Are you relevant?
Analysis and Opinion
By JoeAm
The amazing rush to action by volunteers supporting Vice President Robredo in her campaign for the Philippine presidency tapped an untapped human need in the Philippines, and around the world: the need to feel relevant. Important. Worth something. Going somewhere.
I’d venture to guess that most of us are often caught up in the drudgery of life, discouraged by the tragedies, arguments, and angers surrounding us. We used to have a comfortable separation between our lives and the outer world but social media crushed it.
Our load today is heavier, our purpose more confused, our outlook darker.
Here in the Philippines, there is no national sense of purpose that gives people direction and inspires them. Citizens drift along trying to avoid being a casualty. Resilient. A storm or disease pushes us to survival mode and we worry less and less about how others cope.
There is a lesson here.
Compassion is being squeezed out of our lives, and the happiness that comes with helping others is getting squeezed out, too. Every man, woman, and child for himself.
These are our directions and the directions of many around the world. Arising from the swamp of compassionless drift are the angry people, and the greedy people. The corrupt families here in the Philippines, the anti-science, racist, arrogant Trump Republicans in the US. The hyper-rich executives who control most of the world’s wealth. Imagine. They don’t want to pay taxes. Taxes allow government to care for the needy and provide a little bit of the good life for all. The rich say no, and pay their executives more.
These greedy, compassionless power-people demonize the vulnerable and pound us further into our dismal directionlessness.
We have little fulfillment. No direction. Waning compassion. Howled at by pundits peddling their bias and lies. The world has turned against knowledge, too. Strike three. We’re out.
Then along came Robredo.
She gave Filipinos a path to fulfillment. She pointed the direction. She showed compassion. She shared knowledge.
Well, it’s a path open to all with the wisdom to see it and the courage to pursue it. Direction. Compassion. Knowledge.
As more people take up this movement, they are likely find the same fulfillment the volunteers found.
Perhaps its like building a nation within a nation. Growing it and the values that underpin it.
The election is over.
The path to fulfillment remains open.
_______________
Photograph: Robredo campaign rally. Manila Bulletin.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
On my part, this is the first time that i campaigned and voluntarily contributed to the activities for the promotion of the #KulayRosasAngBukas advocacy. And i am not regretting it. Nor will i ever. Let’s all be relevant!
You were extraordinarily relevant and I suspect you’ll realize more dividends going forward. Thanks for inspiring me, and others.
Joe, kudos for your synthesis shared by me and many, many others.
Amen to that, Fledz.
As first times go, your sentiment reminds me of my first time to vote in PH elections in 1965 – the ascendancy of the elder Marcos was quite palpable, widespread and multi-sectoral. His surge was part of the continuity of nascent political impulses germinating in the country from the ravages of 1945-46. For me this continuum began then until the tipping point in 1969-72.
I am calling the same tipping-point as I witnessed the ravages wrought in 2016 and the 2022 promise of a realizable national dream of deliverance into redemption birthed by VP Robredo and the myriad of citizens like you of the same heart.
Indeed, Sonny, a candle has been lit in the Philippine darkness — and I believe as you and a lot do — that light will not be extinguished but will shine brighter through the days and years.
Yes, Joe, we are relevant — there is nothing like a light in the depth of darkness expressed in so many ways but united in the genuine desire for a better Philippines as the recent past has shown. Yours and ours, in your writings and our comments, among others.
I envy our guru, to not have seen this travesty of justice. We soldier on til old age take us 😦
As ML Quezon lll wrote in a post-election article:
“ To my mind, her victory in 2016 was the dying gasp of the world of 1986-2016. After 2021 she alone came to head the center; and her numbers doubled in a year. What was born in 2022 is a new coalition: this has 30 years ahead of it.
A historic election is done: there is now a Marcos Restoration. This puts us in the tragic company of the French and others who vomited out dictators only to elect their heirs.
Sa mga millenial at GenZ na bumoto at nagluluksa ngayon: ang 2022 ay hindi ang inyong 1986. Ang 2022 ang inyong 1978, o kaya, 1981. ”
The volunteers for VP Robredo are and will continue to be relevant.
Leni Robredo is still the symbil of hope.
https://www.freiheit.org/philippines/leni-robredo-symbol-hope
The biggest volunteer movement WILL continue
https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/after-2022-election-defeat-robredo-lead-biggest-volunteer-movement-history-philippines/
thank the lord for leni robredo! and thank the lord for her angat buhay program post election 2022. there really is life after election and there is relevance – and would you believe it! victory to the 15million kakampinks! they have gotten a relevant guiding star, a beacon for them to look at when all else is smothering in darkness.
we lost and we are still here, and we still have each other! our resolve is still alive, and kakampinks have gotten new purpose going forward. election 2022 failed to kill volunteerism!
bbm won the battle but lost the war, lol! he may accredit his vloggers to spread more accredited lies but their lies are still lies.
leni’s invigorated volunteerism is the way to go.
Accredited lies – thumbs up appear
ay cannibabum! want more accredition? the uber stellar accredited inauguration of the president elect gagawin kuno mismo sa harap ng national museum, to be done traditionally, meaning? wakaranai! I thought there should be some japanese flavor added, his ninuno once were japanese collaborators, lol!
methink, it would have been well and truly apt to have the inauguration done sa harap ng bilibid prison, to honor his dad who was na nakulong for the death of nalundasan.
wakaranai….now i miss popoy kb he keeps on saying wakarang.
popoy is imprisoned in a bento box! pickled and smothered in wasabi!
Shiranai! Mayhap
Kampai ! I think I will try Suntory one time. I only tried Sake,
ahem, suntory has given me split personality!
(It’s an interesting issue, my apology for verbosity)
I still remember very vividly the emotional rollercoaster felt by the Democrats in the aftermath of the U.S. elections where Donald Trump snatched the victory from Hillary Clinton. Everybody anticipated her to wallop and beat to the pulp the loudmouth Trump only to see the vision of Titanic reemerging right before their eyes.
It felt the end of the world for the anti-Trump. The unbelievable happened and what made it worst was what it was: unbelievable. The reaction was dire, the future bleak. There was even talk of people migrating to Canada. While there were lots of hopeless talks and dreadful feelings about what happened, the Democrats, to their credit, did not waver in gathering the team and buckle down in preparation for the coming battles up ahead. The party, rather than disintegrate in frustration, kept on rolling to consolidate its strength to be able to prepare to dislodge Trump and make him a one-term president.
Why do I talk about an issue far from home, one may ask. I talk about it because the story line was practically a carbon copy of what happened in the 2016 US elections. The only difference was back then, Trump was not expected to win against Hillary. In our case, BBM, based on survey reports, has a comfortable margin enough to convince people of the possibility that he would end up president.
In relating to that, I understood the article as a motivating message succinctly address to people, particularly the Leni Robredo volunteers, on what they should do to not lose focus and interest of why they sacrifice a lot in the first place. To be relevant is to continue the fight, the struggle. That hope is not extinguish because of an election lost. That there is time to redeem and recover and continue the ideals, programs and promises that has been advanced. That becoming irrelevant would be a disservice to the principles and objectives Leni Robredo ran for.
In the US, they made Trump a one-term president. The opposition really work hard to prevent Trump to avail of a second term which is allowed by law. Under our constitution, we only have a one-term president. However, that does not mean we can sit back and relax and wait for the six years to run its course and say goodbye to the current president. That is a risk one cannot afford to take.
We may not have the threat of a second term presidency but the danger that we should prevent is to stop any effort or even an idea that the sitting president could extend his term in whatever means he can think of (i.e. changing the form of government and ‘fixed’ the clause on terms).
The election of Joe Biden in the US bore out the result of the continuing fight to redeem what could have been theirs and to topple someone which they think is not worthy of the office. And the anti-Trump was able to do that because they remained relevant.
Can we do the same here? Can we remain relevant? I say, don’t take that as questions, take it as a challenge.
The trumping of Trump by the opposition is a good study. I followed the impeachment , the good , the bad, and the undesirable facts . It is what it is .
Yes we can remain relevant, be vigilant , the disinformation campaign is winning .
This too is relevant to what you’re saying, Juan, watch:
Geography is probably the most important subject,
it informs Climate change, Geo politics, Holistic thinking, etc. but most teachers suck at geography, so geography doesn’t get prioritized. from geography you also connect to astronomy, for example equinox and solstices, which are the basis still of Catholic celebrations like easter, even Christmas, etc.
The Israelis are the best in this, those folks know their country like the back of their hand.
Theres two theories of how humans got so smart, one is of seasons they had to know when and where fruits and veggies were in season, and when and where animals would be at such and such time, that’s geography.
the other theory is that people got smart because of family dynamics, then clan dynamics, then towns, then cities, more elaborate social structures more eloborate brains. also geography, mapping of different personalities and power structures that converge and diverge.
So my point everything returns to geography, and its the least covered of all subjects.it s all about mapping things out. start mapping things out.
“Geography is probably the most important subject,
it informs Climate change, Geo politics, Holistic thinking, etc. but most teachers suck at geography, so geography doesn’t get prioritized. from geography you also connect to astronomy, for example equinox and solstices, which are the basis still of Catholic celebrations like easter, even Christmas, etc. …”
Just to be clear, LC: The Geography that most teachers suck is but a special subcategory (Physical Geography or Cartography) of the subsumptive category called HUMAN GEOGRAPHY.
“Human geography or anthropogeography is the branch of geography that is associated and deals with humans and their relationships with communities, cultures, economies, and interactions with the environment by studying their relations with and across locations. It analyzes patterns of human social interaction, their interactions with the environment, and their spatial interdependencies by application of qualitative and quantitative research methods.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_geography
The geography course I had in German senior high was human geography by that standard.
Interpretation and analysis of maps relatee to agriculture, industry and settlement, also natural resources, pollution etc.
Of course crisscrossing different places with an awareness of such stuff is grand.
I recall how a tour guide on Majorca, “Germany’s 17th state” and favorite vacation island, was telling us about life before the Spanish Air Force Base was converted into a civilian airport, of the poverty and how the Spanish navy brought in fresh water to the arid island via ship.
But also how many desalination plants were built for the tourist boom (90?) and how it made it nearly impossible for young people to afford a house of their own as hotels, restaurants and vacation fincas had made the real estate market rise very high.
Biking up and down – and once exactly Canadian kayak rafting – Munich’s own Isar river with an awareness of geography made me understand the delicate balance between the upstream dam, water reserves, hydropower, nature reserves like the one I once rafted through, flood control – all of that. So there is both awareness of the maps as well as the terrain involved.
Re Lance’s comment, I am hoping those young/fit enough who join Angat Buhay NGO develop a sense of geography of the archipelago. Some following VP Leni’s campaign trail virtually were amazed at discovering the diversity of its culture, possibly something lost when inter island trade was lessened by colonialism. Some supporters followed the campaign trail, physically going to events in different provinces and islands or even helping local house to house campaigners.
They would go the way Dr. Gideon Lasco has been going, also with his clientele as guiding rich people up mountains is a source of income for him, but including direct engagement with social issues. Hopefully creating a generation of leaders with a sharpest sense of map and terrain, of land use, natural resources and conservation, aquifers and steams, valleys and mountains, who know the lay of the land like the Israelis do as per Lance.
PiE, the History you had in German senior high is indeed the type of enriched Geography class I would have loved to learn in high school. Instead what we had was a History class of chronology & cartography – our loss, obviously, another missed opportunity.
Just two examples of the kind of stuff one can find in the standard German geography textbook, these being more current of course than what I had back then:
1) 2015-2030 estimates for population growth/loss in the regions of Germany:
2) urban development of Berlin from 1840 onwards (oh to have such a map for Metro Manila!)
This is all we have
https://namria.gov.ph/about.aspx
Our Mapping agency is under the DENR.
“Some following VP Leni’s campaign trail virtually were amazed at discovering the diversity of its culture, possibly something lost when inter island trade was lessened by colonialism. ”
In the ’60s, I had 2 uncles and a first cousin in the PH Navy, 2 of them had “good administrative access” to navy ships. Looking back it would have been relatively doable to obtain official passage to the vessels plying the PH seas. Missed this again – a first-hand experience of visiting some of the Philippine regions & “discovering the diversity of our culture.” It is not a stretch a good number of VP’s campaign retinue had also similar thoughts along my line of thinking. (Wink, wink, Karl)
last election, leni was the only presidential candidate that has visited all 81 provinces.
I can understand why some culture vanished. dati sa provincia namin, we used to poison foreigners! karon, nag-evolved na: instead of poisoning foreigners, they’re kidnapped for ransom. easy money, tax free, lol!
Because of what you said about geography.
Joe made an opinion on twitter in relation to some government people to promote our food on tourism.
He said he enjoyed travelling not because of the food.
The foodies reacted that they travel because of the food and Joe just said different strokes (for different folks)
You are right that geopraphy should be taught and the maps are important ….and they should not just have restos for landmarks.
Right! That nails the point I’ve been missing. Food tourism is uni-dimensional. As a standalone, it’s a hard sell. Attached to other things to do and see, it makes sense to make more noise about the food.
Exactly, karl.
Foodies are just one subset of the tourists that visit the Philippines, there’s also sex tourism. which tend to be epicurean in nature, so will also converge with foodies. but theres also martial arts, especially Europeans (and Russians) that visit the Philippines to seek out styles and masters of these arts. theres diving, which tend to converge with mountaineering and other hobbies that also converge with environmentalism.
If Inday Sara can get UP’s geography and anthropology departments as well as computer science and digital arts/media (which there’s a bunch of in Cebu), all these interests can converge.
I would also add reach out to the VA/GI Bill folks over here to encourage American veterans to use their GI Bill in the Philippines, call that educational tourism; then also along the same vein as the VA is medical tourism, lots of injured and old veterans here the VA can save money by sending veterans to the Philippines, cost efficacy is an easy sell. lots of ideas converge when talking about geography, karl.
I hope Inday Sara will take up this mantle. oh yeah, our talk about search/rescue, disaster relief, ala Team Rubicon, etc. all geography too , karl.
Please write to VP Inday Sara about this. reach out to her. then maybe do a blog series on your correspondences with her and her office, policy wise but maybe like Wil’s article some personal stuff too.
sara is going to be bbm’s education sec shackled with the prescribed nationwide school curricula, nothing more nothing less.
tourism is portfolio offered by bbm to christina garcia frasco, newly mayor elect of liloan city for the 3rd term. already, frasco is thinking of opening up mindanaw for tourism, despite the current gulo there, the bombings, etc. food tourism would fall under frasco’s domain.
that would be good if karlG gets an accredited vlog under this vlog obsessed regime, lol!
I saw this on Netflix awhile back. I also watch this on Netflix,
I can tell you theres a big taco renaissance right now in Socal, everywhere you look its taco trucks and taco stands. its like people can’t get enough of it, and theres this cultural phenomenon where people text each other where they’re going and its like a scavenger hunt/adventure driving around the city to taste this and that.
Night life is about driving around, eating this and that, here and there.
So for sure Frasco is onto something, and since her husband is from Socal, i think its informed by whats going on here. i ‘ve seen a bunch of stories of people getting laid off from the COVID lock downs who decided to open up a taco stand just on the sidewalk at night (which county and local gov’ts allow), who now have taco trucks.
Tamales too, so I’m sure what’s going on here can be replicated there. especially in Mindanao I remember street vendors specialty items were everywhere as you travelled by bus or ship, and also street stalls at 1am 2am in the morning in cities. Tacos if you think about it are perfect street food, you see it prepared in front of you, its handed to you and you can eat it standing up in 2 to 3 bites.
https://www.rappler.com/world/146840-abu-sayyaf-ransom-indonesian-hostages/
I am supposing post covid abu sayyaf group must be once again salivating for the arrival of foreign tourists in mindanaw, lol!
the past few years were sort of lulling, covid caused rampant travel restrictions and communities went into series of lockdowns and alert levels. people were in isolation and crime like kidnap for ransom was dormant.
now that most of us are vaccinated, travel restrictions are being lifted and alert levels relaxed, bombings in mindanaw are starting anew.
I hope that soon to be travel sec frasco takes into special consideration the safety of mindanaw bound tourists.
More tourists equals more attention equals more security.
The insecurity of Mindanao is more related to neglect from Manila than anything. If Inday Sara and Inday Christina focus on Mindanao and not just in mining and forestry, stuff like tourism and education can flourish.
I hope those two women also get into rubber trees, sustainable and comparatively more advantageous than other crops like palm oil. Pays more, plus you can plant stuff like coffee in the middle in between rubber trees.
Just master the commodities and futures market. this is what’s screwing up other rubber industries in other parts of the world.
That’s a fresh perspective on tourism. I like it, as a basis for securing and economically upgrading Mindanao, and seeing her as indistinguishable from other islands.
The problem with tree crops is the many years it takes for them to grow and produce. But, yes, go to the north 40 and plant some rubber trees.
But that futures and commodity market for rubber delegated to Hong Kong or Singapore, has to be by passed some how, so manufacture rubber products onsite, in Mindanao. then have tourists visit showrooms, and have cafeterias at these showrooms to also accommodate foodies, maybe feature the coffee or corn, etc. grown in-between rubber trees, Joe.
This is not just there is always a risk. Even just crossing the street is dangerous stuff.
If this is just to say that the US embassy and other embassies are over reacting in their travel advisories then the AFP and PNP leadership must have an input at least.
US embassy advisories are just that advisories, karl.
And they tend to err on the side of caution, over abundance of caution. So any tourism program should leverage this Level 2, 3, and 4 stuff, and get people to take selfies in Level 2 and 3 places, as badges of honor, eg. “dangerous” foods for foodies.
But maybe take Level 4 stuff seriously– though if you can find a local, Level 4 stuff isn’t no blanket advisory meaning if you can find a local friend in Isabela city, Basilan or Bongao in Tawi Tawi those places are basically Level 2 to 3, meaning totally fine for adventurous tourism.
Its up to the Philippines to by pass US embassy advisories, more attention, more security, more money, economy expands. but keep in mind they are simply advisories, karl. So fetishize it make them badges of courage to entice more visitors, i’m imagining yellow, orange , even red colors
painted on venues to show everyone that they are in threat areas, so they can brag.
Ok if it is just between you and me. I can take that, but a respected journalist and blogger, Raissa Robles is being badgered in main steam and social media because she thinks it would be a risk to open all Mindanao because some places are still risky. Might as well open only a portion of it. I actually do not know if I got the context right, but that is what I understand about the issue.
I’m not really following the Raissa Robles stuff. but just using abductive reasoning here, I gotta feeling her arguments against tourism in Mindanao is one attempting to stay relevant, but being seen as simply contrarian. thus irrelevant. follow, lead, or get out of the way typa scenario , karl.
Now in the quest for relevance since Pinks (and Yellows, same-same really) lost considerably, they can still play the opposition role, but they have to chose which hills to die on. And stopping tourism or general travel to Mindanao is not the fight that Pinks should die on. IMHO.
When was the last time Raissa Robles been to Mindanao? she’s an outsider, i’m assuming shes a Manila academic elite type, i have not really Google her to verify. So unless , the Pinks against travel and tourism to Mindanao are from Mindanao themselves, then just shut the fuck up, is my advice.
Again opening up Mindanao will be good for Mindanao, folks like Mancao (right hand of Ping Lacson way back when) from PAOCTF or residual PAOCTF folks won’t be able to play Wyatt Earp, there’ll be more accounting and accountability with more focus. in fairness to Mancao , he’s actually regulating on the unregulated kinda like Robin Hood but he keeps the loot not give it to the poor.
Mindanao is Wild West, and like over here how was the Wild West tamed? i dunno really, karl, but tourism and foodies doing youtube videos on their gastronomic experiences in the Wild West of Philippines, just based on common sense here, seems like a good start, only risk is on those going to Mindanao.
its a personal risk, the benefit tho’ transcends all of Mindanao. so its a win-win, folks get to travel, Mindanao is opened up.
Unless Raissa Robles wants to play Catcher in the Rye and catch everyone from making risky decisions, she should focus on other policies, like how about protecting Mindanao’s last lush old growth forests? Costa Rica did this via tourism. Open up Mindanao. this is good policy, karl, whether you were for BBM or VP Leni or Inday Sara.
Again win-win-win for everyone.
Mindanao needs to be better taken cared of. I would encourage too, visits to Tawi-Tawi, the Tausug locals and Badjaos, they kinda have beef with each other, but are very open to visitors. they could use some tourist money.
I believe there’s still direct Cebu Mactan flights to Bongao, if not i’m sure Zamboanga to Bongao (go visit , karl) :
Also try this, karl:
p.s.—
Okay, i read the Raissa Robles spat over at Twitter, karl.
I doubt foreign tourism will spike due to Frasco’s idea, but for sure local tourists, from Manila, Cebu, etc. will spike. Connected to what Ireneo’s talking about Pinks now realizing theres a bigger Philippines out there that needs to be explored, and my point about geography. So actually Frasco’s idea fits perfectly with the Pinks idea of staying relevant. Explore the Philippines!!! historically only foreign tourists have had the balls to do so, now via VP Leni’s movement, Pink Cebuano/Tagalogs/Ilocanos/Bicolanos, etc. can travel to Mindanao via Frasco’s plan. win-win.
If you remember i was also encouraging gian a long time ago to visit all the way to Davao, jump form one INC’s parish to the next, travel independently. and he said he once had a plan of traversing the Pan-Philippine highway. pps, by simply hanging out at bars and casas in Manila, you’ll also meet Filipinas from everwhere in the provinces. however you do it, just get the lay of the land, don’t listen to Raissa Robles. nobody ever did anything significant because of fear, karl. that’s basically what she’s espousing. be in fear of Mindanao.
read the fine print of your travel insurance, ensure you’re adequately covered.
kb,
If you really think about it, the US State Dept. should put the whole of the US at Level 3 or 4. But it doesn’t. You know why, because we know tourist dollars are good for the economy. so the US State Dept. isn’t going to shooting itself in the foot.
Theres not too much kidnapping for ransom over here, but for sure you’ll get shot and/or beaten here.
But I digress, these tourist advisories are all bs. Go to Mindanao first, then blog pro or con about it. But visit Mindanao first. that should be the golden rule when discussing Mindanao.
I’ve lived on Mindanao. It’s like a giant US city. Some parts you avoid, the rest is manageable, and the places that cater to tourists are safe. Getting there is dicey though.
when was last time frasco visited basilan and tawi-tawi among the many exemplary ‘gems’ of mindanaw? she is proposing pa naman to build build build all those fantabulous infra tourism projects! she really has to be personally on the ground in mindanaw else those projects are built on swamps good only for mosquitoes to breed, breed, breed, lol! the proboscis of those dengue mossies are bigger than the guns of navarone! lord have mercy.
as incumbent, frasco is best accreditedly suited to golden rule blog about mindanaw, she’s a beauty, good to looksee and so uber articulate that sometimes I dont understand what she’s on about. must be my ultra short attention span the size of a grain of rice that still cost traitorously 40-50pesos per kilo. though mindanawans should have no problem understanding her regardless what tongue she is espousing, she gonna make them tourists rich.
Tawi-Tawi and Basilan were my ideas for karl, kb. I don’t know Frasco’s ideas for focus of Mindanao, tho’ i’m sure it’ll be Davao first and foremost, then maybe Cagayan de Oro,
You got NPA stuff to the east, and Moros stuff to the west, but if you start your foodie tourism in just that road from Cagayan de Oro to Davao, that’s already a big start.
then after I’d probably also focus on Surigao, then connect all three cities. Just start with those 3 cities first, then de-conflict with Muslim Philippines, but that can happen later. depending on Muslim Philippines consensus.
But northern Mindanao and Davao area is definitely ripe for tourism.
I gotta feeling Frasco will be able to deliver on more ferries and fast crafts to bridge Cebu/Bohol to northern Mindanao, Joe.
I’m not convinced that domestic tourism is as valuable as foreigners spending money here. Nice ferries would be wonderful. But I doubt it’s a difference-maker. If I live in Luzon or the Visayas, there is more in my area than in Mindanao. I’m not feeling Frasco’s enthusiasm.
It is not true what you said about your attention span.
You are short selling your self.
But one thing when you say tourism infra. In addition to your brilliant deduction.
Like Joe said the tourism spots are grand, but going there is the problem.
you build an access road with four lanes for a few kilometers then when that access road ends you no longer have access again. So what’s the use?
just like in the urban jungle where you ride a bus, or mrt then transfer to a tricycle then to a pedicab before you reach work or school.
Then they say: location location location as if we are at least aware and not necessarily experts in geography, maritime domain awareness, situtational awareness, envrionmental awareness, etc.
The tourism secretary will then compartmentalize and say my job description is only….
the swot analyses are up to my team then we will call for an Interagency body.
Gosh.
We need more good intentions to reach the road to perdition.
I don’t think you have to get into every nook and cranny of Mindanao tho’ , karl.
Work with the roads already present. Just add more venues to stop into and take a break, and eat and relax. On top of the foodie idea is the American gimmick of having big items on display of which tourists can take pictures with. Google American roadside attractions, huge sculptures, family run museums, karl. then have nice toilets and washrooms available. sell trinkets and souvenirs. On the way to Solvang, CA is a really big ostrich farm, you can feed the ostrich, eat the ostrich, and buy ostrich products like feather dusters, etc. its a one stop shop, and brings in lots of tourists from Socal and Norcal enroute to Socal.
Just get people moving around. There are already roads and small towns along those roads, priority is nice and clean restrooms for any tourist endeavor foodie or non-foodie tourism alike, and toilets that are regularly cleaned.
ah, karlG, location, location, location like the new tourism ad done in virtual location, photoshop people bending at odd angles, afraid mayhap to be in real places with real sceneries, in real time and meeting real people. ano ba silang dancers, umbra and penumbra? like our once award winning troupe of shadow puppeteers. and they had better not start foodie eating at will else they become like so many fat americans eating themselves to death, lol!
what a weird mix we are! frasco is lividly enthusiastic while travel agencies and travel agents are vapidly vacant, their travel itineraries illusive. outgoing labor boss bello wants ofws to come home and work here, while imee marcos wants filipinos to leave and immigrate to other countries.
anyhow, my friends are ecstatic and love the new virtual ad. virtual tourism, all you need is a short trip to electronic store, get yourself virtual goggle and you’re good to go. explore the whole country in the safety of your own home. less hassle and covid safe, and less chance of meeting pesky kidnappers.
Rowan Atkinson should never try virtual tourism with his Johnny English or Mr. Bean characters.
“I’m not convinced that domestic tourism is as valuable as foreigners spending money here.”
Joe,
I don’t think there’ll be much foreign tourism due to COVID, gas prices (also affecting airlines, $4,000 bucks to fly there just checked), and world inflation.
But as here, at least in LA, after being cooped up so long, people just wanna travel, but its $6 buck per gallon gas, so the buzz over here is essentially day trips, or weekend trips supported by AirBnB accommodations (that’s another idea).
If Frasco’s tourism doesn’t pan out, then at the very least the infrastructure being discussed, i’m sure including more ferries, better roads, security, is good enough for VP Leni’s movement of Pinks travelling around.
this is why I don’t understand the hate on Frasco, its like a scratch your back, i don’t have to scratch yours concept, VP Leni’s movement of Pinks travelling around Mindanao (which was a huge blind spot), can piggy back off Frasco’s and Inday Sara’s Mindanao plans, and
they don’t have to pay anything, free ridership, so at the very least support it via social media. Get your Pinks to travel to Mindanao. that should be the perspective taken by Pinks re Mindanao, not as contrarians. like Raissa.
I for one though IMHO think Mindanao will only benefit, even if just local or balikbayan tourism (because Filipinos with money vacation there, also have been cooped up here, and they tend to bring families and clans in these outings, that’s $1,000 dollars, to $5,000 bucks, for Mindanao just from one family/clan).
that all adds up, Joe. Though I doubt many Manila folks will be visiting Mindanao, but for sure those in Cebu, etc. just a hop and skip away will , once ferries and buses are ironed out.
The hate on Frasco is political, derived from her stint in service to Mayor Duterte and being the daughter of Cebu’s Governor Garcia. When she was first appointed, I reviewed her record and comments and wrote a tweet that she could be a good appointment. The response set a record for me. Zero likes, zero retweets. That’s never happened before.
But that doesn’t mean the Philippines should invest in tourism infrastructure that few people will use, and, when they do, they won’t spend much, when Manila is frozen with congestion, storms are wreaking havoc on exposed wires, food production is under tremendous stress, hospitals are struggling, schools have broken down, and we need to fund corruption.
I’ve always been against palm oil plantations, or any agribusiness ideas just focused on the world market. I like rubber tree plantation because you can inter crop but still make bank, palm oil is exclusive and ruins the soil. benefits only conglomerates.
If Frasco takes on the Costa Rica model of tourism, which is totally within her reach given the BBM and Inday Sara support , by extension no one will want to visit palm oil plantations, they look really dreary. Ugly, like Mordor.
Those will be replaced, because you’d want to make resort type accommodations now, and restaurants which will demand fresh fruits and veggies, and places to enjoy like waterfalls by rivers, by beaches, lakes, etc. again look at how Filipinos travel, they don’t generally backpack,
they travel as platoons, troops of families and friends, jeepneys chartered for such occasions.
So agribusiness thats ill though out bad plantation, even bananas and pineapples just for the world market will be re thought. reconsidered where it wasn’t before,
cuz these plantations have no room in the Costa Rican model of tourism. because palm oil plantations, is neither beautiful for tourism, nor practical for the Philippines and Mindanao especially.
I hope this is Frasco’s end game, which was Gina Lopez’. my point is simply know which ideas are good for the Philippines, regardless of who’s proposing them. this is Philippine good. no matter how you cut it.
Sec. Romulo-Puyat was all about “farm tourism”, so hopefully this program will continue in Mindanao.
here,
“Travellers seek learning and recreation in farms, and this demand engenders increased economic activities not only in the farms themselves, but also in the surrounding rural communities.
That is why Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat describes farm tourism as “a catalyst for sustainable tourism and inclusive development.”
To enable this, the farm tourism development law was enacted in May 2016. Finally, after more than two years, the rules to implement the law were promulgated.
“Farm tourism holds the promise of food sufficiency and additional income for our tourism stakeholders, including farmers, farmworkers and fisherfolk,” Puyat says in a statement.
“After all, gainful employment, enhanced productivity and sustainable livelihoods are what tourism is really all about,” she adds.
Republic Act No. 10816 recognizes the importance of agriculture in making available food and other products that not only are necessary to sustain and enhance human life but also provide livelihood to a major portion of the population.”
https://visitcommunities.com/growing-farm-tourism-in-philippines/
This program can totally happen across Mindanao, and within the foodie tourism concept, not mutually exclusive. so farm tourism in Mindanao, along with foodie tourism. win-win.
this is the first i’ve heard of her, just Googling what’s been done before. but the last Sec. of Tourism had good ideas too. i hope Frasco will adopt them. Walking in and through rubber trees is so relaxing, i’d farm tour any rubber tree plantation with good food served on site.
“But that doesn’t mean the Philippines should invest in tourism infrastructure that few people will use, “
Ferries and buses and good roads need not be tourist only , Joe. those are economic engines in and of themselves. Add the previous Sec. of Tourism’s farm tourism, and same same, it need not be just for tourists, that’s essentially food security, disincentivicing palm oil type plantations. That Sec. of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform stuff, Joe. My point is its a win -win -win, if you look at it from a wider picture perspective and not just Frasco or not just tourism.
Now i agree with you in a 3rd world situation, other policies and plans need to be prioritize, but there s a value in beautifying and focusing on aesthetics in and of itself, which is what tourism is all about, aesthetics and ethics are both axiology, the whole point if you will of philosophy. because how can you expand tourism (aesthetics) when there’s so much death dealing (ethics). again it all connects. one betters the other, and vice versa.
Remember this poem back when JFK set out to go to the moon? its a moon shot, Joe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitey_on_the_Moon
The moon missions advanced a lot of things, material sciences, better appreciation for the Earth, inspired non-Whites into the sciences and engineering. and that poem right there is essentially your points above, contrarian, eg. we have mor e pressing issues to solve. where I’m saying, build it and they will come. Build it and they will go to Mindanao. even if its just local Filipinos, because as we’ve seen
many Filipinos really do think they’ll just get kidnapped and/or killed if they go. This is the reason everything is topsy turvy in Mindanao, and people in Mindanao didn’t vote for VP Leni. IF the Yellows (or Pinks) don’t want to lose again in the next election it would behoove them to also open up to Mindanao. Go to Mindanao.
if they continue going negative on Frasco and Inday Sara, and whatever the two have planned for Mindanao does bear fruit, well guess who’ll get Mindanao in the next cycle? Bam Aquino?!!!
I just Googled state universities and colleges in Mindanao which is Inday Sara’s, that too can be brought to bear under Frasco’s plan, plus TESDA can be set up to align with Mindanao development granted it should be the Costa Rican model:
Basilan State College (BSC)
Bukidnon State University (BukSU)
Camiguin Polytechnic State College (CPSC)
Caraga State University (CSU)
Central Mindanao University (CMU)
Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology (CFCST)
Cotabato State University (CotSU)
Davao del Norte State College (DNSC)
Davao Oriental State University (DOrSU)
Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU)
J.H. Cerilles State College (JHCSC)
Mindanao State University Main (MSU Main)
North Eastern Mindanao State University (NEMSU)
Philippine Normal University-Agusan Campus (PNU-Agusan Campus)
Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST)
Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU)
Surigao State College of Technology (SSCT)
University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP)
University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP)
University of Southern Mindanao (USM)
Western Mindanao State University (WMSU)
Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST)
Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University (ZPPSU)
Other SUCs
Adiong Memorial Polytechnic State College (AMPSC)
Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology (NMSCST)
Sulu State College (SSC)
Mindanao State University – Maguindanao (MSU-Maguindanao)
Mindanao State University – Gen. Santos (MSU-GenSan)
Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT)
Mindanao State University – Naawan (MSU-N)
Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College (TTRAC)
Lance, Sicily which is the largest island on the Med, roughly Panay plus Negros in size, was a place people were scared to go to up to the 1980s, when the very bloody vendetta of the Cosa Nostra group from Corleone and the one from Palermo took place with machine guns and all that.
End of the 1980s was the spectacular Mafia trial with leading Mafiosi in cages in a spectacular courtroom constructed just for that trial and key witnesses like the former “boss of two worlds” testifying from within a witness stand with bulletproof glass. Liked the 2019 movie “The Traitor” where the main witness never skips a beat when it comes to doing things stylishly, including always putting his shades back on when getting up, and the interaction between him and the m prosecutor Falcone is interesting as the tough guy and lothario Bruscetta deeply respects Falcone’s intellect. The 1990s had Falcone blown up by a car bomb but that didn’t stop the clean up process.
By the time I was a package tourist in Sicily in 2018, a ring highway built with EU money brought us everywhere, and all we could READ about was that the last Mafia boss allegedly hid out in one place we passed and at times went to the beach near some Greek ruins we visited. And that one could if one wanted to choose to go to places guaranteed to be without “pizzo” or protection money. Only thing about the Mafia our tour guide told us about was that civic society groups that had recently commemorated a priest in Palermo killed by the Mafia for helping young people avoid its temptations (Bruscetta for instance admitted later in his life which ended peacefully somewhere in the USA under witness protection that one reason he had joined was to have his pick of sex) found their tires slashed after the event.
Trapani, the place where they say one of the last bosses hides out at times, had a lot of American expats and a booming property market. Distinctly Jason Bourne feels to the place, just like older places in Europe can have a James Bond feel. Taormina which hosted a G7 summit or so once way more gentrified than Trapani which was gentrifying in parts, seedy in others as far I could gather on a daytime walk. Palermo full of tourists as our guides tried to avoid the cruise ship crowd.
Lots of stuff happened between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s, some similar to what you suggest for Mindanao. But Sicily is safe now, even in the mid noughties it already was a place where one could rent a car and go across the island. Package tours came later as these are segurista businesses for segurista customers. But yes, one can develop a place, it just doesn’t happen in 6 years. Takes a lot of steps to get somewhere.
“But Sicily is safe now, even in the mid noughties it already was a place where one could rent a car and go across the island. Package tours came later as these are segurista businesses for segurista customers. But yes, one can develop a place, it just doesn’t happen in 6 years. Takes a lot of steps to get somewhere.”
I totally agree, Ireneo. and Sicily looks like a good example.
Over here the Mob attempted to muscle into Los Angeles, they were already powerful in NY and then Chicago, so they figured LA would be easy in the 1920s; but the LAPD turned out to be more violent than them. because LAPD was a different kinda law enforcement, more atune to the Wild West than the Old Country.
But the Mob got into Las Vegas. But eventually were muscled out by the corporations, eg MGM, etc. in the 1980s.
So there’s all these examples of muscling out bad actors, that won’t contribute to the public good. Like Mancao from PAOCTF running lose around Mindanao, if there was an LAPD or MGM or both that will muscle out lesser creatures like Mancao, and the general public will be better off, then do it. Sacrifice them even tho’ they are also preying on lesser creatures, because public good has to be served.
So for so long now Mindanao has been the Other in Philippines politics,
the backwater if you will, even kb isn’t a fan of Mindanao, eg. you’ll just be kidnapped and killed there. if you were Mindanaoan who wants to open a business like a small boutique resort business, tied to farm tourism, or even geriatric tourism wherein old foreigners spend the remainder of the lives in a nice lush green space of a place, then these are ideas that help Mindanao’s peace and order problems,
not contribute, so yes it will take some time, but get started in developing Mindanao. CHED and TESDA by the way falls under the President, not Dept of Education, so maybe consolidate CHED and TESDA under Inday Sara, at least the programs/schools in Mindanao, and have Inday Sara support Dept. of Tourism directly.
Dept of Education
CHED/TESDA in Mindanao
Dept of Tourism
All focused on Mindanao.
Never stop being not quiet. Even when others decide to give up because they thought they do not have power anymore. Even as there are those who thought this country isn’t worth sacrificing for. And even though others have succumbed to greed and avarice thinking it is the best way to survive when it is morally not.
We do not stop, but by learning from past examples of resistance, we can evolve to meet the challenge of this so-called “New Social Order” the Marcoses are intending to impose. The resistance can be fluid, formless, subtle, and where it will be impossible for this regime’s loud, corrupted influencers to find and destroy.
And this concept should be drilled to Filipinos:
these days of cyber libel, before we hit the send button, we ought to think hard and long. else we need the services of a good lawyer. what we say can cost us dearly!
Good point, kb. over here we just got a ruling on the Depp vs. Heard law suit where Depp won. I’m sure the jury remembered that pooping in the pillow photos as they deliberated.
But cyber libel is I think would be a great industry from here on out. especially lawyers wanting to make a name for themselves, since the West loves freedom of speech and freedom of expression. and will fund any good fight preserving said freedoms.
I say follow the above principle about defending peoples right to free speech, and go to court and keep defending said right. Do not be scared. But just read up on the law. this is how you stay relevant by fighting good fights, and not balking.
from Google: “Defamation is an area of law that provides a civil remedy when someone’s words end up causing harm to your reputation or your livelihood. Libel is a written or published defamatory statement, while slander is defamation that is spoken by the defendant.”
https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/map-states-criminal-laws-against-defamation
“There are no criminal defamation laws at the federal level in the United States. In addition, the common law cause of action for criminal defamation was held to be unconstitutionally vague in 1966.49
Twenty-four states and the U.S. Virgin Islands do have criminal defamation provisions, but the United States Supreme Court has limited the application of such statutes, requiring that the defendant’s intent rises to a standard of “actual malice” where the plaintiff is a public figure, and prohibiting the criminal prosecution of true speech.
Additionally, many of these state statutes have been declared unconstitutional or are never enforced, even if they have not been repealed and thus still remain part of that state’s criminal code. Further, many of the statutes that have not been reviewed by the state’s courts would likely be found unconstitutional or significantly limited in application if an actual case arose under these statutes today.”
Let’s seek the truth behind the blatant manipulation of the Election results. For love of our country & dignity of Pilipinos.
I’ve not heard anything from the Robredo camp that objects to the outcome.
hello, rafael. the jim morrison song, light my fire, ihaharana ko sa iyo –
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you . . .
light my fire! to seek the truth, I am tempted to tell all kakampinks to send all their election receipts so we can make our own national tally of how many votes leni really, truly did havel!
so many analysts have done post mortem of what went horribly wrong and yet did not really dig any deeper of how it went so utterly utterly wrong. all analysts were just hovering on the surface, afraid to poke their noses into the obvious. not their expertise yan, fish out of the water, gasping. analysts can only analyze given data, what they see; and the devil in the detail they did not see wreck absolute havoc.
quite a number of malfunctioning vcms were taken away – where to? how are we to know the rogue vcms answered a programmed code, taken to secret locations where they can transmit a helluva pre-filled ballots! I love theories! my own mad ones specially, all alcohol induced, lol!
iom did say there were more than 200 election discrepancies, duly disregarded by govt elect coz iom is not accredited agency. does not mean iom is not telling the truth.
I think, the govt elect ought to be thankful robredo camp is not one to cry over spilled carabao’s milk. let bbm solve all the national problems bbm so badly wanted.
in the meantime, leni is heading an ngo, a none govt org, her angat buhay program for the poor and needy. marcos can have all the riches, leni the donations given by private individuals both foreign and locals to help alleviate the sufferings of the maligned poor.
boy we couldn’t get much higher, common baby light my fire!
People’s Councils were a major aspect of how Jesse Robredo ran Naga City. It isn’t surprising that his widow goes by the same approach that gives by the people, with the people and for the people real meaning in a Filipino setting.
Contrast that with the preamble of the 1899 Constitution which started with “We, the Representatives of the Filipino people”. The mindset of most of the Filipino political class is still exactly like that.
Well, MLQ3 is correct in writing that VP Robredo managed to rescue what was left of civic society in the Philippines. But I think she may have managed to actually make it more accessible to the masses than ever before, and the more the masa realize that the less they will fall for populists like Isko – or wannabe royals.
The challenge she has now is to sustain what was started under conditions that might be even more hostile than before.
But then again, the confidence gained by those who have seen freedom is truly possible, in a way that never was in a country where “garlic-breathed barangay captains” – (c) Joeam@Twitter – often rule locally, might be something not even Marcoses can successfully extinguish. If I look at the light in the eyes of Sherwin Abdon, the former Marcos supporter who turned fervently Pink together with his wife after he gave VP Robredo a ride on his motorbike in Cavite and was surprised at how down-to-earth she actually is, there is indeed some hope. Let us see how things play out and if the awakening continues..
more hostile? I can think of mindawans who so love their usual share of pasabogs, lol! so enamored of chaos. which rich politician ordered them? now that we are past poll surveys, right on que bombing season starts in the south. they all have to be accredited though, made them all nation-unity-worthy. confused? me too, lol!
duterte once declared mindanaw under martial law, maybe that is what mindanawans miss the most: the smell of fear and cordite. if bbm do the same and declare mindanaw also under martial law . . . well, lgus are now to be entrusted with resiliency task force. keep it local. lgus’s garlic breathing chiefs know their own localities far better than anyone, apparently.
Ahaha, you read my dialogue with that troll. I engaged because he displayed a sense of humor, but the conversation went nowhere, as they always do.
When my convos with you go nowhere because of my fault, I stop and try again later sometimes I make sense.
I miss a lot these days, rather erratic in my reading. I’ve not known you to miss much.
I rely on the wisdom of friends like you to fill in the blanks.
Somewhat OT:
In Germany, some of us have moved on from Pink or Red to the color of ube. Is this unity?
Better than being violent kamote, I guess.
violate (violet) kamote! already off to a good start, this violent kamote vlog/blog would easily get bbm/s accreditation. kudos to phil consul general sa frankfurt for such unprecedented brilliance!
Before it was a big deal for a kid to have an ube colored money.
But with ave. fuel prices more than a kid’s grade point average, that ube will bring you nowhere.
That is the official mapping agency, what I mean is the use of maps and GIS in schools and research. Two articles that would have been grand with a bit more visualization even as I realize what hard work it would be to properly put stuff together:
1) the urbanization of Metro Manila, focused on 1945-1965, but with reference to prewar development and quotes like: “The Port Area, San Nicolas, Binondo, Santa Cruz, Quiapo, and San Miguel,
once suburbs of the old Walled City, have since become residential com-
munities, and then in turn, business communities. Residents have pushed
farther away into Ermita, Malate, Paco, Santa Ana, Sampaloc, and Tondo,
the suburbs of prewar Manila. At present, the suburban trend is going still
farther out into Caloocan City, Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati,
Pasay City, Parauiaque, and beyond to Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite. Thus, the
prewar suburbs have become the sites of lower- and lower-middle-class
concentration in postwar days; the outskirts, a lower-middle-class area
during Spanish times, now accommodate upper-class families looking for
open spaces. The interstices have yielded to the new, low-income migrant
seeking a home close to his workplace, and to the ubiquitous squatter in
search of almost any convenient location that will tolerate his presence.”
2) the history of EDSA, with interesting stuff like this: “Fort McKinley and Camp Murphy, which are still operational, were renamed Fort Bonifacio and Camp General Aguinaldo, respectively. A section of Camp Aguinaldo eventually became Camp Crame. People going through the route early on were presumed to be going to these camps and stations. City commuters considered traveling to these military facilities, including UP Diliman, still very far. The common reaction was, ‘ang layo naman nang pupuntahan mo.'” – I am sure sonny can relate to this, for instance.
https://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/old-edsa-history-photos-a52-20171010
Irineo, as expected the first settlers (starting 1949) of the areas surrounding Camps Murphy, Crame, Bonifacio were families of PH Army, Constabulary, officers & enlisted men; repeated also by PH Navy & Air Force military & civilian personnel; my contemporaries attending UP, Ateneo, Maryknoll and schools that moved from Manila to the spaces in Quezon City made their adjustments accordingly. The big land owners (Ysmael, Tuazon, Araneta, et al) held sway as to who builds what & where). So yes, we were first-hand witnesses to this great movements in the urbanization of Greater Manila-Quezon City as topgear.com describes.
The quest for relevance is of course very closely related to life’s big question of meaning and purpose. That we all seem to desire its fulfillment at some point of our existence points to its universality. Thus, the desire for relevance holds true for Leni supporters as well as for Marcos voters.
On the other hand, it has yet to be determined if there really is an ultimate answer to the question of meaning and purpose. There are those, the nihilists, who deny its validity as life’s goal and there are those who affirm, at least putatively, that we can create our own meaning and purpose.
I tend to side with the latter if only because it at least give sanity and coherence to an otherwise maddening reality of pointless existence.
A materialist nihilistic view, otoh, seem to jibe with our current socio-economic and cultural order.
“Thus, the desire for relevance holds true for Leni supporters as well as for Marcos voters. …”
Micha, you put it much better. Similar reflection crossed my mind. The foto lede of this blog shows the faces of kakampink Filipino youth: energetic, hopeful, forward-looking to promises of the future and have hitched onto the VP’s equally energetic march to a state of amelioration especially including “those with barely enough”. So, three parallel needful age-group (pink, red, D&E youth).
@sonny
If true, I’m glad that the Filipino youth are, in general, optimistic about the future. That is in stark contrast to their American counterpart who hold a much rather grim and pessimistic view as manifested in relatively high suicide rates and most of the perpetrators of recent spate of mass shootings are in their teens or at least young adults.
I am of the opinion that adopting a nihilistic view lead to this kind of dysfunctional society and negatively (if not tragically) influence the way we behave and relate with one another.
And yet, and yet…nihilism seems to have a much greater pull.
Since nihilism is seeing life as meaningless then I agree with you fully. Thanks for the information on the situation in the US.
In a way its nihilism, but its more this, karl (go straight to time stamp 55:29 about the murder of God and what happens after, Nietzche’s solution wasn’t to go back to church and hide there, his was to go find a hobby and master yourself in it, thus mastering yourself— arguably what’s missing in modern times):
Nowadays it is OK not to be Okay.
The prob here in PH are the scant therapists.
I mean the licensed psychiatrists not the wellness coaches,and other gurus
licensed psychiatrists are medical doctors authorized to prescribe anti-psychotic drugs to treat the mentally ill. often, a local doctor is the 1st port of call, a general mental assessment done before a patient can be referred to a psychiatrist. if a case is acute, a doctor can send a seriously mentally ill patient straight to mental health ward of a hospital where a patient can be restraint but only for 24hrs, awaiting the arrival of a psychiatrist.
dont just go and see a psychiatrist on your own. a consultation with a psychiatrist can be very costly and wasting a psychiatrists time can harm the hip pocket.
psychologists are talk therapists, they can advise people and help them get traction of their life and well being. they cannot prescribe medication. though some sports therapists are known to give banned substances to enhance the performance of competing athletes.
in need of good advice? there are now many self help books in the market written by professionals. these books can be helpful and dont cost much. reputable bookstores supply these kind of books.
I know this is dejavú but thanks again.
I too find it expensive consultations plus the med. Then seeing your therapist is usually in top of all the gists(MD) that you have to visit in your lifetime. Again the Universal health care must find other funding sources other than the taxes Tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages.
Joe mentioned Medical Tourism in his tweet.
I do hope we could benchmark Thailand. I know they plan too, but there is not a dearth of plans.
I learned about the vlogging world and moving on from this Pinoy series.
Kb
Even if I had the bona fides which I do not I will never even apply for accreditation.(fr one comment of yours alluding to moi)
The legit press corp should watch their backs.
no worries from me, I wouldn’t trouble anyone. I have no credibility!
Don’t say that kb. Where did that come from? (no credibility part)
Oh, I did it too with the no bona fides thing,
OFFTOPIC: Marcos outlived her, unfortunately. Even worse, Pedrosa became a sellout.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1608706/pagcor-director-carmen-pedrosa-dies-at-80
Quo vadis, Philippines?
“… The Philippines is a fulcrum of the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. Though the Southeast Asian country has a defence treaty with the United States, their ties were left shaken by Duterte’s recent overtures to China. ,,,
***
… Marcos hasn’t visited the United States for 15 years.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila, without directly addressing Marcos’ case, said: “Under international law, a sitting head of state is granted comprehensive immunity from foreign jurisdiction. Therefore, a president will have immunity from U.S. jurisdiction, including when travelling in the United States…” …”
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/top-us-official-meets-philippines-marcos-boost-longstanding-alliance-2022-06-09/
that’s a trap BBM, don’t fall for it!!!
LOL! Zoom is your friend. lol!
Were there any state of heads arrested ever in the US as far as you can recall (or google)Lcx?
haha heads of state
LOL! lots of assasinations and coups for sure, karl. we even assassinated our own president (JFK). but the closest i can think of is Noriega: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_units_involved_in_Operation_Just_Cause ; then there was that similar El Chapo mission wherein Sean Penn was used to smoke him out instead of all sort of US military units: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Guzmán
For a rule of law nation, we sure prefer to handle these typa stuff overseas, or keep ’em off American soil, like Gitmo. But i think those days are long gone now.
As far as misinformation and trolling goes tho’ , i think the Pinks’ cause will be better served if they taunt BBM with getting arrested as soon as he set foots on American soil. IF they do so, the US embassy/Dept of State will have to up their guarantees that they won’t, which will make BBM more nervous, giving Pinks more fuel for said trolling. America has such a humorous relationship with deposing (killing) world leaders that the satire will gain world traction. exposing BBM/Marcoses case in the US.
He’ll have to ask his mom and sister if he should go to the visit the WH, and Biden will have to promise him a state visit, at the level of Queen Elizabeth state visit. and the Pinks will end up laughing all the way to the bank, karl.
As Chief Troll here, I guarantee this operation. success is imminent.
OT, the big ACLU issue nowadays is “Constitutional Exclusion Zone”:
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency tasked with patrolling the U.S. border and areas that function like a border, claims a territorial reach much larger than you might imagine. A federal law says that, without a warrant, CBP can board vehicles and vessels and search for people without immigration documentation “within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States.” These “external boundaries” include international land borders but also the entire U.S. coastline.
The federal government defines a “reasonable distance” as 100 air miles from any external boundary of the U.S. So, combining this federal regulation and the federal law regarding warrantless vehicle searches, CBP claims authority to board a bus or train without a warrant anywhere within this 100-mile zone. Two-thirds of the U.S. population, or about 200 million people, reside within this expanded border region, according to the 2010 census. Most of the 10 largest cities in the U.S., such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, fall in this region. Some states, like Florida, lie entirely within this border band so their entire populations are impacted.
CBP operates immigration checkpoints along the interior of the United States at both major roads — permanent checkpoints — and secondary roads — “tactical checkpoints”— as part of its enforcement strategy. Depending on the checkpoint, there may be cameras installed throughout and leading up to the checkpoint and drug-sniffing dogs stationed with the agents. At these checkpoints, every motorist is stopped and asked about their immigration status. Agents do not need any suspicion to stop you and ask you questions at a lawful checkpoint, but their questions should be brief and related to verifying immigration status. They can also visually inspect your vehicle. Some motorists will be sent to secondary inspection areas at the checkpoint for further questioning. This should be done only to ask limited and routine questions about immigration status that cannot be asked of every motorist in heavy traffic. If you find yourself at an immigration checkpoint while you are driving, never flee from it — it’s a felony.” (ACLU website)
Thanks for your input.
LCX
Re Ferries.
Dennis Uy sold his 2GO which is into the ferry and logistics business to SM (owned by the richest PH familly.
It is up to SM if too overhaul the passenger and logistics industry. But competition must always be there .
Washington state and British Columbia, Canada have state subsidized ferries; as well as Alaska that runs ferries from Seattle to Alaska.
Thanks Corporal.
Joe I attempted to look for the exact tweet about Frasco, but I already found a more related and recent tweet, but for sure the said tweet had been liked shared and retweeted by now.
ICC tourists?
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1545247/if-elected-marcos-to-allow-icc-team-in-ph-but-only-as-tourists-not-probers
Re Sicily: the European press is feting https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leoluca_Orlando today as he steps down from his 5th and last term (per Italian law that is the maximum number) as Mayor of Palermo today at the age of 75. His first term in 1985 started the “Palermo Spring” of pushing back corruption and Mafia.
“..He.. [together with Sicilian regional President Piersanti Matarella]..set out to break the Mafia’s hold on the island, transferring budget authority from the corrupt regional government back to the cities and passing a law enforcing the same building standards used in the rest of Italy, thereby making the Mafia’s building schemes illegal. In retaliation, the Mafia killed Mattarella in January 1980..
..During the last mandate of Orlando, the city of Palermo got several national and international recognitions, mainly due to its renewed international visibility, that boosted the tourism sector: – in 2015, several monuments of the town, the so called “Palermo Arab-Normand path and the Cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale” were included in the Unesco world heritage – in 2017 it was awarded Italian Capital of youth – in 2018 it was awarded Italian Capital of Culture – in 2019 Michelin awarded the town with three stars, as recognition of its touristic appeal.”
P.S. some German journalists call him “the Good Godfather”.
P.P.S. his family’s old estate is in the town of Corleone itself, he is from a really old landowner family there. Very intriguing.
“mainly due to its renewed international visibility, that boosted the tourism sector: – in 2015, several monuments of the town,”
Thanks, Ireneo. Mindanao is Sicily , Sicily is indeed Mindanao.
But touristly speaking Siciliy does not have the Celebes Sea.
Focus too in the Celebes Sea. farm tourism in the sea.
get Badjaos involved.
“Structurally, this transformation is long overdue as the world heads toward a population of 10 billion over the next thirty years. In addition to meeting growing demand, this transition is also being driven by environmental pressures, given the large footprint that global agriculture is having on the planet with freshwater usage, global pesticide and fertilizer usage, soil quality degradation and devastation of many natural habitats that are being turned into mono-crop farmland.
The shift in agriculture is also being enabled by the invention of new technologies amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as precision agriculture, drones, satellites, big data, machine learning, autonomous farming machinery, synthetic biology and vertical farming.
Currently, 11% of the world’s land area is used for crop production. However, this is only 3% of the entire globe’s surface area. Now, an exciting new frontier for agriculture is opening up 70% of the world’s surface that has not traditionally been used for crops – the ocean.
If done effectively, ocean crop farming could also become a sustainable tool to help fight the effects of climate change whilst also addressing the emerging nutrition and water scarcity crisis.” (from Forbes)
Sicily has this mosaic though:
Does this mean Jesus is like Ra and Thor in Stargate, just another powerful alien visitor? Please take a Stargate to find out.
LOL! i don’t know anything about stargates and aliens, Ireneo. But Jesus needs to do some sit-ups or something. thats a significant San Miguel/sisig belly there! lol.
More likely Greek food as he is a Byzantine era mosaic.
Though I did wonder why he is using “laser vision” and not his finger to give life to Adam. But then again, the Byzantines constructed Hagia Sophia in an earthquake zone and even engineers of today are fascinated at how well they did it, had Greek fire to burn enemy ships whose exact formula no one had replicates until today, only thing they didn’t have was vaccines when the Plague of Justinian came, so I guess they had no aliens with superior technology to help them.
Got this from the geopolitical scientist, George Friedman, today:
***
The American economy, the largest and most dynamic in the world, is a geopolitical issue. And right now, it is in a predictable period of dysfunction. We will of course blame the politicians for what happens, as that is an American tradition.
***
The last line — We will of course blame the politicians for what happens, as that is an American tradition [re the economy] — is more than a PH tradition too. An irreversible tradition if not on the economy then on other relatively unimportant matters. Exhibit A — the Administration of Benigno Aquino III.
An irreversible tradition if not on the economy then on other relatively unimportant matters. Exhibit A — the Administration of Benigno Aquino III.
NH, I need to be educated – Why PNoy’s administration?
Sonny,
From the idea of George Friedman, I leap, rightly or not, to my idea of the constancy of the appeal of the demagogues in the PH, heightened by the poor educational system and now on the massive use of disinformation — where even in the rare case of a Benigno Aquino III or a Leni Robredo, the blame game abounds, not necessarily on the mismanagement of the economy.
“We will of course blame the politicians for what happens, as that is an American tradition.”
————
In a representative government , it is the norms when government policies gone awry.
@NH
Couldn’t make out the context of why he’s saying that. A link for the article could clarify.
Here is the link.
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/economies-and-war/
Thanks for the link, karl.
“It is easy to blame Johnson and Nixon, but they executed policies demanded by the public. The public wanted the problems solved at no cost to them. Since that was impossible, the political system generated the illusion of a solution. That illusion satisfied short-term public demands, the demands that frequently end in greater pain than they imagined.
In other words, war begat an unintended consequence. Another war imposed an extraordinary hardship but led to an upheaval in the political system. As I have written elsewhere, this is how our culture works. In our era, the end of the cycle began with COVID-19, which had the same disruptive effect as a war and created the same raging anger. This has been followed by another war, Ukraine, which is having a massive effect on the global economic system. Inflation is surging and interest rates rising.”
This is a crazy line of reasoning. If we track it back, all the way back, we go back to the Unmoved Mover. and the beginning of time.
What we do know from Nixon era policies now biting us in the ass is the establishment of fiat money. Everything boils back down to it.
But to say blame wars and politicians, is like saying blame the wind and the rain (who else can you blame Jeff Bezos?!!!). there are specific policies we can all drill down on and focus upon.
Welcome
I got this through a Tweet from Joeam. It is a picture to go along with that nice cup of early morning coffee. It was taken on a cool Christmas-Season day in Tagaytay. I very much like the smiles. It is still relevant, isn’t it?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVVr-r7UAAE-xKy?format=jpg&name=900×900