It’s greed vs freedom in the Philippines, and greed won
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
This analysis is as simple as simple can be. The Duterte clan is aligned with China, not for social good or the economy, but for greed. They want to run scams like Pharmally, drugs, and smuggling through their crony pals and take some of the money. They want the power to use ghost employees and ghost projects to get free taxpayer cash. That’s what’s happening, right? De Lima and Trillanes and the Pharmally hearings have laid it bare.
DDS are greedy souls willing to sell their freedom for a sniff of power and some cash.
China is infiltrating the Philippines on the land as dramatically as in the seas, plying on people’s greed and drive for entitlement and power. The Senate is stuffed with China loyalists, LGUs are too. They’ve sold them sand for their illegal islands fer cryin’ out loud. Business leaders, a coast guard officer, the unbearably smarmy Wilson Flores and his bread. Journalists and trolls, if there is a difference these days. China is here already, growing, pushing, influencing others.
Greed greases betrayal.
Freedom is enshrined in the democratic Constitution, but it’s weak. It has no tangibility to most people like a 500 peso note has. Its backers are weak do-gooder intellectuals such as myself or Yellows and Pinks. They have no clout with the common folks, no way to scream “YOU ARE SELLING DEMOCRACY AND YOUR OWN FUTURE WHEN YOU SELL A VOTE!”
Patriotism in the Philippines is not heroes and sacrifice and the intellectual rigor of understanding how the future gets created. It’s surviving another day. It’s cheers for tennis stars and boxers, and rallying around the tribal political campfire for this idol or that.
It has nothing to do with sacrifice for country because the struggle is so freakin’ hard. EVERYONE is greedy, or needy, at the core, so their ability to relate to the passions written into the Constitution is completely fried.
There is no freedom, in the future, as far as I can tell. Social media is an emotional pool of acid into which rational people have plunged and lost all bearings.
I can’t see the intellectual passion needed to defeat the China lovers. The self-dealers. Risa Hontiveros and Sonny Trillanes are the best. But it’s two against thousands, many well-moneyed power people, willing to betray Philippine democracy.
China is good, if you admire cancer. China is attached to the Philippines in the bones and the brains, and there’s no cure in sight.
_________________________
Cover photo from The Lowy Institute 2025 article “Uncovering China’s spying game in the Philippines”.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
I talked to my bro yesterday about Filipino resiliency and he looked at me like he wanted to punch me in the face. I think a lot of Filipinos are getting fed up with the word. Maybe the failure of the flood projects and the growing ‘good governance’ group of mayors (M4GG) is the turning point. The probe into the DPWH workings will make for good tv. Will the fingers pointed be directed at all involved? I won’t hold my breath. We either drown in the corruption and greed or in the stank of flood waters and the waste it leaves behind. Some choice. No wonder resilience has become a dirty word. And China just waits and watches.
I also learned a new word in the aftermath of the recent flooding of QC and other flood prone areas that showed pictures of kids swimming in the water that was not a usual body of water – leptospirosis. It’s a word I never heard of before in the 15 years I’ve lived here.
Stay out of dirty water. The Marcoletta Blue Ribbon Committee is going nowhere. All theater. A law enforcement agency needs to do the work. I suspect it will be a very slow dance, not the crisp hauling of crooks off to jail.
about filipino resiliency, there was a woke move or a cancel culture move to shame the filipinos for being resilient. apparently, there are filipinos who are rarely resilient and cannot recover quickly or bounce back just as quickly. when disaster or catastrophe hit, they are bogged down in misery, are traumatised, distressed and unable to rise up in the morning. their plate is so overburdened that they can barely think ahead. and it is allegedly the fault of those who are resilient that make it a mockery.
bent politicians are jumping on the bandwagon and saying, because filipinos are resilient, they dont need anymore aid, for they can bounce back with ease! no need to provide for them, really. they’ll be alright. also, no need for feeding programs at schools but filipino children no matter how starved and malnourished can soldier on. and so bent politicians pocketed what was intended for their constituents. really, no need to maintain roads and infras, filipinos will be alright. they are resilient. such wrong thinking!
I think, being resilient is admirable in a person. it is good for our own health and well being, being able to put sift through all the problems and put down the worries of the day. live life to the fullest and not carry the burdens of the world on our shoulders. though it must have irked others who prefer to see filipinos broke down, unable to cope, feeling lost, helpless and dependent on others, therefore easy to manipulate, amenable and pliant. and primed for scamming just so!
Resilience is great but should not be an excuse for systematic abuse or neglect. As for a lot of Filipino politicians, they are not resilient.
If one did to some of the worst of them what was done to the character played by Michael Douglas in the movie “The Game” they would probably break down.
When Stephen mentioned “turning point”, Irineo’s article came to mind.
Good article on Tipping Point. It has been ten years. Perhaps it should be re-visited. I noticed a lot of negatives in recent articles in the blog, and comments too. Has reality set in, pushing positive hopes, etc.?
oops…meant to say “pushing aside hopes, etc.”
We were never Polyanna, CV but there are times life is like building sand castles you already know the tide and the waves will trample it, but you are still sad when it happens.
This must not be.
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324132/philippines-gen-z-success-equals-survival-nothing-will-change
I remember I got my first career job at 28. The army got in the way, then my Masters Degree studies. The worst thing anyone can do is take other people’s expectations too seriously.
Two things I suspect Gen Z is a little light on are the things the Philippines is light on, accountability and putting the well-being of others into the picture. So it is a good fit, but not for progress.
reality comes after graduation. gen z cannot be ceo right away, they have to start at the beginning even if it means washing dishes at restaurants where pay is nearly non existent. but meals are free and there is camaraderie, then there is network in the workplace that can sometimes open doors. there is no point staying home and moping and brooding and being despondent unless gen z really like moping and being despondent and doing nothing.
there is no shame in labor and hard work. gen z’s parents may well be disappointed their little darlings are not immediately offered good paying jobs, but they’ll get over it. there a number of job vacancies and job opportunities in local job fairs and in dti webpages, and if gen z are not choosy, they’ll land a job sooner rather than later.
so pull up their socks and look positive, ditch the hangdog look and be confident and act confident. have authentic resumes, not one made by AI with brilliant and near unbelievable entries, employers can spot it’s fake right away.
Just to remind us:
https://marinduquegov.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-they-flattened-two-mountains-in.html?m=1
How they flattened two mountains in Zambales for Scarborough Shoal artificial island
Sadly People of the Philippines Lost
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/11/27/2403246/china-mining-black-sand-zambales-afp-keeps-watch
I cannot just let this go! why was afp just watching when china mined the black sand in zambales, like afp stood guard while the chinese rob us blind! ah, guarding the chinese more like, might be to ensure their safety. so no thieving filipinos would come in the middle of the night and run off with the chinese loot!
I am not really surprised, after all, kapolisan in camp crame did the same and allow china to build communication towers right inside the camp! and kapolisan told us the towers posed no risk to our national security, absolutely!
Moving forward Ihope our Men and woman and uniform for an about face and see what they turned their backs on
Singing Atin ito is not enough.
Need to post this.
Got it — here’s a clean rewritten thread that ties together RA 9184, ODA-funded projects, and the recurring flood control controversies in the Philippines:—Flood Control in the Philippines: RA 9184, ODA, and Endless Controversies1. RA 9184: Reform on PaperThe Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184, 2003) was meant to end corruption in public works.Competitive bidding is required.Bids above the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) must be disqualified.Blacklisted firms and ghost projects are prohibited.Oversight is centralized under the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB).On paper, the law promised transparency and accountability.—2. ODA Projects and ExemptionsBut RA 9184 has a built-in limitation: foreign-funded projects can use donor procurement rules.Section 4 of RA 9184 states that if an ODA loan or grant specifies its own procurement process (e.g., JICA, World Bank, ADB), those rules take precedence.Example: In the landmark case Abaya vs. Ebdane (2007), the Supreme Court upheld a JBIC-funded road project even though the winning bid was 28.95% above the ABC. RA 9184 would have disqualified it, but JBIC rules allowed it.This set the precedent: ODA projects often operate outside RA 9184’s strictest controls.—3. The Pork Barrel MagnetFlood control has become a notorious pork barrel channel:Congressional insertions funnel billions into small-scale, redundant, or misplaced flood projects.“Ghost” flood structures have been exposed by COA and Senate probes.Even blacklisted contractors sometimes resurface under new names.Flood projects are attractive for corruption because they involve concrete, dredging, and earthworks — hard to audit, easy to pad.—4. Recent Controversies (2024–2025)Flood Control Projects Scandal: Senate hearings revealed massive allocations for areas with little or no flood risk, while Metro Manila remains underfunded.Ghost projects uncovered: Billions in funds allocated, but no work on the ground.Marcos veto (2025): ₱16.7 billion worth of flood control items struck down for redundancy and misplacement.ODA vs local funds: Projects under JICA or World Bank tend to be stricter and more transparent; corruption clusters around locally funded DPWH projects.—5. The Bottom LineIs RA 9184 followed? Technically, yes — but only where it applies.ODA-funded projects often use foreign procurement rules, which can override RA 9184. These tend to be more transparent, though not immune to problems.Locally funded flood projects remain plagued by corruption, pork-barrel politics, and enforcement gaps.Two decades after RA 9184, the Philippines still faces a flood of controversies in flood control.—Would you like me to turn this into a timeline (2003–2025) showing the biggest flood control scandals alongside ODA milestones? That could visually show how the pattern repeats despite reforms.
Corruption is an industry in the Philippines.
with the help and connivance of so many filipinos, corruption is no longer laughable. I am so glad, dpwh officials are put on hold departure order and not allowed to travel overseas. though if the follow the example of alice guo, they can hire private airplane and launch off in far flung airfields, undetected by radars, or rent yacht to take them to indonesia, and then to the world! with their fake passports with them.
I think and believe that greed start from you!
That’s true. Most of us channel our “greed” into productive work and legal purchases of goods. Crooks cross over a line that changes their greed drive to destructive enterprises, like poor flood protections.
lots of filipinos have poverty mentality and save for the future. and dont throw old things away for they may be useful in the future. and they hoard too, have more clothes in their wardrobe than needed, or eat more today for tomorrow there may not be food to eat. does not mean they are greedy. just needy.
we should not equate ourselves with greedy politicians and their ilk who have insatiable or pathological desire to acquire and possess more for very selfish reason. saying greed starts from us could well mean we are insinuating ourselves. this is not about us, we have not deprived anyone of a dike, nor have we secretly enriched ourselves with millions of tax payers money.
this is not about us, but about them, what they have done and the extend they do to hide their crime of greed. and to keep committing the crime until they now hit the wall! and facing nationwide inquiry.
we should not be pointing the finger at ourselves, and we should all be angry. we have been made to suffer and highly inconvenient, when really, we should not be flooded at all! our roads should not swimming pools.
I just saw reports on Youtube that the Discayas were raided by BOC.
Well, they did a lot for the German car industry, more than a lot of millionaires in Munich, which is one of Germany’s richest towns, even today.
I am fascinated at the house with two Porsches at the edge of the woods I sometimes pass by when going for a walk on some weekends – beautiful cars!
To be fair to the Discayas, probably German milllionaires and billionaires will rather have yachts in the Adriatic or Mediterreanean, real gas guzzlers, than have more cars than the father’s, mother’s and maximum two children’s luxury cars.
Actually need that is extreme can turn into greed, think Cynthia Villar. Now her wealth is also related to water, Prime Water that apparently is not prime but often muddy. What happened to the issues with them, are they forgotten after around half a year?
not forgotten, though the villars probly wished they were so. cynthia’s rice tariffication law was suspended by the president for 60days pending more studies. cynthia’s law has not improved the lives of rice farmers, but have consigned them to huge losses instead. it has not really brought down the price of rice as expected as many end up hoarded in warehouses. to be release only when there is bottleneck and at exorbitant price. the villar owned power station in siquijor was also closed by the president due to its inability to provide power for siquijor. I think primewater is to be taken over by another water company. though, I think again, the villars made a big killing with research grants being mostly funneled to villar university city, being home of research, aided and abetted by UP.
there are two villars in senate, mark and camille, brother and sister, trying summat to divert attention to the slack and lack of others.
You are right, need is not greed, and most of us follow the laws as we aspire to have better things. The corrupt are like drug addicts rationalizing their theft of taxpayer money that taxpayers paid in good faith. They may go to church but there is a kink in their moral goodness. They have horrid values. The thing is, there are so many corrupt people in positions of authority. And they are laying the groundwork for a corrupt Duterte presidency.
we have to be careful of some filipinos who make it their business to share the blame of greedy politicians on us all. as well, they want our sympathies and empathy directed on these bent politicians, and make them humans for us to like. that we share the same traits! therefore they are in many ways so like us! brothers, really.
well, they can lump it! we know the difference between right and wrong, we know when to stop and we have borders, they dont! they choose the action, they choose the consequences. and if they are punished, it is their punishment to bear, not ours.
Who is accountable for the authorized system of corruption, pork, known and accepted until some idiot family splashes their wealth all over the TV? The vote buying, the fixer spiffs, the way of life, to cheat around the edges of everything, even if to squeeze ahead of some chumps in line or put a table of barbecue ribs on the public sidewalk? The national mood is victim, the main rationalization for cheating. And I agree the struggle is real because of greedy self-dealing politicians. I have trouble understanding who is legitimate in their cheating and who is not.
I think it might take having seen it work for some people to realize, for instance, that NOT CUTTING THE LINE makes the line move faster and the gain from cutting the line is so minimal one might as well not do it. FOR EXAMPLE. But I was shocked when Filipinos who have seen rule of law work in Europe vote for shooting alleged dealers. What would they think if random Southeast Asians here got shot just because some meth lords are allegedly Vietnamese in Czech Republic?
Or barbecue ribs. Why not vote for politicians who make space for legit street food joints like in the Baguio night market, which is very much like what I heard the Thais have? Better than running from the police. As I don’t have a nose like Emmanuel Macron, I will refrain from using the German figure of speech that some people can’t see further than their noses, but I will say many are shortsighted which is what that means. But as Joey emphasized why criticize the DEs too much. The shortsightedness of those who could know better in the middle class, even among the somewhat educated people on Twitter, is the much bigger ill. They are not just shortsighted but don’t see the forest for the trees, and maybe the present reckoning will teach them something, maybe it won’t.
I don’t really intend to criticize DEs, but more am bouncing off kasambahay’s remark that suggests greed among the political elite ought not be assigned to the locals, whereas I see corruption as socially acceptable everywhere unless you get caught. So everyone is accountable for that mentality. Also, I’m confident Macron’s nose would not look right on your face.
maybe, corruptions is not really acceptable in our society, that is why it is kept a clandestine activity, open only to a select few. we are not privy to it, until the s – – t hits the fan and we have this almighty inquiry.
corruption is not acceptable and it is not norm, the feedback and blowbacks are indications. as well, those accused to corruption are not allowed to travel overseas or leave the country, there is immigration look out for them. and they are not only facing scrutiny but also life style checks. to be charged also with contempt if they failed to turn up to answer questions.
no matter how widespread corruption is turning out to be, how rich and influential its harbingers are, it is never socially acceptable to be corrupt.
I would not say it is acceptable to be corrupt unless they get caught, for we never know they were corrupt until they get caught. though we have doubts of corruption going on, we just did not know who are actually involved. and now, evidence are piling against them.
and there may still be corrupts out there who are not yet caught, still, it is not acceptable for them to be corrupt even if they are not caught.
You have principles, and this is good. I agree most want the Philippines to be honest, not corrupt. We’ll see what the current flame-up of righteousness brings. Will pork and using the budget as a way to distribute “commissionable projects” go away? I’m skeptical.
All Clairvoyance is killed by a disagreeing next president.
Continuity, what continuity?
Short sightedness can cause a president to veto a bill or parts of a bill because his or her advisers hated an idea or two.
Some vetos are hard to undo, without starting from scratch.
Pet projects are nice but why kill a beneficial utilitarian program like what happens most of the time.
Corruption as an industry.
Systemic societal cultural cancer that needs only tagetted treatment and usually gets a shot of premature chemotherapy killing even the good stuff
We must be careful with our mall expansions.
Good question. The China mall oversupply story does have ominous lessons for the Philippines, though the contexts are different. Here’s a breakdown:—⚠️ Why it could be ominous for the Philippines1. Overbuilding RiskLike China, the Philippines has seen rapid mall expansion, especially in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao.Developers (SM, Ayala, Robinsons, Megaworld) often treat malls as “town centers,” anchoring residential and office projects. This works while demand is strong, but could risk oversupply in the long term.2. Shift to E-commercePhilippine e-commerce is growing fast (Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop), with logistics improving.If digital adoption accelerates—like in China—traditional malls may lose foot traffic, especially mid-tier ones.3. Consumer WeaknessFilipino households face high food and transport costs and limited disposable income.If malls depend on middle-class discretionary spending, they could face the same stress Chinese malls now feel.4. Debt-Fueled DevelopmentChinese mall growth was tied to local government debt and land sales incentives.While the Philippine system is different, local governments and developers also rely heavily on real estate-driven growth—creating a potential bubble if consumer demand slows.—🌱 Why the Philippines might be safer1. Different Mall CultureIn the Philippines, malls are not just for shopping—they’re social, cultural, and climate shelters (air-conditioning, safety, community spaces).This “third place” role gives them resilience, even when retail sales dip.2. Underdeveloped RegionsUnlike China, which already has thousands of malls, the Philippines still has room to expand outside big cities, especially in Visayas and Mindanao.The danger is more in Metro Manila oversaturation, not nationwide.3. Hybrid ModelPhilippine malls are already leaning on F&B, cinemas, clinics, government service centers, co-working spaces, and events to diversify.This experiential model is closer to China’s “successful malls” (transit-linked, food-heavy, entertainment-oriented).—🔮 OutlookIf developers keep expanding aggressively in saturated urban areas, the Philippines could face “China-lite” mall oversupply within a decade.But if malls evolve into lifestyle and community hubs, integrating digital shopping and services, they’ll remain resilient.The real risk lies in economic stagnation or weak middle-class growth, which would reduce consumer spending power—making malls harder to sustain.—👉 Would you like me to compare Philippine mall growth trends and floor area supply against China’s oversupply numbers (to see if we’re headed the same way), or should I focus more on strategic recommendations for Philippine developers to avoid the China trap?
I still think we built too much malls and condos and with or with out artificial demand like POGOs, I can’t say Chinese because when.pogos left someof them left too and moved to Cambofia or Timbuktu.
We gentrify but provide relocations sites that suck without or not enough transportation, utilities and services and livelihood.
all I can say is that having more malls prompts competition and prices of goods drop. it is buyers paradise, having affordable prices. and as they say, competition is good for business, and also good for consumers. and with the glut of condos around, prices of condos should be lowered and made cheaper, many can now afford to buy a condo or two.
We must also find a solution to our debt traps from five six to bank debts and lending app debts. Other wise even affordable can not be affordable.
if they do their home work and work out a living plan or a repayment plan, owning condos should not be problematic. and if they dont live beyond their means, it is possible to be condo owners. I always talk to my financial adviser, and sometimes to my accountant, and sometimes, even to an independent financial analyst, and if they say, buy now!
they have not given me a bad advice, yet.
Tell your financial advisors to to have an outreach education program for the abcde
there are already plenty business initiatives in our country one such is puhuman mo, negosyo mo. for those who want to upscale, they can always visit dti website. contacts there are accredited and invaluable. I am not one to tell my financial advisors what to do, I paid for their financial services, nothing more. they are friendly but I dont consider them friends.
Lacson became Mr Exposé when Ernesto Maceda retired from politics.
Villar failed to become president, so did he.
He became a thorn to the powers that be enough to be in hiding one time.
Trillanes too had his share of exposés.
But What if we give all of the the benefit of the doubt and let zte happen allow the fertiliser scam to go on……
We are a low trust society and yet we get fooled and we also fool our selves.
That last line is a humdinger. Smacks the nail right on the head.
I would call it misplaced loyalty, not really low trust, probly something to do with poor judgement and decision. often have nots are judged not trustworthy because they looked whacked and out of place, their wants and hunger clearly etch on their faces and so highly visible, have nots are made scapegoats of almost anything and everything, and fingers readily pointed at them. accused and already judged of a crime even before there is evidence.
whereas those that look great in nice clothes, drive nice cars, and have tittles like maybe engineers and principals, teachers and doctors, senators and congressmen, even presidents are so trusted, even though we know quite well how they can formed articulated cabals of corruptions, having access to millions of taxpayers money, power and influence. and they are always given benefits of a doubt, respected even.
I dont really think everyone is that easily fooled, there are those with eyes proverbially behind their head, reserved in their judgement, and for a very good reason. and they asked subtle questions too. though there are others who play dumb and act like a fool, as it is in their best interest to pretend to know nothing and to look the other way, because it is rewarding! and the remuneration is good!
Or priorities.
KB
off topic
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/business/suntory-ceo-resigns-following-drugs-probe-hnk-intl
poor fellow! I hope he wont commit harakiri.
Yes