Is Makabayan a lost cause?
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
Let’s establish the issue here. I’ve proposed that the strongest political force for a richer, developing Philippines would be a joining of center-left (Akbayan) and liberal political groups (Yellows and Pinks) in a coalition that has the maturity not to demand things 100% their way.
We talked about Makabayan, but is Makabayan too far left? Can they build anything or are their shrill partisan cries for this cause or that too antagonistic? That is, would they undermine the effort?
Or put another way, is there an 80% level of their causes we can accept, or is it closer to 20% and not worth the effort.
What is Makabayan? It is a huge amalgamation of special interests, most of which are governmentally abused sectors of the Philippine economic and social fabric. They bring in roughly 3% of all votes and generally attach to losers in presidential races: Villar in 2010, Poe in 2016, and Robredo in 2022. Well, they would naturally be anti-elitist and anti-US affiliation (Aquino, Roxas) and pro-people (Robredo). They were aligned with President Duterte for a time before realizing his leftist tendencies were a fraud.
The key point here is that they are driven by choices that they believe best serve their constituents. But they have been unable to convert their significant portfolio of causes into votes. And it is a significant portfolio. And a significant loss to the Philippines that their sensible advocacies have not gotten enough traction.
Their party-list members in 2024 are shown below. I list them all so we can grasp the breadth of their political constituency, and also the narrowness (no pro-business efforts, as if they were an enemy). The first four party-lists are fielding candidates in 2025 elections. These are from Wikipedia (I believe they have been culled to a “top 8” for the 2025 election).
- Bayan Muna
- Teachers: Alliance of Concerned Teachers
- Women: Gabriela Women’s Party
- Youth: Kabataan
- Workers and peasants: Anakpawis
- Indigenous people: Katribu
- Migrants: Migrante
- Children’s rights: Akap-bata
- Government employees: COURAGE (Confederation for Unity Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees)
- Drivers: PISTON (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide)
- Green party: Kalikasan
- Bicolano people: Aking Bikolnon
- Moro people: Suara Bangsamoro
Here are Makabayan’s various affiliations that are not party lists (there are multiple organizations within some headings; I’ve cut out the particulars):
- Peasant Movement
- Workers
- Youth and Students
- Fisherfolk
- Religious, rural missionaries
- Health Workers
- Scientists
- Teachers
- Cultural Workers
- Indigenous People
- Human Rights Defenders
- Lawyers
- Urban poor.
There are several ways to look at these initiatives. One, we would expect Mother Theresa to have been working alongside them. Two, their methods often involve outright hostility toward their perceived enemies (street protests). Three, they sometimes make a difference (fight against the possibly corrupt jeepney modernization effort in Manila Metro).
Each affiliate seems to be it’s own master, about 30 initiatives. So it gives the appearance of radical nut cases when their marching and signs seem to make little sense and the hungry press publish photos of 100 protestors as if they were 100,000. But one is inclined to ask, if Makabayan weren’t representing these constituencies, who would? My guess is no one.
So Makabayan has a legitimate constituency. Their method, unfortunately, seems to me like people screaming into the wind for distance. If we see the Philippines as uncompromising dynasties and political groups insisting on their way, and no other, Makabayan is the worst of the worst and pretty much ineffective because they irritate more people than they serve.
So, yes, I suppose any one of the subordinate efforts, out of line, could tank our hypothetical center left coalition. The opposition to our opposition would point at them and exclaim: “Their policies are radical and insane; they even hate the US” and the election could be lost. Yes, maybe 80% of the Makabayan agenda fits perfectly with the center-left coalition. But the 20% is so toxic that 3% of the voting base is not worth the risk of having them aboard.
The counter argument is that the noise that Makabayan groups can make is exactly what the center-left needs. The ability to be visible. And the people connection is of extraordinary value during an election.
The leaders of Makabayan are the Rebel in Chief Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna, and its Chairman is Neil Colmenares. Prominent in the 2025 senatorial slate is Teddy Casiño. Prominent in the House now is France Castro. She, too, is running for the Senate in 2025. Brief bios:
- Ocampo is a long time rebellious fellow associated with the NPA and CPP, in and out of jail with charges never sticking. He is old school and, at 86 years old, is only occasionally visible in today’s many leftist engagements.
- Colmenares is a human rights and constitutional lawyer who is active challenging various laws and other offending deeds. He helped prosecute former SC Justice Corona, the Train tax law, the VFA with the US, Arroyo’s deals with China, and others. He is currently fighting the PhilHealth fund transfer to other uses. Exhaustive. He is more attached to courtrooms than rebel groups. He served in the House from 2009 to 2016 but has failed to reach the Senate in the last three elections.
- Casiño came up through university activist causes and writing (Inquirer, others). He served in the House from 2004 to 2013, writing laws dealing with public attorneys, tax relief, rent control, and anti-torture. He is considered “a relentless fighter of corruption and abuse”.
- Castro is a former trade union activist elected to the House in 2016. Her efforts have focused on opposing contractual labor and opposing the (in my opinion) abusive Anti-Terrorism Law. She is a Deputy Speaker of the House today. She emerged this year as an outspoken critic of VP Duterte.
In the past I argued that the Left should shoot for success by dropping support for NPA and groups that interface with them, and drop the nonsensical anti-US mantra. This would pare off the objectionable 20% and get them to a more moderate and popular non-extreme left. But if they are too much the 100 percenters to do that, there is still a way to move forward, and that is to invite Pinks, Yellows, and independents to their cause, and ask them to become the 80 percenters who make the alliance work.
. Consider these two lists:
- Makabayan Senatorial Candidates in 2025 (from GMA News):
- ACT Teachers party-list Representative and House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro,
- Gabriela Women’s Party party-list Representative and House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas,
- Mody Floranda of PISTON transport group,
- Mimi Domingo of Kadamay,
- Jocelyn Andamo from Filipino Nurses United,
- Jerome Adonis of Kilusang Mayo,
- former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson Liza Maza,
- former Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teddy Casiño,
- Pamalakaya Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo, and
- Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas Chairman Danilo Ramos
- Notable liberal Senate candidates in 2025:
- Kiko Pangilinan, former senator
- Bam Aquino, former senator
- Heidi Mendoza, COA Chief under Aquino, audit chief for UN, WHO, ILO
What if Makabayan replaced its unknowns with these three knowns and everyone from pinks to leftists went all out making noise about it. The Makabayan slate would get a boost. And the three liberals would get a boost. Yes, it would require that these “notables” make their 20% sacrifice, as did Leila de Lima, to recognize the power of Makabayan’s peoples’ principles and organization, and accept the two ares of agreeable disagreement, rebels and anti-US positions.
Can you imagine how different the Senate would be with Senators Hontiveros, Casiño, Pangilinan, Castro, Mendoza, and Aquino sitting in the chambers instead of the slugs, thieves, and alleged murderers there now? Wow!
The only way the dynasties will get broken is if the People break them. Akbayan, Pinks, Yellows, independents, and Makabayan working together at the 80% level.
So no, no. Makabayan is definitely not a lost cause.
It is the best bet for the Filipino People.
All that is missing is the Left/Liberal’s ability to make concessions, to make noise, and to make a difference.
_________________________
Cover photo from the Inquirer article “Makabayan’s Castro to Sara: Get your facts straight on impeach claims“.
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Not sure if off topic because Land Reform is one of the lost causes of Makabayan.
https://bilyonaryo.com/2024/10/26/land-reform-the-crazy-move-that-killed-agribusiness-mvp/business/
Recent research from Taiwan suggests that land reform was not necessary for its development.
Twitter thread of the researcher on his paper on the Taiwan land reform topic
https://x.com/oliverwkim/status/1830985359687327919
Will there ve a review? This is better than the review of the MDT.
Because “land reform” worked out so well for states that had been taken over by Far Leftists. Countless millions dead from starvation in Stalin’s Soviet Russia and Mao’s People’s Republic of China. Unified Vietnam under immense economic suffering from 1979 until 1995 due to collectivist policies. Formerly rich Venezuela practically collapsed before our eyes. Cuba can’t keep the lights on, and blames the nefarious capitalist Gringos for everything. All in the name of the revolution making everyone into proletariat. Then of course we know what happened next, the vanguard leaders felt comfortable in their new power and took the wealth for themselves. Except this time, there is no democracy to provide a check on their power.
All Proletariat are egalitarian. The higher ups have equal size of bank accounts.
So true! 🤣
What are they in power for?
Because they know what’s best, and no one should question them
More than THANKS, Joe America!
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
My pleasure, always. Grinding the words.
I’ll recall my previous comments:
https://joeam.com/2024/10/10/the-philippines-is-spritual-arguing-and-going-nowhere/#comment-492302
https://joeam.com/2024/10/14/a-nation-beheaded/#comment-492471
I still don’t think Makabayan is a useful ally. In my view they are just Satur Ocampo’s protégés that have attempted to rebrand themselves as not being Maoists/communists. They are not doing a very convincing job. They have had decades to shift thinking, but have largely failed which reflects on their miniscule or non-existent representation at the national level. By my observation, most of their protestors are well-to-do students. While the few poor Filipinos that support them have no clue what the slogans mean anyway; the poor Filipinos are desperate to cling onto anyone who they think will help their plight. In many ways Makabayan uses and abuses those poor Filipinos to try to get sympathy — not for the poor Filipinos, but for themselves, Makabayan. Far Leftists are not amenable to becoming 80-percenters. They are 100-percenters, else if they can’t get what they want, they want to simply burn the system down with their delusions of “revolution.”
It would be a much stronger coalition if it were an alliance that spanned the spectrum of Liberal/Akbayan/Pink, which represents the center-left/liberal, social democratic, democratic socialist flavors. These three can find a way to pragmatically get along if there is a unifying message, while Makabayan wants everyone else to adopt their extreme, minority position. When looking at positions of Liberals/Pinks/Akbayan they largely want the same thing; they mainly argue about how to get there, and how fast. They can be convinced to drop the useless argument about “how, and how fast” and go for the 80% that satisfies most of what they want.
The other major problem of creating a Left coalition that gets progressively worse the further left one goes (from Liberals to Akbayan):
Makabayan are a lost cause. There’s a reason why they attach themselves like leeches to larger parties/coalitions — they are the weakest of the weak. They even laughably attached themselves to Duterte for a while because they thought Duterte was a communist due to being a Joma student, when it was obvious Duterte is opportunistic with dictatorial tendencies. That episode was just another example of how “deeply” Makabayan’s illustrious cadres of leadership thinks, that is to say, not deeply at all. I can only conclude that this “entryist” behavior of attaching to other parties is both facetious and deceitful. Allowing them into a coalition is not only a “kiss of death” as Irineo noted, but gives them room to recruit members for themselves, while not contributing anything to the coalition. This Far Leftist behavior has been repeatedly used since the French Revolution, with predictable results. Makabayan doesn’t even have that many supporters to convert over to a coalition to begin with, while compromising building a strong anti-dynasty coalition to cater to even some of Makabayan’s hard positions would be self-defeating as it possibly would alienate many more voters than can be gained.
Convert back “soft” Makabayan supporters, who were formerly Liberals/Akbayan who go along with Makabayan because they feel guilt towards the vast poor masses. Persuade independents. Show the DE classes that a Left coalition agenda can help the poor gain an economic foothold that would better their families, thus taking their reflex votes for dynast candidates away from the entrenched dynasties.
The Bayan Muna Party List is pejoratively called Bayad Muna especially that they are in Congress.
Lobbyists target them or whatnot.
plus any surprise and unexpected voting behavior(legislation or candidates) they will automatically be accused of selling their souls.
I hate revolutionary taxes, including Damage to property and critical infrastructure. I hate purging within, I hate assassinations, I hate child recruitment in their armed struggle and indoctrination. Lots of things to hate and proving that Makabayan is different from Bayad Muna. There I’ve said it.
Reminds me of the Bohol case earlier this year. The girl was somewhat well known enough in Cebu university student circles that I had heard her name before this case from some mentees. Top notcher bar passer. 26 years old. So young. I hope it was worth it for the agitators to throw away her life so carelessly.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/558700/who-was-hannah-jay-cesista-the-bar-passer-killed-in-bohol-clash/amp
Tragic. The story says she was NPA. Was she? The story also says Police/AFP used undo force. Did they? We’ve had case after case of unwarranted arrests and kidnapping by law enforcement. Indiscriminate red tagging. Killings of journalists. This is that murky area where lawful and unlawful cross paths. I personally have little confidence in PNP and AFP. I hate the Anti-Terrorism Law as empowering people I don’t trust. I think the article says, wait, lets get the facts here. Not the Left are the villains. Everyone agrees it was tragic. But I’m surprised at your hostility, short of the facts.
Her boyfriend was a known NPA member. They had high powered military weapons and intended to instigate a revolution. Were the authorities justified in blasting them? Probably not; I’d prefer the were apprehended and brought to justice with a trial. My point is that her life didn’t need to be thrown away when with her law degree she could’ve given so much more help to “the people.” I feel bad for her. But I don’t feel bad at all for her compatriots that brainwashed her into this. They are Satur Ocampo followers, from what I recall.
I’m quite a lefty, but what I can’t stand are commies.
I’d say AFP being murderous is just as tragic as NPA fomenting rebellion. And the woman was a woman of some intelligence, intentionally where she was. She had not been kidnapped. Well, communists and NPA are designated as terrorists, so maybe she wasn’t so intelligent after all. Just passionate.
The question for me is, are those activists who try to recruit outliers to their cause to make their organizations stronger good or bad? Take that second list of Makabayan organizations representing peasants, fisherfolk, teachers, transport workers, and so forth. Do they, on balance, do good or bad. If they did not exist would Lumads, drivers, teachers, etc. be better off or worse off? I find Gabriella and ACT too bizarre and extreme for my tastes. But if I can get 5 people elected to the Senate, I can put up with their weirdness.
Rep Castro is from that sector, duly charged with kidnapping for taking kids from their home villages to enroll them in school elsewhere. A heavy hammer pounding on VP Duterte and revealing her negligence. Cheer-worthy stuff. Would the House be better without her? For sure not. Which is why I’d like to see her in the Senate.
The Left is bizarre. But they are not corrupt plunderers. Their thinking may be corrupt now and then. But overall, their agitation is like throwing stuff up in the air, from which it can be sorted out.
I agree that the AFP and PNP are often trigger happy. Shoot first, ask questions later. The young woman could’ve been so much more effective in what she was passionate in if she had focused her energy on things she could affect, rather than going with what she eventually did.
Activism that does not accomplish the goal of pragmatic persuasion ends up just being shouting ineffective slogans. The LP and adjacents, such as Ninoy Aquino’s and PNoy Aquino’s respective coalitions were already “big tent” movements that can accommodate anywhere from center-left to as far as democratic socialism (which is quite far to the Left as is). Well, what is preventing LP from forming a new electoral coalition that would be a spiritual successor? The smaller Makabayan-associated organizations would fit in well, and perhaps could finally get movement for their agenda rather than staying under Makabayan and shouting in the street ineffectively.
To be clear, while I strongly oppose Makabayan as a whole due to their rotten roots in the Joma school of thought, some of the marginalized people’s rights organizations that joined Makabayan have a good cause. I espouse for them to join an LP-led coalition instead.
The Left may not be corrupt plunderers in the sense of pesos as the “kurakot” do, but the Far Left are plunderers of the mind, and sometimes agitating others into political murder that the leaders curiously are too cowardly to do themselves. The Far Left’s misguided, often fantastical thinking takes away passionate people’s chance to make a real difference for the Philippines. Let’s find ways to bring those passionate people into a more effective governing coalition instead.
“I agree that the AFP and PNP are often trigger happy. Shoot first, ask questions later. “ I totally agree with Joey here. it was a warrant arrest. all you have to do is wait, surveil follow then when he goes to JollyBee or something then get him there. police here usually do a simple or elaborate ruse. then arrest. looks like police called in the cavalry here and made a bigger mess. when it turns into a mess, especially after Defund the Police, police tactics is usually questioned and a lawsuit ensues and cops get fired for being sloppy. family gets rich. their loved ones still dead though.
Was the PNP going in guns heavy right? Maybe, maybe not. The revoluciónistas had 5.56mm automatic rifles and allegedly started shooting first, killing a policeman. Her own father denounced her comrades and her association with NUPL. The Far Leftists stole that father’s daughter from him.
That puts us on the same wave length. The problem is that LP has been assigned a negative stigma by DDS troll-work, pink is an illusion without organization, so there is nothing for Makabayan to join.
If the solution is for LP to just roll over and give up, then they probably don’t deserve the illustrious history they have built up thus far. True, LP was greatly damaged by DDS trolls and CCP bots but giving up is not the answer. They should get up, scrapes and all and start reorganizing to prepare for 2034. They should seek to create a new super-alliance with the Pinks and Akbayan for that purpose. If a temporary alliance is created with Makabayan, it would just fall apart not even by the following midterm, and we are back at square one. A house built on shaky foundations will just collapse with the slightest push. Forgive my frustration, but do any reasonable Filipino politicians see the obvious common sense political calculus, or maybe common sense doesn’t exist in the political class?
I thought about the negative stigma that LP is saddled with some more. My conclusion is LP should double down and work twice as hard to correct the misconceptions by highlighting their platform and pushing for policy that actually helps them among the DE that believed the DDS lies amplified by China. The DE are more persuadable than most people think. They are mostly so poor they desperately want change, and DDS unfairly labeled LP as the party of stagnancy and trapos. So change the reasons why people might come up with that conclusion and people will start changing their minds. Good works people can clearly see won’t hurt either. Despite being dominated by the “good” dynasties, the most common thing I hear from poor Filipinos is people thought that LP’s reign since EDSA was ineffective. Highlighting good policy and how it helped people overall is not boasting, it’s good politics. Then let the people see through advocacy what other good policies that can directly benefit their families. LP is not a lost cause. They should not give up so easily.
They don’t have the people any more, or the money needed. Mar Roxas is done. Nonoy Aquino is dead. Leila de Lima is starting anew. 2025 is gone. For 2028, she and Diokno might be ready for the Senate. But the left/liberal cause is weak. So tossing Makabayan aside seems counter-productive to me.
Not sure how Makabayan’s effectively 0.9% representation in the Congress really helps build a coalition. LP might not have many House seats, but they have more than Makabayan. LP still holds a decent number of vice governorships, as well as SP seats. Makabayan is professes to be a coalition for the people. Why can’t they garner local support with governorships/vice governorships and SP seats if they are a people’s coalition?
They represent about three percent of votes. LP failed to get a Senate seat. They are, as Giancarlo says, damaged by DDS, and by losing. Makabayan is pro-poor, anti-oligarch, pro-worker, anti-us, anti-ATL, and a people’s party by policy and principle. The dynasts control the people and get the most votes, but are not a people’s party. There is no people’s party. I’m arguing that left and liberals should form one. LP, pinks, and Akbayan can try. They’d be stronger with Makabayan on the team, and Makabayan will be stronger on it. But the forces of history, grudges, and unbending adherence to ones tribe work against the simple idea that the future is not the past. Even you oppose it.
The problem is not that Makabayan holds those admirable positions, rather the problem is they seem to have a lot of words but I’ve yet to see action. Even the suggestion that others should come to them, rather than they coming to others or at least meeting in the middle marks them as suspicious. I’d sooner trust actions over flowery words.
I’ve shared about the Far Left strategy of entryism, which they have done since the beginning. Makabayan’s roots are in Satur Ocampo’s leadership, and Ocampo supposedly is a reformed hardcore Maoist of the Joma school. If the branches are ailing a tree can be trimmed and saved. But I’m of the mind that if the roots themselves are poisonous, the entire tree that sprouts from it and the fruits that flower upon its branches are rotten. If there are any young shoots that can be saved, it may be better to cut it off and graft the shoots into an unpoisoned tree. Casiño and Castro can be those healthy young shoots that may be saved.
Yes, I’ve been writing on their need to moderate their positions for some time. They defeat themselves by being so off-putting. An element of coalition building is for all parties to give and take.
Can you nudge Inday Sara towards them?
Hell will freeze over before Sara is accepted into a proposed LP-Pink-Akbayan coalition haha. Firstly, the Dutertes have no ideology or personal beliefs aside from personalized power, which does not work with groups that have actual principles. The Dutertes have swung positions so many times it could cause whiplash. More than likely, Sara is going to get impeached.
Do you think Colmenares works for the betterment of the Philippines?
He seems like a decent man, but his ties with the likes of Satur Ocampo is a very binding tie. If I say Satur etc is not for the betterment of PH because of their far left ideologies and policies then how can say that Colnnares is actually for the betterment of PH? Can I use the individual free will and principle card? I do jot know TBH.
I can say, having been involved with them in my last high school year, that they work a lot like a cult. Joey is right about them picking out students with vulnerabilities as I was socially very awkward back then. The first they recruited was the known drug addict in our batch. But if the lack of tolerance for free thinking already started to bug me, their willingness to sacrifice us to get publicity for the cause made me wake up from the temporary trance they had put me in.
We had gone to check out a strike near the airport. PC was massing at the entrance. “Kuya Jigs,” the man from outside Pisay who ran us went out to take a piss. We got arrested. They got mad at me for taking Raissa Robles’s father as a lawyer instead of the lawyers they dictated. By then, it was obvious they didn’t care about us. People like that only care for power, finally.
Now, have they changed in over 43 years, as the fateful day when I encountered PC truncheons was way back in November 1981? Looking at the poor lawyer from Bohol just killed, I am happy my involvement with the Far Left ended even before I left the Philippines in June 1982.
Very enlightening
Joe I went to school with some of these people. The protege of neri colmenares is a batchmate. Their heart are in the right place but having a big noble goal makes a lot of their real politik and crimes committed by the left palatable to them.
A lot of the current upper leaders love waxing about kicking the US bases out as their big achievement. This really shows how much ideology colors their judgement.
Involving Makabayan would probably alienate the middle class. Akbayan has Hontiveros while Makabayan cannot produce their own senator. We had a lot of NPAs in Bataan early 90s but progress has made them less relevant in our province.
My primary issue with them is they from observing them for 30 years ++ would just enforce a tyranny of the minority.
“We had gone to check out a strike near the airport. PC was massing at the entrance. “Kuya Jigs,” the man from outside Pisay who ran us went out to take a piss. We got arrested. They got mad at me for taking Raissa Robles’s father as a lawyer instead of the lawyers they dictated. By then, it was obvious they didn’t care about us. People like that only care for power, finally.” Remember when I said it was the only game in town a long time ago and you agreed with me Ireneo. I didn’t know you were actually part of it. good share. I wonder if Kuya Jigs has pet corgis now.
Yes, that aligns with my estimation of them. Still, I think Casiño and Castro in the Senate would be better than Go and Dela Rosa and might actually cause them to moderate their views. They would not be able to get good works done if they did not. I don’t think the middle class of today is very politically aware, so it would not be an offense. No one screamed at De Lima for endorsing them. And one can always articulate policies that moderate the objection. Marketing 101.
If this is the case, what would prevent Casiño and Castro from moderating *now*? All that would require is for them to abandon the dead ender Makabayan and join with Akbayan. The ideological spread between Akbayan and Makabayan on the Leftist spectrum is vanishingly small. The difference is Akabayan, however small, gets stuff done, while the Joma-ites and Ocampo-ites have been banging into a brick wall for decades with practically no lasting results for their professed goals.
They can’t intellectually or emotionally get there. The weight of others and of the nation aren’t on them.
If Casiño and Castro are not politically mature enough to make hard choices in order to serve the greater good they purport to care about, then they won’t be useful and effective allies to begin with. They are both too old to be idealistic students who think their naive maximalist views can easily be accomplished.
My reading of them is different. Castro is a Deputy Speaker of the House, anti-corruption, deep resume, and a pit dog going after Sara Duterte. You want more populists? Teddy Casiño is anti-corruption, pro-Human rights. A rational guy with a base. You’d want more trapos? That’s the alternative.
Well you may be right Joe, and indeed they have a long list of personal accomplishments that get them viral clips to post to their supporters. But what I’d look for is the ability to persuade others to support meaningful change, and I just haven’t seen that from them. If they are serious about helping to affect positive change, then they should start feeling the weight of others and of the nation. Clearly they’re not crazies compared to Satur Ocampo, so I hope they make the pragmatic choice and jump ship to Akbayan.
They won’t, they can’t. There are 30 subordinate groups, young people, activists in danger zones, a whole lot of history and equity. You observed that communists use and dump people. As a criticism. But here you want them to dump their people? They won’t betray them. Nor should they. They have legitimate causes, they work hard, and their only path to greater success is to moderate their strident views and participate in democracy. Which they seem willing and able to do. I personally think getting Casiño and Castro into the Senate would be a huge step forward an up for the Philippines. It’s just a three year job. They will prove themselves. Or they won’t.
Conversely, if LP bows down to Makabayan, they would be betraying LP’s principles as well. I just can’t see Akbayan joining with Makabayan. There’s a lot of bad blood between the two. I would say an observation I had in life is that people or groups that are adjacent know each other the best. Well we shall see. Throughout history, Far Leftists have a penchant for crashing and burning once they reach the peak of power once their positions are exposed, then going full authoritarian.
It is not bowing down to craft understandings upon which partnerships can be built. History is not now. It’s then. The future is for the architects of new power. Or concession to old.
I’ll concede on Makabayan becoming a junior member of the coalition. Let’s see them show through their actions that they can get along with others and work as a team before they are trusted with leading.
That’s reasonable.
Completely agree GC. These people’s cliques enforce group-think and do not tolerate dissent, which is why they sometimes seem robotic. Their OA and performative acts are a huge turn off to “normal” people, and has zero effect in moving the needle with their supposed causes. They’re not willing to engage in doing the hard work of affecting change, yet are quick to take credit.
History has shown that Far Leftists can only seize power if there is already a societal tumult, and sometimes they pretend to moderate their positions (becoming entryists) to further their goals. When Far Leftist parties have seized power in other countries, they have always imposed authoritarianism because they see that as a necessary evil for the vanguard to succeed. Soon the vanguardists start to appreciate the riches and power that comes with complete, unopposed control and become the new elites oppressing the people. The people were always their pawns, as they think themselves as the poor’s “betters” who have the right to dictate “what’s good” for the poor, rather than actually helping the poor.
That’s why I cannot trust Makabayan, until they wholeheartedly renounce Joma and distance themselves from Satur Ocampo. But if they did that, their cult would fall apart and scatter.
It is only a matter of time. They do not even need to renounce it. When the old guards die, with no visible success to speak of except for partylist seats, they will face the evolve or die fork in the road.
The lesson of Sen Risa rising to the Senate even winning when someone like Kiko Pangilinan loses shows you how powerful a moderate left can be electorally. The far left can’t get anyone elected as senator. It may be that the most charismatic do not rise to the top of their group or something similar.
Well I wouldn’t characterize Akbayan as moderate left; they are decisively progressive with some democratic socialist elements. To me they want mostly what LP wants, they just want to make it happen a bit faster. I like a lot of their platform, and being that they are a bit further left than LP, are more charismatic yet still reasonable. Risa Hontiveros is amazing.
The Far Left however, is only charismatic to their own base which sometimes seems enthralled as if in a cult of single minded thinking. That’s why they will never be able to reach outside of their most ardent acolytes for support. Far Left regimes around the world have failed or are in the process of failing. The ones that survived are basically Far Left in name only, having adopted authoritarian capitalism, like the whole “capitalism with Chinese characteristics” thing.
What do you think of an alliance between LP-Pink-Akbayan? To me they are natural allies. They believe most of the same things, but mainly argue about how much, how fast, which can be the basis of consensus if such an alliances moves to satisfy the goals at the middle.
PNoy bridged the gap and Risa to PHIC allowed her to be a senator on her 3rd try.
In some ways being associated with LP probably lost Akbayan its partylist seat. That was how toxic trolls made the LP brand.
Akbayan also needs to rebuild itself brand for it to expand beyond Risa and Etta Rosales.
Build it bottom up by focusing on mayoralty races and local races.
Identify winnable local races and field candidates there.
Risa and partylist representatives can then start funneling resources and make those places experiment with various initiatives.
If they concentrate on the brand and not the personality in 6 years they will run unopposed (Mayor Joy Belmonte is practically running unopposed).
Elect more partylist representatives. Rinse and repeat. until you have probably 20 percent of the population in a PAL city.
They need to find a new senator to replace Risa.
They have to show that a Pinoy Political Coalition can think long term.
Toxic, yes, that’s the term that describes LP’s “popularity”, a party that is basically being shunned. Totally successful demolition job done by DDS. Most yellow voters shifted to pink, so there really is not two bases of voters there, just one. I just found out yesterday that Senator Hontiveros will leave the Senate in 2025. Things are looking bleak. You are correct that party lists are the strongest anti-dynasty force. One can imagine De Lima and Diokno winning House seats, then moving to the Senate in 2028.
Akbayan doesn’t need to drop its advocacy for “faster.” They only need to moderate language, which I think they have. Here in the US Joe Biden is the most progressive President since 1968 and he did it by moderating the progressive policies. Our equivalent of Risa Hontiveros is probably AOC, and she has learned to moderate language as well. It turns out a lot of people want progressive policies, they just don’t like incendiary language.
I think what you laid out here makes sense. Building a stronger foundation, starting at the local level is important to creating a base for a national platform. Too many of the mistakes I see in Philippine politics comes from riding on emotions and vibes alone at the national level in Presidential election years, which sometimes works to get to a national platform, but too often crashes and burns in 3 years by the midterm due to shaky foundations.
I don’t think they have changed much based on the venom their people deal on line vs other views. 100 percenters for sure. But the legal arm under Colmenares has potential I think. They make noise for sure.
Fascinating story Irineo that really illustrates how these odious people operate. They are mostly rich kids, excess elites even who have way too much time and too shallow understanding of things. If anything nowadays Far Leftists are far worse; they sit in their expensive apartments and post screeds to their vulnerable followers. They are so intellectually uncurious that they are only capable of “Google summary” level research, with no context, no consideration for the diverse lives of others, yet write with appeals to authority.
One of the most prominent American Far Leftist activists was my classmate in high school. His father is a rich attorney, while I went to school with holes in my shoes grateful I even got an academic scholarship. His understanding of Marxism was shallow back then as he did not actually read Marx, Lenin, Trotsky or any other communist theorist. He did not understand the connection with the French Revolution. All he focused on was the idealist “communist utopia” and the “people’s struggle,” despite being absurdly rich. Until now he has never had a real job, traveling the world as a “journalist” and writing vapid anti-American books to grift off of his many followers. He’s the heir to a multi-million dollar inheritance with a hefty monthly stipend. He sees himself as a self-appointed intelligentsia who will lead the people’s vanguard in the coming revolution, yet doesn’t lift a finger to travel the world helping actual poor people as I have. The Far Left “leaders” are like copies of my former classmate who are replicated all around the world; rich, entitled, bored, never needing to suffer without a warm meal for even a day.
As readers of history, I think we both know that Far Leftists have not changed since the proto-Far Leftists of the French Revolution’s Radical factions. And when they are able to seize power due to societal turmoil, they always become the new tyrants.
“As readers of history, I think we both know that Far Leftists have not changed since the proto-Far Leftists of the French Revolution’s Radical factions. “ Can you talk more about this, Joey. and are you talking about Les Miserables? cuz every time that song plays, singing the song of angry men. I stand at attention. that’s like a staple in the barracks, as is Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, plus others. I’ve never seen the play. just familiar with the song, but I know its about 1820s-1830s France. which coincided with Lincolns famous Lyceum speech, so America was also reacting to all that here: https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm
“Turn, then, to that horror-striking scene at St. Louis. A single victim was only sacrificed there. His story is very short; and is, perhaps, the most highly tragic, if anything of its length, that has ever been witnessed in real life.
A mulatto man, by the name of McIntosh, was seized in the street, dragged to the suburbs of the city, chained to a tree, and actually burned to death; and all within a single hour from the time he had been a freeman, attending to his own business, and at peace with the world.
Such are the effects of mob law; and such as the scenes, becoming more and more frequent in this land so lately famed for love of law and order; and the stories of which, have even now grown too familiar, to attract any thing more, than an idle remark.
But you are, perhaps, ready to ask, “What has this to do with the perpetuation of our political institutions?” I answer, it has much to do with it.”
It starts out so good too, and can apply to the Philippines the institutions and fighting for them parts:
The French Revolution was from 1789-1799, while the events of Les Misérables recount the time from Napoleon’s First French Empire, the Bourbon Restoration, until the July Revolution and establishment of the July Monarchy. Fundamentally Les Misérables is a story about inequality in post-Revolutionary France in an industrializing world, similar to Dickens’ novels Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.
My allusion to Far Leftists not changing much since the French Revolution is in reference to the Reign of Terror (1792-1794).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign_of_Terror
Not sure how you connected all these things, but they are not connected at all lol.
Use the compartmentalization card. I’d like to go through all the initiatives of Makabayan, the parties, the policies, and the cases Colmenares has filed, and assign a grade with “betterment of the Philippines” as the standard. A is strong benefit. F is counter-productive. C is waffling around. There are definitely Fs. But I’d consider the Anti-Terrorism Law itself an F for the abusiveness it promotes. Countering to get it undone would be an A for Makabayan. My guess is that, overall, they are doing good works. And even anti-VFA keeps the lawyers alert and the agreement favoring the Philippines. And if I ask “How is LP helping” and I come up with Chel Diokno and FLAG. Not much else. So I think Makabayan ought to be appreciated for the good efforts they undertake and scolded for the dumb initiatives. Which are self-defeating. So compartmentalize would be my suggestion. Put Satur in a box of aged malcontents like Enrile and look at the rest on their merits.
Perfect guidelines Joe. Thanks.
Well, you’ve cited the weaknesses of the calcified and whacko far left, but it is tough to convert back the 3% voters if you tell them to forget Castro and Casiño, just put the three liberals in the Senate. And how do the three liberals get there without that 3%? De Lima, head of LP, has aligned herself with Makabayan to share strengths. Under your approach, which looks at Makabayan as an offense to the cause of building things, I can imagine that none of the five I’d like to see in the Senate to join Senator Hontiveros will get elected. And if Leni Robredo does not endorse anyone, everyone is toast. so it gets down to the gut issue. Would you rather have dynasts or leftists in the Senate? I’d take leftists any day, any night.
As the saying goes: “A person’s character can be judged by the company they keep.”
If I were the Philippine Center Left/Left, I’d not compromise with the 3% if it meant giving up my principles. Rather if they want to build something new, they should be the ones to compromise from their radical positions. Otherwise, it may be better to just focus on rebuilding LP and Pink, even if it takes until 2034. Time had already been wasted in the last 2 years. Temporal alliances begets ephemeral progress that will be rolled back as soon as the alliance inevitably breaks.
When a supposedly much stronger party or movement feels the need to latch onto the fringe rather than leading, maybe they are not really that strong to begin with. Have LP and Pink been so throughly demoralized that they are willing to take over the mantle and title of hangers on that Makabayan wore for so many years?
LP was gutted when Duterte won. Pinks have no political organization, putting up appearances of being a personality cult. Bam Aquino has his name and some lingering recognition. He polls poorly and would not be elected today. Casiño polls even worse. No one else registers in voter minds. Liberals were blanked in 2022 and are on that path for 2025.
If you expect Makabayan to make the concessions and not LP or pinks, then we are back to being 100 Percenters. Dead in the water. Won’t work. Everyone has to give something.
I get where you’re coming from Joe. But once one compromises one’s principles, there’s nothing left. Principles are all we’ve got. To me it’d be better to take a loss, rethink, rebuild than to make a figurative deal with the devil, because after all at the end of the day the devil is still a trickster. The fact that LP sat largely idle for 2 years after 2022 when there is urgency in the air is concerning.
I don’t expect Makabayan to make concessions because historically I have not seen their party list as a whole be amenable to concession making. To them it’s either their way 100% or nothing. It’s LP that are willing to make concessions, the last famous example being President Aquino’s winning coalition where he moderated some of his positions to 80% for the sake of holding the coalition together. You’re right, everyone has to give something. LP has a history of giving up some of its planks. So the ball is in Makabayan’s court to show that they can give.
Truth be told, it is 6 months out from the 2025 midterm. For LP to assemble a fantasy coalition with no groundwork done yet at this point may end up just being that — a fantasy. Even more so when LP seems to resign itself to being the weaker partner to an already weak party list.
I agree that 2025 is probably a lost cause, looking at the Senate. My focus has been on 2028, from the getgo, but I see inklings of the formation of a people’s initiative that is led by left and liberals and recruits today. Atty De Lima is acting it out. So 2025 is like a bonus if the Left can figure out that they don’t have to be a collection of struggling causes. They can be leadership if they summon up the intellectual might to moderate their stridency and extremist views.
To be frank, I’m disappointed in former Sen. de Lima looping arms with Makabayan. But she is smarter than I; maybe she has her reasons so I continue to respect her immensely. I still think it’s a potentially politically fatal move. She’s no longer a young woman. Maybe her move was one of desperation to make some kind of change in the limited time she has left. The Far Left is not going to moderate their views. History has repeatedly shown the extremes are more like an ideological cult that demands blind obedience. Some might even be old enough, like Satur Ocampo who is even in his 8th decade, but their mentality is still as of a naive university student. Emotionally and politically, they are stuck where they were decades ago as students engaging in edgy activities. Their worldview is shallow like their understanding of reality and does not need to be that deep thinking, since they expect to have absolute control if they ever gain power. To me it is a fundamentally narcissistic mentality.
Maybe she’s good at compartmentalizing, like I advised Karl, and sees the association as win win, versus a likely loss. Pragmatics over idealism.
I have my reservations, so I’m not hopeful this tactic will work out. I see it as foolishness rather than pragmatics, as pragmatism implies the alliance would further the goal. I will be surprised if it did. I’m not going to get my hopes up on it.
It’s probably obvious that my views are quite Left, most similar in the Philippine context with Akbayan. But I will not tolerate the extreme fringes, whether it be Far Left or Far Right. That to me is putting one’s toes into the danger zone. Given Akbayan’s hostility towards Makabayan despite their “closeness” on the left political spectrum, I’m glad they have principles.
That’s okay. Right now there are no paths to change available. I just choose the one that seems doable.
Well you were probably not expecting me to go on the warpath against Makabayan 🤣
I do advocate for a new electoral coalition Joe. It’s crucial that that coalition is built on a sturdy foundation that lasts, even if it takes until 2034, rather than falls apart after 3 years or less. That would require compatible goals that can form a 80% consensus. Makabayan has never shown the grown up thinking necessary to make consensus, and it’s actually they who must prove themselves capable of doing that, not other much larger groups kneeling down to their demands.
I’ve loosely outlined how a coalition can be built between LP-Pink-Akbayan, whose goals are largely the same actually, who only argue over quibbles like “how much, how fast,” rather than Makabayan who have always been “my way or the highway.”
Well you have an earned hostility toward communists and I don’t. I dated a commie in the US. Nice girl. Union organizer. My first ex-wife’s father was a communist. Singapore. My wife introduced me to a different view than American. Brilliant woman. I fought alleged communists in Viet Nam. My view of Philippine communists is that they are ideological idiots, people without portfolio, and Makabayan would be doing the Philippines a favor to cut them and the NPA off. But they have a godfather of sorts and can’t. That’s 10%. I’ll go with the 90% and make fun of their silly street protests. Another 10%. So I’m definitely good with 80% and two fewer populists in the Senate, building to 13 and left-liberal control in 2028.
Well my view is that communists are funny and to be laughed at for their silly views, until they somehow get power. Then it’s not so funny anymore as history has shown in multiple countries.
For Vietnam, context is key and a lot of context can’t be understood without understanding Vietnamese. There are quite a few interviews in Vietnamese of former NVA and VC who completely regretted their actions during the war. North Vietnam has always been resource poor and less educated, compared to the plentiful South — the North Vietnamese had whipped illiterate, desperate villagers into thinking they can stick it to “the rich” by seizing and dividing up lands. Of course once unified, the top cadres just kept the wealth for themselves, just like after every communist takeover. A lot of those NVA/VC ended up being more poor and not better off after the war, as their tiny plots were seized.
You don’t think LP-Pink-Akbayan can make a larger and more effective electoral coalition? These 3 agree on nearly the exact same policies. They mainly fight over how much and how fast. Would that not make a more natural coalition than trying to fit tiny Makabayan in and risk the chaos they might unleash?
LP is weak and damaged, pinks have no organization and no candidates, Akbayan has Chel Diokno running for the House and no notables running for the Senate. Good luck. Maybe Bam Aquino makes it again but I doubt it. So my guess is it will be a senatorial wipe-out, again. Corruption, incompetence, impunity. Same o same o. 100 percenters pounding their impotent drums. Tribal, not strategic.
Well this is what happens when parties have no strong and sturdy base in the cities and provinces. However I would not characterize LP to be 100-percenters; they’ve demonstrated the ability to compromise before many times. LP, or any party for that matter, needs to build stronger foundations, or they will always fail against the dynasty alliances that keep trapos in power.
And the danger with the narcissistic is that they easily betray people.
Everyone else is expendable to them. Let’s see how this all turns out.
One must consider that the words and actions of the narcissist are in pursuit of their own virtue signaling and feelings of moral superiority. Their agenda often involves aggrandizing towards themselves, not those they claim to want to help. Everything and everyone is expendable in furtherance of that goal, even personal morals and close friendships.
I don’t know about you guys, but this photo and comment above just strikes me as off. I’m just learning about Risa now. i don’t know her brand really. but that above reminds me of Korina Sanchez and saying her dogs are like humans and Leni Lugaw, opposite sides of spectrum, of how DE Filipino might will view this. on one hand extend this support to the victim-survivors of DU30 ‘s drug war presumably DE Filipinos but on the other hand the photo’s of a restaurant that DE Filipinos can only dream of dining at. its like that Ka-something guy’s Corgis. don’t be too boojee if you’re trying to win over DE Filipinos and also don’t go the opposite end serving lugaw, as if thats all they can aspire to. Risa’s comment is fine support victims-survivors, no need to post fancy restaurants. i mean am not even a PR guy, but this is obvious. Risa needs to be with the stinky masses, hanging out in the neighborhoods of these DE victims-survivors. otherwise it all falls flat. what even are they drinking, is that lambanog, karl?!!! and theres a tree indoors for chrissakes, what’s that about.
The online trolls that mocked Leni’s serving lugaw are mostly comfortable middle class. I’d suspect many of them are paid by Russian or Chinese troll farms, like what was exposed by the FBI regarding prominent Western trolls. I can say being previously a fellow servant of the poor, DE Filipinos really appreciate any interaction and help.
I watched DU30’s opening statement and some of his spat with Risa then Grijalda’s testimony on reward system. Bato’s definitely making his bones. And I think Hannah Cisesta and that dude above who got shot in the head. its kinda related. that when it comes to EJKs its all relative. Risa’s trying to pin down DU30 on specifics, and DU30 says to her guilt is personal. In his opening statement in English he says he takes responsibility for his EJK policies. then Risa was all like, okay do you take responsibility for this man’s death, how about this guy, and this… DU30 was all like no I take responsibility for the police and military ‘s killing of criminals when it was done according to the law (or something like that). so really hard to pin down, general and specific, top (policy) and bottom (tactical). And am surprise Risa didn’t find examples that would better implicate DU30 ngl. so reward system is how you pin DU30 down, but Grijaldo just flush that down the toilet (based on the little exchange i saw). So that guy in Vietnam that got shot in the head (Joey says he deserved it, was shooting people right before that photo above), well DU30 would not take responsibility for that cuz that’s obviously abuse of authority and execessive force (he wasn’t posing a risk at the time being shot in the head). So with this Hannah Bohol incident, DU30 I think would take responsibility for that cuz in the end it was within the parameters of use of force, eg. guns firing back. But like I said, over here even police tactics are now being looked at under the microscope, and throwing cops in jail based on monday morning qb’ing of said tactics. So unless , you have that also in the Philippines, seems like Risa has nothing on DU30. And if am not mistaken most folks in Cebu and Bohol don’t really mind NPA in Bohol. they were seen largely as whimsical and friendly. so like that guy who got his head shot, Hannah’s death might also turn the populace against police and military. too much force. in the same vein, the populace I think would largely agree with DU30 (especially his opening statement and exchange with Risa). again policy vs. tactics. top and bottom. for EJK vs. anti-NPA, Filipinos largely supported EJK cuz drugs, but NPA in Bohol well they’re not supported per se but they are tolerated, so not at the level of EJK. i don’t think. thus Hannah will be like that Vietamese dude (who got shot in the head).
When I was watching the DU30 and Risa exchange, she kept saying Salamat Kaayo, Mr. Chair. why didn’t she say Maraming Salamat? Also was thinking about this graph above just saw it don’t really know what its about here’s the source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaw2594 but this comment by Michael Chaney got me thinking about how effective it is when DU30 speaks English then when he gets emotional or passionate he switches from Tagalog to Bisaya. I don’t know what this encoding means, but it works for DU30 whilst Risa is speaking Tagalog mainly. I don’t know how good of a lawyer prosecutor DU30 ever was, but when he takes on the mantle of lawyer or lawyerly talk, he does channel power from it. that and his natural charisma. don’t know if that makes sense. There was a part where people behind Risa were snickering though, something about hell (impierno). Cuz DU30 brought it up, as Dutertes are prone to do. but it got a good laugh, points for Risa.
Not related. All the NPA has wrought on Filipinos was suffering and more suffering. The leaders use both the young, passionate yet misguided foot soldiers and the poor they purport to advocate for as pawns ready to be sacrificed. I knew about Hannah Cisesta tangentially before she was radicalized through my Cebu circles. She was a well-known local activist while she was a student. And when she and her comrades were killed in the firefight, there was only the sound of crickets. The NPA, NUPL and Makabayan don’t give a damn besides releasing angry statements, because in the end Hannah Cisesta was but disposable to them. The Filipino Far Left, who are mostly rich, educated and have comfortable lives continue to use Hannah Cisesta’s name as a rallying cry for their “revolution,” goading others to commit revolutionary violence, while they stand above as the self-appointed “intelligentsia” with clean hands and smug superiority.
“Was the PNP going in guns heavy right? Maybe, maybe not. The revoluciónistas had 5.56mm automatic rifles and allegedly started shooting first, killing a policeman. Her own father denounced her comrades and her association with NUPL. The Far Leftists stole that father’s daughter from him.”
“The leaders use both the young, passionate yet misguided foot soldiers and the poor they purport to advocate for as pawns ready to be sacrificed.”
I’d like to flush this out more, because the damning (air quotes) thing they got from DU30 was when he said “Encourage them to fight back!!!” telling police (I assume military too). So if PNP was at the receiving end of that barrage then were they NPA “encouraged” to fight back thus setting up said encounter? cuz EJK is that Vietnamese guy getting shot in the head. that’s by definition EJK, not in the course of arrest but point blank , bang! EJK’ed. extra judicially killed that’s an open and shot case. but these cases where its mistaken identity, or collateral damage , or maybe like in Bohol “encouraged to fight back” during course of arrest, really hard to pin down. And Joe’s trying to create an opposition, but if they keep on putting DU30 in front of a mic, and he won’t even leave when excused, well that’s just guaranteeing an Inday Sara victory, Joey. cuz police and military, and i’d not realize it til a watched DU30 at that senate hearing then all the pro-DU30 police and military sharing videos soc med of why they love DU30 so much. well its understandable why 2024 and NPA communists are still able to recruit your “young, passionate yet misguided foot soldiers” , NPA shound not be able to, external factors are driving them into their arms. just like in Ireneo’s days of old. so i don’t think NPA are able to attract them, they are being pushed there by how screwed up the Philippine gov’t is. probably fix police and military first.
ps.— I should also add planting of evidence, cuz I guess Risa’s line of questioning was where are all the planted guns. like as gotcha to DU30, which I think that question just ricocheted back to her.
pps.—- actually, on second thought, unless Risa has compiled all police reports of these EJKs and say 90% of them were suspects had guns (or weapons), then she might have a point here. but the whole argument of where are the guns doesn’t work (for me at least), unless you can match it with reports. but yeah, something evidenciary not just affidavits would be helpful in bringing down DU30 otherwise this guy ‘s gonna ensure Inday Sara‘s win. don’t put that guy in front of a mic again. next time he gets to say anything should be in criminal court as defendant. that’s it.
Nothing much here to flush out LCpl. I can emphatically say that with the Bohol case, the killed revolutionaries did not get much sympathy locally in either Cebu or Bohol. There are no threads or pins to connect here. It was just a tragic case of a young attorney who could’ve used her youthful passion to make a bigger change, but instead was brainwashed by her criminal, drug dealer, murderer, robber boyfriend who was the local NPA leader. The dead attorney’s own father came out and denounced the revolutionaries’ actions, which says a lot.
I think your read of the Duterte hearings is wrong. My Tagalog is limited, but what I saw and heard was a once powerful man who is now diminished, small, powerless in the face of questioning by the people’s representatives. Sara’s chances are slipping everyday as more and more people realize she’s unfit to be a street sweeper, much less to be a VP or President.
“Nothing much here to flush out LCpl. I can emphatically say that with the Bohol case, the killed revolutionaries did not get much sympathy locally in either Cebu or Bohol. There are no threads or pins to connect here.”
I’m thinking its the same here, Joey. When an attractive girl gets killed or goes missing, especially when she’s blonde, people and media pay attention. When ugly and or black, no attention given. I do remember NPA Bohol was viewed by Cebuanos and Boholanos as just inconvenient not even feared. So people will remember Hannah. I mean just Googling Hannah Jay Cisesta there’s all sorts of memes remembrance etc. People react to aesthetics and symbols.
“I think your read of the Duterte hearings is wrong. My Tagalog is limited, but what I saw and heard was a once powerful man who is now diminished, small, powerless in the face of questioning by the people’s representatives.”
I think the legal aspect of the hearing is most interesting. But as for “read” of it. I do think DU30 who started out kinda weak, like Dr. Bruce Banner became Hulk even not wanting to leave at the end. Did he incriminate himself, that’s a better question to ask than if he’s diminished. cuz although he does look older, he certainly is not diminished. and I think to see him such as anti-DU30 yourself is also the wrong approach because you want him undiminished so he can’t as defense say well I’m now old and feeble. if you want ICC to get him, then your anti-DU30 rhetoric should also be yes he’s still got it. Strong. And I know its a Catch-22. but legally speaking this is what you wanna espouse, Joey.
As for Risa, she was like Captain Marvel in Endgame, she brought it. Or like Tom Cruise’s character in a Few Good Men (since that’s the Filipino meme going around now). Only instead of getting Jack Nicholson, who essentially said You’re damn right I ordered the Code Red!!! DU30 though qualified it with so long as they did it within the parameters of the law!!! And so in the Senate hearing, Kevin Bacon’s character was never able to say , Col. Jessup you have the right to remain silent… MP’s arrest Tatay Digong!!! Because DU30 qualified everything.
I did feel sorry for D5. She wasn’t prepared. Maybe its the 7 years cooped up, but she had no fight in her. And she was ambushed. I wonder if she and Risa got together before hand. They shoulda. And I’m not attacking D5 here, Joey. I’ve been really mean to D5 here. I’ll not apologize. Cuz I’m sure she doesn’t even know I exist, but like Love Story says , love means never having to say you’re sorry. Because I need her strong for the coven I’m writing up, which started with LENI-SARA article then IMEE-LENI-SARA-(RISA) article (UFO), now its gonna be IMEE-LENI-SARA-RISA-D5, trying to connect it to Carl Jung. so I need her to pull her weight. And get back in the fight.
” It was just a tragic case of a young attorney who could’ve used her youthful passion to make a bigger change, but instead was brainwashed by her criminal, drug dealer, murderer, robber boyfriend who was the local NPA leader. “
Let’s flush out the EJK/NPA stuff now, Joey. So the legal aspect of the DU30 senate hearing as it relates to the Bohol NPA shooting. its the “encourage them to fight back” quote from DU30 thats most damning. lets say for the sake of discussion I know PBBM is now president but that its still “policy” by PNP/AFP to elicit first-mover advantage from criminals (whether drugs or NPA, or both), so they police military can react in force. but DU30 also stated “guilt is personal” and hes right. Thats why the ICC cannot get W. for Iraq or Obama/Hillary for the Arab Spring, or Biden when leaving Afghanistan (remember too a whole family compound was bombed by a US drone bunch of kids dead). or Trump’s “incitement” of riot, now i believe Jack Smith is going for “conspiracy”.
The issue here is how do you prove criminals were encouraged to make the first move thus justifying their deaths. Because how do you encourage something you really at the tactical level have no control over, eg. takes two to tango. So as policy that doesn’t makes sense, like proving a negative, Joey. But Justice Carpio is saying thats already incrimination slash confession. okay, fine. but it still gotta be proven. which means detailing every police report to see how things actually unfolded then matching police reports to eye witnesses statements plus whatever evidence collected. each death investigated individually. i believe its like 6K were killed officially under PNP EJKs but like 25K overall by other folks eg. gang vs. gang, ninja cops or death squads who aren’t cops at all like vigilantes etc.
As to Death Squads he also confessed to it, even saying Bato was a commander of death squad, but that he DU30 hired gangsters and rich kids. Again Justic Carpio said thats a confession. thats enough to open a case on him, that DOJ should already. But again, how do you prove that. you have to have people that actually say, yup me I was that gangster or rich kid or Bato’s own DDS. Same with rewards system, which some cop already said was coerced from him or attemptably so. that’s why Abante/Fernandez had to respond with their own press conference saying Garma told us she was her close friend that he would corroborate. now the whole rewards system is up in the air.
So I still think DU30 was still able to slip away. Risa was definitely ascendant, only she didn’t get her Tom Cruise moment. D5 got attacked, which I don’t think she expected. but going forward I hope she fights back.
“The online trolls that mocked Leni’s serving lugaw are mostly comfortable middle class. I can say being previously a fellow servant of the poor, DE Filipinos really appreciate any interaction and help.”
To be honest, I’d take free lugaw too, Joey. but my point was that this was meant to disparaged her, to brand her, as Mother Theresa or Cory. And instead of turning the branding around eg. Leni Lechon cuz DE prefer lechon more than lugaw, Leni just accepted this brand. Which I told Ireneo awhile back, she shoulda gone with Leni Lechon, like fight back. don’t just acquiesce to their branding of her. Don’t give anything to them. every inch should be fought. like Lugaw to Lechon.
“Hell will freeze over before Sara is accepted into a proposed LP-Pink-Akbayan coalition haha. More than likely, Sara is going to get impeached. Sara’s chances are slipping everyday as more and more people realize she’s unfit to be a street sweeper, much less to be a VP or President.”
These are fighting words, Joey. nobody puts my baby in the corner. especially street sweeper!!!!!! I agree with you on Makabayan. and this is the first time really am learning about them, as they relate to Akbayan, Joey. so thanks for all this back and forth with Joe here. i’ve learnt alot. cuz I’m trying to do this IMEE-LENI-SARA-RISA-D5 bloc in my next article. and am gonna argue that groups don’t converge, but individuals do that. like Sara and Leni’s meeting at Naga, that was 1.5 hours, what do you think they were talking about that’s a long time. so again don’t put my baby in the corner just yet , Joey. I think she’ll surprise you. and with this bump from her dad. They’ll have to bring over ICC. again, Marcoses sons should be totally shut out, that’s the game here. which will span 2 administrations to ensure that never happens. so IMEE-LENI-SARA-RISA-D5 will have to get their acts together.
“My allusion to Far Leftists not changing much since the French Revolution is in reference to the Reign of Terror (1792-1794). Not sure how you connected all these things, but they are not connected at all lol.”
Just that the lynching that Lincoln mentioned in St. Louis is related to Paris (both revolution and Les Miserables). cuz remember St. Louis in the 1830s was the Wild West. then 1840s CA Gold Rush. Sacagawea’s son she gave to William Clark to raise, should have been in his 30s (he was born in 1805) and going back and forth to and over the Rocky mountains then back to St. Louis his base of operations during that event in Lincoln’s speech. meaning American institutions in the east coast of America were still being constructed in the West. lots of EJKs i’m sure. same in France, except France kinda spanned longer to cobble together their own, cuz Napoleon III attempte d to topple Lincoln via Mexico and why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo. that’s the connect, Joey. Ben Franklin to Lincoln, from Louisiana purchase to Civil War. and creating institutions from scratch which means lots of blood letting. hence the song of angry men, Joey. DE are angry too:
The defense rests…
I actually find myself enjoying your perspectives, LCX. Not agreeing all the time, but causing my mind to have to wake up. Thank you for putting in the work on this beaut.
Appreciate it , Joe! You think you can share the comment via your twitter, and see if it catches anything? i’m wondering also how the link will show up on twitter. beaut is funny, cuz when I tacked on that pyramid I was like wow this turned out better than I expected. I think Joey’s my muse, when he attacks my beloved. i just go balls out, Joe.
Ah, no, I think most of my readers would not get the gist, and would think your Sara fetish to be a bit much. I have enough trouble getting them to read my stuff.
thanks anyways, Joe! when you get this love you just wanna share it.
The memes about Hannah are mostly rich kids trying to be edgy. They use and abuse her name and death, just like she was used in life.
Well if Duterte has some tricks up his sleeve, he better pull it out now, maybe out of his ass. He was a weak, diminished man. I saw his “taking responsibility” as an acknowledgement that if the investigation spreads more across his family and circle, they are screwed since they’re complicit. Quiboloy being nabbed was a major blow as it’s been thought that KOJC funded Duterte’s rise.
I’d rather not connect unconnectables. War is terrible. People died. And most of those people were terrorists. Sometimes mistakes are made, that’s why it’s called collateral damage. No one is going to go after W. Bush, Obama because they had legal justification and the US did the dirty work for the rest of the world who only criticizes but doesn’t lift a finger to solve terrorism. Hillary was not president. Not sure why you hate her so much and want to tie her into everything. Conspiracy in the criminal sense isn’t conspiracy as you think it is here.
Can’t afford to give everyone lechon in the Philippines. Every time I made lechon or bought lechon, I had a line of uninvited guests who helped themselves to the ribs and skin. I had to pay 5k for the pig and I ended up sucking on the bones. And so it goes in the Philippines. Offer a dollar and they will help themselves to the entire wallet. Let’s be reasonable here.
I mean cut it up into smaller pieces, doesn’t have to be a lot.
Then they’d say I’m a cheap Kano lol. Tbh I was seething, but the mother of my girlfriend at the time was handing it out so it’s not like I could’ve yelled at her.
Sorry Joe but let me give you a glimpse of the future senate: 3 Tulfos, someone from Vilma’s family, maybe Willie, Robin for sure, and, just for laughs maybe a Miss Universe.
Oh, I accept that as a statistical probability, Expat. But that doesn’t mean sitting down and shutting up is the approach one should take. Noise is important.
This is how you win some senate seats:
Kathryn and Alden: a love team senate ticket, 2 seats in the bag!
Piolo to counter Robin
Anne Curtis
Vice Ganda
Ivana Alawi
Kim Chui
and that gymnast… since he won 2 golds!
There you go. An unbeatable 8!
I dare you to come with a list that can beat my 8!
A fine list, I agree. The problem is, they’d have to part ways with their money stream to make 35,000 pesos per month, most of which would go to high blood pressure medications.
My list would have Coco Martin and Angel Locsin on it, and a lava walker. If I thought more about it I could beat your eight.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/730096/neri-colmenares-files-coc-for-senator-with-angel-locsin-in-tow
Angel Locsin is actually Angel Colmenares. The above article is from 2015.
Cousin. Well what do you know! That’s a fine endorsement on the Leftist’s resume.
Wiki said aunt, oh well I call my older cousins Tito and Tita,
Very probable but I still refuse to label voters as bobotante. Combination of vote buying, name recall, star struck, and deep utang ng look like Willie Revillame even if beong a not so direct beneficiary. Just seeing him do it is enough for some.(helping others) Then that would apply to the Tulfo brothers as well.
“Very probable but I still refuse to label voters as bobotante. “ totally, agree here, karl. get rid of bobotante all together , just win over DE voters. look at DU30 s appearance at the senate, his statement read in English showed DE voters how on solid ground he was, then when he spoke Tagalog it showed them he had passion like some more fight in him left (although his pinky finger seems signs of fast aging, he kept on touch his face too, maybe kb can comment). I mean that not wanting to leave the hearing stunt, I’m sure DE voters loved that, karl. like I’m already here lets do this, lets finish it here. just show some fight. get them with the rhetoric not necessarily copy DU30’s but speak like DE folks speak. so they easily understand. then code switch to English for official stuff, like D5 I don’t think gets this. I was like man that’s just waaaaay too much English! which am grateful for, but I’m sure DE voters will think otherwise. or like fancy restaurant pictures. there s no bobotantes just people to win over, karl. How is our focus. All about communication now.
Though I hated the Duterte part, our “language barrier” for lack of a word seems within the same frequency.
This EJK hearings even if spearheaded by Hontiveros shows that Kapolesan as KB likes to call them and I would add kasundaluhan did in sixyears what Marcos did in 20.Duterte owned up to it for now because he might say he was just joking later.
A bad leader CAN destroy a lot and a good leader can BUILD a lot.
Yes, that’s true. Well, power flows up and down the entitlement pyramid, and the President is supremely powerful. That’s why I think it takes one good president to turn this barge into a sleek missile carrier.
What do you think about this reward system, karl? Is this their only case against DU30? cuz I’m thinking MRP is correct again, all affidavits.
In this case that if no affidavit the testimony is worth squat. Don’t know what to make of it.
Are these two known as straight shooters , karl, or do they themselves have issues. i remember that guy to the left with the cross laughing and joking during the Alice Guo hearing essentially bullying the Chinese dude who didn’t speak Tagalog. which just didn’t seem professional. like when DU30 showed himself interview some Chinese drug lord on tv.
As to Garma, Leonardo and Grijaldo, it makes more sense now if they’re all acting together to trick House and Senate. or maybe its musical chair and one will have to take the fall. really elaborate. or maybe madness is the method, that’s what Heyderian says about all this.
I just saw this on youtube too, i guess the algorithm is showing me all things DU30 now. him giving his watch at PMA graduation or ceremony. so is this tradition, like past presidents did this, and only PBBM was obtuse enough to bring a watch you can’t give away in a ceremony thus the “Why should I give you my watch?” fiasco?
I only know Dan Fernandez because he was an actor. I never followed his political career. Had to read back stories of the other guy to judge.
also, karl, who’s this girl? i thought she was his nurse cuz shes everywhere his body guards are like always trying to guide him (it was her eventually that got DU30 to leave the hearing cuz he will not he kept saying), then in his press conference, I can see her interacting with other politicians there, so not just nurse, like assisstant or secretary then? she seems to hold power though, like gate keeper.
Google lens did not cooperate.
Here.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/12/1795871/duterte-female-aide-get-out-psg-multiply
that’s her!!! thanks, karl.
I would think that in modern times, a voice recorder or a video of the testimony could take the place of an affidavit. They are basically exhibits of what was spoken during an encounter so they should be legally acceptable and admissible in court. I think they are better because one can hear/see if the subject is being coerced. Most Senate and HoR probes are either televised or recorded, right? Please correct me if I am wrong.
The juicy ones are recorded, haha. I’m always amazed at the storage capacity Google provides for You Tube.
Yes. I am deeply embarrassed on how some PH Executive and Legislative officials conduct themselves in YT videos for all the world to see.
Don’t worry, JP, the world is not watching. They are doing their own weird work.
First get rid of wire tapping laws. Watergate, Gloriagate, Juetengate…what’s next?
True but we are talking about voluntary testimony during a Senate or HoR probes. I wish the PH Bank Secrecy Law guidelines are less strict so corrupt people can’t use it for their own benefit.
Right to remain silent and variants has been used many times. Plus what you said about impunity like threatening of ubusan ng lahi.
Joe, I’m really not tracking a lot of this. And I know I’m not the audience here, and as an outsider I’m coming in with a lot of unknowns already. But even karl above admitted that he’s not really following the politics of these politicians either. Which makes sense cuz aside from AOC, i don’t really follow whats going on in the Senate or Congress here either. So what do most Filipinos especially DE, factor in. when choosing candidates. Are they just mixing and matching, I remember that whole Otso Diretso awhile back, tanking. do voters vote these politicians as group? name recognition , sure. what else factors in. And how do endorsement power factor in here? Also I’m thinking like here, it’ll be like okay what does AARP think I should be voting for, that makes things simple. when groups or newspapers nudge you with a list. or Bezos blocking his newspapers endorsement, I’m sure theres voters who were gonna vote based on what WaPo was gonna tell them. too chaotic. or based on a trusted friend/family members suggestion.
And I finally got around to figuring out who these young guns are that Inday Sara keeps on mentioning. were they voted in the House as a group, or became a group once voted in, cuz they have a youtube channel, its overly produce but seems interesting. My question, does your Makabayan/LP candidates have a youtube channel, having them interact with DE folks, with the masses? ps— I can’t stand that guy in the grey suit, man. that chic in green’s even standing away from him.
I have no idea what channels Makabayan uses. I suspect mainly personal contacts. Voters will vote for anyone whose name they recognize as being important in some way. The shallowest of the shallow. Local influences factor into that which is why voting trends follow regional patterns.
Remember
Benigno Aquino Sr and others are accused of being Communists. Plaza Miranda bombing etc.
Now as to why only Congress and Senate presence for the left?
I can be wrong, but who in their right mind would openly declare they are leftist Governors or Mayor’s and expect the police to Police them?
Really good point, Karl, and explains clearly why the left is not a stronger peoples’ initiative. They are opposed by the dynasts, the army, PNP, and intellectuals. Not just DDS trolls,
Their claim of support by the masses may not even be that accurate either. Thanks.
Self aggrandizement is often a sign of narcissism. It’s their form of marketing that only other narcissists believe.
There is a lot of self-aggrandizement in Philippine culture, and I believe a strong vein of narcissism as well. That goes across social class and political directions, I think. A country where people kill someone for singing My Way the wrong way, or wait for a white man who happened to have shouted at a tambay at the next corner to teach him a lesson, isn’t quite right in the head if you ask me. Joe wrote about that, and more in the article below:
“Philippine and Japanese cultures both are “face-saving” cultures. In both nations it is important for people to protect their personal reputations.
But the way of protecting face, or self esteem, is very different. In Japan, it is concessionary, almost defensive, with an abundance of courtesy and two-faced politeness. Never say no. Never fire an employee. Always bow. If you are humiliated, kill yourself.
In the Philippines, we have the notion of delicadeza (Spanish derivation: “beautiful and delicate in appearance”) which is generally exhibited as deference to others, but it is only half the story. The other half is attack. Aggressive, venomous, Enrile-spittle attack. The Philippines does not have bull rings, it has a Senate Chamber. Envy is rife. Anger is obsessive. Vengeance is mine and yours and everyone else’s.
And if you are humiliated, kill someone.
The ultimate criticism.”
In that sense, the Philippine Far Left that descended from the early Marxist-Leninist movements and more broadly the Maoist movements are the most narcissistic of all. They just wear the trappings of a different culture.
I think that the privileged have a responsibility to help the poor and create a better society, but all I see from many Far Left groups I’ve encountered across the world is that they simply want to subject others to their worldview instead of understanding the oppressed. Their ideology is not built for compromise. The more zealotry they have, the more impossible it is to even reason with them. For an ideology grouping that professes egalitarianism and equality, they sure have a lot of structure and dictates.
Love that concluding line. I don’t quite know where that stuff comes from.
Ireneo, that’s kinda related to this Joe Rogan stuff. I dunno why Kamala Harris’ team is still giving Rogan fodder from which to attack them. Just stop talking to him already. Like i’ve told Joey awhile back Joe Rogan is a trap. So maybe Kamala Harris’ team can learn this Filipino “face saving” technique. its like they’re singing harana to Joe Rogan and Joe Rogan’s just pissing on them from the balcony. protect personal reputations. stop talking to Joe Rogan.
oh, man. this was a good read, and the comments like dessert. thanks for bringing this up, Ireneo. how are you finding these, are you searching them up or just scrolling thru blogs one at a time. 10 years later and everything’s up in the air. here and there.
I’m just doing the online equivalent of jumping from branch to branch.
Found again this article by Francis from 2018 just now.
Timely. I can use this:
Their clientele is usually quite helpless and they seem to pretty much want to dictate to the oppressed on how they are to free themselves. Lumad bearing placards with Maoist slogans seem a bit strange to me.
BTW I watched Tu Pug Imatuy which is a film about Lumads oppressed by a mining and logging firm plus military in cahoots with these. “And they became Gods who protected the Lumad” is the end of the narration by the native storyteller showing NPA Lumads taking weapons from military who have died in a boar pit. The propaganda that this movie is becomes totally clear with that final phrase even as the military is portrayed as evil throughout the whole movie.
This is literally the saddest part about the “help” to their clientele. Using and abusing the oppressed to further their own goals. If that oppressed group got totally wiped out, let’s just have a moment of silence and then declare how great it was that they sacrificed themselves for the revolutionary cause. What is most disturbing to me is nearly none of the so-called leaders are willing to place their own bodies on the line for their professed ideology. It is always agitating others, especially the vulnerable to do the dirty work. The so-called leaders walk away with saintly self-assurance and clean hands while others suffer. They are nothing but another oppressor class.
The dynasts are today’s colonizer.
Two things can be true at once.
Repeating variations of the same failed ideology that caused immense suffering in many countries across the world isn’t going to convince me. I spent my misguided youth in right-wing circles, then attempted to self-correct, overshooting by going over to the far left. When I didn’t give blind obedience to my “new friends,” they kicked me out for my questions, which they could not answer. My interactions with the Filipino far left is they are just more of the same, except they are also bad carbon copies of confused American far leftism with a dash of misunderstanding Maoism.
Does defeating a colonizer necessitate making deals with those whose ideology admires the complete oppression and blind obedience of the nation? Why not cultivate fighters among the rational thinking? Expedience usually begets failure.
It’s not a rational world. Less rational every day. What are the goals? For me, competence. Attached to that is ending the misapplication of funds through corruption and favor. Long term competence comes with education and cleansing of information channels. Untruths are intellectual corruption.
I don’t know of any competent dynasts. Well, the Villars are competent at greed. Populists are loud, not competent. The Left is anti-corruption. That helps. There are no ideal paths unless Robredo gets elected, but she is too anti-political. Itself a form of incompetence in getting elected. There are no pro-business initiatives. Interesting that. I suppose because the oligarchs thrive in a nation without rules to confine them.
I don’t have an answer for you. I just think a Senate with 13 left/liberal members would focus on competence and corruption more than people who don’t even know what competence requires.
I understand your frustration. I have the luxury of being in America, unless things go badly next week’s election.
But if you’re looking for competence as the main metric, I’m sorry to say that you won’t find that in the Far Left. The Far Left thrive on incompetence covered up with cheap wallpaper to make it pretty. Once in power history has shown they have no clue what to do as their fantasies cannot be translated into the demands of reality that governing needs. Add that to the worst tendencies of Filipino culture rather than the good, I fear it will just be another century of setback. Just think as a fellow manager as we learned in both our respective careers: if someone had nothing to show for all their years of bluster, would you put him/her in a position of authority in your business? Of course not. It is incumbent on he who wants to lead, to show first how he can lead.
If it were me, I would not make unfavorable deals out of desperation. I would suck it up, accept temporary defeat and start the work of rebuilding. This is the Philippine opposition’s “come to Jesus” moment. This is what the vastly larger combined LP, Akbayan, Pinks must do. Identify more than one leader, not just a cult figurehead. Build a broad base of supporters dedicated to the cause who can evangelize the message. If they’re not willing to do that work then they might as well throw in the towel and give up, and accept that the Philippines will always be mediocre due to dynasties holding the country back.
Temporary alliances of people that don’t trust each other, will just fall apart. At this point, even a theoretical A-team of 13 left/liberal senators can’t be found. That’s how few the available players are. Just not going to happen even if Makabayan somehow joins and behaves constructively, and is going to set us up for more disappointment.
Weak slates and the lack of a strong lineup that is continually trained/mentored are the result of the penchant for relying on star power of one person carrying the entire team, focus only on the national and not the local so that no new talent is developed, magical thinking and trying to just use the power of positive thinking. There’s been nearly 40 years to think strategy, but even our dear PNoy basically won with largely nostalgia for his father and mother. Without going back to the basics, the dynasties are going to rule forever and more good people are going to emigrate out.
@Joey, I think you mischaracterize things. There are different degrees of competence, and circumstances that allow it to be meaningful. And seeing the circumstances and recognizing that weakness abounds, and articulating a path to success is not “desperation”. It is mathematics. France Castro is one of the most competent people in the House, by my observation. Neil Colmenares is highly competent at law work and not letting power get away with things just because they are power. Teddy Casiño is competent at being rational and orchestrating the violins and tubas. Is Bam Aquino competent? At what? The math is simple. 1+1+1+1=4
Sure I’ll agree that Castro, Casiño and Colmenares are at least a bit more open minded than the old guard, but the old guard still runs Makabayan.
I may not have the historian pedigree Irineo has, but I do read a lot of history and connect it to what happened in the countries history affects. I’ve traveled widely and have been to all the communist and post-communist countries (except Vietnam as my father is blacklisted), and have seen first hand the destruction that irrational and inflexible Far Leftist ideology wrought. As I’ve said their most common tactic is entryism where they pretend to moderate their views in order to gain a foothold since their true ideology is fringe. If these three Congresspeople are serious about making real change they would not be in Makabayan with its hardline ideology, they would jump so Akbayan that holds the same policy views without the whacko cultishness. That is a big and scathing tell in itself.
LP should rebuild, together with the Pinks and Akbayan. Rebuild, no matter how long it takes. 6, 12, 18 years, to build a stable foundation so people will look to a modern, competent political class for guidance rather than hanging onto the dynasties. This is the only way. It’s worth it. If there’s one thing I know most Filipinos across all classes hate more than anything, it’s the NPA. Allying with Makabayan might as well be the death knell of any possible change from status quo with the dynasties.
I was but a “kid” when I first visited the Philippines at age 14. 1998. It’s been over 26 years of unseriousness and magic bullet solutions since then, buoyed by the power of positive thinking and belief in miracles save for PNoy’s 6 years. But we can’t count on another chance that brings a serious, thoughtful leader like PNoy. No more worshipping figureheads. The dynasties have their children to raise up to replace their Congress, Senate, Govenorship seats and maintain their power. When will serious Filipinos who love their country start training their own political “heirs?”
Sure LP should rebuild. And sure history exists, throwing up any hobgoblin of the mind you’d care to conjure up to project Philippine leftists as dangerous, which I consider laughable considering that the established order is dangerous, real time. They are the reasons Filipinos think shallow and vote badly. But your leftist danger is somehow worse? Leftists have to work in a democratic nation that has constitutional weight so heavy that even Duterte could not master it. But a few wandering leftists are so devious and powerful that they will drive the nation to ruin? They are the solution, not the problem.
I would add that De Lima got zero hate for endorsing the Makabayan slate. Beliefs are not facts.
I remember when I was at school.
These people bring guns in UP.
They have people who never graduate but bring guns with them and seems to only have time to go to protests.
I remember the buses the NPA burn.
I remember the NPA burning the only cell site in the town of Morong, Bataan.
These people are two faced opportunist.
I would not trust these people.
I could go write a whole article of how Nero Colmenares was stupid in his Supreme Court appearances.
I could write about the recent proposal of Castro to waive electricity bills for those affected by Karina.
These are unserious people Joe. We want to find serious people in the Philippines. Risa and Akbayan belong to that group. Makabayan unfortunately would need a high bar to salvage their reputation.
I read somewhere that the NPA hindered the economic growth of the countryside by destroying infrastructure and levying “revolutionary tax” and thereby discouraging the kind of businesses that lead to local growth. Actually, the diametric opposite of what Angat Buhay wants to accomplish. More like the agenda of Simoun in Rizal’s El Fili: increase discontent and hinder progress so people are driven to join a revolution.
Will hasn’t commented in this article yet, but his view of how The Far Left treated Cory during her Presidency is dismal. Possibly that no one has said anything about De Lima endorsing Makabayan is more deadma than actual tacit approval.
Deadma, could be. But she didn’t say “Yeah ba! I’m for extortion and getting the US out of the Philippines!” She said something on the order of “We share common principles on human rights and social works”. That’s the way to announce new partnerships. Focus on the 80%. Build togetherness. Don’t obsess over the 20%. Hire some marketing pros or wordsmiths who can articulate the goal and benefits of joining together.
Oh, for sure, lunatic fringe with a lot of their marchings and anti-US nonsense. Communists are villains seeking to destroy rational order, and NPA are extortionists, a kind of economic sector in most poor countries, inhabiting the hills and scaring decent people. Their causes are extreme, just as the corrupt are extreme in a different sense. I’ll take disruptive unserious nonsense any day versus conventional nonsense that places plunderers and murderers in the Senate. Makabayan controls 3% of the vote and could control a lot more if they centered their efforts.
I could write a thousand articles about the idiocy and evil flowing from Go and Dela Rosa and the various plunderers, land barons, actors, and kiss-asses now in the Senate. Colmenares and Castro are not driven by corruption, as far as I can tell. They might be driven by some conniving ideological misconceptions, but I can’t see how that would be worse than what’s there now.
I had a boss once, British, smart guy. Banker for Noriega back in the day. He’d go around pissing people off and challenging the status quo because “chemical reactions work faster under heat”. That’s my view of the leftists. Castro generates heat in the House. Undeniable. I think the Senate would be better with her there, no matter if 30 NPA came to my house in Mindanao looking for me (when I was out of town). You can’t expect 100% goodness from the Left. It isn’t there. But in tossing Makabayan aside, you become complicit in allowing the existing order to persist. No one here likes Makabayan. But no one has a plan for success in 2028 other than dreams of some powerful LP built from the ashes of 2016. It’s been 8 years. Nada. Pinks. Nada. Good luck. Write the articles and I’ll use them to share my vision. You have a better chance getting Makabayan to moderate than to build a building from ashes.
https://mayorsforgoodgovernance.ph/
Disclosure I am one of hundreds of consultants of the QC Government. Bottom up is feasible but I sometimes feel that it requires people with so much capacity to care like Mayor Joy Belmonte.
I report mostly to internal audit service and our head is making us attend an online learning session spearheaded by the Mayors for Good Governance group for LGU internal audit units as directed by the boss of my boss.
That’s encouraging to hear, Gian. I hope that initiative blossoms.
It’s difficult GC, but I think the only way is to build a “deeper bench” of up and coming young politicians who are tireless fighters for good governance. Due to the Philippines’ shorter election cycles it might even be done in 6-9 years, maybe less if something catalyzed the populace. Collective Filipino outrage can either be good or bad depending how it’s channeled. Once a deep bench is built they can be seeded across the Philippines to start their own initiatives.
I remember writing this plan in 2012.
Just get to each city that is easily winnable because it doesn’t have much resources to fight over. This would have been easier when BPO was going up because just get a BPO in and you will have something similar to what happened with Alice Guo.
She is still loved in her town because they felt the change . They have better lives because of the supposedly illegal businesses she brought in.
Strategy, hardwork, get your hands dirty. we need those types of people in the front lines.
I think this is the way to radically transform the Philippines both in thinking and the economy that follows. If I were in a position of a little power this is what I’d advocate for. I’m satisfied with the small changes I affect on the poor Filipinos I interact with.
Too often some Filipinos have remarked to me that Filipinos have a culture of perfection. I’d say no, it’s a culture of risk avoidance, therefore volumes of reports and studies are commissioned to make proposed projects look “too hard” to start. “We can’t help it you see, we are but simple and poor Philippines so can’t hope to achieve what others have.” Often more can be done with less. One would not know unless one tried. If one fails, others will still appreciate the effort as long as there’s responsibility taken and a plan to recalibrate. In business we say that no one was ever fired for make making a mistake; one gets fired for not learning lessons and not taking actions to fix mistakes. I’ve had many mistakes that cost businesses tens of thousands, or more dollars. But take immediate responsibility and transform failure into team success. That’s my hope for the Philippines mindset change.
And even now they are still recruiting in the universities and radicalizing students. Thankfully most of the students mature out of it but some become true believers, who then go on to brainwash desperate people into becoming revolutionaries. If someone attained his or her bachelors and still identifies with Far Left or Far Right ideologies, then clearly they have not matured mentally. Chances are they are comfortable in life or even rich. They know nothing about the struggle of the people.
I’ll reiterate that I’m not against Leftists. I’m a Leftist in all but name, as I place myself as a progressive/socdem. One step further left would be democratic socialist. Another step further are the communists, then another are the anarchists. Together the communists and anarchists comprise the “Far Left,” who I vehemently oppose. There is a historical reason why the Far Left was booted out of the worldwide socialist unions of the late 1800s, they’re backstabbers and opportunists. They were too insane for the early socialists, who were quite crazy themselves. Since then socialists have moderated and have power in plenty of countries, notably in European countries, though they are part of the Left Big Tent in the US also. The Far Left have not moderated at all besides lip service to changing their front group names where they are banned.
Akbayan is a solidly Left party, being progressive/social democrats. Makabayan while professing to be “reformed,” take their name quite literally from Joma’s first iteration of Kabataang Makabayan. Satur Ocampo was one of the top lieutenants of the NDF and still spouts communist nonsense to this day. We can say Castro, Casiño and Colmenares are more moderate all we want, and maybe they are, but would we suggest they would not take marching orders from the party leader Ocampo, an avowed Maoist? Of course not.
Far Leftists like communists and anarchists are not that dangerous until there is societal calamity, where they will try to opportunistically take power convincing the desperate people with every promise possible. They operate by using others, and until there’s mob level anger they can’t create an overwhelming force to take over. Just look at the case of Venezuela, which I had visited before and after the economic collapse caused by Hugo Chavéz and Nicolas Maduro, was once the richest country in Latin America, much above Mexico. Venezuela was modern, the middle class was broad. Look at them now. The Venezuelans voted in the Far Leftists who claimed they had moderated, then now they can’t get rid of them since they control all the apparatus of state violence. All the brightest and hardest working Venezuelans fled the country, at a percentage that would be shocking to the Philippines that is already used to waves of OFW leaving.
I know this might not be pleasant to hear, but the only chance is to rebuild LP, Pino, Akbayan and then form an alliance. If not then we should be resigned to another 25 years of dynasty rule.
It’s not unpleasant to hear. I’ll be dead before LP is rebuilt, so I’m on a different path. On that path, the extreme left is irrelevant, a mere anecdotal argument that does not have logical bearing on the 80% of Makabayan that can help.
Maybe one should indeed look on the bright side of life and that it is unlikely the Philippines will ever become like North Korea. See video below.
The Philippines is in motion, it is not static. Some amazing things are happening that were beyond my bookie’s comprehension 5 years ago. Duterte being called to account? Stunning. PH tight with the US? Awesome. Good governance initiatives? Holey moley!
Well don’t lose hope Joe. You’re about my father’s age and he’s healthy enough besides his leg that was nearly blown off by a mine during an infiltration operation. Advocate for my plan. I think you will be pleasantly surprised that Filipinos are quite smart and will figure things out if there if a compelling counter narrative, especially if it has a bit of flair and drama 😉 so let’s find a way to give them that narrative. Honest and serious Filipinos can’t just roll over under the weight of dynasties. If the dynasties resort to strong arming and violence, record and expose it and gather collective outrage.
Ah, well I can advocate for your plan enthusiastically as it is a subset of my plan. The first advocacy will be how to rebuild LP. The second will be that it is important to put a political organization to the Pinks, or lose the equity of the Robredo rallies. The third will be why Risa Hontiveros should be President.
You had some pull with our dear President PNoy. How about reaching out to former Sen. de Lima, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and perhaps FVP Leni? We need a strong Filipina as President.
I’m sure I’ve made your head hurt enough already the last couple of days 🤣
It’s been good for me, as I can be as lazy as the next guy if not inspired to think.
I keep on my toes. Maybe not depth but breadth is the to go for coming up with 80% solutions. But also need to realize the limits where things might start cracking.
I have a presence, not a pull. Senator De Lima’s brother and her staff follow me on twitter and possibly read here. Leni Robredo has done several interviews with Will Villanueva, published only here. Pinks follow me on twitter and some read here. I’m on Akbayan’s press releases, so they probably read here, or at least on Twitter.
Well I hope you consider strategizing a plan to write about for a LP-Pink-Akbayan alliance to inspire any decision makers that may be reading this blog. It’ll be worth it I’m sure. Makabayan’s 3 congressmen might work out, but my feeling is they will be more trouble than they’re worth. Even if LP is weaker now they have institutional history. Having them go toward a smaller fringe and fractured party list may be a weak look.
Considering that Joma’s CCP was a bad knockoff (pinoy style!) of the already well known flawed Maoism, and the oftentimes cartoonish antics of the successor organizations… we may have hope.
I wonder what your father thought of his old colleague Joma Sison. It’s unbelievable that such a naive, immature mind ascended to become a UP professor.
I am not up-to-date with the midterm elections in PH. I am finally doing some catch-up reading. Below is the most recent survey results from Publicus (sample taken October 16-17, 2024; results published October 21, 2024). It states that 45% of voters are still undecided and the survey results remain in flux.
“When respondents were shown a list of senatorial candidates who have filed their COCs, newcomers Doc Willie Ong (41%) and Erwin Tulfo (40%) topped the survey, alongside Ben ‘Bitag’ Tulfo (33%). Returning senatoriables and re-electionists in the Top 12 include Vicente “Tito” Sotto (38%), Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (38%), Bong Go (35%), Pia Cayetano (33%), Manny Pacquiao (32%), Kiko Pangilinan (30%), Imee Marcos (30%), and Bam Aquino (27%) Bato Dela Rosa (26%).
https://www.publicusasia.com/posts/press%20release/pahayag-senate-preference-survey-bong-go-leads-but-nearly-half-of-voters-open-to-change
Most of those names in the Top 12 are from the incumbent administration’s slate. Kiko and Bam are in it so are Go and Bato. I don’t think Go and Bato will make it this time. Might be wishful thinking on my part but the ongoing EJK probe is giving them ruinous publicity.
I think Bam, Kiko and Heidi are solid candidates. Competence, integrity and character galore.
On the question of Makabayan’s possible alliance with the other left leaning parties to represent an Opposition’s “big tent” party. I am taking a pragmatic approach. Why not? I’ve seen where PH parties have “guest candidates” who are “shared” among numerous parties. Why can’t Bam, Kiko and Heidi be Makabayan’s? (It is a big grassroots coalition and may also help the LP in shedding the “elitist” and “out-of-touch” branding that the DDS and Loyalist labeled them with. They will “touch the grass” so to speak.) And Akbayan can adopt them too.
It’s win win the way I see it, JP. And your example of LP losing its elitism is the “institutional weight” that could encourage the Left to moderate their extreme views. Certainly they will have no future if they keep them. The light will burn fiercely on any nonsense coming from them, in the Senate.
I think its due to witchcraft, JP. 😉
This is my main line of argument against Far Leftists. It confounds them every time:
1.) Perfection is the enemy of the Moral Good
2.) It is easy to be perfect on the Moral Good when one is not trying to actually win
3.) Equivocation is bad. The Lesser of “Two Evils” is better than not winning at all
If I were an extremist of the communist variety, my counter would be.
1. Yes, that’s why our initiatives should not be looked at as moral, but as corrective, on an applied level.
2. We are trying to win cases and recruit sympathizers, not win political campaigns that can only keep privilege and entitlement in place under corrupt democratic practices.
3. We agree which is why we won’t subordinate our efforts to corrupt politics. Our wins are transactional and our success will be found in adding up our wins.
Joe, your argument here makes sense because you’re not a communist! Are you sure you’re not AOC’s father? LCpl might be asking her hand in marriage from you any day now 🤣
If I were younger and living in NYC, Ida been at AOC’s bar several times a week, trying to be casually attractive and occasionally funny.
🤣 💯
“Are you sure you’re not AOC’s father? LCpl might be asking her hand in marriage from you any day now.” Specifically, Nov. 13 cuz she’ll be at the UFO hearing Nancy Mace will be chairing. And if after that day I’m addressing Joe here is Poppa, then you’ll know her answer , Joey. lol.
@Joe, can I ask you more about Carlos Castaneda? Cuz my Carl Jung research (meaning lots of youtube videos watching) is leading me to Carlos Castaneda, which is weird cuz I know aside from my UFO blog you’ve mentioned him quite a few times before, not as much as you mention your Bookie Sal, so I know you think about him. But I don’t really know of him. i mean i’m watching youtube videos now, but what exactly does Carlos Castaneda mean to you. also am searching up Angry Maude in your blog cuz I remember you use to mention her often, and I don’t know exactly what was up with her, was she an alter ego or a commenter or something. Like I have two beloveds one over here and one over there, but I also have like a nemesis namely Hillary. who I really hate. and then theres Mango Ave and there’s MRP who I’ve now been channeling a lot in trying to understand this circus. cuz this Carl Jung guy is really maddening, his archetypes I think are all the above, I’m even remember dreams now which I’ve not been doing for quiet a long time. cuz also Joey was asking why a hate Hillary so much and we’ve already discussed the Arab Spring, but he’s right I do really hate her. so theres deeper stuff going on. trying to divine more stuff for my 5th Inday Sara article, just need to better understand archetypes. thanks.
Carlos Castaneda, as the character in his books, lives in the realm between life and the spiritual envelope that is in all earthly things, often enhanced with drugs. Through him I developed the ability to feel the energy exchange between people, see the faint and colorful auras surrounding trees, and absorb the energy of the earth when walking with hands cupped toward the ground.
Maude arose out of a need to express anger better, in ways that would not shade people’s perception of me as a rational soul. Search “Maude” on the home page and her writings will come up. She was provoked by Senator Sotto’s advocacy of a cybercrime bill that was eventually weaponized against critics of government, including a blogger friend of mine.
MRP was/is a literary artist. He was banned everywhere, and maybe I moderated him for a time, I don’t recall. But the more I read, the more I learned, and the more I appreciated his typewritten art. What a character.
thanks, Joe. this is insightful. I’ve hit a dead end with Castaneda, but a similar thread is Terrence McKenna. ethnobotany. then Bruce Grayson. he studies Near Death Experiences. bumping on to the same stuff. towards Carl Jung’s stuff. the connect to the Philippines i’m still looking for the in.
its not suppose to be like zodiac (pisces, cancer, libra… etc. etc.) but you contain multitudes within stuff, and you’re projecting stuff your conscious from unconscious and to the outside world. trippy shit. so theres back and forth too by individuals projecting their own subconcious to each other wherein things blur chicken or egg ensues. eg. MRP would be jester, you and me remembering his commentary enlivens our jesters. so on and so forth…
reposted for clarity.