What message will work for Left/Libs to win in 2028?
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
The right message can win an election. Duterte won by threatening to climb on a jet-ski to oppose China, and promising to end crime and drugs in six months. Marcos ran on unity and building infrastructure, bringing clarity to the unity message by running with Sara Duterte as VP.
The Left/Liberal Peoples’ Coalition described in previous article here is handicapped by its value system. Leaders are not inclined to lie brazenly as some are inclined to do. Can they develop and deliver a message that matters to the “common Filipino” who has local allegiances and likes movie stars?
Lets consider this. In an earlier writing, I suggested the message needs to be simple and meaningful. I wrote:
____________________
Be FOR something.
- Be FOR using taxpayer money to benefit the people (not the privileged).
- Be FOR competence in solving issues like transportation and inflation.
- Be FOR more jobs and better pay.
- Be FOR firmer action against China.
- Be FOR justice that is fast, fair, and factual.
Don’t run to oppose Marcos as a tax cheat, or dynasties as evil (they aren’t). It doesn’t establish a direction that helps Filipinos.
Give them gifts. Not complaints.
Give them a vision. Don’t add to their misery.
____________________
That is a pretty standard set of messages that can be sharpened into pithy headlines. Five simple statements that can be “emotionalized” to appeal to voters. Anger at the elite, anger about transportation, the belief that more money is coming, anger at China, anger that there are so many people ripping us off.
Piece of cake. Slam dunk.
It has been proposed by TSOH contributor LCX that a homerun issue can win the election. “Free Starlinks for everyone!”
I agree with the concept, but I might look for a different promise that has more relevance to voters who already have internet and might not be wowed by the Starlinks offer. But let me recast a set of messages and open up the discussion for your insights.
- Anger at the privileged
- Anger about transportation
- Promise: more jobs and higher pay
- Anger at China
- Anger that so many are ripping us off
- Homerun promise
What do you think?
_________________________
Cover photo from Arab News article “Philippine protesters rally against Chinese ‘aggression,’ foreign troop presence“.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
An example and anger manangement tool if any.
Anger at the privileged especially those who step on people including trusted friends.
Anger Management tool.
for this to have a calming effect is for the privileged to act like professionals in the work place and their “villages”
2. I am still mad at that very recent news were the LRT1 extension project will be redesigned because another agency must have their way or no hi-way.
Anger management tool.
Inter agency coordination and cooperation to be broadened to inter organizational coordination and cooperation.
3
4
China and the Chinese should be our friends but thy must see us as friends and not pawns, puppies, puppets or even ants.
We should stand up and be proud and not always play a victim, there are many ways to do that and it is never wrong to ask for help, but always have a permanent definition of national interest.
5
Corruption begins at home like charity , forget revenge and bitterness find ways to growth and moving forward by seeking justice, accountability not just by plugging the loopholes but by strengthening the foundations.
I have no overarching pomise, but I love to hear the rest.
Anger is a natural emotion, it comes, it goes, and it can be used to inspire action. Elite do-gooders like Mar Roxas seem to inspire it for just existing, as people vote their angers against elites. Filipinos have real reasons to be angry, and those should be recognized and used to get to ways to “cure” the anger. Like good governance that provides more and better jobs. Positive messages will just bring yawns as voters listen to the biting messages by dynasts, like jet skis and 20 peso rice.
On jobs and pay.
We do manufacture for export and we have a decent service sector but the high turnover rate and attrition makes our professionals who are temps or endos.
Is it an HR admin problem or an individual problem or both.
Like First world the C suite and the almost invisible board gets the highest compensation or remuneration, we have that too.
Our manufacturing should have more value addded components or inputs from the philippines.
If full vertical integration is impossible then have the next best thing which I am still thinking of.
We are losing agriculture land and forests.
Again mining is good but we must not extract our selves dry.
Previous mentioned solutions are landfill mining and reclamation. Vertical farming , fish farming in cities by warehouses and A Land use law.
Joe’s military industrial simplex and the bee fleet is also a gem.
A bit lacking in time at the moment so I’ll make a few observations:
1. High labor turnover is almost always due to three factors — excess labor pool, insufficient salary, less than ideal work conditions
1a. Excess labor pool is bad. I suspect the REAL unemployment rate in the Philippines is much higher than the official numbers, from the many idle young men (and women) I always see “making tambay.” Unemployed workers create unproductive economies, not to mention idleness can lead to societal ills from mental stress to criminal activity. BUT…
1b. Paying workers a pittance means less workers are attracted. Turnover means time wasted in training new workers, on-the-job knowledge from experience lost. Both affect the profits of a business. Pay workers a salary suitable for the market. Workers also spend their salaries locally, which contributes to secondary industries and services in the area.
1c. Investing in working conditions can attract more workers too. Making the job easier and more pleasant to allow more efficiencies equals increased productivity and labor retention. But this is the Philippines where a labandera or haplas factory worker can be hired for a pittance while also being verbally abused…
2. Industrial vertical integration would be a stretch when the Philippines can’t even get the basics right. Let’s start at the bottom and build up. Broad overview goals are good but should be kept broad, with more focused goals targeting what’s needed now to build a foundation. Some ideas:
2a. Mineral wealth and raw materials are currently mostly exported. Start thinking about how to build the next step supply chain. This is the value add, and each step adds more value and thus profits.
2b. e.g. Philippines exports large volumes of copper and nickel, being the world leader in nickel especially. Yet the export is in ore form, barely broken down as roughly crushed ore. Why not start by building ore smelters to process the ore into a form that can be used in let’s say stainless steel, batteries, industrial chemical catalysts? Then move to the next value added step. Copper and nickel can be combined into Cu-Ni alloy which has high corrosion resistance to be used in desalination plant evaporators, which are increasingly needed around the world as natural freshwater sources are becoming scarce.
2c. Philippine iron, coal can be combined to create steel when nickel is added. As of now almost all mined iron is exported to Japan and China for steelmaking. Native Philippine steel industry didn’t even break $60k USD.
3. Agriculture reform, education and mechanization can help lessen the need for imported food. Yes, the Philippines is only about as large as California, but there’s a lot of agricultural land that is mismanaged, which is why forests are being destroyed for more agricultural land as prime land is being converted to subdivisions. This needs to stop. National government needs to direct development towards logical locations that make sense for domestic-international trade networks that can be connected with transport later rather than taking a hands off approach. Vertical farming is interesting but very expensive to implement, making sense mostly in countries that lack agricultural land. A lot of food is wasted to spoilage due to terrible inter-island transport, where each region is basically its own market in terms of goods and foodstuffs with limited shelf life. More fresh food, especially vegetables is better for health, rather than relying on instant and canned foods. Even in large cities like Cebu, it’s a “food desert.”
Unemployment counts only those actively seeking for a job, I do not know how they measure this, is it the number of resumes submitted in job fairs or what.
Tambays are not counted as unemployed
Thanks for filling in the blanks
Yes that’s true that tambays are not included in official unemployment numbers, but workers that can be productive yet are not working are a drain to the economy, either through assistance programs, impeding the growth of their generous remittance-sending relative, and may even contribute to more serious societal ills like criminal activity. Suitable, dignified jobs need to be created in order to provide incentives for tambays, who are really idle potential workers, to enter the labor force. Joe made a point a few months ago that menial, undignified work discourages people from working, and that’s absolutely true. But it’s also true that people who don’t work still need a place to live and food to eat, and perhaps due to the assistance of family members, they are just not that “hungry” enough to work. I’ve been hungry enough that I accepted any job when I was younger despite the menial nature.
More jobs! More dignity of work! Workers’ rights! Simplified requirements that are commensurate to the job responsibility! Internships and OJT that are required to transition to permanent positions rather than using trainees as free labor! Wow, I’m starting to kind of sound like a far-leftist, but to me these measures are just simple common sense. Every day Filipinos have common sense they use everyday in their lives. I wonder if elected leaders have any common sense…
poor tambays, this election 2025, they’ll miss out on AKAP, ayuda para sa mga kapus ang kita: walang trabaho, walang kita, walang ayuda. and if tambays are transitioning from education to job, they’ll still miss AKAP. but as voters, they’ll probly get money on the sly. as henchmen and hecklers they are much needed to intimidate house to house campaigners and run them out of premises. and if them tambays have previously studied IT, then election is their oyster and can command their own price.
That’s probably true KB. Still I think tambays can be put to good work if the salary is sufficient. A lot of tambays are boys doted on by their mothers, who often give allowance past the young man’s 30s. A more productive society is a good thing, but work also needs to be fulfilling, or at least not be plain drudgery.
to me, paypacket always make work fulfilling. work offers structure to one’s day, something to wake up to every morning, instead of sleeping all day. but work is often boring, repetitive, predictable and hours are long. the upside of a boring work is that coworkers make good friends and offer good social network, sort of equalize a very boring job. and christmas bonuses and 13months pay are always something to look forward to.
those who dont like work, no salary is going to be sufficient, ever. and many of them cannot hold down a job: lacks the mojo, the attitude as well as perseverance.
in philippines, not everyone can get a job. there are just so many graduates and not enough vacancies. and it’s sort of self deflating, so a fallacy is maybe invented that the salary offered is insufficient. better be tambay than be paid peanuts! ah, sourgrapping.
Your mention of desalination and minerals made me thought of something.
I used peplexity to have a lightbulb enlighten.
Overview of Mineral Recovery from Wastewater and Brine
The extraction of minerals from wastewater and brine has gained significant attention as a sustainable approach to resource recovery and environmental management. This process transforms saline waste—often regarded as an environmental liability—into valuable resources, including critical minerals essential for various industries. Sources of Brine and Wastewater
Brine and wastewater can originate from multiple sources, including:
Techniques for Mineral Recovery
The recovery of minerals from brine involves several innovative techniques:
Environmental and Economic Benefits
The process of brine mining not only addresses the challenges posed by high salinity wastewater but also promotes environmental sustainability through:
In conclusion, the innovative extraction of minerals from wastewater and brine presents a promising avenue for addressing both resource scarcity and environmental degradation. As research continues to advance in this field, the potential for sustainable practices in mineral recovery will likely expand further.
Citations:[1] https://research.engr.oregonstate.edu/brineminers/home%5B2%5D https://today.tamu.edu/2024/01/23/mining-the-treasures-locked-away-in-produced-water/%5B3%5D https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/turning-waste-wealth-brine-mining-green-solution-charisiadis%5B4%5D https://e360.yale.edu/features/desalination-saltwater-brine-mining%5B5%5D https://hollandcircularhotspot.nl/case/zero-brine-from-industrial-saline-waste-water-to-clean-water-and-minerals/
I’m not an expert on this, so this is just my general knowledge after being part of an activist group fighting against building a local desalination plant blocking the ocean view, which would’ve sold the desalinated water across state lines rather than using it locally.
Indeed industrial “waste” byproducts can often be reclaimed then transformed into new inputs for other manufacturing processes, some that can be integrated horizontally where in your example a large desalination plant using multi-state flash (MSF) can have beside it brine concentrators for reclamation, then processing plants for the recovered valuable metals to create a more easily transportable form such as ingots. It would also be good to locate a power plant nearby as well to provide electricity, with excess electricity not used for the industrial processes being transmitted for residential-commercial usage on high-voltage grids (that the Philippines doesn’t really have yet).
Another idea of mine is landfill combined with a materials recovery facility, combined with a refused derived fuel facility, a waste to energy facility, and a cement factory.
Concrete waste, Demolition waste, plastic waste can be inputs for cement manufacturing.
Here is what perplexity thinks of my idea.
The concept of integrating various waste management facilities—such as a landfill, materials recovery facility (MRF), refuse-derived fuel (RDF) facility, waste-to-energy (WtE) plant, and cement factory—can significantly enhance resource recovery and sustainability in waste management. Here’s an overview of how these components can work together effectively.Integrated Waste Management Facility Components
Landfill:
Serves as a last resort for waste that cannot be processed or recycled.
Proper management can extend its lifespan by reducing the volume of waste sent to it.
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF):
Focuses on sorting and recycling materials from mixed municipal solid waste (MSW).
Advanced sorting technologies can recover recyclables such as metals, glass, and plastics, reducing the amount of waste directed to landfills[1][3].
Refuse-Derived Fuel Facility:
Converts non-recyclable waste into RDF, which can be used as an alternative fuel source.
This process reduces dependency on fossil fuels in energy-intensive industries like cement manufacturing[2][6].
Waste-to-Energy Facility:
Incinerates waste to generate electricity and heat, providing a dual benefit of energy recovery and volume reduction of waste.
Facilities designed with modern technologies can minimize emissions and maximize energy output[3][5].
Cement Factory:
Utilizes waste materials, including concrete and demolition debris, as alternative raw materials or fuels in cement production.
The incorporation of RDF and other wastes helps reduce the carbon footprint of cement manufacturing while conserving natural resources[2][6][8].
Benefits of Integration
Resource Recovery: By combining these facilities, a significant portion of waste can be diverted from landfills, maximizing the recovery of materials and energy.
Sustainability: Integrating these systems aligns with circular economy principles, where waste is viewed as a resource rather than a burden. The use of alternative fuels in cement production lowers greenhouse gas emissions and conserves fossil fuel reserves[2][4].
Economic Efficiency: Utilizing waste as an input for energy generation or material production can lower operational costs for industries while providing communities with sustainable waste management solutions[6][7].
Challenges
Technical Complexity: Designing an integrated facility requires advanced technology and careful planning to ensure that all components work synergistically.
Regulatory Compliance: Navigating environmental regulations for emissions and waste management can be complex and requires ongoing monitoring and reporting.
Conclusion
The integration of landfill operations with MRFs, RDF facilities, WtE plants, and cement factories presents a comprehensive approach to managing municipal solid waste. This model not only enhances resource recovery but also contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing landfill reliance and promoting the use of alternative fuels in industrial processes.
Citations:[1] https://iwmfhk.com/en/%5B2%5D https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/meq-01-2015-0012/full/html%5B3%5D https://www.bv.com/projects/integrated-waste-management-facility-to-set-new-global-standards%5B4%5D https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/659991/waste-energy-age-circular-economy-compendium.pdf%5B5%5D https://www.ramboll.com/projects/energy/singapore-integrated-waste-management-facility%5B6%5D https://www.republiccement.com/post/republic-cement-offers-sustainable-solution-to-plastic-waste-problem%5B7%5D https://aim2flourish.com/innovations/sustainable-integrated-waste-management-facility%5B8%5D https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304742760_Utilization_of_Refuse-Derived_Fuel_RDF_from_Urban_Waste_as_an_Alternative_Fuel_for_Cement_Factory_a_Case_Study%5B9%5D https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/waste-management/waste-management-infrastructure/integrated-waste-management-facility
I think landfill reclamation is excellent and also necessary in a world that faces both climate change and increasing difficulty to extract minerals as the most easily exploited surface resources have already been exhausted. But I would caution that this technology is extremely labor intensive as it currently stands, which is why it has only been implemented sparingly in the West due to cost. Once the materials are sorted though, the extraction process is rather uncomplicated and involves using hydrometallurgy (dissolving in acid bath/alkali leachate -> extraction via solvents -> precipitation to separate the recovered metals from the solvent -> concentration into a usable form).
Automated “AI” sorting might help but camera vision still sucks and requires a lot of GPU horsepower for inference, GPUs of which are in high-demand and expensive. Perhaps landfill extraction can be more economically viable in the Philippines where labor is cheap, but not sure if Filipinos would be willing to be work at near-minimum salary doing manual labor sorting waste. Then you’d have to deal with all the Pinoy titos that seem to protectively hoard broken gadgets and electronics, never having time to fix it for resale, hah!
There is always Wall-E.
Maybe one day it would be feasible to make am integrated waste management facility.
But not for all clised landfills.
Others can be converted fir other industrial or residential purposes.
Of course a thorough land remediation process had to be done.
Main problem currently us the junk shops limits what can be recycled and go to the landfills.
Cause oriented groups can only entice a few at least for now.
Livelihood projects like Ecobricks, WPC, engineered wood, etc
Plama gasificatiom should ne made realistic. Over half a century of trial and error, still resulting to error.
All great ideas! Probably still difficult to implement though as these technologies are still not widely deployed in the West due to cost and practicality. I also have concerns after experiencing and working in Smokey Mountain back in the day before Tondo was re-developed that the very urban poor would end up being the faceless workers sorting the waste.
A lot of the issues that are to be solved by such technologies is in solution to the problem of excess waste generation. Certainly here in the US, us Americans in our consumer society generate a lot of waste that goes to landfills. There isn’t much willpower for consumers to be more conscious with what they consume, though I would argue that if consumers were given better choices they would create less waste in the first place. Choices such as less waste generated in packaging, takeout plastic bags and plastic utensils, products that last longer and are better made instead of designed to be “throwaway.” In the Philippines where convenience is king there is a huge problem with consumables and disposables. Filipinos thoughtlessly spit chewing gum, throw their plastic bags and fast food wrappers on the sidewalk and road. Urban rivers are heavily polluted, as are many local beaches in more heavily populated areas. Often there is no cleanup effort unless a place is a tourist attraction. So I would start with targeting that behavior by giving less choices to discard or pollute to begin with.
I’m actually very fascinated in all of these possibilities you’re sharing here in our thread. In the Ano RTS game series I usually play as a high-tech Eco nation. I think in an ideal world where we respect nature and respect each other these practices would be standard. But sadly we don’t live in an ideal world where everyone is conscious of their own actions so it’s the job of government to implement regulations and laws to limit the chance of waste.
“Start thinking about how to build the next step supply chain. This is the value add, and each step adds more value and thus profits.”
Superb way to attack the problem, step by step. I doubt that DTI thinks in these terms.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/18/vp-leni-wants-to-prop-up-blue-industries-says-ph-can-be-leading-maritime-power/ VP Leni does and had a solid program (can’t find the detailed breakdown anymore though) and these were just the blue industries:
“Presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, Nov. 18, said she plans to pour investments in “blue” industries if she wins the presidency, adding that the country can become “a leading maritime power.”
Blue industries refer to shipbuilding, aquaculture, and maritime transport.
“Combined with our strategic location, we have the potential to become a leading maritime power. This sector has huge employment potential in the country, and this is something that our government will really tap into,” she said during the question-and-answer segment of the Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E) Presidentiables’ Forum..”
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1574337/no-disrespect-robredo-has-clear-plans-for-seafarers-to-become-global-maritime-force-says-trillanes what spread around was that she had insulted Filipino seamen:
“MANILA, Philippines — Amid circulating accusations online, former senator and reelectionist Antonio Trillanes IV urged Filipino seafarers to listen to Vice President Leni Robredo’s sentiments on the maritime industry.
According to Trillanes, Robredo’s plans are already “aligned with the industry’s navigational map.”
The reelectionist said this after Robredo discussed her vision of turning the Philippines into a maritime power by boosting the shipping industry during the recent online forum with the Filipino Shipping Association (FSA) on March 7.
Trillanes said it was even reviewed by industry leaders, experts and seafarers, “and were the ones who gave the inputs.”..”
———
THE QUESTION IS: how does one get whatever message across to the Filipino public in these weird times? Times in which people might just, Senator Bato style, say what do we care about those expert-experts?
Meaning I don’t have an answer on slogans, still a bit lost here, and yes, the Starbucks Pinks and praying yellows were not there to defend the VP only Sir Trillanes, most noble Knight – but well maybe delightfully optimistic kb will come up with something for 2028..
I’d never heard of her blue industries initiative so clearly it was not resonating with news and on-line chatterers. I’d tie it to anger against China, as a prideful way to own and control our waters.
In the recent movie Kingdom, the (never colonized) Kingdom of Kalayaan is ruled by a Lakan (king) played by Vic Sotto and “rules the seas.”
Certainly, control of the waters is a message that can resonate.
Ah, yes. It would resonate with me for sure.
I do not enjoy movies like The Kingdom that have nationalistic undertones and creates an alternate reality that would’ve been impossible to exist anyway. Perhaps if the Philippines had figured things out better over the years and emerged as a modern industrialized nation then movies like this can be harmless. I noticed some in the Twitterverse claim comparison to The Kingdom being the Philippines’ Wakanda from the Black Panther movies, which is definitely the wrong take on what the Black Panther movies meant symbolically to African Americans. It’s just my personal opinion, but a lot of Filipinos are going to take home the wrong message from The Kingdom, adding to resentments they already have that they can’t quite put their finger on. Just like they did after watching Heneral Luna, another movie that I didn’t like (I didn’t like the sequel either).
I am harping on The Kingdom as it is an indicator of the present Zeitgeist, aka spirit of the times in the Philippines. Or at least what some want it to be. It looks like the colonialism discourse from academe has trickled down and watered down to the public in very detrimental ways, not for the first time as the simplistic conclusion some had from Heneral Luna that a dictator is needed was wrong. Aguinaldo was also a dictator. There is a lot more, of course.
Sure, the Lakan’s sister is set to marry the Thai King or someone similar, but the contrast between the Kingdom of Kalayaan (super reactionary with tribal justice retained in a modern setting I gather from reviews) and the Thai Kingdom which Mongkut started to reform, adopting Western best practices since the 19th century, could not be greater. Of course, some or many Filipinos will conclude that all the kanluranin stuff like human rights can be scrapped, and of course, the only question left will be which family supplies the Lakan, ahem President.
More religiously conservative Filipinos have often complained within earshot that the biggest sin of Filipinos is Lust, but I would empathetically disagree. The biggest sin most Filipinos commit almost every day in varying degrees of severity is, I think, PRIDE. From Pride derives the other Cardinal Sins: GREED, WRATH, ENVY, LUST, GLUTTONY, and SLOTH. But if I considered what is the second biggest sin most Filipinos commit, that would be Envy.
With Pride, there is a lack of hubris, even to the point of needing to invent fantasies to boost one’s self up artificially. I consider many of the grossly embellished stories of pre-colonial, Revolutionary, and post-Revolutionary supposed “greatness” to come from Pride. The problem with even embellishments is that repeated often enough, others believe it, and indeed the teller may believe their own stories.
Then we have Envy, where I often feel like many Filipinos envied each other, envied other countries, yet either don’t know how to raise themselves to the same level or just plain don’t want to put in the hard work. So then it goes back to Pride where inventions need to be created to provide reasons and excuses why one is held back.
The colonialism excuse was always that, just an excuse. So was belittling other countries who are now getting ahead while the Philippines stands still. Now we are getting at hints of why I really dislike Joma’s weaving of simplistic fantasies and his disciples, and therefore dislike Makabayan. They are just the descendants of the “other side of the coin” from the Revolutionary era, like Aguinaldo.
When are Filipinos going to learn to just trust and love themselves? There are many aspects of Filipinos across all ethnic groups I’ve encountered that are really great and to be proud of: hard work, caring for family and friends, caring for even strangers, a willingness to survive no matter the odds, and so on. Those should form the basis of Filipino pride, not envying others. But if Filipinos are up for a challenge, it is absolutely right to use comparisons as a goal marker as if in a friendly competition.
Re: Mongkut of Siam. Siam was a quite weak state at the time, and if there was an “alternate history” where rival factions in the Nguyen court didn’t kill each other off in a palace civil war right when Dai Viet’s biggest rival Burma became weak following the death of a capable king and commander, quite possibly Vietnam would’ve stretched across present-day Cambodia, Laos all the way to Myanmar. Possibly even Thailand. Mongkut knew Siam was weak so he had the humility to think of alternative strategies to avoid both Vietnamese and European influence. Then the European powers came just at the most opportune time when Dai Viet was weak, and so the Vietnamese sphere of influence became French Indochina as the Nguyen dynasty essentially had lost all the most capable generals. The result was that Siam was the only SEA country that escaped outright colonial conquest.
PS, I still believe for that the Philippine colonialism discourse is strongly influenced, or at least is strongly flavored, by US colonialism discourse occurring in those tiny liberal arts colleges I mentioned. The US has a strong tradition of small liberal arts institutions that started off as “normal schools” for training teachers or as agricultural colleges. I don’t think any other country has comparable small institutions like the US. Over time the more economically diverse student bodies became mostly legacy students of prior classes. The legacy students are mostly upper middle class as they can afford the tuition that often approaches Ivy level tuition fees. Being affluent and never having to struggle in life, they adopted fantasies of struggle (for a while in the 2000s-2010s “struggle sessions” to “understand the marginalized” who they definitely did not invite to their mostly-White meetings were a thing). These students were also very active on Twitter and many took it upon themselves to travel to other “marginalized” countries taking on the White Savior role, including the Philippines, to “help” by giving lectures to students at local universities. Similarly second and third rate rappers and basketball players completely unknown in the US are regularly feted in the Philippines because those young Filipinos feel “noticed.” Just a toxic mess.
Filipino Pride Chicken is a result of low self-esteem. Self-esteem is necessary, but if one lacks it, the “poser attitude” results, and blaming others. Thus, I am an advocate of Filipino self-esteem. Yes, admire those who make it through hard work on their craft even if they are “just” boxers, singers, or athletes but also try to emulate what they did right. Be like Pacquiao when he trained with Roach but not like Pacquiao when he slacked off and was a lazy Senator.
Tech innovators like Dado Banatao or scientists like Mahar Lagmay get less admiration and are even less emulated probably because many see what they do as “magic,” aka unreachable.
Filipino envy, aka crab mentality, is a huge and scary green monster at times.
African Americans had this debate after the American Civil War. In the Reconstruction years where there was room for growing African American intellectualism, emancipated gravitated towards one of two intellectuals on the question of advancing their communities economically and politically: Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. Washington advocated for newly free men to become a skilled working class and to enter entertainment (including sports), as many former slaves already had those skills. Douglass advocated for the power of education through college in order to be on the same level as White elites, giving the ability to agitate for reforms. Washington’s argument won out in the end, especially after African Americans saw what happened to the “Black Wall Streets” being destroyed by the reactionary South.
There’s no doubt that African Americans have contributed greatly to American culture both in the US and exported around the world. Most of American popular culture has its origins in African American culture, just “diluted for the White man.” In American sports, music, the arts, African Americans are often over represented given their population size. But recent examples of “shut up and keep dribbling” from outraged White fans illustrates, the approach ended up being wrong as it created a glass ceiling that is nearly impossible to crack when entering the C-Suite or higher government positions both elected and unelected.
For the last decades there has been a healthy debate in the African American intellectual community on Washington and Douglass’ approaches. Both men’s intellectual ideas had merit, though many are starting to argue that it was a mistake to emphasize blue collar work and entertainment instead of white collar and government. After all, C-Suite suits and government officials are the ones who hold the real power to implement change.
Of course I think it would be great for Filipinos to pursue entertainment and sports if that is where their talent lies. However, to truly succeed in entertainment and sports requires something only a fraction of people are born with — innate talent. Whereas in areas of business and government, physical prowess needed for sports and genius needed for music are not hard requirements, so there are just many more people who can succeed in these roles. Both approaches by Washington and Douglass required hard work and dedication, so that’s a given if one wants to attain success as nothing is a given in life.
I recognize the problem with Filipinos not admiring science, tech and business innovators as much as elevating superstars in sports or the arts. So there just needs to be found a way to change that mindset by elevating role models that children can aspire to become one day.
I did see sports and entertainment as a way to inspire, especially DE, to see that hard work can lead to success, but the catch is indeed talent, which would be a form of “suwerte” again for many, something they can’t really work on. Education would have to be made more accessible to DE, though, for them to admire STEM and business people. And knowledge about how money works taught in school already, because I remember the days when making money in the UP world I grew up in was also almost a form of “magic” only Inglesero Atenistas possessed. 😉
For sure, sports and entertainment should not be discounted for those with talent who are willing to work hard.
I think a three-prong approach would work:
1. 70% better K-12 general education
2. 25% more accessible college for those who want it
3. 5% sports and arts academies
Of course there needs to be a national policy to actually fund and take guide such a new direction. The key is to shake off the Filipino “how to bypass” mentality of thinking *they* can cut the line and get into positions they are not qualified for, because that’s how they see others with connections do it. Open opportunities to gain qualification for those who actually are willing to do the hard work. Everyone else should be afforded as many blue collar manufacturing jobs with excellent salaries as possible. There will always be some who remain service workers; can’t save everyone but the goal is to help as many as possible. The thinking in the last decades of being able to bypass industrialization just because there were relicts of American post-war industrial investment still in operation is done and over with as those relicts have now rotten or become outdated without refurbishment. It’s going to feel like it sucks for Filipinos to come to grips with reality, and actually do the hard work of building, especially in a country where the majority’s consciousness lives in fantasies of being the next one to make it big. It’s doable however, if people’s mindsets can be changed.
Setting aside resentment turned into opportunities and African-Americans for a while and moving to tech.
Wakanda Tech
So far Africa has the size and capacity to make use of China’s tech transfer.
Ghana has been the dumping ground of e-wastes for decades, though they started as pirating sensitive corporate and individual data, they can level upon their ethics and make this worthwhile by being the leader in rare earth recovery.
All the resource recovery I mentioned in this thread can be done faster in Africa than the Philippines.
China’s advancement in robotics can realize the Wall-E stuff that I mentioned in Africa.
As to the Philippine’s bucket on the ocean contributions to tech.
We managed to manufacture Cell Phones and laptops but are made in China, at least they allowed it to have Filipino ownership for now.
I’m very sad to report that in my own on-the-ground experiences, the African countries that are hungry for advancement are making big efforts towards that goal by whatever means necessary. I do worry about some African nations that are dictatorships or juntas aligning more closely with PRC and Russia, but the reasons are the same as why Duterte did the same; corruption doesn’t like accountability and corrupt leaders need dirty money they can skim off of. There are African nations that are working closely with the US, Canada and EU though like Kenya, Nigeria who have been able to advance quite a bit. Back to the Philippines I’m not sure if the successive governments are hungry enough for advancement. Maybe if they can get it for cheap or free, built by others with others’ money. Living as a beggar is not a very good plan of action to say the least. The Filipino people deserve better than that.
Another Exactacisely from me. Yes i7sharp, unless sued by the humpty humpty dictionary which is open source, I declare coinship.
Ah I recall Leni’s Blue Industries proposal and the fake controversy that arose from it. My private take on the political hullabaloo at the time was to remark something along the lines of that Leni’s opponents indignantly exclaimed “We love taking orders working in the lowest positions!” rather than Leni’s proposal of creating more sea captains and marine engineers to level up Filipinos. Pretty much encapsulates on of the biggest problems of small-mindedness that can often occur there.
The opposition needs to learn though, that in persuasion delivery matters too. Policy papers and more detailed plans can still be shared of course by the campaign to those who care to read it, but everything else should follow the “KISS” principle. So for example I can reformulate Leni’s plan to a simple “Filipinos are the best seamen in the world and we should be captains and engineers as well!” A simple message that boosts what Filipinos already know they are proud of, and plants a “seed of possibility” for people to think that hmm perhaps Filipinos should start asking for more.
Agree. Simple, and keyed to emotions. And sense, in the explanation. It is a headline culture. Give voters good ones.
Notice who was capturing headlines in Philippine newspapers. It was Duterte’s antics and Marcos Jr.’s PR team. But the problem is not just headline culture, but worse as headline implies that people still read. With the DE’s I meet, if they’re 40-ish or older they are basically illiterate as most have only completed elementary school, while the younger ones are glued to gadgets. The opposition can’t depend putting out good stories in the major Philippine newspapers or going on GMA. The opposition needs to generate viral moments that fit into 15-30 second video clips that can be blasted across social media. It’s an unfortunate place we find ourselves in where MORE information ironically resulted in people retaining LESS information due to being overwhelmed, but not being able to adapt to the times put the Left in this predicament to begin with.
Yes indeed. I think Leni Robredo assumed people would grasp her goodness and intellectual reason, but they spend their on-line time surfing the waves of gossip, conspiracy, and fame-watching. It’s a language. Opposition candidates need to learn how to speak it.
I wouldn’t place too much blame solely on Leni’s shoulders. She is after all, one person. If anyone, I’d place the blame on the campaign advisors and organizers as those are hired positions that are supposed to provide good advice. After all, an executive is in a sense a manager, and without good advice managers can’t make good decisions. The best PR teams and organizers seem to have joined Duterte and Marcos Jr.’s campaigns. Now, I’m sure most of them are actually secret liberals, so I’m not sure if they agreed to work for money or not. In any case, the opposition needs to bring in much better advisors and organizers who can “translate” the message into what each group and sub-group “understands,” then propagate that across the spectrum.
I put it on her because she is the decision maker who started campaigning late and was one-dimensional. The only power-voice on her team that I know of was Atty Gutierrez.
The rumor I was told is that Barry Gutierrez and VP Leni’s campaign manager Bam Aquino were pretty much at loggerheads.
I see. I forgot about Bam. If I were to assign a one-word description, in would be impotent.
That’s fair. The manager or executive is the one choosing the advisors after all. There seems to be a distinct lack of decent political consultants in the Philippines who are willing to work for the left. I suspect it may come down to as simple as a function of money, or the lack thereof, to pay them.
Ah, yes, I’d say you are spot on.
Well having effective managers, advisors, organizers, and how to pay them if needed probably needs to be added to a list of what is needed to have a fighting chance. I don’t think many DE Filipinos watch the news anymore, and as for newspapers that’s always been a middle class and up practice. There’s less possibility for traditional media coverage to break through today, and the left needs to adapt.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/who-is-behind-bicol-news-pages-attacking-villafuerte-rivals/
this is what is being done in the social media: newscasters that pretended to be legitimate: attacking rival candidates and having thousands of followers who are mostly young voters, trustful and have no idea the news they are reading turned to be disinformation (deliberate) and very much misleading. and no one can make said newscasters accountable coz they’re bogus, faceless and cannot be reached.
Local journalism, especially radio, is a risky business. There is no safe ground of objectivity between warring political factions.
Creating fake online newspapers and news feeds is a favorite tactic of the Russians used effectively in the 2016 US Elections. The PRC has jumped on the bandwagon as well in 2022/2024, further confusing the US media landscape by utilizing their United Front organizations as well that are ostensibly “anti-communist.” My guess is the Philippines is still being used as a testing ground by the Russians and Chinese, like it was back in 2016. Concerning that now local Philippine politicians are copying the tactic, but that has occurred in the US too with fake news pages created by shadow dark money groups connected to the oil lobby. In a world where there are endless fire hoses of information, how are citizens expected to be able to discern every single scrap of information they see for truthfulness? Clearly there needs to be government regulation, public disclosure requirements and investigation by NBI if there are foreign actors involved. Citizens still hunger for news, but don’t want to pay for online news. When I had long stays in the Philippines I would read the Inquirer, Cebu Daily News and BW daily from the newsstand. News media need to figure out new ways to generate revenue. P20 is a lot harder to collect online.
if they left/libs were to have better fighting chance in election 2028, they would need to have a multi-prong approach with stronger social media presence complete with fact checkers and more of them. again, they will be the biggest target of all kinds of misinformation 24/7, if they can trade barbs for barbs so much the better.
campaigns are good but meeting people face to face is not enough, spending big on hiring social venues and halls and going place to place are both expensive and time consuming and must be made to pay for extra socmed coverage, more coverage pls. catchy and alluring, never shy of publicity. have fun.
people are forever checking their phones now, heads down and engaging. so engage then and be always on the lookout for chances to ply their campaign, to air their slogan, to convince more voters to vote for them, and to further their winning streak!
election time is not time to be passive.
Wise words.
For two general election cycles already the battles are playing out on social media. The side that can generate positive viral moments will win, but negativity from the other side should not be ignored. With FB shutting down its paid third party fact checkers, I presume Rappler will have less funding for fact checking efforts. Anyway these things should really be part of the campaign apparatus, yet the Left treats campaigns like a SHS student election where slogans with no follow-up are enough. There need to be more surrogates that understand various constituencies. Campaigns need to talk to voters directly, because I think many would be happy to talk about what problems they are facing. The old fashioned “I know what’s best for you” doesn’t work anymore when people are more consume more information, good or bad. Find out what people think they need, and from that a common thread can be tugged on. It’s much easier to sway someone face-to-face than through traditional media.
in 2016 election, cambridge analytica apparently approached mar roxas but mar was reportedly not interested in ‘shady deals’ but duterte allegedly was, and cambridge analytica lent its services to duterte.
duterte won the presidency and mar roxas lost.
in 2022 election, bong marcos was apparently the biggest beneficiary of misinformation, leni the biggest target. marcos won and leni lost.
my guess would be online misinformation is a big contributing factor and will play a big role this coming local election 2025. if not arrested or nip soonest, misinformation will be spread widely, freely discussed in karenderyas and street corners all over the country. and as people like to talk during election time, dishing candidates and praising others, misinformation will do its worst.
candidates targeted with misinformation ought to have people working solely on their behalf, fighting misinformation vis a vis. or risk putting to waste their hard fought campaign.
I think the opposition misjudges the amount of effort and money that went into the Duterte social media campaign, they think a few tweets and FB posts is using social media. No, a pyramid structure of paid influencers and massive group-building is a campaign.
The Philippines government needs to start thinking about these problems and how to fit the puzzle pieces together rather than being so focused on the end goal to emulate more advanced countries that they throw their hands up in defeat when they are frustrated by the initial steps. It’s like trying to build a roof before the house is built, indeed even the foundation is built. Figure out the logical outlines of what is desired, don’t worry so much about the blank spaces connecting steps aside from ensuring the steps indeed connect, then start at the bottom and build up. I’ve read a few DTI reports, enough anyway to know that just like other departments DTI loves to spend all its time and resources on writing immense reports with beautiful PowerPoints and diagrams. They just forgot to include the step-by-step process of how they actually propose to tackle the problem. It may just be me, but Philippine government reports seem more like proposals from startup companies, many of which don’t have very well-formed or even good ideas, trying to attract venture capital. Well, in this case, FDI and foreign grants. Many startups fail because they were built around badly reasoned ideas to begin with.
So just like the Nike slogan: “Just do it.” Only by gaining experience and knowledge from the baby steps can one level up to a higher standing. Instead of being discouraged by failures, failures can become lessons learned if the lesson and practical solutions to solve the failure are disseminated across government and private business. I guess it’s just easier to do nothing when there is no sense of urgency.
“Failures can become lessons learned”
One look at how the Filipino middle-class public treated PNoy and Mar Roxas shows how hard it is to establish that mindset over there. There is also the mindset of many a Filipino boss who will look for culprits instead of trying to have lessons learned, so employees learn a mindset of not daring anything. And in many a social setting over there, mistakes you got caught doing and especially admitted earn you a permanent stigma of incompetence, I am sure you have heard of the 11th (don’t get caught) and 12th commandment (never admit) of the Philippines.
There is more interest in face than in truth and results among many, and if that culture doesn’t change, the misery will continue.
The middle-class that ridiculed PNoy and Roxas are the “new” middle-class though, essentially the Filipino version of nouveau riche propelled up from the masa by new job sectors or small business. By official definition, the middle-class starts at 25K/mo, a precarious position to be in. Being ascendant from their original DE brethren, they still privately keep a lot of DE sometimes crude mannerisms and habits even if in public they may be polite or deferential (just like DE’s). What I think really changed things was the introduction of cheaper smartphones in the form of Chinese imports and coinciding with FB Free. People can be a lot more rude and extreme online than in person… they can’t see the face and pained reactions of the person they are abusing after all, losing a chance for human empathy. When one spends too much time in echo chambers the negative message just gets reinforced. LP was too slow to take advantage of the new virtual political arena, preferring to stick with established networks and newspapers, so it’s not a surprise LP got outflanked. Instead of silo’ing themselves the Left needs to learn how to “speak the language” of the people, starting with the masa. That’s the only way. Has the Left learned from their mistakes yet? I tend to think they have not…
A lot of my high school classmates who were already middle-class in the 1980s also ridiculed PNoy and Mar Roxas. Some had even been at EDSA (or claimed to have been) in 1986 and said, “Yellow has betrayed the Philippines.” Some shook the Duterte fist online when they wrote about tanim-bala or traffic on FB. There were also, according to MLQ3, many doctors who hated PNoy because Kim Henares tightened up tax collection.
Re the new middle class having been fake deferential before, my father used to call the behavior of some Filipino migrants “not representative” but I was not surprised at how the new middle class behaved when (similar to the migrant context when the fear of “elitists” was gone) social media enabled them to show their real behavior. BTW, Prof. Vicente Rafael mentioned how Filipinos during the Revolution who had been previously deferential to Spanish friars openly insulted them on the street. Similar mechanisms if you ask me.
Perhaps it was those old classmates of yours were the ones who had betrayed the spirit and principles of EDSA when they chose a crude politician with clear dictatorial tendencies as a salve for whatever their own pent up resentments were by 2016. As I get older too, I chuckle a bit when I think of all the older people I once had unquestioning respect for, only to realize later after bouts of frustration that indeed the capacity for unformed thinking and immature worldviews closing off the mind may be the true “age is but a number” I hear often in the Philippines. After all, it’s much more easy and exhilarating to march in the streets, feeling a bit rebellious even, than it is roll-up sleeves and do the hard work of governing. How many movements have we seen throughout recent history where a multitude seemed to show up to partake in mass euphoria during marches and rallies, only to not even do the bare minimum duty of a citizen which is to vote, while the other side that seems to lack public energy votes quietly in droves. No, I believe if one is to demand a victor’s recognition, one must also be prepared to accept the blame of failure…
On the new middle class’s crudeness. The new middle class is still too young where most don’t have children of adult age yet. No doubt as time goes on their children and grandchildren will become more refined in manner, just like the old middle class had also arrived at that refined state decades prior. We are born blank slates and only know what is around us. But yes, the less educated, informed and exposed one is the higher the likelihood to be susceptible to malevolent populists attempting to harness inner resentments whatever those may be to point fingers and say “here is your enemy.” Come to think about it, in Tagalog and Cebuano alone, how many words exist to describe: power, enemy, opponent, rival? Quite a few for such simple ideas. Perhaps resentments and rivalries are an integral part of Filipino culture all along, and was masked by facades of Westernized civility.
“Perhaps resentments and rivalries are an integral part of Filipino culture all along, and was masked by facades of Westernized civility.”
My my, you do come up with some gems. I’d grant you license to remove the “perhaps” and my full-blooded Filipina wife would as well.
I’ve been conditioned by a liberal education and decades of corporate culture to use preceding conditionals, heh!
This joeam classic is about pride and envy, aka face and power:
Gadzooks, I’ve done a lot of studying and reaching for understandings. I enjoyed the re-read. Thanks for digging it out.
Welcome. I am just preparing The Scripture for the coming Dark Ages, out of which the Philippines shall emerge as The New Zion. More:
And the following article is NOT what LCPL_X thinks it is:
It is also not about seamen eating Jolibee on National Heroes Day. Or about hero sandwiches with pride chicken in them.
That was a good read. Not many Westerners take the time to understand another culture and society. I myself had to slow down, re-adjust, and become a listener in order to understand the cultures I enjoy in various countries.
For each seaman who stood firm, I say “Nice going, dude! Thanks for representing our human potential better than that chicken-shit captain. Have a drink on me!”
I think search and rescue stories are ripe with psionic stuff. same with shtf scenarios. there’s a lot of “i just knew; i don’t know how I ‘knew’ “. Get all of UP campuses and state colleges in the Philippines to focus on how that “knowledge” happens, you’ll be 10 steps ahead of first world nations already.
Totally agree. Be the Philippines. Be smart.
The Philippines needs to be just do it like Nike and be smart while doing it. I’m going to cheer lead American business all day long in terms of American soft power, but I’m in complete disbelief and amazement at how Indonesia has parlayed a VOLUNTARY Apple commitment to invest $10M into developer academies into an increase to fund software engineer/developer training at $100M, then a $1B commitment to build Apple manufacturing in Indonesia. As the saga currently stands, Indonesia might be able to push for an additional $1B, to bring the total Apple investment to $2B USD. All in a country that currently has ZERO Apple manufacturing. Simply amazing hardball by Indonesia that knows the value its country can bring to the table. Of course Indonesia will support the effort by facilitating permits on their end to speed things up. This is how playing for keeps looks like, and the Philippines should be taking notes. Or did politicians fall asleep during class again?
My guess is that Filipinos will in the majority ignore Indonesia and what they are doing right, for instance, their Mikrotrans system in Jakarta, solving issues similar to those jeepney modernization tries to solve in the Philippines. They might not say it out loud anymore, dahil baka takot silang mapahiya, but they might still think “mga mukhang katulong at drayber lang sila” while Java has gotten its Chinese-built speed train and Dutz’ Mindanao train: WALEY. They won’t be as brash anymore as some Filipino DIPLOMATS (IKR) who said “puro bisikleta lang sila sa Vietnam” in the 1990s as Vietnam is clearly overtaking the Philippines now.
Filipinos will by and large ignore the advance of neighbors due to the outward superiority complex that had been fostered since after Rizal, which is really a cover up for feelings of long-internalized inferiority that must’ve existed long before the Spanish even arrived in ancient barangic power dynamics. A form of face saving to preserve the personal ego and by extension the national ego. Best to shut one’s eyes and cover one’s ears, what can’t be seen or heard surely doesn’t exist.
I have mused from time to time that other SEA nations are simply reclaiming their historical positions after a period of national hardship. After all, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam had unified states with a strong national identity long ago, in some cases going back to before recorded history in Asia. We might even see Cambodia rise again before the Philippines gets its act together, that is if Cambodia can get away from the clutches of the PRC. It’s much easier to rebuild a house that had burned down if the foundation is intact.
Just like her beloved teleseryes, the Philippines has a “MC Complex” to use the slang of drama fans. Instead of being proud of what Filipinos already are and already have, building on it methodically, many Filipinos would rather try to believe in the false promises of “positive thinking” such as it was re-popularized by motivational speakers like Tony Robbins (this was a thing in the 2010s) made worse by frozen inaction. The simple truth is what is today the Philippines never had a strong unified state on any of the major islands, which is not great as a starting point, but also brings upsides of being able to have a fresh start whenever Filipinos are ready to do so. Chasing fantasies and historical revisionism pushed down from the top doesn’t seem like the way to accomplish that. But here is a positive ending: not having an existing foundation means that Filipinos are not boxed into the constraints of such, and grants the superpower of being able to define the nation into anything Filipinos want the Philippines to be.
I tend to see the degree of development a place has as dependent on three factors: competition, (natural) challenges, and (local) circumstances. The Philippines was on the edge and thus had no competitors (yet), abundant nature (no need for Pharaohs to control irrigation like in Egypt or batabs to organize water supply like in Yucatan) but also earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and typhoons, circumstances that forged the mindset of living day in, day out in small communities that react quite quickly when there is a catastrophe – ONE Filipino strength, even as it shows its limitations when there is modern infrastructure to protect, when hills have been eroded by mining different from what ever had been, and typhoons are stronger than ever.
Mainland Asian states or those close to the mainland like Japan or Indonesia had to level up much earlier due to competition. The Philippines should try to look at NOW and see how to deal with the challenges of today, and it can grow with them. The past is a done deal.
Yes, positive thinking is indeed toxic, though it’s opposite, the GRP mindset that believes Filipinos are inutils that have to be whipped into shape is also wrong. If the nation can work on itself like Pacquiao, Carlos Yulo, or Hidilyn Diaz did individually, that would already be great. And the good government mayors show that starting at the level still best understood by most is promising also, while the disorder nationally shows that level isn’t fully understood YET..
The Mekong Delta was originally the Austronesian confederated city-states thalassocracy of Champa that formed sort of like a triumvirate of Brunei-Majapahit-Champa controlling trade in the ancient Maritime SEA. Champa was quite powerful as long as their version of a paramount datu, the rajah of rajahs of Vijayapura (which the Vietnamese referred to as a king), was strong and commanded respect. Otherwise the other rajahs of various Cham polities which were essentially powerful city-states in their own right would start trying to raid all the neighbors and beyond. As Vijayapura lost control of the lesser Cham polities, the raids increased, ultimately being the cause of the 1471 Champa–Đại Việt War despite nearly 1,000 years of royal intermarriage between the two countries and standing united fighting external foes together like the multiple Mongol invasions of Vietnam and Champa or pushing back the threats of the Khmer Empire and raids by Siam and Burma. This war destroyed Champa as a major power and scattered the Chams, with most Chams assimilating into the Vietnamese. There are very few remaining records in Champic script, and most records are either in the Vietnamese and Chinese annals or Sanskrit texts.
How does this connect with the Philippines? The lesser Cham polities inhabited the prime land of the Mekong Delta where food was abundant in the form of fish, wild game, root crops common among Austronesians, and so on. To this day there is a saying in Vietnamese that in the South (Mekong Delta), one only needs to scatter rice seedlings then come back months later to harvest, no hard work needed turning the soil and carrying water up mountains like the rice terraces of the North. Vijayapura’s polity was located in a less abundant area which required the rajah of Vijayapura to be more organized, fielding professional armies augmented with trained militiamen and a strong navy in order to protect Vijayapura’s interests. Food is less abundant in the Vietnam highlands where Vijayapura was located, and there were dangerous wild animals like tigers or elephants to deal with. In contrast the other Cham polities didn’t have to do that much work to gather food and resources, and thus could spend much of their time raiding and gathering loot to hand out as symbols of the power of the giver, similar to ancient datus in the Philippines. It was a case of one polity’s political leaders trying to become builders, while the other polities had constant binges and bouts of boasting, which ultimately led to Champa’s demise.
The Vikings come to mind as well, where while they waited for the harvest to mature and ripen, they would go raiding to obtain glory for their own version of boasting bouts, followed by binge-fests in the mead hall. The Viking Age came to an abrupt end when Western European lords got tired of Viking raids and either offered groups of Vikings to settle down in better lands than they had at home in return for raiding other Vikings (e.g. Normandy), or European lords, town mayors, and bishops started building more effective defenses and maintaining professional armies (knights and squires) alongside trained militiamen (yeomen). At the first sign of resistance the Viking raids stopped as there were no longer defenseless towns to raid. Of course, the Vikings adjusted and evolved to being no longer able to raid, becoming today’s Scandinavians.
And so it seems that Filipinos also need to figure out how to level themselves up to deal with the challenges of today, like the Vikings did, or be figuratively be “extinguished” like Champa was. No one likes to be pushed and controlled into doing something, which was the main disagreement I had with the GRP crowd. Filipino leaders must figure out ways to encourage Filipinos to start building their own futures, and find ways to entice the rest. The Enlightenment taught us that social contracts must be voluntary relinquishment of some personal autonomy in order to gain in greater collective benefits. The best way is to govern with tangible results, so that Filipinos will agree to join willingly in order to share in those benefits which no one can achieve on their own.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/121916/looking-backwards MLQ3 wrote this about how the Philippines stopped nation-building at some point:
“..When did we, as a people, start looking backwards instead of forward? This question is important because it marks two things: the end of the phase of nation-building, of a forward trajectory in our collective attitudes to the Philippines and being Filipino, and with it, the adoption of a mindset of failure instead of achievement.
One candidate for the specific moment in time when this occurred is May 12, 1962, when Diosdado Macapagal changed the date of independence from July 4 to June 12, and asked Congress five days later to pass legislation making this change permanent.
Historians looking backwards had been advocating the adoption of June 12 for some years. What was remarkable was Macapagal’s political decision to pivot to the past. It was a harbinger of things to come, afflicting all the major political movements to follow. Marcos may have proclaimed his dictatorship a New Society, but it was fundamentally old in its instincts: Institutionally, it looked back to the Japanese Occupation for models; it went back even further in terms of the Sultan-like rule he established, and the displacement of local governments, the barrios, with a replacement he decreed would be known as barangays.
Edsa, for the political class, was a restoration, a revolution in the sense that England’s “Glorious Revolution” of 1688 was one: a return to limited monarchy in their case, and the premartial law separation of powers in our case. For the public, ironically, at its core was the Marcosian belief that a new society was still a possibility. As for the portion of the population never reconciled with Edsa, they flourished and regained strength due to nostalgia, too: for the good old days of the Apo. Even the Left, after its period of internal purges, looked back to the 1960s and 1970s as it tried to regain momentum in the 1990s.
We had attempts to look forward. There was Philippines 2000 under Ramos, Angat Pinoy 2004 under Estrada, a Strong Republic under Arroyo, and Daang Matuwid under the second Aquino. The first two were content with a short-term peek at tomorrow, the last two were more ambitious but got bogged down under the weight of contemporary realities..”
I wonder if the country now is actively trying to at least adjust to and face today’s realities.
It looks more like they are jumping in the face of a people that still doesn’t fully realize how their attitudes are still geared to a time that was less perilous than today:
https://www.quezon.ph/2021/03/19/10435/ MLQ3 wrote this in 2021:
“..The Filipino of today may find it hard to relate to the past of half a millennium ago but if you read even just Pigafetta’s account—knowing he was an admirer of Magellan—you will surely be struck by how familiar many of the power dynamics were, as observed by him and as chronicled by him. The need to obtain the local bigshot’s approval to engage in business; the absolute absence of any division between personal gain and political gain: indeed, how the two always go arm-in-arm; the perennial infighting, even among those closely-related with their own turf; and the violence not far from any disagreement..”
Well, indeed, it will be up to Filipinos to realize what is needed, though the learning processes might be too slow and come too late. Knock on wood that needed realizations still come.
I wonder if this so-called “SALt” or “sustainable alternative lighting” (the alleged inventor will be interviewed in the Filipino-German Talk Alley podcast tomorrow) is real and can work at all. Creating electricity to light lamps from salt water sounds like BS, as what I remember from high school chemistry is that battery reactions create salt as the end product or something.
Skepticism doesn’t mean I am shading Filipino capabilities, though, just utilizing common sense (if it was that easy many would be doing it and if it was a huge discovery, others would rush in to replicate it, no one has so far) and a layman’s knowledge of the laws of thermodynamics, if those reactions were real the sea would glow by itself or wouldn’t it? Seems Filipinos do at times like to grasp on straws like the Flores fluorescent light myth..
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15mgaoSydH/
The SALt lamp product uses the metal-air battery principle, so it would really work. The short version of how a metal-air battery works uses various gases in air as the cathode, a metal anode, while the salt water is the electrolyte. SALt has not disclosed which type of metal-air battery type they are using but based on my personal trauma endured under childhood tutoring by my engineer father, I’m guessing it’s a zinc-air battery. Hardly a new invention has Louis Maiche invented the first metal-air battery in 1878, and metal-air batteries were more common in the 1930s when it was commercialized. Zinc-air would be the easiest and cheapest route to go. Well there is a reason why metal-air batteries have fallen out of use… the energy generated is quite low, there’s the issue of disposing the saturated electrolyte when the anode has been fully consumed, and recovering the metals if new anodes are to be manufactured uses more energy than the metal-air battery actually generates…
I don’t mean this to disparage Eng. Aisa Mijeno’s efforts of what she probably thought could be a helpful idea, but her organization SALt not disclosing that this lamp is actually not her invention is quite problematic. But what is more problematic is that the requirement of consumable metal anode rods being the actual enabler of the lamp’s power is not disclosed at all, only that certain anodes would be sold at sari-saris, leading Filipinos to believe that the lamp is magically powered by salt water. Then there’s the issue of responsibly disposing the metal-saturated salt water electrolyte when the anode and salt water needs to be exchanged. I can already imagine uninformed users simply dumping the salt water out on the ground, raising soil salt content thus contaminating the soil. Ppresuming the SALt lamp already uses imported LEDs for the lamp, imported zinc anodes, lamp body/shell probably Made in China, why not just go with battery-backed solar lamps that are already cheap and plentiful? The notion that this SALt lamp is supposed to save Filipinos from the dangers of kerosene lampara is a solution in search of a problem as the extremely few Filipinos I met who used old fashioned lampara are those bukid dwellers who used kerosene out of habit and are not likely to change anyway. There are solar lamps out in the bukid now everywhere…
Sometimes I just don’t understand (though I do understand) this general need in the Philippines to be acknowledged as great and unique, both within smaller circles, the community, the nation, and the world. The need to be acknowledged even if it requires contrarianism that doesn’t pass the common sense test for any other country is highly detrimental. When there are clear “easy” and already demonstrated ways, I often find that Filipinos would rather reinvent the wheel, and do it badly at that. Why not just use what has already been done (and make it better)? This habit often causes bending of the truth. That the local media boosted Eng. Aisa Mijeno and her organization uncritically without even bothering to do some basic research or ask serious questions is a sign of the hunger for feel-good stories rather than to do nose-down, methodical hard work that other nations that rose up had to do. The Philippines so often tries to find validation by attempting crude imitations of other’s accomplishments, without just doing the more simple things that make sense to begin with. While outsiders shake their heads in the silliness of it all, these Filipinos feel “proud” in their own, indigenous “efforts.”
Well, in my elementary school science fair I did make a lamp powered by a potato… so maybe next we’ll have a Filipino engineer “invent” PATATASlight.
🤣😂🤣 Are potato lamps powerful? Maybe I should scrap my plans to install solar panels and plant potatoes instead. If kamote generate electricity, theres millions to be made here!
Using kamote would work too, but the voltage would be lower as kamote’s water and starch content is lower than regular potatoes. Russets are quite expensive in the Philippines. A workaround is to connect multiple kamote batteries together in series to increase the voltage! You’d just need a galvanized nail (anode) and a 1 or 5 centavo coin (cathode) with some old copper wiring pulled from old electronics to complete the circuit. The phosphorus content of the potato turns into phosphoric acid once the circuit is completed which acts as the electrolyte. This may actually solve lack of lighting for millions without electric supply, though they may now contend with the hard decision of whether to make fries or make light 😂
Haha! Tough choice.
I therefore conclude that Joey is a genius. mensa level.
A single potato battery can produce about 0.5 volts of voltage and 0.2 milliamperes of current. You can increase the voltage by connecting multiple potatoes in series.
0.5W/1.5V = 0.33A, which means you’d be able to operate the light bulb for around 3hrs before the battery died. However, when you change the power supply to the potatoes, my guess is the current able to be generated is much less and just can’t generate the power required to operate the bulb.
===
Sweet potatoes, like regular potatoes, can be used to generate electricity, but they may not be as effective. Both types of tubers can serve as a source of energy due to their electrolytic properties when combined with metal electrodes. Here’s a breakdown of how sweet potatoes compare to regular potatoes in this context: Electrical Generation Potential
Chemical Composition: Sweet potatoes contain sugars and electrolytes, which can facilitate a chemical reaction similar to that in regular potatoes. However, the efficiency may vary based on their specific composition and moisture content.
Electrodes: The same method used for regular potatoes can be applied to sweet potatoes. By inserting copper and zinc electrodes into the sweet potato, a small voltage can be generated.
Practical Considerations
Voltage Output: Regular potatoes generally produce a higher voltage than sweet potatoes due to their higher starch content, which can lead to better electrical conductivity.
Experimentation: While sweet potatoes can produce light when set up correctly with electrodes, the brightness and duration may not match that achieved with standard potatoes.
Conclusion
In summary, while sweet potatoes can indeed produce light like regular potatoes when used in a similar setup, they may not be as efficient or effective in generating electricity. Experimenting with both types can yield interesting results, but for stronger electrical output, regular potatoes might be preferable.
Citations:[1] https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/56/3/article-p374.xml%5B2%5D https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39204650/%5B3%5D https://greg.app/sweet-potato-light-requirements/%5B4%5D https://journals.ashs.org/downloadpdf/view/journals/hortsci/27/5/article-p471.pdf%5B5%5D https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cft2.20202%5B6%5D https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349171974_Effect_of_Light_Regulation_on_the_Quality_of_Sweetpotato_Sprouts
There is a reason why Filipinos use kamote to denote failure.
The ancestors 3000 years ago already knew how weak kamote batteries were, too weak to power their spacecraft to leave Earth again.
“There is a reason why Filipinos use kamote to denote failure.”
I often use kamote to denote my failure or incompetence:
“Nangamote ako sa Literature!”
In senior high school, the Literature teacher inflicted on me a grade of “77” (which I’m wont to refer to as “dalawang palakol.”)
I believe, though, that sweet potato is a superfood and good for Filipinos in many ways. I will take this opportunity to mention of “talbos ng kamote.” Kamote and talbos ng kamote are …
YUMMILICIOUS!!!
Kamote makes me fart. But I still like it, i7sharp.
I know you are LLM averse, but I never use LLM to be lazy in thinking, but rather the opposite. I got an idea from you and dug deeper. But I will try my best not to flood this blog with AI entries.
The Philippine iron and coal industries have significant potential for developing a robust domestic steel sector, especially with the addition of nickel in the steelmaking process. Currently, the majority of mined iron is exported to Japan and China, which are leading steel producers. This reliance on exports highlights the underdevelopment of the local steel industry, which has not yet reached a production value exceeding $60,000 USD. Current State of the Industry
Legislative Framework
The Philippine government has enacted policies aimed at promoting industrialization through the establishment of an integrated iron and steel industry. The Iron and Steel Industry Act emphasizes the need for efficient use of local resources, enhancing employment opportunities, and fostering economic development[1]. The act outlines several objectives:
Challenges Facing the Industry
Despite these legislative efforts, the native steel industry faces numerous challenges:
Future Prospects
Recent developments indicate that there are plans to enhance local production capabilities. For instance, SteelAsia is constructing a new plant in Batangas with an expected capacity of 600 thousand tonnes per annum by 2024[3]. This facility aims to utilize local resources more effectively and reduce dependency on imports.
In conclusion, while the Philippines has the natural resources necessary for a thriving steel industry, substantial investment in infrastructure, technology, and policy support is crucial for transforming this potential into reality.
Citations:[1] https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/2741%5B2%5D https://softpanorama.org/Skeptics/Financial_skeptic/Energy/Bulletin/energy_bulletin2014.shtml%5B3%5D https://www.gem.wiki/SteelAsia_Batangas_plant%5B4%5D https://cleanairasia.org/coal-resources/story_1.2/index.html%5B5%5D http://philippineironsteel.org%5B6%5D https://www.asianometry.com/p/the-sad-fall-of-a-philippine-steel%5B7%5D https://mgb.gov.ph/2015-05-13-02-02-11/mgb-news/1609-metd-engineers-participate-in-forum-on-decarbonization-trends-and-opportunities-in-the-steel-industry
Good news that Steel Asia project. Boat-building pops up now and then, a natural fit for the Philippines. Government could subsidize the big players to build a regional reputation. As far as political messaging, this hits the jobs jobs jobs “promise” well.
Good news indeed!
No worries Karl. I’m not allergic to LLMs or any language model as machine learning is quite useful as a tool. I’m allergic to assigning infallible belief in “AI” and the misuse of it. I also dislike AI techbros who are selling a work-in-progress as if it’s more amazing than it really is… this stuff has existed long before the AI techbros figured out a new grift on financiers with way too much untaxed money to throw away, misusing precious resources (electricity, capital) to chase something probably impossible (AGI) while making themselves into billionaires. AI is just a tool, and you’re using it as a tool to help organize thoughts, which is a appropriate use for tools.
I had never heard of the Iron and Steel Act btw, and when I looked it up I was surprised to learn the RA was passed in 1991. That’s nearly 35 years ago. SteelAsia’s current capacity at all combined mills amounts to 3M tons… Looking around, it appears regionally in 2023 Vietnam produced 19M tons, Indonesia produced 16M tons, Malaysia produced 7.5M tons. IIRC, these countries also have substantial coal and iron deposits. Thailand produced 5M tons through imported raw inputs as Thailand doesn’t have commercially viable iron and coal deposits.
Per Manila Bulletin:
https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/21/batangas-steel-project-to-operate-in-q3-2024
“In 2022 alone, the Philippines imported about $5.23 billion worth of steel, $2.18 billion of which was imported from China.”
One infamous smuggling case involved that Chinese consultant of Duterte and his brother.
It was big! Steel, drugs, rice, maybe more and that is terrible and horrific.
I used to regularly see rice smugglers’ motor bangka come ashore in Cordova, Mactan when rising early to watch the sunrise. This was before all the developments were built. Smuggling can be seen as a form of tax evasion, but I think it’s more of an indicator of the government throwing up too many roadblocks for the movement of desired goods so the “market finds a way,” even if that way may be illegal. In the Duterte-connected smuggling case, that might have just been large-scale tax evasion when the associates thought their proximity to power gave them cover against charges.
Exactacisely!
“‘”Exactacisely!”
What an adverb!!!!
One can’t do things more exactly or more precisely than that, I guess.
Did you coin it yourself, Karl?
In any case, thanks Karl!
It is now happily residing in my brain. 🙂
Food vs Forest
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/indonesian-forestry-minister-proposes-20m-hectares-of-deforestation-for-crops/
The Indonesian leader said palm trees does not deforest because they have leaves.
Indonesia does a lot of things right, but they also screw up quite a bit. Clear-cutting forests doesn’t sound like a good idea considering the broader ramifications of doing so opens up.
Still I kind of understand Indonesia’s point. Indonesia is very focused on self-sufficiency, to the point their leaders may become blinded in singular focus on things like forestry management. I’m guessing that Indonesia’s push for palm oil-derived biofuels is an attempt to wean itself off of petroleum imports as the price of petroleum products can fluctuate wildly depending on whatever OPEC and commodities speculators decide that day on “how can I manipulate the markets today!” I think a better idea would’ve been to go full-in on clean energy initiatives to transition the economy to be electricity-based rather than petroleum-based. That would take a lot more effort I guess.
Overview of Indonesia’s Oil Reserves Compared to OPEC
Indonesia’s oil reserves and production capabilities present a complex picture, especially when compared to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). While Indonesia has significant potential, it faces challenges in meeting domestic demand and maintaining its oil production levels. Current Oil Reserves and Production
Exploration Potential
Indonesia has untapped oil reserves estimated at 2.41 billion barrels across 53% of its oil and gas basins, which remain unexplored. These reserves could support production for an additional 11 years if developed[1]. However, the country is facing challenges such as aging infrastructure and the need for advanced technology to exploit offshore deepwater fields[2]. Comparison with OPEC
Future Outlook
The Indonesian government aims to boost oil production through enhanced recovery techniques and exploration efforts in eastern regions of the country. However, with about 70% of its oil wells classified as mature, significant increases in output may be difficult to achieve without substantial investment and technological advancements[5][3].
In summary, while Indonesia possesses potential oil reserves that could be developed, its current production levels and consumption rates necessitate ongoing imports, contrasting sharply with the robust production capabilities of OPEC members.
Citations:[1] https://tanahair.net/potential-oil-reserves-in-53-of-indonesias-oil-and-gas-basins-remain-untapped/%5B2%5D https://www.indonesia-investments.com/business/commodities/crude-oil/item267%5B3%5D https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/crude-oil/101524-indonesia-cuts-oil-and-gas-exploration-permits-to-focus-on-uplift-from-existing-wells%5B4%5D https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=23352%5B5%5D https://www.ipa.or.id/en/news/news/pursuing-indonesias-2025-oil-and-gas-lifting-target%5B6%5D https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/economics-markets/article/14302481/global-oil-and-natural-gas-reserves-both-increase%5B7%5D https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/indonesia_eyes_to_build_oil_reserve_of_10_million_barrels-03-sep-2024-177972-article/
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comments:
You are correct, but do recall, Indonesia had pronouncement to end the mining of coal and repurposing its coal fired power plants. ” Motherhood of motherhood statements said by almost all the first world mother nations” End coal, end fossil fuels, end plastic….THE END.
Not yet.
Also Indonesia is a potential in rare earth very important in batteries. Soon the rare earth metals would surely be rare.
Indonesia is also a provider of Tin.
Important in cannery, soldering, etc.
Guess another source of rare earth: Coal.
China- Indonesia tandem is potential to the stranglehold of rare earths. Control rare earth, you control the renewables.
The Afghan wars is partly due to interest in rare earth, once the Americans left, enter the dragon.
Afghanistan was USSR’s failed Indo-Pac strategy.
Now the Malacca discussions is silently creeping into the pundit threads whether it is a dilemma or it is a bluff.
The Kra Canal, though centuries discussed, first it was akin to our Mindanao Secession discussions, that if you build the Kra Canal, Southern Muslim Thailand will secede form the Buddhist North.
Singapore will make sure, that it would be a cold day in hell before they allow a short cut from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, they will lose their transshipment throne.
This is important to PH in more ways than one. I will count the ways some other time.
First a historical background from Irineo.
https://joeam.com/2020/09/14/philippines-from-the-edge-to-the-middle-of-things/
The Philippines gets most of its coal from Indonesia. If supplies are curtailed, we’re in deep doodoo.
Yes we would be in deep doodoo.
Another concern.
Indonesia is already a BRICS member, and is very vocal about de-dollarization. Will it find like minded neighbors in South East Asia?
australia has better coal that even ukraine specifically asked for australian black coal for its harshest winter. oz coal has better quality and cleaner than brown coal apparently. since pbbm alleged half sibling is already making waves in australia, and our soldiers trained with australian soldiers, we ought to consider buying coal from australia.
Thats a long way to haul it. But maybe that will happen.
philippines already import iodized salt, sulfur and precious metals, etc, from australia. for philippines to be importing australian coal will not be far fetched. even china imports coal from australia.
That’s good to know, K. Thanks.
From what I see in the graph.
They exported heavily to us in 2015 0r 2016 but it is declining for the succeeding years.
We will see. Japan and Korea demands less coal now maybe they would concentrate on us.
Manufacturing is a jobs multiplier, so very valuable. The PH should be able to compete for manufacturing because of low labor costs. I don’t know why it only happens on piecemeal goods, but suspect because corruption makes building a primary manufacturing plant hard. Or the 40% ownership limit does.
My work in finsoft has taught me that bank guarantees are extremely important in projects at all levels over here. This means (oversimplified) that the bank vouches for the corporation, or Hans’ sawmill, or Mr. Schmidt’s screw factory expansion and they can BUILD.
Not an expert but could it be that the Philippines lacks such a sophisticated banking system just as it’s stock market is probably weakly regulated and thus can’t raise capital as efficiently?
The bank also vouches for the house loaner, the car loaner, etc. They are such loners, I mean loaners.
Banks only a few names
Sy, Gokongkwei, Ty,Ayala and a few more and they are also the captains of the industry. Ramon Ang entered banking.
OK they are Oligarchs, now, what?
The Philippine banking system has historically faced significant challenges, resulting in a perception of lacking sophistication compared to more developed financial systems. Several key factors contribute to this situation: Historical Context and Structural Issues
The Philippine banking sector has been characterized by cyclical economic movements and structural problems that hinder efficient financial intermediation. While improvements have been made since the mid-1980s, including reforms that enhanced the banking system’s resilience, issues such as weak credit management and inadequate responses to changing economic conditions persist, particularly among smaller banks[3][4]. Vulnerabilities and Regulatory Challenges
Despite reforms aimed at strengthening the banking sector, vulnerabilities remain. The banking system is still susceptible to external shocks, as evidenced by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which highlighted its fragility. Regulatory forbearance and a conservative approach by bank supervisors have led to a slow response to failing institutions, further exacerbating systemic weaknesses[1][2]. Additionally, the Philippines has one of the lowest loan-to-GDP ratios in Asia, indicating limited financial intermediation capabilities[1]. Financial Inclusion and Accessibility
A significant portion of the population remains unbanked or underbanked; only 32% of Filipinos have a bank account, and financing from banks for small and midsize businesses is similarly low at 31%[4]. This lack of access hampers the potential for inclusive growth within the economy. Efforts are being made to improve accessibility through reforms like mobile banking initiatives, which aim to simplify account opening processes[5]. Recent Developments and Future Outlook
In recent years, there have been strides towards modernization and integration with global financial markets. The introduction of API-based solutions is enhancing security measures and promoting innovation within the sector[5]. However, the need for further consolidation among banks remains critical, as does the establishment of a more integrated regulatory framework to ensure effective supervision across different financial institutions[2].
In summary, while there have been notable improvements in the Philippine banking sector, ongoing challenges related to regulatory effectiveness, financial inclusion, and structural vulnerabilities continue to hinder its sophistication compared to more advanced banking systems globally.
Citations:[1] https://aric.adb.org/pdf/aem/external/financial_market/Philippines/phil_bnk.pdf%5B2%5D https://www.bis.org/publ/bppdf/bispap28t.pdf%5B3%5D https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/book/9781557758613/ch06.xml%5B4%5D https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/asia-pacific/the-philippines-growth-dialogues-kristine-romano-nestor-a-espenilla-jr-and-nestor-tan%5B5%5D https://philippines.worldfis.com/the-future-of-philippine-banking-embracing-the-api-economy/%5B6%5D https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/03/16/23/ph-banking-system-sound-resilient-amid-svb-collapse-medalla
Consumers pay for the lack of lending sophistication by getting ridiculously low deposit interest rates. Banks can make money easily. But there is no ability for them to reduce their deposit costs when trouble hits.
Thanks for that Joe. Sophistication must happen soon.
Very good point. Deserves exploration, for sure.
Found something just laying in the dusty TSOH library when I was cleaning the dust.
https://joeam.com/2020/11/04/getting-the-philippines-to-what-it-can-be/
“We try to be perfect but often when we fail to be, we revert to doing things in a messy way. Karl says that until now we are masters of disasters – disasters of our own doing. I ask could that be because we are not only impatient but also too perfectionistic? Karl has found a lot of planning roadmaps that are top-quality and posted them in comments. Somehow they are never used. Probably VP Leni’s talent is in finding pragmatic but still systematic solutions to pressing issues. Some say she lacks vision, but we don’t know that yet. Paolo Coelho said “dreams mean work”. What I could add is that the road to Rome is long. It can literally be walked from Bavaria; people from here have done it. Really or figuratively, it involves both small steps and the right direction.”
Like falling in line for a jeepney ride and once the barker goes for a nature break, everybody runs towards the entrance.
Nixon, Kissinger et al laid the foundations o be the factory of the world.
Some one was not contented with how Japan INC went.
Fast forward.
Companies are moving away little by little from China, in our region we do not only have Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia to contend with, we have Vietnam. (SG is not counted )
India is trying hard to balance export manufacturing and High tech services.
They must look within, they have the biggest market.
We must be a mini India with a twist
Less on export manufacturing, manufacture for the domestic market.
India is producing a lot of seafarers that end up in ships, we are producing graduates if not ending in ship’s kitchen (mess) end up contented(but bitter) with a low end job, they find other jobs instead.
The Philippines has 1/3 the population of the US. It’s a huge huge market that has simply not been energized to take care of itself.
Yes, exactly!
It has been proposed by TSOH contributor LCX that a homerun issue can win the election. “Free Starlinks for everyone!”
I still think my best policy proposal here re DE Filipinos but ABC too. was psionic Filipinos. The Rudolph Hess defection was done via psychic ops, not to be confused by psyops (eg. propaganda). Russia have psychic ops still cuz they’re Russian orthodox, meaning they never did Vatican II, which means they are prone to mysteries and they mystical. Chinese although communist are still fond of the I-Ching , I’m a fan of the fortune cookie (but that’s ours, American). Filipinos have all this checked. USA don’t but even they kept their psychic program, just added a lot of “science” to it, double blind and such. then kept it hidden so no more funding issues they gotta keep on justifying for.
This is free. all you have to do is recruit. and then have comfy chairs or recliners , then table to draw or write. And that’s it. Only thing you gotta do is separate psionics apart otherwise they’ll be crossing their signals. lots of books on this, easy program to stand up in the Philippines. Start with Annie Jacobsen’s PHENOMENA.
this is perfect for all , even covers homerun, Joe. its kinda similar to Starlink for ALL, just no hardware. Edgar Cayce blog by edgar lores is a great start: https://joeam.com/2016/09/01/the-akashic-records/
Instead of Elon Musk’s satellites, connect to the Akashic records. that’s truly for ALL.
I know i’ve mentioned left handers and gays as prone to psychic senses, and also those who’ve experienced near death. but recently theres Telepathy Tapes which uncovered autistics as telepaths. which to me makes sense cuz they act the way they act cuz of too much sensing is what i’ve always been told. not just 5 senses. so for recruitment add that too. recruit autistics.
Can you guys imagine a whole psionic nation? The Philippines, first nation in history to embrace psychic senses. and make a whole economy around it. OFW and BPO are gonna be gone soon, probably sooner than later tbh. switch to a totally different economy. No better time than now. Just do it. This is better than Neuralink.
I also researched this and voila!
Elon Musk’s ventures, particularly Neuralink and Starlink, are at the forefront of technology that could potentially lead to advancements resembling psionic abilities such as enhanced telepathy and telekinesis. However, the current developments primarily focus on practical applications rather than the fantastical aspects of psionics. Neuralink and Telepathy
Neuralink recently achieved a significant milestone by implanting its brain chip in a human for the first time. This device, referred to as “Telepathy,” aims to allow users to control external devices like computers and smartphones merely through thought[1][3][4]. The technology involves interpreting neuron signals wirelessly, which could enable individuals with paralysis to regain some independence by controlling devices directly with their minds[3][4]. Key Features of Neuralink’s Telepathy
While Musk has suggested that future iterations of this technology may enable more advanced forms of communication—such as direct thought exchange between individuals—these capabilities are still theoretical and face significant technical challenges[2][6]. Starlink and Broader Implications
Starlink, while primarily focused on providing global internet coverage via satellite, supports the infrastructure necessary for real-time data transmission that could benefit brain-computer interfaces like Neuralink. The integration of high-speed internet could enhance the functionality of such devices, enabling quicker processing and response times essential for applications that mimic telepathic communication. Conclusion
Although the advancements in Neuralink suggest a movement towards capabilities reminiscent of telepathy—such as controlling devices with thoughts—the concept of true psionic abilities like telekinesis remains speculative. Current technologies are aimed at restoring lost functions and enhancing human-computer interaction rather than achieving supernatural abilities. The future may hold more possibilities as these technologies develop, but they are grounded in scientific advancements rather than the fictional portrayals of psionics.
Citations:[1] https://nbcmontana.com/news/offbeat/elon-musk-telepathy-neuralink-brain-chip-implanted-in-first-human-historic-future-society-tech-technology-psychic-real-life-true-truth-coming-into-being-interpretation-interpret-persons-intentions-neuron-signals-waves-test-testing-cincinnati-human-amp%5B2%5D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Ct7W5HOKI%5B3%5D https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/elon-musk-says-startup-neuralink-implanted-device-first-human-rcna136285%5B4%5D https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/01/30/elon-musk-teases-first-neuralink-products-after-company-implants-first-brain-chip-in-human/%5B5%5D https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/07/neuralink-will-offer-telepathy-and-then-brain-control-of-teslabots.html%5B6%5D https://www.bbc.com/news/health-68169082%5B7%5D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ2Vc0f2iTQ%5B8%5D https://al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/jcsts/article/view/6769%5B9%5D https://neuralink.com
Thanks for the brief, Karl. This ties things together nicely. I think it is all to futuristic to have application for the 2028 election.
My pleasure!
this one’s about China psionics, karl:
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R002600290003-0.pdf
Qian Xuesen by the way was American:
Qian Xuesen was not just accused of the communist. Army Intelligence had known of his CCP connections since the early 1940s. He was a communist.
The history of the Kuomintang (Chinese National Party aka Republican China) and Chinese Communist Party are intertwined, as both descended from the same political movements. This is why it’s not shocking to those who have read history that today’s Kuomintang, whose party had symbolized “democracy,” are pro-CCP. The KMT vs CCP war was not one of ideology, but one of who gets to monopolize power in post-Qing China.
Army Intelligence had known of his CCP connections since the early 1940s.
This is the wrong reading of Qian Xuesen. kinda like Turing. Remember Oppenheimer was heavily investigated too. so racism and McCarthyism.
Best reading of him would be that he became communist thru and thru only when USA deported him. as revenge vowed to take down USA.
But he was MIT and Caltech and cofounded JPL.
He was Manhattan project by the time Oppenheimer stood it up in WWII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chien-Shiung_Wu I’ve always wondered how many Chinese from China were part of that.
or whether or not Filipinos were part of this, like engineers who were studying here when WWII broke out (not sure if there were Filipino physicists then). then got wrangled into Manhattan project.
But if you read him not as an avout communist per se, but simply used that path to power, you have to ask why as physicist. i believe he was deported around 1950s. and he got on the map by 1960s as someone with power in China. 1935 was when he got to USA.
Why as a physicist did he focused on psionics. Which brings us to Joe’s
“Well, we have different goals. Yours is to promote ghosts and mine is to understand how to win an election in 2028.”
Psionics is not about ghosts.
Qian Xuesen knew there was something more to this.
His was to bring down the USA. his chip on shoulder.
Not much to be found re Chinese psionics.
But in the 70s, upon prompting from Russian and Chinese psionic programs. USA followed suit. but actually we used psychics in WWII, Nazis heavily tested the soft science of this ESP stuff, much of the science of this went to the Russians cuz we prioritized hard science. then got around eventually to looking into the soft science of this, but using hard science.
Thus psionic and not psychic. they focused more on people, places and things. to look into. but eventually Project 8200 would tackle wider subjects more woo-woo. but that’s more later and off the books.
The American process was more humane, whereas Chinese and Russian targetted women children and special ed types as their psychic subjects. The recruitment was more on US gov’t workers and military personnel. instead of dragnetting psychics from the province. the assumption was more like that people can be trained to do this. which I think makes the difference.
But heres the process…
usually you’d have scientists behind a one way glass mirror then 2 psionics in the room. 1 psionic (though this person doesn’t really have to be one but better if one for empathy) acts as guide, he’s trained to stop when his partner over extends (this part i dunno much about). while 2nd psionic is the one remote viewing. no information is transfered. the target (people , places, things) is placed in an envelope by scientists given by their customer (which ever gov’t agency wants something found). then said info whether SSN card or scribbled coordinates is placed in a double envelope. then remote viewing commences.
Which is really weird. the psionics themselves don’t know how this happens. but they think about “think” about whats in that envelope then they end up getting info on that people, places, things target.
Once the remote viewing is done. they open the envelope and say hmmmmmmm… that’s interesting. not knowing what said item is all about. but then customer and/or other outside parties go off on the “lead” the psionics have provided and actually end up finding said people, places, things.
So that opening of the envelople after the viewing seems to be the key. but how, no body knows.
The theory thrown around by physicists involved in this program then and now is that its proof of quantum entanglement. Well Edgar Cayce use to find people using their address. even if he had no Google map, just the information of “address” was enough to locate people for him. same same to what psionic program did.
Which brings us back to Qian Xuesen. Why was he convinced psionic was a good way to get back at USA? that should be the question. was DOE Atomic Energy etc. already doing psionic when he was involved before his deportation to China?
So no ghosts involved, Joe. this is spooky science stuff.
The wiki for Chien Shiung Wu was linked here so kindly skim the wiki for Qian Xuesen. Then the wikis for the CCP and KMT. All the info in a brief version is there. This is history and well documented.
Let’s come back down to earth LCpl. Psionics and ESP pseudoscience and have always been. It has been popularized because there was an artificial effort to include it into 1950s sci-fi, the most enthusiastic of which was Dianetics… well we know what “good” came out of L. Ron Hubbard’s works. Interesting to think of but there are many logical gaps. If logic is followed if such a power exists, the world would be at relative peace similar to the post-war period when the US had unilateral nuclear weapons and American generals wanted to nuke everyone for the slightest sneeze. But the world is not at peace. And there are many other tangible ways to figure out something to at least claw back a bit of power in Philippine politics than to be chasing technology and phenomena that don’t exist.
The point is, it is irrelevant to DEs unless you find a way to attach it to their reality.
All the info in a brief version is there. This is history and well documented.
I’m not disagreeing he was communist, Joey. I’m saying its more Turing and Oppenheimer situation. Annie Jacobsen thinks the same.
If logic is followed if such a power exists, the world would be at relative peace
Wrong logical end, cuz as i’ve said psionic program was very limited to people, places and things only. Project 8200 was more “private sector” stuff. i’m saying develop towards there maybe, but start with people, places and things first.
bit of power in Philippine politics than to be chasing technology and phenomena that don’t exist.
We’re looking for a homerun, Joey. and DE Filipinos are primed for this; add CHED/academics thru funding, you can totally run with this.
But look at the tried and tested psionic process, very easy to replicate. all you need is a room. hell I’m sure you can do it outside.
I told you to be in Lake Buhi, Camarines Sur on December 15, 2024, full moon, after having made a sacrifice to the babaylanes on Friday, December 13, 2024.
Unfortunately, you did not do that, IKR, so you must wait for another cycle.
Haha, it is easy to be dedicated to something if you don’t have to spend money on it.
Everything is a lot easier in theory than in reality.
But even if all this is true, which it is not as much of the government research has been declassified, a few people holding immense power doesn’t guarantee they will use that newfound power for good.
UP’s funding is quite large, and most of the UP budget is used for operating costs AFAIK.
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R002800180001-2.pdf
Again, going back to Edgar Cayce’s method, this jibes.
a few people holding immense power doesn’t guarantee they will use that newfound power for good.
I guess the experiment here is if you scale up to the whole nation, or 80% of it, what will happen. that’s the question, Joey. but i’m leaning on good. though if I were a practicing Catholic I would automatically think the Exorcist. but again if you stay within people, places, and things. we should be fine.
UP’s funding is quite large, and most of the UP budget is used for operating costs AFAIK.
I actually don’t know UP or CHED fundings. but I’m thinking status quo still, just focus on psionic studies, like Philosophy dept would still operate similarly just focus on psionic. or Psychology dept, Anthropology dept, etc. etc. even hard sciences. but physics dept specifically will be leading the way on psionics, so am thinking they’ll not be status quo but shift to quantum stuff vis a vis human mind. psionics.
Unfortunately, you did not do that, IKR, so you must wait for another cycle.
Well since our timeline is 2028, we still have time. but we need something big that can take the place of political personalities something Risa or D5 or Trillanes can get behind. but their personalities won’t carry a win in 2028 (we know this already), so Joe’s right we have to have a homerun sell, Ireneo.
That homerun has to be balance positive, thus psionic— psionic is actually very similar to my monastic idea, hell both can be converged, monateries and science depts. doing psionics across the Philippines.
I apologize for the associative way my brain works. I take k’s description of Filipinos with their noses to their phones walking around oblivious to knowledge or anything outside their social media bubble, and I take your passion for monks, and I put them together and think we can just move the electronic zombies into adobe buildings and feed them regularly and we’d have millions of monks happy as clams. They’d be busy contemplating their navels and egos searching for the promised state of completely empty minds.
and I take your passion for monks, and I put them together and think we can just move the electronic zombies into adobe buildings and feed them regularly and we’d have millions of monks happy as clams.
I’m not averse to that idea per se, but the otherside of psionic is its also a great great way to counter AI. like if AI does become Terminator or Matrix. psionics would be a great hedge, Joe. physicist have already surrendered on String Theory, its a dead end. this is the most logical pivot, go inwards to the human mind.
The Sugar Grove remote viewing goes something like this. early on early 70s, lots of skeptics. so a skeptic in CIA said look at these coordinates and tell me what you see. Remote viewers either pat price or ingo swann, did so. and said well this is a really secret facility underground lots of technology. inside vault are folders written on it are, operation pool, and within them sub projects like cueball, etc. (codenames had to do with billiards). you had to be read in. very compartmentalized. so the skeptic had no knowledge of this program. and concluded, you remote viewers are quacks!!! i gave you coordinates to my cabin!!! upon review, other customers said how the fuck did they know?!!! skeptic was all like, know what? these guys are quacks. and customers were all like No, this is a sensitive program , theres a mole. then counter intel ops lodged. that’s how remote viewing got on the map, and the psionics were in Stanford CA. turned out Sugar Grove was just over the hill from said cabin. which the original skeptic had no knowledge of. and the remote viewers thought the coordinates were in fact wrong, and they were ordered to target something more significant, so they focused the next hill over. and that’s Sugar Grove.
from then on out customers lined up and targets assigned aplenty. but that was the beginning, nat’l security wise, but Zodiac killer and Golden gate killer they started out with i think. which provided leads for cops. But it was Sugar Grove that started the whole program off.
I think the mind is a fascinating place to explore, like oceans. But it’s fringe until the exploration generates products that are meaningful to the masses. Like methane from Philippine Rise.
And this is how China feels about Musk.
https://www.india.com/news/world/china-raises-strong-concerns-over-elon-musks-starlink-satellite-internet-says-it-will-expose-uses-drone-simulation-to-7521323/
https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2024/08/china-starlink-qianfan-satellite-internet-launch-priority
“State media hailed the launch as China’s answer to Starlink, the U.S.-based satellite internet pioneer, and the first step toward breaking America’s dominance in this market. Qianfan intends to grow its constellation to more than 600 satellites by the end of 2025 and to eventually place 14,000 satellites into orbit.
Qianfan isn’t the only Chinese company with satellite internet ambitions. Several other Chinese outfits are also racing to launch their own megaconstellations—large pools of satellites that work together to deliver broadband internet access. The Guowang project, for example, run by state-owned China Satellite Network Group, has announced plans to create a constellation of 13,000 satellites—although it has yet to send any into space. Overall, China’s leaders hope to launch 40,000 LEO satellites in the coming decade.”
China’s too late, karl. Plus Starlink for ALL is not in China’s best interest. it’s just gonna result in revolution.
Give me a slogan that DE Filipinos would understand and accept.
Ito ay para sa mga masa
Sa lahat ng nawalan ng pag-asa
Sa lahat ng hirap at pagdurusa
Sa lahat ng binaon ng sistema
Sa lahat ng ‘di marunong bumasa
Sa lahat ng may problema sa skwela
Sa lahat ng may problema sa pera
Sa lahat ng masa (sa lahat ng masa)
Sa lahat ng masa (sa lahat ng masa)
Huwag mong hayaang ganito
Bigyan ang sarili ng respeto
Mag psionic ops tayo.
Lakas ng Tama.
( i should’ve been in ads, Joe. thats high level art & copy right there. but the slogan is MAG PSIONIC OPS TAYO.)
Grok’s recommendation is a mouthful, I like mine better.
I’d give it an F myself. I think GROK is intimidated by your previous yelling at him/her/it. Now “Put the white lady on your side!” They’d understand.
LOL. O ye of little faith, Joe.
So you think DEs go to the cockfights and talk about psionics?
No , not right now. But if they roll out this slogan along with Red Horse mascot and maybe girls gyrating to Eraserhead Masa song like just up tempo it maybe, they will for sure. Once you do that, then you just set up recruitment. Overhaul all UP campuses to accommodate a national Philippine psionic program. maybe start with identifying Chinese spies or criminals in the Philippines and finding them. like how police use psychics here, reconstructing murder scenes and finding suspects. then from there expand to other taskings. get the attention of USA psionic programs, then cha-ching funding masked in int’l aid development. then market to Wall Street and militaries once proven successful.
I think you miss how earthy things are in the Philippines. Pragmatic. Tangible. Simple. Not educated in science or the supernatural. The superstitions are lore, not intellectualized.
The slogan was for DE Filipinos, to get UP hard sciences and soft sciences (even humanities) academics to stand at attention will be the funding and potential lucrative outcomes. surveillance intel and investigation I can see psionics being used. “Mag psionic ops tayo” is just to get them to come when UP academics recruits.
Well, we have different goals. Yours is to promote ghosts and mine is to understand how to win an election in 2028.
No ghosts involved in psionics, Joe.
Re Generative AI,
atin ito, so to speak:
Pinoy, that is. 🙂
https://www.generativeaipub.com/
Jim Clyde Monge
Terrific collection of AI updates. I pushed “Do not support” to read it for free. Guilt trip marketing, that. I don’t pay for substack subscriptions as a matter of principle, and don’t read them after peeking. Free data is readily available. Interestingly enough, I think AI will steal that information and recast it, with no guilt whatsoever. A news blurb came out today that Zukerberg okayed his staff’s work to grab copyright info, scrape off the copyright, and use the information to “train” his AI model.
Speaking of Subtack, one of my favorites there is Ted Gioia.
Here is his latest:
https://www.honest-broker.com/p/get-rich-in-your-parents-basement
Not my interest right now. I’m focused on the Philippines. Thanks.
It’s actually relevant, along the line of what gian was looking at vis a visa movie making using AI. i7sharp’s article was more about getting paid for it, by youtube and Netflix. how to maximize.
So far i’ve not seen a homerun idea, Joe.
But going to 2028. we know theres no personalities that can generate interest nor go viral.
Given this, you have to get DE Filipinos energized using something big. and Starlink and Neuralink don’t really need Filipinos to succeed thus a longshot. but psionics as a subject of interest can expand with Filipinos, eg. need Filipinos vice versa.
karl’s post about Starlink and Neuralink vis a vis psionic does factor in if you look into Telepathy Tapes of autistics exhibiting psychic abilities. but with language behaviour barrier, hard to develop into anything.
Though if you can get them the ability to “talk” or transfer information from their brain to something people can understand then that is where psionic and technology can diverge.
karl, I remember you talking about how your brothers were autistics, did you ever sense psychic abilities? there was one time I took the bus and a bunch of Down syndrome folks were on it and their minders. and my head was somewhere else thinking about something bothering me that moment, and some Down syndrome girl asked me a question very specific to what I was thinking of. and I was like that was weird. or what a coincidence. but i remember it bothered me for awhile someone in my head. it was that significant.
So very curious about this vis a vis autistics and even Down syndromes.
ooooops… psionic and technology can diverge. (*converge).
I’ve not seen a homerun issue either, but I think that the issues I’ve identified can be translated into terms that DE can relate to in a strong way.
If anything, most people want to have better, improved basic needs and salaries, buying power to put food on the table. No one wants to be scammed, but besides the usual traditional oligarchy comfortable with monopolies and duopolies and unfair trade in general, the rent-seeking political oligarchy stand in the way as the latter got the game fixed in their favor, taking the lion’s share for more than a century while, yeah, entreating the people with distractions and handouts than real solutions.
Yes, we all want those basics, but voters here seem not to think in layers, that they have to put competent people in office to get those things. They’ll vote for cash giveaways or sell their vote rather than understand that the good things are not easy to get, and they come slowly.
West Philippine Sea Atin ito!
Look at the Political Ads
Aby Binay wants to make programs of Makati, nationwide
Quezon City had done nice programs too, if she succeeds I hope she genuinely is for best practices, not only of Makati but sll best practices out there.
Villar is for new blood, ahem!
Marcos is pandering but somehow showing sincere compassion.
Bong Go is for bisyo and mag serbisyo at magmalasakit
Tolentino is saying all your hopes and dreams are my hopes as well
Bato- Forget him
Bam Aquino is reminding everyone of his accomplishments like most of them.
Tulfos are again showcasing their helpfuness
Ah, those are the approaches, eh? So shallow, so successful. I weep. (Not really)
love, love, love bong go’s bisyo ang magserbisyo at magmalasakit! he has proven track record of it. gaya ng dating bisyo niya na magserbisyo kay digong, magmalasakit para kay digong, gabi’t araw sa serbisyo ni digong, always with selfies, always available ang aninong ito ni digong.
bisyo ang magserbisyo at magmalasakit, and bong go is still at it. still hopelessly pro duterte, staunchly opposing inday sara’s impeachment; magmalasakit upang hindi ma-impeach si sara.
yaong new blood ni villar (camille?) ay baka madaling mahaluan ng bad blood! reminds me of sons and daughters of rich politicos studying overseas to get the best education so they can be worst once back in philippines! enhancing the clout of their own dynasties, making deals to further their influence and making inroads to politics.
as for the tulfos, once fraudster always fraudster. one of the tulfos has already stolen someone’s identity and saw nothing wrong with it. seed is probly already planted for the next big steal, haha.
marcos (imee?) she is so pro china and so pro duterte that when sara threatened to have makoy exhumed, imee got exhumed too. extracted herself independent from her brother’s party, the party that got her elected priorly.
tolentino cannot possibly have my hopes and dreams, kasi, I have hoped and dreamed him out of the senate, de lima taking over his place.
bam aquino ought to be voted in and given 2nd chance. he may be awkward and geeky, cannot dance like dr eric tayag, and his clothes sense may not be up to par, (pls dont expect bam to wear prada!) and wears glasses that make him looks studious and oldish and bookish, but bam makes plenty sense in the senate.
Thanks for your excellent way of putting it.
Strange answer from Perplexity in the last paragraph.
Leni did not focus on the blue economy because her campaign color is pink Good Grief!
leni robredo blue economy campaign.
Leni Robredo’s campaign did not specifically focus on a “blue economy” theme, but she did express interest in developing “blue industries” during her presidential bid. In November 2021, she mentioned plans to invest in these industries, suggesting that the Philippines could become a leading maritime power[4]. However, her 2022 presidential campaign was more prominently associated with the color pink, symbolizing protest and change[1][2]. Robredo’s campaign emphasized good governance, improving healthcare, supporting small businesses, and addressing the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic[2].Citations:[1] Philippines: Leni Robredo: A symbol of hope https://www.freiheit.org/philippines/leni-robredo-symbol-hope%5B2%5D Leni Robredo 2022 presidential campaign – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Robredo_2022_presidential_campaign%5B3%5D Public Service in Pink: Interview with Leni Robredo https://hir.harvard.edu/interview-with-leni-robredo/%5B4%5D VP Leni wants to prop up ‘blue’ industries, says PH can be ‘leading … https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/18/vp-leni-wants-to-prop-up-blue-industries-says-ph-can-be-leading-maritime-power/%5B5%5D Who is more prepared for the presidency? – BusinessWorld Online https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2022/05/01/445650/who-is-more-prepared-for-the-presidency/%5B6%5D De Venecias of Pangasinan declare support for Robredo | ABS-CBN News https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/04/09/22/de-venecias-of-pangasinan-declare-support-for-robredo%5B7%5D October 05, 2015 – News Releases – Presidential Communications Office https://pco.gov.ph/october-05-2015-news-releases/%5B8%5D LENI IN ACTION LOOK: Former Vice… – iMPACT Leadership https://www.facebook.com/iMPACTLeadershipPH/posts/leni-in-actionlook-former-vice-president-leni-robredo-went-around-the-communitie/891519983078263/
But I think that is accurate. Only a very few knew about the blue industries proposal while the pink rallies were prominently reported on. I suppose they were a protest of sorts.
That makes perfect sense, thanks!
This will throw a monkey wrench on any message.
Revolution and Regime Change.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/01/10/opinion/columns/a-revolutionary-challenge/2036311
I must be missing something. I see no “revolutionary ferment” on the ground. Only the same self-dealing that seems to be a way of life for those who have a lot, but not enough in their own minds. I think this is Beijing Times poppycock, maybe China trying to overthrow the Philippines. It makes no sense to me at all. The Philippines is more stable than the US at this point.
I do not sense it too, nor even from the retired Generals.
Trying to square these two pollings vis a vis homerun message.
What is your comment when VP Sara said that lying is normal?
Reminds me of the play of words by DR. Gregory House M.D. instead of everybody dies, he said everybody lies because he would not have any patient if he rubs in the former.
So I think intel funds and confidential funds are military and police funds, as was explained but that video i shared awhile back , karl.
Why VP Sara needed military and police personnel to disburse said funds, but i think intel funds were either not given or were cancelled. so for sure no intel funds.
Confidential funds per COA was given thumbs up. accounting as I understand it is sound.
Only issue is , Congress wants to divulge said confidential funds recipients. Which I think PNP will have records of, but since its confidential the practice is suppose to be that nothing is divulged. that’s the practice. hence confidential.
Now why VP Sara got confidential funds as mayor and VP is an issue Congress has to explain for itself, cuz they’re the ones who approved.
Which leads us to impeachment trial. if lies are confidential then maybe she’s lying. but I think the young Filipinos are wising up to the circus at play. and thats why you see those up ^ bar graphs in favor of VP Sara.
If the witch hunt continues, and confidential recipients uncovered sure lies could be uncovered as well. But i gotta feeling Congress is shooting itself in the foot in this exercise, karl.
We’ll see, I have to get back to watching more VP Sara stuff again. will return to this.
Oh, crap!!! this is a lot of people.
The LGUs get unallocated funds, not confidential funds, so there is no risk of tit for tat, I suspect.
I’m thinking some of the recipients for said confidential funds will be them. a lot, some, less, i dunno. but thats gonna factor in the impeachment am sure. like Napoles.
eg. Don’t follow the money!!! lol.