Why Filipinos vote badly
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
My wife is one of the smartest people I know. She was deprived of a good education as are many here who grew up poor. But she is incredibly smart. I told her that Sara Duterte was leading in the polls for the presidency and she went on a fifteen minute explanation about how irresponsible her family is on both the father’s and mother’s side. At least two will spend a lifetime in jail and two others are hiding out in the cement jungles of Manila.. Her point? They refused to take accountability for their acts. In fact, it’s worse than that. They don’t even know what accountability means.
That’s it! Bingo! Gold medal! We see it in the voting here. Smart Filipinos vote badly. They cannot even grasp their accountability for their own condition.
America does no better, but that’s not the point.
I’ve written about the failure of accountability several times here at the blog. What surprises me, though, is that even smart and well-meaning Filipinos don’t get what accountability means.
They think winning an election should be easy if you are good of heart and intent. Even if Leni Robredo proved that is not the case.
Look at Filipino tribal politics where a bunch of little parties exist because no one knows how to compromise on their principles, constructively, to build a big party that can win. So they lose relentlessly to the populists and the loud liars and crooks.
Then they blame the trolls and the liars and the stupidity of voters.
And never consider that they did not take accountability for building a winning “big party” that can kick ass.
Filipinos are blind to accountability. Over and over again.
Nothing will change until someone accepts accountability for overcoming the tribalism that keeps the Philippines poor and small of accomplishment. You have to play hard to win.
You do.
In fact, your WHOLE TEAM has to feel the accountability. Not run around pointing at others as the reason they keep losing.
Accountability.
Grow some.
_________________________
Cover photo created by Bing with the prompt “Create a photograph of a middle aged Filipino man sitting in his bamboo hut looking at an empty plate confused as to why it is empty”.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
The problem of autocratic rule poorly disguised as democracy is rooted much deeper, as this country was once an archipelago of feuding island-states ruled by rajahs, chieftains, datus, and sultans, and how politicians right now — many facsimiles of each other — are acting so much like autocratic rulers of yore, if not as crime gang bosses.
Per Ka Manolo’s discussion of the ages-old problem, where there is never short of political patronage according to the erudite Mina Roces (and so misunderstood by many well-meaning younger people thinking they are victims of persecution), to completely get rid of the feudalistic trap we are in, it is unfortunately only a popular revolt can reset the system, and even then first a whole populace needs to be shocked into civil disobedience to a level cannot be contained by the stupefying opium-like effects of social media, realizing there is an option better than free but small handouts in exchange for supposed fulfillment of wishes to keep the bastards in power.
We were so close to rebuilding in both 1946 and 1986, and those chances were botched by those autocrats.
Very excellent portrait of the handcuffs that suppress, oppress, and even enslave Filipinos. My own observation is that certain concepts are missing from the ordinary Filipino’s lexicon. The words may be there, but the emotional connection is not. Freedom, responsibility under freedom, accountability in its many arenas from law to competence, and opportunity as in a future with a higher paycheck. Even if it requires riots to break the oppression, someone has to take ACCOUNTABILITY for leading them. I’d like to think they are not necessary if a leader merely takes accountability for expressing things better, wider, and louder.
Interesting, as the word for freedom in Filipino IIRC was coined by MH del Pilar (the de facto mayor of the ilustrados) and Rizal as that word didn’t exist before.
And even kalayaan with its similarity to layaw, getting what one wants, is hmm. Laki sa layaw, raised to do what one wants, means spoiled. The idea a lot of people had of those raised to be independent like me during Marcos Sr. Martial Law times was potential troublemakers.
As for opportunities, ambition is considered a bad word. Well, those who rise to the top, like the Villars, often indeed are antisocial in a broader sense, meaning oblivious to the interests of wider society, only for themselves. Rich people throwing trash out of car windows..
Of course, there are always those who like usurping the EDSA busway.
Rules are obeyed if there are physical barriers like on much of EDSA or if an authority perceived as strong is present. Sure, I also used to find Germans waiting to cross the street until the pedestrian traffic light went green ridiculous. Following principles, not just the principal.
Ambition is the stuff of sports stars and entertainers and businessmen, and every successful person I know. Greed is good, in proper amounts. It is the fuel of capitalism, the greatest wealth-building engine anyone has created. If it is considered “bad”, teachers sure did a lousy job teaching kids how to succeed. Cheaters abound, no doubt. That cheating is a virtue and ambition not explains everything.
There is a tension among Filipinos I think between the desire for a better life and the importance of community.
Thus, a person who rises, for instance, in politics can be considered bad if he or she does not give jobs to family, extended family, and friends.
It is like family might hate a daughter who marries, let’s say, an American, but doesn’t help when the father’s carabao gets sick as usual.
Actor Joel Torre, who has a chicken restaurant, solves that dilemma by employing family.
Making people SEE that opportunities exist will probably change attitudes with time.
you always give jobs to people you know and trust, people who are not likely to stab you behind your back and hopefully their job performance is satisfactory. relatives and friends are good fit, you already know what they are like. that way you have good chance to staying in office without being maimed, deposed, or taken advantage of. if not, you can always fire the sluggards and replace them with better functioning minions.
Yes, it is a low-trust society to the max. But then all the stuff about Daang Matuwid is just for display. Sure, I get if close staff need to be trustworthy. It isn’t different in politics over here. But actual positions in city hall that any civil servant can do? Oh well.
career diplomats are also civil servants and they sometimes got replaced when there is new govt. while those in city halls have to pass competency test or similar and have to pass probationary period. but the supervisors, overseers, secretaries, and undersecretaries can be govt appointees and that’s when nepotism kicks in. oftentimes, appointees want to prove their mettle and give it their best. relying on family relation alone is no longer enough even though it gets them tru’ the door.
Career diplomats can get relocated or recalled to DFA Manila, though usually it is only the Ambassador who is replaced. Philippine Embassy Bonn, West Germany, had a very powerful Minister Counselor (2nd to Ambassador) as a result as she was there for a long time.
Political appointees in the USA or Europe are usually by political party, not by family, though in rural areas, there can be nepotism. Or in Austria before the patronage system was notorious. Italy wasn’t too different up to around the 1980s, and Berlusconi wasn’t better.
The whole system of employment here lacks the systematized rigor of corporate America. There is a weak shareholder demand for success, I’d guess, or executives would get raked over the coals for choosing an uncle over profits.
Not just the lack of corporate rigor, but there is a near complete absence of large scale small business creation with sufficient enterprising mentality to expand at least locally. In the US, small businesses employ about half of all private sector workers. In the Philippines, it seems like small businesses are mostly used to give family “something to do.” That is changing a bit though with former BPO workers who have built up capital and are opening cafes and trendy eateries around BPO heavy areas.
Seems spot on to me. The agribusiness sector makes the point. It’s farms, sloppy cooperatives, and giants. And a few wayward souls figuring it out for themselves.
I saw this story the other week about Marcos Jr.’s plan for farm co-ops that was encouraging. Perhaps something similar to the US agriculture reforms and farm loans at the start of the 20th century but geared towards co-ops that would satisfy smallholder concerns would be a great thing for the Philippines. If I were DepAg secretary, I would recommend educating smallholder farmers on the benefits of joining resources and labor into cooperatives, in order to purchase mechanized equipment that may be shared. Perhaps each smallholder can be given a “share” in the co-op, similar to how employee-owned enterprises are run in the US. As long as each participant fulfills their end of the bargain as related to the co-op, they should receive the full benefits and share of the profits. Conceivably this system could stand in for the lack of large agriculture corporations due to the constitutional limits on land ownership.
https://business.inquirer.net/512345/marcos-to-farmers-build-coops-to-raise-agri-practices-get-full-govt-aid/
I’m skeptical about cooperatives. Accountability is missing. They’ve been around for decades, people say the right things, but where the rubber meets the road, there are skid marks leading into the ditch.
I agree on those concerns about accountability, but this is where a well managed government program could help as well. Assuming a well-designed and well-managed cooperative enhancement program, if the farmers who are members of a cooperative fulfill their end of the bargain, they get the support and the goodies in the form of low-interest loans for seed stock and new equipment. Sometimes a carrot is the solution, but the carrot should not be free of accountability requirements and metrics which measure those requirements.
That’s a good approach.
Interesting, that interplay of obligation to family dragging on individualistic success. Where is Ayn Rand when you need her most? haha But for sure, family bonds are powerful here, and also the angers within that bonding that force people into obedience. Or murder.
Again I do not want to label voters as bobotante.
I may have voted for a barangay kagawad upwards that rurn out to be a dud, who knows?
But I would not deny that vote buying exists among the poorest to the richest.
And even at the lowest level, there is corruption or at least huge irresponsibility.
Ninotchka Rosca, who is now back in the Philippines at least for a while, mentioned how she found out that there was only one water tank in her compound because the homeowners association spent the money that could have been used for a second one to travel to Baguio..
And for sure, they will have as little sense of wrongdoing as a counterflowing motorist there.
I mean, yes, you can reward yourself a bit from time to time if you have at least done your job.
I would get if they, for example, had an annual meeting at Elbert’s in BGC – shameless plug for FB friend and Kakampink Adrian Cuenca – where, according to Giancarlo, the best carbonara is served. But only if they get the second water tank and otherwise do their job well.
SK officials using their position to get cars “for official use also” are another example of not just doing the wrong thing but starting to do it while young.
ahso, the water tank was not on everyone’s priority, and if it was put to vote, water tank lag behind. and maybe those who badly need water tank, can have one installed in their own premises at their own expense. the corporate body can then reimburse their expenses, or homeowners pay no corporate fees for a year or two until the full amount of installing water tanks are reimbursed.
My understanding is that the officers of the homeowner’s association went to Baguio with the money that could have bought another water tank. Well, different countries have different values. But how can anyone believe good governance is possible in a country like that?
because I’m a pirate (primate!) I say those governed by the home association can counter with no confidence vote and not just belly up at the 1st hurdle. they are the governance and deserve better. and if they cannot do it themselves and put themselves forward because they are intimidated, they should hire a heckler like maybe a lawyer who can go tru with a fine tooth comb any documents the association and the homeowners may have signed. and see where they stand and how tenuous their stand is.
At the Senate Hearing.
The last resort Ness of ICC was articulated on a video of THE late Miriam Santiago.
Immediately Marcos was adamant that the justice system still works.
Remulla said there was a time when it did not.
Voters follow leaders. The liberal/left needs accountable leaders.
Joe, is your opposition series still continuing? am curious where and how Pinks/Yellows are navigating vis a vis ICC, and Red vs. Green. theres gotta be consolidation, but more important put finger to the wind and see if they should (if no consolidation for 3rd party opposition to make even a dent) then decide whether to go Green or Red. as tie breakers. so wondering what the process of that is now.
No, I’m pretty much done with outlining the way to win, but may reinforce the ideas now and then. I don’t think the liberals are navigating much about the ICC, both groups fine with the legal process and happy the Duterte Murder Club is being held to account. Evidently Sen Dela Rosa has gone into hiding. What did impress me is that Sec of Justice Remulla outlined clearly why the Philippines was obligated to abide by international law, and that the ICC hunts individuals, which does not infringe on a nation’s sovereign justice system. He also said Philippine justice did not do its job, a clear slap at the Duterte era.
I stopped using labels for voters, upon realizing they are in an autocratic trap.
Most want just two things from politicians: prosperity and security. That includes liveable wages to put better food on the table, and the satisfaction of walking home safe at night.
The wealthy people in town, being able to socialize with their peers including the local political mavericks, will have a different set of needs. Such as being able to gain preferential treatment for bureaucratic processes, so why they curry favors to local-level politicians.
So hence, no one is truly ignorant.
Voters in Western countries want similar things, and why not? The only difference is that, for instance, in West Germany, they still believe that democratic parties can deliver that, while in the East, they often don’t.
At the local level, the Social Democrats might, for instance, fight for affordable housing for the working class, while the Christian Democrats might fight for business parks where their clientele can locate their ventures.
In current cases I know of, only the Greens fight for a last sliver of urban forest as the other parties will look at the needs of their clientele. The Greens are often well-situated.
In the Philippines, most can’t work together with even 90% common goals.
Expect most to turn to people who make them somehow work together by just giving orders. Those basic examples I have brought of not even homeowner’s associations working and these are presumably typical middle-class clientele show that it is most probably a societal issue.
I heard Prof. Scott Galloway (center-left or in American terms, center-left) say recently that we as educated people need to start being more critical of the voices we allow into our spaces (far-leftists and far-rightists). In the US, the far-left tend to be nihilistic privileged individuals who are not seeking reasonable change that is politically doable, rather American far-leftists are conniving and seek to become chameleons in order to infiltrate the mainstream. At least the far-right is honest with who they are. Once the far-left minority infiltrates, they start spreading purity tests and sowing division, or what Galloway describes as indigence. Indigence and wailing may stoke strong emotion but it doesn’t translate into political wins. Galloway instead recommends that liberals need to be the party of ideas, not the party of indigence.
In the Philippines, the inability to reach 90% or even 80% consensus may be a form of purity testing. The odd part is that when asked, Filipinos could not define why they were so strongly for one candidate or another. Purity politics in the Philippines is more akin to whatever the preferred team’s platform is, and often seems to involve punishing *others* and grabbing the goodies for one’s own side.
Here in the US, a veritable rage is building. I’m surprised to even see “ruby red” states crowd town halls and non-partisan citizens community impact hearings with chants of incredulity. Perhaps some of these American voters thought that Trump would wield the cudgel against their perceived enemies as defined by right-wing media in the last decade, and didn’t think they themselves would be hurt. Well now that they’re hurt they are enraged. I think that sometimes people need to personally feel the pain of bad policies before they wake up and become more open minded. Such events in the US usually create huge momentum for the opposition in the next election. While in the Philippines, the pain seems a low simmer, hot but not quite boiling, tingly flames licking against the skin but not yet causing a burn wound. Perhaps that’s the way that dynasties truly control their local strongholds.
https://x.com/easy_jonathan/status/1903763778803761655
Interesting Twitter thread by Dr. Sy, I quote in full:
“Real talk lang. The leftists are too stuck (up) in their red-painted ivory towers to appeal to the masses. They need the centrists and moderates they diss and mock to win a seat in the Senate because you’re dealing with an electorate na bumoto sa punyetang budots naknampucha.
They’re not much different from the things they mock and swear to hate. They’re also living proof why a proper center-left coalition has yet to emerge in the Philippines the way it has in less dysfunctional democracies.
And, honestly, it reeks of being stereotypically teleserye too. Kinukutya mo kasi sinapawan ka lang ng mas burgis tulad ni Chel Diokno? Touch some real grass and grow the fuck up.”
Context: the Far Left trying to pull down Bam Aquino to raise up France Castro.
So well put.
Ok the left are out of my list. I will have more blank spaces now.
No Tulfo No Sotto No PDP No Catetanl
karl, when I think of France Castro, this comes to mind:
as to the left and right over here, I’m seeing a bunch of MAGAs who i guess work for the federal gov’t and have now been fired. USAID there were lots of left/libs fired, but when it spread to VA workers and US forest etc. those were heavily pro-Trump folks and now they’re bitching moaning. with vets giggling in delight.
So lots of vets are rejoicing at civs and dependents of vets getting fired at the VA. but most if not all the civilian staff i’ve come across in VA are all veterans (at least greater LA). with Social Security cutting soon am sure, VA benefits will follow. like another Bonus Army situation in the long run. but still now its kinda like this poem but w/out benefit of hind sight yet,
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
we’ll see… things are heating up that’s for sure. lol. Déjà vu, as Joey’s peeps would say.
another thing that Dems are doing here is (i guess they listened to Joey) making their own podcast. here’s Gov. Newsom’s which just doesn’t make sense. it falls flat i think cuz you gotta be a bit anti-establishment. he’s vying for 2028, i get it. but libs/Dems podcast are supposed to be from the ground, but not from Newsom himself!
If i were Newsoms media consultant, i would say drop this silly podcast, get back to work. but appear in these two dudes podcasts like every month. they’re both Dems (actually they’re non-political), and they’re focused on gov’t black budget and off the books science. if thats not anti-establishment i don’t know what is.
Find that crack, and insert yourself in it. the biggest gov’t contractors are in California, most of the stuff going on are in the Mojave desert and high Sierras, national labs and UCs to include private schools like Stanford are involved. the legacy programs themselves want to be outed, so no more JFK/RFK stuff need happen, so Newsom’s safe. just needs to take ownership politically of this
subject.
That’s Newsom’s in right there. UFO is his in.
if Newsom does this, he’ll surely be set for 2028. he needn’t participate in the wooo or conspiracy theories, just focus on budgets, hidden and off the records. and focus on California but project nationally and internationally. cuz this subject is that.
This is how you defeat Trump.
I ‘d also include this podcast too (this one’s more people centric, focused on experiencers which Dr. John Mack begun in the 80s, more psychological really, Newsom can up his empathy game here),
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/cosmosis-formerly-the-ufo-rabbit-hole/id1595590107
Well LCpl no one is listening to me as I’m but one voice. I did see Gavin Newsom’s podcast and have registered my displeasure with his office. He was my pick for the next president but platforming conspiracy theorists and racists is not the way to look more moderate. The audience of these people would never vote for democracy and “small-l” liberal values.
There is a palpable anger growing in the US. For both of our lifetimes the right-wing playbook has been extremely effective as it sought to keep poor Whites on the edge of survival and the cusp of rage. The lie of the politics of scarcity in the richest country in the world has always been absurd, but sadly that’s how the greedy rich divide different social groups that have more in common than members of those groups may realize. There is a feeling that the right-wing and the billionaires that fund them have finally overreached when there are upset people in lily-white congressional districts.
I’m ambivalent on whether people who voted against their interests should deserve the pain or not, but one thing I’m convinced of is that without finally feeling personal pain, people will not wake up. When kept at the edge of rage, that rage can be redirected to “other” groups that may not look the same, or worship the same way. Once financial pain is introduced, people usually value their personal financial future rather than misguided and misdirected rage on outgroups. Smarter new generation Democrats are starting to wise up and going out on their own to hold town halls and community impact meetings in red districts despite the Old Guard pretending that the country can wait until 2026. People want action. People want fighters. Rep. Ro Khanna is holding a big town hall in your parts of Kern County today as the Republicans Reps. David Valadao and Vince Fong run away.
As the Philippines often emulates many parts of American culture and politics, for better or for worse, and whether Filipino elites want to admit to that or not, I believe there are lessons to be learned from what’s happening here in America. Filipinos like any other people want fighters, which is why Filipino politicians who cosplay tough guys or fighters often win. This is how the Philippines end up with doughy, half-brain dead guys like Bato dela Rosa or has-been bomba actors like Robin Padilla. There is room for a more academic approach to politics where educated elites can help, but what’s needed more than ever are politicians who listen to their constituents’ everyday issues than listening to the political backers who bring money. In today’s new media landscape the necessity of having big money backers is less, and the sooner politicians figure that out and learn how to use new media, the better.
Thank you for relating this back to the Philippines. I have returned LCX to moderation because I don’t want discussions infested with American issues.
This is a good observation. I would add that many Filipino far-leftists are even more absurd than American far-leftists because the Filipino variety are mostly nihilistic and intellectually incurious elites aping American far-leftists who are intellectually incurious nihilist elites. It’s nice to be able to make noise when one’s life is rather comfortable, being a member of the socio-economic elite. There is no humility in these people, no curiosity in learning how normal people outside of their bubbles live.
What I find dangerous about far-leftists is they tend to be duplicitous. They know their ideology is not popular, so they put on a mask and seek to infiltrate the margins of the moderate left who may be sympathetic to the better sounding parts of far-left arguments. That’s how the Democratic Socialists of America were taken over by communists and anarchists, most famously expressed through the “Bernie Bro” movement which Bernie Sanders had repudiated. Despite being repudiated once the danger is realized, the initial supply of oxygen is what allows these odious movements to live on. Despite Bernie Sanders distancing himself from his more extremist “followers” (those “followers” actually don’t even care about Bernie Sanders’ platform, they saw him as a vehicle to burn down the system), the extremist far-left has not been extinguished. In a way, I find the far-right less scary as the far-right tells us exactly what they believe in with no mask.
The far-left often engages in purity testing as they operate more like a cult. I can ask many American far-leftists about the basic tenets of communism, and the main schools of communist thought, and they would not be able to answer. When I ask the difference between anarchism, socialism, and communism, as to how those movements are related from the origin until now, they cannot answer. The beliefs are often what the current self-appointed intelligentsia claim the beliefs are. In that regard far-leftists act more like cults that revolve around a set of personalities. My high school classmate has been one of the American far-left “movement leaders” for the last 15 years or so. He could not explain basic communist ideology back in high school, and from his Twitter posts, he still doesn’t understand basic communist ideology. It seems sometimes like self-appointed pastors with rabid followings who obey the word of the pastor’s interpretations rather than the word of the ideological texts.
The purity tests as demanded by the far-left, and sympathized by the more left margins of moderate leftism, is exactly the impediment that prevents a 80% consensus among the liberal-left movement. I’ve argued over a number of years that while 100% is nice, a sure 80% is better than 0%. In essence, that is the true meaning of progressivism, which requires movement. In fact the original French Revolution era progressive movement was originally named the Party of Movement. Small movement is still progress, and small movements add up into a long trail of footsteps behind us. Purity testing that halts everything is not conducive to progress.
That concept is excellent. Purity testing. What the 100 percenters are doing. It’s destructive.
I think that as Western and Western-adjacent countries’ liberal parties started becoming more educated, there was a trend towards more technocratic thinking. I have no doubt that the US Democratic Party and Philippines Liberal Party by and large mean well, but one can just listen to the typical Democratic or LP politician talk and feel they speak like professors. That well meaning but out-of-touch tendency seems to me to be the reason why far-left elements were able to infiltrate into the mainstream as the far-left though also out-of-touch manages to utilize emotion better. Emotional connection is the main way how people feel relatable to each other. Once the modern far-left infiltrates they start trying to capture the entire party, and if that isn’t possible (as it often isn’t), they seek to find a vehicle to burn down the whole system to rebuild the system in their image. I have not recalled so much infighting in the Democratic Party until after the so-called Bernie Bros infiltrated the Democratic big tent with their demands of 100% or bust.
Perhaps it’s a function of getting older but I also have less patience. I think debates should be in good faith. After all debates are ways to try to convince a skeptic over to one’s side. I do not like how far-leftists immediately drop their mask and engage in vicious ad hominem when their target of conversion does not join their side. In the US the far-leftists love to use terms like “libtards” or “shitlibs,” equating American liberals with fascists. In the Philippines the far-leftists love to paint liberals as “yellowtards,” “pinktards” or “walang kang kwenta.” I find it highly suspect that these far-leftists never criticize actual fascists, oligarchical greed, nor protest directly against malign power structures. As they are a minority, though loud, it’s absurd that they demand 100% immediately *or else,* akin to an acquaintance visiting one’s house then demanding the house title be signed over to them. These arguments are not constructive, and therefore do not contribute to progress, and I’d rather just completely ignore the far-left’s minuscule minority as paying attention to them gives them more oxygen to shout.
Another issue that has troubled me about modern liberalism’s technocratic tendencies is that the former economic populism of liberalism has seemingly been forgotten. FDR through LBJ was a strong progressive period, yet was also a period of strong patriotism and pride in one’s own country’s success and one’s part played in creating that success. Perhaps the early Cold War period had the USSR and PRC being looming enemies contributed to national unity in the US, and by the time of LBJ the Cold War had stabilized enough that citizens started in-fighting again. Today, aside from global authoritarianism and democratic backsliding, there is a new enemy: the oligarchs who have loyalty to no flag, no country, no ideology beyond the worship of increasing their money.
Thankfully, the Philippines isn’t that bad as the Filipino oligarchs aren’t extremely evil. I still think that once Filipino liberals and progressives get their act together into a coalition, Filipino oligarchs can be coaxed into helping with building the nation if there was more surety and governmental stability. Millions would be pulled out of poverty and have more money to buy stuff from Filipino tycoons. It’s a win-win for everyone and a win for the Philippines. But to get that governmental stability, liberals and progressives need to agree to just split their action timeline for their desired policies down the middle like King Solomon and the baby. It’s very frustrating when we can see that clearly Filipino liberals and progressives believe in the same policy, yet spend so much time on arguing about how and how fast to implement that policy. They should focus on combing forces to gain political power first.
In the Philippines, Quezon was the one who practiced economic populism as the Commonwealth was strong on social justice. His era was also marked by enormous school building that resulted in raised literacy by the early 1950s.
The generations from my father, NHerrera, Edgar Lores until cdvictory are products of a still intact school system thanks to Quezon. It was US-oriented, and my father did say in his high school graduation speech that “we know more of the Battle of Bull Run than our own history.”
But it had quality. So did the institutions, which were mostly built in Quezon’s time. The state machinery was only slightly upgraded during Marcos and Aquino Presidencies. Basically, the Philippine bureacracy is like running stuff on an IBM XT with DOS 3.1, but in 2025.
The false economic populism of Garcia’s Filipino First, which I think established the 60% Filipino ownership rule, probably just cemented the oligarchy by keeping competition out..
I had read numerous historical accounts where American Silent Generation industrialists of the WWII and immediate post war period being extremely patriotic. More than one had said that patriotic duty required them to pay the high personal income taxes of those days. It seems that the shift started when the Boomer generation took over coinciding with the nascent globalizing of national economies and that generation became more selfish overall. For years, American industrialists often wore patriotism as a fashion accessory while they hoarded their money overseas and demanding lower personal taxes at home. The insatiable greed causes an increasing number of rich to find allies and sow division in society, as the rich are just a handful after all. Here in the US that division was manifested by the undermining of education over the last 4 decades and using manufactured culture wars to divide the working class. After all, uneducated people cannot resist as easily, and a divided citizenry can’t unite into a coalition.
I had also considered the great ill that the Austrian school of economics had introduced into modern economic planning. Perhaps in the far future an economic historian would find it absurd that a formerly mocked economic ideology from a single school in a small country (of Austria) managed to infiltrate first the University of Chicago, expand across the US, and ultimately hold the entire Western world in its ideological grip.
The saving grace seems to be that a lot of our modern tycoons and industrialists are in fact quite dumb, and their aura of prowess was manufactured by legions of accountants, lawyers and PR teams. From current events, I find echoes of the vanquishing of the Robber Barons and the New Deal recovery from the Great Depression, where those age’s tycoons also overreached due to self-delusion.
I often connect historical threads from the US to the Philippines as there is a connection there, even if some UP educated people who are more leftist adamantly deny it. Unfortunately if things go bad in the US, it often goes back to the Philippines, and when the Philippines suffers as in the Japanese occupation, the US suffers as well.
Sometimes it seems to me that Filipino tycoons often have a “small shop owner” mentality, even at the national level. Sometimes it seems to me that in a country where there are many friction points to action at many levels, any positive action that seems quite normal in any other context appears to be like a huge success.
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think most Philippine tycoons are particularly evil-minded. I don’t think most are even uncaring. I do think that due to small shop mindset, some may be afraid to “think big.” There’s also the issue of “how?” after the “think big” phase. Sometimes it’s safer to just keep doing the same thing year after year; after all, it works, even if it evolves into a form of rent-seeking.
In that way, the remnants of Filipino First and the anti-foreign majority ownership law which ended up being an anti-getting-foreign-capital unwritten rule benefits the established tycoons who ended up being “slightly bigger” shop owners, at a national level. They are quite happy with profiting off the margin on things they sell via their import licenses, I’m sure. It’s a safe bet. Can’t lose money that way, when only they can afford the import costs, selling nondurable and durable goods that Filipinos want.
By extension, Philippines government over the years also seems quite risk adverse. They should be reminded that even if foreign capital was allowed to own 100% of a factory, let’s say, the factory is still under Philippine laws and jurisdiction, so there should not be any impediment to getting foreign capital in. If the foreign company is naughty, they can be reprimanded, fined, seized, and prosecuted. But by allowing foreign capital and expertise to flow in, with “Made in Philippines” goods to sell domestically, native tycoons wouldn’t be able to hold a captive market anymore for their imported goods. So it’s a Catch-22 situation once again.
Clearly, somewhere along the line, there is a lack of courage as well, by both the Filipino business community and Filipino politicians.
“Lack of courage” suggests their risk assessment differs from yours, as I don’t think the Filipino oligarchs are cowardly. Indeed, they invest huge sums in their projects. So why do they fail to meet your risk levels? Hmmmm. The Philippines is indeed inherently conservative. Businesses don’t fail, they are acquired by deeper pockets. I think of Duterte’s pal Dennis Uy, rose fast taking huge risks, fell fast when covid hit and Duterte left office. No projects failed, they received investments from other parties. Banks offer obscenely low interest rates on deposits to protect them from the risks attached to lending that is not very rigorous in due diligence.
So the system itself lacks the courage of knowledge. That is, there are poor capabilities to assess risks. Even the stock market seems to have no analytical foundation. It’s like a giant sari sari store of paper. That’s the small market mentality you recognize. Courage takes analytical confidence, plus recovery backstops.
As a small business owner who parlayed a few hundred bucks to the modicum of success I achieved thus far, I think success in a business field requires a bit of gumption and a bit of luck. Success also requires believing on one’s own initiative, which necessitates a seed of confidence in one’s abilities. I don’t buy into the whole self-made bootstraps theory as aside from it being literally impossible to pull one’s self up from one’s bootstraps (the idiom was originally describing something impossible before morphing in meaning), individual success also requires investment by one’s personal circle (business partners, investors, friends and family) as well as societal support (education, a business-friendly environment and government). Many of those supports are missing in the Philippines. The less resources a Filipino has, certainly the harder it is to gain confidence, or a courage of knowledge as you describe. However those Filipinos with deeper pockets certainly have the wherewithal to independently be drivers of progress in the Philippines, at least in the area of the economy and job creation. When I looked at how businesses are created in the rest of SEA, enterprising individuals often have a sort of confidence that is lacking in the Philippines business community, while the governments in those countries are often reacting to facilitate what turns out to work well. The Philippines could learn from those successes too.
Makes good sense. I may look at one or two of the oligarchs and piece together what they do, and don’t do.
Looking forward.
I think that underdeveloped capital markets play a role in how Philippine business is, also the low-trust society where even housing associations might take the funds for a trip to Baguio instead of spending them on maintenance.
So Philippine oligarchs HAVE to make sure they have sufficient OWN reserves AND make sure no one inside the company can put one over them. Make sure one breeds loyal people as ambitious people might not be trustworthy etc.
Leaving this thread about the PSE here as a full quote as well. Of course this is not vetted so I have no idea how true but it sounds likely to me.
https://x.com/GrumpyTrader38/status/1904023648538870051
“The Philippine Stock Market: A Rigged Game Against the Everyday Juan 🧵👇
If you think the PSE is a fair playing field, you haven’t been paying attention.
Retail investors get trapped, insiders get rich, and regulators look the other way.
Here’s how the system screws you over.
1/ Insider Trading: The Untouchable Elite
Despite laws against insider trading, enforcement in the Philippines remains weak.
The infamous BW Resources scandal of 1999 is one of the few prosecuted cases, highlighting a systemic issue where the elite often operate with impunity.
2/ Insider Trading: The House Always Wins
The PSE has one insider trading conviction.
One. In 30+ years.
Meanwhile, rumors move stocks before major announcements.
By the time news hits, you’re exit liquidity.
3/ DITO: The SRO Bait & Switch
DITO CME launched a Stock Rights Offering (SRO), lured in retail investors… then pulled it mid-offer.
People already subscribed got their money stuck for weeks. No compensation. No accountability.
If you did this to a corporation, you’d be sued.
4/ The Calata Disaster ( $CAL )
Retail traders got hyped into Calata Corp ( $CAL ).
Then the CEO got caught trading his own stock w/o disclosure.
Instead of punishing just him, the PSE delisted the entire stock.
Retail got trapped with worthless shares.
Insiders walked free.
5/ NOW Corp: The “Telco” That Wasn’t
$NOW pumped on hype that it would compete w/ Globe & Smart.
Investors were fed promises of a massive gov’t deal. That deal? Never happened.
Instead, $NOW got slapped w/ a measly ₱1M fine for misleading disclosures.
Who got rich? Not you.
6/ Manipulation: The Phantom Hands
Ever seen a stock pump 50% intraday then dump just as fast?
Ever wondered who buys low, dumps high, and leaves retail stuck?
It’s the same hands recycling shares back & forth to create fake demand.
The PSE knows. They just don’t stop it.
7/ Regulators: Weak or Just Bought?
The SEC & PSE love slapping fines on small players.
But when a big name blatantly screws retail?
They “investigate” for years — until people forget.
How many executives have been jailed for stock fraud?
Exactly.
8/ The Aman Futures Scam: Government’s Blind Eye
Aman Futures ran a ₱12B Ponzi scheme.
15,000 Filipinos lost everything.
Authorities? Did nothing until it collapsed.
By then, the mastermind had fled the country.
Too little, too late. Again.
9/ KAPA Ministry: Religion & Fraud
KAPA promised a 30% monthly return on “donations.”
Yes, donations.
Thousands of Filipinos, many elderly, lost their life savings.
SEC warned people — but didn’t stop it fast enough.
And the founder? Living comfortably abroad.
10/ Retail Investors: Always the Last to Know
News doesn’t hit you until insiders are done.
IPOs? You get leftovers.
Delistings? You’re trapped.
This market isn’t built to make you rich. It’s built to make sure they win.
11/ So, What Can You Do?
1️⃣ Know the game’s rigged. Trade accordingly.
2️⃣ Don’t trust corporate press releases.
3️⃣ Avoid cult stocks hyped by insiders.
4️⃣ If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
What’s the worst scam/manipulation you’ve seen in the PSE? Let’s expose the BS. 👇”
As for this picture, if you know, you know.
I have no idea how the corporate banking system works there, but judging from how the consumer banking system sucks based on what I have read..
Regarding capital markets, the NYSE (founded 1792) was self-regulated for nearly 150 years based on a system of trust and reputation between traders, investors, and business. That self-regulated system worked, weathering smaller market crashes after which the NYSE held offenders to account, until the Great Crash of 1929. There are some interesting theories on the underlying causes of the Great Crash, but the consensus is that the Roaring Twenties excesses and a new generation of reckless investors weakened the self-regulated system. Thus the NYSE (and other US securities exchanges) was formally regulated by law upon establishment of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934. Interesting historical connection: the SEC originally controlled the PSE predecessor, the Manila Stock Exchange (founded 1927), and local control was granted in 1936. So there may have never been institutional accountability built up.
I’m not familiar with the PSE or the intricacies of large-scale capital markets in the Philippines, but there is some value in “common sense” methods that worked in prior applications. The lack of institutional accountability in the PSE where trading is treated more like gambling retail investors’ money seems to be a symptom of weak regulation and investigatory oversight.
That being said, the NYSE (and other, smaller US exchanges) operating more or less independently and self-regulating for a century and a half is an allusion to how when the capital market is more immature, business people tend to know each other and operate on the trust of personal relationships. Reputation was extremely important in “The City” business circles before the Great Crash, and is still very important today. Reneging on business deals and promises (even gentleman’s agreements) was frowned upon, and risked others not doing business with the offender again. In the Philippines, the Chinoy businesses seem to operate similarly in this “credit extended by reputation and association.” How to extend this accountability to the rest of Philippines businesses and encourage the growth of small business and startups, I do not know.
The consumer banking sector is a transaction business more than a deposit/lending business. Risk assessment is very sketchy so loan losses are heavy but are covered by the spread with ridiculously low deposit interest rates. When covid stressed the banks, government let them dump bad loans into a separate fund to get them off the books. I suppose they then sold them to investors or the government. The bad loans just went away and their balance sheets stayed healthy. There was no public panic about bank stability. As a transaction business, banks are getting pretty good. Money flies everywhere electronically, for small denominations.
Nice synopsis of the forces that coagulate behind the scenes to affect citizen thinking. I do think the cold war was a unifying factor in the US, as China could be in the Philippines if patriotism were more extant (where the hell out of the cobwebs of my reading did that word come from?).
Another factor, I think, of the immediate post-war US was there were still many folks around who remembered the suffering of the Great Depression and what sacrifice it took to fight off global fascism. Republicans tried to capitalize on that feeling again with GenX during Gulf War I, and with Millennials during GWOT/Gulf War II. Didn’t work though as the strong Civic Society institutions were already being broken down starting in the 1970s with Nixon’s win, replaced with corporatism and leaving communities economically behind during the drive to globalization.
When people are experiencing a slow, dull pain, they hate it of course but they can endure it. Sometimes they blame their pain on other groups, by othering others. It would probably take big societal shocks to fundamentally reset the system and wake people up. Sometimes that reset is due to a major war, like WWI, WWII. It seemed to me from historical reading that the generation of leaders of the early Philippine Third Republic were some of the most idealistic leaders the Philippines ever had. I do believe the beginning of that reset is happening in the US. Certainly a Big War with China and Russia can create a reset as well, both in the Philippines and in the Western World including the US. But we must question at what cost to society? That’s why we who love democracy try to warn our fellows, though our cries often fall to deaf ears. Sadly, once people are in their ideological silos, they often don’t start questioning their ideological faith until they feel personal pain.
I recall it was more the glee of success after the war in the 50s. Buy a new car every year, no problem. Now, globally, there is no glee because everyone is on a treadmill and lies are coming at them a mile a minute. Religion is fractured. There’s nothing to hold on to.
It was certainly different back then, where a family on a single income could buy a house and two cars to park in their garage. Today maybe two income families in the US are barely living paycheck to paycheck, so it’s no wonder segments of Americans are upset. However I think their rage is misguided by what amounts to be corporate propaganda. Something seems to be changing though as ruby red states are starting to direct their anger at the correct culprits. Let’s hope that when the US gets out of this, the dream of LBJ to expand the New Deal to everyone will finally be realized.
I hope so.
Accountability first. Vote buying is rampant even in the lowest position in the government. And some voters are gullible enough believing that their lot would eventually improve. Some of us Filipinos never learn.
That seems very true, Arlene. But it is correctable, I truly believe.
it is hard to learn when one is being paid not to learn. and some of the supposedly gullibles hopeful of their life improving and sold their votes, got their wish after election. aside from getting money from selling their votes, they also got jobs in newly the elected government! they just have to perform though, else they are fired!
in pbbm’s govt, there have been a number of resignations due to ill health apparently. or maybe due to disillusionment like maybe they cannot have their ways. and new faces have been appointed thus. pbbm may look weak, but he seems to know incompetence when he sees one. and the solgen may just have walked himself into the firing line.
I’ve come to the conclusion that President Marcos is not as stupid as I thought he was as a senator. He seems to have grown some wisdom somewhere along the line. And also the ability to be reflective instead of impetuous.
pity about his inflammatory sister, firing on all cylinders for father figure now ensconced at the hague. telling the govt to bring him back, well she can go all the way to the hague and camp there herself, see if she can bring him back. me and many other filipinos are happy to see the back of her father figure. and hope he will never be allowed back home, he has done enough damage and should not be allowed to do more damage here. shame, the sister is not even on the list of father figure’s visitor. maybe because she is not lawyer and has zilch ICC experience.
Totally agree. I feel sorry for her at times, rather a worn out caricature of her father and mother, in her eyes. Striving to be glamorous and eloquent and dramatic and profound, but coming up flat. And surely pissing her brother off.
the brother has right to be pissed! during the soiree he did not endorse her or mention her name anymore. he is now minus one in his senatorial line up and ought to endorse other candidates from other parties. preferably candidate/s that put our country’s interest above that of their friends. he knew who those candidates are and they are much better behaved than his pro duterte and pro china sister with the utterly stupid question of, when did we become province of the hague! if the sister did not know the answer after being senator for 6yrs, she does not deserve to be reelected. ever.
Begrudgingly I can only admire how he managed to pull the rug under the Dutertes and their gang.
Gotta wonder how Arroyo’s gonna deal with all that after trying to be kingmaker for a while putting together those rivals just to shut down the liberal moderates and the radicals.
Our very own slo-mo teledrama, eh? I read an observation from MLQ3 yesterday that House Speaker Romualdez is actually not the President’s favored successor. They don’t get along that well. The favored successor is Senator Tulfo. MLQ3 typically has very informed insights and that one woke me up.
I already had the hunch that Tulfo is on the way up over a year ago. Considering the choices AND the slim chances of the liberal politicians, a Tulfo Presidency might not be that bad.
He will refer stuff to institutions, like on his show. That will probably be a step ahead for many Filipinos who still believe in barangay type governance. By 2029, Vico Sotto will turn 40 and could become President in 2032.
That has been my readout on Tulfo, too. If the job shapes him, as it has President Marcos, then there will at least be stability and maybe even progress. I have Vico Sotto in my Robredo bucket, no ambition for national office.
Tulfo’s style is one some ordinary Filipinos want — autocratic micromanagement just like a barangay captain deciding almost everything and expected to barge in and fix even the tiniest problems.
That’s better than Daughter Duterte. I think the office shapes the holder to some extent. There is a deep state intransigence fostering stability and leaning toward good deeds.
I think ordinary Filipinos abroad like working city halls with (almost) one-stop processing of all official stuff and political parties that are able to form a consensus and get stuff working, even as most barely understand that stuff.
In the Philippines, official stuff runs extremely inefficiently, and groups of people tend to quarrel about trivia instead of getting the 80% common ground done. Such a system with very weak institutions makes the decisive person at the top attractive, unfortunately.
gloria arroyo is most certainly not a happy soul. pbbm just rejected her efforts to make pampanga the culinary capital of the philippines. before, sa panahon ni pres noy, pampanga is known as the kabaong capital of our country. they make such fine coffins there, voted best in the country. pity, imelda did not go local and bought makoy’s broze coffin from estados unidos, there nakabaon sa libingan.
🤣 I can only imagine frowning after hearing all that and got her leisurely teatime ruined.
gloria arroyo is probly in mourning. I think her granddaughter’s husband died in a hotel in los angeles, marring the first lady liza marcos’ successful filmvest in america, took off the shine, and summat became bigger news than the filmvest event.
More woes.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2048808/former-president-gloria-arroyo-discloses-her-familys-health-ordeal
Aging should be outlawed.
Just vote yellow. Problem solved.
I second the motion! just vote yellow and problems are solved.
Simple enough. I agree.
There is one matter where there seems to be a slight trend for accountability:
The high numbers for the Visayas are encouraging, BTW.
My reaction was cynical, why are we “voting” on right and wrong? Why would anybody think Duterte should not be held to account? But, yes, I suppose it does indicate a rudimentary sense of accountability. I do wonder who paid for the survey, and how they expect to profit from the data.
the crying polis man, a pro duterte supporter that thought duterte should not be held accountable, and posted anti government rants so soon after duterte landed in the hauge, is now crying his way to unemployment. so full of apology and utterly repentant maybe because he was shown the exit. but no worry there really, pro duterte supporter should wipe his tears as he will surely find another job. richer pro duterte allies will most likely console him and offer him a plum job.
He joins the pathetic troop led by Harry Roque.
there is petition from overseas filipinos to block roque’s asylum request in netherlands. roque has been hiding in qatar for 6months, and only happened to ask for asylum in netherlands because digong is in the hague. and he thought he would be one of digong’s defence lawyer, but was rejected.
Outside of die hards, most people would start feeling different when the “representative” of their people starts becoming an embarrassment. I don’t think there was anything wrong with a politician who could speak for the issues affecting areas outside of Metro Manila, especially in Visayas and Mindanao, but it may becoming more clear for more Bisaya that Duterte was not that spokesman. The association with Quiboloy probably did not help either. Whatever it takes to vanquish this odious clan, it’s probably worth it.
Well, a lot of the discussions on Filipino social media resemble possible discussions characters from the Dark Ages might have had if suddenly modern courts were trying some Game of Thrones characters. It is a huge disjoint. Well, I guess every society needs its own processes to determine for itself what it considers right and wrong. As for the Senate, the picture is still dismal, not a single liberal Senator left after Hontiveros leaves..
bato de la rosa should be counted out, gone into hiding, whereabouts unknown. count him out if he will not show his face and come out to vote on polling day. and if he votes in the wrong place where he is not resident, all the more reason to count him out. as senator he should be held to higher standard.
IF Bato and recently Imee are both sinking ships, then both Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan might have a chance to get into the Magic 12. The opposition has to push and remember what VP Leni said: no 2028 without 2025.
make it a trio and add bong go, three meerkats all looking out for duterte. bong go already has so much gratis vote from iglesia ni kristo and should not be too greedy. he is already winning and should share some of those votes. voters ought to give some of their votes to bam aquino and kiko pangilinan. too many of bong go’s votes passed the winning tally is waste of votes is what I think. and cannot make bong go anymore the winner than he already is. better give some of those votes to deserving others.
and I dont like siblings working together, they’ll end up ganging and not likely to see each others mistakes and covering them up in keeping with the status quo or brand name. one tulfo is enough for me. two tulfos is double the trouble. if the tulfos are really that good, one can do the work of two.
vp leni is correct, no 2028 without 2025. anyone wants leni to run for president in 2028 should seriously consider voting for the candidates she endorses this election 2025. these candidates are supportive and compatible with her national policies and not likely to pervert them for their own self aggrandizement.
Sadly I may have to admit that Philippines liberals did this to themselves. There’s not one politician of note that is vaguely charismatic, and seniority or surname seem much more important. There is a sense of “business as usual,” “we’ll surely win next time,” not unlike the gerontocracy that is the current US Democratic Party. In such a rigid system, new talent can be smothered before a chance even arises. Heck in the US, the Democratic gerontocracy were even willing to drive a knife into the back of one of their own — Biden. In this age where old media has been made less relevant, new pugilists are needed that can go mano a mano while holding true to their values. Filipinos were one of the earliest adopters of new media, but has mostly consumed it to fuel their own resentments. Politicians who utilize new media need not the rickety old political structures and navigate old media placements that no one really watches anyway. Surely this can be an opportunity for a new generation of Filipino politicians.
There are many frustrating stuff and disappointments here Irineo but vote Yellow said.
Just vote Yellow for 2025
Only Kiko and Bam are Yelow. I will add some admin and Leftists for the Senate slot.
White happened to ocho derecho will hopefully not happen.
Access to information. Facebook is free across the Philippines.
Until good parties match the Dutertes and Marcoses and there minions … there is no competition.
True, it is a competition.
it is hard to compete with their misinformation and disinformation, too many vloggers telling fakes news and creating discord all in the service of the dutertes and the marcoses. thanks for the tri com, vloggers are being called to account. apparently free speech is not all about fake news to trap mostly the trustful and the unwary, or telling lies to manipulate and distort the truth for the benefit of bent politicians. and since vloggers are making millions out of their nefarious online activities, they ought to declare their income and pay tax.
and thanks for the break up of what imee once coined the marriage made in heaven, pbbm and sara duterte are now divorced and discordant. their followers divided and equally discordant. here’s hoping some of their votes find their way to the opposition, and tally with the more stable liberal. the opposition may not be able to pay bribes but voters have already received too much bribes, they’ll survive few rainy days without. call it holy retreat, cleansing for the soul.
Journalism used to have professional ethical standards which most were proud to follow. Bloggers have no ethical standards and there are no enforcement methods outside of legislative hearings and a cybercrime law that is misdirected in favor of thin skinned politicians. The nation needs a social media ethics body that can identify and fine bloggers and others who are spreading lies and hostility.
totally agree. vloggers who are spreading lies, hostilities and grotesque ideologies should be jailed or heavily fined. what they are doing is not free speech but ideological subversion which are incredibly dangerous and harmful to people.
You inspired me to write an article on blogging ethics. Out soon.