discipline becomes entrenched and ingrained in a person’s being, compliance can be set aside when no one is looking. What kind of change do you really want?
@cha, ‘N’ is for iNtuitive. ‘I’ is for introvert. However, to be exact, I’m actually INTP so you are still right about that part. =) (Seldom do I really meet anyone with knowledge about MBTI so humoring my username really piqued my interest. haha)
As for the toxicity of his supporters, I’ve been aware of it since everyone got wind of his filing of candidacy. And I have been trying to correct the people I know who are like this and they do seem to respond properly. But as for the vast majority whom I do not know? I really can’t expect to do anything about them. I really can’t find myself to aggressively push something on someone I don’t know.** But to be fair though, if you look at it closely, this is not really exclusive to Duterte supporters, no? Most Filipinos that are “passionate”, quote-unquote, always did have a tendency to flip out about the stuff they support. As some people have coined, ‘peenoise’ is usually inevitable. Just look at any internationally acclaimed celebrity or sport figures we have. Do you see any difference from what is happening now? To be frank, that’s just how undisciplined the majority of this country are and those that want to be disciplined are usually overwhelmingly silenced by this majority.
And as for how the Duterte supporters responded, I actually tried posting these articles on some pro-Duterte groups. It was actually generally well received, however, it was also largely ignored. But it was posted anonymously so I think that’s another factor of why it was ignored. But sharing it to people I know, again, it was still well-received. (Relevant to the issue you’ve mentioned, another I’ve written: http://x.rappler.com/x/cj53v177a/1459008195858-Supporters_)
As for why I support him, I was actually very apolitical and apathetic of the state of this country because I’ve seem to have somewhat decided long ago that changing this country was already a lost cause. But given what is happening now, I seem to have changed my mind and decided that I should really get involved. So to bring it up, this is also somewhat a reason of why I support Duterte. I’m actually airing my views now and I am now trying to discuss with random people about the elections and the candidates. His appearance in the election seems to be somewhat of an ‘eyeopener’ to many and that is something you really can’t deny. Heck, he has really made me desperate for getting different perspectives just to confirm his stance and personally, this is somewhat really out of my comfort zone. To my surprise though, I had actually managed to get lots of fruitful discussion so I’m continuing it. haha And from what I can process about this factor, Duterte does seem to have a significant possibility of being a spark for legitimate change with the critical mass he is gathering and all. (For a more comprehensive reply, but a bit unrelated, I do urge you to read: https://justpaste.it/t32f
It is actually copy-pasted from a conversation I am having with someone else but edited it a little as it references some stuff from another very long conversation I’ve had with the same person***)
** I’m Introverted, so yeah… The fear of being swarmed by irrational backlash and trolling from people I don’t know is something that I think I won’t be able to handle really well… Just the thought of it makes we want to delete my account. *shudders*
***I think I have a feeling that this will become very long discussion and that discussing in the comment section here is somewhat hard… Is there a better place we can discuss? Email? Heck, even Facebook so I can let you see the complete conversation bringing to light some of my current views quicker? I’m willing to give up my anonymity as I think this conversation will surely be fruitful. =)
A number of people here know Myers Briggs as I’ve written about it. Real accountability starts with introspection. Discipline, too. I’m INFJ.
Correction for link: http://x.rappler.com/x/cj53v177a/1459008195858-Supporters
@Joe America
True true. And sadly, along with discipline, introspection is something severely lacking in this country. You actually get ridiculed for it at times. *sigh*
*sigh*
intuitiveperceiving, you may come over…http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/a-filipino-civilization/ is about the aspects you have seen, and your pasted comments are about what I also used to see Duterte as – a catalyst for change, although now having seen how he really can be and how his supporters can be, it is like using a blowtorch to light up a cigarette, even if one is kind it is like using a badly adjusted lighter – I remember how I singed a girlfriend’s hair that way…
Philippines I think is partly a chiefdom, partly a bogus civilization, partly already civilized looking for a new civilized order… Duterte could lead to a less modern civilization than the Philippines pretends to be, while Roxas who is NOT pretentious could finally bring true modern civilization… and Leni is the one who bridges that divide best and represents the future. What I avoided in this recent article is to refer to Superman, Batman and Wonderwoman… the past two articles already referred to the movie…. that would have been too much Pinoy corniness.
http://www.sarwrites.com/2016/04/duterte-2016-change-is-not-coming.html?m=1
I think this article sums up why I’m still hoping for Duterte to clarify and improve his stances. As Joe America said, introspection is something needed for change. And with this, I do think Duterte had managed to trigger that on a number of Filipinos. But as for his other supporters though: http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2939
And to point it out again, its not that a majority of Duterte supporters are assholes, but rather a majority of Filipinos are assholes. But this ‘triggered’ Filipinos will surely be a big help in change. Like a cascade effect?
As for supporting Roxas, well, going by the following link, It seems he had not shown the essentials. http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/the-road-ahead/
He’s a smart guy I’d give him that but I don’t know if he’s afflicted by analysis paralysis or he’s too much of a perfectionist. I just find him to be too reactive rather than proactive.
IP, a comment more than two links goes to moderation. The reason is to encourage discussion rather than a simple click machine. Statistics show few people take the time to click on links. They are scanning the comments.
“But this ‘triggered’ Filipinos will surely be a big help in change. Like a cascade effect?”
A cascade effect can also go backwards… and the Philippines might be happy to receive development aid from Nigeria in 2036.
As for Roxas not yet doing enough, that is true, but Duterte is even less advanced in thinking and it will take longer to bring him to the stage of thinking needed. Might be that those who think that are still left will leave the country to the barbarians if Duterte wins.
I can say that about half a dozen of my Pisay Batchmates have expressed leaving if a Binay or a Duterte presidency happens. And this is only among my close friends. People have no idea how scary a lawless vigilante laden fascist country can be.
@Joe America, I see. I just prefer to place the links there for people to get a full and better reference of what I want to say. I think I’ll just add better synopsis for the links I post in the future? Nonetheless, noted sir Joe. =)
@Irineo, a negative cascade is indeed a possibilty. But is not a positive cascade also a possibility? Is presenting this as a dichotomy really necessary?
And on Duterte having a low possiblity of changing his way of thinking, well, I think I must disagree. However, let us say that I do agree, have you considered how hard will it take to develop again the critical mass that he had seemed to gather? Rather than dismiss Duterte altogether because of some of his negatives traits, why not work with what we have? You know? Do something about those negatives? Wouldn’t that be better than just ignoring him and putting him down? And to those people who would pack up and leave, well, that’s irritating to say the least. Wala ba talaga tayo magagawa? Di ba may mga safeguards naman tayo sa batas para hindi mangyari yung mga kinakatakutan natin? And papayag ba yung tao kapag ganun man talaga yung mangyayari? Wait… Aalis nga daw pala sila sa bansa so ibigsabihin, they’ll just let the Philippines crash and burn. Again. Yan nga pala yung mga taong nag-iisip. How pitiful this country is… -_-
Ah, but I let my frustrations get the better of me. Sorry about that. Its just that I think that we can’t deny that Duterte seems to have established something from the grassroots and it seems to be sweeping the nation. If a negative cascade is a possibilty, why not do something to change it and try to utilize this situation? To be frank though, you people seem to be treating the election as a zero sum game. And also, sorry to burst your bubble but sadly, the choices isn’t even between Roxas and Duterte anymore. Blame the masses but the choices are now between Duterte and Poe. Now how will we go about this then? Is the elections really just a zero sum game?
And not to mention that Duterte is the best chance we have for curing this country of its metro fetish. As put by a comment a saw, addressing this as being shackled by imperial manila is too weak. This country has an obsession with it. Its a freakin’ fetish. This is something that we really need to fix ASAP because of Mindanao. It is a bomb waiting to explode, both literally and figuratively. (ISIS?) We really need to do something about it.
Very good. A good synopsis I think is a high value comment, especially for people like me who are link lazy. 🙂
@giancarloangulo, then I’m guessing that a significant portion of your pisay batchmates that would not leave had been considering support for Duterte?
And for everyone, I’d also like to hazard a guess that a number of people you’ve tagged as rational had also been considering support for Duterte? If yes, have they told you why? I’m curious. If you can share it, that’d be great. =D
and somewhat relevant link? https://xkcd.com/1170/
It’s a comic about the scenario of if one will also jump off a bridge if all your friends had jumped off already. Just for lolz.
No. You would be wrong. I haven’t seen an overtly pro duterte batchmate. The leaving part is a personal conversation thus done only with close friends, and us introverts are lucky to have a handful of friends.
“@Irineo, a negative cascade is indeed a possibilty. But is not a positive cascade also a possibility?” only if Filipinos learn to talk to one another and treat one another properly.
Threats and disrespect coming from Duterte supporters make that very unlikely.
@giancarloangulo, I didn’t say anything about being overtly pro. :-p I asked if anyone had been considering support for Duterte. Even if it is just having him as a possible option? Given this, is it a yes or is it still a no?
And yes, us introverts are lucky to have a handful of friends. Having a tendency to isolate one’s self from time to time also doesn’t help. (Did it for a straight few years.) Re-establishing connection is hard and draining. I would really advise against doing it. -_-
@Irineo, IMO, it is slowly developing in some people because of how this election had opened up much venues of discussion for various conflicting stances. Some are even learning to correct other people’s approach even if they have the same stance. However, this is very hard to find because it is usually drowned out by ‘peenoise’ as what always happens in this country. And not to mention that most of them are just keyboard warriors. Give it a few years and it may grow to something significant? I guess that’s the upside of chaos? Kinda like those buddhist/hindu/zen/eastern mumbo jumbo stuff? Yin leads to yang. Chaos leads to order. Destruction leads to recreation. Revolution leads to change. And many more? Hmm… Maybe even if Duterte turns out to really be a dictator worse than Marcos, a new breed of intelligentsia could appear and they’ll be able to rebuild from the ashes of destruction? Uhm… Better ignore this. It is just me humoring myself. MUHAHAHAHA
And I’d like to apologize for any typos from the previous posts. I’m currently using mobile and god how touch screens suck for typing.
Arwind,
If you are amenable to going to the site of Irineo Salazar.
filipinogerman.blogsport.eu
you can post your comment to the appropriate blog.
Thank you Arwind for the article you posted. Please see my reply to Joeam above on what I think about it and how I intend to proceed from here.
Meanwhile here’s the link to the article for those who want to know what it’s all about. You will very likely have even more reason to be wary of this presidential candidate after reading.
http://dolephilsfinalshowdown.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/farewell-my-friend-jun-pala.html?m=1
Thank you Cha.
Be careful of man who goes up to mountain in seclusion, comes down and say God has spoken to him.
Be very careful of man who goes up to mountain in seclusion with a list of social problems, comes down and say God has spoken to him and here is God’s law to these problems.
Be even more careful of man who try to use the man who went up the mountain.
There is one part in Satanic Verses (by Salman Rushdie) where I could not help laughing. It describes Mohammed going up the mountain to seek counsel with Allah. The angel Gabriel observes from up high and says … now here comes this man, so very often, climbs up the high mountain, talks to himself for hours, asking for this and that…. then goes down to tell his followers what Allah has told him….
*******
Nice.
*****
Thanks Chempo, That’s probably an apt description as well for Quiboloy’s visits to his prayer mountain.
Where can I join this church? I thought Joel Osteen was pimp, but this Q guy is definitely a bigger pimp— P-I-M-P (God would be proud, he’d probably say, Way to hustle, son! My other son Jesus never had a helicopter, much less a President… of the Philippines no less!),
“My other son Jesus never had a helicopter, much less a President… ”
Bingo! Now if only Quiboloy’s 6 million supporters can hold off to on the tithing and start with the thinking instead.
Has anyone bothered to check whether the followers of this cult are even anywhere near six million?That would make it three times larger than Iglesia ni Cristo. I have not checked but I have not read of this “Pastor”, his Church nor his following in the national media or overseas. One would think a following of that size and whose tithing and block voting capacity would enable Quiboloy to accumulate a king’s ransom in riches, ignoring his private air fleet, and exert more than the power of an emperor. One would think he and his church should be much more visible socially and politically than the INC have been so those numbers are quite suspect. The fact remains that his wealth, power, and influence would be exponentially boosted by a Duterte presidency and it bothers me no end that if indications that he is willing to steal and murder are indeed true, the pairing of D and Q increases the possibility of a political, martial and even a religious dictatorship.
Thanks Cha for pointing out that there is even a darker side to Duterte’s candidacy. Its bad enough to have the threat of another Marcos type dictatorship with Duterte now a leading contender but to have his close pal and religious megalomaniac waiting in the wings with him is a bit much.
cha, Caliphman, et al.
https://joeam.com/2015/09/15/salvation-by-austerity/ I mentioned this whole cultist stuff in my 1st article on here, as well as my 2nd. It’s about the only thing that kept my interested in the Philippines.
Most of what I saw was in Mindanao, but I do know it’s Philippine-wide. I just looked up this Quiboloy character and wasn’t surprise at all that he was Kapangpangan— that group more than any other I notice have a penchant for this kinda stuff. Why?
Now this stuff, The Name Above Every Name, looks a like normal hustle, your average TBN over here ( http://www.tbn.org/ ), it’s an obvious Pyramid scam based on seed faith, ie. you give the head Pimp his due, and God takes care of your lost.
But I’m a lot more interested in the mystical/magical side of this, ala https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Serpent_and_the_Rainbow_(film) , what sort of Powers does this Quiboloy fella have, and has he imparted some to the President to be (the helicopter doesn’t count 😉 )?
Powers and mysticism is (I think) what the regular Filipino (non-educated) is interested in as well. I remember there was a Philippine Marine Sgt. with a couple of magical stones embedded in both his legs (a couple others) that supposed made him fly. It was nuts, but his troops believed him— which was a whole lot nuttier.
There was another Filipino guy with some talisman, so he demonstrated his power by ramming his hand into a running fan. I was a believer, Wow! But then our Sgt. did the same (he used to do the same thing in Georgia as a kid), and that blew my mind also— finally, our Sgt. said, Guys the fan’s design not to injure. If it was turning the other way, I’d lose my fingers). LOL!
So whether real or a parlor trick, these powers carry a lot of weight (hell, that fan trick impressed me for a good 10 mins. before my Sgt walked in the room. If you can start explaining it (like our Sgt. did) the mystique dissipates.
The plot thickens… Quiboloy is Kapampangan (the people of the riverbanks or pampang) but born in Davao in 1950 with parents migrating from Lubao after the war to find better jobs… but possibly also to escape the Huk stuff / warlords up there…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Quiboloy – everything comes back to bite you at some point, LCPL_X you have mentioned that Mindanao today is the payback for failed policies after the war including the enticed relocation of peasants from the Hukbalahap areas…
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/04/world/right-wing-vigilantes-spreading-in-philippines.html?pagewanted=all – in the 1980s there was the right-wing vigilante group Alsa Masa in AGDAO which a Davao slum… used to be called Nicaragdao Marcos times…
Quiboloy founded his Church in 1985 in the SLUMS of Agdao… now who punched the sheriff for starting to demolish parts of Agdao against her order? Yes, Sara Duterte.
Connect Quiboloy-Agdao-Duterte-Alsa Masa-DDS and think a little further. It IS scary.
Interesting angle Irineo. I’m almost afraid to pursue thinking of what additional lurid details that direction might lead to. There are so many more doors waiting to be opened that are likely to expose this scammer. Where, oh where are the investigative journalists in the Philippines really?
And that is very disturbing. Had everyone connected the dots two or three years ago, it would’ve broke their respective images as demigods.
Cha… one famous Davao journalist has been dead for 13 years… Jun Pala:
http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/press-freedom/jun-pala%E2%80%99s-ghost-haunts-duterte/
DAVAO CITY — Slain anti-communist broadcaster Juan ‘Jun’ Porras Pala Jr. must be turning in his grave.
In a political rally held in Bankerohan toward midnight early this week, Davao’s tough-talking mayor, Rodrigo Duterte, lashed out at Pala, a famously outspoken broadcaster who endlessly criticized Duterte on the air.
‘Ah, patay na diay? Kanus-a? (Ah, he is dead? Since when?)’ Duterte mockingly asked the crowd, referring to Pala. Pala was killed in 2003 on his way home after playing cards with his neighbors. His case is one of the many cases of slain journalists, mostly radio broadcasters, whose killing remain unsolved. To learn more about Pala’s case, click here (PDF).
‘Kinsa nagpatay? (Who killed him?)’ Duterte, his mocking tone unchanged, told the Bankerohan crowd, as a weak strain of laughter eerily floated in the orange glow of the streetlamps late in the night. Duterte was suspected of being behind Pala’s murder but no charges were ever filed against the mayor.
Duterte was trying to justify his choice of running mate in his 28-year-old daughter, Sara, a lawyer, when he launched the diatribe against Pala. (See related story.) He said he was forced to let his daughter run to protect the city against former protege turned political rival Benjamin de Guzman, whom he described as ‘corrupt’ and who, in the past, allegedly launched personal attacks against Duterte and his family.
Known for his strong stance against drugs and criminals, Duterte said Pala had been de Guzman’s mouthpiece, whose attacks against him on the air had gone below the belt.
Duterte has been known to show some degree of tolerance toward the media, ‘as long as they keep their hands off my personal life,’ he once warned.
Pala, an anti-communist crusader who also ran for mayor when Duterte first sought the post in 1988, had once supported Duterte. Duterte had also been in good terms with Pala before politics turned their friendship sour.
and Jun Pala is NOT the only journalist who died under suspicious circumstances in Davao… I saw an FB post on that yesterday but I am sure others here can fill in.. Duterte’s mockery of a dead person is a clear sign of a sociopath and is VERY eerie.
I read that post as well (about the journos’ slaying on his watch). Been meaning to do a bit f research on it but my internet connection just keeps dropping off lately, it’s exasperating. Dang it Telstra.
There is an interesting post by Gen Manlosa on FB which I shall repost in full, bold for the relevant passages on the most important killed during his term in Davao… it is quite interesting to see how some Duterte supporters think – he is one – brace yourselves…
OF MAYOR DUTERTE
This is my own piece to the sudden surge of Duterte fans, Please respect my own view based on my long stay in Davao City. Kudos to my friends in the media in Davao City—specially Peter Lavina, Dodong Solis, Edith Ging Z. Caduaya, Bay Tonyo, Charles Raymond Maxey and others in the Duterte camp who were part of my media career in Davao City since my stay there in 1989. (Just let me visit Malacanyang Media Center once you will be there, hehe).
I was a young reporter then beating police reports in the early morning until midnight and stay vigil for more extended hours waiting for scoop.
I stayed in Ulas where my beat was Talomo Police Station and moved to Maa then in Bucana at the heart of the City. A young police reporter became radio commentator and sometimes wrote in the opinion pages in some weekly and daily papers. I’m into politics but I’m not a politician.
Duterte was already the mayor when I arrived in Davao City.
Although I don’t like Duterte-style of governance for so many reasons, I too would be so very proud if he will land at the Malacanyang in 2016.
Let me cite some that I don’t like his management that hopefully would change should he be our next president:
1. His government list infrastructure as not his priority. Davao City’s good roads are all DPWH projects. We should understand that Davao City is not just confined to the business center along Magallanes to Bajada to R.Castillo. Look at Paquibato and Marilog districts, these places seemed not part of Davao City when in fact they are. The Duterte government did not provide good roads and even foot paths to the poor. If ever there was maybe a far cry from real “malasakit”, just a token for the sake of “mere project”.
I am a living witness to the poor city workers who would remove their shoes and socks walking in dirty and muddy path ways along Bucana. The trike and “habal-habal” drivers who would curse the muddy and deplorable interiors of our city. Until these roads were cemented thereby making the poor people there walk comfortably. Thanks to the Congressmen who gave the poor good pathways and better roads. The Mayor was busy with his peace and order program then. And we know that money is huge in that program without the strict scrutiny of the Commission on Audit (COA).
Actually until now infra is seemed far from his mind. A recent visit there made me shocked seeing the very old City Engineering building still being used. The very old city hall ceilings are falling at the side and I don’t know if the floors are already repaired “kay murag mabwasot” man ta ato. Actually I have asked my friend councilor Danny Dayanghirang about these things during our masteral class and he answered ” infra is useless when the stomach of your people is shaking”. I don’t totally submit.
Davao has no place to hold big events—boxing, national sports, concerts and others. Almendras gym—the only government gym is not Duterte project, it was there when he became mayor. This despite of our boasts of having the worlds biggest land area.
GMA documentary shows showed some teachers and poor pupils and students walking difficultly in going to schools daily negotiating rivers, ravines, and hills in Paquibato and Marilog districts. When I was with Manila Broadcasting (DXGO) then we will pass Panabo City in Davao Del Norte in going to Paquibato which is part of Davao City because the city has not provided humane road for the poor people there. And we know Duterte’s friend the late NPA Commander Parago was living there.
Davao City Bus Terminal is one of the worse one can visit in the country. Yes in the level of a first-class city. You will be made to disembark in the narrow road at the back in rain and in shine. Poor passengers will brisk at the rain and watery road. One passenger even heard saying “asa bang malasakit sa mga leader dire?” Terminal surroundings are not clean and full of shanties you can’t determine the purpose. Airport is good, but that’s not a City Government project.
Traffic is worse in Panacan and Tibungco where vendors tribe in the sidewalks and also in Matina. One would comment that: these people must have no respect with simple laws and of their political leaders here”. And traffic in Davao City has been there for so many years of Duterte administration. How to solve it must be one of his priorities before going into the traffic problem in Metro Manila.
2. Peace and Order: Yes I was part in my little way, in the propaganda that Davao City is champion in peace and order. Yet for almost 3 decades we know that Duterte has been and still in his “killing spree” of alleged drug addicts and users. How many years will it take for him to complete his program? Remember a president has only 6 years, unless he’ll change that radically. During his infant years in the office, he really was not good at that. in 1993 San Pedro Cathedral was bombed. Sasa airport and pier were bombed as will.
During his stay the Broadcasters Jun Pala and Ferdie Lintuan were assassinated. Brgy Captain Jun Villarte was killed, even Councilor Galope, and many more were assassinated, murdered and killed who were non-illegal-drug-related. And what was it? Actually I’m a fan of him saying criminals and drug-addicts must die, but how about the others we knew simple and good men who’s only mistake were talking negatively about his administration?
Their deaths were actually a signal that those who will speak negatively of Duterte’s administration will die. I’m afraid in that so as many of our colleagues there. So many broadcasters and media people must join the Duterte bandwagon or leave the city. That’s why in Davao City many media people are afraid to speak against Digong. And that’s reality.
If he is really serious in his anti-illegal drug drug campaign, in his many years in office and as Regional Peace and Order Council Chairman, he must have known the source of shabu. Many of us in the media know where shabu came from as told by our friends in the police and military. How much more with him? And we know that Davao City has been the rest and recreation place of these rich illegal drug-masterminds, and why not kill them once and for all? why not stop the source and neutralize the masterminds rather than going after the small shabu vendors and peddlers for almost 3 decades?
Duterte is not actually that “matapang” as many non-Davao residents perceived him to be. We know that and please do not refute if you have not stayed in Davao for at least 10 years.
In his mouth you would hear him “putang-ina” wag kayong pumasok sa Davao kung may mga armas kayo!… But the Ampatuans and other armed Muslim politicians made Davao City their kingdom. They would enter the city with so many armed civilian-bodyguards in tow. Duterte was and is silent, or nowhere to be found in his office.
As a mediaman, I covered 2 instances where an armed muslim-politician’s relative would pull a gun at the Venue— a night club in the city. And yes there was death. One relative of a muslim-politician even went to Davao Medical Center to end the life of a wounded young man he failed to kill at the Venue. Yes inside the famous hospital. And Duterte was mum and never dip an angry finger to these bloody events. And many commented that he was just so afraid to confront a famous muslim political warlord.
And these comment also goes with his friendly gesture with the armed NPA’s. He was so afraid to face the wrath of the NPA should he “putang-ina” with them.
And one more instance, an elementary teacher at the Ateneo grade school went to Duterte to complain a gun-totting bodyguard of a Muslim politician in Maguindanao. She said she just stop a child from walking somewhere outside the school. When the bodygurad saw this, he pulled a gun and point at the teacher who was shaking cold in fear. And believing that Duterte is so “matapang” to protect a civilian like her and would gave justice to her nerve-shaking experience, he went to the mayors office and confess all. She never heard a positive response from him except : “sige kakausapin ko”. Thats all nothing less nothing more.
And where in the cities in the Philippines that boasts of their excellent peace-and-order program that bus commuters will be made to disembark in going the city with armalite-wielding para-military inspecting using their naked eyes? Peaceful places like Tokyo and Singapore has no armed police in site. Cebu City residents came and live the city without seeing armed para-military roaming in the City. If a chief executive believed in the peace in his place then he will will not spend millions of pesos in arms and armed people roaming his place like a Garrison. Respect to the leader I believed will make a place peaceful rather than in Fear.
Many non-Davao City residents where made to believed that Duterte made Davao City a better place from being notorious as killing field. That was when the communist movement was in its full-swing. Thanks to the Alsa Masa and the police like former Colonel Calida and the battalion of Army then. The communists that made the City a killing field were driven out of the city even before Duterte become a mayor.
And yes when Digong become mayor he befriended the communists Commanders and provide them with provisions so they will not muddle in Davao City. That one move I think is good to save him from trouble. And we in the Media will sing that: “Digong is good in peace-and-order…that NPA are also his constituents that he is also a mayor to them and to all…”. A smoke-screen of a coward who is afraid to confront a group that massacred women and children in Davao Del Sur. No “putang-ina” to them.
Untill now you cannot hear his “putang-ina” to the Maguindanao Massacre where many Davao-based Mediamen where killed. No “Putang-ina” to the Chinese incursion of our territory. No “Putang-ina”to the kidnappings and beheadings committed by Abu Sayyaf. No “Putang-ina” to the killers of the SAF 44″. Hope he will “putang-ina” to them should he will be in Malakanyang.
3. Environment Programs. As a reporter then, I asked Duterte about the illegal logging in the City’s mountains places. He answered, “wala nang mapuputol dahil ubos na ang kahoy”. And he has no plans about it. Hope he will look into it when he become President.
Davao City is actually a host of power plants that endanger the environment. Power plants that were already dismantled by other countries. Maybe he can do better about it when he will be in Malakanyang.
Lastly if you ask me if I will still vote for Duterte then I would say yes if i have my way. Yes because he has the ability to convince the nation that he is the best among the Presidentiables. A very difficult job even to the best PR man in the country. He is the only presidential candidate that has a clear program and direction. A kababayan in Cebu and in Davao City.
But I have to abide with our Church’s unity.
And I am more than happy if Duterte will become president because of his own credit and merits and not the exaggeration of the things he failed and or did not do. He has implemented perfectly the Smoking ban, the Firecracker ordinance, the speed limit and the initiative of establishing 911 and mostly for being true and candid to himself. Good luck Mayor! The future President!
Hey, Ireneo,
If you were to come up with a new religion in the Philippines following INC and this Quiboloy fella, you think you’ll be able to come up with something more entertaining and satisfying at the same time?
I think you of all people here with your solid background in Anthropology and systems, can hatch one out. It has to be something Philippine endemic but not so far from Christianity, since that’s the recognizable dominant narrative.
Talismans will be a must if only for its merchandizing potential.
http://northboundasia.com/2016/03/31/duterte-vows-protection-journalists-elected/ – out today.
Duterte is a real hustler… he may be aware that the stuff on Jun Pala etc. is spreading now.
Be VERY careful… he is the wolf in sheeps clothing NOT Mar Roxas… Roxas is a tame dog but even a tamed dog may bite back Will knows more about dogs than all of us… for I am sending you out as sheep among wolves… so be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves…
There were the 70s-80s action films where the Revillas — Ramon and Bong (unfortunately, currently the fallen heroes due to their complicity regarding public funds) — star as talisman-bearing heroes and anti-heroes, which encouraged the notion that talismans have supernatural powers, but often the same movies also show the dark side of those powers, their abuse and the resulting hero’s downfall.
Before Bong Revilla became Pepeng Agimat,Nino Mulach played the role.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496473/
http://www.filipiknow.net/valentin-delos-santos-lapiang-malaya/
The Bizarre Life And Ugly Death of the Man Who Challenged Marcos
Undoubtedly, election season in the Philippines always brings with it a circus-like atmosphere complete with the strange and the bizarre. And contrary to popular belief, the Filipinos of yesteryear also had to contend with their own fair share of strange candidates, ones whose platform for governance and behavior would leave you either amused or scratching your heads.
Valentin Delos Santos was one such man. The founder of the religious-political party slash millenarian sect Lapiang Malaya (Freedom Party) which had around 40,000 members (mostly farmers and poor folk from South Luzon), Delos Santos was an enigmatic and colorful character…
Regarded by his followers as a holy man who could converse with Bathala and the spirits of past Filipino heroes, the Bicolano Delos Santos was a perennial presidential candidate, having ran first against Carlos Garcia in 1957, Diosdado Macapagal in 1961 and then against Ferdinand Marcos in 1965 with the promise of achieving “true justice, true equality, and true freedom for the country.”
Two years after losing to Marcos, Delos Santos—then already in his 80s—led around 400 of his followers who were dressed in strange blue uniforms with capes on a march from Taft Avenue in Pasay to Malacañang Palace to demand the president’s resignation. Delos Santos cited poverty, landlessness, and the country’s exploitation by Western powers as his reasons why Marcos should resign.
Facing off against the Lapiang Malaya members who were wielding only bolos and amulets were heavily-armed troops of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) who cordoned off the area leading to the Palace. Then just after midnight of May 21, 1967, all hell broke loose as the soldiers opened fire at the charging rallyists who initially ignored their warning shots because they thought their amulets and anting-anting would protect them.
LCPL_X… this is a bit like the Sakdalistas of the 1930s… many wore amulets but some became Huks… many Katipuneros wore amulets also… superstition runs deep… wackiness always was part of the Filipino character somehow… the only documented resistance against the imposition of Martial Law in Metro Manila I read somewhere was faithful guards of the INC compound against PC who allegedly tried to enter
Has anyone bothered to check whether the followers of this cult are even anywhere near six million?That would make it three times larger than Iglesia ni Cristo. I have not checked but I have not read of this “Pastor”, his Church nor his following in the national media or overseas. One would think a following of that size and whose tithing and block voting capacity would enable Quiboloy to accumulate a king’s ransom in riches, ignoring his private air fleet, and exert more than the power of an emperor. One would think he and his church should be much more visible socially and politically than the INC have been so those numbers are quite suspect. The fact remains that his wealth, power, and influence would be exponentially boosted by a Duterte presidency and it joopbothers me no end that if indications that he is willing to steal and murder are indeed true, the pairing of D and Q increases the possibility of a political, martial and even a religious dictatorship.
Thanks Cha for pointing out that there is even a darker side to Duterte’s candidacy. Its bad enough to have the threat of another Marcos type dictatorship with Duterte now a leading contender but to have his close pal and religious megalomaniac waiting in the wings with him is a bit much.
I was wondering about that 6 million membership claim too and how it compares to INC figures of less than 3 million themselves. One would think that Philippine media would have been tripping all over themselves trying to dig deeper to find proof or refute, but alas most of what the national media has covered about Quiboloy, apart from his dreams and supposed conversations with God regarding presidential and other candidates for public office are the lavish disneyland themed birthday parties he hosts for his birthday celebrations.
Regional and local news outlets like Mindanews and Davao Today are mostly the ones pushing the stories on Quiboloy’s landgrabbing from the Bagobos. A blogger, Quierosaber, has several postings about the guy and his background where commenters have shared accounts of their family members who have fallen for Quiboloy’s fraudulent claims. Even the Wall Street Journal has taken note of Quiboloy’s attempts to position himself as an influential figure come national elections. MRP would have a field day reviewing the track taken by most of national media on the activities of Quiboloy.
Oh and by the way, Quiboloy writes a column for The Standard. Talk about lending legitimacy to a fraud.
Gibo only had 4 million plus votes.
Quiboloy claimed they were solid Gibo.
He has less than 40,000 likes on his facebook page. 🙂
The thread starting from caliphman (March 30, 2016 at 3:36 am) to cha through karl — persuasive thoughts, those, about the 6 million followers.
Quiboloy is a numerologist too. Just like me. Competition. Competition.
😉
Matt 7:15-16 Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16″You will know them by their fruits.
The numbers align! The projected number of votes Duterte will get is close to the adage that one is born every minute!
Hmmmm….If the prophecy that Duterte would be President someday was made 18 years ago, then:
1 year = 525,600 minutes
18 years= 9,461,800 minutes.
There’s one born every minute, so that is at least how many Duterte supporters have been born since then.
Now with 54M voters, with a turnout of 75% and with Duterte getting around 23% in poll surveys…
tadahhh….. the numbers align! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Of course that number will not give him the presidency. Quiboloy will be wrong again, but at least there is a mysticism in the numbers! aha ha ha
*******
Very nice! Giving NHerrera a run for his money.
*****
Very good one indeed. That is what I call Grade A-1 numerology. One born every minute is the key. Rhymes with your sucker thing.
Let’s cut Duterte some slacks, guys.
Another 18 years from now, with one Duterte supporter born every minute and then on election year 2034 the prophecy would have then effectively taking effect…tadahhh…a President Duterte after the MAY 9, 2034 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
Praise be to Quiboloy, ‘The Audible Voice of the Father’.
One born every minute? In the Philippines today it is almost 4 a minute, thus he will have almost 100% of the votes being all minus INC…. God works in mysterious ways.
When you say numbers, then there’s The Beast.
Nice putting together of Duterte and Quiboloy, the “Appointed son of God.” Inconsistencies of both Duterte and the Appointed son underscored. Factually-based — with sources listed. Vintage Cha Coronel Datu. Thanks.
Oh, what tales we weave! In out, in out, until finally we realize that we were entangling ourselves in the thread of lies and subterfuge. We think we are escaping reality with the tales we weave, but too late we realize that we are trapped, spread-eagle, like a frog specimen in the lab, subject not of pity but of study.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive…from the epic poem by Walter Scott
To deceive even an articulate guy who came here first still undecided but spewing criticisms against Mar oh so …what?
What a let down.
Joe expressed it so simply, but so eloquently.
I too, weep for my country.
Thank you, sir NH. The idea for the article came to me at the start of the Holy Week (last week). Finished it early morning of Good Friday with a strong urge to go to church for some sort of spiritual upliftment. That there are men like Quiboloy and Duterte who continue to profit from the ignorance of many is quite depressing and disturbing.
Indeed. I hope you got the sought-for spiritual upliftment.
Cha, well written ! Clearly and powerfully written..And with info of which I knew nothing..Thank you. maybe your truth will be heard by many Filipinos..I hope so.
Thanks Bill. And I hope so too.
Cha Clearly you have thought & maybe prayed, long & hard about this….So far while all of us have agreed with you about the awfulness of it all, no one has made any suggestions to heal this wound here in the Philippines..What do you suggest ?
I think what is happening in the Philippines at the moment is but part of the process of change. The old ways of doing things have been challenged/ are being challenged by those who sought/ are seeking to excise corruption out of the system and culture and those resistimg the changes are lining up stumbling blocks and causing disruptions to pull everything back. The ensuing tensions and conflict while often discouraging are a necessary part of the journey towards transforming the nation. Let’s just hope all these labor pains don’t just end up in a stillbirth.
…..to realize that the supposedly men of God and that Bishop? are endorsing the candidacy of a self confessed murderer, who admitted to be involved in the DDS, who is using swear words in most of his speeches (even at the pope) and interviews, even in front of young college students in UPLB, kissing even unwilling women left and right to the delight if his adoring audience, today I ask….where have we come down to?
Are we so bereft of hope, so deep down economically, the laughing stock of the world once again, are we in a civil war everyday 24/7 that some seemingly educated citizens have decided to support him?
Are the Filipinos bereft of hope, is the country down economically? Oddly enough, the answer as we know is no. Most of us would have read about that recent survey that found most Filipinos are optimistic about the future, the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies of the world, There is a lot of anger expressed in mainstream and social media, a clamor for change that appears to reverberate but is it all for real? Or are they simply the echoes that keep coming back from some ardent supporters and mouthpieces of those whose own interests are threatened by the country’s continuous path to progress and reform? We’ll see. In the meantime. Let’s keep pushing back. Duterte,Quiboloy and the rest of their ilk must be stopped.
beautifully written, thanks for sharing. How can we trust a man who has selective standards?
On Tue, Mar 29, 2016 at 3:00 PM, The Society of Honor by Joe America wrote:
> Cha Coronel Datu posted: “by Cha Coronel Datu “He is just an ordinary man > like us, but he was called, he was chosen, he was anointed and appointed to > become the Son of God in these last days to lead us back to the perfect > will of the Father. He now reigns as the King of the N” >
You and I wouldn’t, but those who still choose to trust the man probably do so for the same reasons Quiboloy’s followers believe in his supposed appointment as the son of God. The same point made by Irineo in his comment elsewhere in the thread; they are looking for something outside of themselves to define and eventually save them. They feel that they’ve found their messiah, the answer to all their problems.
For heaven’s sake, the guy even uttered these unpresidential words to mock Roxas..”if you don’t know how to kill, if you are afraid to kill then you don’t deserve to be president.”..and men of God support him?
Duterte should have applied in the military, police or the BIFF or NPA…!!!!! not for the presidency!!!!!
I blame Miriam for the “I lied” line . When someone asked why she did not jump out of a plane,that was her answer. I can not recall what that was all about.
But I guess that is what Duterte will say,when some one asks about all the words that came out of his mouth.
Why would people take his words lightly.Not just you Jean,you are but a microcosm of what is going on.
Now I realize even the best education will not guarantee a level headed decision…to throw away a chance for the country to soar to greater heights, to come within the level of our neighboring countries and the world just because of a change that may prove to be a disappointing mirage, an illusion borne out of impatience and neediness.
chempo, with countrymen like these, our country could not be as progressive as Singapore. I hope I am wrong, I hope they do not comprise the majority of our citizens.
God, please enlighten their minds that they may see that continuity will be more beneficial to us than the doubtful change that they are looking for…. please, Father God, in the Mighty name of your only Son, Jesus.
Mary:
I too have some of that exasperation or rage since we are not talking of the struggling poor but people who know better. It is mostly explained, I think, in the future payoff — not necessarily in money terms — that such a vote or endorsement will bring. But how about the voting youth who go to school, may not the parents have some quality time to discuss and explain?
Breath deeply and exhale ten times. Take care of that HBP.
Right, sir NH…thank you.
We do not have a genuine nationalism here, the kind that will see the whole picture for the benefit of the country.
It pains me to realize this.
My BP monitor, my meds and that tiny, pink nitrate (Isordil sublingual) is always within arms reach, with me all the time. Thanks for the concern. Am doing the breathing exercise now.
Mary, Phils can be as progressive as any other country. It will take Phils much much longer than Spore to move to First World stage due to it’s size and ingrained problems. But once Phils get it’s act together, it can blossom.
Stop believing in the polls and what other nonsense out there. Quiboloy only went up the mountains, I went up to the stars. My stars say Mar will win it, but they also say the VP is either Chiz or BB.
LP has the best machinery on the ground level and lots of LGU support. MY $ is still on Mar.
I have my ear on the ground, listening. My money is with Mar as always. The dynamics will change once the local candidates start campaigning.
It is the LGU’s who will deliver the votes for LP. As discussed at length here in this blog, Filipino culture is still feudal in nature. The Local executives are the ultimate Padrinos.
“How long, Lord – how long will the wicked triumph?” – Psalms 94:3
I cannot say anything much but if this is going to be the preview of what he would do if sworn in, then it’ll be either disturbing or horrific.
Unless an act of God.
During his birthday celebration last week, Duterte gave a preview of what can be expected when he actually gets sworn in (from Philstar article “Duterte wishes rivals long life on his birthday’ :
“Duterte vowed to take his oath at Malacañang if he wins in May. He said the event would be simple and without drama.”
“I will not take oath in Luneta, that’s only full of drama. I will take my oath at the Office of the President and Pastor Quiboloy will hold the Bible,” he said.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/03/29/1567216/duterte-wishes-rivals-long-life-his-birthday
The bible would be rather redundant since he is already taking the oath before the spokesperson himself, or so the fraudster claims.
He’s no Pepe. He’s more like Hugo Chavez.
Personally, I am amazed that he even managed to convince supposedly intelligent people to support him, including artisans (i.e. that comic book illustrator, and Chito Miranda) and of course, Mrs. Pedrosa (*shaking my head*).
Both are sick!
Indeed, socipaths often find a welcome refuge in religion and politics. Go figure.
Thank you Cha for giving me another reason not to vote for Duterte.
About cultish organized churches.
The movie Honor thy Father sowed the main character stealing from the church.
A budhist church’s vault was recently stolen maybe thanks or no thanks to that movie.
Why do these so called churches be land grabbers and have private armies.
Irineo has a blog about helplessness and entitements and I began researching about the oligarchy and past hacenderos.
I have not yet touched on organized religion.
> Why do these so called churches be land grabbers and have private armies.
In the same vein as what the Catholic Church used to be during the Middle Ages, a power unto itself, a kingmaker and arbitrator of kingdoms.
Thanks, Madlang people i mean Madlang Lupa
It also happened here with theTuason family losing vast tracts of land some to the Catholic Church.
Big Mike described those lands in the jueteng gate senate inquiry
Controversies
Quiboloy has been sued by a former member for allegedly brainwashing and holding her young daughter against her will.[13][14]
That is why he only have 40,000 likes on fb he forgot to brainwash them to like his page.
Man,this guy has 6 million followers?
When Gibo lost,Quiboly wondered what happened to all their solid Gibo votes?
I guess they blamed Garci for that “anomaly”
If Duterte wins may he send those corrupt government officials to jails…specially those who acquired billions of assets to the detriment of the people
No he will set them free, didn’t you hear him say it in Cavite, Pampanga and Ilocos (heroe’s burial to LNMB)?
Big time plunderers will be cared for and the small and young lawbreakers will not be sent to jail if you listen to him say it, they will not be given the chance to rehabilitate their lives, for those lives will be snuff-out by his followers who are right now bullying, threatening his rivals’ supporters with pictures of tombs with names (Stephen) or be labelled drug addicts and robbers just because we dared to oppose their views and give opinions against their idol.
He vows to discipline every Filipinos but can’t discipline his own supporters.
Duterte may surprise you. You heart is with another presidentiable thus where others see the stuff of dreams, you choose to see a nightmare. Understandable really. I feel the same way when you all talk about Mar.
WHY do you feel that Mar is a nightmare and Duterte is not?
I have seen that where Mar’s approach is sophisticated and has considered almost all aspects – Santiago has considered a few more which I would add – Duterte’s approach is simplistic and uninformed. Of course he may surprise and learn on the job as President, just like Poe might also learn – and Mar with all the pressure I see learning on the side of reaching the people even if many do not want to give him a chance anymore… my heart is with the Philippines even if I am far away and I do hope things get better, and the present administration has laid a foundation many do not want to see that even Poe or Duterte can build on if they are smart enough to do so (Philippine Competition Commission with the excellent and honest administrator Balicasan for example) but will they be that smart? Poe worries me less than Duterte, who I think might be the Manchurian candidate of China and the Communists he is known to be close to, Poe looks more like Danding’s puppet…
The Nightmare:
Mar rubs me the wrong way. He is like that nagging, lingering sense of unease you cant quite place. The idea of him as my president doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn’t feel right.
That being said, does this mean Duterte does not make me uneasy? He does as well but it is a queasiness I can place and thus something I can address on a tangible level.
The Dream:
For me, the kind of dreams Mar brings to me are like the dreams one gets at night when they sleep. sweet and whimsical… also fleeting as one rises.
Du30 is like day dreaming. Dreams you have when you are awake. The type of dream you can remember and work towards achieving
I can tell you that I felt EXACTLY the same was some months ago… until I researched on what Mar and Aquino have REALLY done for the country and put it together for myself – the Philippine press is not exactly helpful so I went deeper into things.
Yes, Mar might SEEM pretentious like many of his kind (the elite) have been pretentious and fake for so long, and Duterte looked like the real deal for me and down to earth.
But the evidence and witness accounts so far show that the roles might have reversed, something which is new in Philippine history… the elite which used to be the crooks are now trying to fix things (especially Bam Aquino) and the newcomers from the people are the new possible oppressors (Duterte) or are naive (Poe) and being used by those within the elite that are thinking of their own interests (Danding) – and the Philippines could be a victim of these mistaken identities. Feelings are good but one has to check WHY one has that feeling, like good criminal investigators do – because the hunch might be wrong.
I will concede this to you. I have respected your opinions and aligned with quite a few of them as I follow the articles here on Joe’s. I’ll give Mar another look. I have to admit, I liked what I read about his speech at Makati. It hinted of something I have not felt before from him.
I am not that great of a researcher as my sources are limited to what is readily available but I promise to look at this again. You comment about Du30 also has me itching for a re assessment my stand.
Thanks
Yeah, like I believe that. Irineo is the good cop. I’m the bad. I’ve lost the vibe somewhere along the flighty path.
That is often my role even in consulting projects.
My business partner once laughed and said “you’re the good cop…if they only knew…” 😀
Quite epic exchange between you Irineo and Jean back then…
From a 2018 perspective, this blog is a gem 🙂
Hahahaha, I thought LSD went out with Timothy Leary. On one had, we have Micha calling for rock solid common sense, and you calling for dreams, wisps of imagination and feelings attached to nothing but words and suspicions, and the common denominator is both of you don’t like Mar Roxas. Haha. For some reason you both push me firmly into the Roxas corner for your lack of any connection whatsoever with the real proposals he is making.
Then I am glad it is not you who I seek to reconcile with. I did not think my responses would have warranted what seems to be a pithy thread of replies from you. It seems I have struck a nerve.
You did.
Oh, did Mar ever involve himself in extra-judicial killing? Or hinted of panning a dictatorial government with the military as the central agency of implementation, to close other agencies like SSS, Pag-ibig, etc? of killing and more killings? Please tell me…and I will agree that it will also be a nightmare in the making.
I wasn’t referring to specifics. I was referring to each of our presidential bets’ ability to make us dream/hope for a brighter tom. Duterte makes a good segment of society believe in that, myself included. Then there is your segment which sees otherwise and vice versa.
What constitutes a nightmare is different from one person to another. I see Mar as an opportunistic and egotistical wolf in sheep’s clothing with a messiah complex. You see Du30 as a maniacal dictator hell bent on bring down fire and brimstone on the Phil. Both of us blind to the good the other’s candidate may bring.
“I see Mar as an opportunistic and egotistical wolf in sheep’s clothing with a messiah complex. You see Du30 as a maniacal dictator hell bent on bring down fire and brimstone on the Phil.” well, for the second view we have stated our reasons for seeing it that way.
What are YOUR reasons for seeing Mar that way… I am curious because you might see something many here do not see… especially the wolf in sheep’s clothing.. I am familiar with the “Mar Roxas, ahas” stuff… but I don’t see why people think he is a snake.
With Duterte it is based on stuff we have posted here… who he might have had killed… while with Mar what is the basis for your view of things? Just feelings? Is that enough?
Just look at how Mar has been trying to project himself even as far back as when he was vying for V.P. He has donned several trappings from Mr. Palengke to Mr. Trabaho and everything that has come in between. Like the wolf who guises himself as a sheep, Mar just uses and discards as he deems appropriate. It makes me question his authenticity. Then there is his composure. You have to admit the guy is “Pikon” and vindictive apparently, just look at how he has responded to debates and sticky issues then and now.
But I digress. I am not on this thread to question why people are on Mar’s bandwagon. I posted on this particular article to voice my stand for Du30. and it seems I have worn out my welcome.
You are not citing Mar Roxas. You are citing the criticisms levied by his critics. You are making stuff up to hold onto an untenable position, and it is becoming quite amusing, these flights of nonsense.
Jean, You said you’ll take a second look at Mar, and that you don’t have that much research materials. I posted this on FB, hope you can read this lengthy post:
I have taken to posting long articles like this for the benefit of those with slow internet connection and for those afraid to click on links for fear of virus infection of their gadget. Please read, share and if you can spread the word in Tagalog to your own circle of influence, the better, to counter all the lies, distortion and ridicule thrown at him by the Romualdezes, Maroses, Poes, Binays and Dutertes of this world as well as their emotional and trollish supporters It will be a real shame if a guy as worthy and qualified as Mar will not make it as President. We deserve someone like him. This article as well as Mar, makes sense..
“Mar Roxas makes a lot of sense.
Yes, the guy was born rich. Old money. His family was and must still be one of the richest in the country. I’m sure there will be no money problems for this guy any time soon. And yes, the guy went to the best schools here and abroad. He must have grown up with friends moneyed as he is. Parties, girls, cars, and travel must have been a regular thing for him while growing up. And what about Political Influence, does the guy have it? Well just look at his impressive political lineage. The guy’s Grandfather was the first President of the Republic and his father and brother were both distinguished Congressmen from Capiz.
Fast forward to today and you see photos of the guy repairing a chair, falling off a motorcycle in the middle of a muddy mountain road, talking with tinderos and tinderas in the palengke, assessing the damages of war and natural disasters. People say that it’s all propaganda to make him look more “masa”. Photos that will somehow make this rich dude look a little like most of us common folk.
Now, I asked myself, what if he did all that because he wanted to help? Even if some of the time, he makes a fool of himself doing it.
Honestly, the guy doesn’t look like he can handle a hammer, or ride a motorcycle through muddy road. And I read somewhere that the guy didn’t go to any palengke (the guy’s rich, he has people to do that) only until when it became his job to go there. And what does he know about damage assessment? But if you look at the big picture, you’ll know that he was trying to repair the chair and make it useful again so that a kid can use it in school. He fell off the motorcycle trying to reach more people hit by Typhoon Ruby when the only way to reach them then was through the muddy mountain roads. He was talking with the vendors because he wanted to know and understand how the palengke can be developed because, as a businessman at heart, he believed in the SME sector as drivers of the economy. Damage assessment? He did that, too. You don’t need to be a veteran politiko, or a war tested General to see that people need shelter, food, and protection. The guy saw just that and acted on it.
And if you think about it, that was all he’s been doing the whole time he was working for the government. He was there to help.
He was also on ground zero when Yolanda hit Tacloban, during the recent Zamboanga and the Mamasapano seige. He bridged the local and national government and resolve the problems at hand.
The guy was there to help.
Integrity. The guy served 3 Presidents, as DTI, DOE and DILG Secretary, and there was never a time that he was accused of pocketing some change for himself in spite of being the head of these agencies where gravy can flow rather easily. “Dapat lang kasi mayaman na siya!” some would say, but I’d like for you to think about that and the other dati-ng-mayaman politikos who are facing graft and corruption charges right this minute.
Wait, there’s more! The guy left his post as DTI Secretary during the EDSA Revolution 2001 as Erap was under fire for alleged corruption in his government. He also made “mura” the Arroyo government during a rally in Makati, castigating her move to amend the Constitution (Cha-Cha) and extend her term as President. He didn’t call her out using coño English or tusok-tusok the fishball English. He made mura in Tagalog. Yah! It was so lutong as chicharon! Now that’s talking with your heart out your sleeve. Yah.
So he’s running for President in 2016. So what’s he bringing to the table? The guy’s going to continue with the Daang Matuwid ideology. Not a bad idea if you ask me. It’s seriously something new to politics these days. We’ve been so used to seeing ongoing government projects put in the back-burners every time there’s a change in the administration in the LGUs and government agencies because the new guy wants his own projects. You’ll see the markings on the sidewalks change, the logos on lamp posts change, city “Welcome” markers get torn down and replaced with new ones with their logos in place and even Senior Citizen medical cards change.
The guys’s not seeking to put his mark on anything. He just wants to help.
The guy’s offering continuity. He intends to finish what he and his boss started during his term. And it’s all under the Daang Matuwid banner. No names. No affiliations. But we must remember that this Daang Matuwid ideology is not bulletproof. Like any regular daan or road, it has its share of potholes, cracks, collapsed and unpaved muddy sections. We need to work together because the guy can’t do it alone. And it’s true to the last letter. We can’t let the guy do all the work and just enjoy the fruits of his labor. We can’t call him out kung manunuod lang tayo. We need to work together.
Personally, the last SONA showed me that the Daang Matuwid ideology worked. That same SONA also showed me that the guy pretty much was a part of the reason why it worked.
Mar Roxas made himself look silly fixing a chair. Even more when he fell off that bike wearing a bright yellow jacket to boot. The rich kid from Capiz was always one of the first responders to a natural disaster, and in times of war in spite having a team of Under Secretaries, Associate Secretaries, and maybe a hundred more people who can do the job for him. He will call a spade a spade (at may mura pa, just to drive home the point). He’s made some bad calls in the past and he’s still reeling from it until now. But after all that, no one’s questioned his integrity. And I’m always impressed by anybody who stands firm on what he thinks will work for the country, especially when it really does work.
So to me, Mar Roxas makes a lot of sense.”
ooops, sorry about that…a long article and a repeat to boot….aaarggh!
sometimes I share an FB post and after hitting the Post Comment button, an advisory comes out saying that FB post is no longer available…dang, sometimes you succeed, sometimes not…story of my life.
Maybe FB blocks posts.
It also happened to JCC.
maybe they just want it shared internally to FB.
Jean, those extra judicial killings and plans of dictatorial government all came directly from his foull mouth with a lot of swearing in between. Dreams and hopes of what, a dynastic rule spanning decades like what he did in Davao, silencing critics thru fear and intimidation? If he can’t do it in 3-6 months, he’ll turn over the reins of government to Bongbong Marcos! Poor Cayetano, after cleaning up the mess made by his foul mouth, all he gets for his efforts is a kick on his butt.
Sorry, Joe, I got carried away.
Ah, I enjoyed your fine imitation of Bill in Oz doing “in your face!” It’s a nice look for you. 🙂
Yes, a nice look MGP.. 🙂
But surely here Joe, intellectual and emotional integrity means saying what we know and meaning what we say…
We strive, we have emotions, we don’t all agree. We make mistakes. We do our best. We can’t please everyone.
Ah, I enjoyed your fine imitation of Bill in Oz doing “in your face!” It’s a nice look for you. 🙂
Is Jean a he or a she? Jean as in Jeeen or like Giancarlo?
I’m pretty sure Jean is a he, and it would be pronounced “Czjohn” in France and “Geen” in America. Now how do you pronounce Sean?
Jean as in Jean Valjean. Sean as in Bond. James Bond. 🙂
I got confused by Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean.Thanks Joe and Cha. Jean Claude Van Damm. Sean is shan in UK or US. and ps Cha ,LoL on your comment.
Jean is more often a girl’s name in the US, but I believe more often a boy’s name in France. I’m practicing removing “he and she” from my comments and that is difficult. By the way, English conventions are changing regularly. It was recently determined by the grammar gurus that “their” can be used in the singular, even though it originally referred to a plural possessive of “they”. Example. Rather than “that person’s sex is unknown”, it can be stated “their sex is unknown”. I also laugh at my own abuses of grammar now and then, splitting infinitives, or using a verb that corresponds with the object of the preposition rather than the subject of the sentence: “the band of baboons were running wild”. No, the band was running wild. I love those little flubs and laugh a lot at them.
I laugh a lot at my mistakes,but Mary tought me to aaargh at them. 😄
I laugh at your aaarghs, too. It’s a jolly time blog. 🙂
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/14/does-ted-cruz-think-he-s-the-messiah.html
https://www.quora.com/Is-Ted-Cruz-a-dominionist
Elections in the Philippines are about addition.
The so called evangelist being a land grabber is besides the point. Land grabbing using the weak judicial system to ones advantage has been the business model for generations starting with the Catholic Church.
Politics and religion have been intertwined for millennia.
Just look at the guy running for President in the U.S.
Trump thinks he is living in the times of the 19th century. He wants the U.S. to be paid for being the policeman of the world. Cruz is simply a mental case who believes he is the anointed one.
Duterte is being pragmatic just like Roxas and Robredo getting into bed with the King of Jueteng in Central Luzon. I was once present in a meeting of the PHILCONSA recently and was seated in a table next to he Imelda Marcos. Almost everyone came by to curtsey to her. I was not surprised.
Love this quote from F, Sta. Ana III of the AEF in Business World:
Yellow Pad
Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III
“Should we despair that the candidates for President fall below the gold standard? Candidate number one is a greenhorn yet ambitious. Candidate number two has a kamay na bakal, an iron fist, and he whips up crypto-fascist sentiments. Candidate number three is the perfect image of the corrupt patron. Candidate number four is incompetent, represents the oligarchy, and protects vested interests. Candidate number five is seriously ill; some say even mentally sick.”
Yes RHiro It happened and it is still happening..(land grabbing)
You solved your problem abouit the presidency a long time ago,you don’t vote for any.
In Philconsa,how is Gen. Danny Lim doing?
The last time I saw him(for the first time),He said he is running for the Guardians party list.
RHiro have I told you I met Ka Mentong Tiu Laurel once and all I could talk about is you, even if we only met online.
Those were my star struck moments,maybe if I see you I’d ask for(not a selfie) an autograph.
Karl I have no idea on how Gen Lim is doing. I hope his party list makes it.
I’d like to share this though as it from a comment from Gerardo Sicat
The opinion of the country’s premier Ayatollah, Sheik of neo-liberal economicWahhabism, Gerardo Sicat about the legacy of an inept president Cory.
From a dictator to an inept administrator. She managed to solidify the role of the ruling classes as rentiers and rent seeking.
http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/03/30/1567376/how-our-public-infrastructure-went-poor-historical-view
“Corazon Aquino, 1986-1994. When she assumed office, Cory Aquino had inherited this extensive public infrastructure supporting economic development. Unfortunately, that legacy was not fully and effectively harnessed for the nation. Some of it was scuttled and quite a number of ongoing projects were stopped in their tracks.”
“The political program of retribution against Ferdinand Marcos led her to dismantle part of that important legacy. The most well-known of this was the abolition of the energy ministry. That act reduced the program’s focus on energy development during this period. Moreover, she scuttled the nuclear power plant that was ready to come on stream.”
“This action led to the electricity crisis of the 1990s – a very sad economic episode for the whole nation.”
“The Cory Aquino presidency exhausted part of the public infrastructure put in place by the Marcos administration. Hardly much was added by way of new construction and so much of existing infrastructure deteriorated for lack of maintenance.”
“The reason, of course, was that the country had a tight budget constraint that could hardly make room for investments. This problem was partly self-inflicted.”
“Mrs. Aquino had amassed great political capital with the “people power victory over dictatorship” that a wiser leadership could have used. Instead, she embarked initially with a hostile and inexperienced approach to the country’s international creditors that closed windows of opportunity that had opened to her. “
“For those who wonder at this statement, the US Treasury gave an emergency lifeline to Mexico to save that country from economic disaster when a second debt problem arose again in the early 1990s. Also, just recently, the new president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, got a sizable external loan to bring the country back to economic health.”
Ok RHiro.
I was just reminded of General Lim because of your mentioning of PHILCONSA.
I think he was once active there.And If my memory serves me right,I saw a news item where you were with him in a group,but that was ages ago.Post Bonifacio standoff pre-Manila Penn incident.
Sorry,I already tod you I have bee a fan of yours even before.They call it following nowadays.
———
You were against Marcos,but did you think we were supposed to have not paid the Marcos debt and Cory could have used all her political good will capital to ask the powers that be for an emergency lifeline?
I know it is water under the bridge,but were we really given a chance for debt forgiveness,and we just blew it ?
I first met Gen.Lim the day after he was placed on house arrest. That was sometime ago.
As for the lost opportunities after the Cory take over. Please note that at that time we had already defaulted on our foreign debt service payments. Solita Monsod had to leave NEDA because she was loudly talking about getting a debt reduction. The financial markets had already priced in the debt at a high discount of $0.30 to the dollar. Most of the outstanding debt were to U.S. banks.
Previous to that Ongpin had already put a handle on the Binondo central bank. Cory was the head of a revolutionary government. The massive devaluation already was benefiting exporters who had a natural hedge against devaluation.
Unfortunately she dismantled everything that had to do with state participation in the economy due to the Marcos years. That is off course except for HACIENDA LUISITA.
Economic policy was then transferred to the IMF-WB at the time the Washington Consensus was being formed.
The country was already in the midst of the most severe economic downturn ever. It is now 2016 and we are paying for that strategic mistake.
Marcos had already passed PD 1789 in the early 80s which was set to institutionalize the shift to export orientation of industry. That was the start of massive fiscal incentives for companies to go to exports industries. Since the semi-conductor revolution was about to begin and after Reagan forced the Japanese to revalue their currency they (Japanese) began transferring their operations to cheaper locales and the semi-conductor industry here began.
Like the garments and textile industry before before the WTO. The BOI under the DTI began the practice of organizing the different sectors involved in the export sector so government would be flexible in dealing with changes in trade worldwide. You had GBAP, CONGEP, Semiconductor Association and lately the BPO association.
The exodus of workers leaving grew to include maids for the world.
The rest as they say is history. China stared its entry into the global economy after the WTO and the world is no longer the same.
AH yes, that was an inquirer article about Gen Lim when he was visited by you and KME ? and some other people.
Thank you for your short but complete reply to my query.
I somehow now understand why you like many things returned to the state like nationalizing utilities and others.
But would that not mean more reliance on government for employment?
At present the salaries of the bureacracy eat up the budget.
I don’t know,just an opinion.
Thanks again.
Kindly note that GOCC’s do not source their salaries from the GAA. Or for that matter having the State own a bloc of shares of private corporations..San Miguel from the coco levy funds.
Thank you for that.
Good read from Karen Armstrong about religion and politics.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/25/-sp-karen-armstrong-religious-violence-myth-secular
We have the JIL, El Shaddai and this relative newcomer to a most successful business model.
But seizing land has it roots in the writings of Jefferson and Locke.
We really have to choose now on who has the character NOT to be corrupted by power since:
Binay- who has been caught lying having definitely stolen Billions, is now spending desperately, making all sorts of promises and is on a freefall
Mar is making one bad move after another with his comics fiasco and open endorsement of notorious JUETENG queen Lilia Pineda- a clear deviation from daang matuwid
Rody with his association from religious CEO/Lord Quiboloy with his shiny chopper-
Foundling Grace with her patrons Bobby Ongpin, ERAP, the crimino-showbiz cabal and of course good old Ramon Ang- say Chiz!
I wonder who INC, El Shaddai and of course- the ORIGINAL LAND GRABBER- THE CATHOLIC CHURCH will choose from this lot?
Nice assessment there, VSB. Hehe. Still solid Roxas-Robredo here, though. Arangkada pa, Daang Matuwid! 🙂
> Mar is making one bad move after another with his comics fiasco and open endorsement of notorious JUETENG queen Lilia Pineda- a clear deviation from daang matuwid
Anyone lesser may not understand, but maybe I should quote Michael Corleone: “My father taught me many things here – he taught me in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
Meaning to say, keep friends close for guidance or help, but keep enemies closer so as to read their intentions, moves, subtleties. Best to know one’s enemy indeed.
Should your assessment hold true, I would think this would be a folly on his part. Mar has shown that he is easy prey to outside stimuli. He is easily baited during the debates and interviews that don’t go the way he expects. He isn’t the most composed bloke.
Also he best beware, looking at things things too close tends to blur the lines.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where the prevalent mentality is “to see is to believe” without critical thinking; some of our citizens tend to judge things by appearances.
I rather think that Jean would not be interested in Roxas’ engagement today with the Makati Business Club. Roxas got a standing ovation. He spoke to issues like transportation and TTP. Not comic books, I think.
By the way, here is the full text of the Roxas presentation and Q&A. You will not get this kind of substance from any other candidate. From their followers you will get complaints about Korina.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/cocoy-dayao/full-text-of-mar-roxas-speech-before-the-makati-business-club-and-management-ass/10154096957363966
What a speech. He may have some speech writer giving him assistance, but in my opinion it has a big stamp of Roxas in it.
The warmth in the introduction and speech is aided much by his knowing quite a few of the influential people in the audience personally and of course of knowing well the main subject of his speech.
This makes all those criticisms and ridicule of the man rather silly or puny.
I think chemp will like reading this, if he has not already.
There is nothing phony about Mar Roxas. There is an intensity, a passion for thinking, and a great sense of humor and warmth. Any one who denies that seeks to live a delusion.
I beg to disagree. Firstly it was standard fare for the spiels the government has been giving in foreign junkets for investors. Standard fare since the MBC is the business group dominated by the foreign corporations. That speech won’t sell to the business groups that count. The BBC or more popularly known as the Binondo Business Club.
That thing about debt service going from 25% of GDP to 13% of GDP says it all.
That thing about the TPP was even more precious. The DOF head and DTI former head are all for it. You honestly think the U.S. will not go froward with it. That is all posturing…
I understand now why you can’t find a candidate worthy of your support. I think the only person able to rise to your level of expectation would be you. 🙂 No matter the history or the engagement of large and foreign corporations, the MBC is the premier business organization in the Philippines, and Roxas knocked their socks off. The particulars are debatable, but as I am not an economist, I shall refrain from going against your much deeper wisdom.
An impressive thoughtful speech and also good Q & A session. I watched Roxas at the last presidential debate. I did not understand a word as it was all in Tagalog.I wanted to see the body language of the man. He was clearly intelligent, earnest and well informed….But someone how not inspiring…At least to me…And maybe that is the problem..
To the extent that knowledge, reason and solutions are uninspiring, he for sure is no Poe.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/workers-rights-developing-economies-by-dani-rodrik-2015-12
There is turmoil all over the world from emerging markets to more advanced economies.
How does emerging markets get to develop their middle class with the problem of premature de-industrialization.
Look Roxas was speaking to bunch of business allies.
How does one go from consumption to investment led economy. The Aquino government will have under spent P1 trillion for the combined six years. Why budget for items you know you will not spend on and still on all occasions borrow money that increased the debt.
We have long gutted our manufacturing sector in the name of globalization and now you are thinking twice about the TPP. That is nonsense as you have already left the barn door open and all the horses are gone.
I wish I had your gifts of perfect perception and act.
Say what you will but who would have ever thought that an American leading in a race to become President is pushing for a return to isolation and American first policies. The Republican party is probably due for a splintering caused by itself. He wants to scrap multilateral trade deals and the multilateral financial system which is already in tatters. The other guy in second place is calling for a return to the gold standard and balanced budgets. This time the central government of the U.S. is being threatened with disintegration. It is similar to watching the dismantling of the last empire.
His chances are really good since going by history the communists and social democrats refused to coalesce against the party that held 30% of the vote and eventually the Wiemar Republic offered his party the government to run. He off course became everyone’s favorite leader. The optimists then wound up in concentration camps and the pessimists wound up in New York.
He put everyone to work building tank’s and planes.
Guess what this guy is telling the world. Build your own nukes and do not depend on the U.S. As for Europe do it your own way.
Today if one deposits the equivalent of $1M in a Japanese bank in yen one gets an interest rate of the equivalent of $10 in interest.
The U.K will decide very soon whether to remain in the EU trade union.
The U.S.may also decide to move to negative interest rates.
The EU may unravel and return to be dominated by separate nation states. Nationalist emotions due to the economic downturn and the problem of refugees are rising.
Joe, thanks for the link to Mar’s speech. More like he was speaking off-the-cuff because the text seems to follow the speech, not the other way round. If it was off-the-cuff, it was more remarkable.
To me, it was a presidential speech. Not really up there with some of the great names in the world, but certainly, pretty high enough. If I were a Filipino sitting next to other foreign dignitaries and listening to that speech, I would feel mighty proud. There is leadership with substance yet.
People ask me why you foreigners don’t understand Filipinos. Mar’s speech is the perfect answer. Filipinos are incapable of appreciating substance. Media, community and societal leaders are all taken in by the dramas of Binay, Duterte and Poe which are promoted to the massa, whilst hard core cool facts and meaningful proposals get lost in the dirt of election rallies.
The sad part of Mar’s campaign is that they have been unable to communicate this kind of stuff to the un-educated strata. They could have simplified the message in this speech and convey it in meaningful pictorial form.
As for the comic I just don’t get the negative reactions. Like you said, it’s just a comic for heaven’s sake. It’s not really a reaction to the comic, it’s actually a thumping down of a good man. So what do they need now? A fatwah on the illustrator — any wonder why he said he supported Duterte?
“The sad part of Mar’s campaign . . .” I’d agree, but say the greater fault is that the Aquino Administration has been equally unsuccessful at informing and inspiring people, largely because the audience is mired in their own little worlds of need and complaint. Telling them about other people’s success makes them angry. It’s why the other day I was pleading for a great Filipino orator, someone who has the knack of a Trump to carve through reality to present hope and promise as tangible. Values here are inside out, so one can not speak straight and get support. One has to act, to tell stories and make people cry.
“….but say the greater fault is that the Aquino Administration has been equally unsuccessful at informing and inspiring people, largely because the audience is mired in their own little worlds of need and complaint” – Joe
I remember a segment of ABS CBN newscast wherein the reporter opr the talking head introduced a speech of PNOY with words translated in English as ” meanwhile, the President boasted of the gains so far accomplished by his administration…….etc, etc.” To the masa listening, a negative slant is already made even before the speech of PNOY is summarized. And we are surprised that the masa are not enamored with this admin?
Yep, crab media rule the day. It is often infuriating.
I’ll give credit, where credit is due. That speech was golden. I am a sucker for well written pieces. Since I am best friends with someone who writes speeches for politicians for a living, I have to wonder how much of this was written by Mar himself. I have heard him on TV when he is forced to adlib. I have to admit I am hard pressed to reconcile the two. But, on this occasion I think I shall give him the benefit of the doubt.
When prepared, Mar can really talk the talk, its just that it doesn’t always translate to him walking it, it seems. Sorry, the knell of Mar’s bell comes across strong but sounds hollow in my ears.
Off topic. You mention the comic book thing a lot lately. Should the back lash be bothering you that much?
Did you read of Duterte’s achievements, posted by Irineo? And Mar bothers you? I am ever stunned at the way your judgment comes down, sparing one but not the other.
I think the comic deal is fairly irrelevant, but the tabloid e-rag Inquirer chose to headline some CBCP priest objecting to that horrid document, almost as if it were subhuman or something, like cursing the pope or fondling women in public. Good lord, it’s a comic book. Meanwhile, the Inquirer editors continue their effort to ignore Mar’s substantive comments whilst touting Poe’s populist blathering about having palaces across the nation.
https://raissarobles.com/2015/11/22/raissarobles-com-and-cyber-plaza-miranda-win-bloggys-2015-awards-as-best-society-politics-blog/comment-page-2/#comment-351652 – match THAT with Parekoy’s account cited in the Seguridad ni Duterte article – I have bolded the most significant parts for everyone willing to have a look at it match it with the other account… and everybody here knows I considered Duterte before but now NO!
Duterte is a legend in his own mind!
I will do this by replying to Mon Tulfo’s propaganda piece for Duterte, ‘Am I campaigning for Duterte?’, which was posted by Rene Ipil in #51.
***
Duterte will bring into the presidential race a proven track record as mayor of one of the world’s safest cities.
Parekoy: Safe yes. Safest in the world because of ambiguous survey results dominated by Filipino participants? Naaah!
*
Every Davao City resident follows the law and city ordinances to the letter.
Parekoy: ‘Every’ is an exaggeration! My friends (Fil-Chinese) who are close to Duterte keep on violating the city ordinances and even the speed limit and they get away with it dahil malakas sila kay Duterte. Also Davao City has criminals and the record shows that they exist but less compared to other cities.
*
Davao City is the only place in the Philippines where residents don’t use firecrackers during the New Year’s Eve revelry because they believe Duterte when he told them that the terrorists could take advantage of the noise to explode bombs or shoot innocent people.
Parekoy: Petty. Take advantage of the noise to explode bombs or shoot innocent people?’ Wow it is a stretch for terrorist don’t give a shit to hide behind he noise for if they wanted to kill no amount of silence can stop them. Propaganda and pogi points, but for the gullible ones may work!
*
All drivers in the city observe the speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour on the highway and 40 kph in the city proper.
Parekoy: All drivers? Nope. I visited Davao City and my friend who is a friend of Duterte drove faster than 60kph and even saluted by the traffic officer!
*
It is the only city in the country (and perhaps in the world) where criminals fear to tread.
Parekoy: Petty criminals are not welcome for sure but the heavyweights, like the Ampatuans, even have residences there and enjoys the protection of Duterte. NPA commanders even have safe houses there that and the Military can’t touch them for they don’t want Duterte to be offended.
*
Drug traffickers, pushers, killers, robbers, burglars and rapists have left Davao City a long time ago after the lowlife disappeared without a trace or were found dead on deserted streets.
Parekoy: This I agree that most of these petty criminals left. But still there are 4,252 theft and robbery cases from January to August 2015. There are 1,052 cases for Drugs. Even Abu Sayyaf used Davao City as their safe haven and sometimes hide their victims there.
*
Abusive policemen are never heard of in the city. Some cops from out of town who came to the city and abused civilians regretted their misdeed—or never lived to regret it.
Parekoy: Abusive to whom? It is a mix. Some are good but some are really brutal. The brutal ones are Duterte’s goons who made a lot of petty criminals disappear. Abusive seems too mild as an adjective to describe Duterte’s death squad composed of Policemen and Military goons.
*
If you’re a night person who wants to drink till the wee hours of the morning, Davao City is not for you because bars and nightclubs close at 11 p.m. Tourists and residents who want to drink until dawn take a ferry to nearby Samal island.
Parekoy: Seems even restrictive compared to some Muslim Country like Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur even has a more liberal city ordinance when it comes to entertainment hours. Big bully brother is really controlling!
*
Residents obey the law and city ordinances—like the ban on smoking in public places — because they know their mayor and his subordinates are incorruptible.
Parekoy: I am for the ban on smoking on public places and this is so common in the US. But saying that ‘they know their mayor and his subordinates are incorruptible’, is a complete horseshit! Don’t you know why Duterte ran for Vice Mayor and his daughter Mayor? It is for complete control of the city and the city council is also headed by the Vice Mayor. Complete control of City Hall means COA will have a hard time digging Digong’s corruption! Duterte is similar to Binay in this regard. Duterte has complete control of Davao City for more than two decades and where did he get his wealth?
*
An owner of a nationwide retail store chain told me how his application for a business permit breezed through the process without paying a single centavo in bribes to City Hall. That’s the reason many businesses are scrambling to set up their main office in Davao City.
Parekoy: Robredo did it in Naga City for that is what our LGUs are mandated to do but seldom followed. I will give a thumbs-up to Duterte on this regard.
*
One other thing: Duterte—Digong to his constituents—goes around the city incognito on a big bike or a taxicab to see if policemen are patrolling the streets.
Parekoy: Propaganda. The truth is Digong goes incognito to go to one of his ‘Chichings’ he housed in his city.
*
He is also on the prowl for criminals he wants to catch in the act.
Parekoy: Propaganda. Digong is a coward. He makes sure that the petty criminal is caught firs by his goons then his goon calls him and for media mileage he shows how tough he is kuno by slapping the petty criminal when the tipped media is present. Sarah Duterte learned from her father in abusing people in front of the public for they know that the poor guy can’t fight back who is scared shitless surrounded by Digog’s death squad.
*
His sterling leadership in Davao City will be replicated in the entire country—if he is elected President.
Parekoy: Replicated? More death squads to eradicate petty criminals but coddle bigtime drug lords, smuggling lords, plunderers, oligopolists, etc…
of course the diehard supporters will call this black propaganda… but there are now witness accounts (and some evidence) coming from many different parties… call me yellow I do feel a bit yellow now because I seem to be pissing against the wind
@Irineo,
Thanks for that link. I missed that at Raissa’s. I went back to Raissa and wrote:
56.4
NHerrera says:
March 30, 2016 at 8:11 pm
@Parekoy,
I salute you on your well-written counter to Tulfo’s idolatrous/ propaganda piece on Duterte.
On NUMEROLOGY and SWS.
Some survey results are coming in the wake of the Joint Project of Bilang Pilipino and SWS.
I recall earlier (a month or so ago) that BP-SWS picked at random nationwide, 1200 registered voters, to which they gave smart phones with the stipulation that the phone recipients participate in its surveys. That is creative indeed and makes for quick survey at an initial cost of approximately 3.6 million pesos (~ P3000 x 1200). Cost effective considering that the survey scheme will be used for several surveys till shortly before May 9 when such survey may not be allowed.
In past surveys by SWS and Pulse Asia for at least the same 1200 respondents, my understanding is that fresh respondents are picked at random every time a survey is done (I may be wrong now, knowing that creativity is not a monopoly of the Creative Arts).
Now this BP-SWS scheme may be subject to criticism not because of any intentional bias or malice but purely on the concept of having the same so-called random respondents — at least initially — answering the subsequent surveys.
ITEMS
– as it is turning out only some 800 respondents out of the 1200 initial respondents are participating in the latter surveys
– thus, the smart phone receivers have gotten wiser or “wais” in the local lingo
– if NCR voters, say, are the more wise or “wais” of the respondents, this has a distorting effect on the fewer NCR who do participate, although regional weights are till factored in
– the same 1200 respondents who have initially made their votes on, say, the Presidential or VP candidates, may by the nature of things, continue to be consistent with their choices with little variation, not mindful of new developments in the campaign
– and so on
IN SHORT — the creative, fast, cost-effective BP-SWS scheme is open to question. I am not a degree holder in statistics, but I am just stating my sense of it as a NUMEROLOGIST hereabouts.
When only 800 partticipate and fully one third or 400 choose not to, that introduces serious risks of self-selection bias that can greatly reduce the validity of survey results. For example, if those who do not respond are largely from the D group or from the Mindanao or Visayas, then the sampled population would no longer be representative of the country’s entire voter population as it was originally with the original 1200 sample. It deteriorates to the online or phone polls where there is no sampling methodology to insure the respondent population is representative is representative of all who watched or read the subject debate, video, tv program, or other event.
The proliferation of these surveys including now this BP-SWS will make their value as time-snapshots worth less than the online page it is written on — degrading survey outfits who were praised before for their methodologies.
This has one negative consequence to my mind. A Hocus-Pocus committed to change the true voters votes may be rationalized the more because the rationalizers can claim the pre-election surveys were not worth sh..t. Let’s hope the immediate post-election survey will correct that — that is, not relying on the smart phone recipients of the BP-SWS.
I wrote a long rant about SWS and pulse Asia during the 2009 elections. It was due to their insistence that their surveys cannot be wrong and whoever says otherwise just doesn’t understand the math. The rant centered on their ivory tower view that their models necessarily correspond with reality and that it is correct. They were saying this while the older and more experienced polling firms in the US were reflecting on how different things have become, and how unrepresentative their models are slowly becoming. This experimentation of SWS is what has been lacking from them, if I have an issue with their mobile phone surveys it is that since this is experimental in nature they should be more open about everything, the goal would be to make this useful, predictive, accurate.
The deterioration may not be total as the online polls but the margin for an increaser or would be quite large so that the top 4 would be statistically tied. For example, instead of 3% error margin the
Increased risk of sampling error could widen the band to 10% causing the aforementioned tie.
Offtopic: I now wonder if this comic book scheme was hatched as an indirect way to discredit Roxas, since its creator claims that he is a Rody fanatic, but Roxas said that he did not commission its publication. Some quarters still think it is a shameless display.
I think today’s article about these two self-styled messengers of God trying to blur the distinction between government and religion is something that should be of greater concern than trivial as a comic book.
Hah! And no one is bothered at all, not even the same catholic charity group referred to by Philstar, that the self-confessed murderer running for president has just announced that if elected President he will take his oath of office before a cult leader who claims to be the appointed son of God!
From Mar Roxas’ MBC speech:
“We will continue to grow the economy based on three pillars: first will be manufacturing…We will be able to do this by attracting quality jobs that are now looking for a better site than where they are presently.”
If Mar’s idea of revitalizing the Philippine manufacturing industry is by attracting foreign companies to set up shop here while we provide cheap labor as the Chinese workers begin to demand better wages, that bodes ill for the country. It’s a mendicant policy that will not empower homegrown industries.
For long term planning, there is still no substitute for learning how to make quality stuff ourselves and, as much as possible, develop those industries where we could source most of the raw materials locally. That is not being isolationist. That’s common sense.
Yes,like license plates,we have been wondering why it has to be done in Europe,only to learn that the old manufacturing plant here still exists and was turned into a warehouse and now has thousands of blank plates,stolen.
On ship military building.Sorry sort of my favorite.
the decision makers are contemplating on repairing hand me downs or get brand new.
So it would be brand new and hand me downs.Maybe it will carry over to the next admin.
Both are for short term requirements, but for the long run,we should build our own.
It is not quite correct that there is only going to be cheap jobs in the Philippines.
German-sponsored K-12+ is of course to create skilled workers for German factories in the Philippines, but the skills can be transferred to create own industries later on.
You have to “graduate” from one level to the next… to become a tennis player the ball must first become a ballboy… the Philippines is still a ball on the way to becoming a boy.
German firms, Italian companies, American corporations, what’s the difference? Those are foreign entities setting shop here not necessarily with the country’s well-being in mind as it is to increase profitability by availing of cheap labor and, most probably, less stringent environmental regulations.
The BPO companies are mainly foreign owned and operated. They are begging for more talented Filipinos to move into supervisory positions. They don’t exist, home grown.
We’re talking about manufacturing Joe, not the service industry sector.
If the designers don’t exist, and the technology pros to set up the robots needed to compete, then you would rather the Philippines not do the manufacturing?
I am on board with the proposal to revitalize Philippine manufacturing. Acquiring resources and know-how is part of the process. State intervention and subsidies would be crucial in the initial phase.
Good. Agree.
Cheaper labor – yes… but they help train the people…. for their own interests and maybe the best they might entice to migrate over here because the population pyramid is exactly the opposite of the Philippines and our social security is in trouble in the long run.
To pollute – the Europeans for sure NO, the Chinese that I suspect Duterte wants to bring in for sure. Germany is even helping build solar cell farms in the Philippines, subsidized – but of course the development aid also secures business for German manufacturers. Simplistic good and bad models don’t work… one has to see the possibilities just like the Chinese did… they started with being a manufacturing site and upgraded… the Japanese started by making cheap imitations and improved them… you cannot ramp up overnight.
I repeat, that there has to be a sense of purpose, of urgency. It can’t be on Filipino time.
The Chinese model bubbled up and is now going bust as global demand for Chinese manufactured stuff declines. As Chinese workers start to demand higher wages, many foreign firms are now contemplating (some already did) of moving out and relocating in low-cost countries like India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and maybe in the Philippines too.
Would it be wise to roll the red carpet for those foreign firms as a major component of long term economic planning? I would suggest to err on the side of caution because it is not sustainable and those cute executives could always decide to fly elsewhere at the first sign of trouble.
Stihl and Continental have set up plants in the Philippines, Japanese as well. Both Germany and Japan are classic manufacturing economies with non-cute executives and you don’t just fly away a factory. It is up to the Philippines to avoid the trouble this time.
Joe is right of course – it has to be done with urgency, not on Filipino time… go for a win-win situation maybe even with agreed-upon technology transfer for a fee like what the Indonesians did under their excellent, German-trained Minister later President Habibie.
Irineo,
Stop, think for a moment, and ask yourself this question : If German owned Stihl and Continental manufacturing plants are glorious positive presence in the community where it’s located, why do they take the trouble of shipping it to far away places like the Philippines?
Is it because of the weather? The beautiful Filipinas? There must be a reason. Do you know?
Cheaper labor and Filipinos are eminently trainable… German firms train people meaning they add value to the human resources they use not just exploit them… they are not hacienderos.
Just like the Triple Win project has recruited over a hundred Filipina nurses to Germany since 2014. Guess they are beautiful for Germans – in fact MRP would be happy because the type many Germans like is the dark flat-nosed Pacific beauty – but that will not be the reason for it.
Some German BPO owners in Manila have said Filipinos are perfect because unlike the other Asians they have a Christian Americanized culture and a more Western mentality – this I know, why not leverage the advantages of having been a colony for so long and make the best of it?
I have once been in CNS in Fort San Felipe and Sangley Point so I understand your dismay. If we can aggressively develop the know-how, I’d say why not.
Just a bit frustrated,but I guess it has to be baby steps Micha,we still need technology transfer,there will always be a foreign component to it for now.Agressive know-how can happen if we master reverse engineering.we have inventors and innovators,but there is always a missing ingredient other than government subsidies and state intervention,
North Korea IS the threat, if they target us,that would be The Cuban Missile crisis,at least China still talk to its neighbors.NOKOR is blackmailing the whole East Asia and The West Coast.
With or with out a gun pointed at our heads,we should accelerate our manufacturing,but we must have a map,because GPS may not always be there and we will get lost.
Or there might be generals that use Google Maps for their coordinates like Napenas. 😀
DOST is doing that right know – aggressively developing know-how including Metalworking used in the DOST AGT and Roadtrain – both of which are still prototypes… add to that the skills of the workers NOW being trained at the K-12+ Metalworking pilot in the San Pedro Relocation National High School – yes for German firms but what if the DOST projects and the other stuff finally converge? DTI seems to have a master plan that could fit this…
The trouble is that this stuff is SO under-reported in the Philippines even if it is there.
The question is, how many jobs can we get for people who don’t have any. Millions and millions of people are poor, without work. It is not mutually exclusive, only foreign, or only home-built. It is hard work in every direction.
I was reading that there is a plan in development to make the Philippines a manufacturing hub, as it is now a BPO hub. I think DTI is doing it. I’m wondering if that plan envisions foreign plants. I suspect so, just as foreign companies run the BPO’s that have effectively built Manila into the vibrant, jammed urban hub of today. Foreign is not automatically bad because LTO screwed up. There are lots of screw-ups in the Philippines, which is an argument for NOT doing it here . . . as I type out loud . . .
Yeah right, thanks for the encouragement to give preferential option to foreign companies Joe.
Talk about revitalizing Philippine manufacturing.
Stop putting words in my mouth. You have a tendency to do that sort of thing. I did not say preferential treatment. I said home grown and foreign is not an either/or thing. Circumstances will determine what is the best approach.
“There are lots of screw-ups in the Philippines, which is an argument for NOT doing it here..”
Hahahaha, so you transposed that into an idea that I only want foreign firms here? Even though the full quote is that I am typing out loud, just free thinking? You want to cement me to a position you can insult? Hahahaha. Get a life, Micha.
Your very own words.
Yes foreign is not bad,I am with Irineo’s step by step development of manufacturing.
There is a reason why we can not do it here.I agree there are lots of screw-ups,and SNAFUs.
There is a masterplan for manufacturing.DTI through the National Competitiveness Council is on top of it.
That kind of approach is the reason why we’re being left in the dust by South Korea. Maybe we are not as motivated as they are because we’re not facing existential threat from a northern maniacal god-ruler. A slinky-eyed Martian intruder might do the magic for us.
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan all went step-by-step decades ago.
BMW started with motorcycles a hundred years ago… the essence is in this article: http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/being-truly-modern/ including Karl’s comments. 🙂
Good to know. Yes, I agree with the pragmatic, step by step approach. There is a need to move with a sense of urgency, though. Visible progress against poverty needs to be made.
I think if you had the chance to talk with him, he would explain things differently, that he does not see the Philippines as a place of sweat labor for rich owners from abroad, but there is a certain desire to get jobs here in quick order and one cannot order them up from an industrial base that is very weak. It is best not to assume bad intent or method if one does not really know.
What better chance to explain in detail his plan to revitalize Philippine manufacturing than before an MBC audience which would later on be shared (as in this case) in the social media. That way, you and I don’t have to second guess what he intends to do.
Remember that one acknowledged major flaw in his campaign is communicating or reaching out to ordinary folks his platform of governance. It’s a good thing that his linked speech came out in this forum. But it’s already April and many are still not convinced he’s the right guy.
The speech was wonderfully presented, wonderfully received, and it takes an idealist or perfectionist to insist that it be something other than what it was. It was by far the best economic overview I’ve ever read at any time here from any elected official. Intelligent. Pragmatic. Solutions oriented.
I suggest you go wage criticisms against the economic policies of the other candidates . . . if you can even find any. heh heh
I also notice that Micha is concentrating on Mar, the way Jean did before making it known that he is for Duterte.
The most common technique of trolls infiltrating opponent camps is to say “I’m undecided”. Then start laying the seeds of doubt. Any one who calls Mar Roxas to task for his economic ideas and then lets the other candidates off without judgment warrants a healthy raised eyebrow.
Yep, close your ears to any criticism of Mar Roxas’ proposals and let’s see how the country slog along in the backdrop of a global turmoil if – a big IF – sufficient voters give it their nods in May.
@Micha, actually, that is not the point at all, as you well know as you descend to trollish comments. Mar Roxas to my knowledge represents, not perfection to anybody, but the best of the platforms and economic ideas. What I don’t know is whether the other candidates have any realistic, strong proposals, or are just mouthing populist ideas. Be just as rigorous in examining their proposals and you can claim credibility to judge Mar Roxas’ programs. Until then, in my book, you are just like all the other Roxas bashers, people with an agenda, not really seeking enlightenment.
We’re not saying Mar is perfect, that would be a foolhardy attitude, but he is the best among the imperfect candidates, no corruption record, best experience, relatively young and healthy, and with a good grasp of the nation’s problem economically and in other areas of concerns.
When he wins, we will give him critical collaboration, with the country’s best interest and welfare in mind.
Fair enough Micha. But would you also care to scrutinize the other candidates’ proposals which I have posted below?
The least loudmouthed of the candidates may be the best to lead.
Seems that way to me. I think Roxas will not sacrifice his principles to win. He won’t maliciously attack others or spread lies. He’d rather lose. I think he wins either way, even though the Philippines may lose, for being so needful of easy solutions and dreamy promises.
http://www.mb.com.ph/dosts-rd-experts-tapped-by-dnd-to-build-military-drones/
On the tech front we(DOST and the People angling for DICT positions) are trying to build up the cloud expertise in the country.
Diwata-1 project was made to increase Philippine expertise in Satellites etc.
The present admin has invested in DOST and some of these are showing.
Add to these the agricultural research, etc.
We are trying to slowly move up. It is not as concerted an effort as India or SIngapore but Mar is the man with a Plan. hahaha sorry cant help.
Diwata plus DOST Project NOAH (with Open Street Map helping recently after they set up sensors across the entire archipelago) and Oplan Listo plus the Project NOAH Apps for Everyman will make the country not only resilient against disasters but antifragile…
Aside from developing a technological framework unique to the Philippines that maybe even Bangladesh might buy someday… or you give it to them to compensate for the money they lost in the Central Bank heist who knows…
Foreign direct investments offer win-win outcomes for both the investor and the host country.
In the global business, it provides the foreign firm with cheaper production facilities, access to labour and skills, local markets, and often more into other complicated areas like advantages in tariffs, over-coming other trade restrictions, tax benefits, currency alignments, etc.
For a host country, it provides a source of new technologies, capital, processes, products, organizational technologies and management skills, and usually top of the list, employment.
When a foreign company sets up a manufacturing plant in Philippines, it sets off a whole train of business activities. Local content requirements means opportunities for local businesses. Various support indistries will grow up arround the manufacturer. The outcome is more wealth is generated for the locality.
For third world countries, foreign direct investment it is more often than not, an impetus to growth and development of the country. Both poor countries from Angola to Zimbabwe, and richer and developed countries like Singapore, Ireland, South Africa, USA, UK, and many many others are actively competing all the time to attract direct foreign investments to their land. They go out of their way to attract. Of course, if you are smart, you go for the types of companies you want, not every Juan will do.
The spectre of the citizenry ending up as sweat shop workers and economic prisoners of foreign companies is really a view stuck in a Charles Dickens novel. Every country has their means to ensure a decent working environment.
Foreign direct investments is a very important driver of economic growth. Ignore it at your peril. Take at look at the chart below of FDI in 2013. Philippines is not even in the chart. The total of direct investments into Philiipines is very very small.
To give you a different perspective — in 2011 the FDI into Assean countries went to :
Sinpapore — 48%
Indonesia — 21%
Malaysia — 12%
Vietnam — 10%
Thailand — 6%
Philippines — 2%
It demonstrates such a strong co-relation of a country’s economy to FDI.
MRP made a comment in my blog – bolstered by EVIDENCE – that Myanmar has more FDI than the Philippines. Restoring the TRUST of foreign investors is hard given the bad reputation of the Philippines when it comes to governance and abiding by contracts – the NAIA3 debacle and the arrogance of Arroyo (and to some part the mixture of naiveness and possible initial giving in to crookery of Fraport) is one of many things that broke trust – it is almost a miracle that German firms like Stihl and Continental are in the country NOW.
Irineo — majority of Filipinos do not understand this. You are right that a lot of trust was gone and Pnoy admin managed to restore that somewhat. That’s one of the reasons why a Ro-Ro win is critical for the country.
Beyond trust, there are still tons of negatives Phils faces when it comes to FDI — transportation, ports, power, customs, various support services, skill sets, airports, shipping, security, etc etc.
FDI has its pluses and minuses. It is not, by any means, a panacea for the country’s long term sustainable economic program.
MNCs are accused of earning excessive profits in Third World countries, made possible by their oligopoly position in local economies. The largest proportion of these profits is repatriated to shareholders in the firmís country of origin rather than reinvested locally. According to some studies, MNCs also overcharge for technology transfers to their own subsidiaries and rely more heavily upon imported parts and machinery than do domestic firms. Each of these practices tends to reflect negatively in the host countryís balance of payments position.
Critics contend that MNCs often borrow from the already scarce supply of local capital rather than bring new investment funds into the country. Because of their size and resources, foreign firms typically receive preferential terms from local banks when borrowing money, as compared with local firms. Another criticism is that MNCs discourage local entrepreneurship by often entering a country through the acquisition of an existing Third World firm or using superior resources to drive native competitors out of business.
Third World governments particularly object to a common MNC practice known as transfer pricing. MNCs resort to this technique in an attempt to lower their overall tax burden or to evade restrictions on the repatriation of profits. Transfer pricing is essentially an accounting practice applied to intrafirm trade. Different branches or subsidiaries of the same firm, located in different countries, often exchange goods. A U.S.-based manufacturer, for instance, might produce parts in a factory located in Texas but ship these parts to a plant in Mexico for assembly. In turn, the assembled product is transported back to the United States for final sale. The price that the home firm charges the Mexican subsidiary for the parts or that the subsidiary charges the home firm for the assembled product is essentially arbitrary because these transactions take place within the same company and are not exposed to market forces. If, let us say, Mexico imposes a higher tax on corporate profits than does the United States, then the MNC can lower its overall tax bill by overpricing the parts shipped to Mexico while underpricing the assembled products that are sold back to the home firm in the United States. By manipulating the prices on intrafirm trade in this way, the Mexican subsidiary will show little profit on its books, thus avoiding the high Mexican tax rate, while the profit of the home firm will be artificially boosted allowing it to be taxed at the low U.S. rate. This sort of practice is hard to detect because it is difficult to know what the products might have sold for in arms length transactions among independent firms. Because most Third World countries tax the profits of foreign corporations at relatively high rates, they are often targets of transfer pricing schemes and suffer a loss of potential tax revenue as a result.
Some forms of FDI represent attempts to export pollution from Northern countries, where environmental enforcement is stringent, or to exploit reserves of cheap labor. In Ilo, Peru, for instance, local villagers suffer from serious respiratory and other health problems stemming from the air and water pollution produced by a nearby copper smelter plant owned by three large American corporations. The plant emits up to two thousand tons of sulfur dioxide into the air each day ten to fifteen times the legal levels for similar operations in the United States as well as streams of toxic wastes that make their way into the local water supply.
http://www.oocities.org/geoglink/BenefitsofForeignDirectInvestment.htm
I listen to you and other experts also using the plus and minus analysis Micha.
Mining is one that can make and (not or)break the place of their estanlishment.
It provides jobs,but all the touted sustainable development and clean technologies must be put in place,or else the make and break would only be make money and break the environment.
The plus of MNCsare training,technology transfer,etc.and Jobs.
minus labor exploitation,low wages,quick exits,etc.
plus minus -find the balance.Nothing is a panacea.
Thanks you Micha, for recognising that there are pluses in FDI, not just minuses.
To me, FDI is part of a country’s industrialisation strategy. As a strategy you milk all the pluses every way you can, and you manage the minuses. There have been, and will continue to be, negatives in FDI. But these arise mostly because the host country is stupid enough to allow it to happen. EG the pollution transfers — don’t you have anit-pollution laws in place? why did you allow these types of companies to come in? etc etc.
On MNCs I cant comprehend why every way you turn you only see the negatives. MNCs has been the driving force of great economic growth in the past few decades. You asked if these companies are profitable why should they come to Phils — for the beautiful girls, sceneries etc??? – you imply of course they come for the cheap labour. Cheaper cost of production is one factor, but not the only nor necessarily the prime factor. There are lots of other reasons that may be strategic or trade related — eg, closer to their markets, closer to raw materials, align with their global logistics strategy, skilled labour, maneouvering trade barriers, etc, etc.
In the 1970s globalisation really took off in a big way. Lots of MNCs (mostly from western countries) went offshore. Hongkong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea were good candidates. But most of them ended up selecting Singapore. Why? Because those other countries were too near to China which was at that time viewed as a high political risk, A lot of MNCs set up shop in Spore and we sure came out well, no sweat shops in town. It’s what you do with these MNCs that the country can make a difference.
Spore leveraged the MNCs to the hilt, mustering foreign technologies to assist in upgrading our local industries. MNCs spawned numerous support industries and if you have worked in this type of environment, which I have, you will understand how knowledge is transferred. MNCs go round their support industries (vendors that make parts for them) and they get into your processes, your QC methodologies, your scheduling, etc..they teach, they help us to improve to their acceptable standards, they keep us on our toes…. and that’s how we improve. And in time, we even surpass them in some ways, and when that happens there was no jealousies or spite, but a secured relationship because then they trust our capabilities.
You look at MNCs and FDI as the capitalist foreign devil coming to take advantage of lowly paid workers. They will cut their losses and close shop the moment their fortunes change. Why of course that’s what businessmen do, and there’s nothing wrong with that. My point is that MNCs are not the devils you make them out to be. It’s up to the host country to get the best they can out of this relationship. Let me tell you one great illustration. Bank of America (not an MNC actually, but back then, it was a giant of a bank) opened shop in Spore in our early years. They were the one who taught us about the intricacies of developing the Asian Currency Unit (I’m not getting into the technicalities of the ACU) and this was the gem of an idea that helped us to develop Spore into an international financial centre that it is today.
The chart below shows the co-relation of MNCs to a country’s economy — once again, you can see Philippines ranks at the bottom in Assean.
http://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Public%20Sector/Our%20Insights/Understanding%20ASEAN%20Seven%20things%20you%20need%20to%20know/SVGZ_Understanding%20ASEAN_ex3v2.ashx
On Transfer Pricing:
You brought up this point which is valid. Like I said, on the minuses of FDI, you manage it. One does not abandon something useful due to some imperfections. There are lots of traffic accidents, should we avoid taking vehicular transportation? There are viruses, should we stop using computers?
Yes I agree transfer pricing exist. It’s wrong accounting practice, and it’s tax evasion as far as the host country is concerned. The Forum on Tax Administration (of which Philippines is not a member last time I checked) has been in the forefront of trying to establish processes that can help detect such incurences. The G20 has made inroads into how they will arrest this practice. This is a difficult area that really tests tax administrators in complex situations with scarce skills and specialist technical knowledge. It is difficult but not impossible, to minimise such illicit practices. I will not go into the scope of this anti-transfer pricing stuff as it digresses away from the blog topic.
Chempo,
I need your layman approach.
Quite related.
We have a problem to optimize our potential in manufacturing like in ship building.
We can’t win in terms of lowest costs let us say India,who has cheap labor and cheap steel from China,and cheaper anything.
And we can’t win on quality,because of lack the technology.
I propose that our procurement Law to relax on the track record. or anything to give us a chance to compete.
That to me is a factor on competitiveness,not just lack of talent.
Cheaper labor than us,cheaper electricity than us,plus many more.
No competion law can salvage that.
Your thoughts,thanks.
The Philipines comparitive economic advantage lies in having lot of cheap English language familiar workers..China does not have that and it’s labor costs are rising because of their one child policy of the past 35 years….
Where Philippines workers wind up working depends on adopting policies creating that encourage foreign investment just like China did in the early 1980’s. It’s not about picking & choosing industries…Inevitably governments choose wrong and waste opportunities..
Karl your humility has my respect. You are always earnest in wanting to learn. I’m not here to teach, that would be presumptuous. But I like to share my limited knowledge. On shipbuilding let me put my thoughts on it n come back ltr, I’m outside at the moment.
I’m planning a blog on industrial strategy which I think will I interest you.
Thanks Bill,
I forgot you are also an economics expert,we had been talking about history for so long,that’s why.
Chempo,
I will be very interested,looking forward to that.Thanks for the wonderful and kind words,that is why I am here and at Irineo’s blog,to learn.
Karl, sorry for the late response. I was busy.
A caveate here — I did’nt do research, just off my memory, but I have a teeny weeny knowledge here having spent some time as a small vendor to shipyards in Spore and having observed the growth of the shipbuilding industry in Spore.
Contrary to what your comment suggest, Philippines is now the 4th largest shipbuilder globally, after Sorkor, China, and Japan (in terms of tonnage). This is one sector where FDI is critical, indeed you can never jumpstart this industry without them. And I’m glad that the govt recognises this and allows 100% foreign ownership. Let’s face it, whilst Phils is no 4, it’s the foreign players like the Hanjin and Keppel group that is pushing the industry forward. There is nothing wrong in that, set national pride aside. Overtime, some smart local plays will develop. That’s evolution.
You say we can’t win on quality and lack of technology. You are happily wrong in this. The FDIs bring the quality and technology with them. That is the reason why Phils has climbed to number 4. And Micha says they come for the cheap labour. Absolutely wrong in this case. They are here because Phils have the deep waters and the land. Shipbuilding requires extensive footprints. Established yards in Sorkor and Spore has run out of space.
Cheap labour is not the prime factor. Sokor, Japan and Singapore are proof of that. Although Spore relies heavily on cheaper foreign workers, it’s still pretty expensive compared to Phils. China’s labour cost has gone up rapidly and probably higher than Phils now. Only India is still cheap., then again, Indian shipbuilding industry is far behind Phils. I understand that going into the next 3 years, the order books for Phils yards are full. This augurs well for the industry.
Regarding “cheap steel from China” — I don’t know what context you are talking about. Steel is almost a commodity. It’s in international play, and the business of buying steel is almost a game. You need good knowledge in the game to seek out the best deals for your company. The prime cost difference is the freight, hence distance from source is a factor. As far as Phils is concerned, it very much depends on how the local steel brokers play their role. Shipyards, or for that matter building developers, buy their steel from these local brokers/traders. If they are big players that can carry inventory risks, then they purchase big lots with better prices. So the reference to cheap steel in India needs to be qualified. Even if India produces (as Duterte suggested for Phils), locally produced steel may not necessarily be cheaper than the international price (for reasons of economies of scale, quality, certification costs etc)
On procurement law — I don’t know what you mean specifically. If you mean procurement processes as it applies to govt institutions, then once again you are happily wrong. These shipyards are private enterprises, so the govt processes do not apply. If you mean the tariffs, VATs, duties — then rest assured all these have already been established otherwise these FDIs would not have set up shop. There are tax holidays of a few years, VAT exemptions on related equipment/machinery importations, duty reductions, etc — I don’t have details, but I know there are there way back in the late 1990s.
Power remains the perennial problem.
On skiils — I believe the Maritime Industry Authority is on top of things. Co-operation with TESDA has relevant marine industry courses are in place. This is one great success story in Phils that has never be told adequately. TESDA has been very successful in churning out workers for the marine industry. I believe TESDA has turned out almost 100,000 certified welders. Believe you me, welders are the foot-soldiers of the shipbuilding industry.
Karl, I’m glad you raised this subject cos it’s something good to talk about. Basically, the SONA on the marine industry is ALL SYSTEMS GO. It’s in the same sweet spot as the BPO industry.
Some other pointers:
1. Phils yards do not have the competitive edge in new vessel construction. It’s weakness is cost and delivery time. Critical in this industry are cost, quality and delivery time.So most of Phils jobs are conversions or retro-fits. This is one segment of the market itself, so Phils might as well concentrate in this at this stage.
2. There are more than 120 yards in Phils, but really few that can take big vessels.
3. The support industries are still very weak. This is where local plays can be more substantial. But there are also some international players that need to be enticed to come in, or take up joint ventures with locals.
4. The supply chain is still weak. Lots of parts, toolings, technology etc needs to be imported.
5. Customs and ports management need to be beefed up to facilitate the logistics required in this industry. A delay in the inward port clearance for a small part may hold up the delivery schedule of a project. (I have a personal story to tell here, but maybe for another day).
6. Although skilled workers are available, they are not localised. Eg shipyard in Batangas have majority of workers coming from NCR. Would be better if training could be pooled from the local population near to yards.
7. I understand dry-docking charges are still very expensive in Phils. Why is it so, and can it be further reduced?
Generally, I thing the Maritime Industry Authority has it’s acts together and has some good plans in place. How the industry can grow very much depends on private enterprises. EG whether Hanjin and Keppel simply wants to continue to do conversion jobs from their overflow of orders from Sorkor or Spore, or they want their Phils entity to undertake other jobs, it’s up to their own business strategies. There are many other segments that Phils can grow into — new vessel construction, very large vessel conversion/construction, rigging projects — like supply platforms or oil rigs, port voyage repairs, specialist vessels of all sorts. If the govt decides on a direction to sail forward, then it should provide all the support and incentives to entice the FDIs to commit accordingly.
My apologies to Joe for the lenghty comment that is out of context. But when the Librarian asks, one needs to comply, otherwise one’s future search request may always turn out blank.
Most interesting. Space here is free, so write away. 🙂 It would make a good blog, actually.
this deserves its own post Chempo. thanks.
http://www.weinspireeachother.eu/
The Philippines has become the first ASEAN country to join the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and benefit from zero-percent-tariff exports to the EU in over 6000 product categories. So what does this mean for the Philippines?
read on to see that the EU are not the “evil imperialists”… if ever China is more like that now.
Glad to be wrong Chempo.Many thanks.
Your reply was very comprehensive,but some more concerns.
On procurement.
Meaning procurement of our naval ships and others
Right now, we can only refurbish old ships,we do not yet go head o with the Koreans,French,Spaniards andThe indians for the Frigate project,becase we never ever built a brand new one,and the procurement law here requires track record.All we can offer is that we have refurbushed ships and war planes before.
How can we show track record,in those cases.
I am with Irineo’s start from simple things and the technology we have,but how can we supply or bid for MRT trains fir example,if we never built one,ever.They must allow us to even build one.
That is what I mean by the track record.
i hope I am making sense.Let me google the track record provision.
I got dizzy,Maybe this is what I am looking for.
—-
●Statement identifying the bidder’s single largest completed contract similar to the contract to be bid, except under conditions provided for in Section 23.5.1.3 of this IRR, within the relevant period as provided in the Bidding Documents in the case of goods.
●All of the above statements shall include all information required in the PBDs prescribed by the GPPB.” (Resolution 29-2012)
—–
Maybe it is not that,but I know bidders get disqualified for poor track record,some just on eligibility some on pre qual,etc.
—
my comment on why is shipbuilding goods and not infra.
easier to build a road or a bridge than a ship.So ships should be infra.Is it not?
—
Thank you very much Chempo,
I hope you make a blog out of this.
Out of memory or based on pure recollection you came up with a detailed report.
what more if you add a little research.
you d man.u awesome.
Wikipedia: Infrastructure refers to the fundamental structures, systems, and facilities serving a country, city, or area, including the services and facilities necessary for its economy to function.
Ships on the other hand are capital goods produced/manufactured for sale.
Regarding procurement — I understand where you’re coming from. Track record certainly is paramount in a bidding process. Well I’m afraid as regards the legislative part, I can’t be of much help. The only thing I can add is that in most big ticket items like MRT the govt would be smart enough to ensure as much local content, local participation, and technology transfer as possible. You would want some local plays to take off from there.
Let me leave you with these 2 examples :
– In our build up of our Spore defence force, one of the goals was to develop local military industry to save foreign exchange. We have come a long way since. We wanted to build small naval crafts, but local yards did not have the technology and capability in the early days.We went ahead — fully local. A friend of mine was involved in testing runs and he told of big big issues like manuerverabilty, buoyancy, etc..Initial few vessels were written off. Today, Spore’s niche in shilpbuilding is in the very high-end segment of the industry such as the Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessels (AHTS) MV Atlantic Mervin christened in 2014.
– In our MRT projects there was a lot of underground tunneling. We were fully dependent on foreign expertise and technology. Fast forward few years, we have local players that undertook lots of underground tunneling projects, including huge underground storage caverns.
Moral of the story — there is a price for the learning curve.
My learning from you is priceless.
“The spectre of the citizenry ending up as sweat shop workers and economic prisoners of foreign companies is really a view stuck in a Charles Dickens novel.”
That is of course bullshit and you know it. You haven’t heard yet of Chinese peasants who moved to the cities and lived in cramped prison-like dormitories working in foreign owned factories? You haven’t heard many of them have suicidal tendencies? As we speak, many of them are going back to their provinces with broken dreams as those same foreign owned plants and factories are being closed down.
You do not just cherry-pick from the overall result of globalization because there certainly are both winners and losers. Our task is to weigh in which policies would possibly ensure the well-being for maximum number of people, not just the few executives and shareholders of those MNC’s.
In the US heartland, for example, companies and corporations who decided to move their operations to China or Mexico leave behind entire communities and cities with abounding stories of despair and tragedies. So yes Virginia, as far as globalization is concerned, it’s still pretty much a Dickensian world out there.
Micha, please get your facts straight:
You and I read the same stuff (info is almost universal nowadays) but it registers differently.
If you are referring to those poor Chinese workers, yeah these are tragedies. But firstly, out of 1/2 a billion Chinese workers that flocked into the cities to work, how many died in those incidents — 100? 50? 20?. I know one death is too many, but let’s be realistic. Secondly, those companies were not FDIs, they were outsourced contractors of foreign companies. Foxconn is Chinese owned and so were the others.
You last para is outside the scope of the original discussion. This line of argument has no end so I wont waste time rebutting it.
If I may just butt in here to say to Chempo that everytime I read your comments explaining these economics related issues, I feel that I come out each time much better informed as opposed to just being left wondering what the whole thing was about. I do think you are one of the many who come to the society to really make a positive contribution and you do so with much respect for the intelligence of everyone else. So thank you. Obviously, I don’t appreciate the dismissive and patronizing attitude of some.
Thanks Cha, I’m not here to win any battles for sure.
I’ve taken much more from here than I’m giving. By the way I love your elephant hahaha.
I’m no economist for sure – I think the experts in the room are Micha, RHiro and Caliphman.
My explanation is in layman terms from stock knowledge from business exposures.
That is the beauty of it chempo,the layman approach.
Here’s Duterte on his economic policy. Would the economists here also care to comment?
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/programa-ni-duterte/
Thank you Irineo. Would like to hear from Micha and the others too.
I will be blunt as a person with a degree in economics and an interest in the steel industry..Duterte is talking complete bull..The world steel industry is currently in crisis..Chinese steel mills are shutting…European & USA & Australian steel companies are all crying foul about Chinese steel companies selling steel at below the global cost of production : ie dumping product..
Consider Australia sells massive quantities of iron ore and coal to China. These are the 2 main ‘ingredients’ of steel making.And these ingredients are shipped by massive coal & iron ore carriers over 3000 ks to China. But Australia’s 2 iron & steel companies with the ingredients on their door steps, are going bust because of Chinese dumping steel in the Australian market.
Obvious conclusion :anyone thinking of investing in steel production in the Philippines with it’s high cost electricity and needing to import coal ( from Australia ? ) will get hammered and waste their money..
I repeat Duterte, is a complete ignoramus on this one.
Right… that is what I am saying in my Filipino language article, albeit in a somewhat nicer way.
Composite materials are the future, and DOST is working on that in its metalworks projects… they could go one step further and advance the use of abaca and other fibers native to the Philippines – Daimler-Benz already uses abaca in car bodies because of its resilience as part of composites… Spain and UK are advancing the use of pineapple fibers as a non-animal alternative to leather among other things with the Philippines as a source… Duterte is stupid.
I recall too much of the days when Mao’s China had a steel smelter in every backyard, trying insanely to break the record for steel production.
and millions of chinese starving as a result…Ahhhhh for the good old days of Maoist idiocy..
Thank you Bill, I appreciate your straightforward reply citing actual and current information as basiis that are easier for non-economists like myself to grasp.
Just putting this here as it gives further credence to Bill’s points about the steel industry. From The Economist, Apr 7 :
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21696556-it-hard-see-future-many-worlds-high-cost-steel-producers-britains-are-no
Cha good to post this..But there is other news from Oz also. Arrium steel which is based in my home state and employees 5000 people has gone into voluntary liquidation owing $4 billion China dumping cheap poorly quality steel is the cause. Globally the steel industry is in a massive hole.
Hopefully Duterte has heard the news.
And here is Grace Poe :
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/kabuhayan-kaligtasan-karunungan-kakayahan-kaunlaran/
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/comparing-three-programs/
Roxas, Duterte, Poe are compared in this write-up based also on the previous two.
Binay and Santiago here :
http://news.abs-cbn.com/halalan2016/video/nation/v1/02/26/16/binay-santiago-to-prioritize-public-infrastructure
Peace and order equals more tourists. More tourists means more job. Not just the safety, but also rising up our economy. Well done Mar!
toink..!!!.that was the pics of a hot, sexy Cebu lady police officer and an alleged Davao teenager Death Squad member, not in uniform with a bloated beer belly.
I amazed the zealots have hit the other posts with agitprop commentary but this one seems too much for them to handle. The silence on their part is deafening.
They need a meme to process what cha wrote. Or maybe my suspicions are correct the paid troll army targets posts it deems as detrimental to its cause. The relatively high brow and older readership of joe is not their target market thus this is not included in their hit list.
Twitter, Facebook and Disqus accounts for BongBong Marcos, Cayetano, Duterte and Roxas are documented.
Right, their target market is the uninformed and emotional. The gullible. That seems rather insulting, but it evidently works, judging from the polls and how many ostensibly intelligent voters would support a total nightmare like Duterte.
Wel, I’m just relieved they hadn’t come or I might have had to bring out the elephant again. And seing as I may no longer have a need for it, I now officially bequeath the well–loved elephant to Chempo. Ahaha.
Gulp.
i plagiarized you once on that elephant thing I used it on Gary Olivar.
It ended up as this.Is Jim paredees your relative? say hi to name of relative….
Gary can surprise with civility at times. He badgers me, but there is no real animosity to it.
in my more than ten years of commenting,I have seen that there will always be verbal sparring some would just have a sudden change of attitude,some must have bad hair days…in short as you said everyone has a right to presonality.I am still learning to behave.
You have been the most gracious host,Joe.
Don’t worry about it. We should all be allowed to use it at least once, until Chempo declares a moratorium or Duterte becomes president and sends all elephants to Quiboloy’s prayer mountain for exclusive viewing of the both of them – then they don’t have to fight who gets to look at you know where. 🙂
😄👍🏻
Just a deep but disturbing thought:
So the self-proclaimed Action Star is presented as a frugal man who dresses in striped shirts and proclaims his disdain for ceremony (i.e. he intends to eschew the traditional Quirino Grandstand swearing-in). If he seeks absolute power for a reason, power for which to enforce curfew, ban cigarettes and curtail consumption of alcohol more strictly than Malaysia’s night spots, it is not to amass personal wealth in the vein of the Marcoses.
Instead, he — with this fundamentalist Quiboloy — is more likely seeking the reinvention of the Philippines by the creation of an obviously puritan-theocratic-patriarchal society in their vision according to God, divine Old Testament law enforced by his armed midnight militia, where he, being the patriarch, could dictate what Filipinos should do or not, or risk being humiliated by the roving militia, or punished in the preferred styles of the DAESH (to satisfy the bloodlust of his online zealots, who demand corporal punishment).
I was pondering the “Anti-PNP” position that his stance on the Cotabato confrontation represents. I imagined him using the NPA as his private army, or state police, running side by side with a diminished PNP relegated to local enforcement tasks.
Yes, he insists on a shortcut of terror, rather than the rule of law and habeas corpus.
I still doubt about him perusing the NPA for his needs unless in exchange for something (i.e. revolutionary taxes) since I came across this Maoist blog reporting that a commander claims distrust towards Duterte, seeing him as a trapo just like any.
If that was true, then he could — with a little money or exchange of favors — use other armed help from known violent warlords (onion-skinned egomaniacs who also hate radio commentators)…
*shakes head* Sir, isn’t it contradictory/hypocritical on his part that he earlier promised to hike the cops’ pay if elected? Sanamagan, as Mr. Soliven used to say.
@chempo, thank you for the big good informative post on ship building in the Philippines..There was so much there that I did not know..Good to learn !! Indeed worthy of it’s own blog..I think you covered all bases..
Australia is currently going though the process of working out which design, & where it wants to build the next generation of subs for our navy..
They will all be ‘non nuclear’ powered and not carry nuclear weapons.And they may be a Japanese design; or french or German. But basically they will be built in Oz..The favored build location, for political reasons, at the moment is my old home town Adelaide. .The Americans also make good sound silent non nuclear subs but for some queer reason I do not understand, The USA design is not part of the tender process..The Swedes also build subs but there were a lot of bad issues with a batch of subs built in Oz to Swedish design and specs. in the 1980-90’s.So they were not invited to be part this tender round…
But I am sure that any one of these 5 companies would be pleased to advise on building locally or just buying and maintaining them.
BTW : Steel may be a commodity, but in Oz, Chinese steel is definitely regarded as poorer quality with a shorter life span and more prone to metal fatigue..Given that the iron ore & coal used is now mostly from Oz, I guess this must reflect the production process itself..where cheapness is a priority..
Thank you Bill, glad u found it useful. I note too that often you have not been selfish in sharing info and ideas.
Those subs are interesting. I no nothing about these. But glad they are non-nuclear.
Yes steel production is not that easy. You are right about Chinese quality. I know these for a fact. Used to have a friend who is a purchaser for a steel trader in Spore, so she told me some stuff. That’s why I told my friends here in Phils, don’t stay in a highrise condo if you know they used Chinese steel.
Or Chinese made insulation on the external wall..It has flamable nsulation materials along with the aluminium foil…
A high rise in Melbourne had a tower fire in 2014 when insulation with the wrong fire specs was used..Now all high rises built in Oz in the past 5 years are being checked…and if the wrong stuff has been used, they will need to have the external walls reclad at the builders expense..
The stuff used was not certified for use on high rises in Oz..In fact banned..Big blunder…
From the official website of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ re:The New Jerusalem
Makes me think about the many Christian fundamentalist groups who have found fertile ground in several African nations, that they managed to meddle with their governments, twist their belief systems, and encourage persecution of undesirables, including homosexuals. All in the name of the Bible.
Shared this on my FB:
“So brazen and shameless. I really think this guy will end our democracy and destroy our political and social institutions and every major step forward we have achieved. He has already said that he will never kill any NPA because of their ideology. Will he be the leader of the AFP/PNP who have sworn to protect our nation and government WHILE HE SUPPORTS THE NPA? So he wont punish the NPA for killing our troops? papano yun? Seriously. Is this tenable?
I do not understand this at all. He tells businessmen they must pay revolutionary taxes. Why? Is the NPA OUR government? Will he not protect us from them? Takot ba siya sa kanila? Is that his economic plan?
Now about the death squads. Will they be ‘official”? Who do they report to? Who decides who they kill? Papano kung nagkamali? Can they be sued? Can I form one of my own?
If he wins, he will swear by our constitution to protect our laws. If he does not swear by the constitution, he cannot be our legal President.
Assuming he swears by the laws of the land, aren’t extra judicial killings against the constitution’s guarantee of due process? Does that mean that he will immediately be impeachable the moment he orders a killing? Where will the stability come from?
And if he is ready to go against the constitution, who can guarantee he will even leave his post after 6 years?
Too many red flags, so to speak.
Mga kapawa Pilipino, matauhan na tayo”. ~ Jim Paredes
You’re so right, Jim Paredes. I agree with you wholeheartedly, I hope every Filipinos will, too for the sake of our country. NEVER AGAIN!!! Below is his shareable post: Please do share it to as many friends as you can:
We still have to be like August Landmesser. There will be Landmessers here, however few of us.
https://shakeymclovin.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/a-lone-man-august-landmesser-refusing-nazi-salute-1936-rare-historical-photos/
Whenever I see the leader of a religious organization (legitimate or otherwise) who claims to hear and to speak the word of God endorsing a politician, I can’t help but remember a line from a movie: “Every man who wages war believes God is on his side. I’ll warrant God should often wonder who is on his.”
🙂
Elections in the Philippines are always a busy time not only for the candidates but also for many leaders of the different churches. Go figure.
Would it be far-fetched of me to imagine that if the government decides to take a closer look at Mr. Quiboloy’s activities, he and his cohort will start screaming “Separation of church and state!” and “Uphold religious freedom!”?
That cult leader Quiboloy has his head in the news warning he will lead a revolution of Duterte is deprived of the presidency..
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/782471/pro-duterte-sect-leader-warns-of-revolution
Well, it will be easy to know who to jail for insurrection and crimes against the State.
And now, this……….
Such Irony.
https://usa.inquirer.net/10225/quiboloy-detained-hawaii-350k-gun-parts-found-private-plane
And found something on Google:
https://carm.org/signs-of-a-cult-pastor-apollo-quiboloy
On the last link, my opinion is that one does not have to go beyond Warning Sign #3: Financial Motivation.