The myth that 16 million DDS are in charge of the Philippine agenda
President Duterte and Bong Go with Michael Yang in Beijing, 2016. [Photo by King Rodriguez, Malacanang Photo/File, via ABS-CBN News]
OPINION
By Joe America
We often look at leaders like Presidents Trump and Duterte and say they are ‘populists”, as if they are in power for and by the people. But that is a myth. Popularity does not drive either president. Vested interests do.
The appeal to popular themes is merely a device, a marketing scheme. It is not the driver. That’s why lies and posturing are more important than deeds to a populist.
Image is important. It is sleight of hand.
Interestingly enough, the corona virus has revealed that Filipinos are not in charge of anything. They are vulnerable and weak. In that condition, they are used and abused, ordered to their homes and arrested for violating curfew or being hungry. They don’t DRIVE the presidency in any way at all.
What is driving the Philippines then, if popularity is a tool and not the driver of anything?
Vested interests.
And, in the Philippines, some of the more significant vested interests are not Filipino, except by convenience. The vested interests are Chinese.
I can only speculate, but it seems to me that the Duterte Government has four main connections to China. Lobbyists, to be kind. Agents to be unkind.
The first is always on scene. He’s the day-to-day director. The manager, or handler. The public relations pro. The selfie king. Bong Go. The architect of the populist initiatives that captured the presidency in 2016 and the Senate in 2019 elections . . . the guy who completely re-wrote the ethics and media of campaigning. He seems to be angling for the Presidency in 2022. He’s campaigning now, slapping his name on donations and sliding from his Senate duties to stage-manage the President.
What a coup winning the presidency would be for the “China Party of the Philippines” under Go.
The second lobbyist, or agent, is the Chinese Ambassador in Manila. It doesn’t matter who the ambassador is. The position writes the scripts for dicey situations, like when a Chinese boat rams a Filipino fishing vessel, or the Department of Health needs to describe why the gates to China should remain open. Filipinos can’t do this themselves because they might get it wrong. It is easier to simply take the Chinese script.
The third is a shadowy economic adviser named Michael Yang. How bizarre it is that a foreigner (Chinese citizen) would have direct consulting contracts with the Admin, but Michael Yang evidently did, or still does. It’s hard to see though the shadows. His role was denied, accepted, denied, and then he disappeared from the news around March 2019. A murmmuring complaint arose when this relationship was revealed, but nothing has been done about it since then. This Rappler article gives some details.
Where is he now? Who knows.
Is he still influential? Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is he is the Administration’s “man in Beijing”.
The fourth lobbyist, or agent, or conduit, or beneficiary of the Chinese connection is Dennis Uy. He is the new oligarch who has risen sharply in riches and acquisitions during the Duterte term. He is so favored that the Philippine government agreed to guarantee some recent loans to enable him to buy more business interests. The banks were maxed out on what they could do without a guarantee. The details are given in this Rappler article. Uy’s empire includes a stake in the new third telco operator, now called “Dito Telecommunity”. China Telecommunications Corporation is a 40% owner in the venture. Uy’s Udenna Corporation holds 35% (Wikipedia).
China Telecommunications Corporation is a Chinese State Corporation.
You can’t get much closer to China than that.
We can expect that Dennis Uy is a very possible prospect to take over the valuable ABS-CBN franchise frequencies. What a perfect way to promote the will of China and her Philippine cronies. A national entertainment and news network.
What else does China own in the Philippines? What are Chinese vested interests? The gambling outlets, or POGOs belong to rich and powerful cronies. Huge industry. A sleaze industry in the main, with money laundering, prostitution, and people trafficking as sleazy byproducts of the gambling outlets. They don’t pay their taxes? Well, of course not. They are set up in Manila to flee from Chinese laws. They do shady business. You expect the corrupt to go straight in the Philippines because we ask them kindly?
Something like 50 large Chinese companies are in the Philippines in one capacity or another according to this article sourced from China’s Xinhua news agency. Okay, if they say so. I’m skeptical. The expected loans, infrastructure construction work, and joint development projects promised by the Duterte Administration did not work out.
China likes to play by China rules. Some in the Philippines are not so dumb as to let that happen.
So Pogos and Dennis Uy’s conglomerate, in association with China Telecom. Favored businesses.
That’s what is driving the Philippines, beyond all sense, security, and reason, to align with China. And that is what drives some aspects of domestic policy, like when to stop travel between the Philippines and China during a virus pandemic. Or what businesses Dennis Uy can acquire next.
Maybe a cynic would say “Pogos, the Chinese Embassy, Dennis Uy’s conglomerate, and the Executive branch of Philippine government represent China’s vested interests in the Philippines.”
Well, I’n not a cynic. Just an observer.
And it is my observation that the notorious 16 million Duterte backers don’t drive anything. They are just a diversion. A convenience. A source of trolls. A popular populist base that legitimizes the Government’s deeds.
The real force behind the China friendship can be counted on a hand or two. Supported by a whole lot of lackeys in government who put self-interest ahead of nationhood.
A pity, that is . . .
The Philippines is a nation of no patriotic spine, if I’m reading the scene right. It is lawyers who interpret the law for themselves rather than the nation, power mongers willing to trample on anyone to get ahead, and money-grubbers who take a small slice of nationhood home with them, for burial, each time they cheat.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Sorry. I forgot to turn on the comments. It’s now open.
I had a chat with the (2nd generation Chinese-Filipino) business owner who installed our windows. Not one of the big-50, just one of the thousands of Filipino business owners with a Chinese background. I was shocked when he plainly stated that OFCOURSE, China was taking over Philippines, the Filipino’s cannot manage the country themselves, it would be a good thing he thought.
Joe, you have listed most of the issues at stake but omitted to write the logical question at the end….
You have stated several times, that as a foreigner, you are not allowed to participate in Filipino politics, it is not appreciated. Neither local, regional nor country wide. Even worse, if we would participate, we probably would be removed from the country, we are visitors, right?
Well, if we cannot change it, if we cannot participate in honour and honesty, then maybe we have to make the decision:
– either we are happy to stay in a country managed by China (it will not be China, it will be a country sucked empty by the conqueror)
– Or we take the consequences and move to a place where we agree with the overall sentiment.
A difficult decision, but the current lockdown flipped my world and made me think. Personally, I am developing options, I feel I am forced to do this after investing 30 years in Philippines. A radical change of direction. Sad thoughts to have to leave those lovely people around me. But the world out there is not agreeing with our feelings anymore.
I’m inclined to ride it through, as I imagine living in the suburbs of the US or some place modern to be quite uninspiring. Here, every day is a drama . . . and I like the food. 🙂 But everyone has their own likes and dreams, and I for sure understand those who don’t like living in the asylum.
Joe,
Thanks for this very personal note.
With my background and the ingrained tendency to speak my mind, I know that I would get in problems in Philippines, my wife warns me continuously when I’m home.
Now in lockdown in Africa, we have developed alternatives. What actually triggered it was that my Filipina wife suggested to our children that we might want to move. How bad did it get that die-hard Filipina’s want to leave the country??
The food is great in Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia. No need to select an uninspiring modern place. In this modern world, people vote with their feet. A choice people have to make for themselves for sure, but fighting a loosing battle is not pleasant.
Our likely departure won’t make significant ripples in the economy, but when more income is lost to the country, the already shaky economy will suffer even more. Such a pity of after a promising start.
That’s true. I’d consider Portugal high on a list of prospective places to live. North of Oporto. But that is not for now.
Looked into that as a serious option. But be very aware of climate change. It is already happening in Portugal and many area’s are getting very dry already. There are some reports out already with daunting predictions. But the food… oh.. the food…..
Let’s first get through this pandemic 🙂
The Constant Habit
Agree. The DDS millions are just carriage pole bearers carrying the Chinese Lords their Chinese Mestizo Leader so shamefully courted. Sorry DDS, it is what it is: a nation of mostly slaves not being able to shake off the constant habit of slaves — happy in that role.
A recent video by a government radio station shows how Filipinos are being groomed..
the other side of it though are the angry reactions seen in myriad comments.
my reaction: wow china, wow baliw, haha. pcoo, presidential communication office, is making exploratory inroad and giving filipinos a taste of what is to come: hell on earth burgeoning.
with abs-cbn decommissioned, in comes chinese programs being broadcasted mula yata sa beijing, filling our airwaves with chinese junks. filipinos will have no choice of what programs to see or hear, it will all be as beijing recommended. more indoctrination programs; filipinos are to get used to hearing and maybe seeing chinese actors wearing chinese clothes designed by their fellow chinese.
soon in the very near future, we shall be losing our homegrown actors and artists, our cinematographers, script writers, set designers and cameramen. their jobs will be taken over by chinese upstarts. and with more of our people jobless, BIR has less to no revenue to collect.
as entity, methink wow china is not even lisensyado. methink again, it has not meet criteria of securities commission and should not be airing.
worse, if wow china is ensconced and starts charging our govt hefty fee for the privilege of us being indoctrinated.
Freemen under their Datus; then came Spain, US, Japan, Independence (?), China. We are adaptable slaves. We will sing, dance and joke ourselves through this. Besides, it is too late to learn the attributes of a Samurai or a Vietnamese because of the Pandemic and its future variants, with Climate Change next in line. Even the Diplomat Manglapuz had to say, If inevitable … then just relax and enjoy. Meaning, my version: just sing, dance and joke about it, if Beijing will allow that is.
it is easy po to see dds dancing and singing and being happy at the demise of our country. happy po sila to see others miserable and losing hope and happier still po sila to have caused it.
and like joeam, I’ll ride through it, not happily.
The speech you wish your president could give:
https://english1.president.go.kr/BriefingSpeeches/Speeches/820
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Special Address by President Moon Jae-in to Mark Three Years in Office
(unofficial translation)
Fellow Koreans,
It has been three years since I took office. Over these past three years, I have administered state affairs with the aspirations of the candlelight protesters in my heart. I’ve walked on the path toward fairness and justice, innovation and inclusiveness, and peace and prosperity. Every single day, I have felt like I am walking on thin ice. There have been many difficult moments, but whenever these have come, people have inspired and encouraged me. I am profoundly grateful to the people for sending unwavering support.
For the remaining two years, I will work on state affairs with even firmer determination. Until the moment I complete my term, I will, with a strong sense of responsibility, do everything possible to fulfill the duty that the people and history have entrusted to me.
Fellow Koreans,
We are now standing at the center of rapid global changes. An invisible virus is transforming the world in its entirety. It is fundamentally changing our daily lives and pushing the world economy into an unprecedented crisis. It is also bringing about enormous changes not only in the socioeconomic structures of nations but also in the international order.
We cannot avoid these changes, even though we want to. There is no option but to tackle them head on and break through. There is a saying, “Heaven never helps the men who will not act.” We will overcome crises with extraordinary commitment and courage.
Taking it a step further, we will turn crises into opportunities. Opportunities go to the ones who seek them and the ones who take on challenges. We will join the people to wisely find our way and boldly face challenges. We will take the current crisis as a driving force for new opportunities and development. Our goal goes beyond “a global Republic of Korea.” Our goal is “a Republic of Korea that takes the lead in the world.” That is the new Republic of Korea to which we’ve aspired.
We have already become a country leading the world in epidemic prevention and control. Korea’s COVID-19 response has become a global standard. The national status of the Republic of Korea and the people’s pride are higher than ever. All of this has been driven by the dedication of quarantine authorities and medical professionals, the willing participation of countless volunteers and the people who have demonstrated to the fullest a spirit of solidarity and cooperation.
We have firmly defended the frontlines of the quarantine based on the strength of our people and have been winning the war against the virus. With our COVID-19 situation entering the stabilization phase, we have now transitioned to a new normal in which safety precautions against the virus and daily lives can be simultaneously maintained.
However, it doesn’t mean that we are back to the time before the COVID-19 outbreak. The infection cluster which recently occurred in entertainment facilities has raised awareness that, even during the stabilization phase, similar situations can arise again anytime, anywhere in an enclosed, crowded space. It’s not over until it’s over. While keeping enhanced alertness till the end, we must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention. Nevertheless, there’s no reason to stand still out of fear. If we do not let our guard down, our epidemic prevention and quarantine system can fully control and manage the spread of the virus. We have the right quarantine and medical systems combined with experience to respond quickly to any unexpected infection clusters that might occur.
It will be a long time before the COVID-19 outbreak has ended completely. We should also brace for the pandemic’s second wave, which many experts are predicting. However, we cannot afford to keep waiting until then to return to normal daily lives. Although combating the virus is the starting point for economic recovery, it will not be nearly enough to resolve the issues surrounding people’s livelihoods.
The Government will meticulously handle the COVID-19 situation, keeping in mind that we are in a prolonged war. I ask everyone to comply with safety precautions and rules until the situation is over even after resuming daily lives. I hope all of us will join together to succeed in meeting this new challenge of maintaining virus safety precautions amid our daily routines. If our people exert their full capabilities once more, I am convinced that our transition to normal daily lives will also become a model for the world to emulate.
We have already reaffirmed that our epidemic prevention and healthcare systems are among the best in the world. This is the result of having developed response systems that draw on our experiences from the SARS and MERS outbreaks. We will reinforce our epidemic prevention and quarantine systems further to become the undisputed “No.1” epidemic response country leading the world.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be upgraded to the Disease Control and Prevention Administration to strengthen its expertise and independence. It will be staffed with more professionals, and a local epidemic response system will be established to make up for any insufficient provincial capabilities. With the National Assembly’s approval, we will establish a system for two vice ministers within the Ministry of Health and Welfare. We will also push to establish hospitals specialized in treating infectious diseases and a national infectious disease research center. In addition, we will significantly enhance our public healthcare system and ability to respond to infectious diseases to build a safer Republic of Korea. These tasks are very urgent if we are to prepare for the second epidemic wave that experts predict will hit this fall or winter. I ask for the National Assembly’s swift cooperation.
Fellow Koreans,
It is the economy that matters. This current economic crisis is being compared to the Great Depression 100 years ago.
The world economy has ground to a halt. Factories have stopped producing, and the number of jobless people is rapidly increasing. As borders are closed and exchanges are blocked, global supply chains are disintegrating and trade is declining sharply worldwide. Countries are facing the worst negative growth rates since the Great Depression. We are in a situation with no bottom and no end in sight.
The damage to our economy is indeed colossal as well. As exports plunged in April, our trade recorded a deficit for the first time in 99 months. The service industry contraction, which began in tourism and travel and dining and lodging, is expanding into a manufacturing industry crisis.
As even our key industries and flagship businesses, which have remained relatively strong, are facing increasing difficulties, more and more of these businesses are urgently requesting financial support. The employment shock is also growing as time passes. Unemployment fears are spreading beyond self-employed small business owners, non-permanent workers and day laborers to affect almost all employees, including full-time employees and those at mid-market companies and large businesses. This is undeniably an “economic wartime situation.”
I’d like to give my deepest consolation to the people who are enduring this difficult situation. The Government will concentrate all of its capabilities on overcoming the economic crisis. We will take the hands of those on the edge of a precipice. We will serve as a buttress safeguarding the lives and jobs of the people. As an unconventional and expedited emergency prescription, the Government has injected 245 trillion won – more than 10 percent of the nation’s GDP – into support for businesses and employment measures. The Government is now preparing the third supplementary budget following the first and second. We will resolutely brace for any bigger shocks ahead. The Government will utilize all available resources and policies.
We will use our relatively rapid stabilization of the COVID-19 outbreak and the transition to a new normal as a turning point for enhancing economic vitality. We will move up the timetable for boosting consumption and recovering tourism as well as redouble our efforts to promote investment. We will provide enhanced support to help the manufacturing industry regain vitality and promptly implement measures to shore up contracted local economies.
I hope the people, as the principal economic players, will also actively engage in consumption and economic activities while complying with epidemic prevention guidelines and rules. Like our efforts to combat the virus, overcoming the economic crisis can be successful if the people pull together. I believe in our people who have in their DNA the ability to overcome a crisis. The Government, along with the people, will also set an example for the world with how we overcome this economic crisis.
Fellow Koreans,
The post-COVID-19 global economic order is by no means a rosy picture. We have vividly witnessed how fragile the international community’s solidarity and cooperation is in the face of this virus.
The reality is grave, indeed. Nationalism driven by the pursuit of one country’s own survival may expand further. The division of labor in the era of globalization, which has been driving economic development worldwide to date, is under threat. It is also a very serious challenge to our economy, which has grown through openness and cooperation.
If we fail to turn this crisis into an opportunity, we cannot survive. It’s a desperate time; we must prepare for the future in a preemptive manner.
Fellow Koreans,
For the remainder of my term in office, I will do my best to turn crises into opportunities while fully devoting myself to overcoming this national crisis along with the people. I will strive to pave the way for the Republic of Korea to take the lead globally.
First, we will blaze a trail in the post-COVID-19 era with a pace-setting economy. Our country has excellent infrastructure and is ranked “No.1” worldwide for competitive edge in the ICT sector. Our competitiveness and potential in the bio industry have been reaffirmed. We have strengths in post-COVID-19-related industries such as non-face-to-face medical services, online education and transactions, epidemic prevention and the bio industry. We have ample capabilities to lead the digital economy by combining Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data.
We will work to help the Republic of Korea emerge as a globally leading “digital powerhouse” with innovative business ventures and startups serving as the main driving force. We will create future growth engines by fostering three new growth industries – system semiconductors, biohealth and future cars – more vigorously.
The Republic of Korea has become the safest and most transparent production base in the world. Countries around the world have now begun to prefer innovative capabilities and safe investment destinations to cheap labor. This presents a golden opportunity for us. We will push ahead with bold strategies to attract high-tech industries and investments from overseas as well as to help Korean companies return from abroad. The Republic of Korea will become a “world factory of high-tech industries,” thereby changing the global industrial map.
Second, we will further improve our employment safety net by significantly expanding the application of employment insurance and implementing an employment support program. We will keep the lives of all our people safe from unemployment and threats to their livelihoods.
In history, human beings have expanded welfare and strengthened safety nets in times of crisis. The United States laid the foundation for its social security system while going through the Great Depression, and our country introduced a national basic living security system earlier than planned while striving to overcome the 1997 foreign exchange crisis. The current COVID-19 crisis calls for further strengthening our still-vulnerable employment safety net.
The Government will establish the cornerstone for an era of universal employment insurance which will benefit everyone employed. We will push to allow low-wage, non-permanent workers who are presently not covered to sign up for the insurance as soon as possible. We will work to quickly bring employment insurance to those currently not-covered – the self-employed contract workers, platform workers, freelancers and artists, among others. Through a social agreement, we will also gradually expand the eligibility for the insurance to cover all of the self-employed.
Expanding the employment safety net is an essential task to bolster our economy’s dynamism as well. The laws and system will be overhauled to broaden the range of eligible employment insurance subscribers step by step. The National Assembly’s understanding and cooperation are very important. I ask the Assembly to support this through legislation.
Moreover, the employment support program – a Korean-style unemployment allowance – will be implemented as quickly as possible. The program will provide job training and other customized employment support to low-income households, young adults and self-employed small business owners and offer jobseekers stipends to facilitate employment and other types of income. If employment insurance is the primary employment safety net, the employment support program is a secondary one. It is an essential employment safety net for jobseekers and those who have been unemployed for a long time. A legislative bill has already been submitted to the National Assembly following an agreement at the Economic, Social and Labor Council. I urge the National Assembly to pass it as soon as possible.
Third, we will push ahead with a Korean version of the New Deal as a national project to create jobs. The Government will present new opportunities for the people by creating new jobs.
The Korean version of the New Deal is a preemptive investment for the future, designed to establish digital infrastructure. The early establishment of 5G infrastructure and the building of infrastructure to collect, accumulate and use data will be pursued as national projects. Non-face-to-face industries related to medical services, education and retail distribution will be intensively fostered. The large-scale job creation project will be actively pursued: Cities and industrial complexes, roads and transportation networks, and aging national infrastructure will be combined with artificial intelligence and digital technology in order to make them smart. We will harmonize the process to fully uphold the important value of not only protecting personal information but also securing a public service role for medical services and education.
The Government will expand public investment and strengthen private sector cooperation to create new jobs. In addition to overcoming the crisis, we will put in place a foothold to help our economy transition into that of a pace-setter. We will actively generate new quality jobs through bold and creative planning and fast and decisive implementation.
Fourth, we will lead an international order of solidarity and cooperation that prioritizes people’s lives and safety. The creative methods and principles of openness, transparency and democracy that we have shown in our efforts to combat the virus have become a world-class success model. Our society has created this together as a whole. Actions like volunteering and donating combined with the spirit of solidarity and cooperation have established the Republic of Korea’s national status and become a source of international leadership.
A favorable assessment by the international community has significantly expanded Korea’s diplomatic horizon. Our country now stands at the center of international cooperation, and the Republic of Korea’s status on multilateral stages such as G20 and ASEAN Plus Three has risen beyond recognition.
We will make the most of this opportunity. Building upon successful epidemic prevention efforts, we will lead international cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era while placing “human security” at the center. The concept of security today has expanded from conventional military security to human security that deals with all factors threatening safety such as disasters, diseases and environmental issues. We can cope with these only when all countries pull together through solidarity and cooperation. We will play a leading role so that Northeast Asia, ASEAN and the rest of the world can move forward toward the common goal of human security through solidarity and cooperation. I hope that South and North Korea will move toward a single community of life and a peace community by cooperating on human security.
Fellow Koreans,
Our people have begun to rediscover the Republic of Korea while fighting an arduous war against a virus. We’ve started saying that we are already an advanced country. Countries that we wanted to follow have started learning from us. We have set a standard and become a world-class nation. People have now begun to talk about the Republic of Korea’s greatness.
It is a greatness that the people themselves have created. We have made concessions, showed consideration, banded together and cooperated. We have become stronger in this time of crisis. The people have been great. I am very proud of all of our people.
The crisis is not over yet, and an even bigger challenge remains. The Government will have an even more tremendous sense of responsibility. We will become the nation that surmounts this crisis the fastest. We will become an example and a leader for the world. We will stand tall in the world as a new Republic of Korea. Throughout the remainder of my term, I will move forward fearlessly together with our great people.
Thank you.
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How I wish I could hear a president give this speech. I can only think of one high level government official out there (a lady) who can give a similar speech.
Here is one line Duterte must repeat: It is not over till it’s over.
https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/ominous-warning-for-world-governments-as-south-korea-hit-by-super-spreader-after-lockdowns-lifted/news-story/9f22fda0855c14721e5a46943cf751fc
Correct quote is :
“It’s not over till the fat lady sings”
If came for a 1876 play by Richard Wagner called Götterdämmerung which is about Viking eschatology. The fat lady is Brunnihilde who is a valkyrie, one of those godly ladies who chose who is to live or die in battle. She is usually depicted as fat. In the play, after she sang, Viking world ends.
Yogi Berra.
“It ain’t over till it’s over.” Well, you can’t argue with that.
American baseball legend Yogi Berra first uttered the phrase about baseball’s 1973 National League pennant race. His team was a long way behind when he said it and they did eventually rally to win the division title. It’s not the only offbeat quote from the sportsman – there’s also the existential “It’s like deja-vu all over again” or the wry “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours” – but there is something about the never-say-die, no-matter-the-odds-we-can-do-this spirit of “It ain’t over…” that finds a place to inspire, time and time again.
Yogi brought it back into common usage. So did Lenny Kravitz whose song by that title is quite good. Yet for many older Americans, it refers to Kate Smith who introduced “God Bless America” in 1940. But it came from Wagner 1876, when the fat lady sings and the curtains fall, and all Vikings meet to meet Odin.
Love the Lenny Kravitz song.
As to the Fat Lady they captured her in a photo.(Amalie Materna as Broom Hilda(joke) Brunnihilde
“… about Viking eschatology … fat lady Brunnnihilde … a valkyrie … one of those ladies who decide who is to live or die in battle …”
German version of the 3 Greek Fates: Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the measurer), Atropos (the cutter)
“The (partygoer) infection cluster has raised awareness that even during the stabilisation phase, similar situations can arise again, anytime, anywhere in an enclosed, crowded space,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in told media. “We must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention … It’s not over until it’s over.”
Duterte will never deliver a good speech ever, no matter how good a speech writer he has.
Joe,
I have been a quiet reader of your blog for a very long time. Now that Duterte has shut down ABS-CBN, I have realized that being silent may no longer be an option. Sorry for being off-topic but I would like to know everyone’s thoughts on this (perhaps on a different post) to see if I should really be worried or should I just keep my head down and hope for the best.
Hi, Bongsky, you’d probably get better feed back by going to the current featured blog and asking the question. Go to joeam.com and tap the headlined blog.
Only keep your head down as a sign of humility and not as a sign of defeat and hopelessness.
I hope what spread on socmed that ABS will just wait for the next president is not true.
It is definitely not because ABS is exploring means to get them renewed.
Tiglao sure is working overtime with his installment fact finding story telling.
Calida is a hit man.
Unlike what my friend caliphman said below, I am not yet ashamed of being Filipino,
Those doing shameful acts should start being ashamed.
same here, karlg. not ashamed pa rin ako being filipino, pug nose and all.
and confident that abs-cbn will pull through despite the odds.
Tayo’y mga Pinoy…….wag kang mahihiya Kung ang ilong mo ay pango.
Ako ay Pilpino taas noo kahit kanino (dahil mas matangkad sila)
To quote your blog. “The real force behind the China friendship can be counted on a hand or two. Supported by a whole lot of lackeys in government who put self-interest ahead of nationhood.
A pity, that is . . .
The Philippines is a nation of no patriotic spine, if I’m reading the scene right. It is lawyers who interpret the law for themselves rather than the nation, power mongers willing to trample on anyone to get ahead, and money-grubbers who take a small slice of nationhood home with them, for burial, each time they cheat.”
Trump has his Barr and Duterte has his Calida. So when the latter lawyer sees fit to rule that the Philippine Constitution provides unseating the Chief of the Supreme Court other than thru impeachment by Congress and then coerce the NTC to muzzle ABSCBN to please and curry favor with his boss, which is the worse banana republic? Blame the electorate minority or Trumpistas for voting a Lyin King and Jackass to be their leader but in the final analysis, it is the nation and Filipinos at large who have to decide whether they are not only spineless but without testicles to have their democratic , constitutional, and basic human rights gutted without so much as a whimper. It’s a tragedy that a blog run by an American has to be the one that has the guts to decry that lawyers and sycophants making a mockery of the nation’s democracy and constitution. What more basic affront is there than silence the largest media company willing to speak truth to power? If the Philippines is nothing but a nation of sheep willing to be led to the slaughter of all their rights and freedoms, then I am ashamed of my Filipino heritage.
No need to be ashamed. Disappointed, ok. Dismayed, fine. But the work is by others, for which you have scant accountability. Just shrug and look forward.
true, very true, we have to choose what to take on board and what not.
for your info, some chinese disowned their own govt. I’ve met one such at a bus stop. she kept shooting side glances at me and I became wary, steel meself for eventualities just in case. then she asked me where I got my boots. at the army surplus shop. how much was the price? ah, typical chinese question. I paid $25 for my boots. my turn to ask question. which country you come from? and the shutters quickly went down. she looked at her toes, taiwan she said. her smile told me that she knew that I knew that she lied.
not all chinese are supportive of what their own govt is doing.
Is it possible that cash from POGO and other Chinese illegal activities are delivered directly to military generals right at their doorstep?
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo turned this scheme into an artform.
It caused the death of Angelo Reyes.
I don’t know. But when something that doesn’t make sense is going on, ‘corruption’ just screams out.
Though I have a bias for the military I would not say that they are not part of the problem of the web of corruption.
My wishful thinking is for reduction of Generals and so that they would not be appointed to government post after retirement right away add ten years to their active service and retire them late.
ah, karlg, I am my own general now, beating my own bass drum, a drum majorette to my own marching band. though I keep my head down when real generals are around, I’ve met them before in some unpleasant circumstances and I nearly lost a tooth.
still on generals: major general sinas has come down the ranks and become follower instead of leader, thank goodness to his birthday on 8 may 2020. ay naku, na-ambushed birthday party kuno siya and duly gave in to his officials. was found celebrating and smiling ear to ear: nakipag-inuman pa kahit bawal ang consumption of alcohol dahil sa lockdown. bawal din po ang mass gathering and sinas was right at the thick of one such. sinas who outranked his officials could not say no to his officers kuno. and party they all did.
short sighted, sabi namin, for sinas to be ambushed. he knew when his birthday is and did not say to his officers beforehand na he would not want a party this year but could they have the party next year? a bigger and better party complete with jumping castles, clowns, politicians, etc.
I can get away with being dumb dahil talagang dumb ako, but sinas?
above lockdown laws, no quarantine applicable kina sinas et al.
Dutertevapologized to the Ayalas and Pangilinan because he found humility. I do not believe they he suddenly became humble but at least he knows his humility have much to be desired.
I would hate for the reason to be that the Chinese told Duterte to apologize because they need the Ayalas and Pangilinan because Uy still has a lot of rice to eat.
you could be right, sa tingin ko po, the ayalas and pangilinan are being fattened for uy to gobble later. friends muna sila ngayon, enemies later, mayhap.
itong si bong go naman, his teeth convinced me po that he does not eat rice but grinds them raw and uncooked, haha.
by now, the ayalas ang pangilinan know what’s more is in store for them, what their immediate future is. kakapit muna kay uy, be on digong’s good side. hope for the best but prepare for the worst; methink, they’ve already been given test taste and ought to be super good now to their customers and renew what good service is about. for their lowly costumers and by their sheer number, will eventually be the ones saving them from the ignominious gallow.
I hope you read my comment about your exchange with Micha.
That is all.
To the victor, the spoils.
You have laid a good case of vested interest that surrendered the spoils to China and Dennis Uy. I don’t see any reference to the victor of the 2016 election collecting his share of spoils. If he is an honest person not touching a pesos and perhaps was in the joyride only for the pleasure of the killing spree, then the spoils is all for Dennis Uy as utang na loob. That being so, than Philippines is indeed cheap. Php 70m compaign contribution can buy one a country.
The President is not a driver, I think, but is an asset and beneficiary in ways we can only guess.
Sounds like a franchise system. The president is a guarantor and a tribute collector.
people keep getting arrested nowadays, I guess if we want to air our grievances we should go into a sound proof room and shout because even if you just sneeze you will be reported to the Baranggay.