Protests – Where are they?

Hello Philippines! Remember Daniel Smith, the US Marine who was found guilty of raping a Filipina? Remember the hundreds of Filipinos that went ballistic and held protests and demonstrations against the US during the trial and when Smith was transferred to the US Embassy? Where are you now? Where are all those signs, placards, and effigies to show your outrage? Sixteen, dalawapu’t anim, fellow Filipinos suffered abuses from the hands of their Lebanese masters and not a single sign of protest against the Lebanese government. Not even a peep. Sixteen were abused including one that survived from being thrown from the 5th floor of an apartment building compared to one who claimed she was raped. The outrage this time should be at least 16 times more compared to the demonstration against the US. But where is it? Why isn’t the Philippine government, the president, making a formal statement to condemn those Lebanese that committed inhumane acts against the citizens of the Philippines? Where is the outrage? This lack of action clearly shows that previous actions especially those directed against the US and Australia are merely ‘for show’, mga palabas lang. There is no genuine concern, just a political ploy by those in power. It is no wonder that the Philippines is never taken seriously by the international community. The Philippines has no influence, just another third world country that can be taken advantage of and easily pacified - paid off - if it tries to complain. And this is evident by the action of the Philippine Embassy in Beirut and the DFA undersecretary. Their action is a slap in the face not just for those Filipinos that were maltreated but also for the entire Filipinos still working in Lebanon and in the whole Middle East. Instead of building a case and bringing criminal charges against those individual abusive Lebanese, the Philippines is taking actions for compensation, most likely monetary compensation. But this is covered by the work contract already. Esteban Conejor Jr’s assurance to “resolve outstanding compensation claims” is not very reassuring. In other words, the Philippine government agencies will fight for the rightfully due compensation for work or services already provided but covered by the work contract already rather than for human rights and the dignity of those Filipinos that were abused. There is either no recourse against foreign employers that commit criminal acts against Filipinos or the Filipino officials that are suppose to be protecting the citizens of the Philippines are downright incompetent. But either way, the OFWs are always the losers because the have no right and no protection and representation at all from their own government. Not until the elected Filipino officials fight for their fellow citizens will Filipinos be respected by other people. In the meantime, OFWs in the Middle East will continue to be treated not as humans but just as another working animal behind the horse and the camel but slightly ahead of the sheep and the goat. Good luck and try not to work for Arabs that live higher than the 5th floor. As Dumia said, “it is indeed miraculous that Pilipinas survived her fall (from the 5th floor)”. Pilipinas had set the record, a fairly high standard, for surviving a fall from a building. It is truly sad that the possibility of getting physically abused by the Arabs including getting thrown out from the 5th floor of an apartment building is still a better alternative than living in the Philippines. Ganyan talaga ang buhay. Or is it?

Right Idea, Wrong Target

Even before the report of the probe about the political killings comes out, its findings will be anything but new information that the people do not know already. As always, it will be inconclusive, unable to determine the person or persons responsible. At most, the report will imply that the killings might be the work of some rogue members of the military and the usual convenient suspects, the NPA, communists. Of the two suspects, the military is the more plausible perpetrator because they have the means. But if the military is involved, it is not because they were rogue or acting on their own. Someone gave them the order to kill those people in cold-blood. On the other hand, the so-called ‘leftists’ as the perpetrators, though possible, is highly unlikely. They can barely collect their so-called ‘revolutionary tax’ from the common people. The last thing they want to do is become the enemy of the masses by openly killing fellow communists as their way of ‘cleansing their ranks of traitors’ as one senator suggested. This would be a very bad scenario for them. But regardless of who are being accused, the report will not determine the people responsible. The bottom line is the report will be a total sham. Palabas lang. The report will be done just for the Philippines to show that they are taking actions to stop the killings. It is also a way to pacify the UN inspectors or the other international human rights groups especially those that are involved in providing aid. They can challenge the validity of the report but they cannot enforce any kind of action to actually stop the killings. Therefore at the end, nothing will change. The killings will continue.

The obvious people responsible for the killings regardless of the motives are the politicians because they have the power and the means. They are the only ones that will benefit if the opposition, regardless of what they are, is eliminated. The opposition can be communists, as claimed by many politicians, or just members of other political parties. But the most important thing for the politicians in power is for the opposition to be eliminated.

The obvious perpetrators of these heinous crimes are members of the military. They definitely have the freedom and can move unobtrusively anywhere to commit these cold-blooded murders. But as a few politicians hinted in the media (what a surprise!), they are not rogue, operating on their own to get rid the country of ‘communists’. Surprisingly, this old tactic from the Marcos playbook that he often used to manipulate the US to give him more money to stop the ‘red tide’ or the ‘domino effect’ is still being used. They were ordered.

First of all, most Filipinos do not have initiative (as evident in the government), walang kusa na loob and will not do anything without anything in return (bayanihan is a myth – walang utang na loob is evoked if not there is no immediate reciprocation such as abot, lagay, bigay, o pa-inom as yelled by Manny Pacquiao after beating Morales, “Magpapa-inom ako!”). In other words, they cannot formulate to act on their own and if they do, it is in return for something. Nothing is free especially because of the current conditions. Therefore, it is highly unlikely for the military to act on its own without getting ordered and also getting some kind of incentive. For the politicians to suggest that the killings are perpetrated by ‘leftists’ against other ‘leftists’ as a way of cleansing their ranks of traitors is totally absurd. The systematic nature of the way the ‘oppositions’ are being eliminated strongly suggests a collusion between politicians and members of the military. Again, this is not something new. This is an old tactic from the Marcos era, before and during martial law. Naging mga bata at tuta na naman ng mga trapo ang military.

If the military is the actual triggerman, then the politicians are the ones calling the shots. They have tasted the power, and they like it. They want things to remain the same, status quo, for them. They would like to remain in that advantageous position and having access to the national treasury. Also, it would not be surprising if they have a hand on every crooked and corrupt dealings imaginable ranging from jueteng kickbacks or payoffs and other illegal forms of gambling, drug production and supply, land-grabbing, illegal logging and mining, prostitution, money-laundering, etc. If they are not directly involved, they have family members and close friends that they allow to conduct all the illegal activities. Anyone who tries to break the system is either bought off (there is certainly more than enough money to throw around) or killed as in the case of all the so-called leftists and leftist-sympathizers (they think that labeling those people they want killed as ‘leftist’ make the murders justifiable). Illegal and immoral activities continue as the politicians and their cronies efficiently plunder the country under the guise of a democratic state. No one will stop them as they extend the corruption to others that can be bought. And those with no price are killed. Sandiganbayan is a joke. It will never find anyone guilty for graft or corruption, let alone, give a life-in-prison or death sentence (capital punishment should be an option) if they ever find someone guilty. It is another useless bureaucratic institution. Palabas lang.

Because the tactics used are similar to that during the Marcos regime, it appears that the perpetrators are those that had ties with Marcos or least had come from that era. After all the years that had passed, they have managed to remain are in power or have a hand in government. They are the main reason why the Philippines cannot improve. They are the most corrupt, the most ruthless, and the most opportunistic parasites that are sucking the life out of the country. They will be defiant of any proposed changes and they will be strongly opposed to external intervention, sounding nationalistic as if they truly care about the country when all they care about is holding on to power. They might even sound like alarmist, already blaming the international community for the possibility that the conditions in the Philippines will worsen if an external organization like the UN or Amnesty International meddles with the affairs of the Philippines. It is already worse for most of the country. What they mean when they say that conditions will ‘worsen’ is theirs, not the country’s. The only condition they are concerned is theirs not the people of the Philippines or the country. They want to preserve their access to the riches of the country as they live a sheltered life of luxury in their haciendas and gated communities. The high walls and fences and their personal armies and bodyguards keep the suffering and struggling masses outside.

There is an old adage, “If you do what you have always done, then you will get what you have always gotten”. This seems to be the best way to describe the continuing vicious cycle of corruption that is perpetuating the suffering of the Philippines. With the upcoming senatorial election, the people will elect or will be forced to elect incompetent candidates that will not accomplish anything for the country but rob the national treasury instead. At the end, the politicians will always come out winners with fat pockets and the whole country and its people are the losers. But this cycle does not have to continue, and the people of the Philippines have all the ingredients to prevent such cycle from occurring.

Before the Philippines became a colony, apos and datus as heads of families and clans settled disputes with other clans with violent, bloody wars until peace is reached. Offenses within their own clans were settled quickly and even-handedly. Those found guilty of committing truly heinous crimes were beheaded. There was justice. Unlike today, known criminals get to enjoy the loot that they stole from the country as they await trial. They continue to live the life of luxury in the comforts of their multi-million houses. House arrest is a joke! This is another level of injustice. But there is a quick solution to this, a Filipino practice called salvaging. This particular practice unique to the Filipinos should not be limited as a form of reprisal. It should also be used as a form of punishment especially for the known and suspected corrupt government officials for their crimes against the country and its citizens. The Philippines will be better off with one less corrupt politician. The sooner they are eliminated, the sooner the country will get better from that cancer.

Drastic conditions require drastic measures. But the drastic measures that the Filipinos have taken were directed against the wrong targets or not the right course of action. At this point, the initial measures would have to be conducted simultaneously by the military, the leftists (NPAs and/or rebels), and the common citizens. First, the military needs to cleanse their ranks especially the high ranking officials that have become tuta at bata of the trapos. They need to bring back the honor and respect in the military. Most graduates of the PMA did not become officers and pledge allegiance to the Philippines so they can be mga tuta at bata to do all the dirty jobs for the politicians. They need to remember that their role is to defend the country and the Constitution from foreign and domestic enemies including fellow soldiers that have become the instrument of the trapos. Bribery and payoffs have become so common that they have undermined the military chain of command, stripping them of honor and prestige. Money is now ruling the military. But individual military personnel can take actions to stop this. Known and suspected officials must be eliminated quickly and simultaneously. This is the only way. Dissension in the ranks and demanding for change as tried by RAM do not work. It is open for betrayal especially when money rules the military. Many will change sides (as seen with the politicians now) betraying those that are true to the cause. This is exactly what happened with RAM. And at the end nothing happened. But if the corrupt high ranking officers are eliminated simultaneously, there will be immediate fear within the ranks and those remaining high ranking officers will think twice of trying to follow the footsteps of those eliminated. This is the most effective way of cleansing the ranks, from top to bottom. There will be bribes and money offered. Take the money and bribes but eliminate those that offer the bribe. First of all, the act of offering bribes shows that that person is corrupt. Therefore, by eliminating the person that offered the bribe, that corrupt person is eliminated, the person offered the bribe does not have to follow whatever the order that he is being bribed for, and other people that are considering offering bribes will be dissuaded. This will make bribery ineffective and will eventually end the practice.

While the military is cleansing their ranks, the rebels need to eliminate the trapos and the oppressive privileged elite. First of all, if the rebels are asking the common citizens, ang masa, for revolutionary tax, they need to stop that practice. The common citizens are poor. The rebels should be taking from the hacienderos and the extremely wealthy families that do not pay any tax at all. They should be the ones targeted. Second, if the rebels are targeting the local government officials, they need to stop that practice also because they are the wrong targets. Eliminating a barangay captain does not do anything for the Philippines. It has no impact. They need to aim for bigger targets, high-profile. Since the rebels will be blamed by the politicians for every killing anyway, the rebels need to start eliminating those politicians, their accusers. The rebels need to start eliminating all the mayors of big cities, governors, and all congressmen because they serve no purpose. Mga magnanakaw lang lahat sila. Again once the politicians have become not untouchables anymore, fear should spread quickly in the upper echelon of the government. Also, those that will replace them will be forced to do the right thing and be that righteous and honest civil servant for the Philippines. This is the only way to uproot and remove the corruption that is growing and thriving in the government.

The people of the Philippines need to show their elected leaders that there are job-related hazards and consequences for being incompetent and for failing to do their job as a civil servant. It might take some time for surviving government officials to start doing the right things for the country because of the deeply rooted corruption in the culture. But as long as the masses keep eliminating those that are corrupt and incompetent, competent and righteous (by nature or from the fear of getting eliminated) leaders will eventually replace them. They should be made an example for those aspiring to become a government official to dissuade the ones that are incompetent and immoral.


Yes, a revolution will be bloody and gruesome, but only for the privileged elite and/or the corrupt politicians. Do not wait for the other (pretending to care about the people) elected government officials to police their ranks and root out the corruption. The common people of the Philippines must take it upon themselves to root them out and get justice. The politicians and the military have started killing to preserve their corrupt ways. The common people need to start killing those corrupt individuals to kill corruption. The time in now and the place is anywhere.

Gaya-gaya Puto Maya

Orig yan! This is a common saying in the Philippines that refers to the authenticity of a product made in the United States especially clothes. This statement is usually followed by showing off the inside tag or label of that particular piece of clothing to prove that it is truly an original American brand and made in the United States. This focus on the importance of authenticity of an American product is a small evidence of the Filipinos’ continuing obsession with American made products. Lately, this obsession has come to the point that they have started to sacrifice their identity as Filipino people. In addition to their strong desire for material things and the presence of the remnants of the US legacy in their government, they are now imitating anything and everything American. Many especially those in the public arena – political and entertainment - are trying so hard to act like Americans and have even made permanent physical alterations to look more like Americans. This imitation of another culture has now become a perversion and in a way a rejection of their own culture. But what the Filipinos do not realize is simply imitating the Americans will not make them Americans. For that matter, no culture can become another just by mimicking the other. Ironically, the people and culture they are imitating are also from the country they love to hate. Looks like somebody is envious.

This shameless behavior of imitating Americans or anything American is prevalent in the Filipino culture. Lahat ginagaya. It is not difficult to notice it. It is so obvious. It is all over the mass media, from prints, to radio, to movies and television. It seems like that every American TV show, especially reality shows, has a counter show complete with counterpart cast members. Everything is imitated from the look down to the mannerism. It is beyond absurdity. It is vomit-inducing. And the participating ‘celebrity’ judges are definitely something else. The judges themselves, the so-called stars, are no different than most of the contestants they are judging. Most of them have no talent at all, definitely lacking any form of ability that can be considered entertaining. They have qualified as ‘stars’ in the Philippines mainly because they are: first, light or fair-skinned; two, has Caucasian or Roman-like nose; and third can lip-synch the first couple of lines from a song. Maputi, matangus ang ilong, at ma-alam magkunyaring kumanta. Many of the so-called celebrities are basically untalented, wannabe white people. Incidentally, Koreans and Chinese that are descendants from the Han Dynasty that are now living in the Philippines, as well as Filipinos born from mixed parents (usually a Filipina mother and a white father) are given celebrity status and finding success in entertainment – talented or not - just because of those physical features. Those traits are also the main reasons why there are so many products in the Philippines developed strictly for whitening the skin. And for the many unlucky ones not born with those desirable traits, whitening products and a couple of trips to a particular doktora’s clinic (shamelessly advertised and thanked in many shows) can alter their natural features to make them an instant celebrity. It’s quite a compliment to the Americans to have their inherent physical features desired and copied by Filipinos as they make permanent alterations on their own natural features.

Besides the physical alterations, they also like to clothe themselves like Americans beyond practicality, preferring and wearing American brands of clothing. The Philippines is just several degrees north of the Equator so its climate is tropical throughout the whole country. The annual average temperature is fairly warm, around 82-84 F and decreasing slightly during the rainy, monsoon season, the only other season – wet or dry. It is hot and humid most of the time. It’s quite a sight to see many of those so-called Filipino celebrities donning cold weather clothes that are more suitable for winter in New York, and not break out a single drop of sweat. Now that’s talent!

It is not unusual for institutions of the Philippine government to be similar to that of the United States. The US established the foundation of the Philippine government, and the Philippines was under the American tutelage for several years before and during the commonwealth period. But despite of the similarities between the two governments, they are in the names and structures only, not its workings and principles.

From departments of government to branches of military and to committees in the Senate, the Philippines has copied the United States. They have the NBI; their version of FBI. Department of Interior, the NSA, and the Ethics Committee are a few more examples. Even the branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; they also have the Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Marines. To have this kind of military make up implies that the country is capable of some kind of offensive operation, battle-ready. But then again, the Philippines is only about names and structures. The world witnessed the offensive capability of the Philippine army as one platoon, a mere platoon that President Arroyo committed to the Coalition Forces against the war on terror, boarded a bus so they can go back to the Philippines even before participating in any mission. Talk about losing face to the international community. Arroyo succumbed to the demands of the terrorists when they kidnapped a Filipino citizen and threatened to behead him; the kidnapped-then freed-and returned to the Philippines Filipino went back to work in Iraq soon after he was released. Looks like Iraq is still a better place than the Philippines.

Its Air Force, though the name implies air power, has neither air nor force. Whatever planes (decommissioned US planes that were used in Vietnam) they have are not flight-ready, let alone combat-capable, because they are poorly maintained and usually do not have the parts and fuel. The Navy is even more pathetic. It consists of a small group of shore patrol boats that are essentially floating rust buckets. They are decrepit and stained with all shades of brown to burnt orange, deteriorating from rust. Its sad state is even worsened by its own sailors, its crew, taking away any remaining sign of dignity of a naval unit. The decks of those corroding boats are normally used for drying out washed clothes. At any time, it is not unusual to see shabby uniforms along with undergarments hanging on clothes lines flying on its decks rather than its flag and maritime colors. Considering the appalling condition of the boats, conducting the traditional mission of amphibious landing with the Marines appears to be an extremely daunting task. But at the very least, the Navy and Marines will have uniformity in colors. The colors of rust on the boats will match that of the equally poorly maintained rifles and machine guns. It’s no surprise that Abu Sayyaf can escape to an open sea from Palawan to Jolo. And good luck reclaiming the Spratly Islands.

Even traditions in the United States with long-standing history have been taken, and oddly enough injected in the proceedings of the Philippine government. One example is the State of the Union address, a formal speech given once or twice a year by the current American president to discuss his agendas, the overall state of the country, and the direction where he wants to lead the country. The Filipinos have taken this American government tradition and dubbed their version as SONA, State of the Nation address. How original! Gaya-gaya na naman. But it does not have to be called that. For the acronym-loving Filipinos, there is a more appropriate name and an actual Tagalog translation. It can be called Pahayag ng Kalagayan ng Bansa or PaKaBa for short. The headline would probably read, “Kinakabahan ang Buong Bansa sa Gaganapin na PaKaBa” o “Magpa-PakaBa ang Pangulo Mamayang Gabi”. Such name for the speech is more accurate and descriptive since nothing changes in the Philippines anyway no matter what comes out of the president’s or the rest of the politicians’ mouth. It should continue the concerns and worries of its citizen. Nakakakaba talaga.

Normally someone or something is imitated because it is admired or respected. It provides some kind of influence or motivation, hopefully positive, to cause improvement of someone or something. Throughout the history, styles of earlier works ranging from arts to literary and musical compositions and artistic performances have been imitated. Acts of men as well as ideas have also been followed, causing and inspiring other people to do both magnificent and terrible things. Those imitated are normally the established standards that are desired to be equaled or surpassed.

It would appear that the Filipinos are expressing their admiration for the Americans as they imitate them. This is true to a certain extent but the main underlying reason has nothing to do with their admiration for the Americans. It is all about economic and social dominance over other Filipinos. Starting with wearing American brands of clothes, they try show to fellow Filipinos that are better off financially because they can afford the much more expensive American products. And since the American products have limited availability, their social status is also elevated by having access to such exclusive things. They want to show their privileged status as portrayed by the many so-called celebrities. One such typical behavior is exhibited by one of the Philippines’ most popular ‘celebrities’, an extremely tacky and tactless award-winning actress/talk show host, as she openly and constantly boasts about all the things she can afford and buy in the US. She’s the extreme example for such vulgarity of trying to act like an American. But sadly enough, her crude behavior is admired and imitated by most Filipinos. Pure madness.

Because the government of the Philippines is essentially patterned from the US, it would appear that its public and economic systems would have some resemblance to that of the US. This is the farthest from reality. The Filipinos turn everything the Americans gave them on its head. As a result, the Philippines never progressed and has been in the state of a Third World country since. There is no hope in sight. Its leaders are corrupt to the core and only interested in being part of the bureaucracy to rob the national treasury. Because they are incompetent and do not have the capacity to appreciate the workings of a civilized society, they continue to imitate American institutions and public programs but only for their names and not for the purposes they are intended to serve.

It seems that when the United States gave their form of democracy to the Philippines, the first thing the Filipinos did was check the inside tag, the label, the brand. They soon found out that it was orig, ‘Made in America”. And that moment cemented the fate of the Philippines to where it is now today. They imitated it immediately, but unfortunately just the name.

Qualifications, are they required?

Would you let an actor playing a role of a surgeon operate on you? No, right? Papayagan mo ba ang isang aktor na gumanap lang na doktor na mag-opera sa iyo? Hindi, di ba? What about an athlete, let’s say a boxer? Of course! Oo, mahusay at magaling siya. Tama! Mahusay at magaling siya pero sa loob ng boksing ring. Hindi sa pagpapatakbo ng gobyerno at gumawa ng mga patakaran. For a country that has no credibility in the international community, the possibility of its own local actors and athletes becoming the country’s leaders and representatives will not help that cause. The Philippines might even lose whatever little face it has left. It appears that the Filipinos did not learn anything when they elected Joseph Erap Estrada. No country and its leader acknowledge him. And they had every right not to give him that recognition. No self-respecting head of state will dare associate himself with an idiot, president of a country or not. It would have been an instant loss of credibility just by association.

Entertainment mixing with politics is a very troubling trend for the Philippines. But then again, politics is very entertaining in the Philippines. Just listen to the way the president and all the politicians talk during interviews and in political discussions, they are extremely laughable. It is automatic that the content or the subject matter that they are talking about is gibberish. Or sometimes they make profound statements like calling the pot black or the water wet. It is mind-numbing. Then of course the language(s) of choice and its usage add another level of hilarity. Many try to speak in English. They would start fairly strong sounding very educated. Bumabanat. At sige banat! But then all of a sudden, they would start mixing Tagalog words with English and eventually just end up talking in Tagalog. Nauubusan ng Ingles. It’s a classic. It’s an unadulterated slapstick by members of the highest level of the government. Incidentally, this utter mediocrity of the leaders in the Philippines is what sets the tone of the reputation of the Philippines and all Filipinos, and how it is perceived by the rest of the world. As a result, all Filipinos are lumped together as ignorant and uncivilized. Just like the world-wide perception that all Filipino men are either seamen or general laborers, and all Filipina women are domestic helpers, care-givers, or the ever popular ‘entertainers’.

It would not have mattered whether a politician spoke in English, in Tagalog, or in the mongrelized hybrid, Taglish. Most of the population do not understand English or speak other dialects other than Tagalog. But even if most of the people understand both languages, a proclamation of president, a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, or the latest law passed by the legislation has no relevance or no effect to the majority of the population. For example, ‘the president repealed the sales tax’ – as a result, the buying power of 9 pesos just increased to 10 pesos but most people are living on 50 pesos or less a day. ‘The Department of Education is distributing an additional 1 million textbooks to all the schools’ – instead of 10 students sharing a textbook, only 5 will share now. ‘The Congress just approved 10M pesos to subsidize the cost of farm fertilizers in Manila’ – most of the working farms are in the provinces, not in Manila. ‘The Department of Health will distribute malaria medication to all infested areas’ - the people there will be saved from malaria but they will all die from dengue. ‘The Supreme Court upheld a recent ruling of a lower court preventing Senator Onggoy to get married in Manila Zoo’ – who the hell cares. It does not really matter.

A couple of more actors are going to become politistas (actor, artista-turned politician). The actors are throwing themselves in the mix as potential senatorial candidates in the upcoming election, and a political party has already reserved seats for them in their ticket. Goodness! This is a total abomination of the legislative system and a searing insult to all true civil servants all over the world. The Philippines is already a laughing stock of the world when it comes to its government and institutions; its corrupt and incompetent government officials. This politista phenomenon just adds to the world-wide common perception that most Filipinos are ignorant. At the basic level, they lack the capacity and understanding of becoming a civilized society. The continuing practice of choosing incompetent candidates to head their country proves that they are incapable of ruling themselves.

What made them think that as actors, they can be good public administrators, law-makers, and leaders? What made them think that they are qualified? Are they qualified?
Do they even have the qualifications other than the age and citizenship requirements? Does it really matter if they are qualified or not? It appears that job related qualifications are not required and definitely not an issue. No one in the media is scrutinizing them about it. No one is asking from the several groups championing reforms. No one is asking at all.

Those actors will most likely be elected simply for being famous regardless of their qualifications. Like all the other politistas, they will prove themselves to be just as incompetent. And like all the incompetent law-makers now, they will create and pass new laws that will either be ineffective or useless. As a result, the Philippines will remain in its dismal state.

By electing those unqualified and incompetent candidates, the Filipino people will prove themselves to be ignorant. Yes, they are so ignorant that they will get an operation from an actor that had played the role of a doctor. Get ready to be butchered.

Another Reason Why The Philippines Is Not Progressing

Alan Peter Cayetano, a representative from Taguig-Pateros alleged Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of improper conduct by having a bank account and investments in another country hence the House panel hearing.

This shows that Filipino politicians are just a bunch of idiot monkeys. I apologized for insulting the monkeys.

The hearing is one big charade, an absolute nonsense and a waste of the taxpayers’ money. Just like any other investigation in the Philippines, it will not amount to anything.

First, the accusation is down right slanderous especially when there is no evidence. Arroyo should have filed a countersuit for slander in a civil court, and not at the taxpayers’ expense.

Second, the members of the House Committee on Ethics are stupid for giving the accusation merit and holding a hearing when there is no proof.

Arroyo is also stupid by giving the accusation merit by replying. If Arroyo did obtain a large amount of money by questionable means and was able to transfer it to another country, then the people responsible for safeguarding the country from such crime especially at the highest level failed. It is too late at this point already.

The current hearing will not result in anything. And additional long-drawn out hearings that will soon follow will not result in anything too. They would just waste the country’s money. If there is one thing that Filipino government officials can do well is to always come to an inconclusive conclusion.

Filipino government officials as always are hard at work for their personal gain. Instead of formulating initiatives and passing laws to improve the country, the law-makers are accusing each other and arguing about the money that might have possibly been stolen from the country’s treasury. The country's treasury should have been inaccessible and untouchable in the first place. It seems like that no one can prevent a plunder but they are more willing to accuse and argue with each other once the plunder has occured. The money is unrecoverable once it is taken out of the country and deposited in a personal account. This is a clear example of both government corruption and absolute incompentency of government officials working hand-in-hand. It's a lose-lose situation for the country and its people. It's no wonder why the country does not improve.

Winners: Arroyo – personal gain, fat pocket; Cayetano – political points, extended political career; Germany – using Philippines money for investments, earning interest; House Committee on Ethics – political grandstanding.

Losers: The Philippines, the Filipino people.