Problem Solving Education: Proposal 001
By Giancarlo Angulo
I find that perfection or even wanting to write something decent is preventing me on writing more.
Whenever we propose solutions to our education problem, we have to do it within the confines of our current resources. This is because we have basically lost our best chance because of COVID.
As highlighted from my previous post we cannot think traditionally to solve this problem.
The TLDR of my proposal:
- Make the default AI assisted Alternative Learning System (ALS).
- A robust testing infrastructure to ensure that the specific skills needed are learned.
- Online lectures uploaded on YouTube.
- DepEd quiz app that would help learners self evaluate.
- ALS Exam that is not age-dependent. If you are 16, you can take the ALS and obtain a Senior High School diploma.
Think Duolingo and Khan Academy for all subjects.
Duolingo has math now, so that’s a start.
The key is the shorter you earn the SHS diploma the state will grant you a completion fee that you can use to start a small business.
I have another related proposal, but I am throwing this out here because a daring DepEd secretary, or even an enlightened Local Chief Executive, may be encouraged to try it.
Note: Had a friend edit this version for clarity and correctness. Thank you, friend.
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[…] Problem Solving Education: Proposal 001 […]
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
ALS is Alternative Learning System, and has a written exam that a person can take to attain a grade 10 high school completion certificate?
Tools are to be made available to skip around the barriers of classroom instruction? The tools would include both instruction materials (text, You Tube), and rigorous testing routines to assure competence in critical areas like reading and math, and other subjects.
AI would be used to develop the testing routines, or the whole program including lessons?
Could a 12 year old get a high school degree, or must one be 16 to qualify?
Depending on what the answers are, yes, I think this is excellent. It would end the classroom blockade and suppression of learning for highly motivated individuals. The question is, though, would colleges accept it? Would businesses accept it?
So ALS is like GED here then?
Community colleges here can take in high school students, get them started with college courses for free while in hs. But hs counselors have to sign off. Lots of gifted and advance students do this. Cheap way to get first 2 years of college done.
Homeschooling here is all the rage, either you do it thru your hs or school district or thru the state. and Cal States/UCs more open to accepting homeschooled students.
I think gian mentioned awhile back block chain to track all the learning, like CV.
Palantir I heard, will hire anyone w/out degrees hs or college, so long as applicants will pass their test. Should be more like that. skip all the schooling. like Good Will Hunting. how you like ’em apples…
Yes. I’m not familiar with ALS and how it is used here. But as of today I think classroom instruction may suppress educational achievement. Slow, clunky, paper based.
DepEd should put together an action team to shift fast to AI based teaching. Open doors for kids. Don’t keep them closed.
Jane Street would hire anyone that solves its hard trading/prediction problems as an intern with a 250K starting salary.
Dollars?
yes chief
https://x.com/hamptonism/status/1847383469464441124?t=bgsvBk0a5Herwhihn91lNA&s=19
Thank you. As it stands now, JoeJr is contemplating a major in finance and a minor in economics. I’m not too hot on Hong Kong, but I’ll let him look this over. The internships look terrific.
that’s a lot of money!
Did Joejr. ever watch Showtimes Billions or Wallstreet movies with Gekko? I remember chempo, every time I asked him about Wallstreet, he was always like I have no idea what they do there. lol. banking vs. finance, i guess. lol.
This article came out today. AI is here to stay. Schools will either get with the program or be left behind. The Philippines could be like, “uh, rotary phones are clumsy, so lets jump to cell phones, and classroom instruction is backward and a barrier to intelligence, so lets make a beeline to AI forthwith.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/beatajones/2024/10/20/transforming-pedagogy-for–generative-ai-era-a-vision-for-the-future/
Yes the idea is derived from one of the issues by poor families.
Work vs Going to school.
Going to school hungry.
Cafeteria food for interns.
Salary for interns.
ALS through technology like AI/YouTube/Anki/Khan Academy.
Getting around the DepEd resource issues and the personal resource issues.
I suspect it would take an organization to put it together with enough quality, full-curriculum integrity, and critical mass in the output to gain acceptances by parents, government, and businesses. Otherwise it would be viewed as cheating the system, and cheating the kids slogging away in classrooms. It would be terrific if DepEd took the lead to provide a full-fledged alternative-to-classroom path to education. Or maybe a private school will emerge as the organization that puts it together. I don’t think a bunch of kids passing the exam will create the mass and respect needed. But I could certainly be wrong.
The whole area excites me tremendously. Classroom education is sooooo cumbersome and inefficient.
The Japanese factory workers being deployed right now are from TESDA Japanese program.
This is being done already in a small scale but for SHS graduates.
There are a few things needed for this to happen.
Regulatory framework for making child labor possible as internship.
A lot of the corporate prison systems overseas work on the principle of making prisoners work for them to have a better stay (food and facilities).
This is the High School/Senior High School version of that.
I cannot over state how doing useful stuff is a way towards being a true citizen in the Roman sense. Pride in work is important. A career is important.
The German dual vocational training starts after Grade 9 for blue collar jobs and Grade 10 for white collar (secretarial and similar) jobs IIRC. So you have OJT for young people who are 15/16 and above. Senior high is usually just for those who want to study at the university.
Not very different from the German system. Compulsory schooling till Grade 9 might even have been introduced in Japan in the 19th century, when a lot of things there were patterned after Imperial Germany.
It is still strictly implemented here, as in no home schooling allowed, cops come to one’s house and parents who persist in not complying can literally have the Youth Office in their face.
I even suspect that it was patterned after German system. Anime seems to have a lot of elements that point toward a heavy influence from German culture.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany%E2%80%93Japan_relations#Modernization_of_Japan_and_educational_exchange_(1871%E2%80%931885) yes there was indeed an extensive influence in Meiji times, with German advisers sent to Japan and senior Japanese officials sent to Germany to learn. I am not surprised that Imperial Germany, then still dominated by the very military Prussia, was fascinating to the Japanese with their samurai-based ethic.
As for anime, yes, Battle Angel Alita, or cultural influence in the recent Godzilla Minus One movie, where I knew the former kamikaze pilot would eject as the prototype modern jet fighter from late WW2 had “Schleudersitz” (ejector seat) written in the airplane seat.
Wonderful. So kids can use their own initiative after grade nine to qualify to take entrance exams to university. But the standard path is like the US.
Lots of people in Japan expected to take over 100 year old soy sauce factory, tea house, etc. Such a society needs the flexibility.
the monarchy in japan not only needs flexibility but also needs to modernize, and allow a direct female descendant to sit on the chrysanthemum throne. because of her gender, the emperor’s daughter is bypassed by her male cousin, despite all her education, training and deportment.
Japanese system is probably patterned from German system.
Elementary -> Middle School (7 8 9)
There are other options based on the graphics above
AI is going to churn this up a bit.
Oh, yes, I believe that.
“Going to school hungry.
Cafeteria food for interns.”
gian, I guess nutritious food (and clean water) would be my priority in all this. can you speak more on the above? there was some pandesal event with Imee Marcos and Ping Lacson that I saw, is this another Nutribun project? (i’ve been founding karl to do an interview with Mayor Solon’s nephew cuz Solon was Imelda Marcos’s nutribun connection supposedly. Then mayorship in Cebu.
Over here, TK-12th grade, you use to have to qualify for free meals. but after COVID they did away with it, now every student gets access to free school meals. but what they serve is actually crap, but i guess better than nothing. then most schools have food tables where its like the opposite of Halloween candy, students put food they don’t like on the table and others take it if they like. kinda like food bank.
UCSC is most active in this, trying to get farm to table stuff. I’m surprise UC Riverside and Davis (agriculture colleges) aren’t similarly as active in this front. but yeah farm to table at schools. https://agroecology.ucsc.edu/about/index.html
So Imelda & Solon processed Nutriban thru NCP. flour etc. went to school districts from NCP. said districts contructed bakeries on site (inside schools or simply outsourced to local bakeries already in operation). kid s ate Nutribun. teachers ran this program, hired bakers, constructed bakeries, fed kids. but its no farm to table. how nutritious these things were I’d like to know. but bakeries on sight seems a good idea like kitchens and chefs serving students food in France. over here its pre-packaged lots of preservatives food at schools.
here’s newer data 2024: philippines schools feeding program is total wipeout.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/09/03/2382488/coa-flags-depeds-p569-billion-school-feeding-program
I thought nutribun ended in the 1990s. Is this even the same US AID donated stuff or something new. Also are those localized bakeries built within the school districts still being used. I’d like to know the logistics now, kb. this seems like a logistics issue. 1,001 pieces seem to me like a hit piece on my Inday Sara from PBBM Mr. Deception, why not 1,007? lol. but seriously I’d be curious to know how who bakes these. then compare that to Mayor Solon’s nutribun program. in the 70s and 80s.
I get that theres an impeachment pending. but under gian’s blog, I just really wanna know about nutribun (past and i guess present now) and if theres an farm to table (classroom) program set in place. logistics basically. but thanks, kb.
Nutribun was invented by nutritionists and agrarian scientists from Virginia Tech in support of USAID’s Food for Peace program to address childhood malnutrition in the Philippines. Of course, in a Philippines where politicians regularly claim credit by putting their names on projects, Imelda took credit for the program by emblazoning her name on bags of Nutribuns “Courtesy of Imelda Marcos-Tulungan Project” even though the bulk of the funding was from USAID with some local donations by Filipino business tycoons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutribun
The decades may change but not much has changed on the ground in the Philippines. Farm-to-table requires a strong transportation (logistics) system with refrigerated trucks and storage, even more so in the hot and humid environment of the Philippines. Even food with vinegar and salt will regularly spoil sometimes in hours if not by the next day. Filipinos generally don’t like to eat their veggies, probably because the vegetables look unappetizing once wilted or spoiled. For “regular” Filipinos (DE class), the diet is heavy in instant pancit and canned goods with a hefty helping of double or triple rice. It fills the belly temporarily but is not very nutritious, then the diet high in carbohydrates, salt, sugar, vinegar begets more preventable diseases like gout, diabetes, dental cavities, constipation, hemorrhoids and so on. I can’t count how many young Filipinos I personally know/have met that have signs of advanced diabetes (swollen feet, bleeding/rotting toes) in their early 20s even, while they shovel another helping of rice and sugary food onto their plate.
“Farm-to-table requires a strong transportation (logistics) system with refrigerated trucks and storage, even more so in the hot and humid environment of the Philippines.” For farm to table , I was thinking more like what UCSC is doing. on site, especially for bukid/ province schools. as for unhealthy diet, pork consumption was just too much. totally agree with you there.
Ah yes, in the bukid farm-to-table might be a good idea since the distance for transportation is shorter. Farm-to-table sounds quite “conyo” for the Philippines though, I think what you’re getting at is similar to the US’s Farm bills, which promotes agricultural productivity and also provides a way to use the excess by giving the food to the poor or as ingredients for school lunch programs. The US Farm bills are what started the modern era of the American economy as it stabilized the food production sector and allowed people to work in other jobs since less farmers are needed. Something similar is a critical need for the Philippines and I’m constantly dismayed that the politicians in the Philippines don’t have a clue. There are many lessons to learn from countries outside of the Philippines.
Ah and actually pork is kind of expensive for the DE class. If they eat pork, mostly it’s the fatty parts or scrap pork like the bones from the pork shoulder. Most DE eat instant pancit, canned goods, often with an egg or daing/bulad for breakfast/lunch. For dinner the usual is chicken or fish. The bigger concern is Filipinos eat very little vegetables which are a cheap way to include essential minerals and vitamins in the diet.
“Ah and actually pork is kind of expensive for the DE class.” I’m thinking those bbq stands, selling meat on bbq sticks. but theres tagay food too, inpromtu chicharron frying pork. then those dang chorizo s Joe’s fond of.
I’ll have to google US farm bills. thanks for the lead.
Perhaps since you’re visiting as a Fil-Am on a young Marine’s salary you were able to buy mostly pork BBQ sticks. Most Filipinos can’t afford more than one or two sticks of insasal/inihaw. Usually locals will go for offal meats like isaw rather than let’s say inasal sa baboy or even the cheaper inasal na manok. Even lower middle class Filipinos (low C class) can only rarely afford the better pork cuts. Most of the pork used for the famous sinugba in Cebu is scrap bony pieces that I probably would use for sabaw (soup).
On the US Farm bills, the first one was in the late 1920s right before the Great Depression. The 1930s New Deal had many farm programs that provided stability to agricultural product markets, as well as low-interest farm credit (loans) to mechanize farms. I’ve advocated before that the Philippines needs something similar. Comprehensive agriculture planning would largely solve the food security issues, and be a better use of foreign loans that adds to sovereign debt rather than the typical behavior of Congress and various Presidents which is to use sovereign debt as their slush fund.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_farm_bill
Yes, it is like people eating Adidas (chicken feet) is due to poverty.
Or, of course, the infamous pagpag is now eaten in the poorest places in Manila.
The Balara informal settlers of the 1970s would still procure kaning baboy or food rests from professors’ households in UP like ours via maids and then at some point we would hear the squeals of baboy being killed, pagpag nowadays is like people eating kaning baboy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BayWa BTW played a major role in getting Bavarian farmers up to speed. Its grain silos are alongside many a rural Bavarian train station near the freight rails.
It was founded in 1923, and after WW2, this happened: “Due to its strategic importance for supplying the population with food, BayWa received early approval from the U.S. military government to resume its business operations as well as nationwide shipments.”
Without BAYWA, I wouldn’t have grown fat on pork roast here. Joke lang.
Here’s her bio from Linked In. Also, interestingly enough, it was she and Karl who encouraged me to write my most elaborate effort “Fire when ready Gridley”, about Admiral Dewey, and I thank them both at the conclusion of the article.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lila-shahani-91a69370
http://thesocietyofhonor.blogspot.com/p/fire-when-ready-gridley.html
Even now the D class eats what is basically scrap meat. Rural E’s might be able to plant some vegetables on their plot, but urban E’s live off of mostly canned goods and a whole lot of rice to stave off hunger. During my early years in the NCR, I saw plenty of E’s rummaging for pagpag but I think that’s less common nowadays though it still exists. The world outside of subdivision and apartment developments can sometimes be shocking. The Philippines exists on two planes of reality as if two entirely separate countries were smashed together. A whole chicken or duck is considered celebratory food reserved for Christmas and bought with 13th month pay. It’s probably the only time each year a family gets to eat the tasty parts of a chicken.
BayWa seems to be set up similarly to the US Farm bills. Interestingly both countries started such programs around the same time in the 1920s. I know similar agriculture programs were mirrored across the Western world around that time as well. The strategy and plan has always been made a century ago which is why I just can’t wrap my head around why the Philippines can’t just copy it. Probably because then the dynasties can’t skim off the top anymore if there is more honest and accountable government.
I think we can simply settle this whole what DE class eat. How much is one bbq stick below. and one scoop of rice (that’s not dessert). where Joe lives; where gian lives; and where karl lives.
Inday Sara was seen eating fish balls of late, how much are those in comparison to bbq? and how much are balut eggs?
range for bbq in the street is 60 to 8
range for bbq in the mall is 300 to 50
DE class cooks their own.
I remember it being 20 to 40 in mid-2000s, gian. does that sound right?
in range.
The Virginia Tech reseachers had investigated incorporating local ingredients such as malunggay into Nutribun as early as the start of the 1970s. The official USAID support for Nutribun ended in 1997. All later Nutribun programs are local initiatives. By the mid-2010s mayors in the NCR started local Nutribun programs to address local malnutrition problems, as I recall Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro doing around that time. So in a little over a decade, malnutrition levels had already increased. During this time I was mostly in Luzon around NCR as I was working for multinationals in Asia and would visit a few weekends a month to help out religious charities and visit friends.
From the early 2000s to 2010-ish I noticed a lot more hungry children who had the classic signs of malnutrition, such as kwashiorkor (swollen/distended stomach), missing teeth due to calcium deficiency, protruding ribs, abnormally short children for their age. I was told by local nuns and lay brothers was the result of hardship encountered after the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s. Overall the Philippines “recovered” from the recession, but the lower classes did not. It would be interesting to have social scientists investigate if this primed the DE population for Duterte by 2016.
“It would be interesting to have social scientists investigate if this primed the DE population for Duterte by 2016.” Interesting. I would go further. ask does lack of nutrition malnurishment render your brain more susceptible to meth (or other drugs). like how they said crime in the 70s and 80s over here was mostly due to lead in gas.
“The Virginia Tech reseachers had investigated incorporating local ingredients such as malunggay into Nutribun” I do know that Mayor Solon was synonymous with malunggay. Legend has it that when he went to Africa for the U.N. (it was his U.N. connection that got him Nutribun and Imelda created Nutrition Center Philippines around Solon for it) Africans would let their cattle eat a bush. upon closer examination Mayor Solon recognized it as malunggay (or a relative of) so he encouraged the villagers to start making soup out of it. When I heard that story, I was like how is there malunggay in Africa too? it’s like the banana mystery. so would be interested in learning further the Virginia Tech angle, Joey. hopefully, karl can chime in via Solon’s nephew. his wife who was a teacher then administrator in Catholic school also kicked ass in rolling out Nutribun. very interested in him overall. Cuz this guy Mayor Solon is really a Philippine hero. now lost to memory. like Oposa doctrine. like Parfahn,
Malnutrition definitely affects human development during the crucial childhood, pubescent and teenage years where the brain grows and is being re-wired. This could result in lower IQ (though IQ is an imperfect measure), in addition to lifelong health problems. Drugs like meth (or shabu) are a distinct problem but drugs can exacerbate the problem of malnutrition.
Florentino Solon’s African story is based on truth but it’s probably embellished as part of the Marcos Sr. administration’s propaganda efforts. At the time the Philippines was declining greatly, so it would be convenient to point to Africa aping colonialist narratives and say “look, we are better than *those* Africans,” which is ironic as many African countries are nowadays rising meteorically. African moringa has been a staple of rural African diets, probably much longer than malunggay (Asian moringa) since malunggay is not native to the Philippines; malunggay is native to the Indian subcontinent where it is still eaten today and was transmitted to the Philippines, probably by Tamil Chola traders.
As to the Nutribun program, Marcos Sr.’s administration reached out to the US in the late 1960s for assistance to address the childhood malnutrition problem as the Philippines did not have the resources. The Nutribun program was developed between 1968-1970 after investigation by Virginia Tech on how to fortify pandesal with local ingredients (one of which was malunggay). The Nutribun program was rolled out in 1971 and lasted until 1997.So the Nutribun program was already underway before Florentino Solon took over as the Director of the National Nutritional Council in 1974. Imelda Marcos is a hambogera and fantasist like her husband. She took credit for quite a few programs that were in fact funded and implemented by the US or NGOs. Not much has changed as I can walk into any town in the Philippines now and the students’ desks and chairs at the local school will have the politician’s name etched on it. These are some of the reasons why Filipino politicians can claim they “did something,” and the voters are conned every single time, hook, line and sinker.
“So the Nutribun program was already underway before Florentino Solon took over as the Director of the National Nutritional Council in 1974. “ This makes sense. thanks.
have some stories from friends
Joe, I took a scan-read of this blogpost of Gian. I am awestruck at the breadth, width and depth of the of the comments & responses of the TSOH members. My brain nerve synapses are almost short-circuiting to ground just to keep me sane. Bravo to everyone! Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen once said the Almighty struck one note to create the universe before Adam; but had to pluck another note to redeem the same universe after the sin of Adam. We are trying to follow His lead as evidenced by this blogpost. Thanks to all participating. 🙂
Good of you to recognize the intellectual labors contributed here, sonny. Best free thinking in the Philippines.
From Grade 7-12, this is possible. Grade 1-4 kids need more guidance, Grade 5-6 is a mixed bag. But of course, this could help focus resources on the first four grades, where most basic skills, aka the four Rs, are taught. Make moving forward to Grade 5 dependent on proven real capacity in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Blended learning and a new hurdle in Grade 6. Even after, the kids need a way to contact teachers for questions at least until Grade 9.
I am not an education expert, but I was thinking of SHS students that can’t read and all..
thinking of HS. I was reminiscing. Looking at materials for ALS on some side project I am trying to get up and running. I am pretty sure I could have passed ALS at 12 or 13. so 13 to 18 could have been spent on finding something exciting or getting good at a craft or something.
Gian, what is TLDR? Thanks in advance.
Too long do not read.
Thanks also, Karl. 🙂
Too Long Did not Read
ALS can be a good equalizer to those who have the means to self study or have some one to help them catch up.
With the alleged number of illiterate Grade 10 graduates, the one who does ALS earnestly and honestly would be better of.
Links to support my supposition.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/168309/we-have-senior-high-school-graduates-who-cannot-read
https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/non-readers-in-high-school
Karl, these considerations would be very important as starting conditions of prototype implementation.
I think we are way past prototype, Uncle
https://www.deped.gov.ph/k-to-12/inclusive-education/about-alternative-learning-system/#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20parallel%20learning,sources%20of%20knowledge%20and%20skills.
it is always a prototype. it is never finished. Continuous Improvement needs to enter our values
TY. First, ningas cogon must go.
Big TY, Gian & Neph! For sure, a convergence lies in store for us: philosophy, theology, catechism, history, etc. 🙂
… pedagogy, too.
on pedagogy, I thought this was funny, sonny. from the blog Ireneo shared on the other thread:
Thanks for this, Karl. I’m impressed that there is a structure to it, but unstructured structure. This article by gian has me fired up. In the US I was on the Board of a private school attached to a college and the emphasis in early years was strictly about positive feedback no matter the subject competency. The joy of learning. When my daughters transferred to public schools for grade 7, they were miles ahead. They had become vacuums sucking up knowledge, graduating 3, 2, and 2 in classes around 400. How to inspire kids who have no real feedback or negative feedback, and are way behind international norms. And how to get them caught up. Fascinating challenge.
I expect that AI will be the solution. It will teach to the level of each individual student and move them stepwise with determination toward success.
Joe, my current long read on AI: 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity | John C. Lennox (youtube.com)
Thank you sonny. I’ll check that out. All I know for sure is that my few microsoft shares are worth a whole lot of money, and AI draws great pictures from a few words as hints. So it’s here to infest our lives like a disease or vitamins, not sure which. 🙂
Terrific viewing, sonny. “The question is, will atheism survive AI.” LCX might pose the same question. I’ll definitely continue this series of videos.
I’m watching a bunch of youtube videos on Carl Jung right now feasability seeing if I can spin it into a 5th Inday Sara blog. but yeah that AI video on algorithm especially does seem to connect with what I’m researching here, Joe. thanks by the way, sonny, for sharing this.
@Joe & LC, you’re welcome. More than happy to oblige. Am always on the lookout for good grist for the TSOH members to slice & dice and so create new perspectives. 🙂
https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/when-you-give-a-claude-a-mouse
what AI agents can do now.
Impressive, for sure. As a side note, Sec Angara signed a memorandum of understanding today with the Starlinks agent in the Philippines (Lake something). The goal is to get internet services to 3,000 schools.
In that event Inday Sara went to, some business thing, she mentioned Starlink. as innovation DEPED could do. so was this in the works under her?
probably
Ye, for sure. And the Khan Academy hook-up likely started during her term. As did bare walls, ROTC, and audit criticisms.
That event was PCCI’s 50th Philippine Business Conference and Expo 2024 (October 22, 2024), right before she also did an impromptu press conference outside. stating Imee Marcos wasn’t talking to her (but this part i think is just part of the moro-moro, which PBBM never answered but his son did). in the speech inside the event though, she talked about innovation and getting it done. outside she was asked if she had a message for the Filipinos who might be worried about all this bickering, she said something like to the gov’t employees lets get to work and to the voters please demand from your gov’t that they get to work. which I thought tied perfectly well with that innovation speech, cuz no innovation from gov’t possible if people don’t get to work. can’t find any connection with her and Starlink googling but she does talk about it in the speech, like it was in the works under her and how hard it is to get stuff done. due to human problems, mandarins stove piping etc. i’m assuming. like everywhere.
here’s the speech. I’m not gonna sugar coat it, the speech sucked. delivery and content. I thought of posting this in the UFO blog, but this is actually under gian’s blog, innovation and challenges thereof.
My pleasure
The premise of a US-style education system is that it is a class equalizer, which was the case in the US for many years. The Philippine education system was set up by the US colonial administration based on the same idea. By providing a high baseline of education, students from poor families have a chance to a good education and better life. In recent decades the US K-12 system has been under assault by right-wing special interest groups in Republican controlled areas because of that basic premise. Make students “dumber,” and they grow up into more compliant adults to be used by business interests. The Philippines has a similar problem, except the forces that don’t care about educating young minds are the dynasts.
The other factor is that drug use in the Philippines has been declining by my observation, yet gadgets and materialism has replaced drugs among the youth. Just like drugs being used by the marginalized as the only way they know to numb their suffering, the youth in the Philippines seem to me to be more withdrawn to their devices while chasing online clout or being consumers of said clout. With the advent of TikTok in the Philippines, I think the problem has gotten worse. I’ve seen quite a few kids who are not yet in kinder yet are hopelessly addicted to their secondhand device, while their parents are sitting like zombies beside them also glued to the screen.
I don’t think reading was ever a strong past time of the lower socioeconomic classes (at least I haven’t noticed it in over 25 years), and after some additional thought I think the level of illiteracy is about the same as I saw during my first visits. As Irineo noted, most Filipinos learn better through visual mediums or someone explaining something to them. It is important to have a certain level of literacy to have success in a globalized world, but in many ways a grade school level of literacy is probably sufficient for daily life in the Philippines which causes another impediment.
It would be impossible to raise literacy rates unless there is a concerted effort by DepEd, recruiting/retaining better teachers, providing necessary supplies so there is less friction to the learning process, but most important investment by parents and family. If one had an opportunity to visit any number of “Chinese schools” or “Chinese universities” in the Philippines, Chinese-Filipino families are heavily invested in the education of their students, with parents often sitting besides their learner and teaching the assigned lesson if the child did not understand something. Whereas on the Filipino side, it is more typical for a DE parent to not be invested in their child’s education beyond adding pressure to be a high ranker or striver, to get awards that most of the time are meaningless.
OT, another TSOH classic, just discovered:
Wow, thanks Irineo. That was back in the day when I was drinking three cups of coffee a day. The synapses were firing fast.
2011?!! so whats the very first post on joeam.com then, Joe?
I started on blogspot then moved to word press. Probably 2010, I don’t know. I was writing an article every day at the beginning. Pretty crappy stuff and some good ones.
Here’s the first one on word press. https://joeam.com/2010/04/01/the-race-card/
So far 1,766 articles posted, including those by you and others.
“Racial stereotypes are born of fear and misunderstanding and invariably lead to unfairness and punitive behavior. The sooner the whole world cross-breeds itself into a fine yellowish brown tone, the better off we will be. Likewise, the sooner Filipinas toss their whitening creams into the garbage and take pride in the way they look, brown and beautiful, the sooner they can stop dealing with one another on some kind of starstruck superficial level and get to relating about things that matter.” April 1, 2010
I love that whitening cream was mentioned in your first blog. great read. thanks!
If you google the first commenter on that blog, Lila R Shahani, you will observe that those reading this blog are often extraordinary people. We had wonderful exchanges, and she inspired me to keep writing.
Okay, LCX, you and Irineo have me on memory row now. Googling for the older blogspot articles, which I cannot locate, I found that my lunch with President Aquino was snitched on, and Thinking Pinoy made up the lie that MLQ is me.
https://politiko.com.ph/2016/06/25/sino-siya-pnoy-mysterious-blogger-fan-finally-meet-source/?to_id=67851&from_id=8457
https://web.facebook.com/TheThinkingPinoy/photos/so-pnoys-chief-speechwriter-joe-america-este-manolo-quezon-actually-reads-my-blo/620097671470673/?_rdc=1&_rdr
Oh , shit . she’s FVR’s granddaughter!
One day, I’d like to get invited to Malacanang too over dinner, with Imee, Leni, Sara, Risa (and hopefully also DeLima, although I ‘ll have a lot of splaining to do with her, i gather from Wil’s blogs). I think I’d like for Thinking Pinoy to say I’m really Manny Pacquiao. lol.
In due time, I’m gonna have to revisit that idea of collection/archives in a university suggestion again, Joe.
Ha! Manny Pacquiao it is.
It’s a great body of work, Joe. You should be proud. With more to come.
Thank you. I am. Yes.
She also happens to be Prof. Vicente Rafael’s life partner.
Her mother, FVRs sister and THE old school pro diplomat, married an Indian.
(Sonny has mentioned Narciso Ramos, FVRs father, also a veteran diplomat)
Lila mentioned in social media how she grew up being called “Bumbai.”
Her mother had sent her I think to a Chinoy school to get quality education.
Not surprising that she liked an article that is against skin whiteners.
bumbai vs. skin whitening. I wonder if theres skin whitening products in India too?
yes there are
Corticosteroids misused for fairness mania
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2021/11/health/skin-lightening-india-health-risks-intl-cmd/
In 2003, when Banik was just 14, a neighbor told her mother how much their child had “benefitted” from becoming “fair” by using a new cream. “Your daughter will also become fair,” they said.
Wanting Banik to have the best prospects in a country where lighter skin is seen as desirableand associated with success, Banik’s mother took her neighbor’s advice. “I was disappointed that it came in a tube so unappealingly medicated,” Banik recalls, “but it held the secrets toward my fairer future.”
School friends were the first to notice, commenting on Banik’s newly acquired “good looks,” but within two months of using the steroid cream, she started to feel a burning sensation whenever she was out in the sun. She says she accepted this as part of the process: no pain, no fairness.
But one morning, the teenager forgot to apply the cream and within hours, a zit appeared on her chin. Though it quickly settled on applying the cream, Banik’s face started itching all the time. She soon developed acne and then, a year after the zit appeared, hair began to grow all over her face.
=================
Oh, man thats both funny and sad at the same time. thanks, karl.
filipino men use skin whitening cream too. regulated products as those registered with fda are safe to use after a period of testing.
people that develop adverse skin reaction due to use of skin whitening cream are told to contact the manufacturer, the address is found on the label attached to the product.
https://theconversation.com/tall-pale-and-handsome-why-more-asian-men-are-using-skin-whitening-products-67580
Thank you GC. I agree with most of your major points except as you might figure, the inclusion of “AI” technologies in a way that would replace actual teaching. I hope my AI-skepticism from my technologist viewpoint (AI evangelists are a small minority in the tech field) does not discourage your articles, as it is important to introduce and discuss new ideas in order to refine the plan to tackle a problem.
Promotion of ALS would be good. Personally speaking as someone who had “skipped grades,” elevation of the option to move ahead will provide opportunities if the opportunity is given as evenly as possible even to poor kids. However, the school years are not only for learning knowledge but also for learning social skills that are necessary for a successful professional career. When I was a kid, I ingested books and knowledge at a high rate mostly because I was poor and didn’t have many toys. Books were essentially my entertainment. I’m a fairly sociable person, but even here in the US sociologists and child psychologists are noticing that the lack of peer interaction has created a Gen Z that cannot survive in the world once they finish school. Options like opening up ALS is good as it may open opportunities for children that otherwise won’t have a chance, but I think education should be approached in a holistic manner.
I’d also add that poor children mostly need good mentorship by authority figures that they can look up to. This can be a parent, a teacher, a pastor, a counselor and so on. Poor children don’t have the confidence they can achieve higher in life and are often resigned to their “position.” For years I was part of a youth intervention program associated with the University of California that focused on South East Asian Americans whose families had been refugees. Mostly we focused on the Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong and Montegard communities. The stories the mentees told me were roughly the same: they had no dream because they didn’t see any possibilities. When they interacted under our mentorship, who we mentors had gone through similar experiences yet prevailed, that’s when their eyes were opened.
As I had pointed out about “AI” before, AI is simply a tool, yet due to branding it as Artificial “Intelligence,” people quickly start to become complacent which actually can limit human curiosity and learning. A similar complacency happens for Tesla’s “Full Self Driving,” that is actually simply a driver assistance system but Tesla owners often trust the system 100% and lose their ability to react to situations while driving. Other car manufacturers, like for my Toyota which uses Mobileye’s technology that is more advanced than Tesla’s FSD, approach the program differently. In my Toyota the driver assistance system seeks to augment the driver, rather than claim to do something it can’t then fail (junk yards here are filled with Teslas that crashed themselves due to errors in the FDS and lack of driver intervention). For those who know that AI is a tool, then great it’s quite effective if the presumption is the dataset the AI was trained on is “good data.” Military AI neural networks under development are apparently quite good since those neural networks are trained on very good datasets, from what I’ve been told by industry insiders. Most commercialized AI is trained on social media posts and the open Internet, with predictable results. Many times I find that I can simply Google an answer faster.
My take:
The education system of the future in the Philippines, that we can ooze into or plunge headlong into, has schools transformed to internet hubs, tutoring centers, and testing centers. The core of instruction will be on computers through videos and written lessons, the latter developed by AI with human oversight.
AI will further track progress by kids and tailor their next lessons to their current knowledge level. Grades one through three will have only four subjects. (1) the joy of learning, (2) computer literacy, (3) reading fundamentals, and (4) math fundamentals.
DepEd will stop the massive building of classrooms and shift to buying computers. A law will be passed requiring telcos to provide deeply discounted internet rates for schools, and kids will connect to the internet via their local school.
Lessons will broaden in grades 4 through 6, and again 7 through 10, and 11 through 12
Tests will be scored by AI and there will be lots of them. Major exams will be taken at schools to certify that the work is being done by the students themselves. Major exams must be passed to move to the next level. Age of the child will have nothing to do with anything, other than entry to grade 1.
Social skills will be developed through group exercises, both via computer and in person. Paper will be hard to find.
have friends who are in to board/ strategy games. I have to say you learn the basics and even complex game theory from these board games. Even basics of cooperation etc. I believe Lance CPLX have also said this before.
That should definitely be in the lesson plans.
the decision tree of these games, but also if you can get the students into designing their own games, gian. that should be focus too. if you’re really doing this, I’d like to recommend Guerrilla Checkers, gian. its go (NH was the one that turned me on go) and checkers. 6 checker pieces vs. 66 go pieces. pretty much the same rule for both sides, 4 pieces to surround and capture a checker piece. and for checker pieces they eat go pieces just the same, only caveat is once you start eating you gotta eat all the way thru. but you can control the direction of where you’re eating– you don’t wanna end up on the borders or corners.
here: https://mischa-u.itch.io/guerrilla-checkers
My fear is this route would only work for highly motivated students, who often have full support from their parents for their education. Without having a baseline that works for the lowest common denominator, most kids will end up being left behind. Of course, having this an alternative route for strivers is not an issue. Not to mention one of the main benefits of attending school is social interaction that develops necessary social skills for adult life. There are already too many Gen Z kids who lack any social skills at all, and are essentially hiding inside at home with their only companion their glowing phone screen.
You’ve mentioned a couple of potential pitfalls. These can be addressed by starting with upper grades and working down, working with parents at the onset, and using the tutorial cadre of teachers to quickly identify and caretake kids who seem uninspired. If classroom education can bring them into the flow, then provide it. But if the program is done well, 80% of the students will get a great education and 20% a good education. Expecting 100% straight A’s is not going to happen, but education most surely can be better than the paper based, crowded, poorly supplied, mediocrely taught system that today produces kids who can’t read.
Plus the rest of the world is going to accelerate and improve. The Philippines needs to compete.
Expecting 80% kids to have a great education, while 20% kids to have a good education may be a setup for failure and disappointment which further discourages Filipinos. Instead it should be flipped — 80% receiving a good education that prepares them to prepares a skilled workforce while the 10-20% exceptional students receive additional support for acceleration. One must remember that exceptional individuals are often self-motivated, though family and social environment plays a major factor. Can’t expect the majority to be like this.
Personally I’ve received opportunities others did not have. Engaged parents, engaged teachers which allowed me to graduate high school early even though I attended a quite advanced prep school that expected every enrollee to be a student-athlete. When entering Berkeley I was nearly third year level via AP courses and college credits from California State University. But I realize I’m an exception, not the rule. The poverty I grew up in was itself my motivation, but I also had great mentors that focused my motivation. Not all students have that benefit, as I later found out when I was a part of a youth intervention program mentoring poor Southeast Asian refugee kids to encourage them to go to college, specifically the University of California system.
I strongly believe that by focusing on the top students, others will be left behind. The playing field should be leveled as much as possible. So for the Philippines the baseline of illiterate SHS graduates should be raised to literacy and then proceed from there. Otherwise the new system would only create a new class of entrenched elites who will hoard their new power and wealth, and I just can’t see that helping the Philippines overall. Raising the baseline for all students so they are prepared for skilled jobs (not necessarily jobs requiring a college degree) would probably have a greater overall effect on the Philippines economy and raise all boats. What the Philippines needs is to find a way to convert a youthful and unemployed/under employed population into skilled factory workers. Not a very sexy plan, but I think there’s a reason it’s worked for every other developed nation.
“The playing field should be leveled as much as possible.” This is like the whole should special ed kids be in regular school debate. over here theres like 30-40 students in elementary, then 3 to 4 of those are special ed (whether diagnosed or not) and those 4 will usually test the teachers passion for teaching and career choice. sure many schools have aids. but there should be a identification process, wherein the gifted or even regular B and C students get separated from all the issues special ed students face. so I’m saying theres a hierarchy. give those students in the lower wrung basic skills, but don’t let them drag the smarter students down. but then theres that comment by MRP about Philippine ivy leagues, and how those smart folks can’t trickle stuff down. thats another issue. but that hierarchy makes sense. theres students who can’t fly and theres students who can. but I also disagree that the students who cannot fly should be relegated to factory workers status, i’m reminded by the nets China sets up to prevent workers from falling onto others or damaging the factory premises. if factories can set up something akin to Scientology where their lowliest of lowlies can wipe crap from toilets and feel they are being saved, salvation. then maybe. if you inject meaning. but thats a different topic. I’m just saying educational hierarchies work.
I ‘ve always found this character from Billions interesting, then turns most professional athletes have ’em too. I only got as far as the 2nd season. psychologist/life coach/productivity etc. if math and reading can’t be fixed. why not focus on mind stuff.
“A psychiatrist by trade, Wendy Rhoades combines an avid intellect with a keen understanding of human nature. She used those skills to help Bobby Axelrod build his hedge fund from the ground up and now works as the company’s star in-house performance coach. Wendy joined Axe Capital long before Chuck became the U.S. Attorney and she refuses to sacrifice her lucrative career for her husband’s crusade.”
So no more teachers, DEPED just fields as many psychologists. also agree w/ Joe no more building of schools.
gian, in the same vein. do you guys also have an uptick with autistics. is autism on the rise there too? how bout peanut butter allergies other food allergies?
I feel that it is not an uptick but rather more people with means, more chance to get evaluated. I feel that ASD is still under diagnosed specially for families with no means.
For some reason allergies are not that prevalent here. There is practically no need for an EpiPen. Probably also under diagnosed.
“I’d also add that poor children mostly need good mentorship by authority figures that they can look up to. “ I’m thinking this is all DEPED needs to do now. like a Hail Mary. but mentorship thru psychology. math and reading (assuming it cannot be fixed, too fargone) is extraneous. just focus on the mind. that doesn’t require books or even the internet. but I agree with Joey, this is the priority. coaching, but mind stuff, like mental symbols and shit. figuring out the matrix.
A lot has changed since we were in school, LCpl. Now kids with learning disabilities like dyslexia or ADHD are usually not sent to special ed schools, but are integrated as there is nothing mentally wrong with them; they simply have a learning disability. I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD once I had access to the appropriate care at Berkeley, and I probably would have not liked to be sent to special ed while I was in K-12. To me special ed means kids with mental disabilities, like Down’s syndrome. A learning disability is not the same as a mental disability. Also, can’t fault a teacher or presume a kid has a disability if the kid wasn’t diagnosed yet.
I’d not describe what I’m suggesting as the majority of the class dragging the smart students down. Rather I’m saying there should be a higher baseline that prepares most young people for a non-college degree skilled job, while having avenues to develop the smart students who will go on to jobs that require a college degree. Providing excessive help to the already academically gifted is not the way to go. Case in point, due to various circumstances I only achieved a double bachelors, yet I have as my subordinates mostly those with masters degrees, and occasionally PhD as well. They are cogs in the wheel. I’m responsible for the creative thinking and organization of resources both human and budget. The joke about college preparing one to become a corporate cog is very real.
I’m not suggesting factory conditions like China. China lost a lot of its traditions, culture and morals in the Cultural Revolution as intellectuals were stamped out. The business cut throat modern China is the result of the CCP using “capitalism with Chinese characteristics” as their personal money making project, rather than for the benefit of Chinese people. I’m suggesting blue collar factory work, like what exists in Western countries, Japan and South Korea. Blue collar factory work that can build a broad new Filipino middle class.
“Blue collar factory work that can build a broad new Filipino middle class.” I can get on board with this. there has to be robust unions and class action lawsuits in place. cuz whenever I think factory work in 3rd world I just automatically think shitty conditions. too dependent on whether company or boss is cool. chempo did point to the feasibility of this, he had employees in the Philippines, i forget his business though.
“Providing excessive help to the already academically gifted is not the way to go.” I agree with this. My thing is just the special ed students and I’m using this generally I don’t really know the details of what you’re saying here, just that theres a lot of stories by teachers of special ed dragging whole classrooms down. granted not all special ed will be the same (again I’m using this term generally). i’m focusing on those being nuissance to classrooms.
If the issue is autism but savant, or ADHD or ADD/dyslexia (i read these were related), neurodivergency, but essentially gifted then I’d be for them to be separated too but for gifted tract, away from the dysfunctional students that have tantrums and throwing things in class etc. theres also cases of synesthesia aphantasia etc. melding of senses absence of symbols in the mind. but thats another issue.
“The joke about college preparing one to become a corporate cog is very real.” This part i’d really wanna hear more of from you, Joey. cuz I’m thinking DEPED should just throw the baby out with the bath water and start anew. its like that Pink Floyd Another Brick in the Wall music video. same for here too, I’d go for trades school and maker spaces, let people create stuff. no more reading and writing and rithmetic, all that can be learned via the making and doing of stuff.
ps— My thinking is this. The classroom environment is already flawed. theres not really a lot of learning going on. So when theres 3 to 4 problem students in a classroom the size of 30 to 40. gian’s 20/80 gets tested. so the classroom is the problem. on top of that the class size too, though thats the same the concept of a classroom lends itself to class size issues. but home life usually is worst too, so DEPED just needs to afford students with reprieve. without the teachers pestering them with “learning”. so they can do individual learning. on their own, with teachers, psychologists are better, just being there as mentors or coach, their job to just encourage. no more lesson plans. no more arbitrary tests no more metrics. just lots of coaching encouragement and nutritious food & clean water. the school’s function is just as reprieve so learning (real learning) occurs. like sanctuary.
The issue with education in the Philippines is that many of the good teachers have retired from old age or left due to disillusionment, with no one to replace them. The Philippines is still producing great teachers every year… but those graduates don’t go into teaching due to low salaries, lack of institutional support from the national and local DepEd representatives, large class sizes of students that are in a pitiful state of hunger, lack of money for materials/supplies, and general discouragement. Those graduates that could go on to become good DepEd teachers often go into BPO, or they go abroad to teach. Need to create incentives to retain newly graduated teachers.
MLQ3 sees the sea change in Philippine education as having happened when the teachers who started during his grandfather’s Presidency (when there was a major drive to build schools and train teachers) retired in the early 1970s and were replaced by Marcos era teachers. Seems these were more politicized, even as I was in UP Elementary and Philippine Science, which are both NOT DepEd schools, so I guess we were not as “infiltrated.”
A cousin of my yaya from Cagayan was a 1970s school teacher who had to go uphill and teach tribal kids (Ibanag or Itawis) who barely spoke Ilokano, much less Tagalog. Frustration and low salary made her work for us as a maid for some months, and then she worked in HK. She is now the widow of an Englishman she met in HK and moved to London with in the late 1980s.
This is my understanding as well after talking to diaspora Filipinos in the US who were former teachers who left due to Marcos Sr.
Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931), commonly known to most Filipinos as the “Free Tuition Law,” sponsored by Ralph Recto and Bam Aquino is a good idea but the DepEd oversight and CHED regulation is rather weak. The law has become a cash grab by private colleges and universities, which somehow qualified as “Local Universities and Colleges,” (LUCs). Subpar education at these LUCs combined with students pressured by their DE families to avail the “free tuition” going into the select courses available under the program was always going to be a recipe for disaster. The select courses under the free tuition scheme are meant to address critical shortfalls in expertise areas like education, agriculturalist, engineering yet somehow “critical” areas have been expanded to criminology and to my astonishment, tourism “management” and seamanship as well (not ship’s officer! simple seaman!).
Many of these students can barely afford pasahe to get to school and back, don’t have baon for lunch or project supplies, mostly hate their courses and the pressure they received from family who think that a college degree is a ticket to riches. Most of the students I’ve talked to since the implementation of the tuition scheme told me that they didn’t plan to work in the course they are studying. They planned to just avail the education to get a college degree, then parlay that into higher paying BPO or OFW jobs. What a waste of money for the Filipino taxpayer.
I have been percolating something in my mind regarding short circuiting this by providing the work force to countries such as Japan, Taiwan, SoKor suffering from issues with greying and shrinking populations. May write a proposal or some post next month if I can’t get a slot next week.
Excellent topic. I think it will occur naturally but it ought to be developed as a career choice for Filipinos, not a fallback to avoid poverty.
On a separate point, someone on twitter said it was a mistake for the US to establish an American style school system here in 1901. I scratch my head. What would education be like if those fundamentals had not been imposed?
Someone should remind the leftists in UP that their university was established in 1908, and if not for what was initially a copy of a typical American State University, they might be working as clerks for La Salle and Ateneo grads. 😁
Sure, there was a Spanish style public school system established in 1863, but it was usually two schools for town, with most schools just a basic building and no well defined curriculum or textbooks, a lot depended on the teacher.
Historical literacy stats are also important with less than 20% literacy before WW1, and expansion to 50% and more after WW2 thanks to the school building program of Quezon. So, a Filipino built on what Spain and America had started. Or was his nose not flat enough? 🤔
I saw that comment. And I also saw he is a Pink. Comments like that just continually prove to me that even many educated Filipinos hold eclectic and syncretic beliefs that clash with each other into a mish-mash of nonsense. A bit scatterbrained to be honest with no focus or ability to connect the dots in a meaningful way.
This is what I’m advocating for as well GC, to move factories to the Philippines as part of the global supply chain re-alignment. Joe recently highlighted my Twitter post about that, but it got nearly no engagement so I’m guessing Filipinos don’t really see the possibilities yet.
As I’ve worked in Japan and South Korea before I understand a bit about their culture and how they run their businesses. The Japanese and South Koreans may not want a massive influx of people immigrating to their countries (which is why work in those countries are usually on a contract basis and the workers returning to dormitories), but they like to make money and realize their populations are aging out of the workforce. So these countries would prefer to invest via FDI into other countries so they can still make money and limit the influx of immigrants.
If the US can attract massive FDI from Japan and South Korea, especially after Biden’s policies started rolling out, why not Philippines as well? As is the manufacturing re-alignment has most the spoils going to the US, Mexico, Vietnam with some additional manufacturing going to India, Malaysia, Indonesia.
What makes these countries attractive?
1.) Logistics and transportation
2.) A stable and predictable government
3.) Favorable environment for foreign investment
4.) Pro-business policies
5.) Educated workforce ready to be trained
6.) Stable energy grid
7.) Usually situated at strategic locations in the supply chain
Well, the Philippines has none of the above except for point #7. That’s why the Philippines will be left behind if the government can’t figure out how to close the gap within the end of the decade. What the Philippines needs to understand is that chances constantly appear, but the Philippines does not seize the opportunities. A change in mindset and strategic thinking is needed at the government policy making level.
“suffering from issues with greying and shrinking populations.” Nice. I’m interested in this too, gian. especially the inheritance laws angle, cuz caregivers usually end up getting all or some. eg, no family ‘s willing to care, so aged person just gives it all the caregiver. essentially adopting or marrying said caregiver. to ensure inheritance. but then theres also violence, eg. dementia, throwing things hitting caregivers.
the problem with people is that sometimes they live too long, and those who are supposed to care for them died before hand.
there are government care homes that look after oldies who cannot care for themselves, have no living relatives and meet govt criteria (means test). caregivers there are paid government wages. richer oldies are expected to finance their own care and if they cannot manage their own finances, a tribunal steps in.
single, independent oldies sometimes marry for companionship. that’s fine. but if they become violent because of dementia, they can be sent to a respite or care home that specialise in dementia care. if they become too violent, they are sometimes sedated, restraint or tied to a chair or bed. they can be like babies, only 50kgs heavier, stronger, bite harder and have good aim.
“someone on twitter said it was a mistake for the US to establish an American style school system here in 1901. I scratch my head. “
I wonder how much of the Thomasites espoused Native American boarding schools ideals. that’s probably their point, which begs the question what did the Spanish have in place. and going off your Dewey article, Dewey seemed to have thought the Filipinos were set for self rule. so what did he see on the ground for said assessment. back to Native Americans did they really need to be rounded up, or were they much happier just riding their horses and planting corn or hunting. living much fuller lives in the field. probably a better life than having to work at a factory. whether chempo’s ideal factory or ones with nets. but that’s probably just me thinking noble savage. difficult to do counterfactual on this. cuz of the cultural stuff. dominant vs. docile culture at odds. is one good for the other. cuz even with gian’s plans, its the whole system that’s screwed up. all of it. really. education just one manifestation of screwedupness of it all.
My own projection back to the future is that there would have been many warring tribes and education would have developed as it did in Malaysia or Indonesia or Thailand where they would, on their own, move to a structured classroom system in, oh, the 1940s, seeing how western countries were so good at it. The US system was way ahead of its time and created a vibrant pre-war Philippines. But the war and Marcos squashed everything, including education that could not keep pace with the high birth rate.
The Katipuneros could mostly read as they were trained in the very basic public school system established in 1863. Most worked in foreign firms in Manila where basic literacy was needed. Some like Bonifacio read Rizal and Jefferson.
As for „native“ lifestyle, the Filipinos in towns had already lost that due to the Spanish reduccion, which forced them to live „under the churchbells.“ Remontados in Bikol and rebels uphill like Dagohoy in Bohol notwithstanding.
That 1863 school system was classroom based and broad across the nation, or only in the cities? Did the 600 American teachers who were shipped over just get distributed across that base, teaching English? Was the main accomplishment of those teachers, setting the Philippines on its course of being an English speaking nation? They did not really need to build a classroom system? It was already here?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Philippines_during_Spanish_rule – this Wiki juxtaposes Quezon’s nationalistic portrayal of the system that also educated him with the view of the Philippine Commission in 1900:
Quezon: „…as long ago as 1866 when the total population of the Philippine Islands was only 4,411,261 souls, and when the total number of municipalities in the archipelago was 900, the total public schools was 841 for boys and 833 for girls and the total number of children attending these schools was 135,098 for boys and 95,260 for girls. And these schools were real buildings and the pupils alert, intelligent, living human beings. In 1892, the number of schools had increased to 2,137, of which 1,087 were for boys and 1,050 for girls..“
American sources: „..[Philippine Commission] say: „Taking the entire population at 8,000,000, we find that there is but one teacher to each 4,179 inhabitants.“ There were no schoolhouses, no modern furniture, and, until the Americans came, there were no good text-books. The schools were and are now held in the residences of the teachers, or in buildings hired by the municipalities and used by the principals as dwellings. In some of the schools there were wooden benches and tables, but it was not at all unusual to find a school without any seats for the pupils. In these primary schools, reading, writing, sacred history, and the catechism were taught. Except in a very few towns, the four elementary arithmetical processes were attempted, and in a few towns a book on geography was used as a reading book.. ..One observes in the schools a tendency on the part of the pupils to give back, like phonographs, what they have heard or read or memorized, without seeming to have thought for themselves..
…It has been stated that in 1897 here were in these islands 2,167 public schools. The ineffectiveness of these schools will be seen when it is remembered that a school under the Spanish regime was a strictly sectarian, ungraded school, with no prescribed course of study and no definite standards for each year, and that they were in charge of duly certificated but hardly professionally trained or progressive teachers, housed in unsuitable and unsanitary buildings..“
I guess it was like Filipinos in civil service, who also existed to some degree under Spain. And when I read the Philippine Commission noting that Filipino schoolchildren memorized too much, it could be that the best of American intentions were (like in the civil service, where the haughty attitudes of olden days persisted) superseded by old habits. We have seen how quickly Filipino institutions can snap back to what my Canadian piano teacher called „any old way.“ I haven’t found any stats on how many teachers from pre-1900 took over from the „only“ 600 Thomasites or how they were distributed. There are over 1600 LGUs now, 900 municipalities existed in 1866. Rizal noted that Spanish priests at times BLOCKED the foundation of schools – it was a theme in the Noli. Not implementing laws fully also happened then. A sketchy picture.
A very sketchy picture. There are a lot of schools now, English is a primary language, and there is still too much rote learning and teachers control with the rod. The uplift is that improvement can be done, as a matter of intellect and electricity, rather than cement and ROTC.
I tend to agree with that, Joe. but I’m thinking more on cultural damage, that probably begot Marcos as reaction.
Ireneo, i don’t know if your dad ever tackled the connection of Parfahn as reaction to American education. i think that was his most important value. like lever balancing itself. cuz that whole Filipinization am sure was attempt at correcting some wrong. over correction sure but had to happen. Hegelian.
My father literally described Parfahn as a bit crazy in his article about him.
Maybe it was like Will describing Valentin Delos Santos as crazy but still holding prayer rallies, with the implied caveat that magical stuff and violence isn’t part of what they do.
Likewise, my father does go for a nationalistic orientation that is based on facts, not fantasy – and yes his being European educated but having turned to a more Philippine-centric orientation is Hegelian in the sense of an antithesis to his clearly treading Rizal’s path in young years.
Chinese factory work conditions are due to the lost of culture, tradition, human rights and morals during the Cultural Revolution. I’d espouse for more Western-style factory work, which will work out fine as the potential manufacturing partners for the Philippines already have strong ethics and human rights. The most natural Philippine manufacturing partners are the US, Japan and South Korea. It will take time for Filipino unions to evolve as in my view Filipino unions are basically in the Stone Age in their approach to advocacy. But the seeds are there within Filipino unions to evolve and protect workers once factories move to the Philippines.
My major issue with the current discourse on neurodivergence is that at least in the US, the discourse has become extremely toxic and narcissistic. It started with GenX claiming ludicrous things like “celiac disease” and the gluten free movement, when celiac disease affects very few people. Then GenZ who are mostly the children of GenX being labeled as “autistic” by their parents in an attempt on “specialness” and to explain away bad behaved children who throw tantrums due to not getting what they want. GenZ has run with it and now claim “neurodivergence.” A lot of this narcissistic behavior is reflected in the “Pro-Palestine” movement where the participants don’t give a crap about Gaza. Now GenZ’s are claiming to be disabled from anxiety, when they just want to sit at home being catered to. Some of the discourse is wholly laughable, like demanding a communist revolution but also claiming to be disabled and needing DoorDash deliveries. True neurodivergent people are an outlier… if many people claimed neurodivergence, then well it becomes the norm and they are no longer “neurodivergent.”
It’s quite true that the technical career tracks in college prepares one to become a corporate cog. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But highly technical people usually do not make good leaders. Leadership needs being able to see a vision of how things can be done, how things fit together in the big picture. Whereas technical fields excel at implementing the vision, provided they are guided by visionary leadership. That’s the reason why people like myself explore different avenues and design the business solution, while the programmers who report to me who may have higher degrees implement.
That being said, I think there should be less emphasis on college education as it should not be the only ticket to a good life that is better than one’s parents’ life. Throwing the baby out with the bath water so to speak would also be bad, as it is wasting efforts already made, many of which were good at least in intention. Providing a great baseline education for SHS graduates would provide the workers for the trades and manufacturing, which should be the emphasis.
I’m convinced there are diseases of the intellect that we have not yet studied. A kind of informational virus that pastes vacuums of knowledge over with emotional neediness to generate really awful thinking. The whole MAGA movement is diseased, and your depiction of the inter generational warfare fits it to a T.
Boomers are often blamed for being MAGA, but I’ve found the most terrible MAGAs are GenX. My earlier comment about the “Fourth Turning” theory explains a lot of this cyclic behavior. Basically it’s those who grew up in a “time of plenty” who end up being the most toxic and narcissistic personalities. American Millennials will save the US, and I fully believe Filipino Millennials will save the Philippines.
My view point is simple. What has the highest positive expected value (+EV).
Does pouring resources on the 20, while keeping the 80 at least functional, lead to a richer Philippines?
or is the reverse better.
I suspect that concentrating on the 20 may be the most +EV but as your story says it has to be a full court press in basketball parlance.
The driven people should be manipulated to have a fire that drives them to become CEOs of MNCs, SV founders, etc etc.
It’s not just education, but values formation, mentoring, access to people with drive, etc etc.
I would argue that the opposite would be true. The top performers in a population are top performers because they are self-motivated and have initiative. They probably need the least amount of help. There is a similar problem in US education where those families who can already afford to send their children to elite preparatory schools want to redirect public resources (which everyone’s taxes pays for) towards their own children’s private school tuition, while draining resources from everyone else. Often the most affected students are those from poorer communities that don’t have anyone advocating for them.
By definition those who are driven don’t need much guidance or manipulation. If someone is driven enough they will seek out the knowledge they need to accomplish what they envision. IMHO these are the people who need the least help. Even if those at the top potential level benefit from the limited resources at the expense is the vast majority, what would that solve since the majority can’t afford the products and services these top people sell in their shiny new businesses.
I just think problems need to be solved holistically, at the root of the problem. When we look at things as just numbers and statistics, it creates white whales that can be chased, but often ends up delivering disappointment because the white whale always escapes. Personally I think the Philippines has experienced enough it that. The Philippines in my view is already two nations side by side, one a modern developed nation, the other a vast majority of people teetering on abject poverty. Wouldn’t a better goal be to try to bridge that divide? The country may be more united in the end as well.
What I am trying to understand, is the GDP/Wealth/GDP Growth contribution to the nation of individuals follow the power law, thus 80 percent of the contribution is actually just due to 20 percent of the citizens?
If it is then what should be the strategy for growth? Lean in to the talents of these people?
I have to admit that my views are oscillating depending on recent experience and the people I meet.
I think a balance is needed.
The gap within a country shouldn’t get too big.
I disagree with education scaled to support GDP. Education should be scaled to nurture an intelligent nation of thinking individuals who will ultimately shape a GDP that works for them. The Philippines wastes its human goodness and potential, and that is tragic. Free it up.
This should be the goal of education. The only major point I’m wary of is we must not forget the human element in education. DepEd should be given a higher budget, more teachers should be hired and given an appropriate salary, bad teachers should be fired or sidelined, school buildings should be fixed up and stocked with supplies. Students should not need to provide anything except to attend their classes.
Under the established school system, yes, more and better teachers are needed. Under a system with an internet backbone, teachers would migrate to internet skills, facilitating, tutoring, and counseling, and there would be fewer teachers. Fewer administrators. Less paper. They’d be paid twice as much as they get now.
I was greatly enthused by Karl’s article that showed Secretary Angara, a week after taking office, meeting with Khan Academy liaison to coordinate to develop a good number of pilot schools using the Khan curriculum. That pilot will teach a lot, including teacher aptitude needed.
We are in agreement on digitization (but not AI), but that introduces the issue of cost. Reducing the vast amounts of paper used in Philippine education is a start though. A lot of those printed papers are simply tossed out, just like the rote memorization of those printed papers. What a waste of time and energy for students.
I would advocate for more teachers, less administrators. I had a discussion on Twitter a while back with a former teacher who left DepEd and went into BPO because she felt discouraged by the excessive heavy-handedness of administrators, who are large in proportion to actual teachers. Reduce DepEd administrators lording over young teachers who are still motivated, but recruit more teachers. A school system cannot teach if there are no teachers; students might as well just not learn at all if that’s the case. I’d take an educated guess that aside from low budgets and corruption, a sizeable portion of DepEd’s budget goes towards administrators who are useless. A school needs a principal and a vice principal, maybe a dean to assist larger schools, that’s it. Why DepEd schools I’ve seen have a dozen or more administrators is beyond belief. Perhaps a way to give incompetent former teachers jobs.
Understandable that your views oscillate GC. This is an indicator of how much you care about the issue combined with frustration at non-movement. I often feel this too.
Quantifying performance/growth according to something like the power law would be a mistake though IMHO. We are analytical people here, so are prone to seeing things in terms of numbers. Most people are not like that, not here for Americans, and certainly not for Filipinos who learn a bit differently (visually) due to cultural factors. When people are reduced to numbers and figures, it encourages a dispassionate view that often misses people at the margins. The goal should be *pull* the margins in as much as possible, lifting up all boats in the process.
If we identify a top segment of society, that may not need help to begin with, that segment may just be elevated into a new elite subclass… I can already imagine that segment immediately hoarding power and wealth for themselves once they become entrenched, just like the principalia did once elevated by the Spanish. That didn’t work out that well for the Philippines hundreds of years later as those principalia are now the dynasts that have a chokehold on the Philippines. The goal should be instead to elevate as many people as possible by leveling the playing field through better education. Better educated citizens have an added benefit of being less prone to following blindly the dynasts as they are now equipped with critical thinking.
The huge success of the American system is the powerful middle class that rose after WWII. Yes, the American “dynasts” aka business tycoons have chipped away at that middle class but the cycle is being broken and the middle class is asserting their power once again. The strategy for the Philippines should be similar or adapted to local needs. Growth should be spread out broadly so that a small segment of society does not hold a monopoly on power.
I think that Filipino groups tend to want to have closed shops. My father once told me that in the 1950s, the valedictorian and salutatorian of EVERY public high school got an automatic UP scholarship. He was Albay High salutatorian.
Yet there was no trace of that meritocratic practice anymore in the 1970s. There are, in fact, professorial dynasties now, with the advantage of having grown up on the UP Diliman Campus.
Philippine Science High School was established in 1964 based on the Bronx High School of the Sciences, but in our batch that started in 1978, only four came from a public school, and that was UP Elementary. Don’t know how it was in Giancarlo’s batch, probably similar.
By now, there are as many students with cars in UP as in Ateneo, I was told.
I guess Filipinos love their comfort zones. I think it is even a natural human urge to want them. But too much comfort leads to stagnation.
Yes exactly Irineo. Humans are funny creatures. We may say we believe in meritocracy and egalitarianism, but given the chance and given the lack of accountability we will always fall back to hoarding resources towards ourselves. Even the best meaning people do this, because they think “It’s ok if I help my family a bit more as long as no one knows.” When there’s no oversight and enforcement of the rules via punishment or shaming, many people will end up quietly thinking this way. Once they amass enough resources to themselves then they become more blatant in behavior.
Meritocracy and egalitarianism are ideals that need to be actively reinforced, with those who abuse the system receiving enough penalties that they do not repeat their bad behavior.
Depends on how you define great. My definition is, not to be genius, because that is genetic, but has the fundamentals of reading, writing, mathematics, and perspective. Can analyze and reason. The 20% would not be able to do one or more of those things. US schooling achieves that level of greatness, or pretty close to it, I would imagine.
This is my definition of the result of great education as well. US schooling is pretty much the same as it was decades ago when you went through it, local budgets being cut by anti-education Republicans withholding in some districts. The goal of US schooling is to set a high baseline for raising the mean and shifting the median upwards. Aside from this, additional support can be given to outliers such as students falling behind and students who are equipped to run ahead. The focus should be to “raise the median, shift the median up.” Truly exceptional students figure things out themselves, they will be fine.
Besides this, promoting critical thinking is important. This would be a difficult thing to do as communal collectivist Filipino culture works against the independent thinking that critical thinking requires. Not sure how to solve this problem yet; I’d have to think upon it.
Yes, I agree with all of that.
Typo: “raise the mean, shift the median up.”
we have the same vision. I believe the key is trying to make people believe that they can take charge of their learning and dragging society with them. Believe that we can learn and grow.
Honestly can’t imagine the country investing in the future in a substantial way this we need to find capital efficient ways to do it.
Similar to what you wrote that the Philippines needs careers and not jobs the unlock is in thinking long term for the career. The unlock here is that knowing learning can be learned.
Yes indeed. The one thing I would say is that Secretary Angara is passionate about education, so that is a reason for optimism. He and his wife run a foundation that gives kids computers, so he certainly also appreciates automation.
The Gokongwei family has a partnership with Khan Academy. Hope things align
That’s good to know. Yes, I hope so, too.
The Khan academy partnership is happening.
https://www.deped.gov.ph/2024/08/04/deped-strengthens-digital-education-efforts-partners-with-khan-academy/
https://www.deped.gov.ph/2024/08/31/angara-observes-digital-classroom-session-in-visit-to-khan-academy-pilot-school/
Terrific. Best news coming out of DepEd in years.
https://www.rappler.com/moveph/social-good-summit/recap-sonny-angara-says-values-guide-use-artificial-intelligence-sgs-2024/
MANILA, Philippines – At the 2024 Social Good Summit on Saturday, October 19, Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized that a person’s values influence their use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Angara, the keynote speaker at the summit, emphasized that shaping the values of today’s students is not solely the responsibility of schools but also of their families.
“Your values will determine how you use the AI. You can use it for a lot of destructive purposes. That’s the role of the school, but it’s also the role of the family,” he said.
Angara, the keynote speaker at the summit, emphasized that shaping the values of today’s students is not solely the responsibility of schools but also of their families.
“Your values will determine how you use the AI. You can use it for a lot of destructive purposes. That’s the role of the school, but it’s also the role of the family,” he said.
Sec. Angara took the words out of my mouth: “Angara, the keynote speaker at the summit, emphasized that shaping the values of today’s students is not solely the responsibility of schools but also of their families.”
When parents are not engaged in their learner’s education, the child will likely fail. Even an illiterate parent can still show interest in their learner’s education. The problem is too many cases show that is not happening. The usual expectation is that the student, who lacks resources and goes to school hungry, will be the rank 1 student and become rich later, with no guidance from the parents at all.
We were not overtaken, we were held back.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2024/10/23/2394489/left-behind-asean
Two important historical factors to also consider:
1.) The countries mentioned have long histories as unified states, some for millennia. Their recent historical setbacks were anomalies brought on by colonial or war aftermath circumstances
2.) Every country mentioned directly benefited from American largesse, or secondary benefits from nations that benefited from American investment. The outlier is Vietnam which raised capital mostly from the Vietnamese diaspora since 1995
A lot of the old wealth of the Philippines until Marcos Sr. squandered it was from American investments as well. The men of the Third Republic were amazing in my view. They really had a vision of what the Philippines can be.
But the past is the past. The Philippines can chart a new future, if the people and their leaders want it that badly. Back to basics, tried and true methods. No more shortcuts and magic tricks. Progress may take longer this way, but it will be built on a stronger foundation that can’t be shaken apart or blown away in a metaphorical typhoon.
“The outlier is Vietnam which raised capital mostly from the Vietnamese diaspora since 1995” What was the process of this? I assume not thru balikbayan boxes or remittances. If thru business what’re the details? of said process.
As Irineo lamented before about the Filipino diaspora, he noted that the Vietnamese diaspora is industrious and have a business-like mind. The recent history of French colonialism (following the Nguyen civil war and mid-1800s global pandemic of cholera), WWII, and the Vietnam War between the North and South had clouded the historical Vietnamese mercantile class, but the business sensibilities were always there even if just at the street vendor level. Following the Vietnam War, due to sanctions and bad (communist 5-year) policies Vietnam suffered what some Vietnamese likened to going back to the stone age. My great grandfather had already had imported French cars way back in the early 1900s, and our ancestral homes had been upgraded to modern plumbing.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Vietnam’s major trading partner during the Cold War put an end to those 5-year plans though the Communist Party of Vietnam had already embarked on Vietnamese economic planners started on a policy of “Đổi Mới” (Renewal/Innovation) starting in 1986, which coincided with Mikhail Gorbachev’s Perestroika in the USSR. Đổi Mới was largely successful when Perestroika was not as Đổi Mới was supported by pro-market factions in the CPV, which by now had a majority. In 1995 relations between Vietnam and the US were normalized and sanctions removed, which led to Vietnam joining the WTO in 2007 a decade later.
Even during the heavy-handed 5-year plan times of 1975-1985, refugees would send remittances back. My family would send back photo albums, mostly of my baby/kid pictures, with $20 and $100 bills taped to the back of my pictures. Other families did the same. Some informal remittances were facilitated by Chinese-Vietnamese using the overseas Chinese business networks. Remittances from the early 1980s to 1995 allowed Vietnam to remain afloat, especially after the collapse of the USSR, which I’m sure the CPV recognized if only begrudgingly. During 1975-1995, Vietnamese still engaged in trading and business, communism be damned. The majority of the country has never bought into communism, and even former communist guerillas regretted their support of the CPV during the lean years of 1975-1985. Communism in Vietnam is more of an ideology of the Party. I’ve rarely met anyone from there who actually believes in communism. Communism in Vietnam is also much less heavy handed in terms of the economy, compared to the USSR and PRC which both have very heavy state involvement in 5-year plans with top-down state directed economies.
Once the country was opened up in 1995 due to US-Vietnam détente, diaspora Vietnamese started returning as many still had family back home. Many of the diaspora Vietnamese already had small and medium businesses, while others had become college educated with experience in Western businesses. Vietnamese refugees were setting up small businesses here in California as early as the late 1970s, just a few years after arriving. With the returning capital and business experience, immediate family were helped first to set up businesses. Some who had land started developing informal resorts that later became major resorts.
Between 1995 until now, diaspora Vietnamese continue to pour capital “back home,” mainly channeled through their families. Vietnamese people consider being dependent to be quite shameful, so there are much less cases of family members who become tambays. Vietnamese people are also not shy to ask for help if they need help, and the expectation is that the help is paid back fully (if it was a loan) or paid forward to the next family member. An example is my parents were the first to buy a house in the US, then they lent money to their sibling to buy a house, who then lent to the next sibling and so on the cycle continues. Eventually my parents were paid back once the cycle completed. The same occurs for helping family members start businesses. Family members and friends will invest in the business, then either the loan is paid back or it’s paid forward. It works exactly the same as the Chinese-Filipino way of lending and doing business, since Vietnamese and the ancestors of Chinese-Filipinos descended from the same “Baiyue” proto-culture in today’s Guangdong region (though not necessarily same ethnic stock). Chinese-Filipinos who are mostly from Hokkien ancestry, in addition to Toisanese, Hakka, Teochew are all from Baiyue cultures. Modern China’s business class are largely all Baiyue descendants, who are distinct from the majority Han Chinese.
Business is integral to Vietnamese culture, such that a common Vietnamese New Year’s greeting is:
“Năm mới chúc cậu sắc đẹp thăng hạn, tiền vô như nước, tình duyên khởi sắc, vạn sự thành công.”
“I wish you a Happy New Year with good health, money that flows in like water, good relationships, and success in all things.”
Also a large portion of Vietnam’s history involved fighting off invaders (various Chinese dynasties, piracy from the Khmer Empire remnants, Thais, Chams and Indo-Malay raids), and due to the relative isolation of Vietnam from the long North-South mountain range, Vietnamese generally have a self-reliant attitude.
In additional to diaspora investments, Vietnam is also more friendly to FDI while keeping sovereignty over the projects and businesses built by FDI. I’ve always argued that the limiting factor of FDI to Philippines is not that foreign companies don’t want to invest, it’s actually because the Filipino business interests don’t want competition, and the dynasties don’t want to limit corruption even if it pertains to the FDI project.
By the early 2000s manufacturing built by FDI, managed by diaspora Vietnamese business managers was over 40% GDP if I recall. Services sector is another 40% ish, inclusive of tourism, BPO, technology services like software development. Critical I think was that Western-trained diaspora Vietnamese went back to lend their expertise in building the economy. There’s no such thing as mendicancy in Vietnam as a societal problem. That would be endlessly shamed in the family and publicly.
Case in point, the owner of Vingroup, Phạm Nhật Vượng is only worth $1.1 billion, is relatively young (mid-50s). He studied in Ukraine for a time and started his business empire selling instant noodles with capital from his diaspora family. His company’s instant noodles (Mivina) are still very popular in Eastern Europe. Somehow he parlayed from selling instant noodles to a manufacturer of canned/dry goods, then onto investing in building resorts in Nha Trang, to the diversified conglomerate VinGroup. VinFast, the car subsidiary started from building imported knock-down kits of European and American cars, and after experience was gained just made their own cars. Apparently VinGroup is making a play to challenge China in cheap EVs. Saw a VinFast car here in California the other day. Looks nice, but apparently has quirks and flaws, but all car companies started somewhere. Korean car manufacturers had a reputation for bad quality until recently, and the Japanese also before that up until the late 1980s.
VinGroup’s Phạm Nhật Vượng’s net worth of $1.1 billion pales in comparison to the Philippines’ tycoons, the top 10 combined having a net worth of $54.85 billion. Yet VinGroup is now selling cars in the Philippines, while Filipino oligarchs are happy with importing Chinese goods and rent-seeking off of a captured customer base. It’s kind of sad to see so much idle capital sitting around in the Philippines, used for control and flash flash, while most Vietnamese businessmen are quite humble in their daily lives.
https://business.inquirer.net/485260/vinfast-officially-launches-vf-5-electric-suv-for-sale-in-the-philippines
https://wheels.ph/spotlight/2024/10/24/58307/vinfast-strengthens-philippine-commitment-with-vf-7-launch-at-the-12th-ev-summit/
The VinFast VF5 at 1.19m PHP undercuts many Japanese and South Korean models that are well established in the Philippines.
“Vietnamese people are also not shy to ask for help if they need help, and the expectation is that the help is paid back fully (if it was a loan) or paid forward to the next family member.”
“I’ve always argued that the limiting factor of FDI to Philippines is not that foreign companies don’t want to invest, it’s actually because the Filipino business interests don’t want competition, and the dynasties don’t want to limit corruption even if it pertains to the FDI project.”
“Yet VinGroup is now selling cars in the Philippines, while Filipino oligarchs are happy with importing Chinese goods and rent-seeking off of a captured customer base.”
“Vietnamese businessmen are quite humble in their daily lives.”
=========================
Man, that was a good read, Joey! Can you do South Korea next? I have so many more questions. On loans, I guess this is cultural probably harder to fix. on FDI probably related to loans thus zero competition. Oligarchs is related to competition they want none. Humility returns to culture. So competition should probably be the focus. just open it up. where would you start?
On flooding. I think there was more issue here when there was that drought. Where people were instructed to save water, as such sewer mains were plugged up. no water to push shit down the line. but it wasn’t really a big deal. just water to waste water to ocean issue. What do you know of Singapore’s drainage storing storm water system. I heard that was really good. never stagnant water. all drains out and gets stored. thanks.
Well one of the laments of the South Vietnamese diaspora is that the Korean War had equally been fumbled, yet South Korea did not fall. The major difference was the advent of mass television newscasts happened during the Vietnam War, and the US military had relatively few restrictions on war correspondents who often sensationalized reports. Sure, the US military “fudged” some facts, but that was relatively common in that era. South Korean soldiers during the Korean War were equally badly trained, if not worse seeing as the North Koreans were able to push all the way to the Pusan Perimeter. The difference in a decade made it so South Korea remained an independent state with American support, while South Vietnam did not.
South Korea’s post-Armistice economy was in shambles, and it was a heavily agricultural country compared to North Korea’s heavy concentration of industry. In Vietnam, it was flipped; the North was heavily agrarian while the South was industrial/business. Today’s South Korean conglomerates, also called “chaebols” who were powerful Korean business families during the Japanese occupation. Chaebols are modeled after Japanese “zaibatsu,” which were large family-controlled conglomerates of the Meiji Era. Zaibatsu have since evolved into the modern “keiretsu” that have indirect family control rather than direct. I’d say Chaebols have evolved in a similar way. Both words “chaebol” and “zaibatsu” are cognate with the Middle Chinese compound word “cai” (wealth/skill) + “hoat” (clan/tribe), as is the Vietnamese word “tài phiệt.” Roughly it translates to “financial clan” or “financial clique.” Zaibatsu was associated with Imperial Japanese aggression, so the name was changed to the modern form keiretsu, which means “in series” alluding to the component companies operating in series supporting each other. I had previously worked for both Korean chaebol and Japanese keiretsu.
South Korea’s government enlisted the chaebols to help industrialize the country after the Armistice, helped along by massive American investments and the American safety umbrella of troops stationed in South Korea giving room for chaebols to grow. As most of the former Korean industry had been in North Korea, chaebols, most of which actually had originated in what’s now North Korea had to start over from scratch. I wouldn’t say there was heavy government planning. The South Korean government’s involvement was more of “facilitating” the chaebols.
There was certainly involvement and investment by the Korean diaspora as well, who regularly returned to visit family and start businesses or work in chaebols. As such there was constant investment and addition of new business ideas learned in the “West,” meaning the US. If my life had taken a different turn, I would’ve married into a powerful Korean business family who lacked a son/heir and thus wanted me to marry in. Well at the time I liked to travel, work and have fun, hah!
South Korea started manufacturing textiles and cheap knick knacks in the 1950s. By the late 1970s South Korea had gotten into contract manufacturing cheap electronics. Samsung released its first Motorola mobile handset knockoff in 1988, which was terrible according to what I’ve read/heard from Korean business people. Here’s what happened when the very prideful (in his products) former Chairman of Samsung did when he heard reports of the mobile handset being defective and badly performing, which illustrates the difference in thinking culturally in the East Asian sphere:
https://www.thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=1771
Lee Kun-hee is the son of the Samsung chaebol. His son Lee Jae-yong is the current chairman of Samsung.
Similar stories played out in the other chaebols: Hyundai, LG, Lotte/Nongshim, Hanjin, Kumho, Sunkyong (SK), Doosan, etc etc. South Korea’s businesses are dominated by chaebols.
In many ways, chaebol families are similar to Filipino oligarch families. Filipino oligarch families are also founded based on the same “ideas” as East Asian family businesses, namely the concept of “financial clan” or “financial clique.” If deeper inspection is done, Filipino oligarch family empires are also set up on the vertical or horizontal conglomerate model of various businesses supporting the other businesses, almost exactly how South Korean chaebol, Japanese zaibatsu/keiretsu, and Vietnamese tài phiệt work. Something went wrong along the way though, though I would not go as far as to say it was the native Filipino influence. Probably comfort in rent-seeking in a captured market with zero competition or possibility of any challengers rising, in synergy with an often corrupt national and LGU government.
In East Asian culture, humility, merit, personal morality, giving back to society is heavily emphasized as all East Asian cultures have been touched by Confucianism at some point. All these qualities are also good traits for business people to have. Most East Asian cultures were also unified states that had no question of their national identity for millennia or more. Including the Koreans who were endlessly mocked by other countries in the East Asian sphere in ancient times for being backyards country bumpkins. Sometimes things are due to cultural differences, but as I noted before a people can choose to evolve and change, if they want.
Interesting aside, the Samsung Lee family’s net worth is about $11.5 billion, comparable to the top business families in the Philippines. But whereas Samsung has many diversified businesses from electronics to heavy machinery to electronics and shipbuilding, the Angs and the Sys of the Philippines are quite happy with their captured consumers domestically and “overseas barangays.”
Where to start? Probably stop rent-seeking, reducing corruption. The oligarchs in the Philippines have the capital as I pointed out multiple examples of businessmen who have equal capital (or much less capital even). Open the Philippines to competition, start competing on the global market. Get rid of stupid tariffs as the only value of targeted tariffs is to protect a growing/developing local industry whereas many Philippine tariffs are across the board. Develop personal responsibility. If Filipino leaders often refuse accountability and personal responsibility, then is it really that surprising that the population often follows the cues and mirrors the behavior? Banish mendicant and hingi hingi behavior. If one really needs help then great, but just being tambay then expecting someone else to take care of one’s self is not ok. Heck, even the current President is a mendicant with all his foreign trips asking for money.
something I’ve been very frustrated on.
China made the EV and Solar transition possible by investing 20 years until it became competitive with fossil fuels.
even Ayala Corp is giving up on gogoro after a few maybe even just 1 year.
The rent seeking, highly regulated captured market.
I have a rant brewing on the oligarch-led development we have. Similar to what you have observed
Well, I wrote in my recent article that in Spanish times, most businesses were by a franchise system for local trade or a cargo slot system for the galleons.
Though the 19th century Philippines getting connected to world trade bred (at that time) extremely competitive sugar barons, even as abaca planters (yeah, my folks) were apparently lazier as they had a global monopoly of a highly sought after commodity. The result in Bikol was “prosperity without progress,” and if my grandfather hadn’t studied law before abaca went bust, we possibly would be as poor as before the 1870s abaca boom.
Some called the booming late 19th century Philippines a British colony administered by Spain as the business partners of the families that sent their kids to study in Europe were often British – or American, or German. The American period had American enterprises setting up stuff, see the founders of what became Philtranco. Even postwar parity had the likes of Uncle Bob, who founded GMA television, but it was taken from him in the mid-1970s.
The pattern emerging is compete only if absolutely necessary. Otherwise, comfort zone.
Though, there are also examples that show changes. ABS-CBN does give stocks and stock options to some of its stars. Losing the entire firm during Marcos Sr. times, and the franchise recently probably made them more entrepreneurial – examples streaming and music for export.
Meanwhile, SMNI who thought they would be rich, rich, rich due to getting ABS-CBN’s frequencies don’t know how to make good TV. The simplistic idea some have that one just has to “throw out the hacienderos and mestizos” fails as well if the “flat-nosed” are incompetent.
At least the Marcos cronies who got a lot of business formerly owned by mestizo oligarchs OR Americans (Benguet mining, Marcopper, etc.) were not totally incompetent, seems just greedy.
Villar got the frequencies in Luzon.
The point still stays that it isn’t as simple as “let’s just take what the white man or the mestizo built and give it to people from our barangay.” Even if one does that, make sure the barangay levels up at least, Villar might be competent even as he is also a rent-seeker.
To be sarcastic to the max as that is my mood right now, I ask when someone with white ancestors who is rich becomes part of the barangay aka national village, does Paolo Roxas atone for his haciendero ancestry by dancing budots?
To be completely frank, there is a lot of Dunning–Kruger going on in the Filipino elite class. One can expect uneducated yet bombastic people to be over confident in their abilities and knowledge, but certainly not the leaders!
Which brings me back to my earlier observation inspired by a diaspora Fil-Am that the bulk of Filipinos are essentially a cargo cult on a national scale. People may be adorned with the trinkets and trappings of modernity they “found” floating on their shores, some foreigners might even mistake them to be a developed society due to the facade, but society and national consciousness is largely under developed.
The Philippines needs to come to grips with the fact that the greatness of the Third Republic was not in the modernity brought by American investment, but the modernist ideals of the men of the Third Republic. Yet the focus is often on how high or rich the Philippines used to be. Well as you pointed out those were built by American or mestizo investments and business. When turned over to people who lack the skills to manage things well, it just crumbles and decays. Then when we are figuratively in the Stone Age again, we will admire the ruins of prior advanced stuff. Just like the rusting hulks of factories built by American investment that dot Luzon I saw when I first came to the Philippines.
There are tried and true methods of development. It’s been done more or less along the same lines in modern times by every other developed country. Hey the Philippines can even proceed faster than usual if hard headedness is replaced by humility and good use of outside funds. Had seen an argument yesterday by a Filipino who seemed to think that the Philippines *deserved* assistance from the US to build a modern nation, and also give all the weapons and ships, simply because of “oldest ally in Asia, MDT blah blah.” No one and nation deserves anything. But help can be taken with gratitude and care given to making good use of assistance.
Boy, we three are angry today 🤣
Seems we were given enough assistance. we just didn’t spend it wisely
Yes, that’s basically what happened. South Korea, Japan, Singapore used their assistance better. Those countries still host or are highly engaged with the US to this day, whereas the Philippines ordered the US out, which was respected. I had known that US assistance and FDI from American companies largely dried up in the 1970s, but was not aware of the Laurel–Langley Agreement until Irineo brought it up, which explains the lost of large amounts of FDI in the 1970s. When the US bases were closed in 1992, that was a further loss of hard currency being injected into the Philippine economy. Many Filipinos often think of US bases as a matter of sovereignty, but the Japanese, South Koreans, Germans and Italians recognize the immense economic benefits of hosting US bases as well which is why there are still bases there. When Trump threatened to close US bases those countries scrambled to save the bases.
Nowadays it’s going to be a lot harder to get direct US government investments with modern oversight and the ending of the Cold War. Americans are pretty much tired of helping ungrateful countries after our 2 decade project of nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan where the American taxpayer paid over $8 trillion to try to rebuild two countries, so there’s no political capital to be used. I’ve been harping to Filipinos for 2 years now that the Philippines needs to learn from Ukraine. Ukrainians are very prideful people as well, which I experienced firsthand traveling there. When the war started, Ukrainians were a bit pushy and rude with demanding help, but they quickly learned being aggressive with hingi hingi just pisses off countries that can potentially help, principally the US. Ukrainians set the tone from the top of the government down to society that foreign help is to be appreciated, and issues should be raised privately between government officials of both sides. It’s worked out great, with a huge proportion of Americans being supportive of Ukraine. The Philippines can learn from this.
There was the summer of 2019 when the East of Metro Manila had a water shortage – and a retired engineer told everyone on socmed there was a bypass between two dams to raise the water level in the one servicing the east – FB post below:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rLkKbrJNcPNkY4o3/
I wonder how long it took until the Roman aqueduct to Cologne, Germany fell into disuse after the Romans left and the Germanic-Celtic mixture of people living there forgot how fresh mountain water came into the town.
By contrast, peoples who have a blueprint of their cities and societies on paper and in their minds can rebuild after total wreckage.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/6AiRCdbiRc36QhK7/
The above post by Alma Anonas-Carpio in memory of her grandfather who helped set up a number of things, including the water supply for the Manila era in American times, proves though that Filipinos were not the “barbarians” back then.
Stuff happened that thinned out the ones who were starting to build a modern society, in a country that often has just family memories but little institutional memory.
Thanks for sharing those posts. It’s quite sad about what could have been if the nation had not worshiped popularity and instead admired quiet competence.
Just like the ruins of the Greeks before, the public works and infrastructure of the fallen Romans quickly fell into disuse besides perhaps the crumbling roads that facilitated the movements of barbarian warrior bands. I’d imagine that most of the engineers and Roman public officials were killed or melted into the shadows. Within a generation or two, people living around ruins of temples, aqueducts and sewers probably thought these structures were built by gods, or at least demi-gods. Heck, nowadays with all our learning and knowledge, there are some who think literal aliens built ancient megastructures.
Reminds me of two of my favorite tabletop wargames, Warhammer 40K and BattleTech. Both have a premise of a future where humans had fallen into a new Dark Age, where previous society and technology were viewed on the level of magic. Blueprints and datacores were sought out as magical talismans to be used for war against enemy clans. Old tech that was salvaged are treated with reverence with a priesthood built around mundane objects.
I once heard a lament from an elderly Fil-Am engineer who had since passed, and had lived through the Insular Government, then Commonwealth, to the Marcos Sr. period where he left in disgust. His observation was that the Third Republic with its cadre of competent and dedicated public workers had done more than the Revolutionary era had done to refashion Filipinos into a nation, yet did not have enough time before the Philippines fell back to more base instincts. He said that he himself had intended to go back to the Philippines to continue rebuilding after EDSA, even though he had been retired already. But when he visited, he was quickly rebuffed by fellow Filipinos who saw him as an elite, a foreigner even though he had brown skin and a flat nose. Other Filipinos who went back and re-adopted the “old ways” were accepted, yet those were not the Filipinos who had appropriate skills. So he went back to the US, where every meal he ate Filipino ulam, had Filipino accented English, doted on his Filipino grandchildren, yet was “not a Filipino” in the eyes of his former countrymen.
Post EDSA required a rebuild. Unfortunately the strength here is not on individuals but the networks one has. This is because of tribalism, regionalism, nepotism that was necessary to survive the dictatorship. We didn’t have someone who was an insider but was also a builder that can spark inclusiveness specially for those of the third republic.
China felt the urgency, as to sustain manufacturing and higher standards of living they need energy — the traditional coal power plants are just too dirty in modern times. China is large yet resource poor, which explains its behavior in the WPS due to petroleum reserves there.
The complex of laziness between oligarchs and dynasts endlessly annoys me. Actually I wasn’t aware how Samsung’s Lee family’s wealth is comparable to many Filipino oligarchs, yet Samsung is a highly diversified global company… while Filipino oligarchs are happy with importing foreign goods to sell in their malls. Sometimes it really feels like bread and circus in the Philippines. Or maybe just circus depending on the day. I always say that if the leaders have actual accomplishments to tout, then they wouldn’t need to engage in showboating and propaganda.
Looking forward to your ranty article so I can rant some more in the comments 🤣
Have been toying with writing about evergrande and our major families whose wealth are mostly in real estate
I’m not sure what connection can be made between China’s real estate crisis and Filipino wealthy families that own real estate. China’s real estate crisis stems from local Chinese municipality heads of the local CCP building out real estate, sometimes on the scale of “ghost cities,” to provide jobs and to show that they are “doing something” to the national CCP heads. Real estate overbuilding is used in China as a societal release value to lower pressure from poor people being angry. Over time real estate interests in China figured they can con Chinese people into investing their family savings into real estate developments as a form of “investing.” In many ways China is a huge scam on a national scale. The societal pressures are one of the major factors in China’s belligerence in the WPS and Taiwan, as the CCP seeks to convert domestic anger outward into ultra-nationalism. It’s a trait of nations that have a lot of domestic unrest, and has been repeated in history quite a few times. I haven’t visited China in over half a decade, but things were quite bad there then and I’m sure are worse now. It’s just not as obvious until one starts touring the country.
Happy for Vietnam and Bangladesh but we can at least match them.
https://www.deccanherald.com/business/economy/india-losing-to-smaller-rivals-like-bangladesh-and-vietnam-in-manufacturing-world-bank-says-3176072
Maybe not so much Bangladesh anymore, as there is social unrest there after the ousting of their longtime prime minister. For Vietnam, it seems they are moving away from low-cost labor manufacturing like textiles/clothing and are moving into higher value-add industries.
“Heck, even the current President is a mendicant with all his foreign trips asking for money.”
One thing me and Micha agreed, was that this guy has to be stopped at all cost.
Well I should be clear that Marcos Jr. is going around asking donations for the Philippines. I don’t think he’s asking foreign countries to bankroll him personally. My point of annoyance is that instead of asking for aid in an indirect way (as is common with how Filipinos ask for money), he should be more serious with bringing in actual FDI to build up the Philippines economy. Donations are spent quickly, like asking for a fish to survive another day. The goal of the President and the Cabinet is to teach people how to become fishers.
“I don’t think he’s asking foreign countries to bankroll him personally.” I gotta feeling one of the NYC hedge fund CEOs got him that watch that the PMA cadet asked for which set my beloved Inday Sara off on some pretty taboo day dreaming.
I think Inday Sara is fully capable of setting herself off haha.
Is it bad to be rich? Subsidize them too.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/10/22/2394302/deped-eyes-exclusion-rich-students-subsidy
Great that Sec. Angara is looking into this issue. The “free tuition” is being abused by both wealthy families and for-profit “Local Universities and Colleges.” In the Cebu area alone, can you believe that many of the students at LUCs barely have a grasp of English, much less basic arithmetic? These are the “future” engineers and teachers we are talking about here.
Crowding out is the issue. In basketball you have ways to fight boxing out. If the odds are against you don’t play dead you call the Equalizer. NO not Tulfo, Go or Duterte
Or we can do what many professional Philippine basketball teams have done: import players then Filipinize them! If there’s no resources for that, there’s always bringing back Nutribun to hopefully add some height to prevent the opposition from crowding out 😬
Mayhap
what’s your take on her, Joey?
University of Cebu is an excellent private university that is sometimes outshone by Cebu Doctors University’s flashiness. All the rich kids in Cebu have shifted to CDU especially after their construction binge on new, modern buildings. CDU tuition is also astronomical compared to UC’s more affordable tuition. A lot of good nurses and engineers graduate from UC.
I dunno if you watch Numberblocks, gian. but this show’s pretty good.
There’s also this show Blippi, https://www.youtube.com/@Blippi/videos similar to Khan academy, this dude noticed his nephew was watching crap shows online. so decided to do Blippi. theres also a cartoon of it, but mostly the live action episodes have them (blippi and meekah) visiting various children’s museums, activity centers for kids, which I think these venues increased as more parents decided homeschooling. I don’t know if theres venues like this for Philippines. I know Montesori’s big there, but these venues are more like places where kids or groups of kids (meet up with parents go to to play and learn, not necessarily school but like a park/playground environment , private rooms too). there’s two white dudes that play Blippi and two black chics that play Meekah. and seems like the business model is to show case these venues. thats probably the trajectory, franchising of learning venues. so with digital theres gotta be analog, namely hands on learning. activities, etc.
the kids have outgrown numberblocks. my bunso will watch that.
my panganay did this: https://youtube.com/shorts/xzL78ealmgk?si=ax26H9BmE85GaTv3
LOL! good animation. I had to look up what OC was, original character.
Another week, another relatively weak bagyo wreaking havoc on the Philippines.
My Cebu friends are reporting massive flooding, even though the bagyong Kristine’s storm track goes through Isabela way to the north in Luzon.
Just indefensible that basic flood control can’t be done. Here in California, we are not built for such storms yet California shrugged off multiple years of back-to-back “Pineapple Express” storms. There was flooding, which drained through flood control canals in a day or two leaving behind perfectly dry streets.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/601951/kristines-effects-felt-in-cebu-4-missing-classes-cancelled-buildings-damaged
I’ve lived in California and in Colorado and in the Philippines. The difference is the huge volume of water that pours from the skies in the Philippines, the regional span and violence of the storms, and the hilly terrain everywhere that flushes huge flash floods through towns and cities. This is aggravated by poor local disaster and land use planning, poverty and poor housing, and lack of flood control reservoirs. The disaster planning consists of building evacuation shelters, walls on rivers, and immediate relief in the form of food and water. The nation does a better job today than 10 years ago. In the Cagayan valley in the north, they opened reservoir gates to lower lake levels in anticipation of the forthcoming storm.
I’d not be so harsh on the Philippines. I’ve been through four tough typhoons, the worst of course Yolanda. California does not get these monsters. Florida panics over a little category 3. Yes, much more can be done. Yes, the Philippines is the most disaster prone nation on the planet. No, there is not enough cement here to pave over the mountains and cities.
I looked up California floods and the increasing intensity of storms due to global warming is noted. California has the disadvantage of snowpack runoff and taller mountains, and the advantage of naturally stored water, no cement needed. The Philippines and California are about comparable in size I suppose. California, one of the richest geographies on the planet, spends $2.8 billion on flood mitigation per year. Per year. That is 162 billion pesos per year.
DILG has an annual budget of 253 billion. They build the roads and run the police. DENR has an annual budget of 26 billion. Local governments are primarily responsible for land use decisions and disaster planning. Most are lazy, corrupt, and incompetent. And even the best are prone to getting wiped out in huge rain dumps (Robredo’s Naga today).
Haha, I have the best solution to improve Philippine disaster planning and overall level of competence. Take Marcos Senior out of Philippine history. If that seems impractical, then we can look at where the nation is today and build forward. To build forward, we can elect a competent president and educate kids better.
The context is the context. It is not sensible because leadership is lacking sense, and so are the people. The latter is a global pattern, and I suppose step three in building forward is figuring out ways to get sense through today’s social media dirt streams.
President Aquino recognized that the Philippines needed to do more. He put into law the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. This Act has significantly upgraded Philippine anticipation and response work. President Aquino establishes the context in his remarks here:
https://www.adb.org/news/features/responding-natural-disasters-philippines
Climate-driven storms and droughts in the US have gotten exponentially worse since just the 1990s, especially for California which feeds the nation. In the last series of Pineapple Express storms, the rain dumped down in less than a week was something equal to Yolanda or Odette. Houses in California were not built for that kind of thing, but California mostly came out of it ok due to flood control built decades ago. The bigger concern is the snowmelt, which can overwhelm the rivers and dams.
The recent hurricanes in the Gulf are pretty bad going back before Katrina. The saving grace again is flood control and fast government response. The biggest damaging factor of typhoons are not the winds and rain as commonly thought, but the storm surge which is managed better in the US and Caribbean states. Helene’s storm surge was comparable to Yolanda’s for example. Mangroves that serve as natural storm surge walls are still wantonly destroyed in the Philippines.
I think it’s entirely appropriate to be harsh on the Philippines, though perhaps it’s not my place to be harsh as I’m an American. I wish Filipinos would be harsh and hold their governments accountable. Officials that fail badly should be held to account and their feet held to the fire. The mass incompetence that continues year after year deserve all the anger.
We need to elevate the efforts of politicians like President Aquino, who did his best with the resources at hand. I just wish there were more Aquinos and less Dutertes, Macapagal-Arroyos, Estradas. And I don’t think that removing Marcos Sr. from the historical timeline would’ve helped. Another Marcos-like figure would’ve risen up during that time, as Marcos Sr. took advantage of the structures of the Third Republic.
Filipinos were harsh with Aquino and elected Duterte. Americans might be harsh with Biden and elect Trump. One needs a process to stop these things from happening. It does little good to recognize it’s bad thinking. So instead of criticizing, I lean toward understanding and building forward. I love the Philippines. Great place. Great people. Lousy processes. Since 2010, the nation has improved its disaster planning and I’m thankful. Yolanda and Odette were windstorms more than rain. Tacloban was back on its feet in a shorter time than New Orleans. If the horse is dead, beating it does no good. If it’s alive, feeding it does more good than beating it.
Well in my view those Filipinos who elected Duterte and those Americans who elected Trump just wanted a personal dictator to cater to their own emotional needs. Those people can’t be changed until their children’s generation provides a chance.
However, there are many more good Filipinos than selfish as there are also many more good Americans than the complainers. But too often good people don’t step up and make a stand. If the majority of people, who are good vote for better leaders then we won’t have these issues.
I love the Philippines too, which is why I’m often frustrated about how things are there. There must be a way to break the wheel, so to speak.
PISA 2022 Country Report on the Philippines.
https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/philippines_a0882a2d-en.html