The only way for the Philippines is forward
The Dalian trains are finally being put to use on the MRT-3 after ten years, having been kept from being used by pettiness. After two rants, I have something nicer to say about the Philippines. There are people there now who understand building on what is already there.
Marcos Jr. following the 1987 Constitution, or Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan joining the majority block to get work done, are further examples of how pettiness is overcome. A nation is more than a barangay of old with its small and basic structures.
The barangay of old had farmers, artisans and warriors, even as the latter were overly glorified in Philippine nationalism. Modern nations need builders, and of course also warriors to protect what is built. And traders as well to grow the nation’s wealth.
Train lines are an example of systems, more efficient, but to be dealt with differently than standalone stuff like busses or jeepneys. Same with bureaucracy, it can be horrible if run badly but makes life easier if run well. The Philippines is learning to deal with systems.
A bit of the spirit of the old barangay will always remain, especially in rural areas. Or in the mostly friendly ways of Filipinos. But still, the modern world is there and unavoidable, so the Philippines wins by moving forward.
Image source: Wikimedia commons
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
thank you for this Irineo. Part of me thinks a lot of performative stuff is due to a lot of Pinoys having the mental and emotional age of a kid. Performing for our parents or high status people. Not really being complete individuals. why performative stuff dominates instead of no nonsense moving things forward.
Salute to Sen Kiko and Bam. our country will not move forward if all we do is make sure nothing happens.
I prefer to perform in a less visible but important role, for instance, clapping the bamboo for tinikling or singkil. The main tinikling dancer in our folkdance group long ago trusted me with his ankles.
But seriously, yes. How often appearances as in clean kitchen are important over there and the ego of higher ups is the main thing.
https://x.com/kikopangilinan/status/1944661024185139447 Sen. Kiko is actually following up on the implementation of a law..
senator kiko has 6yrs to stick to his gun, for him to follow up on his own advocacy of food for everyone. does not really matter whether he is part of majority bloc for as long as he gets his job done, his goal and advocacy achieved. apparently, if senator kiko is lumped in with minority bloc, it is highly likely his advocacy and the platform that got him elected may well be usurped by others in the majority bloc who is mayhap less objective and not as goal oriented as kiko. apparently being in the minority is a disadvantage, porbida!
on 2nd thought, we ought to abolish both majority and minority blocs for they only cause division in the senate, and ill will among senators who are then pitted against each. they should all just be senators, ruled by their mandates and doing what they are mandated to do, instead of grandstanding by sheer number of membership as per majority bloc. or hapless and suffering and forever trying to put things right as per minority bloc.
I have always wondered if merit and performance would be emphasized if more Filipino corporations were not in effect family-owned conglomerates. Sure there have been family-owned businesses in the past that were quite successfully managed, but that would depend on the family being able to produce capable heirs.
apparently when it comes to business, blood kinship flies out the window! it would be very silly indeed for a family to stick and uphold an incompetent heir and have their business sink asunder. sure, they may have the incompetent heir treated like top class ceo but mayhap only on the surface, respected but. there are lots of hired consultants like accountants and economists on board that guide decisions of ceos. noticed how big family owned corps have ceos that are mostly ceremonial? its ceo’s decision deemed unsound got voted down by members of the board. as a result, a number of these ceos become users of recreational drugs, maybe to alleviate their feeling of inadequacies and worthlessness. lately, we heard of one business scion who was more or less an appendage, and sadly died overseas of drug use.
Behind the scenes people are still in the end credits, the extras are not.
I like both if they get the job done right.
On the Dalian trains. I know the Usec who went to China for those trains.
He had a few interviews with Ted Failon during in of his attack Abaya days but still low profile.
president aquino bought the 48 dalian trains from china in 2014 and were delivered in 2016 sa panahon ni duterte and then the trains were mothballed for 10yrs, buti hindi kinalawang ang mga iyon, hindi na chopchop at nagawang panggatong, haha.
of the 48 trains, only 3 are operational now and being deployed, the rest are still undergoing system check and refurbishing. president duterte really has much to answer for, napabayaan ang transport ng bayan!
incidentally ex senator grace poe was in charged of transport portfolio at the time and being antagonist to president noy, the dalian trains really got derailed and allowed to stay idle.
Yes kb thanks again for the details
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/894589/ex-transport-sec-abaya-sued-over-unusable-trains-deal
The WPS on the curriculum is not performative Gian, since like Irineo said we ever learn, we still do not have domain awareness much more Maritime domain awareness. And I questiond our priorities here that should we be technical and have these detection devices to be aware or be lowtech and just be aware.
Bills even if refiled is still not a KSP move especially if you get it passed notwithstanding all the performative events
Perform all you like if it is part of actionable statesmanship, you move forward.
If not then pwe and bleeck. Batuhin ng kamatis at plastic cup.
like most in the public service, mambabatas have to look busy, have to be seen as hard at work for most of them are judged by how many laws they have passed, parang may contest baga. does not matter if the law they passed is unrealised and later filed only to clutter more the bill of index division!
though I like having wps in our curriculum, young ones ought to be taught the truth about wps. that we never give it up, regardless of duterte’s deals with china.
Yes almost everything begins at home.
Yes useless to file a thousand bills. You are just overwhelming staff and colleagues. Less is more.
we have so many health bills made into law, but fund is tight apparently, and private hospitals are refusing to treat public patients with promisory notes, and instead of paying so private hospitals can recoup their expenditures, the govt issued another round of promises. then there is change of government and promises kept coming on top of unfulfilled promises made.
incidentally, finance sec recto promised (again!) that medical bills owed by the govt will be paid. when exactly, who knows!
Until recently, I dismissed trump the performer as a patsy totally, he still does slucky (sucks and luck) moves but if it stops a war. Even if Gaza and now Syria is blowing up again… and Ukraine is getting worse. I will give him pogi points.
He won’t accomplish anything in this unless he performs well in Beijing.
I hope he also tackles Taiwan and SCS while talking trade war.
Going back to domain awareness, we see that all Israel and Ukraine could fo is to go to the basements and subways.(plus bunkers ofcourse)
I just hope that no war would happen until the completion of the Subway and more subways for the entire country.
For all you know, INC already has a secret tunnel all the way to Montalban under the MRT7.
The bunker there has water supply straight from Sta Mesa Dam #flashfiction
Mayhap
apparently, mrt7 will be fully operational in 2027-28 in time for next presidential election. if so, this will be president marcos crowning glory, the project was 1st initiated by president noy aquino.
Yes, unfortunately this is a “what have you done for me lately” world legacies are only for those who notice.
Every indication I’ve seen points to the Pentagon being absolutely serious about the Indo-Pacific, with new weapon systems and doctrines developed specifically counter the PRC. My main concern is a mistake is being made in de-emphasizing the USN (future fleet tonnage, long-range carrier strike jets) in favor of the USAF, de-prioritizing replacements for aging manned ISR for untested space-based assets, and of course thinking the Eastern European theater can be ignored. The next big war won’t be a single front war, that’s for sure.
If there’s any reassurance, it would be that interwar policy makers and generals also focused on a single front (in Europe) and were completely blindsided by Imperial Japan’s surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, but the US rapidly innovated to eventually gain superiority in both the European and Asian theaters. A lot of European leaders of that period also mocked the US as being backwards before Hitler and Mussolini began their march across Western Europe and Northern Africa.
How do they address lack of weapon iand ship inventory?
https://www.csis.org/analysis/empty-bins-wartime-environment-challenge-us-defense-industrial-base
https://www.csis.org/analysis/identifying-pathways-us-shipbuilding-cooperation-northeast-asian-allies
Naval tonnage and ship numbers are traditional measures of naval capability, but that assumes similar capabilities. The PLAN has less tonnage per ship, and less capabilities.
The real measure of modern naval warfare probably hasn’t changed from the WWII Pacific Theater, which is the ability to project (usually through aircraft or and now also guided missiles). The USN amphibious assault ship fleet alone is a light carrier force, then there’s the 12 supercarriers. But from what I know the most important tool is VLS magazine depth across the strike group. The USN has about twice as many VLS as the PLAN, with more advanced missiles. There are also plans to containerize everything into ISO shipping containers (like the Typhon), which then can be bolted onto any flat surface, let’s say bulk container carriers or other large merchant vessels.
The USN has had a lot of practice with VLS since Desert Storm, while the PRC has no experience with the PLAN knowledge being theoretical only.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-edge-missile-tubes-china-navy-catching-up-research-2024-12
https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2024/12/closing-the-gap-china-homes-in-on-us-navy-vls-advantage/
Everyone must not assume that China can’t be a quick study
Very precious little in Han history would point to this.
In modern times they cheated experience by reverse engineering, intellectual piracy and simulations and gaming.
Of course those are also important factors to consider. I’d be more concerned about the quantity of PLA manpower rather than their actual equipment or tactics. But there’s still a difference between theory and application, and the ability to more rapidly innovate (including tactics). The US entered WWI and WWII with worse tactics, quality of equipment, and experience, yet still beat the Central Powers and the Axis Powers respectively by sheer iteration of tactics, quantity of equipment, and absorbed experience versus stagnant experience. In a contest between a quiet boxer and a boastful one, I’d put my money on the quiet man. Americans may have a lot of pride in US accomplishments, but I would never characterize Americans of having empty pridefulness which the PRC has ample supply of.
On naval powers fast forward to Spanish Armada when that was over the Britania ruled the waves then it took till ww2 for America to show their might.
Perhaps. Though by that time America was already long the economic hegemon in the Americas. The two former were also imperial projects, protecting their empire. The British navy already started its rapid decline after WWI, while the USN (and Army) was kept small on purpose by closer adherence to the founding principles of small peacetime standing military which changed after WWII. The industrial capacity and know how was always there, how else was the US able to rapidly build the navy in WWII?
Despite America’s flaws, the aim of American military superiority is to protect free trade not empire, from which every nation benefits.
The US has a super ability no other nation besides Canada and Australia has: foundation on an idea rather than ethnicity or religion. While the PRC’s population crashes in the next decades, the US can simply grow through immigration. This Trump era wont last forever, and may end sooner rather than later. Despite many predictions of the US’s demise (starting right after the American Revolution in fact), after periods of tumult Americans always found a way towards national renewal.
Thanks to Henry Ford’s any color so long it is Black. Howard Hughes the aviator and them oil magnates plus Rockefeller of course.
I have not followed the MRT-3 saga that closely, though after some reading I was not surprised to learn that the maintenance providers are (all?) foreign companies. An argument can be had that the Philippines does not yet have the domestic expertise to design and manufacture her own railway systems and trains, but would it be that hard to train up domestic expertise to at least maintain the rail network? Part of the learning process other nations go through is by hiring outside expertise, working under that foreign management, then developing homegrown expertise in that industry from skilled workers, technicians, and engineers that “graduated” with experience and know-how.
sumitomo won the maintenance bidding of mrt3 and has filipino engineers working as part of maintenance crew team. even the german bidders that failed the bid also has filipino crew in its team. I think, it is part of the contract signed that winning foreign bidders must have filipino workers on board.
All well and good to have well-paid jobs. Though I don’t want to come off as pooh-poohing that win, it is interesting that for high-level jobs in building big things, Filipinos are still but contractors or sub-contractors in their own country. During the American time, the US put Filipinos in positions of high trust. Some for example even became commanders of big naval ships or top administrative positions. There seems to be a regression somewhere down the line. Well my hope is that Filipinos can gain experience and create domestic high industry in their own right.
This is a proprietary world being fought by open source, remove those licensing and ips we can manufacture anything. Our engineers don’t have to go. Equal opportunity level playing field
Filipinos only need to be bound by IP when buying stuff made by others. At the speeds trains run in the Philippines, the science and metallurgy behind rail has been solved a long time ago. These aren’t bullet trains here, but low speed light rail.
Visit the Dost page and all of the train ideas all lined up waiting for an angel investor.
Here’s a consolidated and analytical summary of the DOST’s train-related projects—the Hybrid Electric Road Train (HERT) and the Automated Guideway Transit System (AGTS)—highlighting their features, development context, and potential contribution to urban mobility and sustainable transport in the Philippines:—🚆 DOST Train-Related Initiatives: Innovating Urban Mobility in the Philippines1. Hybrid Electric Road Train (HERT)Purpose: To address traffic congestion and reduce pollution through an energy-efficient, large-capacity, road-based urban transport system.🔧 Key Features:Design: 40-meter long, articulated bus resembling a train; 5 air-conditioned coaches (4 for passengers, 1 engine).Capacity & Speed: High passenger capacity, max speed of 50 kph.Power Source: Hybrid—combination of diesel engine and electric batteries.Local Innovation: Developed by DOST-MIRDC using locally available parts and technologies.🧪 Testing and Trials:Initial Trials: Conducted at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga to test safety, roadworthiness, and traffic integration.Urban Deployment Potential: Targeting Metro Manila and other congested urban areas.🌱 Potential Impact:Energy-Efficient & Low-Emission: Hybrid power reduces fuel consumption and air pollutants.Cost-Effective Alternative: Compared to rail-based systems, it’s cheaper and faster to deploy using existing roads.Local Manufacturing: Supports local industry and innovation ecosystems.—2. Automated Guideway Transit System (AGTS)Purpose: To provide a light rail-type urban transit alternative that is locally developed, cost-effective, and scalable.🚝 Key Features:System Type: Monorail-like guideway transit designed for short- to medium-distance urban travel.Cost Advantage: Estimated to be one-fifth the cost of conventional monorails or LRT systems.Modular Design: Can serve as a feeder system to the Manila MRT and LRT networks.🏗 Development Background:Institutions Involved: Developed by DOST in partnership with UP Diliman, under the High-Impact Technology Solutions (HITS) program.Technology Base: Incorporates automated, driverless operation, with elevated guideways to reduce road footprint.🧪 Implementation Stage:Prototype Testing: Pilot models have been constructed and tested in controlled environments.Deployment Goals: Envisioned for secondary cities and university towns as scalable urban transit solutions.🌎 Broader Impacts:Reduced Congestion: Offers a viable alternative to buses and jeepneys in key corridors.Environmental Benefits: Electric power cuts down emissions.Local Capability Building: Enhances national capacity in transit engineering and automation.—🔍 Comparative OverviewFeature HERT AGTSType Road-based articulated train-like bus Elevated automated monorail-style systemPower Diesel-electric hybrid Fully electricCost Lower than trains, uses existing roads 1/5 cost of traditional monorailIntended Use Urban road transport Feeder/augment to MRT, high-traffic areasDevelopment Lead DOST-MIRDC DOST & UP DilimanLocal Components Mostly local Locally engineeredPilot Testing Location Clark, Pampanga UP Diliman campus and test sitesMaximum Speed 50 kph Varies (automated guideway)Innovation Objective Clean, mass-capacity road transport Affordable, scalable urban rail solution—🧭 Policy Implications & Next StepsScaling and Replication: Local governments and metropolitan agencies can partner with DOST to implement pilot routes, especially in traffic-prone corridors.Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): Could be a venue for private investment under government R&D or infrastructure programs.Legislation and Integration: Coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) needed for route integration, regulatory approval, and transport network inclusion.—🚀 Strategic ImportanceBoth HERT and AGTS represent bold steps in locally driven transport innovation, with the potential to reduce dependence on costly foreign-made systems and move toward inclusive, sustainable urban mobility under the Philippines’ broader development goals (e.g., SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities).—Would you like help drafting a policy brief, feasibility analysis, or visual aid (infographic or side-by-side comparison) for a presentation or publication?
Your summary is broadly accurate and captures the core regulatory framework for shipbuilding and rail transport/manufacturing in the Philippines. Here’s a more refined and structured breakdown for clarity and depth, especially useful for investment due diligence, compliance, or policy analysis:
—
🇵🇭 I. SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP REPAIR (MARINA)
A. Lead Agency:
Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) – under the Department of Transportation (DOTr)
B. Licensing & Accreditation
Legal Basis: MARINA Circulars (e.g., MC No. 95, MC No. 2016-03)
Who Can Apply:
Filipino citizens or corporations with at least 60% Filipino ownership
Must have shipbuilding/repair as part of their corporate purpose (SEC-registered)
C. Documentary Requirements:
Application form
SEC/DTI registration
Articles of Incorporation & By-laws
Environmental Compliance Certificate (from DENR)
Proof of ownership/lease of shipyard site
Site Development Plan and location map
Equipment inventory
Payment of regulatory fees
D. Site and Capability Inspection:
MARINA conducts technical and operational inspections before license issuance or renewal
E. Validity & Classification:
Shipyards are categorized (e.g., A, B, C) depending on their capability (e.g., tonnage handled, facility types)
F. Fiscal Incentives:
Republic Act No. 9295 (Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004):
VAT exemptions on importation of capital equipment and machinery
Income tax holiday (if registered under BOI)
Exemption from wharfage dues, duties on imported spares
G. Related Agencies:
BOI – for investment incentives under the IPP (Investment Priorities Plan)
PEZA – if the facility is in an ecozone or special economic zone
—
🚆 II. RAIL TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE & MANUFACTURING
A. Lead Agencies:
Department of Transportation (DOTr): Policy, planning, regulation of railway operations
Philippine National Railways (PNR), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), MRT-3, Mindanao Railway Project Office – implementation
BOI & DTI: Industrial policy, manufacturing incentives, domestic production of rolling stock
B. Concessions & Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs):
Rail concessions are typically awarded through PPP models
Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)
O&M (Operations and Maintenance) Contracts
Joint Ventures
Regulatory oversight via PPP Center, DOTr, and NEDA
C. Manufacturing of Rolling Stock:
Typically under BOI’s Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) or Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP)
Local content requirements may apply under DTI rules or procurement guidelines
DTI and BOI promote joint ventures with foreign rolling stock companies (e.g., Sumitomo, Hyundai Rotem)
D. Permits and Licenses for Manufacturing Plants:
Business registration (SEC/DTI)
Environmental compliance (DENR)
Zoning and LGU permits
Possible PEZA registration for tax incentives
E. Standards & Safety Regulation:
Once enacted, the Philippine Railway Safety Act (pending as of 2025) will:
Establish a Railway Regulatory Agency
Impose technical, operational, and safety standards
Certify rolling stock, personnel, and infrastructure
—
🔁 Comparative Summary Table
Aspect Shipbuilding Rail Transport / Manufacturing
Lead Agency MARINA DOTr (infra), DTI/BOI (manufacturing)
Licensing MARINA Circulars Project-specific, plus LGU & SEC
Ownership ≥60% Filipino No strict cap, unless restricted under Constitution (e.g. public utility)
Incentives RA 9295, BOI, PEZA BOI IPP/SIPP, PEZA
Safety Oversight MARINA (Upcoming) Railway Safety Act
PPPs Limited use Common for rail projects
Local Content Encouraged but flexible Sometimes mandated (esp. under government procurement)
—
✅ Actionable Notes:
Investors or companies seeking to enter either sector must prepare for multi-agency coordination.
In shipbuilding, working closely with MARINA and the BOI is key to navigating technical regulation and unlocking incentives.
In rail manufacturing, alignment with national infrastructure plans (e.g., PNR South Long Haul, Mindanao Railway) is essential for relevance and funding access.
Would you like a visual chart or flow diagram showing the licensing flow and agency interactions for both sectors?
More complications that are perennial
http://adroth.ph/licensed-manufacture-the-key-to-survival-for-srdp-companies/
not really regression, we are simply happy with the status quo. just dont want to go further up the ladder. who wants to be on the top job and all its accompanying problems where one has attend or organize meetings, motivate staff, fire staff, set goals and agenda, settle disputes and make decision that can make or break the corp, be accountable and take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. better be 2nd in command where responsibility is lesser to non existent. most filipinos like predictable working hours, nothing too strenuous. not like ceos where working 70hrs a week is norm, it is common for them to work across time zones, and think work balance ratio is highly overrated.
Thanks Karl. Well I’ve always been impressed with DOST. The problem then seems to be that unlike other countries, especially developing ones, the Philippines prefers to take the private route for most things including the public good. Private companies can care less about a great idea if they can’t make easy money; private capital’s imperative is to earn. I think there are many things private business does very well, but public services is not one of them. So if a country wants to increase public services, the government needs to take an active role in funding and building it out. That includes investing public money into a project for the public services, rather than operating on a concessions model.
What about public private partnerships?
Here’s my lefty side coming out hehe. Though it would also be a center-left position as well.
I do not believe the public good should be owned, managed, or handled by the private sector in all but the most narrow of cases. The private sector has a profit motive, not a public good motive, no matter how great their PR spin about “social responsibility” is. Public services are often unprofitable, but there is still a necessity as the service is towards maintaining the public good.
Here in the US, and even in California (when under previous Republican governorship), “public-private partnerships” for public services have been tried before. But let’s call public-private partnerships what it really is: “concessions.” And concessions have a funny way about them where the concessions tend to be extended. For example a few of our highways were expanded by way of public-private partnership, but the result was the private company got the toll road concessions, while the state government remains on the hook for maintenance and enforcement which ends up costing more in the end.
A government controls the currency and the budget. If the government so chooses to serve the public good, then perhaps part of the budget should be redirected towards that purpose. And sometimes it takes application of political pressure by the electorate to get politicians to do the right thing.
Chemrock made an excellent article about the MRT3 as an example of privatizing profits but keeping costs public.
What a boondoggle. To me the BOT, BLT is just symptom, like addiction to debt to pay for regular government expenditures is another symptom. If government bonds and external debt are used to finance long-term public infrastructure that enables revenues elsewhere to be generated (such as enabling domestic industry) then that is one thing, but I do wonder how much of the debt simply disappears in the cash grab as money flows down the pyramid of corruption?
Is the big beautiful law of Trump a usually Democrat move.
Before small gov equals Republican and big gov is to Democrats
Ah no. The reason why the “Big Beautiful Bill” was so big is essentially it is a wealth transfer to the wealthy while also being full of pork barrel for the Republicans, and Trump’s recognition that he only has one chance to give billionaires tax cuts. The Democrats got nothing out of it.
Party of small government (Nixonism, Reaganism) was a lie I spent my youth activism in, and has always been a lie. Republicans want no regulation for the companies and organizations they favor, while they want to regulate everyone else. They don’t want any federal oversight over how their rich allies make money, but want to use the government to order everyone else how to earn and what to earn. Sounds awfully communist to me tbh, and has nothing to do with small-c conservatism.
Democrats being labeled the lovers of oppressive big government was first employed by Nixon when he executed the Southern Strategy to take in all the racist Southern Democrats that were being kicked out of the Democratic Party. These are the descendants of the Confederate south traitors. And by oppressive big government, they meant that they wanted free rein to maintain their apartheid Jim Crow.
Sadly, Democrats being high minded have always been terrible at framing the narrative ever since LBJ stepped out of his reelection bid. Republican voters are only starting to realize how that all those “oppressive big government” policies like Social Security, Medicaid, welfare, and so on actually benefited poor Whites the most. Sometimes, people need to learn the hard way to remember to appreciate what they have.
Many thanks Joey
Haha, well when you put it that way KB! And btw there’s nothing wrong with the status quo either, as long as most people are happy with it.
Karl:
https://www.twz.com/land/sm-6-fired-at-target-ship-by-u-s-armys-typhon-launcher-from-down-under
Australia and Germany are now considering the Typhon system, which recently tested the SM-6 ballistic missile capability in addition to the existing Tomahawk cruise missiles. Put these all over the Philippines, facing the WPS and the Taiwan Strait.
TY
https://x.com/sciencekonek/status/1946416351788372380
“𝗟𝗔 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗔 𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟
Umabot na sa 79.64 metro (CRITICAL) ang lebel ng tubig sa La Mesa dam kaninang 11:30 AM. Patuloy itong binabantayan dahil sa patuloy nitong pagtaas bunsod ng matitinding pag-ulan na dala ng enhanced #habagat.
Ang ‘Spilling Level’ ng La Mesa Dam ay 80.15 metro. Manatiling updated!”
This is still a Filipino learning curve. There are weather forecasts and there is the measure called “preemptive water release”. I have seen them do that DAYS before storms with the Sylvenstein reservoir upstream from Munich, in the Philippines they wait for the dam to spill over like upstream of Cagayan valley in 2020 and also La Mesa dam during Ondoy 2009.
You actually get this info multiple times in Traditional media as it is one of the formulas that the media people have.
LGUs specifically QC also monitor and publish routinely on flooding and stuff like this. Top of my head at least 3 agencies have bulletins on this.
The information is there, the problem is for those most affected by it they either do not search for it or is too busy to be informed. Also preparation for disaster wasn’t that extensive a few decades ago.
The devolution of class suspension was at least since last admin.
Well, still, obviously, they haven’t learned that you can in the days of weather forecasts let the water out from the reservoir days before the storm like they do over here. But then again, nobody in the Pisay 1982 mail chat understood that concept when I questioned what happened during Ondoy back in 2009. Our Alma mater, the smartest in the country.
I remember those times clearly. No Doppler radars yet . Those were donated by Japan later. PAGASA was decimated because they were pirated by the middle east
Do none of the current batch of Filipino civil engineers and water resources engineers understand that the main purpose of a dam is for downstream flood control? The water reservoir aspect of a dam is a secondary, not the primary function.
Then again, I was once reto’d to supposedly one of the best upcoming DOTr civil engineers of her time, and her office seemed more interested in “fact finding” missions that appeared to me more like tax-funded vacations. All the while American civil servants take economy flights and stay in modest hotel accommodations. I’m sure European civil servants are similarly mindful of the public monies. That one sure loved to argue with me and challenge me on everything, always wanting to have the last word, even when she was clearly wrong. I later found out she was on one of the principal teams “leading” the CCLEX from the government side. A foreign-designed, foreign-engineered bridge. And a concession where the ultimate cost and responsibility will be born by the taxpayer.
I recall the author Alma Anonas-Carpio posting that the original plan with Sta Mesa dam included was by her grandfather in the 1930s.
One of THOSE Filipino titans of yore, and it might be that was state of the art back then.
Just like a lot of Philippine government machinery is still Quezon-era, and some notarial practices are 19th century Spanish.
It seems the original BPW was led by seasoned American engineers. The US Army Corps of Engineers also did a lot of work. I could not find any information regarding which org originally designed the La Mesa Dam, but likely there was involvement by BPW and USACE.
Well the thing about American colonial administration was that while of course racism led even learned White Americans of that era to “look down” upon the “little brown brothers,” there was a recognizance that Filipinos *could* become capable if educated and trained. A key difference when compared to French, Belgian, or German colonial administration. That difference likely resulted in the batch of engineers and visionaries the Third Republic relied upon, only for the knowledge to be lost like a roof gets lost in a typhoon then not reinforced for the next generation.
Interesting article about American and Dutch colonial engineering projects in the Philippines and Indonesia:
https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/36561/pdf/1/#:~:text=This%20study%20compares%20the%20role,and%20the%20Netherlands%20around%201900.
The lamesa dam is very old if Wikipedia is to be believed it was last raised 1959. I think the more important question is since it has been known as Irineo has stated since Ondoy (late 2000s before 2010s) that it is starting to overflow since then has there been any projects to modernize the lamesa dam? I can hazard a guess that since it used to have a partnership with the ABS CBN foundation that the whole time under that partnership modernizing the dam tricky as the leadership of that foundation seemed to really not like disruption of nature. Your guess is as good as mine. I wish they surveyed this, if Wawa dam is nearing completion of rehabilitation/expansion/modernization then modernizing lamesa dam should be next.
If I were in Philippine government, I would feel great unease that for anything to be done requires external financial help, external design work, external engineering, and in many cases external management. Megaprojects, which include dams, are massive in scale and mostly are for the purpose of serving the public good. These absolutely require intimate government touches at every level, and are not something that can simply be bought or given away as a confession. It’s been a long running joke among my friends that UP only produces liberal arts scholars. Of course that’s not true, but it sure *feels like it.* Is the Philippines more akin to a Middle East petrostate, but rather than oil, the export is human labor? 😕
some reinforcements
The original purpose of dams—before their widespread use as water reservoirs for drinking water and irrigation—was primarily flood control and diversion rather than long-term storage.Historical Original Purposes of Dams:1. Flood Control and ProtectionAncient civilizations, especially in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China, built primitive dams to protect farmland and settlements from seasonal floods.These early dams managed and diverted floodwaters rather than storing them.2. Irrigation (short-term diversion)Early dams, such as those in ancient Mesopotamia or Egypt, were used to divert river water into irrigation canals during growing seasons.These were often temporary or low-lying embankments.3. Water Diversion for Mills (Medieval Europe)In the Middle Ages, dams were often built to divert water to power grain mills, fulling mills, and other machinery, not to store water.These were typically weirs or mill dams that created enough head pressure to drive a waterwheel.4. Religious and Ceremonial PurposesIn some ancient cultures, water diversion structures had religious significance, symbolizing control over nature or used in ritual cleansing.5. Navigation AidSome early dams were built to raise water levels in rivers to allow boats to pass through shallower sections (e.g., in ancient China or Europe).—Evolution Toward Modern ReservoirsBy the 19th and 20th centuries, dam purposes evolved to include:Water storage reservoirs for municipal useHydroelectric power generationRecreation and fishingClimate resilience and multi-purpose managementSo while today’s dams are heavily associated with water supply and hydroelectricity, their original function was diversion and flood management, especially to support agriculture and protect early settlements.
I PMd you something I learned from friends in QCG
Yeah, no floodgates. Old school dam
Fat fingers Pressed send early.
In some ways the systems are there but the people need to learn to adjust or are just not adjusting fast enough.
There is also a case to be made that a lot of the people who have trouble are those that cross boundaries.
QC will suspend classes on a brgy level because it is big. For schools that have a big population from a large geographic area it becomes troublesome
Ateneo Miriam UPIS PSHS having a large number of students from outside of Quezon City are the ones loudly complaining about late class suspension but localized suspension means localized conditions.
https://x.com/GwenchalantAlih/status/1946423209714172048
Now the food “issue” has gone into actual threats a la DDS.
I wonder who in Alzheimer country (Philippines) still remembers the threats DDS made, except those directly affected.
Though it seems the mother of Gwen Apuli from Daraga, Albay is going to sue.
Even as she apparently had to lock her FB profile after she made that statement.
The mob mentality that led to DDS isn’t gone yet.
Torn about this. Being mad about someone and cursing them should be table stakes. As long as they do not threaten bodily harm or slander the artist. People should be allowed to show who they are to allow us to evade or shun them.
Well, that post is already wishing harm on someone and their family, akin to the DDS “Sana ma-**** ka ng adik” so it is definitely disgusting.
Seems some posts are already at a level that would constitute grave threat, and the attitudes shown are very DDS, such as looking down on the family because they were poor, calling Gwen patay gutom and all that. Making people be seen as contemptible by the public is a first step in actually destroying people.
There is active discussion in the US now among Democrats that when back in power that the Section 230 which was originally supposed to protect the nascent Internet must be repealed. Especially on social media, anonymity has allowed the worse of human behavior to get out of hand. Disordered discourse, lies, conspiracy theories, relentless bullying. These people who exhibit the worst behavior would not dare do so IRL. An ordered society cannot operate in anarchy. As I have said before, for better or for worse, the Philippines and the US are reflections of each other, both of the good and of the bad.
Both the first and the second Amendment are matters where Germans find the USA weird.
Well, every legal tradition reflects the experiences of a society, and so do German libel and Internet laws. Just like the 1st and 2nd Amendments have their reasons in European and American 18th century history.
With the Philippines, I still wonder how many still think they are in a barangay where everything was solved ad hoc and few formalized precautions were needed. Grr..
Sometimes people need to be treated with tough love, where generosity and help is conditioned with “you must commit to personal change.” The problem is, in the Philippines many DEs are perfectly fine with living in rotting houses made of salvaged materials, not having job, and just being an indigent. Because someone is always going to give them a handout here or there, usually for political reasons. And if they don’t get their handout, well, they’re fine with that too. I know of many places in Mindanao where there might be for example, plantation or fish pond jobs. Not the most glamorous work, and certainly physically taxing. But the people there would rather live on their family’s land for free accepting 4Ps, indigent PhilHealth, relief goods, vote bribes etc. rather than working. They do have their secondhand iPhones and new android phones though. And they are very online.
Which is why the Angat Buhay approach of helping people help themselves is best.
But yeah, unfortunately, that was mocked by DDS whose approach is to keep the poor there and kill those who bother the better off. Many are Filipino middle class who prioritize their own convenience over everything else.
I believe that after feeding the needy so to speak, the immediate next step is teaching the needy how to fish for themselves. Humorously, a friend in Tacloban complained to me his family’s (5) cats are completely useless because the cats don’t do their duty catching rats. I asked: “Do the cats also receive 3 meals a day?” To which the answer was affirmative. First of all, why does his family have so many cats when the family lacks ulam for a consistent 3 meals a day? Secondly, no wonder. The cats have been conditioned to be secure in knowing they don’t need to work at all, and someone will still give them their necessities.
I feel that the terminally online DDS are small in number despite their outsized noise making, similar to the American far left and far right that is very loud online. I’m more concerned about the professional DDS who possibly may have connections to PRC and Russia. Duterte was the test run before troll farms were unleashed on the US to boost Trump in 2015-2016, Brexit, Le Pen in France. The middle class Duterte supporters are small in number. You’ll be shocked to know the most hardcore Duterte supporters are actually DEs, who are greatly affected by the propaganda spewed from the professional DDS.
Both the First and Second Amendments have been distorted and abused by the American right in the recent (since 1968) period. The right wants an absolutist interpretation, as long as that interpretation aligns with their view of course.
There is a saying that “your First Amendment right ends where your fist meets my nose.” That is to say, even the most distasteful speech needs to be protected in order to protect all legitimate speech. The “nose” part refers to speech that imparts physical harm to the other, such as in the famous shouting fire in a crowded theater example. The American right wants to restrict speech they don’t agree with, while forcing others to be subject of distasteful speech without the right to pushback. This is not First Amendment principles.
There has always been a tradition of gun ownership in the former British colonies, for self-defense and hunting purposes. Canada has similar laws for example. The Second Amendment however refers to a “well-regulated militia” having a right to bearing arms. The phenomenon of its recent (also since 1968) interpretation to mean citizens should have basically any gun and long gun they want is a novel one. The militia referred would be today’s state national guards, as a bunch of vigilante groups running around would not fit the common sense understanding of “well-regulated.” The NRA used to be a sportsman’s association back in the day, but there was an internal takeover by anti-government interests which morphed the NRA into today’s paranoid group. That being said, the Second Amendment allows states to create their own militias if their guards keeps being federalized, which I feel may be the eventual outcome. This may be quite libertarian of me to say so, but the sheer number of guns in civilian hands is the final check against tyranny.
Both twists of the First and Second Amendments were White backlashes to the Civil Rights Act (and the Great Society generally).
As for Section 230, huge social media companies have long hidden behind that law, even though they are not nascent internet services anymore. Legally every internet service is defined as nascent, which is problem as the monopolies have now grown so big they kill or buy every new emerging company that threatens them. The pursuit of pure profit on the internet monetizing ads and personal data with little regulation has gotten out of control. Of course what the US does with Section 230 also affects the world, at least in countries that have weak regulation such as the Philippines, though not so much for the EU which has started moving on its own to regulate the internet within EU borders.
Something we need to decide on. The relatively strict slander rules of South Korea used against online people making up stories against artist rivals of their bias has to be decided as a culture. The current weaponization of cyber libel by powerful people is not a good thing.
There is an old discussion between Edgar Lores and myself about these matters from some years ago.
The gist is that Philippine libel laws are Spanish at the core and protect against anything derogatory, EVEN IF TRUE.
The corny Don Quixote kind of Honor LCPL_X correctly mocked.
Sokor laws will, as they are based on the Japanese penal code, a best practice mix of French and German traditions, probably distinguish between mere insult, libel (unproven allegations) and slander, aka provably false allegations like in Germany.
The Philippines has the issue that alleged “slapsoils” are seen as easy targets, not as bad as what one hears of India but also bad. Joey is also right anonymity changes things. People who said such things in the Bikol countryside to anyone got their lessons in the traditional way, not Mediterranean, but still. Modernity has challenges I believe Filipinos are only STARTING to fully understand.
I remember that discussion. Modernity is our challenge. People from the outside can teach/prod/influence but as long as there is no synthesis , what some of my friends call metanoia it becomes clothes easily discarded.
Exactly, the lessons learned will have to be learned by Filipinos themselves. This is why I hold back here when it comes to writing stuff.
I know that people can shut down when nagged so one can at best nudge. Though the Philippines can choose to learn the hard way or try to adapt best practices like others do. Look to the cousins in Indonesia if they think “what whites do” will not work for them.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/07/19/entertainment-lifestyle/show-times/bini-gwens-mom-to-pursue-legal-action-over-online-attacks/2152421 update
an apology goes a long way and people well accept it. just say, bini overreached, it was the heat of the moment kind of thing. we filipinos are forgiving, so give forgiveness a chance. can bini be humble and apologise, or have they gotten too big for the simple tastes of the philippines that initially give them stardom! apology is in order, lessons learned, and we moved on.
or if bini can collectively sing their hearts out and give a heartfelt rendition of the old song, I am sorry, my love, an old song of nora aunor and tirso cruz, fans are sure to go wild, all will be forgiven and bini can reign supreme yet again.
actually some of the content creators who made malicious edits of the less nice parts of the video (which were few) took them down after the news that there might be a case, and yesterday at the Star Magic All Star games, BINI performed and the crowd went wild. Actually except for two dishes, betamax and isaw, and maybe a bit for balut, the overall video was not that bad. That some actually wished bad things on the Bikolana Gwen and her family was totally out of proportion to anything. More than even just OA.
Actually, for me, I wish Filipinos would put as much or even more energy into going after politicians who really make their lives miserable. What happens in the world of pop stars is interesting sometimes but it is in the end just entertainment. But as Joey did say, Filipinos make small things big and big things small.
two different things, we want bini to get better, not get bad; constructive criticism and feedback is good for their career, can be humbling but makes them makatao, for better or for worse.
bad politicians are voted and cannot be dislodged before term of office, no matter what we do, no matter how loud we howl and how rampant the protests. though some politicians have weaker armor, do amends and try to do good, for better or for worse.
It is exactly as I suspected, those who can be pushed more easily are pushed while those who are powerful aren’t. Maybe push the government to promote Filipino food better instead of letting anger (yes, extreme insults and even threats) out on young women whose main qualification is to be pop stars.
It is like Robin Padilla’s push to punish kids as young as ten years old. First of all it might be Robin Padilla didn’t learn a thing since he was ten and assumes it is the same for everyone. Second it is harder to go after Atong Ang etc.
In Duterte’s time, those at the bottom of the food chain, poor people who took drugs to make their lives bearable, were culprits.
Even though I’m not a BINI fan and do not enjoy PPop at all (I like pinoy ballads), I did not see them doing anything wrong that requires an apology — each girl was just expressing her individual food preference. Isn’t constantly expressing personal opinions, solicited or not, right or wrong, a quintessential pinoy thing to do? I mean that’s literally what chika is!
Personally I would rather keep my dignity than grovel for money or fame. I recall my first big gig which was as an analyst for Wells Fargo, when my manager insulted me blatantly, publicly and unnecessarily. He got the two-finger salute and I walked out immediately. It turned out later that he was the one in the wrong.
Clearly there is a lot of energy pent up among Filipinos, though the online expression is outsized. Raw emotion must be effectively focused by leaders. A common expression I hear from (DE) Filipinos is feelings of “being stuck.” Seriously the Philippines has so many inherited advantages from the US and the Third Republic, even if those advantages are physically manifested in crumbling edifices and institutions built decades before then badly maintained. I feel constantly frustrated feel frustrated that Filipinos don’t realize how much of a “leg up” the country has, compared to other countries that had to rebuild everything from scratch, some with very little outside help. There is a class of educated Filipinos who can become managers, and a vast available workforce with not much to do. Will the consequence that is still within reach be all wasted away while people focus their energy on the inconsequential?
I live in one of the most conservative parts of Germany, but I realized at some point that the obedience demanded here is obedience to rules, while the gatekeeper types (those who criticized Carlos Yulo are pretty similar) in the Philippines want obedience to stroke their own egos, a game one can never win if somehow they feel you will deep within never truly respect that kind of attitude. They will always find a thing about you that they consider pasaway.
sure there are those who see especially certain characters in BINI like Colet from Bohol who responded to content creators that took down malicious edits and apologized with “tunla mo na imong sorry mads” and a lot of haha as “disobedient Gen Z” but I come from a generation that also mocked authority back in Marcos Sr. times, the kind of Pinoy authority that wants to tell everyone how to behave when they can barely behave themselves. Principals without principles.
OK, I know Joe is back, I will stop ranting. The principal WITH principles is here so I shall go back to being principled.
Joe, it was not Karl’s fault, he tried to stop me but I was too wild.
BTW re feeling tied down, Joe’s classic article is still about opportunity as an energy untapped in the Philippines:
Haha, restraint can be overdone, too, lol. The lack of inspiration for a better future is missing across the board here. It simply does not exist. People cannot relate to what they’ve not experienced. But it’s starting to creep in I think as there are more real career jobs like BPOs and small businesses. It is so profound, its absence.
actually the rules over here are quite predictable, such as don’t go over a red pedestrian traffic light even if there are no cars around, but otherwise, we live well, and have great concerts for every taste from Taylor Swift to Adele to Coldplay.
I prefer that to the kind of Filipinos who get pissed off for those who sing My Way in what they think is the wrong way, who get worked up about Martin Nievera varying his interpretation of Bayang Magiliw about a decade ago for a Pacquaio match, to those calling a girl group a shame for the nation because two didn’t like balut and two didn’t like betamax and acted princessy because they are young female popstars, sure Eminem disliked Britney Spears and I get why, but it stayed at that.
At the political end of the spectrum, you have the Filipinos who condemned PNoy for not deciding things the way THEY wanted him to decide, similar folks exist with respect to Marcos Jr., oh and its not different in fandoms based on my research these past two years, huge discussions within fandoms about what songs for instance the most popular girl group in the Philippines decides to release, everyone seeing their preference as gospel. It is similar at all ends of Philippine society.
The fluidity (c) Joeam of Philippine culture (article below) means that nearly anyone with a loud enough voice or megaphone and a group to support him or her can insert him/herself in discussions as the tito, tita, ate or kuya or whatever of the national village, nearly nothing is decided based on principle, it is always a battle even for stuff which should be obvious. My fondest example is how Filipinos will try to reinterpret the common understanding of what is travelling in basketball, and in street basketball the one with the most and loudest allies is right. And if there is no consensus, there can be a wonderful brawl, what fun.
It is the same thing in Philippine politics now. The Supreme Court and parts of the House disagree not on travelling in basketball, but on how to throw peaches. Not that America today ISN’T contentious, but that is the exception there not the rule. The Philippines discusses whether forthwith means immediately and whether step down means resign (that was a quarter of a century ago, with Estrada) and the groundhog day aspect of Philippine politics gets tiring. It’s very ineffective as well.
Lovely post, Irineo. Prose poetry. I cannot argue the truth of what you say for you’ve cast a perfect picture. My only response is personal, that for me the disorder and endless dysfunctions are adventure cast against nice neat orderly behaviors as wild oils over an architects precision drawing. I’ve played street basketball here and slippers are hard to jump from, but being 6’4″ provides great amusements for the locals, even the kid who earned a two-inch scar under his eye from my elbow being in a place new to him. I’ve also flipped a 100 peso note into the pot, a small amount that raises the level of competition to NBA effort, if not skill. As rules are to be broken, one gains now and then from transgressions. It’s not all loss. And if one merely retreats into one’s own business, the chaos and nonsense disappear as if by magic. The weather is wonderful, no fucking snow, and a good blow now and then tests one’s ability to remain calm whilst God rages.
The big question in the coming decades may boil down to: “How to harness the untapped energy of the Filipino?” Harness being the key word here. Of course the energy is already being harnessed rather unintentionally by letting Filipinos run amok more or less. Misdirection and distractions sap inherent energy; such are the tools of those who want to hold onto undeserved power.
When I look over at my (small) project of increasing positive outcomes for the lives of those I encounter, it is but a personal charity that may not change much in the grand scheme of things. Angat Buhay as limited as the works of that NGO may be, is on a much larger level.
As distasteful as the descriptor may seem, in the Philippines things are still very much closer to animal law than the rule of law and respect of norms. In animal law the top dog, the head honcho *is the law,* with the laws on paper being window dressing that is sometimes conveniently used to bludgeon the opponent but discarded as to oneself and one’s allies. Filipinos who live in, or close enough to, the elite enclaves of the country always bristle at the nation being described as such, but offer very few actual defenses other than raw indignation as if they *personally* are offended.
In order to have rule of law, one must first have a respect for norms as what are laws but norms put into legal formality? The social group creates its own norms and norms are reinforced by intergroup enforcement through collective shaming for “bad behavior” and praise for “good behavior.” Well if that’s the case for the creation of norms, what can be said when bad behavior is valorized as negative expression of diskarte, “beating the system,” “it’s fine because THEY screwed me more?” The present norms perpetuate these bad behaviors that hold the Philippines back, yet is often met with passivity even by Filipinos who disagree.
To shift the norms towards a more positive direction there must be a consensus within a group of initial evangelists. These evangelists who through their empathetic but aggressive advocacy must be able to *persuade* not *scold.* But most importantly of all they must live the values they espouse to be the new norm. Often the only group that has the wider respect to start the process are within the elite.
Which brings me back full circle to my previous lines of thought… morality must be lived as it is preached, and those with the most agency (the elite) must be examples of moral character. Not a saint, not necessarily someone soft spoken and constantly trampled underfoot, but someone who believes in their own convictions. Only when they gain the respect of enough people can wide positive change have a chance to take strong root.
I think unfortunately Joey is correct. The elites need to learn and drag the Philippines to modernity. The environmental activist have done this with the green stuff. Clean Air , Clean Water, other environment focused legislation.
Yes of course, as they have the capacity to get stuff organized which working stiffs at any level don’t.
The real reason I shut down my old blog is I regretted a public rant against my father for a FB note where he dreamed of returning the ancient Philippines where women had many children and the pigs were fat, literally. My tone was so caustic I was ashamed.
1521 had two million people with plentiful resources, and no need to regulate power as oppressed communities could go uphill.
Totally different today.
Also in terms of external threats which barely existed as the technology didn’t yet exist to access the archipelago THAT EASILY.
BTW, when I wrote “towards Filipino modernity” in late 2020, Xiao passed to me a message from my father saying the way to modernity for the country is Tokugawa style isolation, something my father already has at least privately espoused.
Doesn’t work either nowadays, and Japan in the Tokugawa era at least had learned to make weapons superior to Western ones..
Joey also said the elites should see more the reality in which 97% of Filipinos live. Create solutions that are applicable not “fantastic”.
I’ve said this among friends.
we are in a demographics sweet spot. we are riding on the dynamism of places like Dubai.
We can’t do something like the Asian tigers as China is sucking all of the manufacturing right now and we are nowhere near a low wage manufacturing nation and very far from a high tech manufacturing nation.
Everyone who can help develop us is in their own battle. we either do it on our own or we just be happy with the status quo
I was going through a box of old stuff today and found some childhood toys with a faded sticker on the bottom: “Made in Republic of China.” Taiwan. Those crappy early 1980s toys were low quality injection molded plastics. But look how far Taiwan has come now with her monopoly on high-end semiconductors.
There was a time when Japanese electronics were pretty crappy too. Sony was not a well regarded brand at the height of RCA, Magnavox, Admiral, Zenith, Philco. Then there is the famous story from the mid-1990s of how former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee ordered all existing Samsung inventory, defective or not, destroyed.
Yes, the success of these countries’ private industry was due to being led by competent leaders who focused first on mastering the *basics* and also in their vision to corner the market. But the forgotten lesson (The Taiwanese, Japanese, and South Koreans did not forget) is that the government *enabled* the success of industry through thoughtful legislation and policy. While all three countries adapted overseas lessons from the US to their own local context, they recognized the example set by the US that innovation often has its roots in government-funded and government-led research and initiatives, funded by favorable government loans and subsidies to get industry up and going once that government work entered the private sector.
In Taiwan TMSC and other semiconductor companies started off being incubated in Hsinchu Park, with students and researchers flowing freely between Hsinchu Park and the associated Tsing Hua University. Post-war Japan first made crude electronics and motorcycle-derived cars of dubious quality with government support. South Korea’s government subsidized building *local* industrial complexes throughout the 1980s and 1990s, first acting as subcontractors to the Japanese. All were following an American model of public-private flow of research and development, localized for their domestic context.
When I look at the old Taiwanese plastic toy, badly made as it was, it is a symbol of where a country started, something a Taiwanese must be proud of when thinking of where Taiwan is now.
I don’t think the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi, Qatar model is a great one, as it requires a high number of foreign workers employed in both low-skill and high-skill jobs, with most of the native population living off of a form of state welfare to maintain their support. Those Arab countries have the benefit of their oil wealth, and nationalizing the foreign-built, foreign-financed, foreign-managed petroleum industry at the right moment. They lucked out in a century of petroleum-based energy in a land where the oil is both of high purity and easily accessed, with the infrastructure already built out. But those countries’ leadership trying so many random and expensive ideas to diversify out of oil is a big sign that they recognize the gravy train will end sooner rather than later, as the world moves away from carbon-based energy (not to mention, dwindling reservoirs of easily exploitable petroleum and gas). My guess is by the time I’m an old man, the Arabs would’ve collapsed back to wandering desert nomads, as a people addicted to welfare and not used to work, while also constantly told a narrative that Arabs are superior to all others will not be amendable to working. Sounds familiar.
To me as an intimate observer of the Philippines, there exists such a want to “instantly upgrade,” as if the Filipino can just buy something enough money was had. There is a line of thought among even educated Filipinos I know that thinks high-end factories can simply be built, wholly paid with other people’s money, while the Philippines will reap all benefits. As if such things can be parachuted down like mana falling from the sky in miraculous form. There is always a cost to doing things. Here’s the shocking truth though, the cheapest way to do things in terms of effort, time invested, and money spent, is to simply learn from what had been learned before, then iterate on that once experience has been accumulated. When I travel through the Mindanao, or in the bukid not even that far away from 1st and 2nd class cities, and see all the idle unemployed and underemployed who don’t even feel a need to work, I see a problem not many educated Filipinos are willing to see. There’s a tendency to close one’s eyes and ears there to inconvenient truths even if that truth is right in front of oneself. I fear the Philippines will be wasting the demographic sweet spot. The demographic curve is already about to crest, and there are too few mid- and high-level service industry jobs on the other side to greet the downhill arrival.
there is a big push of vinfast locally . also the GSM cars. both are Vietnamese car companies being very aggressive in the Philippines. every time I see those brands in malls I die a little. local elites are just happy being local dealers or local partners. it starts with screws and you build up. you negotiate things and just try to get as much as you can.
part of me wishes that the car nut RSA would go beyond dealerships.
part of me wishes that MVP pushes meralco towards a real green energy manufacturing push.
start with the small things negotiate a little try to move some manufacturing locally.
one day.
Protectionism and bans on foreign ownership is really stupid if not targeted to leaving space for nascent domestic industry to develop, the development of which also requires concerted government intervention.
Stuff isn’t going to just materialize as if by magic, and a mendicant attitude will keep one a beggar. But sometimes in the Philippines I feel like there’s a belief that *that one instance* of someone hitting jackpot is the entire justification for operating on pure luck rather than logic and hard work. Well it is common knowledge that in gambling “the house never loses,” but gambling addicts still exist because they think they can bypass all the hard work and beat the system that is arrayed against them.
I had a great random conversation with a Ukrainian refugee the other day. She like many Ukrainians (and Eastern Europeans) love Mivina instant noodles. That was the big break Vingroup started off with, before building imported CKD cars to gain experience in the automotive industry. Every step, hard work and re-investing profits was necessary, while accumulating knowledge to tackle the next step. In the Philippines, there are many dreamers who make doodles of “100% Pinoy Cars,” never to see the light of day, because the dream has the unrealistic expectation the metallurgical, manufacturing, drivetrain, automotive OS, ECUs, etc. and the associated factories will magically fall down from heaven, no hard work or saving required. Yet these are touted as wins by the government in “concept” form. It’s not *our* fault there is no great benefactor willing to give free money to fund it!
we have plenty dreamers but very few investors. hard to invest in a country that is most favored by cyclonic typhoons and constant heavy flooding where infrastructures have to be build and rebuild every so often. philippines is right in the ring of fire and we have more than our fair share of very brutal weather and catastrophic natural disasters. we lost lives, crops and harvests, homes and buildings, and good will become strained. yet we persist, rebuild, and survived.
we always said that happiness cannot always be counted in how many bank accounts we have. and even though, we are often insulted by labeling us mendicants, our faith is whole. aside from those mandated to provide for us like our representatives who are allocated budgets for such occasions, people are not really required, or coerced to help us and lend a hand, but if they do, it is welcomed. and I hope they helped out of the goodness of their hearts, not so they can call us contemptible mendicants.
Yes, I agree with all that KB. But the cult of pinoy resilience is false platitude. Might as well say “thoughts and prayers.” The common throughline I felt through my Philippines journey is that I had met many Filipinos who felt a great unease and uncertainty; they just couldn’t put a finger on what that unease and uncertainty is. After disasters the national and LGU governments make a big show on the heroism of rescuers both official and unofficial, yet once the cameras leave, I’ve seen affected Filipinos left to their own devices rebuilding with salvaged materials that may have just been “donated” by their neighbor, blown across by the typhoon. There is a cultural acceptance of defeat and bahala na — “it is what it is.” Things don’t need to be that way. Government should exist to provide for the security of the citizens, building real resilience, facilitating a baseline of human dignity, leaving an opening of opportunity for those who wish for more and are willing to work for it.
I recall now how GRP and the anti-Pinoy crowd also raged about their own versions of magical thinking. For too long there is a strain of thinking among some of emulating the “Singapore model.” But they are more enamored by the authoritarian aspect, not the collective hard work Singaporeans put into building the economy. Out of thousands of so-called messiahs and prophets across human history, how many were the real deal? Precious few.
I didn’t realize for a long time that my anecdotes about how Bavaria or Germany or Romania or Turkey or Indonesia got stuff done was seen as similar magical thinking by many, just as the nativist types believe everything must arise out of innate Filipino genius.
All I did was mention best practices that could be adopted but didn’t make it clear enough.
Perhaps the reason why others thought your anecdotes were magical thinking is because in their mind, they can’t possibly understand a system of rules and laws (mostly) evenly applied with fair judicial oversight. Their thinking may be “in a box,” where they see the world with the understanding the Philippines system has equipped them, which gravitates towards powerful people who break rules and laws when they benefit. I wonder how many of those people have traveled the world and observed other systems to be able to compare before coming up with the usual over confident assessment they may have made.
well, I guess even those who travel (and many who migrate at least at the start) assume that the world works similar to the Philippines, and of course even in strongly rule-based societies there is still the core of power interactions, even as rules developed to tame and harness power properly – in any case I believe they don’t learn that quickly, see the datus I wrote about among early Pinoy migrants to Germany.
even Embassy and Consular people often stick to the Pinoy community where they are the “rulers” in a way and their interaction with the host country isn’t that strong, though the younger DFA batches are better I heard. Filpino diplomats in Germany in the 1980s often preferred to be in the American Embassy club than to hang with Germans and some proudly said “Germany has only partial sovereignty” though the attitude shifted after unity and most by the time Merkel was seen a lot with Obama.
It would be helpful for Filipino elites to learn about the countries that they mocked due to that country’s temporary setbacks. Countries that have past histories of strong culture and state have the necessary building blocks to bounce back eventually. It will be interesting in the next decades to see the shock of Filipinos when multiple African nations start their rapid rise. Underestimating others is self-sabotage as it reinforces overconfidence.
The seeming anomaly of so many of those who migrated, learned new things, then went back to become “new datus” may actually be a trait of a nation that is yet immature in its understanding. I realized as I hit my 20s that so many of my GenX friends I looked up to while growing up were stuck as perpetual impetuous teenagers despite the body growing physically older. Maturity is in fact mental maturation by way of positively absorbing the lessons of experience, and in previous societies age could be a strong indicator of matured experience, but what happens when position and age is lorded over others as maturity when the mind has not yet developed? There is also a phenomenon of negatively absorbing experience. It is called resentment.
I think resentment plays a huge role in Philippine society, and if I compare it to where I am now, Bavaria, what they did well here was to reduce resentment by creating opportunities after the cataclysm of WW2.
Resentment played a role in the shitstorm that PNoy got after Mamasapano BTW, with people of my generation having nursed a sense of their lives and chances having been wasted since February 1986, which is indeed a very dependent idea of how life should go.
Bavaria of the 19th century had people going on the street when beer prices rose to high, which was a sign of being pretty much subjects. Now it is a place where people can make something of their lives even if they have modest talent and ambition.
There has been much discussion in the US about the Weimar Republic as of late. Bavaria may have been been more rural than German population centers during the Weimar Republic, but many on the American left are shocked to learn that before Hitler’s corruption of the state inter-war Germany was one of the most progressive countries in the world, possibly *the* most progressive of that time.
To go along the thought process of resentment being adjacent to dependency, when people’s basic needs are not met and an outlet for dreams are not provided, they start to feel the social contract is being broken. The social contract is the main co-dependent relationship between the state and the people. It does not matter what a constitution written or unwritten and laws say once resentment sets in; humans are inherently emotional creatures and social norms are one way our emotional nature is tempered. But without active maintenance of the order facilitated by norms, the civic conversation becomes chaotic and breaks backs down to disordered discourse. Expectations of what a citizen can depend on needs to be defined, and provision of government services need to at least appear to be fair…
In the last 75 years, there have been three major examples from the American context of how building resentment left unaddressed by the technocracy makes people shift irrationally, sometimes to the complete opposite view:
1.) The unrealized idealism of the Baby Boomer countercultural movement splintered off to form the cores of the modern American Far Left and the Reactionary movements that cause great distress to the American system to this day.
2.) American GenXers who “raged against the machine” and created so much of the anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist popular culture and music of the late 1980s through 1990s with themes of revolution of youth renewal became the core of the conspiracy-addled MAGA movement.
3.) GenZ who had grown up in spoiled comfort with very few coddling adults telling them “no” snapped due to the Covid Lockdowns, and are inching towards fascist or communist authoritarianism to solve all their personal problems.
I will post chemrock’s article as a comment and you or Joe can delete it if inappropriate. I think this is related to why Philippines is slow to learn.
https://new-chem-post.blogspot.com/2025/07/Intersection-Of-Politics-And-Culture-Why-Singapore-Obeys-And-Philippines-Resists.html?m=1
Thanks for the link Karl G. The article is quite enlightening, it debunks the narrative of ” para na tayong Singapore” .
You are very welcome, that is also what I had in mind.
Chemrock’s initial framing along the lines of American culture war issues is a mistake imho. The entire American culture war was purposely manufactured, starting with Nixon, Falwell Sr., the Koch’s, among others. It was my lived experience in the late 1980s through mid-2000s before I became disillusioned. I have met Andrew Breitbart a few times. I was a youth volunteer for the GOP potentate Shawn Steel. Just like the American Left which looks to an idealized version of European social democracy, the International Right looks to an idealized version of something fundamentally artificial and manufactured — the American culture wars. Both idealizations are a fantasy. These culture wars were the result of resentment by non-cosmopolitan White Americans who felt that their social standing was being eroded by the Civil Rights Act’s renewed commitment to the founding American principle of Equality. It is said that when one is used to privilege, equality feels like oppression, despite no one’s rights actually being taken away in the addition towards full equality.
My take on Singapore is not that Singapore has a culture of obedience. Often too much emphasis is placed on the superhuman willpower of LKY, when it was Singaporean society as a whole that decided to collectively create a new social contract based on a new idea rather than ethnicity or religion. The precarious situation in which Singapore found herself in during the disputes with Malaysia added imperative.
I do not think the Philippines has a culture of defiance. The Philippines has a culture of selfishness outside of one’s immediate relational group. The Philippines has a culture of dependency. The Philippines has a culture of resentment; after all it can be said that resentment is adjacent to dependency.
So what to do about it? Filipinos can create a new social contract based in a more constructive ideal not based in fantasies. The vast majority of the country is not equipped with intellectual maturity to be the main driver. It would take an effort of willpower by a subset of the elite who have a vision of a transformative, and ultimately future of more equality for Philippines. But while those who have a modicum of privilege in the Philippines often mock the bahala na… attitude of those supposedly beneath them, the lack of imagination and willpower by that same privileged class shows they too, have not moved past bahala na.
You forget or maybe they forget that they were they are now because of risk taking. High risk high reward. Not all made it some who do not know to cut losses are the ones who fall.
Looking down on elites is also counter productive. Even looking up but with disdain.
It cuts both ways.
Yes, there is a penchant for gambling there. They can call it what they wish — high risk-high reward, hitting jackpot, praying for luck, bypassing, diskarte over hard work, it’s all the same. The thing about gambling addicts is they don’t know how to separate the entertainment aspect of gambling and when to cut their losses.
There is only an illusion of success where the actual reality is the helper is often unacknowledged and personal effort (or lack thereof) is boasted. If someone constantly gets rescued, they never learn.
I apologize if my line of thinking on this subject comes off as discouraging, pragmatism often requires hard truths. There needs to be a realization of at which point does endless positivity become a detriment? Singapore, like other success stories, got there by collective and measured hard work regardless of the initial starting point, by investing and reinvesting in society by a more moral elite, the hard work towards a goal that is often looked down upon in the Philippines. At the end of the day, we can either choose to save ourselves, or subsist off of handouts based on the generosity of others.
Fair!
Yeah life is a gamble.
Incidentally the next sysyphian este senate investigation are the online gambling addiction root cause finding with out getting away from symptoms.
One can hope that the e-sabong investigation also derives insight into the cause of the social ill of gambling addiction. At which point do harmless games become addictions? Personally, I would say that addicts lack self control, and when there are no guardrails set up (which include positive reinforcement by society) to help them maintain self control they quickly spiral.
Gambling addiction is also a symptom of feelings of desperation, whether one is in a desperate situation or not. Things don’t always need to be framed in a moral context which tends to be a turn off for most people, even if it is a matter of morality. Rather, opportunities for other more healthy pursuits should be presented. The most logical opportunities are the opportunity to advance in life and have a decent salary, and instilling a sense that one should think of their children’s future by not wasting money unnecessarily.
Though I may sometimes be harsh, I have the utmost sympathy for the poor. Many who live in the informal settlements that Filipinos too often avert their eyes from or the province dwellers in their ramshackle houses of salvaged materials that I have spoken to often see the only hope besides having a savior is by somehow winning the lottery. They don’t know how to increase their own chances of having a positive life outcome simply because the state has failed them in providing those opportunities.
Ignorance is not a dirty word — they are in fact in a state of ignorance and do not know better. I’m totally convinced that it won’t take that much to win the hearts and minds of the DEs. They’re not even asking that much to begin with — they’re only asking for better than they got and a break in being down on their luck. So give them opportunities to have more agency.
I think we are at the end of a period of technocratic governance and the economic policy of neoliberalism, a system of governance and an economic philosophy that tilts the balance of favor too far to the elites while keeping the middle class at the edge of collapse and the poor at the edge of survival. Clearly neoliberal economics has not worked out in the country that does it the best, the US, after learning it from the Europeans. The Philippines isn’t even doing neoliberalism that well in the first place.
All our subsidy projects from masagana 99 to.oil price stabilization failed the lasagna 99 plus carp plus incomplete assistance made the farmers worse off with children migrating you know the stories. Oil price stabilisation tried to game the market and the market won. Naglolokohan lang tayo. Same group of cartels with subsidies or protection
Those programs were before my time, but my understanding is that Masagana 99 ended up favoring large landowners as the private banks commissioned to distribute the loans preferred to work with larger clients, while the extreme counter-reaction of CARP favored an idealized version of the Filipino peasant farmer who lacked any hope for success leaving formerly thriving smallholders crushed. For the OPSF, while short-term stabilization drawn from savings can be sound policy, long term subsidies are just another form of political bribe masked in government benevolence, and doesn’t fix the underlying problem. If I could ask the originators of those initiatives, it’d be “Must a failure result in extreme reactionary policy in the complete opposite direction, without a thought given to actual implementation?” It is also possible to see what went right, and adjust the policy to fix the lacking rather than throwing everything out and starting over again.
Privatisation, PPP you have said your piece break it down to more pieces please
I am for providing a strong baseline that allows people to lead a modest yet dignified life free from feeling subservient to others, while regulating the top to constrain the excesses of big business and breaking up monopolies if need be. In a population that struggles to even fulfill basic needs, too much potential is lost. When private entities develop so much power they start to direct governmental policy, the service of the public good is interrupted. Letting everyone run amok doesn’t work, but laissez-faire also doesn’t work. There needs to be some sort of balanced medium. And that requires more effective government.
There are many ways to achieve that, and the Philippines will have to find a model that works for it.
I find it a pity that the German-sponsored K-12+ program which integrated SHS with TESDA TVET and OJT with German industrial firms that was started in the time of PNoy was scrapped by the time of Duterte, probably because he was not too friendly to it. It among other things trained young people at a national high school of a relocation site (!) in San Pedro, Laguna in metalwork (at a German firm) and also did hospitality training in Cebu. It ended in 2020. https://events.development.asia/sites/default/files/materials/2017/12/201712-k-12-plus-project-philippines.pdf
Unfortunately the model used in the Philippines is of laissez-faire and Social Darwinism. When I look at what American techbros that have convinced themselves of their own evolved nature want to do with “tech feudalism” and the tyranny of the chief executive, I think “wow, an analogue of this already exists in the Philippines.”
I know a number of families whose children were of JHS/SHS age during the rollout of the K-12+ program you linked. After Duterte came into power there seemed to be a gradual, then clean shift back towards privatization of even what would be vocational training in other countries. Only in the Philippines would tourism and hospitality, all manner of medical technicians, dental assistants, culinary, police and other vocational jobs have an associated tertiary “degree” as a hard requirement. Private universities are making bank on this, when instead vocations should be introduced in JHS/SHS then OJT programs should be offered through public universities.
Another one of my mental models is that the Philippines is one of the labs of US think tanks. Not really true but it sometimes seem like it.
The issues with SCOTUS and POTUS and states in a way mirror NGA and LGUs and SC and President.
Here’s just one example of the shenanigans between dynasties and the American Right. When I was a youth volunteer back in the day, I heard more than a few stories from old Republican political hands about similar (mis)deeds. The Philippines and the US are more joined than many think, enjoying both the good and suffering the bad.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-paul-manafort-ferinand-marcos-philippines-1980s-213952/
https://thecitypost.net/how-dolomite-beach-proves-we-are-technologically-drowning/
By RAFFY GUTIERREZ
The MMDA recently made headlines by pointing fingers at the Dolomite Beach project as the culprit behind the recurring floods along Taft Avenue. According to MMDA Chair Don Artes, three major drainage outfalls—Faura, Remedios, and Estero San Antonio Abad—were permanently closed during the Manila Baywalk rehabilitation. As a result, rainwater that used to drain naturally into Manila Bay is now forced to reroute through a nearby sewage treatment facility that wasn’t built to handle that kind of volume. The result: flooding. Again. Still.
But here’s the real issue—it’s not just the closure of drainage systems. It’s a glaring, concrete example of how the Philippines continues to lag behind in technology, especially when it comes to urban planning and flood control. This isn’t just about dolomite. It’s about a nation still plugging holes with sand while other countries are building advanced defenses against the very same water we keep drowning in. It’s about a society who is also notorious for littering on their streets with absolute disrespect for their environment which undeniably worsens the flooding situation. The fact that waste management itself is already a huge problem doesn’t help towards making the flooding any better.
Let’s talk about the Netherlands, a country that exists partially below sea level. Centuries ago, the Dutch began developing flood control technology not out of luxury, but out of sheer necessity. Their system started with dikes and polders, evolved into canals and sluices, and today, they’ve built some of the most advanced hydraulic infrastructure in the world. The Delta Works and the Maeslantkering storm surge barrier are marvels of engineering—movable barriers that can automatically seal off rising tides when sensors detect abnormal levels.
The Dutch didn’t stop with concrete. They integrated data systems, real-time monitoring, and predictive modeling into their national flood strategy. Their flood protection system is now one of the most automated and intelligent networks in the world. And yet here we are—MMDA still relying on traditional drainage while pouring dolomite on coastlines, hoping aesthetics will outrun engineering.
This is where the technology gap becomes painfully clear. The Netherlands views water as a force to be engineered around. The Philippines? We still treat it like a surprise guest that shows up every rainy season, even when we invite it in with poor planning. What’s worse is that projects like Dolomite Beach aren’t just ineffective—they actively make existing systems worse by cutting off natural outflows.
The bigger frustration is that we could be doing better. We’ve had opportunities. We’ve had consultants. We’ve had international partners willing to help. But technology means nothing without political will, long-term planning, and competent leadership willing to look beyond photo ops and press releases.
If this country wants to get serious about flood control, we need to rethink everything—from how we design our cities to how we maintain our waterways. Why are we not implementing smart drainage systems? Why are our flood control projects not being integrated with climate data, AI forecasting, and IoT sensors? These technologies exist. They’re not future science fiction—they’re current, working tools used globally. Of course and almost as expected, the Philippines has been left behind once again.
Every monsoon season, we’re given a painful reminder that our outdated infrastructure and short-term political gimmicks have real, destructive consequences. We’re not just flooded with rainwater—we’re flooded with incompetence disguised as development. Meanwhile, the rest of the world keeps evolving while we stay submerged. It’s made more embarrassing and shameful when the President himself somehow suggests that Filipinos in flooded areas should just save the rain water for the dry season.
So yes, Dolomite Beach may be a convenient scapegoat. But the truth is uglier: the beach didn’t cause the flood because the simple truth is that the flooding there has already been happening for decades. This was not a problem caused by the Duterte administration, as it had already existed in the first place. Our refusal to adopt real, modern technology did. And unless something changes—something deep, structural, and digital—we’ll be writing this same column again next year… and the year after that.
Until we stop blaming the past and create real plans to make the future deal with flooding in a better manner, until we can learn from countries who have already shown the way how to do it, let’s not be surprised when flooding will just keep getting worse and worse. Maybe when we’re all underwater already our leaders might finally figure something out.
Rather than trying to find native genius, why not have UP adapt the principles in examples available freely?
I am a big proponent of SBCs (single board computers) which are robust, simple to program for, can be installed in weatherproof housing running off of battery backed small solar panels. Each node can be networked in star or mesh topology using Bluetooth, WiFi, or augmented with cheap wireless dongles using some radio technology like LoRa. Data generated can be analyzed by researchers, engineers, and forecasters.
Weather station (including rainfall monitor):
https://www.tme.com/us/en-us/news/library-articles/page/68616/build-your-own-weather-station-with-raspberry-pi/
Water current/flow volume:
https://tutorials-raspberrypi.com/reading-out-the-flow-meter-water-flow-sensor-on-the-raspberry-pi/
Water level:
https://www.vinthewrench.com/p/using-a-raspberry-pi-to-remotely
Move towards reality. Move towards the future, or else live in a fantasy world looking back to the past. Such as in the case of a few years Filipinos discovered Dado Banatao, a Filipino engineer unwanted by his own country who then found success working for pioneering American tech companies during the early days of the personal computing era. Banatao got his break because an American company, Boeing, recognized his merit and competence when his own countrymen did not. And now that he has been rediscovered, his contributions to technology (which are owned by the company he worked for) have been more and more inflated, now apparently 30% of modern computing devices are from Filipino genius (not Danadao’s though, apparently)! I’ve seen some delulu Filipino far leftists become febrile fantasizing that if the tech giants were forced to pay a “30% royalty” to the Philippines based on Danadao’s work, imagine how much money the Philippines would now have! Well my godfather who retired from decades at Applied Materials (General Dynamics and others before that) has many patents in which his name is acknowledged, perhaps my godfather is owed money as well!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dado_Banatao
all starts with agency and knowledge on basics like cost benefit and stuff like that. As long as the public cannot be made to accept that then it would be throwing endless money at the problem. It means only building in places that would not flood most of the time.
If you see the original Quezon City Plan a lot of Marikina is supposed to be a flood way. But a lot of people-built houses and structures and further made the floodway narrower.
There was some regulation during PNoy’s time where you have to check Project NOAH hazards before you can build.
our current level of discourse and the collective intelligence of the polity will not allow such a nuanced and technical collective decision.
these days, we have fly in fly out rogue builders who came here as pretend tourist and visit friends then, do the unthinkable and work on the sly. what was approved to be build ends up very different from the finished project like an 8storey building ends up being 12 storeys! or a dike built with inferior materials from the one quoted and approved. yes, it is true that we have strict regulation sa panahon ni PNoy, but the new regime under duterte brought in the chinese under the build build build, and regulations flew out the window! even trillanes amnesty was recalled. building codes were watered down, foreign building inspectors that approved the questionable finished product could not be held accountable, they were hard to locate and some have fake names.
as well, many lgus let in hordes of informal settlers to bring in more votes for politicians, unmindful of consequences. once entrenched, informal settlers refused to leave or relocate, preferring to stay closer to amenities, and conveniences of big cities and townships. then families and friends of informal settlers arrived and we ended up with slums and ghettos galore. and out of slums and ghettos, outstanding filipinos emerged, both artists, entertainers and whatnot.
Interesting. Since 1995 the Vietnamese diaspora has been coming back to Vietnam to build, but it was an ad-hoc and organic process. Now it looks like Vietnam will try to actively promote and give equal rights to both returning diaspora and foreign-origin spouses to collect skills and talent. I think this is a big deal because in Vietnamese society for thousands of years foreignness due to the experience of the Chinese Domination period is a something that cannot be assimilated, and is barely accepted.
Not sure if “foreigner” as used in the Philippines is an ancient cultural thing or something Filipinos heard from Americans during the colonial times then borrowed. Probably not an ancient thing seeing as there’s evidence of a number of prominent polities having foreign born chieftains. Still, the allergy to collecting skills and talent by way of nativist and protectionist laws is a big limiting factor. If there is a want to unveil native genius, then the Philippines may be immature in thinking still. If there is a fear of foreign takeover, then that shows lack of confidence in one’s own legal system to deal with misbehavers.
the story of Joey and his experience with Pinoy and Vietnamese always hit hard
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1001074216315005
“Street floods in Metro Manila and possible solutions”
I wonder if Karl can comment on how active the PCAE is in civilian engineering works. One of the lasting reforms of the Progressive Era over 100 years ago in the US was the directive through successive Flood Control Acts which assigned USACE’s military engineering skills in a civilian capacity. The FCAs encompass all manner of flood management at a federal (inter-state) level, including dams, dykes, canals, water monitoring outposts, but also serve to advise local (county and municipal) governments on downstream localized impacts. USACE is very active, yet works in the background supporting the safety of the civilian population along watersheds prone to flooding. I know that USACE was quite active in the Philippines during the Military and Commonwealth administrations, and why that function was not continued I’m not so clear on.
Btw, later on the supportive work of USACE on the FCAs was integrated into the successive Farm Bills which modernized and mechanized US agriculture. The Philippines would do well to identify which efforts are complimentary, rather than tackling everything piecemeal, possibly replicating efforts then getting overwhelmed.
The most famous Metro Manila example of bad flooding is probably in Marikina where houses have been built closer and closer to the river, even during my tours in the last 25 years. Everything is just poured concrete surfaces. I have no clear indication of which authority is in charge of land zoning, but places prone to flooding probably should have government compensated “retreat” to give rivers and streams room to naturally swell during heavy rainfall. Some of the surface concrete could surely be replaced by more rain permeable surfaces like bioswale, rain gardens, tree box filters, rainwater harvesting through a channelized gutter system which first directs runoff to groundwater recharging ponds with the excess flowing through canals to the ocean. Aside from flood management the above also beautify the urban environment, and even if there is an associated cost, surely the cost is cheaper than the economic loss and property damaged incurred by lack of any action at all. It is very frustrating to need to wade through ankle-deep, sometimes knee-deep stagnant floodwater after brief heavy rainfall during habagat season.
But I mean, flood management is an ancient technology dating back to the pharoanic Egypt and the Sumerians of Mesopotamia who had to deal with massive annual flooding from the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris. Even before gravity was discovered by Newton humans had observed that rainfall had a tendency to pool in depressed elevations then runoff in somewhat predictable ways towards the sea. Then again, I have shaken my head on more than one occasion when I try to take a half-bath in a badly constructed CR where the water pools in random spots at the floor because there is no thought towards gradient or drainage…
land use is a sticking point mostly because a lot of politicians belong to the landed class. Zoning and land use practitioners are plenty but lots of legal impediments to good practice of urban planning.
Sen. Pangilinan finally wants to bring a land use law into life.
It does make sense as even with land use laws and zoning, the twin imperatives of profit and housing (over here usually pushed by Conservatives and Social Democrats respectively) tend to have enormous push. What is interesting here in Munich in the old town is that new buildings are well encased against ground water, causing it to flood the cellars of old buildings in areas near the river when it rains a lot. But otherwise there is a lot done to keep water from flooding town, though floods along the Danube and Inn had the Lower Bavarians saying that the State Government focuses too much on Munich and cares too little about outlying areas. So even in relatively well managed places with strong water authorities/boards like here, politics of water is like in Pharaonic times.
I asked Google Gemini to roast those of us now discussing and this came out:
Alright, folks, gather ’round, because it’s time to talk about the intellectual powerhouse that is JoeAm.com! If you’re looking for the cutting edge of Filipino political discourse, or at least a lively neighborhood tambayan translated to the internet, you’ve come to the right place.
First up, the man, the myth, the legend himself, Irineo Salazar. Irineo, my friend, reading your articles is like getting a masterclass in the art of the rhetorical question, often followed by answers that leave us all nodding sagely, mostly because we’re still trying to figure out what the question was. Your insights are so profound, they often loop back around and become profoundly simple, like explaining that the sky is, in fact, blue. But hey, someone’s gotta do it, right? And your commitment to daily updates is truly admirable – it’s like a journalistic advent calendar, but instead of chocolate, we get another dive into the Philippine political psyche.
Now, for the gladiators of the comment section!
We have Giancarlo Angulo, who I’m convinced has a direct hotline to the pulse of the nation, or at least a very active group chat. Giancarlo, your comments are like the perfectly timed batikos – sharp, to the point, and often leaving us wondering if you’re actually a political strategist moonlighting as a forum commenter. You bring the fire, the fury, and occasionally, the feeling that you’ve just read everyone else’s mind and typed it faster.
Then there’s Karl Garcia, the voice of reason, or at least the voice attempting to inject some into the delightful chaos. Karl, your ability to politely, yet firmly, nudge the conversation back towards reality is truly a superpower. It’s like you’re the designated driver of the comment section, patiently waiting for everyone else to finish their intellectual inuman before gently herding them home. We appreciate your unwavering commitment to facts, even when they’re getting a workout from all directions.
And who could forget Joey Nguyen? Joey, your contributions are like a refreshing splash of cold water in a heated debate. You often come in with a perspective that makes us all go, “Wait, why didn’t I think of that?” It’s either brilliant insight or you’ve just mastered the art of Google searching quicker than anyone else. Either way, you keep us on our toes, and your ability to distill complex issues into digestible bites is a true gift.
Now, let’s hear it for the real unsung heroes, the bedrock of the JoeAm community: kasambahay and istambaysakanto!
Kasambahay, your wisdom often comes from the ground up, the practical, lived experience that many of the more academic discussions sometimes miss. It’s like you’re reminding everyone that while we’re theorizing about grand policy, someone still has to do the dishes. Your insights are the real talk, no frills, just pure, unadulterated common sense. And honestly, we could all use a bit more of that.
And finally, istambaysakanto! You, my friend, are the digital embodiment of the corner crew, observing everything, missing nothing, and dropping those perfectly timed, often cynical, always hilarious observations. Your comments are the Greek chorus of JoeAm, providing the witty, world-weary commentary that reminds us all not to take ourselves too seriously. You’ve got the pulse of the street, and you’re not afraid to tell it like it is, usually with a smirk.
So there you have it, the JoeAm.com crew! Keep those discussions lively, Irineo, keep those comments coming, everyone else, and may the internet continue to be your favorite tambayan for many more debates to come!
Well to be fair, I have been an expert in Google-fu since at least 1997, though I was well-versed in Infoseek, MetaCrawler, and AltaVista before that hehe.
The perception of Filipino culture being “damaged” is nuanced and can stem from both citizens and outsiders, but the reasons and the way it’s framed differ.
1. Filipinos’ Perception of Their Own Culture:
Internal Criticism:Some Filipinos view aspects of their own culture negatively, often due to the country’s colonial history, poverty, and rapid modernization. For example:
Colonial Hangover: Many Filipinos struggle with an identity crisis, having been influenced by centuries of Spanish, American, and Japanese occupation. This leads to a sense of cultural inferiority or the perception that Filipino culture has been overshadowed by foreign values.
Cultural Disintegration: As modernity and globalization have spread, some feel that traditional Filipino customs, practices, and values are being lost. For instance, some older generations worry about younger Filipinos becoming less connected to the language, rituals, or communal lifestyles that defined earlier Filipino society.
Socioeconomic Pressure: The desire to ‘fit in’ with Western ideals often leads to the adoption of foreign lifestyles and fashion, sometimes at the expense of indigenous Filipino ways. This can be seen as damaging to the cultural integrity, especially among the youth who might reject traditional Filipino practices.
Positive Internal Perspectives:On the other hand, many Filipinos continue to take pride in their heritage, often viewing their culture as vibrant and diverse, with strong communal ties, family values, and traditions. They celebrate the resilience of Filipino identity despite colonial challenges. This is reflected in the growing movement for cultural preservation and the reassertion of indigenous languages, arts, and traditions.
2. Outsiders’ Perception:
Stereotypes:Some outsiders view Filipino culture as either “backward” or “chaotic,” often based on superficial understandings or stereotypes. These can include:
The “Tropical Paradise” Image: Foreign tourists may see the Philippines as a vacation spot but fail to grasp the complexities of its society, history, and struggles. This oversimplification often sidelines the true richness of Filipino culture.
Social Issues: Outsiders who encounter the Philippines only through media reports about issues like poverty, political instability, or corruption may form a skewed view of the country’s culture. This leads to the perception that the Philippines is a place struggling to preserve its traditions due to modern challenges.
Cultural Hybridity: Foreigners may view the Philippines as a hybrid culture, sometimes critiquing its blending of indigenous, Spanish, and American influences. However, for many Filipinos, this mixture is seen as a strength, highlighting adaptability and resilience.
Western Influence:Some outsiders (especially from Western countries) might perceive certain Filipino cultural practices, such as “utang na loob” (debt of gratitude), as being overly deferential or even enabling corruption, given its emphasis on family loyalty. Similarly, the overemphasis on family and social obligations might be perceived as a form of societal weakness from a more individualistic cultural standpoint. Converging Points:
Both insiders and outsiders sometimes see the Filipino culture as being “damaged” in the sense that it is evolving—perhaps too quickly or too erratically. From an internal perspective, it’s often about losing a connection to roots, while externally, it’s more about failing to live up to certain global standards or misunderstood cultural practices.
In essence, the perception of Filipino culture being “damaged” often depends on the lens through which it’s viewed—whether it’s through the critical eyes of someone from the outside, or the complex, multifaceted lens of Filipino citizens themselves. Ultimately, Filipino culture is a living, breathing entity that continues to evolve and adapt, which may both be seen as “damaging” and “enriching” depending on one’s perspective.
What can I say, but oh boy?!
The case of a Filipino seafarer involved in a recent cocaine bust in Ireland has attracted attention, but it’s part of a larger issue that includes recurring concerns around Filipino workers, particularly seafarers, being involved in illegal activities abroad. The international spotlight often highlights these incidents, which may sometimes be swept under the rug, leading to a tendency of silence or downplaying by those in positions of authority.
Cocaine Bust Involving Filipino Seafarer in Ireland
A Filipino seafarer was arrested in Ireland recently for attempting to smuggle a significant amount of cocaine. According to reports, this incident falls within the larger context of illicit drug trafficking by seafarers. This particular bust involved over 1,000 kg of cocaine, with the Filipino seafarer allegedly being part of an international drug-smuggling syndicate. The story caught attention not just for the amount of drugs seized, but also for the involvement of someone with a seemingly respectable background.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) have faced questions regarding how these incidents reflect on Filipino workers abroad and the lack of proactive measures to monitor and prevent illegal activities. There’s often an underlying sentiment of ignoring or looking the other way, especially when these workers are seen as sources of remittances to their families back home.
Silence & Looking the Other Way
The Filipino tendency to remain silent or ignore embarrassing crimes, even when they involve high-profile individuals, is something that has been deeply woven into the fabric of Filipino society. In cases of illegal activities committed by overseas Filipino workers, particularly seafarers, some critics argue that there’s a reluctance to confront these issues head-on due to the potential damage it could do to the reputation of Filipinos abroad and the economic implications tied to the remittances.
This can be viewed through a few lenses:
Other High-Profile Filipino Crimes & Media Silence
Apart from this seafarer bust, there have been several other high-profile cases involving Filipino individuals abroad or at home, where the crime was downplayed or the investigation stifled due to various reasons, from political pressure to family connections.
Cultural Reflection
The Filipino culture of prioritizing reputation, family, and “saving face” often results in glossing over embarrassing truths. In the case of the cocaine bust, some may argue that the incident would be better handled discreetly to avoid tarnishing the reputation of Filipino seafarers, who are often heralded as indispensable to the global maritime industry.
Moving Forward: Accountability and Reform
With the growing number of incidents that involve Filipino workers in illegal activities abroad, there is an increasing call for greater accountability. Advocates for Filipino workers have pushed for:
In the case of the seafarer caught in Ireland, more public discussion and clearer enforcement of legal repercussions may help shift this mindset from silence to greater transparency, which ultimately fosters justice and deterrence.
What do you think could help break this cycle of silence when it comes to sensitive issues like these?
What can I say, but oh boy?!
The case of a Filipino seafarer involved in a recent cocaine bust in Ireland has attracted attention, but it’s part of a larger issue that includes recurring concerns around Filipino workers, particularly seafarers, being involved in illegal activities abroad. The international spotlight often highlights these incidents, which may sometimes be swept under the rug, leading to a tendency of silence or downplaying by those in positions of authority.
Cocaine Bust Involving Filipino Seafarer in Ireland
A Filipino seafarer was arrested in Ireland recently for attempting to smuggle a significant amount of cocaine. According to reports, this incident falls within the larger context of illicit drug trafficking by seafarers. This particular bust involved over 1,000 kg of cocaine, with the Filipino seafarer allegedly being part of an international drug-smuggling syndicate. The story caught attention not just for the amount of drugs seized, but also for the involvement of someone with a seemingly respectable background.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) have faced questions regarding how these incidents reflect on Filipino workers abroad and the lack of proactive measures to monitor and prevent illegal activities. There’s often an underlying sentiment of ignoring or looking the other way, especially when these workers are seen as sources of remittances to their families back home.
Silence & Looking the Other Way
The Filipino tendency to remain silent or ignore embarrassing crimes, even when they involve high-profile individuals, is something that has been deeply woven into the fabric of Filipino society. In cases of illegal activities committed by overseas Filipino workers, particularly seafarers, some critics argue that there’s a reluctance to confront these issues head-on due to the potential damage it could do to the reputation of Filipinos abroad and the economic implications tied to the remittances.
This can be viewed through a few lenses:
Other High-Profile Filipino Crimes & Media Silence
Apart from this seafarer bust, there have been several other high-profile cases involving Filipino individuals abroad or at home, where the crime was downplayed or the investigation stifled due to various reasons, from political pressure to family connections.
Cultural Reflection
The Filipino culture of prioritizing reputation, family, and “saving face” often results in glossing over embarrassing truths. In the case of the cocaine bust, some may argue that the incident would be better handled discreetly to avoid tarnishing the reputation of Filipino seafarers, who are often heralded as indispensable to the global maritime industry.
Moving Forward: Accountability and Reform
With the growing number of incidents that involve Filipino workers in illegal activities abroad, there is an increasing call for greater accountability. Advocates for Filipino workers have pushed for:
In the case of the seafarer caught in Ireland, more public discussion and clearer enforcement of legal repercussions may help shift this mindset from silence to greater transparency, which ultimately fosters justice and deterrence.
What do you think could help break this cycle of silence when it comes to sensitive issues like these?
This quote from Peter Obi offers a compelling lens through which to analyze governance and economic dynamics, particularly in developing countries like the Philippines. Here’s a structured approach to integrating it into a commentary or article:—# The Cost of Political Profit: Lessons from Peter ObiPeter Obi’s insightful critique raises crucial questions about the intersection of politics and economics:> “No country can progress, if its politics is more profitable than its industries. In a country where politicians are richer than entrepreneurs, they manufacture poverty.”## Misaligned IncentivesIn many developing nations, including the Philippines, the allure of political power often eclipses the potential rewards of entrepreneurship. When the most talented individuals gravitate toward politics for personal enrichment, innovation suffers. This misalignment of incentives stifles creativity and deters investment in industries that could drive economic growth.### Implications:- **Discouraged Entrepreneurship**: Aspiring entrepreneurs may feel disillusioned, believing that success is more attainable through political connections than through hard work and innovation.- **Economic Stagnation**: A lack of new ventures leads to reduced job creation and stagnant wages, perpetuating cycles of poverty.## Wealth without Value CreationObi’s assertion about wealth accumulation among politicians versus entrepreneurs reflects a troubling reality. In contexts where public officials amass wealth through corruption or misuse of power, the potential for genuine economic progress diminishes.### Implications:- **Corruption and Rent-Seeking**: Politicians may prioritize personal gains over public welfare, diverting resources that could support industries and create jobs.- **Weak Economic Foundations**: Industries suffer when investment and support are redirected into politically favored sectors, leading to inefficiencies and a lack of innovation.## Manufactured PovertyThe concept of “manufactured poverty” underscores how systemic failures in governance can entrap citizens in cycles of deprivation. Policies that favor monopolistic practices, neglect small businesses, or fail to invest in education and infrastructure create environments where poverty is not just a consequence but a manufactured outcome of political choices.### Implications:- **Challenging Governance**: Citizens must demand accountability and transparency from their leaders, ensuring that policies uplift rather than disenfranchise.- **Reforming Economic Structures**: Creating a supportive environment for small businesses and fostering competition can break the cycle of poverty.## A Call for ReformObi’s quote serves as a poignant reminder of the need for reforms that prioritize innovation and accountability. In the Philippines, this calls for:1. **Rewarding Innovation and Entrepreneurship**: Policies should incentivize risk-taking and support startups rather than favor established political elites. 2. **Promoting Transparency and Accountability**: Institutions must be strengthened to ensure that public funds are used for their intended purpose, fostering trust in governance. 3. **Reframing Political Office as Service**: Political leaders should be viewed as public servants, dedicated to improving the lives of their constituents rather than enriching themselves.—Integrating Peter Obi’s insights into a broader commentary or advocacy piece can provoke meaningful discussions about the need for systemic reforms and inspire action toward a more equitable and prosperous future. Would you like to expand on any specific section or develop it further?