Remember: Duterte took the election from Binay, not Roxas
By Joe America
Duterte took the election from Binay, not Roxas.
This is a very significant point, and if you give me a few lines of reading, I’ll explain why.
We have discussed the ‘failure’ of the Aquino government and its designated heir, Mar Roxas, to speak across the great divide to reach the hearts and minds of the masses. But was it really a failure? Or was the chemistry in the hearts and minds of the masses so toxic as to guarantee the rejection of ‘good guy’ politics, and even the rejection of democracy, civility, human rights, and faith?
The poor and the laboring were in a mood for rebellion. So were those stuck in traffic. They were in the market for a strong-man leader they could throw in the face of the establishment. They were impatient. They’d been stuck a lifetime whilst others were getting ahead. Their lot in life was a burden. They were going to vote to punish the people who made them suffer.
The guy riding strong in the early part of the campaign was former Vice President Jejomar Binay. His net satisfaction rating as VP was above 70% and many people were shocked that a man who allegedly got rich by plundering his city’s tax coffers retained his popularity, through thick and thin.
Remember that?
I suspect most of us have forgotten.
But it is clear that the masses were ready to vote for a strong populist. It just happened that Mayor Duterte came crashing in and stole Binay’s thunder.
Indeed, this explains why the satisfaction levels for President Duterte remain high, because the masses are still determined to punish the establishment, the do-gooders who never gave them anything that they could recognize as tangible help.
In that context, the rise of Mar Roxas during the short campaign season was quite remarkable. Market by local market, as he made himself available, more and more people listened, agreed, and saw hope. They saw promise. He made sense. They switched to Mar Roxas. Binay and Poe fell behind.
But mainstream media did not report the Roxas message or his rising popularity as important news. They buried him and went with shock stories and promises of jet skis and filling the bay with bodies. Roxas dominated the debates and the press highlighted the inarticulate jokester Duterte and laughed along with the masses.
It seems that journalism in the Philippines is fundamentally immature, lacking perspective as to its own responsibilities as guardians of democracy and some very important freedoms. The media delivered Duterte on a platter. Sensationalism over responsibility and circulation over the integrity of the Fourth Estate to protect our rights and freedoms.
Putting all this together, I end up with some lessons that seem rather important to me:
- If Duterte had not run, Binay would likely be President, not Roxas.
- The message of Roxas had traction. But it was rolled out too slowly during a short campaign period, and in a way that did not appeal to mainstream media.
- The Roxas message can still find resonance with the masses. Right now it is being suppressed by vicious attacks against Vice President Robredo and Senator De Lima.
- The Duterte people are very much afraid of the Roxas message, which is one of hope, opportunity, pride, and jobs . . . against the darkness of death, incivility, incompetence, shame, and submission to China.
The short-form of the Roxas message, as I recall reading in one of his tweets, is: “We are a great nation. We can be so much better than this.”
The message does not have to be delivered by Mar Roxas himself. But it needs to be delivered in a way that reaches the disenfranchised who feel they have gotten nothing in the past.
Given the price rises they are seeing, and the bowing to China, it may soon strike them that they are getting even less under President Duterte than they did under President Aquino.
The masses, it seems to me, like conflict, hubris, and larger-than-life people and promises.
They also like dumping presidents.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
“We are a great nation. We can be so much better than this.”
Fuck that, says the nation. And takes more of the political shabu called Duterte. 😦
“Yeah I know he gonna pimp me to China. But he be a good pimp – good guys don’t exist.”
They do. Just not in Philippine politics; especially now!
” chemistry in the hearts and minds of the masses so toxic as to guarantee the rejection of ‘good guy’ politics, and even the rejection of democracy, civility, human rights, and faith?The poor and the laboring were in a mood for rebellion”.This had also been true in SouthVN prior to 1975.
Philippinos have to learn the lesson from its neighbour.
Continueing the present course will make the people lose the territory (both seas and land): Just lookat your neighbour now to predict your own future!
Interesting point, tonytran. I think the parallel would be the rise of the CPP, though, which seems to be Duterte’s path. So I’m not sure I see the parallel. South Viet Nam was not committed to democracy and the power of the entitled dominated. That part is parallel.
*******
Between a Duterte presidency and a Binay presidency, I would choose the latter.
With Binay, you would know there wouldn’t be, among other things:
o Close to 9,000 EJKs in 10 months
o Profanities galore
o Need for a presidential interpretation bureau
o A resurgent communist movement
o Reimposition of the death penalty
o Lowering the age of criminal responsibility
o Demonization of Senator De Lima
o Mistreatment of Vice President Robredo
Perhaps the pivot to China (but not the abject vacillation about the WPS claims and not the estrangement from the US), the burial of Marcos in the LNMB, and the release of Arroyo would still have occurred.
And, certainly, the Boy Scout’s uniform would still be presidential haute couture and corruption would perhaps flourish as never before. But, still, I have no doubt Binay would not put at risk the economic path and progress the country was on.
There is something comfortable and soothing with living with the devil you know.
But Mar Roxas — such a waste of opportunity and steady growth.
*****
Totally agree.
With Binay, you would have Professor-Dr. Victor Limlingan as Senior presidential adviser instead of Bebot Alvarez et al.
link to Limlingan’s profile: http://www.limlingan.com/profile.htm
*******
Impressive credentials. I would note, however, that this Victor is the brother of the Gerry Limlangan who conveniently disappeared during the senate hearings on the world-class green garage building in Makati. Does a brother inherit the sins of a brother? Perhaps not.
*****
*******
That savvy economics writer from Singapore got it right — the good ol’ days was just 10 months ago. Ten months! It seems like a world and an age in some historic past.
*****
Before Marcos, the Philippines was behind only Japan and in front of South Korea.
Seems that one-day millionaires (a term for raffle winners who fritter away their winnings) like Filipinos love freeing themselves of the burden of being a successful country.
This ad or meme lumped together all opponents.
Ayaw namin sa Binayaran at Maruming Poelitics.
Directly translated: we don’t like Paid hacks and dirty poltics.
Loosely translated: we hate all three.
—–
In my few exchanges with Chemrock, on the difficulties of implementing transportation and infrastructure due to several factors, even if they were sincere in their campaign to “Fix the nation” they are in for a rude awakening.
—-
Binay’s sister city thing almost worked, he almost got away with many things, but should I thank heavens that Duterte won? Hell, no! Duterte even said Binay will go to jail if Roxas wins.
If the best of Filipinos go abroad for better paid jobs, then there is no hope for Philippines. Because these bests, these OFWs, voted 83% for Duts.
chemp,
I just caught this story on NPR—- National Public Radio here,
https://www.marketplace.org/2017/04/18/economy/wisconsin-dairy-farmer-knows-what-wages-sent-mexico-can-do
“Because these bests, these OFWs, voted 83% for Duts.”
I’d imagine these folks would have the most to lose in the Philippines. I mean, the OFWs, not the Filipinos who’ve become citizens in other nations. Those working contractually.
Like the Mexican dairy (and farm workers) featured in that NPR piece, much of what they earn goes back home (the story’s relevant because Pres. Trump is planning to tax money being sent to illegal immigrants’ home countries).
The rich Filipinos would all have escape options and either have sent their kids outside the Philippines or have investments ready outside, or both.
Those with nothing won’t care either way. BPO workers, base on their demographic patterns (age and buying power), same as here, will only care about buying fancy coffee, or hanging in bars, restaurants, or going to malls—- no family to worry about.
But the OFWs, are sending their money (like that NPR piece) specifically to get their agents back home, either family or their wife/husband or their kids, etc. to build homes, put kids thru school, open businesses.
So it makes sense that stability thru security is what would be of value to them. Now many here are of course learned, so economic stability is the utmost—- and rightly so. But if those OFWs, are getting reports
from back home that so and so has been a victim of this and that, she’s now addicted to shabu, they just got robbed at gun point, the house they are building will not continue due to fraud or corruption, etc. etc. etc.
If you’re an OFW, with money to send back to the Philippines, your number one concern is to ensure your investments, the reason for all your hard work, all that will fruit, not go to waste. Now of the five candidates, that would’ve been a simple choice (hence the 40% win).
I understand the nuance of business and economics, of Rule of Law & Human Rights, but in Maslow’s pyramid, the OFWs were simply on the second rung… then there’s the whole issue with Roxas’ wife, which I’m sure was like salt in the wounds of OFWs, many of whom work essentially as servants.
A better question would be why wasn’t there an active effort to understand and speak to the needs and worries of the OFWs, was DU30 the only one running on peace and order?
BPOs and OFWs, seemingly two different factions, one sees itself as professionals at home, the other as success story with lots of suffering abroad, but they voted very much the same way didn’t they? Why?
Maybe many of these folks are experiencing buyer’s remorse—- but their needs and worries still need addressing.
LCPL_X, the interests of the BPO people and the OFWs coincide in one major aspect:
THEY KNOW THEY CANNOT LEAVE THE COUNTRY FOR GOOD.
The days of mass migration to the USA are definitely over. The chance to get a job with the US Army or in US bases (even abroad) became smaller from the time US bases were told to leave. A lot of the working class clientele that is OFW used to work in US bases.
No reason for them to be pro-US now, as the US is not a potential employer anymore. Same thing for most Anglo countries, the path to migration is closed save for the very highly qualified. Most of the upper middle class, like you observed, has its options.
Those who voted the Nazis in 1930s Germany – and who supported Adenauer after the war – were of similar new middle class background. Disappointed by the old leadership, then by Hitler, they found an Adenauer and built Germany’s postwar “economic miracle”.
Seems the last major batches of migration into Anglo countries were to Australia and Canada in the late 1990s. US bases of course closed in the 1990s in the Philippines, and a lot also closed in Europe in the 1990s, but I suspect the Filipino networks that helped each other find employment with Americans were crucially interrupted then. As well as the major job motors that Clark and Subic used to be – I wonder as well how many of those Filipinas now in Saudi etc. would have gotten married to a US soldier back in the days, whether white or a GI (genuine Ilocano) – what I know is that it was easy for Filipino citizens before to join the US army and become US citizens, I think that closed also.
Since for most Filipinos those who help make a living are friends, those who help make a good living are good friends, I am no longer surprised that the US alliance is less important. Add to the Mideast OFWs those in many parts of Asia – including China…
Lance
My angle is simply this. OFWs are presumably more educated than their kins in the masa. Having worked in a foreign land they would have the benefit of a more open mindset seeing as to how other countries govern themselves. We would assume they can assess with better logic and more critically rather than be persuaded emotionally like the massa. Whilst everyone should rightfully be concerned about criminality, the smarter ones should understand there is no short cut to ‘Singapore’. I have watched Dut’s speeches to OFWs in Spore, Saudia, Qatar, Cambodia, Thailand. When you look at these smart Filipinos cheer the president when he talks of killings you wonder if there is hope for the country.
For those OFWs coming home, the president is offering them jobs in the DDS dept. It’s no joke, he said so opening. And they cheered wildly.
“BPOs and OFWs, seemingly two different factions, one sees itself as professionals at home, the other as success story with lots of suffering abroad, but they voted very much the same way didn’t they? Why?”
A James Fallow type explanation is appropriate I guess. There are many attempts at explaining the “Rise of Stupidity” out there to explain for populism surfacing all over the world. My own explanation is that like the movie world, a change in genres will see the first of the new ideas will see box office success. Eg Rocky 1 won lots of awards. Actually, the show was only so-so, but why the tremendous success? Because in the real world, world heavy boxing were monopolised by the blacks for decades – Ali and Fraser et al. Even tho it’s only reel like, they now have a white Rocky to whip asses, that’s why they loved it. Bruce Lee brought along Asia ass-kickers and the martial arts genre, Star Wars brought out the Sci-Fi genres. Today we are sick of Vampires and zoombies — what’s the new genre. Virtual reality took hold for a while via Matrix. So in politics people are sick of the elites, capitalists, politically correctness, civilities, moralities, consensus building craps. The new genres are the populists thuggies foul mouthed blockheads.
Duts comes from an elite family. But he has to make himself ‘one of them’ – a foul-mouthed canker from the south. His gaffes make him even more endearing. Remember Eraption? The people loved Erap. Who cares Benham Rise is left or right of Philippines. Everybody makes mistakes. There were folks who lost their kids in the EJK who cried for their lost but angry because their kids were not involved with drugs and they said you know, they have nothing aginst EJK if their kids were guilty. With mindsets like this, Duts cannot be ousted at the moment. Only when the economy pop and the rug is pulled out from everybody’s feet can change come.
“OFWs are presumably more educated than their kins in the masa. Having worked in a foreign land they would have the benefit of a more open mindset seeing as to how other countries govern themselves” NO. Let me explain why it is not that way.
1) They are vocationally educated, but not very educated in terms of general things. They will do what they have to do whether in HK or in Saudi, but barely care or understand. This is another generation and another group of people than Manong Edgar and Sonny.
2) They are abroad, but most of their interactions are with fellow Filipinos, except when they are working. Even during work they will cluster if they can – happens in Singapore and some Singaporeans complain about it. So in their bubble, they hardly learn new things.
Premises and points from two OFWs very well taken if this third OFW has a say. Here in the US there is a version of this masa that swept another supposed strongman and change agent into power on the basis of his populist promises. But even the masa here is awakening from their stupor if sentiment and trust polls are to be believed. But alas and alack, our countrymen appear less akin to thinking and acting like crows than carabaos.
“Premises and points from two OFWs very well taken if this third OFW has a say.”
caliphman,
What would be a third OFW?
LCX,
Re: Third OFW.
He was talking about himself.
Got it , karl. I thought he was talking about another type of OFW.
Three times the charm or as Lionel Richie puts it, Three times the Lady.
Agree because most Pilipinos by nature are shy, lack self confidence,and insecure. they would rather associate themselves with their provincemates,,than talk to strangers and foreigners. added to that, most of them abhor and find it difficult to talk in English,,,
Do we have commenters here that are BPOs? Is intuitivep one? or gian? Because I think we might be reading the BPO folks rather wrongly. I remember there was some sort of weird appeal to them, re “Father of BPO” , hence don’t bite the hand that feeds or something to that effect… but no one’s really looking at why these two,,, BPOs and OFWs voted very similarly and how they are very different. Let’s focus on this, we have a good reading IMHO of these OFWs out there, but not so much these BPOs.
What will be similar with both BPO and OFW people is the intense culture shock both have experienced.
1) OFWs: usually average Filipinos with the typical family and group mentality forced to survive in a difficult foreign environment. They usually don’t have the confidence of the typical upper middle class Filipinos who speak some kind of American-sounding English and are able to find their way around in the modern world – after getting used to living without maids. The OFW defense mechanism is to huddle closely together in small, impenetrable groups. This in-group, karaoke-singing culture is what Duterte is good at.
2) BPOs: usually from the better schools. I don’t know if they are usually from the “better” families – because the well-connected families usually find ways to place their children in more cushy careers. Directly thrust into the high pressure of dealing with Westerners very firsthand without filters. A UP professor once wrote about how his daughter came home crying because an American woman had called her a bitch. Filipinos are sensitive, in fact an American writer during the colonial period wrote about the American-Filipino encounter as “a collision between a people proud and arrogant and a people proud and sensitive”. I can only imagine the Filipino pride (and often anger) growing in UP, Ateneo etc. grads hurt by being shouted at by, well, let’s say rednecks. In comes Duterte who says PI to the US.
http://filipinogerman.blogsport.eu/god-is-dead-lets-be-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-14992 – this is a continuation of a discussion you started in another thread here… sonny say something interesting “Fitting into any foreign culture is the necessary exercise for survival. Any immigrant will attest to this including dueling. The Filipino expatriates of Rizal’s time are absolutely no exception.” referring to stuff you mentioned about Chappelle and stuff I mentioned about Filipino expats having to prove not being childish in Europe.
My answer: “fitting into a foreign culture can have its battles but also its many lessons. In fact a major lesson can be the reverse culture shock of return. You realize many things that you did not notice as a fish in water. What I see as still missing is the language for Filipinos to communicate their experiences. They take a lot with them, but it is not a verbose culture. Rizal was verbose, but that was an exception.” – to elaborate this, Filipinos have been experiencing not only more exposure to the big wide world via travel and BPO, but also via the Internet. As people who process things more subliminally, incapable of communicating well verbally, this may be an emotional pressure cooker. Of course modern life has come quickly, including, yes, very changed sexual codes I think. And of course families not living that close anymore, the old villages not there anymore, will have lead to disorientation about values (damn I sound conservative today) to follow.
The disorientation, not understanding the Philippines and the world they are in, the lack of real guideposts – all of that I think could be leading to the RAGE so many have nowadays.
There was a comedy about a call center agent who was nice to his American customer when speaking, then muting his phone to call him anything but human… just an example.
The more articulate like intuitiveperceiving are lucky – most Filipinos are by upbringing a bit tongue-tied, which leads to them exploding when rage gets too much to handle inside.
Similar experiences to OFWs being out in the cold: Rizal and the rest of the Propaganda movement in the late 19th century.
Similar experiences as BPOs getting exposed to the big “bad” world: Bonifacio and the Katipunan. Bonifacio and his original group almost all worked for international firms in Manila. Bonifacio was a warehouse manager or dispatcher for a German trading firm.
A local politician vying for national power: former barangay captain Aguinaldo of Kawit.
Your 1 and 2 seems aligned with a longer comment/observation I made re BPOs and OFWs in response to chemp’s comment below, but wasn’t OK ‘ed for print.
But yeah, I agree Ireneo. Thanks for the confirmation. What’s being done to address their needs and worries?
The only recent comment I’ve declined is the one regarding Trump and US politics. If your remark pertains to an earlier message, there was an underlying editorial reason for not publishing it. I suggest you just comment on issues and not my editorial prerogatives. You do your part and there is no problem whatsoever.
I have been in the BPO sector for a few months in the years 2006,2007,2008 and 2010.
What is the question?
If majority voted for Duterte you still could not know just by asking a few, you have to look at the stats if any, and of course social media profiles and comments observed by journalists and compiled by statisticians,which you downplayed and continue to downplay despite reasons given.
“LCPL_X, the interests of the BPO people and the OFWs coincide in one major aspect:
THEY KNOW THEY CANNOT LEAVE THE COUNTRY FOR GOOD.”
this is a REALLY good point, Ireneo!
That these two groups in the end are stuck in the Philippines.
To caliphman’s point re Third OFW, I wonder if the Philippines is seeing an up-tick in undocumented Filipinos returning to the Philippines post-Trump, if they’ve been in the U.S. for so long do they get lumped in as OFWs, or is their potential for BPO work, place them in that category… I was reading an article on voluntary leaving by illegal immigrants since Trump’s ramping up of deportations, and how they’re bringing their US citizen children (by virtue of birth here) with them,
I wonder what a return for them back here would entail, if now they’ve grown up as non-Americans, but have an American passport—- ie. i’m sure a separate industry would cater to these children, preparing them for their eventual return to America (it is their birth right after all).
LC, these days there is a time-stamp on the terms BPO and OFW. In my days (1961-1969), the US Immigration pretty much had it right on immigrant visa classifications: Exchange Program, Tourist, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th preferences. I came as 2nd preference, i.e. unmarried child of 3rd preference immigrant (academic professional). Guess where illegals came through? Border crossing not counted.
Filipino immigrants came by the plane loads during 1960s & early ’70s.
sonny,
Thanks, I thought this was the 3rd OFW that caliphman was speaking of. I remember you talking about the NASA program which poached heavily from the Philippines’ scientists and engineers.
Though I am aware that OFWs are essentially temporary, skilled or unskilled labor but mainly to MidEast or the rest of Asia or Europe… but also here, a few years back, I met a contingent of young Filipinos manning the many concessionaire stands at the Grand Canyon, I was curious if any were from Mindanao, alas they were mostly metro Manila area (I think it was a student program, they were young, and spoke English well).
As for where illegals come from, I’m aware of visa overstay as the starting point to illegal immigration in the US, ie. 1st legal with visa, then 2nd upon overstay of visa provisions they become illegal immigrants… many get married to US citizens (real or scam); also if both illegals, male/female have kids (by design or god given) over here and they hire a good immigration lawyer to plea for some clause about keeping families together.
On the illegal entry front, that mostly occurs in our southern border, used to be most from Mexico but in the past 10 years or so, Mexican illegal entry went down (I guess you can spin this as a NAFTA success) while the rest of South and Central Americans illegal entry went up, big league, so essentially Mexico the whole country became our “Wall”, with
the recent Trump stuff, Mexico decided not to police its own southern border. I don’t think the spike is yet recorded in any research,
But county Sheriffs along the border are finding out that of that number , there are less Mexicans still, steady influx of non-Mexican South Americans, but they are now finding, an increase amongst African and Middle East illegal entries—- but that’s another issue all together, the terrorism angle gets kicked up to local polices and the FBI, hence local Sheriffs sounding alarm, while Feds play it cool.
Back to OFWs vs. BPOs, sonny, what’s your take on this enculturation process that me and edgar are trying to chip at here, and how 1st world values translated to this DU30 win, as you know I ‘m very suspicious of this social media changed their minds theory, the OFWs and BPOs took something from their day-to-day experience and converted it to their voting,
that’s worth exploring
they took from 1st world values but they did not take the Rule of Law and Human Rights (too fancy I suppose), I think they mostly took the customer reaction to bad customer service ,,, essentially now they’re complaining (which is a start, that was how the Founding Fathers started they just complained and complained, ie. taxation without representation, then got other Americans to complain).
I’m not as worried about Presidencies, I’m panning out farther, to mark where people start to complain, as individuals not as say mass protests. We are not there yet in the Philippines, but there is now some semblance of “I want to talk to your manager!” (which we saw last year), which I’m sure is the big lesson BPOs are learning,
translated to governance.
I’ve declined your other posting on MOAB, N Korea, and Trump as it is not material to the Philippines, in my editorial judgment, and it is busy promoting your political slant. I’d suggest you carry on in your dialogue with Chempo, seeking to build these insights which are relevant to the Philippines. I’d like your presence here to be more modest and relevant.
Lance
My angle is simply this. OFWs are presumably more educated than their kins in the masa. Having worked in a foreign land they would have the benefit of a more open mindset seeing as to how other countries govern themselves. We would assume they can assess with better logic and more critically rather than be persuaded emotionally like the massa. Whilst everyone should rightfully be concerned about criminality, the smarter ones should understand there is no short cut to ‘Singapore’. I have watched Dut’s speeches to OFWs in Spore, Saudia, Qatar, Cambodia, Thailand. When you look at these smart Filipinos cheer the president when he talks of killings you wonder if there is hope for the country.
For those OFWs coming home, the president is offering them jobs in the DDS dept. It’s no joke, he said so opening. And they cheered wildly.
“BPOs and OFWs, seemingly two different factions, one sees itself as professionals at home, the other as success story with lots of suffering abroad, but they voted very much the same way didn’t they? Why?”
A James Fallow type explanation is appropriate I guess. There are many attempts at explaining the “Rise of Stupidity” out there to explain for populism surfacing all over the world. My own explanation is that like the movie world, a change in genres will see the first of the new ideas will see box office success. Eg Rocky 1 won lots of awards. Actually, the show was only so-so, but why the tremendous success? Because in the real world, world heavy boxing were monopolised by the blacks for decardes – Ali et al. Even tho it’s only reel like, they now have a wh
chempo,
In light of Ireneo’s 1 and 2 of OFWs and BPOs, let me focus on just BPOs (I had a longer response this morning, but apparently didn’t pass muster).
OFWs from what I’ve seen in the Middle East as food-servers, janitorial and AC/Heating techs, carpentry… in military bases— I know they’re plenty of nurses and engineers also in the Middle East. But I agree with Ireneo, they won’t be the receptacles or bearer of critical thinking.
BPOs though would be. We’ve talked about the lack of humanities training in the Philippines (leadership and character type lessons), of all sectors, BPO workers would be the closest to what you’re looking for re critical thinking.
Ireneo’s got it right in his number 2 assessment above, but where this interaction is negative for him; I think call centers afford BPO workers the ability/chance to learn more about 1st world thought processes. What OFWs non-skilled working in the 1st world would ONLY take away is this notion of All Men Created Equal, whereas the BPO’s would actually
gather this understanding via their day-to-day contact of 1st world callers, ie. senior citizens (you give these guys the time and they’ll talk on and on, lack of contact I suppose here); then their peers in the 1st world, BPOs would be privy to their 1st world counterparts, 20-somethings’, buying habits, vacation destinations, and style of talking.
Essentially the BPOs for 8 to 12 hours a day (or night) are in the 1st world, they are talking to 1st world callers and “learning” them personally, as opposed to the more cloistered OFWs living in the 1st world, or rich ME countries, where the connection is more loose,
the frustration, I think isn’t from these BPOs interaction via phone calls, the frustration is upon exit of their work environment, to realize after having just spent around 10 hours of efficiency and fair dealings online or by phone, they are
back in the 3rd world, ie. crime, corruption, traffic, pollution, etc.—- especially since they work at night.
So traffic is just one out of a myriad of frustrations that permeate the BPOs psyche, you see, chemp. Whereas, the frustration OFWs feel is in their long distance accountings of their investments, like the house they’re constructing, tuition for school, crime victims, corruption from afar, though their wives/husbands, family , are reporting it to them direct.
Similar frustrations,
but BPOs for me symbolize a missed opportunity. There’s I’m sure a great enculturation process amongst BPOs at work, some I’m sure negative, but I’d wager more positive, it’s what happens when these BPOs, after pulling 8 to 12 hour shifts (essentially working in the 1st world),
it’s the rude awakening each time they leave work, more ironic is that the lessons they are gleaning from in their day-to-day contacts is not being translated to anything significant.
Is there any value placed on all this learning by BPO workers? how is all this being translated to appease or address their needs and worries? Ireneo, can you go further into this day-to-day interaction of BPOs with their 1st world callers (intuitivep, gian, anyone who would know a BPO worker, please add your input here).
I deleted no BPO posting so I have no idea what you are talking about.
As for BPO’s symbolizing a missed opportunity, I cannot see how that can be when it gives so many people reputable, professional work. The rigors you cite about after work or family frustrations apply to anyone who is working and has to deal with life in the Philippines, or anywhere else. There are tensions, bosses, traffic, income shortfalls, hirings, firings, promotions, and promotions denied. Also, noticing a pattern here . . . Maybe rather than doling out research assignments to others here, why not do them yourself and bring us enlightenment instead of challenges.
LCPL_X, the most confident people I have observed in the BPO world are those who have experienced the first world firsthand AND secondhand. One should remember that call center and online dealings are just secondhand, not the same as real life interaction.
My BPO exposure was to Indians, but I guess the whole thing is universal. My experience of travelling and working abroad and for abroad has been that the culture shock of going somewhere AND the reverse culture shock coming back both are very vital experiences.
The Philippines has so much potential to deliver services to the world – it just has to find ways to put together the varied experiences and exposures of its people to the world – instead of turning its back to the world – like it seems to want to now and yet not want to.
Ireneo,
I’ve gotten both Indian and Filipino call centers I suppose, and I usually attempt small talk to get them to say where they are exactly, Cebu or Manila… but no cigar, they don’t even acknowledge they’re in the Philippines!!! Filipino and Indian accents are kinda obvious. But then I’ve probably been exposed to 3rd world call centers around 10 times… so a very small sample.
I do agree that those who’ve actually gotten out of the Philippines would have a more nuanced understanding of the 1st world, and that that would certainly add to their work.
But I think most BPO types would be those that have not gone out of the Philippines, hence the importance of the interaction at work.
karl,
You worked in the BPO industry can you go more into detail as to these interactions, if you were some young 20-something, or just your take personally (or both), what do these interactions with the 1st world bring you? or what did it offer you past tense, ie. looking back?
I deleted your post elaborating on the mysterious missing post. It is not relevant to the substantive discussions we should be undertaking here.
I was Thirty something, during my healthcare days I dealt with Doctors claiming their share from HMOs and the like, I get calls from lab techs asking about insurance coverage etc.
Sometimes I share their frustration especially uncollected collectibles, Be it healthcare ,credit card accounts, directory assistance, you get frustrated people,but the usual script there (except in directory assistance where you just give the number, and say thank you) is to always say I know where you are coming from and I understand in a million ways.
But I had my share of being called a-hole and stupid where I had to escalate stuff to supervisors.
Before,we were not allowed to disclose our location, but I guess it is no longer a secret nowadays.
I think Joe may be more correct — it’s a personal thing. Some like our overseas members here in TSOH are pretty brilliant. But as Irineo and yourself observed, many OFWs and BDO workers, although immersed in work environment of 1st world countries, are still innately Filipinos. To some extent confidence is lacking in them . Confidence comes from knowledge in their sphere of work. Those I work with, which is accountancy field, I find their technical knowledge is not up to par, which I suspect the standard of education is to be blamed. There is also the overbearing deference to foreigners borne out of lack of confidence. I remember many years ago it was the same in Singapore. We stand in awe of foreigners in the workplace. But today we have discarded that physchological self-condescending. We work alongside foreigners as equals. Of course, the respect in terms of where one stands in the organisation chart is still there.
“There is also the overbearing deference to foreigners borne out of lack of confidence. “
chemp,
This is similar to the reasoning behind the social media won for DU30 theory, espoused by buencamino (the reporter right?) below:
“The last election was decided in the social media battlefield. Facebook.
(And both duterte and marcos have such a headstart dominating social media that the opposition to this day is still playing catch-up.)”
So simply exchange your “foreigners” above, with buencamino’s “social media”… this notion of letting others think for you. As I’ve said I don’t quite buy this narrative. But specific to BPO—- we’ve already concluded that most OFWs will not be the best bearers of the lessons of 1st world values—
IMHO these BPO workers, aren’t being ordered what to do, they are interacting with 1st world callers one-on-one (albeit these interactions are being recorded for criticism , and maybe directions on how to interact , but much of it is conversational… ie. they were hired precisely because they’re not robots ), unlike accounting or engineering, where you hit a certain plateau in talent or skills, etc…. the gift of gab as a skill-set
is forever expanding (ie. you talk more, you learn more). So maybe for BPO workers it is not a lack of confidence, but a new found power, couple that with personal, or generational , frustrations, and that’s a powder keg, chemp—- there’s something more to just simply this notion that other people made them think differently.
Now if —- as karl has indicated– that the bulk of this BPO work is getting called a-hole and stupid by the 1st world, then we’re back to colonial times and I guess your loss confidence is the most apt scenario… but I’m thinking it is more than that.
karl: “is to always say I know where you are coming from and I understand in a million ways.”
Maybe because karl was in his 30s, but that’s a bit of what I’m looking for there, empathy whether faked or heartfelt becomes routine. Empathy.
Maybe that is the Filipino brand: empathy.
The extreme side is being overly sensitive as Irineo put it.
You ask what all of these has given me, my answer is besides stress and hypertension is just what yousaid to be empathetic.
As an aside you learn to improve in this comment threads too, even if I get annoyed by IP!s lecturing and your twenty trapping questions, I definitely learn from it.
As to you(at the risk of lecturing) sometimes, you are hard to convince no matter how sincere the other side is.
If you can’t find the answer from us, dion’t ask the same question after letting it be dormant for a while. This social media influence thing is getting old.If you don’t buy it,why do you keep asking for it? it is like trying every free sample even if you hate it.
karl,
This isn’t so much about social media/DU30 win anymore,
as it is about BPOs and what they’re learning that ‘s either affecting their world-view and voting proclivities (as already mentioned BPOs and OFWs are the ones influencing the Philippines now, whether DU30 took from Binay and not Roxas is all moot to me— the better question is how they think and process and react, which I concede is related to the social media/DU30 discussion, but at the same time something different).
My last memorable interaction with a BPO call center no doubt in the Philippines, was when one of my credit card was used 3 states away, and I called to report that it wasn’t my purchase, i’ve had something similar happen to my Debit Card (BofA) , I guess BofA doesn’t use 3rd world call centers, so I spoke to someone from CA and essentially it was a simple cancellation… but this credit card problem took my call to the Philippines ,
And so the guy that I initially talked to, heard my story, and he said, Sir, I understand. I’m sorry, Sir. We’ll fix… then he said, OK, Sir, you will only have to pay half of the amount.
I’m like WHAT?!!! I’m reporting a stolen credit card number, I did not make those purchases, can you cancel that number and ensure I won’t be billed? He went thru the motion of empathy again (fake, just going thru the ropes), then he said the weirdest thing,
OK, Sir, I’m sorry this happened to you; How much would you be willing to pay the amount?
This guy I’m sure wasn’t the sharpest BPO hired, thick accent, didn’t really quite know what I was saying, nor understood the situation.
So I gently asked for another person (no a-hole, no stupid, I was polite, professional); This time I got a female voice, impeccable English, I explained my situation, and within seconds I was done, she fixed my problem.
I remember talking to her was almost like talking to American customer service here. Now maybe this second person, as Ireneo alluded to, visited the US or Europe, etc. But I’ll bet that
her customer service skills was just in country, having never left the Philippines; and as for that 1st guy I talked to, maybe it was his 1st day on the job, but as learning curbs go, I think that guy will get the hang of it (that or get fired).
The connection I’m making here, aside from empathy, is that female call center worker (the one with perfect American English, and great customer service skillz) will get off work and will then expect similar empathy and customer service for her in the Philippines… as simple as understanding a problem, figuring out ways to fix it, and simply solving the issue, then with a smile—from her I felt,
I guess confidence and knowledge is related to this, she had genuine empathy IMHO; now the first guy still either learning the ropes or just absolutely obtuse, was faking his empathy, faking the funk, ie. I understand, sorry, all the Sirs, etc. but I gotta feeling that he’s the minority of BPO call center worker… I won’t be surprised if he’s selling cigarettes outside the BPO center right now.
So empathy is one, customer service although related to empathy, is about finding solutions to problems (essentially you can fake empathy, but you can’t fake customer service, since that requires getting something done, ideally where both parties leave with a smile… how was your customer service improved via BPO work, and did it change how you viewed customer service in general in the Philippines, karl?
One advantage of your twenty questions is you probe till you think you are asked enough “right questions”, that guy took your call as a disputed purchase which is a different animal from a fraud call. if he or she asked if you feel it is a fraud case pattern then you would have been transferred to the fraud section. But everywhere you don’t get the sharpest pencil around, like what chempo said about the accounting colleague.
But empathy is also wearing the other’s shoe, or golden rule and what not. Maybe stop with the sweetness and really feel your customer, but we were also told to smile all the time even if it makes us look nuts(the customer can’t see your smile).
karl,
Thanks for that input. Makes total sense now—– I was reporting a fraud; and my BPO was handling it as a dispute, hence the seemingly out of place negotiations that caught me off-guard.
At least he was playing within the rules, I thought he was improvising… with his own solutions. Hahaha… it was just so weird when he asked me How much I was willing to pay.
It was one of those /Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law/ teachable moments, which may also be what BPO workers are internalizing, on top of empathy; customer service; ie. break the rules!
Regarding smiles, did you know the military hand salute is related to your smiling over the phone advice? It started out with knight’s raising their face shield/visor to show their friendly face. So from flipping the visor up, to the British palm outwards, to the American palm downward,
Smiles and eye contacts were the most problematic for me in the 3rd world.
Thanks LCX.
“… To some extent confidence is lacking in them . Confidence comes from knowledge in their sphere of work. Those I work with, which is accountancy field, I find their technical knowledge is not up to par, which I suspect the standard of education is to be blamed. There is also the overbearing deference to foreigners borne out of lack of confidence.”
Tthe global migration age (for me this began in early ‘60s) put the entire Philippine educational system (both public and private) to the test. The push-out factor for the PH was severe unemployment and underemployment while the pull-in factor from the receiving countries was dearth of trained and skilled technicians and professionals in almost every field. The PH society and technology could not create employment in its industries as fast as the schools could churn out. Thus the starting professionals and technicians were thrown in to fill the continuity gap between freshly learned theory and well-settled artisanship and standards in the workplace. Hence the Filipino manpower that we have from my perspective is potential gold both for the PH and the world whether it be from the islands or the diasporic perspective. The social pain being inflicted to ourselves by those who should know better is unconscionable.
The social cost to individual Filipinos is beyond obvious. The would-be expatriate sets out to terra incognita with nothing but a modicum of technology, guts and a tremendous hope for a future from equally kind receiving cultures.
The University of the Philippines (UP) is set to confer an honorary doctorate on Duterte.
I got a sneak peek into the rationale and justification for the award:
April 2017
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES SYSTEM
BOARD OF REGENTS DECISION TO CONFER AN HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE (Horroris Causa) to RODRIGO R. DUTERTE, President, Republic of the Philippines
WHEREAS, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga druga, druga.
WHEREAS, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga druga, druga.
WHEREAS, tang na, patayin ko kayo, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga, druga.
WHEREAS, the war on drugs, truth, institutions and democracy is the most important war of all, as it will leave nothing behind, including the nation;
Be it resolved as it is hereby resolved to award this degree.
Signed,
Regents
🙂 🙂 🙂
Note: Borrowed idea from Professional Heckler post.
*******
I like horroris causa. To my surprise, the term is googeable.
*****
I will not forget this gem, edgar. 🙂 Red onyx.
ONE WITH BALLS
There is one with balls among the officials of the Judicial and Legislative Branches of Government. He is Supreme Court (SC) Public Information Office chief Theodore Te. He opposed the plan of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Board of Regent to confer an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on President Rodrigo Duterte.
Te, a former human rights lawyer, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday night:
“I rise in my personal capacity as a UP alumnus twice over, a former tenured faculty member, a former VP for Legal Affairs, a taxpayer, and a Filipino to express how offended I am that my University and my College would even think of conferring this highest of honors on one who, more than any in recent history, has encouraged impunity and weakened the rule of law.”
https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/sc-spokesman-opposes-move-to-confer-honorary-doctorate-degree-on-duterte/ar-BBA17wR
Fortunately, President Duterte by declining the honorific showed tons more sense than the UP College of Law and the UP Board of Regents.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/607599/dutertedeclineshonoraryupdegree/story
THE FLOW OF PART OF BINAY’S POTENTIAL VOTERS VIA POE TO DUTERTE
In 3 phases, the diagram shows the rise and fall to/ from prominence of the candidates in the 2016 Philippine national election.
Please note that, scaled, the size of the boxes do not accurately portray the survey results/ election returns. The focus of the diagram is the probable main source of Duterte’s other voters, aside from his die-hard supporters.
An interesting question is how we can characterize most of those Binay potential voters who migrated to Duterte. Have they evolved into being as or more die-hard than the Duterte original supporters?
Once a choice is made, the self-justification syndrome takes over, and they all support with the same hard-headed determination to cause themselves no shame. My guess.
Indeed that self-justification syndrome is very potent which is not unique to the Filipinos, I believe.
For sure, not.
*******
I think the character trait that attracted voters was the projection of strength — or authority. And the character trait of the voters was, as we have often discussed, neediness.
o Binay was machinegun totin’ Rambo.
o Poe was Miss Goody Two Shoes, heiress to Da King, the gunslinging champion of the people.
o But Duterte was blue-talkin’ Dirty Harry, the violent and ruthless Enforcer (or Punisher as he was referred to).
In comparison to all three, Roxas was deemed weak. Yet we know he was the strongest in terms of ethics.
The progression – no, the regression — of the voters was from bad, to seemingly good, to outright evil. This is from our perspective. From the perspective of his followers, Duterte is seen as a moral crusader, a drug purger, a social cleanser.
*****
I remember the negatives of the old film pictures. Mass values in the PH operate like the negatives. We need a proper developer who can flip them to positives.
I agree, as well as your note in April 19, 2017 at 9:03 am above.
Filipinos don’t like teka-teka politicians no matter how ethical is he. Recall De Villa?
Was it about releasing political prisoners?
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/89652/de-villa-hit-over-political-prisoners?nomobile=1
Then the CPP NDF NPa or cnn for short can accuse PDut as teka-teka for the same reason.
the incident is older than that. don’t know how old are you but during Cory Aquino years, Rizal Alih hostaged people/soldiers in a military camp in Zambo and De Villa was the PC Commander. his decisions were not satisfactory I think. just like what happened in Luneta during Ninoy Aquino term.
I was high school to the early years of college during cory years, I now recall the Rizal Alih incident.Thanks.
I love conspiracy theories. Or theories one doesn’t have to stuff with facts.
I see two Philippines. One is the Philippines of the financial weak, emotional masses but with (fake) political power. The second is the limited group of people well (American, UP, Ateneo) educated, financial stable, interconnected and split in ever-changing alliances to realize shifting “rent” opportunities. One could say a group of puppets and a group of puppeteers.
Of the three candidates, Duterte was the easiest to handle, not the independent Roxas, not Binay with his immense hubris. Financial groups hoping to win from his presidency sought each other and alliances of puppeteers were build with Duterte as their favorite. Then the feelings of the masses were stimulated correctly and the rest is history.
Fascinating. When you write your conspiracy novel, I’d be happy to edit. That would be some good stuff.
I like. ditto, joseph. I promise only work on the copy. 🙂
Group 1 = poor who are financially weak but with voting-political power
Group 2 = well off and educated puppet and puppeteers
My one centavo view: there is only a small group in G2 that engineered the resurgence of Duterte. — not so much a conspiracy in the majority of G2, until “after the fact.”
Yes to the caveat, NH. I like alerts to devolution. The Marcos regime was a master of this technique, a spider’s web if you will.
Off topic
MLQIII REVEALS A TURF WAR OF THE TITANS IN OLYMPUS WHILE WRITING ON RICE — THE FUNDAMENTAL STAPLE
Leoncio Evasco Jr. versus Bong Go
Evasco = Strategist in Chief of the leftist-tinted Kilusang Pagbabago
Go = Special Assistant to the President and Head of the Presidential Management Staff
MLQIII pronounced the fight so far as a “TIE.”
http://opinion.inquirer.net/103299/fight-over-fundamentals#ixzz4egE7dPyu
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In the Reuters special report presently going the rounds on news and social media, Evasco is tagged as a mastermind of the Masa Masid Program.
The Program seeks to organize the local government units (LGUs) in accordance with the Kilusang Pagbabago objectives.
What is alarming is that the National Program Director of Masa Masid, Roosque Calacat, is a dyed-in-the-wool communist and a member of the CPP Central Committee.
According to the Reuters report, Masa Masid serves as the grassroots intelligence network of the National Democratic Front (NDF). It has inveigled religious organizations – Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), protestant churches and the Catholic-based Rural Missionaries of the Philippines — to provide intelligence.
The Leftists have effectively invaded the body politic from the grassroots and are comfortably ensconced at the top of the governmental hierarchy.
It may be that the anti-drug war is just a diversion. It may be that the Philippines will be to China as Cuba was to Russia — a client state.
*****
Yep, sounds about right.
that’s why the NPAs are back in the provinces now
okay, let’s say somebody took away the election not from roxas but from binay. ask
the guy who sells vegetables from his kariton who really took away from 16 million voters, etc.
their reason and judgment to vote for a winner. two surnames he will say and does TSOH
sleepily agree?
TSOH is not a political unit with one mind, forced by doctrine, but of individuals, each of whom has a viewpoint. We also don’t vote on issues. Like most people, some of us are sleepy before the morning barako blend, but thereafter are generally alert. Now what was your question again?
Idiots, the Philippines is a lot safer now and people actually have a clean government. Mar Roxas has proven himself incompetent when he was DILG. You guys are blind and just focused on EJKs which if you compare the murders under Aquino was a lot more each year but we didn’t call it EJKs then. But then again there’s no use reasoning to people like you blind to reason. You continue with honor Ave decency but with no actions to show.
maybe but at least it was not sanctioned by the state. im all for EJK but it should be directed at the apex of the drug trade. that’s why this drug war wont stop because the supply is still there
Thanks for stopping by to show us the modern style of namecalling, slander, inventive reasoning, and denial.
I would add that, for the peaceful place you portray, your comment is bitter and divisive. Unpeaceful, it seems to me.
One of the main flaws in crime statistics is an ever-changing method of tabulations that masks real trends. I know that the crime ‘increase’ under Roxas was a result of more rigorous and standardized tabulations. So I have little confidence in the numbers. I do have confidence in the photos showing taped, bleeding bodies in dark streets, or relatives wailing in grief, and their relentless appearance in news shows. That I don’t allow my son to watch.
True.
But to dispute Ed’s claim,even with the ever changing mode of tabulation.
Comparing Jul-Nov of 2015 and 2016 The murder crime rate increased from 3,950 to 5,970.
Ftom 2010 to 2013 the ave was in the 8000s but it decreased gradually for 2014-15,So I dispute his conclusion.
And lastly, despite the loss of confidence of the people because of the drug war, Lacson dares the PNP to solve killings, the PNP just blamed the media.
Oops I compared yearly data ( 2010-2013) to july to november data ( 2015)
That is my bad.
Yes, well, Ed is packing an agenda, he is not really interested in knowledge or truth.
The perpetual question, can you kill one to save two? One child to save two adults? Two criminal to save one law obeying citizen? How much collateral damage is acceptable? Who decides on these ratios? Only the president? The police officer in charge? The law makers? The bishops? The media? Vocal citizens? And the main question remains: Are there other methods to save the “two”? Was killing the “one” the only option or was it the easy option?
Just referring to some fact does not suffice, you’ll have to answer the above question too to have sensible discussion.
This is your “best and brightest”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/890758/vips-join-eraps-80th-birthday-bash
This is the panorama picture..
Aristotle wrote then that “In a democracy, the poor will have more power than the rich because there are more of them and the will of the majority is supreme.”
He was right. It is happening here now. The problem is, he did not foresee such a situation to happen where the majority wants to impose their will through mob rule.
Mob rule, and total detachment from the information and responsibilities of governance.
“Entre le fort et le faible, entre le riche et le pauvre, entre le maître et le serviteur, c’est la liberté qui opprime et la loi qui affranchit.” (Jean-Baptiste Lacordaire)
(Translated: “Between the strong and the weak, between the rich and the poor, between the lord and the serf, it is freedom which oppresses and the law which sets free.”)
Aristotle was wrong as he forgot to mention that democracy requires a rule of law to function. Democracy in the Philippines is corrupted as the rule of law here means the rule of the strong, the rich and the lords. Philippine election are just a beauty contest, “who is the most appealing?”, not “what types of laws do we want?” or “who can best implement them?”.
Throughout the Aquino administration, I’ve watched how Binay actively opposed Aquino, by hook or by crook, and he still managed to mudsling even as that incident in Forbes Park showed him as an autocratic figure, among all other anomalies attributed to him. Of course if he won by way of his populism and if PRRD didn’t run, the same autocrats courting PRRD — the Marcoses, Arroyo, Estrada, the “malevolent” Conjuangcos, and other dynastic families — would be dining and wining with this guileless crook as he names and elevates favored cronies to positions.
BTW, sir, asides from me overhearing dissatisfaction from beer buddies over the table regarding this regime, there appears to be a growing discontentment as some problems have been either dealt with tepidly or there’s no focus at all (i.e. economy, traffic, etc.) and instead growing fear in the slums:
http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/04/19/17/public-satisfaction-drops-over-dutertes-war-on-drugs
Thanks for the beer glass insights, which confirm my own observations (mainly from my wife) that the tenor of discussion is definitely changing. Wait until the price of rice goes up.
Just noticed that the “rogues’ gallery” of the worst leaders of our times have congregated at Erap’s party.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/890758/vips-join-eraps-80th-birthday-bash
What a collection. Quite an amazing collection of people who sneer at the masses.
*******
What would be the collective noun?
o A band of bandits
o A pack of plunderers
o A parliament of crooks
o A gang of thieves
o A congregation of rogues
o A gathering of the bad, the small, and the ugly
*****
Mainstream media, Mar’s campaign, Binay’s campaign, and everybody other than the Duterte and Marcos camps underestimated the reach and power of Facebook. No one at the time saw the game-changing decision by Globe to make Facebook free.
Duterte’s campaign team and the Marcos propaganda machine saw the editorial power of FB bloggers. They were able to spin what was reported on TV and the papers through a sustained spin and fake news campaign in FB. They were scientific about it using all the techniques available for reaching as wide an audience as possible.
And they were good at listening to and interacting with Facebook followers. That’s how they kept in touch and were able to formulate issues in a manner easily understandable to those with very little information and critical thinking abilities. In a way, Facebook comments became their focus groups in a similar fashion as traditional campaigns hire focus groups to help them craft their message and campaign ads,
The last election was decided in the social media battlefield. Facebook.
(And both duterte and marcos have such a headstart dominating social media that the opposition to this day is still playing catch-up.)
Even the country’s leading pollsters failed to catch the Facebook phenomenon that followed the free Facebook promo. In poll after poll respondents ranked TV and newspapers above social media as their primary sources of information so pollsters failed to catch the fact that although more people still got the raw news from TV and newspapers, their opinions and voting preferences were being shaped by fake news sites and spinners in Facebook.
So henceforth we have these creatures like Uson et. al. dominating public opinion to the extent they might as well command their fifth columns, support their demagogues and attack the dissidents.
The tanim bala, mamasapano, lrt/mrt breakdowns, and Yolanda tragedy murdered Mar’s chance to be the President. While Binay’s opportunity was killed by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee