Good people must be perfect or they are bad
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
It’s a human condition, not a trait that only applies to Filipinos.
Good people must be perfect or they are bad. Bad people don’t have to live up to that standard because people accept the flaws as a part of their character. So they are “good”. For millions, the felon Trump is better than any honest Democrat. And news media thrive on the distinction, ignoring Trump’s horrid flaws in favor of nit-picking honest people.
Duterte and Marcos also proved the point. In the minds of voters, they had the edge over the flawed honest people.
How do good people in the Philippines overcome this problem? How do they get Filipinos to stop playing the crab game, dragging good people down from the top of the ballot list through relentless criticism? While crooks get a free pass?
I’ll propose some ideas here and hope to get your insights in the discussion section.
First, let’s establish a context for Filipino voters. It can be done in the length of a tweet.
- I’m trying to frame the mind and emotions of most voters. Job that barely pays. Kids in used clothes. Jollibee an upscale event. School a struggle. Old motorbike hanging by a thread. Food a stretch. Barangay is government, and mayor. 500 pesos is a huge help. WTF are policies? (JoeAm, X, Jul 20, 2024)
The spacial horizon of most Filipinos is 5 kilometers and however far TikTok reaches. Policy awareness is zero. Life is a struggle. There is no end in sight unless some strongman takes the world apart and they can rise on the ruins. Or someone gifts them 500 pesos, which actually helps.
The problem is that successful people are viewed as arrogant for having success. They show up the working people (most of whom are at a dead end every day of their life) by talking about good deeds and, in doing so, coming across as preachy. It makes no sense unless you are working hard, are at your wits end, are tired, and know life’s unfair. Then it makes perfect sense.
I see Chel Diokno and Bam Aquino on X pushing their ideas and policies. Genuinely trying to lead people toward success. But the polls have every populist including crooks above them. The good people have absolutely zero traction.
How do they break through?
- Form or subordinate themselves to a greater organization than their party, which is just a tribe with a colorful flag. Read “Organizing to win in 2028”
- Adopt a slogan that empowers Filipinos, and pound it in every message. “It’s our nation!” is an example. It puts VOTERS in the driver’s seat.
- Call dynasty candidates what they are. Modern day colonizers, profiting off of hard working Filipinos.
- Use negative advertising and trolling. Make the flaws of other candidates ring out loud and clear. No free passes.
- Dominate social media. Make a splash on mainstream media. Often.
- Propose a simple policy agenda that resonates. That is personal.:
- “Punish China for hurting Filipinos”
- “Stop the corrupt from making us pay, for food, for inflation”
- “More jobs, more careers, better pay”
- “Modern cities, city by city”
Do not speak in professional speak. Forget policies, except for yourself and media who ask. Get emotional. Rant now and then. Defend the struggling. Rage at corruption. Be real, like everyone else.
It’s time for Filipinos to take back the Philippines and build a promising future into their lives.
Those are my ideas.
Please give us yours.
_____________________
Cover photo by Bing for the prompt “Create a representation of honesty vs corruption in the Philippines, in oils”.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/28/politics/video/kamala-harris-coconut-tree-meme-campaign-staffer-digvid
This is one good example of dealing with this. None of that bs “they go low we go high” typical of yesteryear’s democrats and kakampinks. But it cannot be a DIY ad hoc thing, it has to be well organized, just like the bad guys.
Off the top of my head for a to do list for progressives:
Thank you andrew. My top-of-mind reactions to your observations.
1. Woke to me means knowledgeable, so I don’t think intelligence should be ditched. But, yes, it is dysfunctional to claim that their moral or intellectual ground is the one that works for the disenfranchised. It can’t. People are disenfranchised. They can’t relate.
2. Absolutely spot on.
3. Oh, very very good advice. Terrific. Agree 100%.
No, woke isn’t knowledgeable. Its origins were laudable- protecting a minority from harm and discrimination but once it gained traction, it morphed into an altogether different cause – where males who transitioned now want to unfairly compete in women’s sports, where male inmates who identify as females now ask to be transferred to women’s correctionals causing a lot of problems. See what happened to that Bacalso episode in Cebu? That’s fascism by gays. Gays can be fascist, too.
Well, that’s the narrowest possible interpretation of the term. The anti-woke agenda in the US also yanks books from libraries, rolls back freedoms for women, and impedes voting. So for me, woke is knowledge, and for you it is whatever you wish. The term has zero meaning for Filipinos so maybe there is a different way to express it. The Philippines seems to have its moments of gender-based uproar, then it settles down. It’s a modern and accepting culture, to me. I think issues other than gay rights and gender behaviors will drive elections here.
I remember that I too had my own perception of woke, but I submitted to your definition.
let’s drop the term woke then which is expansive to you but narrow to me: support for militant LGBTQ+ causes which goes beyond the protection of their tribe and pushes an agenda that is not worth it for the left to get identified with.
I prefer Filipinx, by the way. and puberty blockers for kids. also drag queen story time hours at local public libraries. now thats art ala Paris olympics feast of the gods. that’s one definition of woke. the other definition is how it started as used by blacks, eg. stay woke, meaning to keep your eyes open and be aware where you’re going. also definition extended to being aware in a critical theory/Marxist sorta way, meaning stay woke the man just wants to keep you down meaning cops and vigilantes means them harm so stay woke or you’ll get lynched or beat. which boiled over with BLM and Defund Police which resulted in more crimes both violent and property in black communities. both staying woke definition resulted in unintended consequences now 2024. although the pronoun wars seem still being fought, eg. Newsom and pronoun parent school bill. woke is just critical theory which came out of Marxism namely power equals knowledge. eg. (from philosophy reddit): “I think that Foucault’s clearest example would be public records. Previously, governments would manage each city and town by sending, say, a tax collector to collect a certain amount of tax money from the community, and the community would have to collectively pool enough together to pay the taxes. Now, governments have tax records for each individual, and collect the taxes from each person. So the idea is that this new form of knowledge (public records) allows governments to micromanage people, to atomize them into responsible individuals with permanent records, criminal records, tax records, etc. In the case of sexuality, it’s the effort of psychiatrists to identify specific “perversions” and classify them into types with features and characteristics. Previously, the church gave a blanket punishment for all sexual misconduct. In the 19th century, each specific “perversion” becomes classified and associated with a “type” of person. In the case of colonialism (Edward Said draws from Foucault), it’s about creating a colonial image of the orient through their literature and texts, where the white European comes in and “explains” the “Islamic worldview” or “Asian mindset” in terms that reinforce colonial oppression.” IMHO, i think critical theory makes sense as an academic discipline, Joe. its when it escaped academia and into public policies out in the wild, like drag queen story time hour in libraries for kids thats when the general public gets a say, or when BLM protests result in destruction or injuries/deaths or when they stopped traffic in rush hour commute people will react. no one reacted while it was within the confines of academia. no doubt same with the Tea Party/then MAGA but thats more a reaction to Critical theory (though Critical theory itself is the reaction of those in power, so chicken and egg situation). which leads us to DEI and HBO’s Wild Wild Space documentary is the best place to start, DEI is perfect for gov’t bureaucracies and stagnation, but when it comes to innovation and the frontiers of new industries and physics engineering ain’t no time for DEI, Joe, everyone has to be at the top of whatever expertise theyre responsible for. so for the Philippines, I say recognize where mediocrity has a place, and where expertise and mastery has no room for DEI hires. all this critical theory, Power is Knowledge stuff, all boils down to competition, and sometimes competition looks really ugly. most times its down right mean. with mean people vying for the top.
I believe there is no normal human being on the planet, we are each peculiar in our genes, history, character, financial means, or other ways. The question is, in knowledge better than the lack of it, and is elbowing our way past others a crime? Freedom is a beautiful thing, and best protected by being responsible. A responsible library will have materials that cover everywhere the human mind can go, but let the porn videos be somewhere else.
interesting. i’m googling if theres any UC’s that have porn as part of their special collections, doesn’t seem to have been collected. let me Google some more. these guys seem to have the most interesting collections: https://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives/collections/special-collections-manuscripts but yeah i figured UCLA or CSUN would have collections of VHS porn movies digitized for posperity. Philippines too had quite the line up, some even bordered on art like Live Show, Joe. wonder if UP Diliman has collected these.
Joey, do you know if UC Berkeley has collection of porn movies produced in the Bay Area. maybe not as much porn in 70s as the San Fernando valley, but in the venues San Fran did excel, eg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Brothers_O%27Farrell_Theatre so maybe in the porn architecture, architecture of porn to sound more academic. thanks, Joe. never really thought of porn and libraries. lol.
Drop it corporal, get back on topic.
When I studied at Berkeley, I spent a lot of time at Doe Library which houses one of the largest collections of media and books in the world in the Gardner stacks. There were plenty of rare and ancient books there, but I don’t recall porn collections. I was a militant and active member of the Young Republican Club at the time so I think we would’ve known because we would rail against it haha.
However before getting back on track as Joe recommended, I did spend time working in the industry as an independent business technology consultant in the San Fernando Valley specially Chatsworth. Interesting times. I imagine those industry specific organizations would be the ones maintaining a collection.
You , sir, are my hero. lol. I have so many questions but I’ll desist. lol. I tried to get in the business myself. but due to stage fright, unable to perform. lol. thanks, Joey. I read that at UC campuses students were mostly Dems or more to the left, but the Business and Engineering students would be GOP. is that accurate. re UC Berkeley were you there when Ralph Nader s big sis Laura Nader was there? I’m a Bernie guy myself but would’ve been Nader guy too. kinda like how Ann Coulter was pro Bernie mostly cuz of his nationalist not globalist stance. unlike her though i’ve been feeling the bern since 2015. now Ralph Nader he’s next level.
ps. do you or did you use a resource like this https://www.planet.com/nonprofit/ and what did you think about it. was watching HBO’s Wild Wild Space this was one of the company’s the y featured. like an upgraded Google Earth/Maps with Bloomberg analytics. seems useful in the Philippines with flooding deforestation and especially coulda caught China dredging from Filipino beaches. useful in farms too. keeping track of squatter areas, etc.
here’s a good infographic of it: https://assets.planet.com/docs/planet-how-to-pick-a-basemap-infographic.pdf TYSONS, Va. — Planet Labs, the company that made daily Earth photos a thing thanks to their smallsat constellation, is aggressively exploiting AI to turn its trove of pictures into actionable intelligence. But a senior executive cautioned against getting too caught up in the AI hype, emphasizing that substantive solutions go way beyond flashy demos.
“We have evolved in our thinking,” said Troy Toman, Planet’s senior vice president of product and software engineering.
Toman and other Planet executives spoke at an event June 12 held near Washington, D.C., aimed at U.S. government customers
While capturing the entire planet every 24 hours is undeniably cool, Planet years ago learned that customers don’t necessarily want to look at pictures, Toman said, but crave actionable intelligence and targeted insights that solve specific problems.
No you’re not missing anything, the industry is all fake, which everyone seems to know except for the viewers haha.
About campus politics at Berkeley, not so LCpl. Most students are too busy partying and studying, and don’t have time for politics. They’re still at a young age and didn’t form a political opinion yet, unlike me back in those days who had come from Republican/Libertarian organizing in Orange County growing up. There are some who are very loud, some professors who are the American version of Joma Sison, a few students, but mostly outside agitators who moved around the campuses. I focused on studying and partying, since I had to pay my own tuition.
I haven’t met Ralph Nader’s sister, but I have met Ralph Nader and thought he was a tool from the time I was a youthful conservative until now when as I liberalized in middle age. I’m as anti-communist as someone can be, and back in history, the global Green movement very early on was co-opted by Soviet agitprop against nuclear energy. The Green movement later suspiciously repeats a lot of Soviet/Russian propaganda. They also cost the elections in 2000, 2016 by suppressing votes on the margins, which cost us over 20 years of useless war. I went to a Catholic high school where almost all the boys signed up for the military or NGOs after 9/11 so sadly lost a lot of high school friends to war or becoming disabled from war.
I like Bernie’s ideas, but he’s been an utter failure his entire Congressional career in terms of getting anything major passed. He’s mocked as the Senator of naming post offices for a reason haha. I don’t like maximalist positions that Bernie often takes, because in the real world no amount of screaming will get bills passed. The liberal and “old progressive” methods are better, since incrementalism actually accomplishes something, and leaves the next day to fight for more. This seems to me more successful than demanding all or nothing, because so often demanding everything gets nothing.
Planet Labs is a godsend to OSINT. I’ve been following them since the start of the Ukraine-Russia War. HiRes satellite images are no longer the realm of government spy agencies. The issue about publicly available satellite imagery as it pertains to the Philippines is that I haven’t met anyone who is trained in INT/OSINT, or even cares about it enough to utilize satellite imagery for the benefit of protection of Filipino sovereignty or identifying issue areas where the government can improve. The Philippines still relies on the US passing intelligence information for the most part.
With things like deforestation from illegal logging, flooding, new squatter encampments, the main issue is that no one really cares, and everyone expects someone else to solve the problem. Let’s take flooding… even ancient civilizations were able to figure out flood control. To me it’s not really rocket science. Don’t build in low-lying areas, and if building there is a must, then provide proper drainage leading to drainage canals. The amount of rain that causes typical flooding in the Philippines is really laughably small.o
“The issue about publicly available satellite imagery as it pertains to the Philippines is that I haven’t met anyone who is trained in INT/OSINT, “ In their website it says the service comes with analytics, what exactly does that entail? I was thinking that it was this user friendly service with all sorts of analysis ready at hand. like for me i use this, https://opportunityatlas.org whereever i visit I know the bad vs. good neighborhoods before hand. thanks, Joey.
Yes, there are satellite imagery providers who are providing emerging “AI” analytics comparison services. Those cannot compare with a trained human eye focusing on a specific area, for example the many OSINT people doing great work in the Ukraine-Russia War, Syria, the Myanmar Civil War, the various African wars. Typically that involves comparing differences between an image of the same location over time. The biggest issue is that machine analytics cannot compare to a trained human, the main reason being that first the analytics engine needs to identify “what” to “look” at, which is programmed by a human. Analytics are mostly useful as a collaboration and comparison tool, not to replace people, that’s why I’m of the cohort in the technology business that is very skeptical of “AI.”
You’re so careful and research ahead of time LCpl. Kind of a funny story for another time, but when I went on a tour of Sulu with a Tausug friend of mine who was visiting family, I didn’t bother to research it ahead of time. My other non-Tausug Filipino friends were shocked because they said it’s so dangerous in Sulu. I grew up in the hood. I’m not easily afraid lol.
LOL, yeah i make sure to stir clear from the ghetto. like Kamala Harris said anything south of UC Berkeley campus es no bueno. lol.
Of course not. Porn collections are not intended for intellectual depth or breadth. They are repositories for physical exercise. It would be like collecting dumbbells or treadmills.
Joey,
Also re UC Berkeley. did you know of Christopher Alexander in Architecture dept? His body of work seems really relevant in the Philippines about where people live and mental health due to said places and spaces. he came up with these patterns that were consistent in old cities and towns, in their layout like urban planning as well as interior and landscape design. which humans tend to favor and excel from. been watching a bunch of videos of him.
Joe I agree that woke, DEI, CRT, etc. as the American right re-defined it has nothing to do with the Philippines. These are just modern scare words by the American right to say “n-gger” using other, more socially acceptable terms. See Lee Atwater’s frank admission in his 1981 interview regarding the Southern Strategy.
There is a tendency in Filipino culture to look outwards such as adopting issues that have little to do with Filipinos, for better or for worse. On the Filipino right we see the parading of American or European social war issues to self-justify their positions. On the Filipino left we see the championing of events that are non-issues to the Philippines such as pro-Hamas rhetoric, which ironically removes agency from the very Gazans they purport to “support.” It would be much better to center a Filipino political movement on Filipinos, for Filipinos, on issues that can make the average Filipino’s life better.
Yes indeed. The culture here is different, and there is no need to pollute it with America’s social hostility. We’ll just work on our plastic and corruption and leave the racial and gender issues for America to figure out. 😁
It is actually quite refreshing to read some of the political posts by Filipinos on X but think most of the posters there belong to the middle class and up the PH socio-economic strata. Facebook, TikTok and You Tube is where it is if you want to meet and influence the largest segment of Filipino voters. I think the opposition will be singing to the choir on X and the English speaking/writing Filipino trolls there are mostly paid propagandists and influencers.
The dominant type of Filipino online propaganda/trolling is muckraking and name calling. Joe is right, Michelle Obama’s “when they go low, we go high” style is not applicable with PH’s coordinated and weaponized disinformation campaigns.
Most Filipinos I’ve met on Twitter are rational and educated. It’s really a pleasure to engage with them. I’m not so sure about the loudest voices on FB, TikTok and YouTube though… there are a lot of loud DDS propagandists there that seem to drown out other voices.
The average Filipino seems confused and many are completely captured by the Duterte machine. They don’t seem to understand the contradiction in their views. The biggest example given the WPS situation is that “WPS belongs to the Philippines, we are worried,” yet in the same thought is also “Duterte was smart for being friends with China/Russia, the US are imperialists.”
I have no clue how to break through this logical fallacy, and believe me I’ve tried since my very first visits years ago among my friends and others I’ve met. Here in the US, major viral societal events can really shift the narrative to gather more support for politicians, but in the Philippines people tend to just gather to gawk, find out new chismis, and not connect events with how it affected their own lives.
On the Obamas’ style of “go high,” it clearly failed in the US. It’s refreshing to see Biden and Harris, and their allies willing to punch back rhetorically, even to the point of now doing the mocking of the other side as “weird.” When looking through the tactics in the Philippine lens, I can’t help but think that it would be much more effective for the liberals to start fighting back. No one wants a weakling to represent them, no matter how effective that politician may be.
apparently there are filipinos now working as reporters in cgtn, china global television network, some of them are previous members of duterte’s trusted presidential communication group. naturally, they most likely trawl the internet and further china’s interests, thus hired.
allegedly they have personal intel and vast knowledge of who’s who in philippines politics, state secrets and in depth military operations ordinary filipinos can only dream of.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised that some former Duterte officials and influencers switched to the Chinese side. Many of them, Andanar, Go, et al like Duterte himself, have a superficial, even childish view of the imperialism debate that’s shaped by Joma Sison and Cold War thinking, no matter how much they try to deny the Sison connection. Just like Western far leftists, I doubt any of them ever read past the summary of Marxism or Communist schools of thought. Whatever it takes to fit their narrative I suppose. Traitorous idiots, just like Americans who cheer on the PRC and Russia like our Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. One can only imagine what goes through the head of those who betray their own country.
Which reminds me, at the start of the renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, quite a few Western far left cheerleaders of Russia and China suddenly panicked and started asking for donations. I imagine their payments from Russia temporarily stopped.
If Marcos Jr. wants to become a hero to the nation, he should release all the information on how and where the PRC money paying the Filipino influence campaign is coming from.
for a start, senate ought to pass law prohibiting those that served in sensitive govt post to work for countries hostile to our own, make it a crime punishable. in duterte’s regime, estados unidos was seen as enemy, not so under pbbm’s.
you are probly correct about the money trail. cannot be certain though, I already lost an acrylic fingernail! damn trolls bent me finger.
Or at the very least, have a new, enforced law that says that any Filipino citizen who is acting as a foreign agent lobbying on behalf of any country (yes, even if they are boosting Filipino allies/friends like the US, Japan, Australia) must register with DOJ and/or DFA, punishable by a fine or prison time if someone is acting as an unregistered foreign agent. It’s questionable whether it should be made illegal to become a registered foreign agent of hostile countries, it could be a good idea, but in any case being forced to register as an agent of a hostile already marks that lobbyist to be shamed publicly.
The Yellows and Pinks in PH had been holding to the “go high” school of thought which did not help as they were branded as elitists and out-of-touch. They were reluctant in calling out and fact checking misinformation and disinformation about their candidates. They mostly chose to ignore or be silent about negative assaults resulting in DDS and Marcos Loyalists’ trolls, propagandists and influencers winning all media wars. The Yellows and Pinks need to start practicing “tough love” instead of “radical love” as being nice and decent is not enough to win PH elections.
some dds bought pinks website for hefty sum and taken over the site. pinks soon find out they were scammed, they were not paid the full price as agreed, much to their regret. the same thing may happen again: websites with higher volume of traffic are bought and influencers paid. hence, maybe, websites are upping their social media presence just prior to election, in the hope of gaining more followers to make them more attractive to prospective buyers. it’s not illegal to sell existing sites to the highest bidder.
however, there is talk of capping social media expenses of politicos.
Wait what?! Why would the pinks sell a highly trafficked website to DDS?
I have seen socmed influencers switching sides too, to push the propaganda of the highest bidder. That’s why I don’t support paying socmed influencers and instead nurturing a grassroots socmed influencer community who really believes in the vision instead of believing in how much they will earn.
Maybe it’s because I came to the liberal side after spending years on the right before coming to age, but I’ve always believed in the value of “punching back.” In a perfect world, everyone would be able to have a respectful and civilized discussion about differences in political and societal beliefs, but sadly as politics across the globe have shown, this time is not the moment for that.
The Yellows and Pinks need to learn how to defend themselves and fight back, because if they can’t win their policy plans will never see the light of day. Telling the Filipino people in simple, yet in clear terms exactly the reasons why for a large percentage of the population’s life isn’t getting better. To tell the hard truth that if Filipinos would stand up for themselves, they can start being a part of the feast rather than being forced to accept crumbs falling down from the top. The coalition needs a simple yet clear plan that can be accomplished in the first year of a new presidency rather than convoluted policies like Obama (or even like PNoy). Success of simple plans creates political capital to embark on even more ambitious agendas for the second half of the presidency.
This is water under the bridge, but shows that people demand perfection even if they say they were not looking for perfection. If we recall that the tributes to FPinoy on the time of his passing from friends and foe alike had this caveat: “He may not be prefect, but…” Who on earth is perfect? Is FPRRD perfect, at all? He flaunted his imperfections and thrived from it. Oh well, a little balance, no need to flaunt imperfections. No need to incriminate one’s self too.
That “he might not be perfect” nonsense makes my eyeballs roll to the back of my head. It’s like saying, “well, green is a color, so let’s look at the rainbow”. Completely absurd nonsense. Thanks for making the point.
Welcome.
if it was only duterte, he and his imperfections would have long been neutralized. but he had the power, the throne and the scepter and had a nationwide battalion of enablers and like minded individuals that benefited greatly from his patronage. he had the armed and uniformed personnel under his command and they gladly fist pumped with him, rightly or wrongly, some fist pumpers were elevated into generals and were assured of hefty pensions for life. it was no surprise then that under his watch, armed personnel blindly turned their guns on civilians resulting in nearly 30K civilians dead. likewise the judiciary turned blind eye to his misdeeds too, and convicted those that should not have been convicted.
we the hapless survivors were inadvertently the perfect ones and played our roles of self preservation to the T. and despite all odds, we managed to hang on to a semblance of life, our values saved, our principles sorely tested. sadder but wiser, alive and get to fight another day.
glad that chapter of the Duterte is over. Sen Imee still supports VP Sara until when, I do not know. Sara is crying harassment because she thinks she is under threat and her trip to Germany to meet Taylor Swift (joke) should have never been disclosed.
the munich (germany) branch of hakbang ng mga maisug are still fist pumping, allegedly steadfast in their support of the designated survivor. ds is very approachable kuno unlike the other, maybe ds is approachable coz she was the one that purposely visited them. misery loves company!
and of course, dakilang sister is crying rivers, she got left behind iniwan ng walang iwanan.
Oh, Like Karl, I thought she went to Munich for the Taylor Swift’s concert. Or maybe to watch the Olympics in person as Paris is only 8 hours by car and 1 hour 30 minutes by plane.
Now I know why Sara and Imee always wear the tribal inspired fashions. You are a well of info, KB.
Yes include the fist bumping ones. Nyehehe Imee did not get to watch Taylor Swift.
Unfortunately, the Du30 nightmare is not over yet, Karl. I think he still have some residual power he can wield to make mischief.
Does Sara feel threatened because her security personnel were cut drastically?
Her trip was a personal (vacation) and not an official/diplomatic one, right? As a public figure though, for the sake of transparency and accountability, she could have made the announcement that she is taking time off from her duties and responsibilities. She did not have to disclose where she will be. It is unfortunate that Carina hit PH and people started looking for her. Then, the airport photo surfaced and online peeps dogpiled on her. I look at it as a misunderstanding precipitated by her undisclosed time off.
Thanks, JP. You are correct, VP Sara could have done all the things you mentioned.
the threats are all in her head! she’ve been watching too much netflex.
ah, the ghosts of those her family have sent to the quarry, maybe come to haunt her. remember did she, how they pleaded for their mortal lives and given no mercy. and now maybe both her mind and her spirit are troubled, seeing plots and threats where none existed. her heavily fortified house apparently cased but could not provide evidence of casing such as pics as well as time and date of casing.
she fearful mayhap the same dastardly acts done to others may also be done to her. she really should take heart the enemies are more deader than a dodo, their muscles for revenge gone ashes to ashes.
if she want peace of mind, she should visit the cathedral. or have therapy of some sort.
if she must know, the families of victims want justice, not revenge. they wanted to be heard and apologized to, their pain validated. murder is not in their blood unlike her murderous family.
32millions voted for her, approved of her. loved her to bits too. she ought to be secure none would harm her. unless it is acts of god like a stroke, else self inflicted mental illness brought on by her own altered reality.
its smart to bring this up, given what happened to Trump, kb. but its just smokescreen. i’m sure of it now. her gripe makes no sense. but it makes sense as cover up.
ps. to connect all this to Joe’s current article. Inday Sara is truly a bad person. like Jason Bourne.
Sir Lance, Jason Bourne was being chased by his creators incomparable to Sara, she’s molded by her father. lol
FYI, I am an avid fan of yours here TSOH. Keep on posting.
So you’re saying she’s more like Blackbriar and not Treadstone? if she’s more Outcome then we just might have a Deadpool & Wolverine situation then, isk. but if you’re talking about dad and daughter training maybe its more like Hanna. lol. thanks, isk. lol. you get it.
What is your take on the MNLF Davao offering to send her some security personnel? Are they off the PH list of “terrorist groups” label (2013)?
oh, my darling clementine! yes, please! please! let them.
remember marawi city!
ah, the designated survivor already jumped ship and took her family with her. hubby who is allegedly facing court case anew for cuddling drug lords, kids (missing out on school opening already in full gumbo) and mom such attractive prospect for high end european retirement villa! left only shell behind. but plenty innuendos about political persecution in case ds seeks political asylum overseas ala arnie teves.
and what terror! dabaw is safest city!
no matter how far ds goes, the terror that lurks in her mind follows her. she ought to stop running. maybe not, if ds does all the running daddy ought to have done but cannot. else ICC probers grab daddy in midflight.
in short, I dont know. hard to imagine, the designated survivor and her designated ‘security (armed?) personnel’ going ballistic and going head to head vs armed kapolisan. kapow!
mamasapano mark two? I dont know. I am innocent.
Hahaha, I love reading your stuff. I don’t always comment but I’d not miss a word. “In short, I don’t know.” Cracked me up for the elaborate set-up, and then the punch line that just crushed it. You really need to do stand-up.
According to Trillanes, she is a secondary respondent on the ICC case because she continued to support the Davao Death Squad ‘s EJK during her stint as Davao mayor per Lascanas. The Hague is only about 5 hours by plane and 7 1/2 hours by car from Munich so I don’t think it’s a wise choice for a villa hunting. She also stated that she will not submit to any foreign interrogation and judgement as she wants the PH court to try her if she is implicated with EJK in Davao. That means she’s coming back to PH to resume in her capacity as its VP.
I see what you mean about the possible complication it will create if Sara accept the MNLF’s offer.
Thanks, KB. Great insight.
Theres a good chance she’s meeting her Russian counterparts in Germany, karl. and or back channels for Xi. Filipino OFWs function is just her cover. Maybe Ireneo knows how Munich or surroundings can be accessed by Russian/Chinese. or maybe she’s negotiating with the ICC and NATO and EU. you guys are stuck thinking Taylor Swift and OFWs when she’s export quality now. bigger powers are paying attention.
She could also be wanting to go on a motorcycle tour just like Sen JV Ejercito years ago.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/PFqMdTbZazXt5oL9/
His tour started here took him to the Czech Republic etc. – we are close to Eastern Europe over here. Or she went to meet the Thai King who has a villa outside of town.
Or meet medical tourists who here who are often rich Arabs from the Gulf States, big money? Or politicians from anywhere who come here for specialist treatments? Or to get treatment?
Munich is a big money place with an airport that has flights leading to anywhere so it might not even be her actual main destination.
It also has roads and train lines in all directions literally. So I prefer not to speculate. I stayed clear of the town center last weekend, so avoided not only all the Swifties but also Inday Sara.
I imagine her in some cafe somewhere maybe in Budapest getting coordinates for a massive money drop off somewhere out coast of Davao, via a Chinese submarine. and the PNP angle is just smoke screen, Ireneo. once she starts spending all that cash we’ll see where 2028 trajectory will be. i’m thinking she’ll pay off teachers union first. then maybe all the bus and jeepney drivers get them in line. i remember seeing jeepneys with frond broom tied to their front tires, https://philippinestudies.uk/mapping/tours/show/22 , to sweep tire flattening devices. each barangay will have a new basketball court. then funding for fiesta festivities. fiestas will be grander til 2028 i think. lots of free merch. can you ask your sources if Inday Sara snuck away to Austria or Hungary, and how far is Budapest by train?
Budapest is 8 hours away by train, and with all the Swifties in town last weekend, it is easy to come in and out unnoticed and in general it is holiday season in Europe right now, loads of people going everywhere. One doesn’t even have to be Jason Bourne.
There isn’t just the way by train. There are motorways and damn even overland busses to major Eastern European places, and it is all borderless travel nowadays except I think to France. The Olympics is also a place with loads of nationalities, Paris is the other direction, though.
That’s probably too far. given her visit schedule. Probably just over the border to Salzburg then. looking at Google maps, plus Inday Sara was probably a Sound of Music fan when young. The press needs to hound her of her where abouts and if she met up with Russians or Chinese or both. and what those submarine coordinates are. but i sense a load of cash in coming, Ireneo.
ps. This is mostly from Cryptonomicon by the way. Joe knows.
Re the “community leaders” she met in Munich, none of the faces I see on FB are familiar, and it is a very small group of people. None looks like the younger new crowd of nurses.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/htpMh4ukoR3U6g5H/
The venue does look very Munich, old school, not a place I immediately recognize.
thanks, Ireneo. How about Zimmermans you know ’em in Munich. I thought her mom was part American jew. but i guess they couldve also immigrated to the US from Munich. not sure if thats the family story or she’s talking about distant relatives thus no connection like how Filipinos visit Spain to find out their surnames origin. Like I told JP, more people should be interested about the Zimmerman side. this trip may shed some light. but i gotta feeling theres no Zimmerman connection in Munich though. another cover story, Ireneo.
That family name is quite common and not necessarily Jewish. There is the story that her grandfather was one of the Jews that Quezon gave refuge to.
It isn’t really my thing to delve into such family stuff though.
ahem, my only interest in madam zimmerman is her apparent silence when her ex went on nationwide murdering spree. and to think madam z was there present in his swearing in, thus heralded the nightmare that was to come.
anyhow, the chinese has already shown duterte’s family genomes dating back to days immemorial, complete with august family tree. the dutertes are apparently of chinese noble descent! a scroll was presented as testemonial.
If that is true I want it on camera
eh? karlG, pls elaborate. I may have some uberly ripe tomatoes to throw at it, haha.
LCX’s supposition that Sara might meet with the Russians. Ready the tomatoes.
LOL. likely the coordinates for the submarine drop off with said payload was given to her at the cafe in Budapest with her order , karl. This is why its important to have the press or citizen journalists to follow her closely now. for example, when’s that submarine gonna surface and where. aside from cash untraceable, I’m thinking there’ll be fancy watches and expensive Chinese cigarettes too. i’d say liquor but those things are difficult to transport. but i agree with you, karl, pictures are important. from here to 2028. document what my Inday Sara is doing and where she’s going.
Some Filipinos don’t like the “do good people” and honest ones too. They would rather receive a one-time bribe and elect the undesirables. Sad for the country, the people never learn.
Yes, you’d think the olds, in particular, would tire of it. But I think their world gets very small after a lifetime of going nowhere.
Not much has changed since my first visit decades ago, except the immense progress under PNoy. It’s sad, because as time goes on, I sense the general feeling is that “maybe things were better under Marcos Sr.,” and Filipinos should go back to dictatorship.
apparently bribery is a concerted effort from the top down. before lowly voters can be bribed, bribery’s first port of call are allegedly heads of lgus, the mayors, governors and municipal workers. they took bigger slice of the pie, and only when sated can lowly voters get theirs.
I read an observation recently that really hit the nail on the head. People nitpick flaws in honest politicians because they are inherently good, while flaws of the likes of Trump, Duterte, Marcos Jr. are overlooked since everyone already knows they are flawed.
An undercurrent of anti-intellectualism in favor of machismo has always been present in the Philippines. After all, the Ilustrados were dismissed in their own time, only to be retroactively praised as national heroes once the national consciousness started accelerating following the stabilization of the American colonial period. This is probably why Filipinos would rather elect has-been actors like Padilla who act like clueless clowns out of their depth over a competent politician, simply because he had an on screen image of a barangay tough in his old movies.
The best type of politician would be someone who climbed up from the lower socio-economic levels of Philippine life, and aside from that perhaps a politician who has done a lot of work with the general population and knows how to connect to people on an empathetic level. Charisma can’t be discounted as well, as Chel Diokno and Bam Aquino, no matter how us as engaged watchers may know they will be excellent leaders, they come across to the average person as boring and uninspiring.
Joe all your points are great. There’s truth to the colloquial adage “Keep it simple, stupid.” Oligarchs and proto-authoritarians activate negative emotions by pushing simple messages to cause outrage. The side of good should activate positive emotions that engenders hope in a better future, then deliver on those promises when they win.
Yes, Obama’s campaign of hope and grass roots voter recruitment are good models to follow here. The trick will be to get a discouraged and cynical people to actually be able to relate to the idea there really is something better ahead. They have no idea what that feels like.
As much as we both admire President Aquino, do you think that an Obama-style campaign of “Hope” was already used by PNoy during his time? To be honest, I would prefer high-minded leaders, but at this junction in the Philippines, just like here in the States, perhaps what’s needed is both high-mindedness as well as a candidate that has some aspects of populism and willingness to “punch back” at the atttacks from the decrepit establishment. What Kamala Harris is doing now in the States is no less than amazing.
I also worry about the lack of decent, honest candidates. It seems that the Aquinos are yet again the only clan left on the national stage that is willing to put the country’s best interests ahead of their own. Other potentials are still largely unknown on the national stage and will take time to develop. Those potential candidates would need a strong, organized movement to nurture their ascendancy.
Yes, populism is a necessity until citizens comprehend that a good vote can benefit them. But before that can happen, there needs to be internal enlightenment that the future matters, and it can be shaped. That’s the breakthrough I’m striving for in looking for a campaign slogan or set of statements. Duterte won on the strength of a jetski allegory. It can be done.
I personally think a team of Teodoro and Hontiveros would be spectacular. So I think the future is not empty of good presidents, it’s empty of ways to get them into office because of political loyalties. The purpose of an unaligned, non-dynastic political umbrella is to form a union among the micro-parties.
What did you think of the former Manila mayor Isko Moreno? There are benefits of having someone who is perceived to be an every-man who rose up from humble origins. I’m not saying Isko Moreno should be recruited because he has stated he retired and faded quietly from the limelight, but a similar fiery persona accompanied by a compelling life story.
While I think a coalition of the micro parties could work, it’s interesting to note also that those micro parties mostly originated from splitting off from the major parties. Everyone wants to lead their own party or organization, so it might be a heavy task to herd all the cats, so to speak.
I liked him at first, but then he went “weird” haha. Some of his remarks (yellowtard if I remember right) were over the top. But project-wise, I think he was doing some good work. And he is smart. I think his flame-out took some of the shine off him so I doubt he can dig his way to the top.
Here’s an article I wrote about him. https://joeam.com/2021/09/09/isko-moreno-is-not-chopped-liver/
There’s no doubt Isko did a lot of good work cleaning up and reviving Manila after the train wreck of Estrada. He was also perceived to be humble and honest too by Manileños. I too was shocked at his “yellowtard” comment as he tried to appeal to a different set of voters to join his side, which quickly lost him both sides. Even though I’m a Leni supporter, it was such a shame because besides that episode of bad judgement, Isko seemed to be “lab grown” with the exact traits needed: youthful, macho, handsome, effective, humble beginnings.
If the Philippines can find a candidate like him again, without the self-inflicted wounds, it would be nothing less of amazing.
We see many things the same, I notice. The one young person who could emerge if he finds just half of Isko’s ambition is Vico Sotto III. I don’t follow the entertainment sector so maybe there’s a surprise there somewhere. I doubt Leni’s daughters are politically driven. I don’t know where Paolo Roxas went.
roughly 9months left before local election 2025. 6months left for candidates wishing to enter public service to enjoy peace and anonymity, weigh up their options, before the pintakasi of electioneering starts.
We probably see many things the same because we approached the Philippines in a different way than most outsiders. Those who only visit for tourism or to find a regressive man’s paradise don’t really care about the Philippines at all, only what they can take from the Philippines. A lot of my views on issues regarding the Philippines is informed by humanitarian work I’ve been lucky to be a part of.
Vico Sotto seems to be contented with being the mayor of Pasig for now. He’s still quite young. To be honest I like Aksyon’s platform and they are targeting at a more local level. Too bad Aksyon’s power in Congress is minuscule. If I recall Vico Sotto was recognized by the US DOS early in his tenure as mayor for a prestigious international anti-corruption award.
But to your point, as it often goes in Filipino politics, those who want public office need to have a bit of ambition and be ego-driven. No doubt there are many competent and honest educated people, but they don’t want to stick their neck out lest it get chopped off, and the side supported by oligarchs and dynasties are too often willing to play dirty politics with oppo dumps.
our oligarchs may live in ivory towers but they support and give to charities. and supposedly give donation to all political parties. in case their candidate lost, the winning candidate wont give them hard time and is cordial to them. that is good business decision, plus donations can be claimed as tax deduction.
Whatever it takes to get that tax deduction!
What annoys me to no end about Filipino oligarchical dynasties is they could make even more money if they invested their profits into manufacturing partnerships with Japan, Taiwan, South Korea. If the average Filipino’s salary increases, then the average family would have more money to spend on products. Instead, it seems the oligarchs are content with their control of the import market to sell foreign goods in their malls.
There was a time when American oligarch families felt a certain civic responsibility, serving as soldiers, paying their fair share of taxes. The Roosevelts, Bushes, Kennedy’s, Rockefellers. Sadly that time has past us here in America, so maybe it’s too heavy and expectation for Filipino oligarchs to do the same.
Conversations like these inevitably turn into who to support, so I contribute two names: Benjamin Magalong and Gibo Teodoro. That’s center-right but I hope the kakampinks and the Left see the wisdom here. Bam is fine but I wish Chel wasn’t so phlegmatic in his demeanor. I mean, if you’re seeking justice and relief, his approach seems to turn grievance into an academic exercise, so naturally people will turn to a Tulfo who projects punching power.
Secretary Teodoro is my favorite presidential prospect. I have concerns about Magalong because he held Aquino responsible for the Mamasapano deaths, and that, to me, reflects a kind of lack of comprehension about what a president has to do. Under him, Marwan might still be loose and making bombs. I agree on your assessment of Aquino, Diokno, and Tulfo. Senator Tulfo is probably the best populist option.
I dont apply that kind of analysis/assessment anymore on a candidate’s past. Instead, I go the opposite direction: I sit in the masses’ chair and try to see it from their eyes and hearts who will they go for. If he has competence and integrity in good measure, inspite of other flaws or shortcomings I go for that.
In fact, I’m trying to figure out if a candidate can pretend to be bad even if he’s really good just so he can appeal to the masses and win their votes. Is that feasible?
Can we fool the masses with an inherently good candidate but dress him up as a bad character so they will vote for him? I have long given up on the Filipino masses, they are so dumb they cannot learn or remember. Just look at who they vote for, the PISA scores, etc.
Can we become like white hat hackers where we purposely hack the system, exploiting its flaws but we are doing it for noble purposes?
I’ve not given up on the masses. And they are decidedly not dumb. But they are highly constrained by social dynamics and information flows in a nation of unsympathetic and unimaginative users.
When I use the term dumb it is not pejorative. I refer to a trait where there is no evidence of learning and remembering. It clarifies the situation so I can craft a winnable strategy and not waste time on useless items like “educate the masses” or “make them see the light”, “truth will out”.
Even if the good guys win in this round, it will not be because the masses “saw the light” or “figured things out”. It will be because the winning candidates found a way how to appeal to them.
Well, if they are to ever not be dumb, using your definition, it must be a two-step process. First to appeal to them, and second to begin the lifelong process of giving them useful information. Or at least that would be my goal. I think too much non-pejorative dumb is not good for the Philippines.
“It will be because the winning candidates found a way how to appeal to them.” its very simple virile and vigor. Women as well can exhibit this. that’s it. Filipinos just want someone to fight for them, a bully on their behalf. that’s all. they don’t care about facts and figures. “Rizz,” short for “charisma,” comes from Black culture, as most American neologisms do.
Those in my father’s school of thought use the Visayan term “gahum”, MLQ3 writes about being malakas, the Hawaiians and Maori have the term “maná” for the attribute a chief should have, the Dutch anthropologist Wolters used the term “men of prowess” for the kind of leadership preferred in Southeast Asia. Studies of the prowess term show that in mainland, SEA prowess can also have a religious component, and in Indonesia, a technocrat can be seen as a man of prowess as well. There are Indonesian peasants who see former President Habibie as a kind of magician for having established industries producing boats and planes there.
https://i0.wp.com/thefilipinochronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gettyimages-517221462-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000
Magsaysay also had that aura. The old way tribes in the archipelago chose their chiefs wasn’t too different from how Wakanda did it. Well, there is the old idea that a chief should defend the tribe, if possible, raid other tribes or trade successfully so the people can feast. That is still the way, hasn’t changed much. Even the more evolved concepts of mainland SEA and Indonesia demand success as proof that “the magic” works. Or else the aura is lost.
I remember reading about Sukarno being blackmailed by CIA with pictures of orgies, to which he asked if he can get copies of said videos to share to everyone.
andrewlim8, methink your last sentence hit olympic gold!
people will always accept bribe, hard not to. from unwanted advice to selfies, T shirts, comb, bags, friendship bracelets, money! and whatnots. a number of candidates do bribe, leni did too with lugaw. while robin padilla gave sacks of rice.
since almost all candidates bribe and all bribes are accepted, the candidate/s that indeed found a way to better appeal to voters, will most likely get the votes. if they can proverbially come down their high horses and eat slop with voters, and not puke! my, what a good sport! tough like voters.
and it’s only for three months. any candidate/s who can sustain this madness for that period of time, it may will be worthiest of their while.
The man pictured below in the time when he still was a major in the army of Aguinaldo is barely recognizable as Manuel Quezon..
..but he did manage to appeal to a lot of people in a time when the choice at first in the 1910s seemed to be the extremists who wanted the US out as quickly as possible and were loud and macho, and on the other side the Federalistas around the likes of Paterno who were even further from most Filipinos than any elites today, a group that wanted the Philippines to fully Americanize and assimilate. Being able to be a gentleman with an edge was what made Quezon win, get his dream of a Senate in 1916 etc etc and the rest are forgotten now.
There was no ABS-CBN yet at that time, but he was in that mold. Still, he could demolish his populist opponents with fiery speeches. Filipinos always have liked drama. Bonifacio was a part-time street theater actor, and his tearing of cedulas was a perfect dramatic moment. Quezon needed to win to achieve his goal of building a proper Republic with institutions that have the same architecture until today. Sure, it needs some upgrades, but he was a builder. Maybe that is one reason he is not that remembered today or only in his older version.
That is an excellent approach, andrew, and I’ve been doing similar workouts. That’s why going negative and getting emotional are among the recommendations.
Whoever the Opposition pick as candidate, they should start rallying around that person and dropping his/her name often for name recall. They also need to groom him/her to resemble a hero or a savior. In politics, perception is everything and heroes and saviors are often manufactured. You know it, Joe. It’s all about image branding and marketing techniques. Du30’s image was manufactured: a tough as nails mayor who made Davao City a paradise: peaceful, orderly and prosperous. Marcos Jr’s is about the nostalgia of his father presiding over PH’s golden years: peaceful, disciplined and prosperous. Who the opposition has with charisma who can step into the hero/savior template?
Couldnt agree more. Purists will insist this isnt the right way to do it, we should be educating the masses ,(impossible!) that it takes policies and programs and years for things to improve. But that guarantees you will lose.
During the last elections, I remember telling Leni’s people, you should be able to sell a fantasy about Leni that the masses can latch onto; the poor and desperate crave that.
Exactly, JP. Visible. Catchy. A key promise or two that hits home. And a persistent powerful pyramid social media presence that demolishes the dirt that will be flying from the other players.
I always tell them that I want a government focused obsessessively on agri, fishing and manufacturing and to leave the gaming gambling and the philandering to me in the private sector. Is it too much to ash that our government be moral?
That is a terrific statement of how the Philippines could leap to first world. Thanks, Cynthia. So simple. Put in the obsessive, and the focus, and build three pillars of economic success that are so natural for the Philippines.
I fully agree Cynthia. With the move of manufacturing away from China, the Philippines is well positioned to have its large and youthful population to take advantage of China’s loss.
Not really OT, the video below is about why Ninoy Aquino can be considered a hero and not just a martyr like some say: https://fb.watch/tK2d4sHZ7h/