President Marcos has the Philippines on the way up
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
Democracy is an engine, a force, a living organism. It is not tin soldiers following orders, it is millions of people energized by hope, opportunity, and a system of organized chaos.
Leaders are chosen by citizens but their term is shaped by accidents, the strange behavior of history, and the will of the people expressed through votes, opinions, and protests.
Lets frame this:
- Yellows want President Marcos to fail. They are generally older and carry the battle scars of the father. They ignore the President’s good works and scream about his bad history and flubs.
- Pinks are situationally opposed to the President because Robredo lost to him, but it is not a durable hate. The hate is reserved for cruel people like the Dutertes. President Marcos is situational himself. That means fluid. They are going through an awkward togethering.
- The Left is weird, stubborn yet flighty, opportunists who take but don’t give. Principled but missing the principle of working with others. They behave like trapos masked by a kind of intellectual elitism. They are mostly irrelevant, politically.
- The Dutertes are Chinese triads admired for their gangster power. They are not loyal to China, but to Chinese cronies. China the government does not mind using their influence to soften the opposition to their imperialistic greed. Filipinos to the south like them because the thugs help them feel somehow meaningful, versus imperial Manila.
This is background to figuring out how President Marcos has the Philippines on the way up, as a global force. It is partly his intent, partly accidental, and mostly history unfolding.
He made three important decisions early on:
- He would run a traditional government with good cabinet appointments and hold a steady economic line.
- He would reach out to other nations to secure investments.
- He would build a bond with the US for personal respectability and to shore up defense against China’s incursions.
His closure of pogos was more in line with 1 than 3, opposition to China. He got the Philippines off the money laundering “grey list” because of this.
He does not want a fight with the Dutertes but the Dutertes seem to want to fight with him. Well, tyrants need enemies to excite their base. The President has no need for enemies. Sending Duterte to the ICC was more a matter of getting a burr out from under his “normal governance” saddle than hate against the Dutertes. Again, more 1 than anything.
Similarly, he did not want a fight with China when he took office, but China kept becoming more and more physically aggressive. So he launched a “transparency” opposition that simply showed, factually, that China is the problem. Secretary Teodoro called China out on the ASEAN stage a few days ago. Pow!
So with the Dutertes fighting him and China pushing him, the President’s nature as a non-combatant encouraged him to go with the flow. He runs a normal, not a revolutionary government. He builds alliances with other nations. He works with the US.
The result? The Philippines is more engaged and influential internationally than it has ever been since sailing ships of commerce left the seas.
Filipinos live globally, by the thousands. OFWs require international engagement.
Nations such as Japan, Australia, France, Canada, the Netherlands, and others see the Philippines as the principled focal point of democratic Asia because China has pushed the Philippines front and center. Japan is not a main target of China like the Philippines is. Japan is self sufficient. The Philippines needs others.
This is the confluence of history.
And President Marcos is perfect for it.
Gracious and calm, welcoming as Filipinos know how to do it, with open arms. Not a loudmouth or a gambler.
Seeking the stable path, in harmony.
Steady on.
Upward.
_________________________
Cover photo from East Asia Forum article “Marcos’s first year was a mixed bag for the Philippines“.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
He is a lot better than all of the
Dutertes combined.
True. The interesting thing about capitalism is that it keeps churning through the political gaming and law enforcement abuses like EJKs and pogos, so if the President just doesn’t get in the way, he can succeed. President Marcos has done better than that by giving pogos the boot and stabilizing international relations.
riza hontiveros brought attention to alice guo and those dreadful and deceitful pogos, then president marcos outlawed pogo and banned them all. though pogos have morphed and are now pretending to be bpos and operating in plain sight! still into scamming and stealing cash with the connivance of some filipinos. both foreigners and their filipinos enablers have been caught and brought to justice, others have moved in to neighboring businesses, renting apartment blocks and pretending to be call centers, etc.
president marcos had also agreed with hontiveros when hontiveros dissented from granting filipino citizenship to a very rich chinese, I think, hontiviros was the lone dissenter out of the 24 senators.
hontiveros’ lone dissent was strongly amplified by the president, and the very rich chinese did not get his much longed for filipino citizenship.
there are things not for sale.
Just refreshing my memory.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1247916
Excellent point.
Risa Hontiveros is the soul of the Philippines, straight shooter, and I suspect President Marcos likes her better than the smarmy ass kissers. He seems to not be attached to any lunatics, his wife and Exec Sec Bersamin likely talking to him as if he were an intelligent human being, no horns.
I thought the First lady would be the loud mouth but glad I was wrong.
The son also is also not a loud mouth speaks only when necessary.
Glad to be wrong about lot of things about Marcos.
there really is room for improvement. the strong man is long dead, gone and buried. and the one he called has good muscle coordination is doing well and apparently becoming quite a good coordinator. but the one the strong man wrongly said is the brain of the family, is limping and out to ambush, embarrass, belittle and demoralize the coordinator at any which way she can.
I wont be surprise if brain of the family changed her name.
Oh my will she get enough votes then.
https://x.com/ronaldgem/status/1210113133450149890?t=_hoPiSLRapH5W0UdiHNF1g&s=19
PS
With the goings on I do not think Imee is actually brainier.
she got the strong man hoodwinked! methink, her mom has convinced the strong man the daughter was as brainy, so the strong man would look past how plain and swarthy the daughter had looked at the time, prebotox, pre hair extensions, etc.
the mom might have been superlative in her endeavor to make the strong man loved her firstborn, the daughter, else the strong man go astray and found himself another mistress to marry. the way he priorly repudiated the mistress he used to live with and had three children with her, before the mom insinuated herself and locked the strong man into a marriage vow with her.
Imee is a character out of Sponge Bob Square Pants, but is on ground. Gadzooks, what a piece of work.
Very apt
sorry, both her daddys cannot vote for her! and she will get the flick from me, not the vote.
I would not vote for her as well.
If Sara will not be impeached will Imee go for VP?
damn girl, such an edjet! lost the opportunity when she could have gone for the stars! yes, imee can be vp, like what one time edu sec sara said to schoolkids you can be vp and the overall winner of the you can be vp schools comp got to travel overseas with her. and that got some eyebrows raised, a kid summat unchaperoned and not blood relative traveling with her . . . omg! must be traumatic for the kid to be paraded overseas, a midget among over qualified and stuffy edu affectionados, some ought not be near kids at all!
sure, imee can be vp too, only she is no longer a schoolkid. kaya, magmantenir na lang si sara and looped in old cosmetically enhanced imee. and like the schoolkid winner, imee would get to travel overseas too.
coz sara has now tasked imee with bringing digong home from ICC. makes me think tuloy, where would imee get the extra cash reserve for the purpose? then as senator elect, imee would have plenty absences from senate, toing and froing from the hauge, working overtime, meeting and paying them international lawyers bigger bucks, just to bring home digong, and please sara immensely.
Thanks for always being a voice of reason.
It’s a challenge to put together contexts then overlap them. And fun. Most people are cheer-leading their personal likes.
https://x.com/theadtan/status/1933133155617419621 by a Tweeter from the Marcos side:
Politics is not black or white. Pero 99% ng tao, ganun mag-isip. Either Dilawan ka or Loyalista. DDS or Kakampink. Walang in-between?
Ako? I’m here for the nuance. Kasi, guess what? May ganun.
Like, Bong Go: Pro-Digong pero, clearly, hindi pro-Sara.
Or Imee Marcos. Marcos siya, pero chummy with Sara, kasi, hello? 2028 votes.
Si Kiko ay opposition, pero he supports agri reforms and will work with the admin to pass important laws that can help achieve food security.
Si Marcoleta ay DDS, pero most likely he will vote to amend the EPIRA Law, which is part of PBBM’s LEDAC agenda.
I can vote for brilliant legislators but can be annoyed by their antics and PR strategy.
A Kakampink can support PBBM, a Loyalist can vote for a Kakampink and Bong Go, and a DDS can vote for a Marcos.
Nuance exists. It’s not fence-sitting. It’s called THINKING.
Politics isn’t a fandom. Hindi mo kailangan pumili ng “team” sa lahat ng issues. Bakit kailangan kampihan lagi at sa lahat ng bagay?
And, yes, you can criticize the person you voted for. You have every right to.
Impossible namang 100% agree ka sa lahat ng ginagawa niya… unless fan ka at hindi Filipino citizen. 😂
Who says you are not thinking when Fence stting, what if you are humpty humpty?
serves humpty dumpty right! he should never have sat on the wall without crossing himself. he might just saved himself from bad luck.
anyhow, had humpty dumptuy had enough calcium in his diet, he would most probly survive a fall. his shell would have been tougher, not brittle like old people’s bones and break easily.
Maybe too much caffeine made HD Calcium efficient and jumpy.
so like bato! seen how jumpy he gets at the senate pushing hardest to ward off sara’s impeachment? gesticulating wildly, nostrils flaring, eyes raging, lalong kumintab tuloy ang ulo!
I am watching all this like a tennis match by now, feeling deja vu and thinking Alex Eala’s matches are better. In 2000, it was someone dancing “no no no,” and Erap said stepping down did not mean he resigned. Now it is remand/return and forthwith/immediate. Like the answer “di naman nanggapang, nangingibabaw po lamang” as the man’s answer to the female accusing “bastos ka walang galang, bakit ka nanggagapang”. Due process or due palusot?
Humpty was trying to fly.
He was successful until the crash
there is a dark story to humpty dumpty. actually a royalist cannon mounted on a church tower, capable of killing thousands during the english civil war. but enemies blasted the tower and humpty dumpty fell. then children made nursery rhyme out of it.
Ah, so that’s Humpty Dumpty! Amusing how he evolved. My favorite version of him is in Alice and Wonderland where he declares “a word means what I say it means” (my paraphrase), which I use all the time. Definitions are important.
Thanks for that KB and Joe
english children made nursery rhyme of the infamous cannon called humpty dumpty, whereas american children did not make rhyme of the bomb called enola gay and how it went singing all the way down, the pilot exclaiming, my god what have we done!
The band OMD who were British did..
Enola Gay
You should have stayed at home yesterdayAh-ha, words can’t describeThe feeling and the way you liedThese games you playThey’re gonna end in more than tears some dayAh-ha, Enola GayIt shouldn’t ever have to end this way
It’s 8:15And that’s the time that it’s always beenWe got your message on the radioConditions normal and you’re coming home
Enola GayIs mother proud of little boy today?Ah-ha, this kiss you giveIt’s never ever going to fade away
Enola GayIt shouldn’t ever have to end this wayAh-ha, Enola GayIt shouldn’t fade in our dreams away
It’s 8:15And that’s the time that it’s always beenWe got your message on the radioConditions normal and you’re coming home
Enola GayIs mother proud of little boy today?Ah-ha, this kiss you giveIt’s never ever going to fade away
That is a head shaking (up and down) recitation. Nuance does exist and it is also called “stop justifying your mistakes”.
https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1933329571287568697
American courts also use the word forthwith, BTW. Now I wonder if Trump will try the Escudero defense, or is it too silly even for him?
The challenge is how to enforce a court order when Justice is run by criminals. Trump has filed appeal, which is procedural, but the law is the law. Pushback against him is growing, though. So that’s good. News agencies are having trouble normalizing his nonsense.
no kings, protesters waving mexican flags probly infuriated trump even more!
that’s all they can do, flag waving, marching and protesting. there is no history of coup in estados unidos, and no one knows how to do about it. isn’t it ironic that american soldiers have caused regime changed in many countries, deposed many despots too, but cannot do a thing about a hulking one of their own.
in philippines, we managed to exile a despot, with the help of estados unidos.
There is more we are doing than flag waving, etc. We are taking Trump to court. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. But that is how we fight. Trump has declared “I am the law.” Not quite yet, but we know that is his goal.
Trump lost 96% of lawsuits in May alone.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-lower-court-streak-legal-losses/
The DOGE should DOGE Trump for inefficiency – carrying out functions that take him to court causing us to spend money on lawyers!
People are afraid, especially if they might lose their position in public life. Few people want to become martyrs. McCarthyism and Hooverism lasted 12 years and seemed unstoppable until Joseph Welch uttered his admonishment “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” during the Army-McCarthy Hearings. We can all practice a bit more personal bravery, no matter how small.
Joey, indeed we Americans can no longer brag that we are “Home of the brave!” Nakakahiya tayo! I still am hoping we will come through.
Disente was laughed at in the Philippines in 2016 when Roxas used the term.
Decency being effective against McCarthy stems from European mores that values decency and compassion higher than displays of power. Throughout Medieval European history there were plenty of Christian monarchs and princes who strived to make a point of being righteous and good. Of course, before the Christianization of Europe, the tribes valued power. But those formerly barbarian tribes evolved culturally. Perhaps one of the major impetus for cultural change was the absorption of better ideas of societal construction. I don’t know; at times imported traits in the Philippines still feel like accoutrements worn on the outside, not yet absorbed. Among the DEs that I have spent much time with, shows of power are still valued at a higher level.
GOT being very popular in the Philippines says a lot about it, as it has many parallels to the era when the barbarians took over what used to be Western Rome. By contrast, there is LOTR, which is more idealistic, and often, those who use analogies from there are Filipino liberals. Conrado de Quiros comparing PNoy to Aragorn was a bit cringe, though. Leni Robredo is more like Aragorn in having walked through the entire “kingdom.” The late De Quiros probably had the idea of Aragorn as a rightful heir in his head when he used the analogy.
Marcos loyalists often used “pretenders” for yellows around 2016, don’t know if all really understood what they were saying, as a pretender is someone who has no right to the throne.
As an afterthought, there is little worth to religion, constitutions, and laws if there is no sense of anything higher than power. The idea of kaginhawaan for one’s own group, the old values of datus, can mean it is OK to rob others, even the Philippine state, as long as loyal followers get part of the loot. If one applies the idea of datu rule to the entire state, then woe to foreign investors who dare set foot on the soil as they can anytime be looted and their stuff “shared”.
I was under the impression that the popularity of GoT in the Philippines had to do with the sex and team intrigue, not that I met many Filipinos during the show’s time period who really understood the themes of GoT. I doubt most educated Filipino liberals understand LoTR’s themes either. Well, like many aspects of Philippines entertainment culture, entertainment is to be enjoyed superficially and without critical analysis 😅
My assertion of foreign ideas and concepts being tacked on externally like accouterments was probably a kind take. But yes, from what I’ve learned about datus and rajahs, connecting it with my familiarity with the similar (though more advanced) Cham culture of ancient Champa, it does seem at times that a Philippine president is like a rajah of rajahs, presiding over a raucous cacophony of local datus big and small. Loot is meant to be split to ensure loyalty of the local datu, not to the direct benefit of the people. That’s the biggest complaint I heard from DEs about PNoy. “He didn’t help me,” the expectation of personal loot share is deeply embedded. What about what PNoy did to help the whole Philippines, and to make it more personal, what PNoy did to set up a better future for the children? All trashed and thrown out like basura at the turn of the administration. Investors like stability and predictability — and I must say, I’ve never gotten used to unpredictability in the Philippines that exists outside of the ABC top 7%. Well, all the more interesting for me and it’s part of why I keep visiting. But I’m not an investor who will help the Philippines economy level up.
Oh, I think Filipinos do get stuff instinctively if ever, not conceptually. Even MLQ3, for instance, compared Trillanes’ role in protecting Philippine democracy with Jon Snow.
The reason why I see Angat Buhay as so very EVOLUTIONARY (no R) is that it shows people directly how they can help themselves. It picks the culture up from its true level.
Reminds me of how my father told a Filipino community leader in Germany forget plans and committees, Filipinos are task-oriented. That leader was from UP. The followers were masa. For sure, that is still senyorito mentality. Leni Robredo is a step ahead of that.
I often wondered how Filipinos in Europe who should know how a well-regulated system helps them could support Rodrigo Duterte. The lack of abstract comprehension explains that.
The educated who often just use concepts like Bible verses are partly to blame as well. Otherwise, there would not be pilosopo BS like remand/return or forthwith/immediate.
Marcos Jr. is advanced in at least understanding rule of law to some degree.
Yo, Irineo, OT, Harry Roque is now evidently in Germany seeking asylum. See what you can do about that! lol
Some pigs know how to go home like the one in the video below. Others don’t.
I am also in favor of Angat Buhay’s approach of teaching skills and a civic mindset — the figurative teaching the hungry how to fish for themselves. But the necessity of Angat Buhay seems to be due to generations of the Filipino diaspora coming back home largely to become neo-datus, rather than bettering their motherland. Ironically those very neo-datus often sing praises to me about the virtues of Las Pinas almost in a martyr-like way.
That’s why I’ve mentioned that there isn’t anything inherently bad about the status quo. Outside of the demands for systemic change from the well-intentioned upper classes not backed by any effort that would require personal action or self sacrifice, people “down below” are living their lives, perhaps with some degree of struggle, but they are living their lives. Perhaps when skills are evolved through hands-on teaching (of what you described as task-based), a small number of the evolved cohort will further become originators of new ideas to be applied.
Since my first visit in 1998, I’ve been at times frustrated that those who have power and education in order to revolutionize stuff seem to have no willingness at all to be agents of change. The Philippines further frustrates when I watched Central and Eastern Europe, another geographical area of personal familiarity, have that region’s diaspora rapidly develop their motherlands even after the devastation of wars. It really does seem that many a time those who a pushing the country forward are mostly from the Chinoy business and civic community, despite often being both despised and envied. I recall my high school buddy’s tita telling me at their Batangas compound that Filipinos are a hardheaded people. But I guess the apple also discovered that Newton was hardheaded, and helped him elucidate the Law of Universal Gravitation.
Amusing description. Seems rather accurate.
trump might have losses in the lower courts, but they got overturned in the highest court, the court that matters the most, the supreme court.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-finds-victories-supreme-court-rush-emergency-cases-2025-06-13/
The cases Trump “won” on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket aren’t really wins though. Most involved the Supreme Court removing the lower court TRO while sending the legal matter back down with orders for the lower court to conduct fact finding, or were minor cases. The Supreme Court has declined to take the more egregious cases on emergency basis. From what I gather from constitutional law professors, including conservative ones, Trump is very much losing overall. The problem then is judges don’t have armies or a police force to enforce their rulings, though the US hasn’t reached that point yet where Trump ignores court rulings. Him running to Appeals Court and Supreme Court shows at least for now he’s working within the system. Ultimately the check on any power is through the people. The US system isn’t as weak, nor is the US federal government as powerful internally as assumed.
PiE, your idea of nuance comes closest to understanding the dilemma of Schroedinger’s cat. Thanks. Ang galing! (as usual) 🙂
Thanks, even if I just quoted a tweet by Thea Tan, and disagree with her in detail.
Great blog topic! Great comments!
And by the way, a topic that may have been written in the context of my Gravatar (mea culpa, for the reference).
My (NHerrera) Gravatar:
Meaning: from where we are, S, Marcos wisely chooses, A, to get to a better future, B, under constraints, C, any wise leader in any government is subject to.
[I use my Gravatar as a mnemonic aid.] I designed it when first I joined TSOH. I wonder if by any coincidence any icon or Gravatar appears like that. Karl, please inform me — without straining yourself — if by chance you see that anywhere else other than those I joined.
P.S. Karl, see? I don’t vanish.
In Raissa’s the background was black. Black circle.
In another topic
Trump does not deny knowledge of Israel’s attack on Iran but denies US has anything to do with it.
If this escalates DOF must evacuate Pinoys.
DFA and the rest
three ofws were reported dead in israel, after iran retaliated. too bad, greta thunberg left israel too soon. she and her copious entourage of socmed bloggers would have seen first hand what war really is about. though she turned back and refused to see video of hamas invasion and its subsequent massacres in israel, preferring not to live in reality but in idealism.
K, (relying on your good sense & assign an appropriate category):
Catholic News Agency reports of an incident where a Catholic priest was captured by ISIS group & assigned to be decapitated together with other captives. The ISIS executioner assigned to complete the task could not move his hand & sword on the priest’s neck no matter how hard he tried. In frustration & terror he released his priest-victim-to-be.
aba, sonny, many dont believe in god, but if there is god in heaven, I try to be on his good side. you never know!
Living the dream is another thing than idealism
OT: What I wrote about the Philippines as a national village seems true, just like what Joey said about Filipinos making small things big and big things small.
Pinoy X, even political accounts are worked up about Pinoy Big Brother.
Oh well, maybe in Germany, we are too serious, but no serious journalist or academic would comment on Big Brother. Maybe in their early 20s as students. Oh well, 25 years ago, I knew exactly what European royals had scandals. I was 35. My observations of Pinoy Pop culture now are just research hehe. I am a serious person and not interested in gossip. BTW, the one who said what haffen vella years ago is relevant again today, I also read on X. 😉
Periodically I’m reminded of this old article in Dong-A Ilbo (the South Korean newspaper of record) about a research paper’s assertion that consumers of K-Dramas trend towards being lower educated with lower socio-economic class.
https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20130801/406721/1
Now I don’t think there’s anything particularly bad about watching television series. In a way the visual medium has always been a primary way for the less educated to experience a life they can probably never attain. Gossip is just another expression of how people project their own subconscious wants and dreams onto others framed in morality. In some ways the Philippines is proudly a nation of chismis, whereas ironically chismoso behavior has quite negative associations elsewhere in the Hispanophone world.
There are two main ways to solve the equation: top-down change or bottom-up change. Most societies eventually get fed up and create a new social contract, but that would take capable leaders whether the change comes from the top or from the bottom.
There was an enlightening book from the early 2010s by Chenoweth and Stephan, “Why Civil Resistance Works,” that studied social change movements (including People Power as one of the main studies) with the conclusion that 3.5% of the population rising up is the critical mass needed to create the impetus for social change. Clearly the Philippines achieved that critical mass back in the day during EDSA. But what if the change the masses wanted was going back to the pre-1972 status quo?
My mother told me about how it was in her West Berlin youth when everyone was relatively poor. The kids from the families with more educated backgrounds listened to classical music while the others listened to Schlager, which is literally the German word for hit, meaning German popular music. The only common ground both groups had was the latest stuff from AFN, American Forces Network, and the first concert she attended was Louis Armstrong.
As for Filipinos, this being so star-struck also has an aspect of feeling small that you mentioned. I outlined in an older article how the country had “Filipino Elvis” Eddie Mesa first, “Pinoy Rock” Pepe Smith in the 1970s and Eraserheads in the 1990s. Having one’s own stuff does give a sense of “we did it.” Germany didn’t need to prove anything even after WW2 having had Wernher von Braun and all, so Schlager remained something for the masses, and East Germany was ridiculously protective of its Schlager stars, a bit like Marcos for 70s OPM. Though the likes of Apo Hiking Society would sing against him by the 1980s.
Maybe the recent PBB stuff was something like AFN for my mothers generation in Berlin, something people from all classes could talk about, like they did in West Berlin school yards each time the AFN DJs played new singles. Maybe secretly in East Berlin as well..
Filipino entertainment seems to have always had a bit of participatory aspect, at least since the turn of the 20th century when the Spanish introduced zarzuela (Spanish operetta) and comedia de capa y espada (“cape and sword” minstrel comedy). Both of those “vulgar” forms of popular entertainment seemed quite “OA” for the time period and had a large musical element, evolving into sarswela and moro-moro plays respectively, as explained to me by a Filipino musician. Rizal was particularly fond of zarzuela.
Popular art has always been the pulse of the masses that can be at times impermanent and constantly evolving; contrasted with fine art that becomes timeless and enduring. The finer forms of art cannot exist without the vulgar arts, as the former grows out of the latter. In the Philippines with the chismoso mainstream, new trends are constantly being made that become the most important knowledge to know for a short time, before being discarded as passé. Rizal and his Ilustrados’ artistic output may have been a blip of permanence that is still celebrated over a century later. Well, in another way, the constant movement is an expression of the evolving state of the collective Filipino consciousness and sense of self.
The finer arts have the “elitist” connotation, which no thanks to UP leftists and similar has the connotation “not really Filipino” in the Philippines. That is why there is little or no cross-pollination between art house and popular movies there nowadays, I think there was still some in the 1980s. The super long movies of Lav Diaz vs teleseryes versus how Korean directors from Parasite to K-drama from what I gather inspire one another.
I’ve often observed groups that “feel” like they lack power or prestige collect together to create their own power and prestige. Sometimes the effect is positive, but more than seldomly they become another expression of the elites they so despise. It all seems to stem from resentment somehow; a common theme appearing to be due to perceived class-related slights.
The Filipino elites’ resentment over the last century of not being accepted as “equals” to whomever, whether that be the Spanish, Americans, the “Chinese” Chinoys, etc. carries a bit of naivety and to be honest, lazy thinking. In order to try to “become equal,” the elites’ thinkers try to “Filipinize” everything so they can also claim “we can do the same thing as those more advanced or rich people over there.” What’s interesting to me is that while a small portion of this resentment eventually filters down to the masses, the masses are mostly much closer to the realities that they must deal with face-to-face, as opposed to the the theoretical thinking afforded to someone who is an elite. It seems much easier to follow the path that allowed every nation throughout history to leap forward, which is to borrow ideas and inventions from neighbors, allies, and adversaries.
AI Overview
“Der Spiegel,” a German news magazine, has discussed the “Big Brother” reality show in the context of its broader themes of surveillance and social control, drawing parallels to the concept of “Big Brother” from George Orwell’s novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. The show’s format, with constant surveillance of participants, has been analyzed through this lens, examining how it reflects and potentially normalizes surveillance in society.
DW during the Pandemic
https://www.dw.com/en/german-big-brother-contestants-to-find-out-coronavirus-truth/a-52804878
Joey is right about popular stars etc being a way for most people to admire what they will never be. In Europe, there is the admiration for nobility, in the Philippine it is Heart Evangelista.
Beatles were working class boys English in a still very class-based society could look up to, that was just before economic opportunities knocked on the door for many. Similar principle with SB19 and BINI’s mostly humble origins, their Pinoy fans can feel like global stars.
heart evangelista and her inability to conceive a child, no thanks. she has shed sad tears of regret after each miscarriages, her body frame probly too thin to carry full term pregnancy. though she can be like korina sanchez roxas and have babies tru surrogacy. heart’s husband is probly the most hated politician at the moment, ask richard heydarian. no wonder heart is guesting bahay ni kuya, keep her mind off hubby’s predicament and as wife of senate president, officiating senate function, adding grace and untold glamor, albeit shallowly.
Hunger Games and Squid Game are analogies to modern reality shows. Wowowee was hunger games with humiliation, not death.
My brother and myself watched most of the first German big brother show.
After that, the interest in that show among the college educated fell off. there is a separate Big Brother for “laos” stars here in Germany.
Thanks,
I interjected to be elucudiated per usual.
But also as per usual, I.resent any hint of belittling and condescending if misplaced.
Small mind accusations are loaded that could mean a loaded gun or constipation.
Inferiority complex = star struck, is another stretching exercise
I can be star struck any day I want without feeling infererior. But it comes natural.
Kinikilig ka pag tapos umihi is that un natural?
Alas, it is always the eye of the beholder.
I like Bruce Springsteen because he has a great band, writes good music, pays his band generously, and is not a jerk. I like Dire Straits because of Money for Nothing, a girlfriend who liked them, and Mark Knopfler’s guitar work. I like Linda Rondstadt because she wails and dated governor Jerry Brown, with whom I once corresponded. I like Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt because they are hot, one sings like God herself and the other twangs the guitar and drips sex with every lyric. I like Ray Charles because my roomie in college owned six of his albums and we listened to him every night, and then I saw Charles play live at the Hollywood Bowl. I could go on and on about this musician or that, and actors, too. There are many reasons to like entertainers and ego is always involved. The eye of the beholder is attached to the ego, haha. And you are getting wiser every day.
Well, stars do embody either what we are attracted to and/or aspirations.
Or, of course, we could simply be admiring them for their capabilities.
It is also a too large generalization to say all soccer fans are beer-guzzling fatsos.
This article by a former Republican is a reflection on the US political re-alignment, but as I’ve observed before the Philippines is often a reflection of what happens in the US and vice versa. Filipino liberals and progressives look to American liberals and progressives, whether they know it or not. Purity testing, performative moralism, 100 percent behavior, and a glass houses mentality gets us nowhere.
https://reedgalen.substack.com/p/dear-rally-organizers-time-to-move
Some critiques that are relevant to the political situation in the Philippines:
1.) Overuse of the passive voice — lack of personal accountability for one’s decisions.
2.) Condescension towards non-believers — Making those who need to be persuaded towards one’s cause feel lesser is not a starting point.
3.) Judgement and moralizing — Elevating oneself into a sainthood of moral superiority while looking down on potential allies as sinners.
4.) Dismissive attitudes — The ultimate turn-off when trying to convince another towards one’s side.
The Philippines and the US have both been teetering on the edge of democracy at the same time, over the same period of years with Dutertismo and Trumpism. What matters now is building broad coalitions of pro-democracy believers and converting others to our cause. Nothing else matters until democracy is secured.
OT: I just got back a while ago from the Los Angeles #NoKings Protest. I got gassed a couple of times, dodged getting hit by a rubber bullet, and bruised up during a scuffle, but it’s all good. The US is approaching the 3.5% activated citizenry needed for political change. Varying numbers put the number of nationwide protests adding up to about 8+ million — about 10.5 million is the 3.5% mark. Meanwhile, the dictator-chic parade was sparsely attended in DC.
Thanks for the on-the-scene update.
joey, did you wave mexican flag too? did you wear face mask specially designed to resist gassing? how can you dodge a rubber bullet when they are fired indiscriminately, one even hit a reporter on the leg! did you wear helmet? or did you cross yourself before setting out? save both your body and your soul.
with all the noise, I can only imagine how chaotic it would have been. people screaming in righteous anger, people in uniform equally determined, the clash of bodies, I wish I was there, I could have headbutted a few! hence the helmet.
No, I carried an American flag. I did have a gas mask on hand, but did not wear it until I noticed the police bring out CS canisters and CA grenade launchers. That was also a cue to watch where the police point their weapons, and rubber bullets are slow enough that given a distance slight movement will cause a miss. LA Sheriff Department unfairly and illegally (First Amendment) started acting aggressively to “clear the protest” four hours before mayor’s curfew. Well, the modern big city policing in the US follows a Los Angeles model, including militarized SWAT forces. The scuffle was with a group of anarchists trying to agitate that I and other protesters asked to leave; they attacked first, we got the last blow in and they scampered.
This isn’t my first protest though. I participate in protests on social and political issues from time to time. Overall the LA protest yesterday was peaceful and joyous from morning until about 4 PM which was when the police started instigating a police riot once most groups of families and protesters went home. There are a lot of secret MAGAs in police forces. I was surprised the far right militias didn’t show up to agitate as they were threatening online. The far leftists agitators don’t show up until the late afternoon into the night, which is the pretext the police use to act aggressively.
I was at the No Kings Protest in Milpitas, CA. Totally peaceful. I want to be counted towards that critical mass you speak of. There was one Mexican flag being waved, a lot of American flags too, including one that was upside down. Not sure what the message was for that…maybe to point to how the guy we are protesting has the country going.
Flying a flag upside down has naval origins — a shorthand for a ship in distress.
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/flying-flag-upside-down/
Optics are incredibly important in protest movements. History is often simplified but for example the Civil Rights Movement made careful calculation of the effect of their protest actions. The Mexican (or any flag) is protected speech, but I was glad enough people got the message of the power an image of peaceful protestors carrying American flags being gassed would be. We on then modern left (liberal to progressive) are incompetent in our usage of messaging optics, as the Voice of the Individual is placed as more important than what the goal should be in a political movement, which is the Voice of the Collective. This goes for the Philippines left as well, which is consistently weak because too many people care more about their opinions than what’s good for all.
take care guys, I heard anti trump protesters have imported violent thugs like maybe the irish football hooligans as well as some unsavory serbians apparently to join the rally and liven things up. appearing innocuous in their dark clothing, face masks and dark glasses, make facial recognition near useless. and they allegedly targeted authority figures enforcing law and order.
no worries about opinions here, they volley back and forth as the norm. socmed has habit of not only shooting the messenger but. there is always pushback, nothing is cast in stone. and even those cast in stones are toppled and done away. and it doesnt end there. there is always a make two. always a tro, temporary restraining order.
Yes, there are concerns about bad actors from both the anarchists and the white supremacists. My observation is that the police are more likely to act aggressively than actual far-left or far-right groups. In Santa Ana and Los Angeles, federal agents popped out of federal buildings and suddenly started firing CS gas grenades to provoke — it’s been happening nearly daily but the “news” doesn’t report it since it doesn’t fit the “burning city” narrative.
I did see in Kansas City the Patriot Front (far-right militia group) tried to invade and intimate a Pride parade yesterday. They were mocked by gays into submission and ran away with their tails tucked between their legs. These “militia men” are mostly losers who only feel strong in groups. When no one is afraid of them, they have no power.
What happened to ANTIFA? they changed their name or something?
The American black bloc movement (antifa) have always been more of a performative grouping of idle rich white kids compared to the more serious Central and Eastern European black bloc movement. The “committed left” in the Western World is mostly a joke. Most just post online. During BLM there was strong evidence that the agitators who initiated looting were actually white nationalists dressing up in black bloc. The only cities with sort of a strong black bloc are Seattle and Portland, but even there they are bored affluent white kids who if they get in trouble with the law have access to lawyers who can minimize the charges. So antifa has morphed into a right wing talking point. It’s basically nonexistent.
Many thanks.
Getting older. 20 years with you Joe, more than ten years with Irineo,Gian, Sonny, NH, LCX, kb and others that came and went.
We contine to learn everyday.
Wrong place of comment.
Twenty years: make that almost.
I first arrived in the Philippines in 2005. I don’t remember when I started chirping on line. I’ve lost some of my first blogs that were done on a free blogging site. I’ve loaded most of the 2010++ articles onto the wayback machine. I’ll get a link to that portfolio out one of these days.
Still searching but here is one of yor earliest comments.
Around May of 2009
Joe America says:
June 6, 2009 at 5:45 pm
You know, as I look at all the betrayal of democratic principles, at the core — like the Right of Reply Bill — and the shenanigans over ConAss — corruption, certainly — I can certainly see your point. There appear to be no deep thinkers in Philippine government as the US had in Jefferson and now has in Obama. Or the charismatic leaders like Kennedy and Regan, who believed in democratic principles and could rally a nation around them. Here, closed is a good word. Slammed shut.
I must go back to my desk now and ponder what you say.
Joe
Reply
Joe America says:
June 6, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Is there a Tagolog word for “trust”? “Honor”?
Joe
Reply
American Johnny says:
June 6, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Joe,
I think in RP the Tagalog of Trust is condom and Honor is Nora.
Reply
ricelander says:
June 6, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Trust is tiwala in Tagalog; honor is dangal.
Interesting words because they are close to tiwali and hangal.
Reply
Joe America says:
June 8, 2009 at 7:46 am
ahh, thanks Ricelander.
That is a fascinating bit of wordplay.
Joe
My my, what an excellent librarian you are.
Ah, Ben is etched indelibly in my memory banks. I referred to the Philippines as “the islands” and he instructed me about my condescension. I’ve not done that ever again.
I still greet Ben a happy birthday on FB maybe that is the only interaction we have.
Another common denominator was DJB.
When I met him in person, I told that I met you in person and his only question was if you are kano ba talaga. I just said yes he is an American.
I also told him that once bencard was alluding that he and you were one person simply because when DJB left FV you coincidenatlly showed up.
DJB last year was stalking me on Twitter with pro-China rebuttals to my posts, or anti-America comments. I told him to stop or I’d have to block him, and that would be unfortunate considering the respect we bloggers have for him. And I gave best regards to his wife. We parted ways and I’ve not seen much from him since. Well, I don’t follow him.
my engagement with him waned as well. We just happened to graduate High school in Lasalle Greenhills. we met during an alumni homecoming.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100718003834/https://thesocietyofhonor.blogspot.com/
The first Internet archive capture of your old blog.
There are some earlier than that, I think. That one transferred to Word Press. It has the explanation of anonymity though. I think that gets lost on WP, but no matter. No one cares but newbies desperate for argument. Joe America is more famous than Ron Hegenburger.
Who? Hahaha
Links from where i saw your earliest comments
https://web.archive.org/web/20090609191742/http://filipinovoices.com/on-the-road-to-2010-why-internet#comments
http://filipinovoices.com/the-golden-rule-and-the-buyers-market
……..I would tend to start by looking at standard Filipino heroes and the character they displayed at a given time. Ramon Magsaysay, who led the Zambales rebels during World War II and later became president. Or, if you need a people collective, take the whole of that rebel force.I personally do not believe that Marcos and his thuggery, or the march of the corrupt thereafter, stole “courage” from the Filipino condition.Too long ago? Doesn’t count?Look at the Edsa uprising. Filipinos put their lives on the line. Heroically.I say, positively, Filipinos are courageous. Individually and as a people. They have shown it.“Every” people has someone with courage, you say. Nothing distinct about that. Maybe so, but where there is courage, there is hope. That’s what you are looking for, right?Take the millions of people living on the edge of the thin thin thin Filipino economy. They have no assured career job with pension plan, health insurance, medical care, or social security down the pike. Not even a savings account. Yet they go out every morning in the dark and crank up the Suzuki in hopes of getting an early customer on the cycle. Why? To support their family. To eat. They pray the smoky worn out engine starts again. That is a kind of courage, too. If you haven’t lived on that edge, you might not have seen the strength of character it takes to go out there again. Again. Again. Again. No one recognizes them, applauds them, tips them, honors them. But they are out there, in the dark, every morning, the backbone of a nation.So put determination side by side with courage.The apathy you see? That is just reality for the tired. It is a great people resting.Oh, which reminds me. No culture in the world uses the family safety net the same way as the Philippines. The family is survival for many. My God, in the US, our kids turn 18, we throw ‘em out. Oh, Filipinos bicker and spit, but the family is sacrosanct. As a people. The kids may be in Dubai, but they don’t write-off the Philippines or mom. Those remittances flood in every day. My kid in Dubai? ahahahaha She’s too scared, too pampered to go there. And if she did, she’d keep all the money.Put loyalty side by side with courage and determination.The current culture of corruption is deep, no doubt. But all it takes to break free is a champion at the top.The Philippines has physical positives – its location, its wonderful harbors, its gorgeous landscape (that Filipinos generally don’t even see, or why would they trash it so). The physical features are unmatched ANYWHERE, and a champion could unlock them, turning the nation into a trading and tourism powerhouse. Go look at Subic Freeport and you can envision quite a different Philippines than what you see in Quezon City. Had a Starbucks there the other day . . . Got delayed crossing the bridge due to the flood of workers heading in.I agree with the negatives. Filipinos demonstrate a piss-poor sense of priority, organization, cost/benefit constructs, and rational execution of business plans. So work on that. Start “The Philippine Academy of American Business Practices” and crank out the self-starters who can recognize a problem, be architects of the solution, and manage the execution crisply with a strong eye on customer service. Six weeks and out. Flood government agencies and businesses with practical thinkers and managers.You telling me Filipinos cannot think competitively with Americans or Japanese?I don’t buy it. If Jollibee can do it, the Government can do it. I know you don’t like the food, but you’d like the profits if you owned a pile of shares.So stop wailing in your tea, eh? (1) find a champion, and (2) start an academy. It is not all dark here on the Islands. And I didn’t know there were groundhogs in the Philippines. Kansas, yes. Here there are big ugly brown crabs, though. And some really nasty snakes. Ahahahah, and poisonous lizards, spiders, jelly fish, plants . . .Filipinos dodge poison better than any other people. My guess is they can dodge your pen, too.Joe
(LAST LIBRARIAN WORK FOR TODAY)
Haha, well, it’s easier than tanod work. Thanks for the reflections.
Always a pleasure.
Karl said…Thanks and it is about time for you to have your own space!
KarlApril 5, 2010 1:50 AMThe Society of Honor said…Karl,Thank you for encouraging me to research and for representing maturity in blogging. I aspire in that direction, but sometimes . . . just . . . can’t . . . help . . . myself . .
https://web.archive.org/web/20100722203452/http://thesocietyofhonor.blogspot.com/p/you-may-fire-when-you-are-ready-gridley.html
The most work I ever put into an article. I’m proud of that one. Thanks for the elbow in the ribs.
It is only now that I remember that it was my elbow.
Are you the Sesame Street character that can’t find his elbow sometimes?
Haha was that the alien muppet who called a newly discovered fruit: Shirley?